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"Private girls' schools are now allowed to hold sports activities in accordance with the rules of Shariah, or Islamic law. Students must adhere to 'decent dress' codes and Saudi women teachers will be given priority in supervising the activities, according to the Education Ministry's requirements. The decision makes sports once again a stage for the push to improve women's rights, nearly a year after two Saudi female athletes made an unprecedented appearance at the Olympics." This news comes at a time when Saudi Arabia has allowed women to ride bikes (sort of).
Tags: Saudi Arabia, culture, gender, religion, Middle East.
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Scooped by
Seth Dixon
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The South Bay Power Plant was imploded Saturday Feb 2, 2013
to clear the way for development along Chula Vista's bayfront.
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Scooped by
Seth Dixon
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The idea of flash mobs has spread quickly, diffusing at a time when online video sharing can immortalize the moment in time and social media can amplify the audience beyond just one place.
Geography, by the strictest of definitions is Earthbound because of its name; but all geographers have had a spirit of exploration that spurs them to make new discoveries about exotic places and unopened frontiers. Who hasn't dreamed of putting on a spacesuit and exploring the great unknown of space? This interactive feature is about as close as 99.99% of us will ever get to strapping on a spacesuit and making and enjoying an extraterrestrial voyage.
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Suggested by
Mary Rack
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The Hubble Space Telescope has produced one of its most extraordinary views of the Universe to date.
The Earth is an amazing place to study...but this makes it feel remarkably small.
Tags: geospatial, space, remote sensing, scale, perspective.
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Scooped by
Seth Dixon
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Zoom from the edge of the universe to the quantum foam of spacetime and learn about everything in between.
Click "Start," and then use the slider across the bottom, or the wheel on your mouse, to zoom in -- and in and in and in... or out and out and out... It will take you from the very smallest features postulated by scientists (the strings in string theory) to the very largest (the observable universe). This really is a fabulous visual demonstration of scale at micro and macro levels. This is an excellent way to bring spatial thinking into the math curriculum as well.
Tags: Scale, perspective, space, spatial, Unit 1 GeoPrinciples.
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Scooped by
Seth Dixon
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Using newts, coyotes and mice, Jason Munshi-South shows how animals develop genetic differences in evolution, even within an urban city. "Evolution in a Big ... Humanity has obviously had an enormous impact on the environment and our sprawling metropolitan areas are the primary example. However, we often fail to think about how urbanization is impacting other species inhabiting the planet. Our cities have essentially created 'islands' of livable habitat for many species and the same evolutionary processes of divergence and extinction are now seen in our urban areas. Island biogeography is becoming increasingly important as we continue to fracture and fragment the environment within which other species can live. This incredible Ted Talk can be seen (and flipped) on the new TED-ED site at: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/evolution-in-a-big-city
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Scooped by
Seth Dixon
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In geography, the antipodes of any place on Earth is its antipodal point; that is, the region on the Earth's surface which is diametrically opposite t... I know that most Americans have learned at an early age that if you dig a hole through the center of the Earth, you'll end up in China. Geologic and impossibilities aside, most Americans would actually end up in the Indian Ocean as displayed by this clever pairing up maps that shows the user the Antipode of any given place on Earth. Try it out! http://www.antipodemap.com/
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Suggested by
Lou Salza
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Everything in the known universe, created by 14-year-old twins. After you follow the link, click "Start," and then use the slider across the bottom, or the wheel on your mouse, to zoom in -- and in and in and in... or out and out and out... It will take you from the very smallest features postulated by scientists (the strings in string theory) to the very largest (the observable universe). This really is a fabulous visual demonstration of scale at micro and macro levels. This is an excellent way to bring spatial thinking into the math curriculum as well. See this on the twins website at: http://htwins.net/scale2/
http://www.thegreatrepublican.com Illinois' Rep. Bobby Rush (D) was removed from the House floor Wednesday morning after donning the hood of his sweater — an... The 'rules' about clothing, place and social context are culturally and politically institutionalized. Where can you wear what clothes, and when does that change? Should it change? The clothes literally made this particular speech, since it was about the criminalization of cultural clothing norms within racial and economic groups. Should he have been thrown off the floor? What would you have done?
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Seth Dixon
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Even the three little pigs need to know the basic tenets of geography.
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Seth Dixon
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Besides being an incredible production, I'd like to ask us to reconsider flash mobs within their geographic context. What spatial and technological components make them go viral? How do they subvert cultural norms of behavior in public? How is the public or banal nature of the places chosen change the message or meaning of the flash mob? This is also my sincere "Merry Christmas" to my readers; I'm so thankful your engagement with my website.
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Seth Dixon
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Partly just because I love this highly quotable movie with an incredible soundtrack, but this short clip can start be a good conversation starter. I'm hoping to use it when discussing relative location (or isolation) as well as the space-time compression. I ask my student how far away they live from campus and invariably they answer with a unit of time (even though distance was implied in the question). Why answer with time when discussing distance? What technologies are dependent on our temporal analysis of distance? How would our perception of distance change based on our access to transportation and communication technologies?
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Seth Dixon
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The current rise or durability of the economies of the Global South do not signal that economic geography does not matter, but that current investment has simply shifted.
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Scooped by
Seth Dixon
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Flashmob en Madrid (España) organizado por el programa de radio CARNE CRUDA 2.0 Martes y jueves, 16:00, http://www.carnecruda20.es Lunes, miércoles y viernes...
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Seth Dixon
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Scooped by
Seth Dixon
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TED Talks How can we fit more people into cities without overcrowding? Kent Larson shows off folding cars, quick-change apartments and other innovations that could make the city of the future work a lot like a small village of the past.
This talk is relevant not just because it focuses on many urban issues; it also is a fantastic demonstration of how to use spatial thinking to solve problems. Tags: density, urban, spatial, planning, TED.
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Scooped by
Seth Dixon
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Here are some seemingly eclectic topics. All of them center around the appropriateness of the body being displayed publicly and the cultural norms that shape how we think about the issue. I've included a sensational restroom, public nursing, top-free protests, and of course, the Kate Middleton scandal.
Tags: culture, popular culture, gender, place, space.
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Seth Dixon
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Rick Reilly tells the story of a woman's efforts to swim topless after a double mastectomy. We have deeply ingrained social norms about what is and is not acceptable within public spaces. Certain cases come along that show that these norms often treat the world as though it is black and white without varying shades of gray. In this case, a woman who has had both of her breasts completely removed after breast cancer, discovered that conventional swimsuits physically pained her and she wanted to swim topless in a public pool. Controversy predictably ensued. What do you think? Big deal? Non-issue? Acceptable in public or not? Why?
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Scooped by
Seth Dixon
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The most successful investors in restaurants consider how a style fits an area and track who their customers are, said Hudson Riehle of the National Restaurant Association. A successful business model for restaurants is about much more than quality food at an affordable price. Ask your students: what geographic factors are important in starting a restaurant? What variables might make an otherwise attractive location less appealing? What would ensure a return on your investment?
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Scooped by
Seth Dixon
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A new study suggests vehicular travel affects children's ability to navigate their neighborhood and connect to their community. We learn about the places around us by exploring. Literally our mental map is formed by making choices (in part through trial and error) and that process strengthens our spatial perception of the neighborhood. Research is showing that kids with a 'windshield perspective' from being driven everywhere are not able to draw as accurate maps as children for who walk and bike their neighborhood. The built environment and the transportation infrastructure in place play a role in developing spatial thinking skills for young minds. This is a compelling article with some important implications. What are the ramifications for geographers? City planners? Educators? Families moving to a new neighborhood?
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Scooped by
Seth Dixon
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Amazing design and stylish furniture... While I typically focus on the geospatial, this is an excellent example of (non-geo) spatial thinking. The design in this furniture reminds me of the work of urban planners--mixed use areas to satisfy the needs of many populations.
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Scooped by
Seth Dixon
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Artist John Locke is converting obsolete Manhattan phone booths into mini libraries. Now if only people would stop stealing his entire book collection. The pay phone has become an obsolete part of the urban infrastructure in the cell phone era, and the question of what to do with these has become a real issue. Leaving them in their current form is essentially conceding that the city is technologically outdated and some fear that is the wrong message to be visually transmitting in the landscape. As thousands of geographers are set to desend on New York City for the AAG conference, this is another example of appropriating public space for a communal project that deserves some firsthand investigation (I really want to see one!).
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Scooped by
Seth Dixon
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These three issues are deeply interconnected in many parts of the world and in this news report from Israel, ultra-Orthodox from the town of Beit Shemesh are seeking to enforce their vision of a religiously appropriated gendered partition of space. This particular news clip has caused a firestorm, and the Israeli PM has publicly states that gender segregation will not be tolerated. On Monday, as the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported, "about 300 ultra-Orthodox men attacked police officers, hurling stones at the officers after they removed a sign ordering women not to walk past a synagogue in Beit Shemesh." Obviously they are not indicative of all Jews, but this raises many questions. Why do we see a rise in of religious extremism (a loaded word, but I'll listen to alternatives) in this era of globalization? Why is equality in where and how people can act in public such an important political freedom? Why is there such strong cultural reactions to diverse gender norms in public?
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Scooped by
Seth Dixon
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http://www.ted.com In James Howard Kunstler's view, public spaces should be inspired centers of civic life and the physical manifestation of the common good.... Kunstler impassionedly argues that American architecture and urban planning are not creating public places that encourage interaction and communal engagement. We should create more distinct places that foster a sense of place that is 'worth fighting for,' as opposed to suburbia which he sees as emblematic of these problems. How should we design cities to create a strong sense of place? What elements are necessary? Warning: He uses some strong language.
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