When Anum Hussain heard about the Boston Marathon bombing, she immediately panicked, worried that the culprits would be like her. The 22-year-old Muslim was in the offices of Hubspot, the Cambridge marketing-software company she works for.
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Global news with a spatial perspective: Interesting, current supplemental materials for geography students and teachers. http://geographyeducation.org
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Seth Dixon
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"This week's Boston Marathon bombing fit with the norm of U.S. terrorist events and threats in one important way: it occurred in a major city. American concerns about terrorism, however, seem to ignore that pattern...There’s a divide on people’s thoughts about terrorism. People that live in places most likely to be hit by terrorism seem the most sunny about the country’s anti-terror prospects and efforts. And those in rural places, are more concerned and pessimistic."
Seth Dixon's insight:
This article cites data from the PEW Reseach Center that implies that city dwellers seem to feel less dread about terror threats than their suburban and rural counterparts, despite the fact they live in the primary target zone (see full size infographic here--note that the data was assembled before the Boston Marathon attack). Question to Ponder: Why are the Americans most vulnerable to terrorist attacks the least concerned with terrorism? Tags: terrorism, statistics, USA, infographic, urban. Delete the scoop?
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Alejandro Restrepo's comment,
April 21, 11:49 PM
I came to find out that this was photoshopped, but the message still read the same, except it was Arabic.
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Balancing the interests of stakeholders in the Malian polity will be difficult, however some key steps should be taken.
Seth Dixon's insight:
This is a great article for give to students to provide them with the geo-political context to understand the situation in Mali. It also give a great reminder for observers and the involved parties to not lump all Tuareg civilians in the north with the Islamists groups that are in control. "This failure to consistently distinguish between different groups in the North by multiple stakeholders...portends longer term trouble." For additional reading, see this Geography in the News article on Mali, tailor-made for classroom. Delete the scoop?
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In collecting cartographic materials relating to the events of 9/11, the Library's Geography and Map Division is concentrating on documenting the role maps played in managing the recovery effort. This page from the Library of Congress, hosted by the Geography and Map Division is a visually rich resources of geospatial images (aerial photography, thermal imagery, LiDAR, etc.) that show the extent of the damage and the physical change to the region that the terrorist attacks brought. Tags: Mapping, geospatial, remote sensing, historical, terrorism. 
's comment, September 12, 2012 10:19 AM
I found the thermal imaging and the lidar was very interesting, because it provided data and potential threats that rescue workers on the ground might be unaware.
Jesse Gauthier's comment,
September 12, 2012 10:34 AM
These thermal imagery and LIDAR maps are very useful and high-tech for the year 2001. I have not seen maps like this in regards to the landscape of Ground Zero. What an awesome tool that was able to organize a scene like this one that was out of control.
Lisa Fonseca's comment,
September 16, 2012 8:13 PM
These images are very interesting because it provides you with such a clear visual of just how much was effected by the disaster. I wasn't ever able to view the actual 9/11 location after the incident but these maps provide enough detail.
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KH: How has America changed since the attacks of September 11, 2001? We are still struggling to find a balance between saftey and civil liberties. The Patriot Act, prisoners in Guantanamo Bay, interrorgation techniques have all become parts of our lives. The article asks the questions... • Can the government listen to our phone conversations and read our e-mails without warrants? • Should suspected terrorists at the Guantánamo prison in Cuba have the right to challenge their detention in court? • How much power does the president have to search for and punish those accused of having terrorist ties? • Are harsh interrogation techniques ever justified? And at what point do they become torture?
Do you remember a time when you could board a plane with friends or family seeing you off from the gate? Do you remember bringing liquids though security? The youth of this country do not. For more resources on September 11th, check out this scoop.it topic. Via Kara H Delete the scoop?
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This book is a compilation of letters exchanged between two 18-year-old girls who live in Jerusalem: one Israeli and the other Palestinian. Having met through a student exchange program, they openly discuss their frustrations with the political situation of 2002, and over time come to appreciate the others cultural and political viewpoints. This is a great cross-cultural interaction as the girls show their misconceptions of the other group, but through open dialogue come to an appreciation for other perspectives. This would be a good project to have student read the book and synthesize the cultural and political elements within them to reinforce the class content with a real-world example. Delete the scoop?
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The resources tab of the National Council for Social Studies (NCSS) webpage is a treasure trove of lesson plan materials for teachers. This particular link focuses on War and Terrorism, and provides resources to help teachers to educate their classes about the emerging geopolitical landscape. This is a set of over 30 lesson plans, articles, maps and resources that focus on the U.S. war in Iraq, terrorism, and other military incursions in the Middle East. Collectively they give geographic perspective on current events so students can understand more about the places in the world that they hear about in the news. Delete the scoop?
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How can political stability and security be measured? What constitutes effective governance? Foreign Policy, in conjunction with the Fund for Peace, has created a statistical ranking to measure the lack of effective political institutions. For the 4th year running, Somalia has been statistically measured as the most failed state on Earth. Chad and Sudan are respectively ranked as the 2nd and 3rd most failed states.The 12 metrics that are a part of this index are: •Demographic Pressures •Refugees/IDPs •Illegitimate Govts. •Brain Drain •Public Services •Inequality •Group Grievances •Human Rights •Economic Decline •Security Forces •Factionalized Elites •External Intervention 
Don Brown Jr's comment,
July 16, 2012 9:57 PM
The global fallout of the Arab revolutions may be largely determined by demographics and political stability. Unlike Somalia for example which is in total anarchy, the Arab Spring uprisings occurred in more stable but oppressive governments. So this brings up the question, can a failed state rescue itself?
Derek Ethier's comment,
November 5, 2012 2:35 PM
Althought sub-Saharan Africa has 5 of the 10 most quickly developing countries, they still lag very far behind the rest of the world in quality of living. Somalia, Chad and Suda are the most failed states on Earth, in order. The governments are unable to protect/provide for their people, brain drains suck the great minds to more developed countries, income inequalities ravage the nations, basic human rights are denied and the economies are pathetic. Overall, it is a sad story as many of these African nations also suffer from drought, famine and massive food shortages.
Sam Capron's curator insight,
April 4, 12:29 AM
For the fourth year running Somalia is once again the number one failed state in the world. The country is run by pirates, and even terrorist groups find the country too unstable. Delete the scoop?
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TED Talks Why do transnational extremist organizations succeed where democratic movements have a harder time taking hold?
Globalization cut both ways. Maajid Nawaz discusses how social movements use ideas, narratives, symbols and leaders through borderless technologies, to create transnational identities. This has lead to highly sophisticated extremist organizations in Muslim-majority societies (and the speaker was a participant in that for 13 years). Isolated extremist are now globally connected. Given the Arab spring, how can these tools strengthen democratic social movements? 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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The Caucasus region, dominated by the imposing Great Caucasus mountain range and stretching between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, has long been known as one of the world’s ethnically and linguistically most diverse areas.
Seth Dixon's insight:
After this weekend it has become glaringly obvious that many are painfully ignorant of the geography of Chechnya and the surrounding Caucasus Mountain region. This article from GeoCurrents discusses the linguistic diversity of the region and this Geography in the News article outlines the contentious geopolitical situation of Chechnya within the Russian Federation. Also, the Washington Post published an article entitled, 9 questions about Chechnya and Dagestan you were too embarassed to ask. I do not post these materials to lay blame to an entire ethnic group, religion or region for the terrorists acts of two individuals. On the contrary, I post these articles because I find this to be a teaching moment where we as educators can clarify the geographic context of an unknown part of the world to our students. As we teach this context, quick labels and lazy narratives become harder to maintain and our students can become less prejudiced and critically think about the situation with greater depth and clarity. 
Jennifer Kopf's comment,
April 21, 12:33 PM
Foreign Policy Magazine's piece might also be helpful: http://atfp.co/13ycAuw and
Tony Hall's curator insight,
April 21, 8:57 PM
This article is timely given the need for the ambassador of the Czech Republic to release a statement to explain that the Czech Republic & Chechnya are in fact different places. I had an idea that this area of the world is complex in its linguistic, cultural & political make up. I must admit though I had no idea it was as complicated as it is. Absolutely fascinating!
Alejandro Restrepo's comment,
April 21, 11:07 PM
I like that we can take time to learn about this instead of point fingers.
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Terror in the United States have evolved since 1970: once the tool of left-wing radicals, then right-wing radicals, terrorist attacks are now uncommon, often unsuccessful, and not nearly as deadly.
Seth Dixon's insight:
While terrorism is being discussed in the media as a rising trend in the United States after the Boston Marathon, the statistics don't show that analysis to be true. This resources compiles maps, charts and graphs so you can evaluate the historical terrorist patterns for yourself. Tags: terrorism, statistics, USA, media. Delete the scoop?
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The the United States, 9/11 is memorialized in our landscapes and is etched in our collective consciousness. This coming Tuesday is the anniversary and Teaching History has put together a host of teaching materials about the importance and impact of the terrorist attacks of Septemper 11th, 2001 on the U.S. and the world.
Tags: Landscape, terrorism, conflict, states, political, place, historical, unit 4 political. 
Aaron Feliciano's comment,
September 12, 2012 5:47 PM
9/11 will always be remembered in the eyes of americans and they will never forget what they were doing that day. i know i will not
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(eTN) - The headline news in eTN about the takeover of Timbuktu by Islamists compels tourism stakeholders to think sincerely why such events are happening at the map of tourism?
Tourism, with it's elements of geographical voyeurism, can be seen as a potent symbol of what many extremists are trying to eliminate. Also, it gets international attention in a hurry. 
Kim Vignale's comment,
July 16, 2012 10:17 PM
Terrorists may be attacking tourists because they are trying to send a message to the general public. There is no other way they relay the message so they use violent acts to get attention. During 9/11, terrorists were willing to give up their lives in the name of power and religion. Other forms of terrorism is drug smuggling across the borders; not only is it illegal but many lives are endangered. Drug cartels would pay innocent people to smuggle drugs in and in some cases these people do not know what are in the packages.
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This chilling documentary outlines the historical genocide of Tutsi people predominantly by Hutu's in Rwanda during 1994. So often, students who have always lived within a society with effective political institutions are unable to see how such atrocities could even happen. This video lays the groundwork for understanding the disintegration of political institution within Rwanda, reasons the international community underestimated the threat, why the UN in 1994 (after Somalia) was not prepared to use forceful action and why westerners fled. In this state of lawlessness, the cultural tensions and colonial legacy lead to horrific killings. This genocide has no one reason, but a complex set of geographic contexts. This would be a powerful video to show students. WARNING: considering the content, there are necessarily depictions of death. To learn more about the documentary, see: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/ghosts/ 
Matt Mallinson's comment,
October 31, 2012 12:30 PM
In this situation I look at America and I can't help but ask "Why didn't you help?" These people were getting killed for no good reason, and we as a nation knew this and did nothing. I'm ashamed that we didn't aid them, my heart goes out for the Rwandan people.
Nick Flanagan's curator insight,
December 12, 2012 8:08 PM
while watching this video i was reminded of the very good film Hotel Rwanda, starring Don Cheadle. The only difference is while Hotel Rwanda is based on a ture story, this is a real life look at what was hapening in this area. It was sad to see hwat was happening and all I could wonder was why no one decided to hel pthem. Delete the scoop?
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Abshir Boyah, a pirate who says he has hijacked more than 25 ships off the coast of Somalia, says he will give up this career if certain terms are met.
What economic, cultural and political circumstances in the 21st century would allow for piracy to exist? What are the impacts of piracy on Somalia?
Derek Ethier's comment,
November 5, 2012 2:12 PM
Somalia's greatest problem is its inability to control the piracy in its nation. Many people view the pirates as pariots and champions to their cause. However, the pirates make it difficult for the U.S. and other Western nations to provide aid to the impoverished nation. Droughts and famine make starvation commonplace in Somalia, but whenever aid is sent, it is hijacked by pirates. Many of these pirates are former fishemen who lost their jobs and have no other way. It is a catch 22 situation.
Elizabeth Allen's comment,
November 7, 2012 10:57 AM
The concept of piracy is a scary one. Their illegal ways cause corruption throughout their society. However, it seems as if they do not have much choice. Yes, it is morally wrong, but look at the money they are making. The prirates are willing to cease illegal activity if their demands are met. Their demands are not out of the ordinary-- they want their oceans protected from toxic waste, job creations, and a fair government. Somalia has a long road ahead of them to acheive any sort of unity.
James Good's comment,
April 19, 8:14 PM
Piracy is continuing to grow in Somalia because the country has adopted the practice as a part of their culture. Although many of the Somalian people oppose piracy, there are a large number of people who are supporting it and benefiting from it. For many of these people, pirating money is the only opportunity they have to make money. Many of them seek alternatives and wish to end their criminal practices but there is nothing else they can do. Unfortunately, pirates in Somalia have labelled their country with a negative stereotype. Whenever people think of Somalia, they will think of the Somalian pirates and the trouble that they have caused for foreign ships.
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Sex and World Peace (9780231131827): Valerie M. Hudson, Bonnie Ballif-Spanvill, Mary Caprioli, Chad F. Emmett
I have not yet had the opportunity to read this book but feel that it touches on some of the core issues in geography today: gender, culture and political stability (plus, it's just a great title). The authors of Sex and World Peace explore the relationships between cultural norms regarding gender and political stability and war. They show that security for women translates to security for the state. According to the authors, they "compare micro-level gender violence and macro-level state peacefulness in global settings...[and] mount a solid campaign against women's systemic insecurity, which effectively unravels the security of all."
Written by geography, political science and psychology professors, Sex and World Peace is the synthesis of years of research produced as a part of the WomanStats project. For more about this ongoing project and the great database which they have produced (loaded with potential for student projects) see: http://womanstats.org Delete the scoop?
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The person that mailed the president and others poison could have done serious damage as well. The media doesn't seem to be painting that as everyone in the south is a potential terrorist, even though many situations in the south came close over history in many peoples opinions. This is most likely a really bad time for peaceful Muslims in Boston and other areas around the country.