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Scooped by Seth Dixon onto Geography Education |
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Taking Root tells the dramatic story of Kenyan Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Wangari Maathai whose simple act of planting trees grew into a nationwide movement ...
Community, agriculture, gender, politics and the environment... it's all here in this inspiring clip.
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"China's one-child only policy and historic preference for boys has led to a surplus of marriageable Chinese men. Young women are holding out for better apartments, cars and the like from potential spouses...30 to 48 percent of the real estate appreciation in 35 major Chinese cities is directly linked to a man's need to acquire wealth — in the form of property — to attract a wife." Tags: gender, folk culture, China, podcast, culture, population. 
Taylor Brown's comment,
May 4, 7:59 PM
Brides in China are treated like princesses. They get money given to them, apartments bought for them, and the whole wedding and it's paid for as well. All of this is very expensive for the Husband and his family, which is why some of the people in China are beginning to want boys instead because they cost a lot less money.
Ryli Smith's comment,
May 5, 2:30 PM
In China, weddings are beginning to become more expensive. The brides are asking for higher bridal prices so it is more expensive for the groom and his family. This is because there are fewer women due to the one child policy, therefore, in order for Chinese men to find a wife, they have to pay a very large sum of money to get her.
Iryl Bacdayan's comment,
May 5, 6:25 PM
For men who want to get married they have to "give" the bride a hefty price. They are expected to give them an apartment, a car, and then pay them a high amount of money.
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The Chinese government says its so-called "one-child policy" has succeeded in reining in its population. But more than three decades after the policy's imple... Via Natalie K Jensen
Seth Dixon's insight:
This short video is an excellent summary of some of the societal consequences of China's one-child policy in a culture that prefers male offspring. Tags: gender, China, population. 
Sallyann Griffin's curator insight,
April 2, 5:14 AM
The road to hell is paved with good intentions. 
Jessica Martel's curator insight,
April 29, 2:44 PM
"women hold up half the skye" I like that haha. Anyways, the gender imbalance in china is rediculas. Hopefully be trying to forsce the women are equal thought this will in a generation or so fix itself. This way, there will also be less abortions per family. Delete the scoop?
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See a photo of an aerial view of a terraced rice field in China and download free wallpaper from National Geographic.
Seth Dixon's insight:
This image shows is one of the more beautiful cultural landscapes that shows the great extent of agricultural modifications of the environment. National Geographic's photo of the day is a great source for images that start class discussions and can enliven class content. You may download a high resolution version of the image here.
Tags: National Geographic, agriculture, landscape, China. Delete the scoop?
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Seth Dixon's insight:
Many of the geopolitical conflicts in the East Pacific have their roots in the territorial disputes over islands that at first glance seem as if they wouldn't be worth the trouble. However, since the the UNCLOS agreement gives countries 200 nautical miles off their coasts to be an Exclusive Economic Zone, that greatly enhanced the strategic value of controlling these islands. 
Tony Hall's curator insight,
February 20, 11:46 PM
Very topical here in Asia and an awesome example of using current events to develop student understanding of the world around them. It also demonstrates practical uses for geographic knowledge/understanding. 
Allison Anthony's curator insight,
February 21, 8:41 AM
This is a great example of geopolitics and territorial disputes over small pieces of land that seem insignificant yet could result in armed conflict over who controls them and their surrounding waters. In one case, you will see that apparently WWII isn't even over! 
Catherine Shabo's curator insight,
April 21, 9:32 PM
There is a big lesson to be learned from this map and what it means. No territory on this earth is completely not valuable. Specifically ones with long coast lines and natural resources. This shows how Geography comes into play with economic profit. Now, if this division is not working for the East Pacific then the ideal thing would be to divide it equally. But, that never works does it.. Delete the scoop?
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Gender imbalances in China have created a generation of men for whom finding love is no easy task
Seth Dixon's insight:
Cultural preferences for boys in China has led to a gender imbalance which has some unintended consequences, especially for the those seeking to have families with limited financial resources. Tags: gender, China, population. 
Annika Della Vedova's comment,
May 4, 4:05 PM
Because of the gender imbalance females get more of a chose on who they marry. They are however basing much of their choose on wealth. because of this their are about 40-50 million bachelors who are mostly poor.
Cassie Frazier's comment,
May 4, 8:45 PM
Today in China, love has become more about wealth than romance. Because of the gender imbalance created by the one child policy, there are many more men than women, as boys are the preferred sex. This has shifted the task of choosing a spouse to the women, and they want fancy things. Therefore, they tend to choose the rich to marry. The problem is that there are at least 40-50 million poor men in China, and the majority are alone. When men reach 30 and are still unmarried, they are called "leftovers". These men are much more likely to get into trouble. This is so sad because they are so lonely. By preferring males, China has created a huge group of men who may have to live forever alone.
Taylor Anderson's comment,
May 6, 1:43 PM
There is a huge gender imbalance making people choose between love and money
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The BBC's John Simpson reports from Hong Kong, where the former colony's increasing independent-mindedness is worrying Beijing.
Seth Dixon's insight:
When the rule of Hong Kong transferred from the UK to China in 1997, the Chinese government was careful to ease the fears of those in Hong Kong that they would not have their political and economic systems turned upside down. "One country, two systems" was the famous slogan to sum up the policy that some felt would simply delay the inevitable. Today, many of the youth in Hong Kong are demonstrating against what they feel are pressures to do away with their unique status and are bringing back the old colonial flag. This is not asking for a return to British rule, but a symbolic reference to their distinct history from the rest of mainland China. Today only 16.6% of Hong Kong residents identify themselves as Chinese, which is the lowest it's ever been since 1997. 
Steven Sutantro's curator insight,
December 20, 2012 9:06 PM
Interesting facts...that's the interdependence concept of Geography.. Delete the scoop?
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A promotional video shows planned development of a state-level development zone by government of Lanzhou, a provincial capital in China's arid northwest... The Lanzhou province is lightly populated mainly due to it's semi-arid climate and rugged topography. The goal is make a 500 square mile area (currently with 100,000 people) into a city with over 1 million people by 2030. To make this new metropolis, developers are planning to literally remove mountains to create a more 'ideal' urban environment. This makes some of the most ambitious environmental modification projects seem tame. For more read, the accompanying article from the Guardian. Questions to Ponder: What potential environmental impacts come from this scale of modification? How will this massive influx of the population impact the region? Could this type of project happen in other part of the world? Tags: environment, urban ecology, planning, environment modify, China. 
Elizabeth Allen's comment,
December 11, 2012 11:51 PM
The developer is claiming this will be "protective development." I am not sure if I buy that. They are moving mountains- which means everything that comes with that, wildlife, trees, etc... And they are building an airport and an oil refinery (amongst other things).. Urbanizing can be great for the economy- but at what cost.
Elizabeth Allen's curator insight,
December 11, 2012 11:51 PM
The developer is claiming this will be "protective development." I am not sure if I buy that. They are moving mountains- which means everything that comes with that, wildlife, trees, etc... And they are building an airport and an oil refinery (amongst other things).. Urbanizing can be great for the economy- but at what cost. Elizabeth Allen Delete the scoop?
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Experts warn that China's apparent claims to other territories could have a long-term impact on relations with its neighbours... Many people assume oftentimes that a map merely reflects reality. In this passport map, China is flexing it's regional muscles, trying to reinforce their territorial claims as legitimate. Not surprisingly, their neighbors with competing claims are angered, calling this map dimplomatically "unacceptable." Some look at this map and dismiss it as a glorified watermark. What you you think the sub-text this maps is? You can find another article on this topic in the Washington Post. Tags: cartography, China, borders. Delete the scoop?
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Every spring, China's cities are plunged into chaos as 130 million migrant workers journey to their home villages for the New Year in the world's largest human migration. I've posted in the past about this documentary which portrays the The cultural importance of New Year's in China and the massive corresponding migratory shifts that take place. What is new is that the 85 minute documentary is now available online. "Last Train Home takes viewers on a heart-stopping journey with the Zhangs, a couple who left infant children behind for factory jobs 16 years ago, hoping their wages would lift their children to a better life. They return to a family growing distant and a daughter longing to leave school for unskilled work. As the Zhangs navigate their new world, Last Train Home paints a rich, human portrait of China's rush to economic development." Tags: China, EastAsia, migration, development, labor, development, transportation, unit 2 population. Delete the scoop?
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"The final 32 generators went into operation this week, making it the world's largest hydropower project, pictured, built on the Yangtze River in China." This photo gallery has a tremendous video at the end that displays vividly the raw power that moves the turbines. Economically, what are the benefits? Environmentally, what are the costs?
Via John Foden Delete the scoop?
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For some time now, Brazil, Russia, India, and China have been grouped together under the acronym BRIC.
What are the demographic profiles of these "BRIC" countries that are increasingly looming large in the global consciousness? While they to not quite fit the profile of more developed countries (MDCs), the BRIC countries are notable for how rapidly they are closing the gap in many metrics. Delete the scoop?
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We can learn a lot from examining the way China's diet has changed in the last 20 years -- as well as its required efficiencies and the agriculture that supports it.
The United States still consumes more meat per capita than China, but as China's economy has grown (along with it's income and standard of living), the consumer habits have changed as well. What will the impacts of the rise in Chinese meat consumption mean? How do they get all this meat? http://www.scoop.it/t/geography-education/p/1661841673/this-little-piggy-is-going-to-china 
Don Brown Jr's comment,
July 25, 2012 6:53 PM
Like a nations GDP the diet of individuals within a country can help determine its prosperity and wealth. This article makes me question how strong the relationship is between a countries economic development and its consumption of meat.
Seth Dixon's comment,
July 25, 2012 8:09 PM
As more societies aspire to 'American lifestyles,' consuming meat goes up. As a country gets wealthier, their capacity to have a meat market expands. But China is so big, that shift is actually a big deal.
Crissy Borton's curator insight,
December 11, 2012 11:15 PM
I wonder if this will bring on a meat shortage. At the least it is helping to full "factory" farmer and the feeding on cheep corn to cows. I wonder how much this will effect global warming. Delete the scoop?
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It’s the biggest political scandal to hit China in years, and it destroys any possibility of a smooth transition to the next generation of top leaders.
Seth Dixon-"On April, 10th, Bo Xilai was suspended from the Central Committee and the Politburo amid allegations of his wife being suspected of murder. This juicy gossip leads to political and social media pitfalls for the Chinese government. One of the great paradoxes in China is the juxtaposition of it's rush towards economic prosperity through technological modernity combined with the authoritarian impulse to control the media. For three day, the government shut down SINA, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter because the gossip was too prevalent to monitor all of the discussions. Chinese bloggers are finding ways around the overworked censors through coded messages, that won't trip the alarm bells." Via Susan Bainbridge Delete the scoop?
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For years, China claimed to hold an estimated 50000 rivers within its borders. Now, more than half of them have abruptly vanished. Delete the scoop?
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"Every year, as a result of prenatal sex selection, 1.5 million girls around the world are missing at birth. How do we know these girls are missing if they were never born? Under normal circumstances, about 102 to 107 male babies are born for every 100 female babies born. This is called the sex ratio at birth, or SRB."
Seth Dixon's insight:
How do local cultures create these demographic statistics? How do these demographic statistics impact local cultures? Tags: gender, technology, folk culture, statistics, China, population. Delete the scoop?
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Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. Seven million people living in 423 square miles (1,096 sq km).
Seth Dixon's insight:
These apartments are so small that they can only be photographed from the ceiling. Massive urbanization with limited space means that real estate is at a premium and many laborers will not be able to afford large living spaces. Hong Kong is an extreme example of this and it brings new meaning to the term "high-density housing." Tags: housing, urban, planning, density, urbanism, unit 7 cities. 
Kevin Cournoyer's comment,
May 1, 12:52 AM
Apartments that are so small, they can only be photographed from the ceiling. That’s pretty ridiculous. I think that most Americans, in fact, most Westerners, could not imagine such cramped and seemingly uncomfortable living conditions. As people who live in a Western culture, we value the idea of space because of the freedom it affords us and also just for basic safety reasons.
The fact that these apartments are in Hong Kong is, to me, very telling. It indicates a cultural difference between East and West. Asian cities tend to be very densely populated, and so anything that can be done to make more room for people is being done. This may have something to do with a lower standard of living in China that makes its people less picky about the environments in which they’re living because they are used to making do with what they have. 
Thomas D's comment,
May 2, 11:53 AM
This article of how people are living in Hong Kong is absolutely incredible. You can tell just by these pictures how densely populated Hong Kong is. These people have almost their entire home packed into a closet space. They eat and sleep in the same exact spot which is incredible to me. That these people’s entire lives are bunched into a closet space. When you hear that these people pay almost 30 percent more than the price of a person living in Manhattan pays is astounding. I couldn’t imagine living in such a small space like this, even from these pictures it’s hard to tell the actual square footage of the area but I’m confident in saying that my dorm room is probably bigger. It’s really hard to understand how much 7 million people living in Hong Kong really is until you see pictures like this.
Jess Pitrone's comment,
May 5, 5:34 PM
I’m getting claustrophobic just looking at these photographs. Surely, Hong Kong can’t be such an amazing city that people are willing to live like this just to be a part of it? New York City is mentioned in the article as having famously high rents, but not nearly as high as in Hong Kong. New York is also famous for tiny living spaces, but I’m sure none of them are as squished and compact as these. This seems to be almost inhumane, as people are slotted into these tiny apartments that resemble cages at a slaughter house. I think that the best way for Hong Kong to solve this problem is to build up and out, instead of dividing what they’ve already got. Like most cities in the world, when room becomes tight the buildings get higher and farther out of the city limits. Let’s look at New York again; the rents and the spaces in Manhattan became too pricey and too small, so people began to move out of the city limits to places like Brooklyn, and now Brooklyn is one of the hippest, most sought after areas in New York. I think that Hong Kong city planners need to take a step back and see what other people are doing so that they can rebuild and customize their city to make room for their bustling population.
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China wants a railroad linking it to Thailand and on to the Bay of Bengal in Myanmar, but some international groups warn that it may put a big burden on Laos.
Seth Dixon's insight:
Economic analyst noted in this article, “Southeast Asia is geostrategically and economically important to China, an increasingly important partner from both the trade and investment perspectives.” As China expands its influence, the benefits will probably be one-sided for rural, less developed neighbors such as Laos. 
Danielle Boucher's curator insight,
May 5, 8:10 PM
An interesting look at how one country can use another for self gains. China is planning to build a railroad that would connect it to major trading partners in Southern Asia. This would not be so bad if they were not using a nearby country as gateway to these major cities. Delete the scoop?
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TED Talks In the ongoing debate about globalization, what's been missing is the voices of workers -- the millions of people who migrate to factories in China and other emerging countries to make goods sold all over the world. Our collective understanding of modern industrialization and globalization needs to go beyond the binary of "oppressors" and "victims." This lecture explores the voices and lives of Chinese workers that we so often simply see as simply victims of a system, but are full of ambition and agency.
Tags: industry, globalization, labor, China, TED. 
Braden Oldham's comment,
May 2, 9:49 PM
The workers seem to not see their work as bad as we see it. They see it as a opportunity, bette then waht they had before.
Sarah Graham's comment,
May 3, 1:54 PM
I think that we often overlook the fact that life and culture is very different in these places. Here, the factory workers probably don't want the I-phones that they are making. We don't think about the people and how they WANT these jobs. These people want to make their life better, just like you and me.
Ryli Smith's comment,
May 5, 2:55 PM
In these Chinese factories, they don't view these jobs as harsh or poor treatment because this is better than how they would be doing back in their villages. They want these jobs so bad because they will give them a better life. Also, you have to remember that not all of these Chinese factory workers want to have an iPhone or a Coach purse or Nike shoes, because those things don't have any worth in their culture.
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New rules announced last week to allow interceptions of ships in the South China Sea are raising concerns in the region, and in Washington, that simmering disputes with Southeast Asian countries over the waters will escalate. According to this new announcement, Chinese ships would be allowed to search and repel foreign ships if they were engaged in illegal activities (but that is open to interpretation) if the ships were within the 12-nautical-mile zone surrounding islands that China claims. This makes the disputed territorial claims of China all the more at the center of this geopolitical maneuverings. Much of the South China Sea would then be under Chinese control if this announcement becomes the new reality. Questions to Ponder: Why is China making this announcement? Is China within their rights to make this declaration? Who might oppose this? Delete the scoop?
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China is simply to important to ignore and this profile is a good primer for students unfamiliar with the East Asian country to get caught up to speed. 
Emily Gaulke's comment,
May 3, 12:23 PM
China has a huge population but is has a horrible life style. It
Emily Gaulke's comment,
May 3, 12:25 PM
China has a huge population but it has a horrible life style. It's really bad when people have to protest for human rights. Even though their economy has boosted their pollution problems are unexceptable.
Joel Roberts's comment,
May 3, 2:37 PM
China's huge population growth isn't necessarily such a good thing because most of the new population is males because parents want males so they can have more workers after they get married but its harder to get married because there is less and less girls in China's population.
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"After growing by leaps and bounds for more than three decades, China’s economic growth has come to a halt, falling from around 12 percent in the second quarter of 2006 to 7.6 percent in the second quarter of 2012. Export-dependent manufacturing sector has been hard hit. The June HSBC Flash Purchasing Managers Index hit a seven-month low of 48.1, down from a final reading of 48.4 in May, the eighth consecutive month that the index has been below 50—the contraction threshold. Is this just a temporary pause, caused by a prolonged slow-down in the world economy or something more serious?" Delete the scoop?
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"In 1979, the National Population and Family Planning Commission in China enacted an ambitious program that called for strict population control. Families in various urban districts are urged to have only one child—preferably a son—in order to solve the problems related to overpopulation. What has happened since then and what are its implications for the future of China?" This is an excellent infographic for understanding population dynamics in the world's most populous country.
Don Brown Jr's comment,
July 10, 2012 8:18 PM
The social repercussions of China’s one child policy may soon pose some new challenges to them in the following decades. Like other industrialized economies, as China’s population ages, the elderly will be supported by a smaller workforce. However, due to an unequal gender preference for boys because of the countries one child policy, the generation following the upcoming workforce may also be insufficient. How China will respond to the reality of dealing with an aging population and smaller workforce in the near future could possibly result in the country having a large immigrant work force or even suspending their one child policy.
Matt Mallinson's comment,
November 19, 2012 11:11 AM
I agree with Don, couldn't have said it better.
Yuanyuan Kelly's curator insight,
March 4, 9:27 AM
A really cool infograph regarding China's one child policy! Delete the scoop?
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China is now the world's largest car market, and a crucial one for Detroit companies. Chinese consumers bought 18.5 million vehicles last year, and foreigners, especially Americans, have played a key role in developing the industry.
China now is the world's largest auto market as China is no longer simply a place where things are produced. China has become a major consumer of goods as their workers wages allow them to consume more goods.
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This photoblog will also link you to a full article and video that explains how the American pork industry is supplying China's demand for protein as globalization forces (among others) has led the Chinese consumers to eat 10% more meat than they did just 5 years ago. WHat impact will this have on American agriculture? How to we explain fo the rise in meat demand in China? 
Adrian Bahan (MNPS)'s curator insight,
March 7, 8:28 PM
Read the linked article. How is China dealing with its increasing appitite for meat? Delete the scoop?
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This is such an inspiring video. All it took was for one women, Wangari Maathai, to have an idea and to stand up for that idea for change to take place. How cool that from that one women a government was changed at 35 million trees planted!