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"An earlier GeoCurrents post on Chechnya mentioned that the Chechens were deported from their homeland in the North Caucasus to Central Asia in February 1944. However, the Chechen nation was not the only one to suffer such a fate under Stalin’s regime."
Seth Dixon's insight:
This is a painful page in world history, but it needs retelling. The Soviet era profoundly reshaped the cultural, political and economic geographies of the region. Tags: Russia, migration, Central Asia, historical, war, ethnicity, political, gerrymandering. Delete the scoop?
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"In April, the Associated Press decided the word 'illegal' should only be used to describe actions, not people. It's one of several major news outlets that have been reconsidering how to refer to people who are in this country illegally."
Seth Dixon's insight:
There is power in the words we choose, especially for those those that are in the media that influence the way we frame any topic. If a reporter in a news article, for example, were to describe a group as freedom fighters instead of insurgent rebels it impacts our perception of the news. See also this gallery of images on the U.S.-Mexico border. Tags: migration, ethnicity, race, population, podcast. Delete the scoop?
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"Geographer Reece Jones discusses his recent book Border Walls, examining the history of how and why societies have chosen to literally wall themselves apart. He gives a brief history of political maps, how international lines reshape landscapes, and how the trend towards increased border wall construction contrasts with the view of a “borderless” world under globalization."
Seth Dixon's insight:
This 30-minute audio podcast is a great preview of Reece Jones' book Border Walls; and discusses many concepts important to political geography. The physical construction of barriers is an old practice (Great Wall of China, Hadrian's Wall), but those borders were the exceptions. The recent proliferatrion of walls to separate countries is dramatically reshaping our borders and impacting economics, politics, migration and other geographic patterns (How recent? Over half of the borders with walls and fences we see today have been constructed since 2000). Although walls are often justified as a means to prevent terrorism, most of the world's walls can best be explained as dividing wealthy and relatively poorer countries to prevent migration (download podcast episode here). You can also read his New York Times article on the same topic. Tags: book reviews, podcast, borders, political, landscape, states, territoriality, sovereignty. 
Mary Patrick Schoettinger's curator insight,
April 25, 9:16 AM
Looking forward to reading this. Seth Dixon's insight mentions the current practice of building walls that separates the haves from the have nots is telling. Is it possible to include natural resources in the whole wealth question? Is damming water a form of building a border wall? 
chris tobin's comment,
April 27, 9:31 AM
good point mary . natural resources is wealth that many can take advantage of for their benefit and strategy
chris tobin's curator insight,
April 27, 9:48 AM
This broadcast states how advances in cartography over time maps borders of territory that became public in europe since the 180's, before that places to travel to were only by memory. After WWII orders were recognized and redrawn. Maps and borders organizes land around us as fixed territories to control. It allows territories control over their land and authority. Less than 5 borders or fences shortly after WWII existed and now there are at least 50 ,75% which are within the last 70 years. Physical walls being built slows human travel, borders wealthy from poor--US/Mexico has one of the largest gaps where US GDP is greater by 4 to 1 compared to Mexico (US$40,0000 Mexico $10,000 us dollars) India/Bangladesh border also illustrates this. They share the same Bengali languge, with 15 million Bangladeshis living and working in India. This border is 4000 km long with 200,000 border agents employed. The border fence is about 10 ft high doubled barbed with many gates and flood lights (no camerastation in space because of the flood lights). Bangladesh cross into India to visit relatives living there, and work. Bangladesh has poor standards of living and India has increased standards of living. Bangladesh has over 160 million people , 1238 people per sq km (dense population) in the comparable size of US state of Iowa, is a low lying area with floods, (Ganges River empties into Bay of Bengal) and as sea levels rise one meter flooding occurs. The future of borders between $$wealthy and poor and world trade capital movement ,investments of US in other countries and trade of other countries into the US, and the poor becomes a threat to the territories (states, countries) sine they cannot move around in the world. Morre walls and fence borders are to com. In the last 15 years walls and fences has increased between countries to protect resources and control their area and even used strategically to their own advantage for resource control, political control and military advantages while affecting the environment, economics and peoples way of life. This is a must read book which has won Geography awards and very insightful. Delete the scoop?
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Almost everywhere on the world, international migration is a hot topic. Most of the time the debate about migration is fierce and charged with prejudices and... Via Natalie K Jensen, Nancy Watson
Seth Dixon's insight:
This is a good introduction to basic concepts of migration; the video is especially noteworthy because it is rich in vocabulary terms (explaining them and using global examples) necessary to teach a population geography unit. Tags: migration, population, statistics, unit 2 population. 
Tony Hall's curator insight,
April 8, 7:57 PM
Really nice video that discusses international migration with really good visuals to illustrate the concepts and data. 
Catherine Smyth's curator insight,
April 8, 8:51 PM
The topic, "Australia as a nation" in the new Australian curriculum:history provides the opportunity for Year 5/6 students to learn about the significance of migration in Australia. This video explores the big ideas about migration. Although some of the video is more relevant for secondary students, parts of it could be used in the primary classroom. It provides good background information about the topic and includes graphs and statistics through which primary teachers can address numeracy outcomes. 
Marshall Shogun Dore's curator insight,
May 5, 8:35 AM
This is a good video focusing on international migration. It highlights important factors and issues surrounding migration and the common misconceptions that go along with it. Delete the scoop?
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What would the perfect immigration system look like? We asked three economists to dream big.
Seth Dixon's insight:
This is an intriguing podcast focused on how to best manage national borders if the only goal were to strengthen the economy (they center the conversatri on the United States). These economists envision plans with more incentives to attract a labor force that is more highly-skilled is crucial to having a rational migration policy. How how you manage the borders if you were in charge? How would your plan strengthen the country? Delete the scoop?
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"A visualization of migration flows"
Seth Dixon's insight:
This is a great way to visualize global migration patterns. Where are people migrating to Brazil coming from? What countries are Brazilians migrating to? Here are the answers to these types of questions for every country. Tags: migration, population, statistics, visualization, unit 2 population. 
Araceli Vilarrasa Cunillé's curator insight,
February 8, 4:14 AM
Es un grafic molt atractiu. Interessant per muntar treballs de grup, investigants païssos concrets Delete the scoop?
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New demographic study in California reveals nation’s changing face. Plus how Pacific Islanders changed high school football in Utah and why a Somali Bantu band from Vermont is in demand around the country.
Seth Dixon's insight:
This news article of 'odds and ends' has some interesting geographic content. Having lived in Utah for many years, I can attest to the fact that the "Polynesian Pipeline" for Utah schools is incredibly important and represents a chain migration that has culturally shifted both the 'host' and 'migrant' population. The 'haka' is now institutionized as a part of Intermountain West football culture. Also in this article: --Hispanics to outnumber whites in California by 2014 --Somali Bantu band from Burlington, VT in demand across the country Delete the scoop?
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Tony King's comment,
January 13, 11:35 AM
Just in case a lot of perfectly sane Americans decide to migrate to a civilized country like Canada
Trisha Klancar's curator insight,
January 13, 2:04 PM
I like this as it also sets up the beginning of the lesson if you were were unsure what to do with this. Delete the scoop?
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MEXICO CITY — Juan Chiu Trujillo was 5 years old when he left his native Mexico for a visit to his father's hometown in southern China. He was 35 when he returned. Migratory patterns and globalization can lead to some intriguing cultural blends that would seem improbable 100 years ago. This story of shows vividly how ethnicity does NOT always correspond to culture. Delete the scoop?
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The story of the "Lost Boys" of Sudan is a heartbreaking and inspiring tale of youth caught in cultural and geopolitical conflicts and fored to leave their homes. The film God Grew Tired of Us tells a moving story of young people overcoming incredible challenges and struggling to improve their own lives and those of family and friends left behind." Linked here is a lsson plan from National Geographic "to teach students about concepts of migration, cultural mosaics, sense of place, and forces of cooperation and conflict among communities" using this 90 minute documentary. The film can be viewed online on HULU as well as other media outlets. Tags: culture, Africa, political, conflict, war, migration, development, APHG. Delete the scoop?
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The key facts and figures about refugees, IDPs, asylum seekers and stateless people from UNHCR's annual Global Trends report. Not all migation is voluntary. Refugees and other non-voluntary migrants often are in their situation due to complex geographic factors beyond their control at the national scale. Tags: migration, population, development, conflict, statistics, war, unit 2 population. Delete the scoop?
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A refugee is a person who has been pushed away from their homeland and seeks refuge in another place. The United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees (UNHCR) provides a more narrow definition of a refugee as someone who flees their home country due to a “well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion.” As Neal Lineback notes in this Geography in the News post, not all refugees are covered by this definition. Environmental refugees have been forced to leave their homes beause of soil degradation, deserticfication, flooding, drought, climate change and other environmental factors. Tags: environment, environment depend, migration, unit 2 population. Delete the scoop?
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Over a bottle of vodka and a traditional Russian salad of pickles, sausage and potatoes tossed in mayonnaise, a group of friends raised their glasses and wished Igor Irtenyev and his family a happy journey to Israel. My regional class has been learning about Russia this week and when I first started teaching a few years ago, I would teach that Russia had a population of 145 million. Today it is 141 million and part of that is due to migrants leaving a country that they see as lacking in economic opportunities and political freedoms (another part of the story is that birth rates plummeted after the collapse of the Soviet Union in what demographers have called the "Russian Cross"). In the last few years the population appears to have stabilized, but there are still many who do not see a vibrant future from themselves within Russia. Tags: Russia, migration, Demographics, immigration, unit 2 population. Via Nathan Parrish Delete the scoop?
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Rust Belt cities are hoping that immigrants can help rebuild our their shrinking communities. Washington should gear policy to helping them. 
Mark Deschaine, Ph.D.'s curator insight,
May 16, 9:44 PM
Not tech .... But we are impacted in Michigan ..... Delete the scoop?
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Stratfor Europe Analyst Adriano Bosoni discusses the political implications of the increasing number of migrants from the European Union's periphery to its c...
Seth Dixon's insight:
The economic crisis has contributed to rising anti-immigration sentiment and policies in Europe. Immigrants from Eastern Europe continue to enter the core, but now more from the struggling southern periphery of Europe are also on the move. One of the free response questions in the 2012 AP Human Geography test focused on increasing Muslim population in many European countries. This video some background context for that particular Free Response Question (as would this article from Al Jazeera titled Europe's failure to integrate Muslims). Delete the scoop?
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"Another refugee camp opened today in Mrajeeb al-Fhood, Jordan, to accommodate the reported 1,500 to 2,000 Syrians fleeing to Jordan daily. Just over a year ago the Big Picture posted an entry of the growing number of people displaced due to the conflict that now has lasted over two years. The United Nations recently said a total of around 7,000 to 8,000 Syrians are leaving their country daily; there are 1.3 million Syrian refugees and almost 4 million more have been displaced inside Syria since the start of the conflict. Posted here is another glimpse of daily life for those displaced since the beginning of this year."
Seth Dixon's insight:
These 37 images are excellent, but I chose to share this particular one, because the combination of poverty and happiness embody the purpose behind refugee camps. While the living conditions are grim and far from ideal, they are better than the alternative for these refugees and the assistance that they are receiving from the international community can be a ray of hope for the future of these children. In this picture, Syrian refugee children play in Sidon, located in southern Lebanon. Tags: Syria, migration, conflict, political, MiddleEast, war. Delete the scoop?
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Guinea pigs are popular pets in the U.S., but in parts of South America, they're a delicacy. Some environmental and humanitarian groups are making a real push to encourage guinea pig farming as an eco-friendly alternative to beef.
Seth Dixon's insight:
First off, my apologies if you find the image distressing (I have two guinea pigs in my house and I will not be showing this picture to my children). However, the fact that many readers might find this image disturbing but wouldn't think twice about the sight of chicken grilling on the barbeque highlights the cultural taboos surrounding what we consider appropriate food sources. The tradition has diffused to the United States as more South American immigrants have come to the United States. While the meat is more environmentally sustainable (less resources are required to raise one pound of guinea pig meat than one pound of beef), many potential costumers are leery to eat something that they consider a pet. Tags: food, diffusion, sustainability. Delete the scoop?
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Of all the changes announced by the 2011 census, one of the most startling is the rapid change in the ethnic composition of London's population.
Seth Dixon's insight:
The fact the immigrants moving to the UK have flocked to London is not surprising (View a map of the census data). Immigration isn't the only component to this situation. White Britons are also leaving London in large number, prompting some to refer to this as "White Flight." Today, white Britons are no longer the majority population within London (but still the largest ethnic group). Some feel that this story has gone underreported and deserves more analysis. What elements of human geography should an observer of this situation use in their analysis? 
Brittnie Helgerson's comment,
April 28, 11:15 AM
So when hearing “Changing Ethnic Patterns in London,” most people (myself included) thought that this was obviously due to a rise in immigration to the London area. It would seem to be obvious that most immigrants would flock to London in the first place because it is probably the most well know city in the U.K. However the fact there are other factors at play and that it is not just immigration that is changing the ethnic patterns surprised me at first.
It turns out that there are a lot of white people leaving London for outer regions where there is less diversity. Could it be that the influx of minorities is upsetting some of the white Britons’ sense of place? While it is possible that this is the case, it is also likely that they are leaving for other reasons as well. In the article, it discusses how “most diverse wards are urban and poor.” This could be a reason why many people are leaving; some white Britons could want something more rural and less busy. They could be leaving for neighborhoods with better school or different types of homes. 
Conor McCloskey's comment,
April 30, 10:25 AM
The British-white percentage of the population in London is dropping. While this says a lot about the demographics of London it also says a lot about global migratory patterns. London is a international city, culturally and ethnically, it has many pull factors for many different kinds of people from all over the globe, with all different cultural backgrounds. These pull factors have translated into one big push factor for British-whites, however, as they move out of the city.
There are many different things that could explain these patterns. Racism, economic shifts or better opportunities else where, however one thing is for sure, the world is become more multi-cultural. With the movements of cultures comes displacement and resistance, tension doesn’t run short in these types of situations. As so many people move away from their homelands through out the world it will be interesting to see what begins to happen with geopolitical boundaries, will situations like Hungary be more common as people move away? Delete the scoop?
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With the highest unemployment rate in the U.S. and a mountain of debt, the island is facing a declining population. But those who stay insist they're there for the long haul.
Seth Dixon's insight:
Many Puerto Ricans have left the island as economic struggles continue to mount. This podcast provides vivid examples of push and pull factors that lead to the individual choices of potential migrants (read the transcript or listen to the podcast). Tags: Puerto Rico, economic, migration, podcast. Delete the scoop?
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An advertising campaign designed to illustrate the drawbacks of living in the U.K. is being planned to deter an expected surge of immigrants, according to reports
Seth Dixon's insight:
Immigration is a sensitive topic so I'll tread lightly. There appears to be some support for a campaign that would target would-be migrants specifically from Romania and Bulgaria that life in the U.K. isn't as as grand as it may seem (ironic coming of the heels of the Olympics). This obviously isn't something that is universally supported by the British, but it does highlight the fact that more and more European countries are seeking ways to deter migrants from crossing their borders as economic struggles continue. Tags: migration, UK, immigration, Europe, unit 2 population. 
Meg Conheeny's comment,
April 26, 3:09 PM
Immigration is a largely talked about topic, and many people have different views on the subject. Britain so badly doesn’t want these immigrants that they are willing to give their country a bad image just to push them away. It seems like they are happy with their people and population that they don’t want to see the population rise and they don’t want to give ad to anyone. The U.K isn't the only place that is trying to lower the migrants crossing over. Many places have strict immigration policies and don't want to push the countries population over the top.
Brittnie Helgerson's comment,
April 28, 10:41 AM
When first reading the title of the article, I thought it seemed a bit harsh to just deter people from moving to the U.K. However, after reading the article, I do see why Britain would want to do such a thing. Because the quotas on limiting the number of immigrants from Bulgaria and Romania are expiring, there is obviously going the increase the number of people immigrating to Britain. However, I had no idea it could be as many people as some of the predictions are saying. If there was an influx of immigrants that large, it could really disrupt many aspects of life in Britain. With more people in Britain, the unemployment rate could increase, and as a result there could be more homeless people. There would be more people needing health care, which could possibly lead to less quality care for all patients.
The problem with making an ad campaign to make the U.K. look less desirable to potential immigrants is that they would be spending a lot of money to make Britain “look bad” but it’s not a guarantee that anyone would actually pay attention or take the campaign seriously. Last year Britain spent billions of dollars and to make it look good for the Olympics. So if people from Romania and Bulgaria already had their minds set on moving to Britain, an ad trying to deter them would be pointless. 
Jess Pitrone's comment,
April 29, 10:30 PM
Overpopulation due to immigration is a problem that plagues many nations. Usually, the immigration is due to citizens from other countries seeking political, economic, or religious refuge. It isn’t uncommon for countries to try to deter immigrants for this reason, but they may also want to deter them not because of overpopulation, but simply because they don’t want them there. It can make a government seem harsh or unwelcoming if they enact laws to prevent people from immigrating to their country, so I think that this advertising campaign is pretty genius. Enacting laws or putting quotas on immigrating doesn’t usually go over well (look at the American “Chinese Exclusion Act” of 1882), and it can definitely come back to bite you. What’s great about this UK ad, even though it’s basically an admission that they don’t want any immigrants, it’s a little more subtle.
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Earlier this month, the president told a newspaper the solution to partisanship is politics and more politics.
Seth Dixon's insight:
Quick facts about the "new" Mexico:
Does that help in explaining why Mexicans aren't leaving to go to the United States anymore? In fact, more Mexicans are leaving the United States than entering in a clear example of changing push and pull factors. 
wereldvak's curator insight,
January 4, 11:33 AM
Er zijn meer Mexicanen die de VS verlaten dan er binnen komen. Het gaat goed met Mexico. De economische groei is groter dan die van de VS en Brazilië! 
Charlie Koppelson's curator insight,
February 7, 5:49 PM
You know the economy is bad in the U.S. when Mexicans don't even want in anymore. In fact, more Mexicans are now leaving the U.S. for Mexico than vice versa. Mexico is the 4th largest producer of cars in the world and their GDP is growing by 4%, twice as fast as Brazil and even the U.S. Maybe Americans should start heading down to Mexico for work. I know a lot of Rhode Islanders that could use jobs. 
Juan Lauro Aguirre's curator insight,
February 24, 1:03 AM
Miren esto, ya no somos los burros de la clase: Does that help in explaining why Mexicans aren't leaving to go to the United States anymore? In fact, more Mexicans are leaving the United States than entering in a clear example of changing push and pull factors. Delete the scoop?
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This map is a fantastic geovisualization that maps the spatial patterns of languages used on the social media platform Twitter. This map was in part inspired by a Twitter map of Europe. While most cities would be expected to be linguistically homogenous, but London's cosmopolitan nature and large pockets of immigrants influence the distribution greatly.
Tags: social media, language, neighborhood, visualization, cartography. 
Betty Denise's comment,
November 7, 2012 1:13 PM
Thank you – again – for your tremendous partnership
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Rising numbers of people of Indian origin born in the West are moving to the country their parents left decades ago in search of opportunity and a cultural connection, reports the BBC's Rajini Vaidyanathan. Since 2005, the Indian government has been encouraging people of Indian descent and former Indian nationals to return to India. For many Indians living in the UK, there are more and better economic opportunities for them within India. Migrants have many reasons for moving (including cultural factors), but the primary pull factor is most certainly India's ascendant importance in the global economy and rising IT industries.
Tags: India, South Asia, migration, immigration, Europe, colonialism, unit 2 population. Delete the scoop?
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The Kauffman Foundation's Samuel Arbesman on his new book, The Half-Life of Facts. This is an interview, Samuel Arbesman,the author of The Half-Life of Facts explains how population density and place matter in forming a creative economic workforce. Urban centers act as drivers of innovation and advancements and attract the more ambitious and daring workers. Additionally, this map on the expansion of the printing press (discussed in the interview) is also a great map to show how technological innovations can spur cultural diffusion. Tags: technology, diffusion, urban, labor, migration, book review. Delete the scoop?
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List of the countries with the most migrants in the world as measured by net migration rate. Which countries have the most migrants per capita living there? What spatial or development patterns do you see on this list? Tags: Migration, population, Immigration, statistics, worldwide, unit 2 population. Delete the scoop?
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