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This article explains the changing jobs in the developed country, Australia.

First thought...interesting article Cameron. It encouraging to see a country like Australia developing and implementing services in its economy. I wonder how this will effect the prices of the minerals Australia exports to the majority of the world? With more people moving to the service sector there will be less in the mines, so my gut tells me that the world wide prices will go down due to the fact that companies will be able to make a bigger profit selling the same amount of material due to lower labor costs.

I feel like Australia has a lot going for it! Like you mentioned, it has a high HDI- this is no coincidence. As we know, it has access to important natural resources. It is fairly isolated, which can hurt its economy, but there is less competition for jobs. It is also a highly popular area for tourism. It doesn't get involved in a lot of matters occurring in the northern hemispheres, which keeps it out of costly wars.

It's interesting to read that manufacturing costs in China have risen, which could potentially cut back on the amount of outsourcing from the US.

This relates to the article we read in class and I remember it saying that the government supports the increase in wages. Its interesting to see your comment on how companies who outsource will react.

This surprises me since it seems that there is such a push to continue to outsource. I wonder what the US will do: will we continue to outsource, or will more domestic jobs be created?

Padraic, I found your article to be interesting. You made a great point that China's manufacturing jobs should be increasing due to outsourcing. I agree that it is odd that growth is easing in China.

I am surprised by this, but yet again, I am not. Today we are seeing commercials on TV about "buying American" or even on news channels like ABC; they are pushing the regrowth of U.S. industry by purchasing domestic products. So this has the possibility for being a turning point for America.

I do agree that it is weird that manufacturing jobs in China are slowly decreasing but also at the same time it makes sense. Outsourcing takes a long time and even though transportation by ship is the cheapest transportation, it is also one of the most inefficient. With advanced technology, developed countries will be able to find ways to produce their own goods quicker and cheaper, causing outsourcing to be pointless. Until countries like China find a more efficient way of producing and transporting than the developed countries today, I believe that the amount of outsourcing will slowly decline.

In this article, it explains the most recent information about the animosity between North and South Korea. As mentioned in the story, the ongoing conflict between the two countries has once again been brought to attention in the beginning of August when South Korean men were injured by North Korean landmines. More recently, South Korea had detected a rocket being launched toward their country. They then responded by firing some shells back toward the area from where the rocket had been launched. This particular event reminds me of the theme of region in geography. This is because the two cultures have always had a long history where they were fighting each other, as was the case in the Korean War. Region itself, is a geographical area based on how a culture functions. Therefore, it is not too much of a surprise that they are once again fighting because it is their natural tendency to fight. I am sure that this is just the beginning of this current conflict and that there will be more trouble for these countries in the future.

A recent emergency regarding terrorism has surfaced in Tunisia, an African country located along the Mediterranean Sea, after two spontaneous attacks by Islamic extremists, and the effects embody several themes of human geography. To start off, the functional region of Tunisia itself is showcased due to its state emergency declaration, digging of a trench to stop unlawful trade, and implementation of additional law enforcement for protection. Each of these actions illustrate how Tunisia operates within its political boundaries to sustain the well-being of the nation. For mobility, relocation diffusion will decrease as the absorbing barrier of the trench halts people, ideas, and supplies from moving across Libya's border, but Tunisia will benefit from more security and safety. Fewer vacationers coming to Tunisia also impedes the spread of ideas. On the other hand, people emigrating from Tunisia, as mentioned in the article, have increased relocation diffusion by taking their knowledge to new locations, and expansion diffusion has escalated as people rapidly spread news of the attacks. Since the Group of 7 industrialized nations met to discuss the Islamic terror threat, globalization is taking place because multiple countries are interconnected by a foreign problem and are seeking a solution; this resembles the mission of UNICEF in "A Long Way Gone", as do the people fleeing danger like Ishmael did. It is interesting to note that the countries participating in the interactions are industrialized, for they have the technology to provide fast communication and effective actions. Tunisia even asked Western countries specifically for help due to their high development. I believe the gruesome acts were unnecessary and require the proper counteraction, so I am glad these nations are gathering. What will nearby nations do to accommodate refugees socially, politically, and economically? Why might the cultural landscape change to prevent events of this nature?

Excellent analysis. Great work connecting the themes to your selected current event and book. Terrorism is an enormous threat to every country, including industrialized core nations like the Group of 7. Does anyone know why terrorists, and specifically, Islamic extremists such as those associated with ISIS or Al Qaeda, even commit acts of terror on citizens?

Answer the questions to see how your beliefs match this coming year's presidential candidates.  How does your results compare with the county, state, region, and country?  How does geography help explain your political views? 

Since the Communist takeover of the region in 1949, the Uyghurs, a Muslim minority in China, have gotten a lot of religious and cultural persecution by Han Chinese. Similar to convicted communists during The Red Scare, Uyghurs have been prosecuted under false circumstances for separatist activities. While this isn't necessarily a dispute over territory, it's certainly an ethnic conflict and because of these hostilities, Uyghurs have a hard time finding migrant work within China. How does this relate to other ethnic conflicts like in Russia or Palestine?

I agree with Alexander about the similarity to Native Americans. Not only is China helping these people with jobs, but they are also making them go through the training programs which includes learning Mandarin, to the point where the minorities are in fear of losing their own identities. The Native Americans were forced to go through similar programs in order to "help them".

One of the cities that we will be traveling to in China is Xian. This city has a large Muslim minority. Do ethnic groups form enclaves as a refuge?

Myanmar is a region of high ethnic conflict because there are about a dozen ethnic groups who all want more power in the government.  How would ethnic conflict in Myanmar effect religious tension?

Kara- I liked how you chose an article that dealt with ethnic conflict. In Myanmar, the ethnic groups struggling to gain power are a great example of how ethnicity effects the way people live and what their culture is like. This situation shows that ethnic conflicts are more common than people seem to notice.

This article is about the Palestinian conflict we have been discussing in class, and how it seems to be turning from a racial to a religious war, changing from bad to worse. How much longer can this region go before full-out war begins? What other countries may be dragged into a possible war?

I think because of the histories of the two places and the fact that what is happening now is because of years of increasing tensions and dangerous conditions, this conflict will not be solved soon, and because of that, it will only get worse. Both groups want the territory, but one group was placed there (the Jewish people by the British) so they spread and began to dominate, claiming it as theirs.

I agree with Alex, the tension in this region is historic and recently rekindled with the insertion of Israel back into this area. The conflict there is essentially a time bomb on its final countdown and is not likely to be dismantled before it goes off. From my perspective there is no way to stop it unless one religion is removed which is even more impossible.

This article is a good example of conflicts between regions, and how belief systems can be so different even if two regions are near to one another.

As of Sunday, August 24, The ALS Association has received $70.2 million in donations. Mobility is seen in the situation of the Ice Bucket Challenge as awareness is spread from region to region, across the nation. This expansion diffusion leads to a large number of people supporting and donating money to the ALS Association. How will awareness of ALS continue to spread?

I've been thinking about this, too. What kind of diffusion does the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge represent? Nice work, Gemma.

This article gives a great example showing the differences between the US and Iraqi regions. Also, the IS shows the theme of mobility as it is trying to spread its influence to other areas.

The United World Schools Charity reaches out to children living in the poorest and least developed regions and gives them the opportunity to receive an education. This charity is working to improve development in countries where the children receive a below-basic education. This charity builds schools in these regions and they provide support to the communities. United World Schools aims to have ensured 50,000 children and young adults can read, write, and count by 2018/19 in these remote and post-conflict areas.

How is the political geography of Israel and the Palestinian territories reflected in their cultural landscapes? Could Israel's "Iron Dome" be part of the cultural landscape of the region? See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_Dome for more information. 

Check out the 2013 World Population Data Sheet and complete the class activity.

Here is another example of what you can check into on this Religious Landscape Survey site. ***By the way, make sure you Tag ... "Religion" and Share to a Group... "APHumanGeography" and unclick "Private."

I think that comparing and contrasting the different political opinions and spiritual devotions of each denomination would be really interesting Katelyn! I wonder if the political opinions would line up with the general trend of the region/state that most of the adherents are from? Also, would the political views be connected with their religious teachings, and could we see either a conservative or liberal approach shown in these teachings?

Veronica - Excellent project idea with the analysis.

I took a look at this map and wasn't surprised to see that many immigrants to America settle along the coasts/borders of the United States. The map legend indicates that regions with darker blue have higher a high percent of foreign born citizens within their county. Much of the south west border is dark blue, evidently due to is proximity to Mexico, a country undergoing violence from the eternal drug wars. In addition, major cities here and there, such as New York City, display dark blue. This is logical, as these cities provide job opportunities and serve as major ports, historically and in the present today.

Also look at the area around Louisiana. It's interesting that there is a small amount of migrants there knowing that the islands off the coast are not too far away. I would figure that there is a small amount of immigrants there, because of Hurricane Katrina, and the thought that that area is more vulnerable to natural disasters than other areas.