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Mr. Reidy

Religion in American Culture -- Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life - 14 views

shared by Mr. Reidy on 02 Dec 13 - Cached
  • Based on interviews with more than 35,000 American adults, this extensive survey by the Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project details the religious makeup, religious beliefs and practices as well as social and political attitudes of the American public.
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    Hello APHUG! I hope you all had relaxing breaks. Looking forward to our upcoming chapter on Religion. As will be mentioned on Tuesday, I would like you to 1) bookmark and annotate (either in comments box or post-it note or both!) at least one SPECIFIC part of this "Religious Landscape Survey" website that helps you understand the geographical perspective of religion the most.  2) Explain your choice. 3) Create an authentic, relevant and real-world project task for this religion chapter that would require students to use the "Religious Landscape Survey" website. 4) Comment on at least one other person's response.  Due on Diigo by Thursday 11:59 PM.
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    http://religions.pewforum.org/maps, This is a map of the United States displaying the distribution of Evangelical Protestant Tradition. 2. I chose this map because Evangelical Protestant has one of the highest percentages for a denomination in the United States, meaning it is very popular. I thought it was very interesting how this tradition has a higher percentage in the Southeast regions of the United States, rather than the North or the West. This fits with many stereo-types about the South, which I also find interesting. 3. Analyze the map of Evangelical Protestant tradition in the United States and form a hypothesis explaining your results. Then explain whether or not this hypothesis applies to other dominant denominations in the United States and other places in the world, and why or why not. Is this specific to the United States? Maybe the students could even find research/surveys done on people's opinions of Southern people and how the data of their religion fits with these stereotypes.
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    Excellent explanation and project idea!
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    1. http://religions.pewforum.org/comparisons#, these charts show what people's affiliations are in terms of political party and important issues such as abortion and homosexuality. 2. I chose these charts because they really demonstrate the views people have based on their religion. Many religions have beliefs concerning different issues. Christians are normally don't support abortion because in the Bible it talks about a baby in the womb is already precious to God and thus it is a sin to kill the innocent baby. Christians are often times than not more conservative thus they are Republicans. Other religions are more liberal and thus they are affiliated with Democrats. 3. Pretend that you are trying to become the perfect president. What qualities and view points would you support or not support in order to please most of the population? (Yes it's not possible to please everyone, but how would you secure the majority of the population for voting you into office?) Think about issues such as abortion, homosexuality, size of the government and U.S. involvement in international affairs.
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    http://religions.pewforum.org/maps# a map of frequency of prayer accross the U.S 2. I chose this map because it displays how religious america is, as it shows high percentages of praying per day especially in the south, steriotypically the most religious area of the U.S. 3. Look at this map and explain what this map implys about this country and if that was what you expected
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    1. http://religions.pewforum.org/maps 2. I chose this map because it showed the frequency of attendance at religious services. I thought that was an interesting topic to examine because it shows how many people actually go to church, as opposed to people claiming they are a part of a certain religion, while not being active in the church. That is a powerful distinction. It showed that the Southern areas have higher attendance of religious services. 3. Look at the map about frequency of attendance at religious services and compare that to the different religions present in those areas. Is there a correlation between attendance and the type of religion practiced in a region?
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    Allyson- I thought your project idea was a fantastic idea. It was very creative and well thought out. Nice work.
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    1.http://religions.pewforum.org/comparisons# 2. I found that age affects the population of certain religions to be fascinating. It was interesting to see the way age affiliated with religion. Younger people (18-29) tend to have equal numbers between all religions but when they become older (30-49) they tend to move towards Islam, Hinduism, and Catholic Christian. 3. Examine the data shown on the affiliation between religion and age and explain why each age differs in their religious practices.
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    Nicole- Your project idea is great and I like the explanation you gave on the views of the political parties when discussing religion.
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    Nathan- I like your task. It does a good job of using the map and another map to make connections and comparisons to figure of the why of where!
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    1. http://religions.pewforum.org/comparisons# (Make sure to click on the tab labeled "Income distribution of Religious Traditions) 2. I had chosen this particular topic because I wanted to debunk many of the stereotypical associations we as a society put on numerous religions. For example, I wanted to find proof that linked Jews with large fortunes or discover some statistic that linked people of color with poverty. To my surprise, the above statements held some truth. Over 46% of the people that practice Judaism hold a job that makes them over 100,000 dollars a year and about 47% percent of those who attend historically black churches make less then 30,000 dollars a year. 3. Explain the connection between a particular group's religious beliefs and how much money they make within a year. Make sure to include details about their lifestyle(Simple or Hectic), the value they put on education, and types of jobs each group holds (White or Blue Collar and examples).
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    Nicole- I enjoyed your reasoning regarding the information you discovered detailing religious beliefs and their connection with political views. Also, I find your project very creative and rather challenging.
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    1) http://religions.pewforum.org/maps : This is a map of the United States showing the where the Mormon tradition is most prominent. 2) I decided to look at Mormons because it is a religion that is not very popular, and I am interested in learning more about it. By the website, it says that it is a sect of christianity, though many would think otherwise. Also, my friends have been watching 'The Book of Mormon' on Broadway. The percentage of Mormon's in the US is around 2%. Most of the country remains relatively lacking in this religion...until you reach West. Salt Lake City, Utah is considered the hearth of the mormon faith in the US. Here the population is 51-100% Mormon. Around Utah, especially Westward, Mormonism becomes more popular, most likely spreading through relocation diffusion. 3) Explain the success of Mormonism in the West versus the East. What are some of the reasons that would make the East less open to the Mormon tradition. Explain why Mormonism has a stronghold in Utah
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    Clay-I liked your project idea! Good job!
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    1) http://religions.pewforum.org/maps This map portrays the importance of religion in one's life across the United States. 2) I chose this map because I found it interesting how religious importance varies across an area. The most dramatic difference in religious importance is between Mississippi and neighboring states, such as Florida and Georgia, for Mississippi views religion being involved in daily life as vitally important, believed by 81% of the residents. Viewing the United States as a whole, 56% see their religion as crucial in everyday life, while 26% see religion as somewhat important, 16% view religion as not very important, and 1% as refusing to practice a religion. This describes how various religions in diverse regions cause differing views on the importance of religion. 3) Explain the correlation between the predominate Protestant areas of Central and Southeast United States with the differentiating views of the importance of religion in one's life. Also, when told that Utah is inhabited by numerous Latter-day Saint members, but surrounding states, such as Nevada, are mostly Catholic, explain the relation of Utah encompassing a different value of the importance of religion from other Western states.
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    Jared- I like how your task relates analyzing religious beliefs to income and style of living, such as a person's job or their value on education. I find this intriguing, but also challenging.
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    1)http://religions.pewforum.org/maps 2) This is a map of frequency of prayer. I think that it is interesting that, even though most Americans believe in a God, the percent of those who pray (a way of practicing religion) goes down. Also the percent of those who pray vary on the area, for example in the South the percentage ranges from around 71-80% but in the New England area it ranges from around 41-50%. This has a lot to do with the way parents raise their children and how influenced from the outside world the children are. The reason the number in the south may be so high is because of isolation allowing traditional customs to continue on without influence from those who practice different religions. Barriers that restrict language in the past unit can also work to restrict religion. 3)Compare other areas of the United States and try to access why they practice their religion more so than other areas. Use geological features and factors that might hinder diffusion or allow it to occur at a faster rate.
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    Jared- I liked your assessment and I thought it was clever that you chose something relatable to most Americans. Also I liked your task idea and how it will get people to think about religion and it relating to other aspects of life.
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    1) http://religions.pewforum.org/maps 2)This is the map of the percentage of Mormons in Utah. I find this interesting for the fact that I do not know very much about the Mormon faith. I also chose Utah because I know that is the area that is suppose to have the highest amount of Mormons since their main temple is in Salt Lake city. Also my interest comes from the fact that many people consider Mormons a cult. In fact that does not to be true at all. Mormons have a significant amount of followers. This consists of 58% of the people in Utah and 2% of the entire United States. It is for this reason that I chose to look at the Mormons in Utah for the sole reason that it interests me to learn more about what I don't know about. 3) If I were to give an assignment to the class involving this data I would ask that the class look at the percentage of Mormons in Utah and then look at other states and look at their percentage of Mormons. Then I would have them record the highest and lowest three percents and form a thesis on why these areas have the amount of Mormons present as they do.
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    To Jared- I can see why you'd want to look at certain stereotypes involving certain faiths for it is an interesting topic that is a matter of debate and tension among religious groups. As for your project I think it would be very interesting to see how the characteristics of faiths could affect their financial standings. In other words I like it.
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    Nick- I think that the correspondence between age and religion is very interesting as well. Great project idea!
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    1. http://religions.pewforum.org/maps# This is a map showing the amount of people that practice Hinudism in America. 2. I wanted to check out this specific part of the website because I was curious about the statistics of Hinduism in the US, if any. I wasn't surprised to find out that only 0.5% of the American population practices this religion because it's considered an ethnic religion and is therefore tied to one location, which is primarily India. This also means that it doesn't diffuse to other areas very often. 3. Examine the map that breaks down the different religions that are practiced in the US and explain why they do or don't make sense from a geographic standpoint as well as a cultural standpoint.
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    Ally- Your project idea is so thorough and carefully thought out. Well done!
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    1. http://religions.pewforum.org/maps 2. This particular map drew my attention, because many believe in God, but not everyone carries out the duties of their religion. It was surprising to see that just 58% of people pray at least once a day. Knowing that Christianity is an extremely dominant religion in the US, the percentage should be higher. Prayer is an important part of any religion, and certainly Christianity. This stat shows America is not very devout. 3. Compare America's average amount of prayer with that of countries on multiple continents to study how closely certain religions are followed and practiced in different places in the world.
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    Nathan- Your project was clever and it would be very interesting to view the results
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    1) http://religions.pewforum.org/comparisons# 2) This particular set of percentages really helped me to understand how religions are really spread throughout the US. I think that it is amazing how many people actually are Christians in the US. I feel like the percentage should be higher, compared with the video of the spreading religions we watched in class. There are many people who just don't worship a God, and I feel like that is a large part of our country's identification now. 3) Look at how the different denominations and branches of Christianity compare to the rest of the religions in the US, such as Islam, and Buddhism, and show how they relate to each other in many different ways.
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    Isabella - I really liked your project idea and I thought that it was very well thought through. I also liked how you connected everything together with your paragraph.
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    Nathan: Cool project Idea!! I love it! That would be a really interesting overlaying of maps. You could get a map of average times people spend per week on religions services or things to do with their denomination, and then overlay it with the churches of that region. That would be totally interesting. Good job!!
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    Isabella~ I think it's interesting how faiths differ- both internally and when compared to other religions. A denomination like Catholicism seems to be so strict and almost confining, and adherence to the rules is of the highest importance, while other Christian denominations are more open to individual views and interpretation. In comparison to the Muslim faith, where one even has to change the way they dress in some circumstances, it feels like Christianity isn't strict at all! These factors concerning strictness of religions can be connected with how often followers pray and attend services.
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    Hayley- Analyzing the reasons for the distribution of Mormons in the U.S. would be really interesting, especially why people in the west would be more willing to accept Mormon beliefs than in the east. In relation to that topic, you could also research whether there are Mormons outside the U.S., how many, and why and how the religion diffused there.
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    Nicole your project idea is fantastic! I love how you described it and the whole idea in general. I believe that the project would be difficult enough for an AP class but you described it perfectly.
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    http://religions.pewforum.org/comparisons# 2) This is a chart of the income distribution between the different religions. I choose this chart because I think it is interesting to see the distribution of wealth between different religions. 3) The students would have to compare the differences in wealth between universalized and ethnic religions. Then the could research a religion with an abundance or wealth and one with poor wealth and find out what job(s) the majority hold.
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    1. http://religions.pewforum.org/portraits The map shows that 52% of people attending evangelical churches are conservative which helps me see the relationships between evangelical churches and political views. 2. I chose this map because I practice Lutheran which can be closely tied to evangelical churches and sometimes are combined. It is interesting to learn what political views can be related with the Evangelical church 3. Using this website students could take a map of the US and the areas where different religions are found. Then compare this to a map of political views for those religions. The students will determine any patterns between religions and their political views and where they are located in the US.
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    Olivia it is interesting to see what religions have more wealth and possibly where they are located. Also for your project it would be cool to compare the US Christianity and say Africa's Christianity and find the wealth for both. Obviously the US would have more wealth but it would be interesting to see if Chirstianity in the US has the highest wealth compared to other religions in the US and if the same things works for Christianity in Africa.
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    http://religions.pewforum.org/portraits 1) With a visual representation with a pie graph, this shows how specifically how Muslims live in the United States, for example, the different regions such as the Northwest, Midwest, South and West. Though the numbers of Muslims in the United States are small they still practice what they believe and the numbers are growing, with the biggest group being in the ages of 30-49. 2) I choose this religion primarily because it is a growing religion in the United States and it is interesting to see the demographics of the people who practice Islam. I choose this section also because I could compare the Islam to other religions such as Christianity, and what surprised me was how many Muslims there are in the Northeast. 3) Why is the religion of Islam growing in the United States? Use examples from the Demographic Transition Model and the Migration Transition Model to explain your answer. Explain where this religion is found outside of the United States and how it spread from its hearth to where it is today. Is political and social unrest common in regions with this religion? Explain why/ why not this may be the case.
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    http://religions.pewforum.org/maps and select, "Mormon Tradition" under the section of "Religious Groups". This map is the percentage of the U.S. adult population that is affiliated with the Mormon tradition. 2.) I chose this map because I was interested where the most concentrated area of Mormons in the U.S. was. I do not really know that much about the Mormon faith and was wondering if there was a large population located near us. I found this not to be the case because the state with the largest Mormon concentration is Utah. All the other states where the population of Mormons was larger than 4% were all found in the east of the U.S also. 3.) My project would be for students to first learn about the Mormon tradition compared to other dominant religions in the U.S. The students would then take the things they learned about Mormons and study this map of their distribution. The students would then be required to apply their knowledge of Mormons and explain why the largest percentage of the population affiliated with this tradition is located in the West compared to other regions in the U.S.
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    Jared- Your project is very interesting and is a great idea! I really like how you want students to connect a group's religious beliefs to their lifestyle and how they value education, and the jobs they have. Great choice!
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    Kelly- it is interesting that you chose Hinduism as religion to study and prove that it is not a common practiced religion in the United States. I enjoyed your project idea because it is a different point of view trying to find whether or not a religion makes sense in a certain region or not based on the distribution that occurred in the past.
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    http://religions.pewforum.org/maps - This is a map that shows the percent of each states population that believes in God. 2.) I chose this because I was interested in seeing where the most concentrated percentages of people that believe in God occur. The map showed that the south east region of the U.S except for Florida had the highest percent of people that strongly believed in God. It also showed that the west coast had the lowest percent. This is interesting because the south east is considered the bible belt and this area has a reputation for being predominantly Christian. 3.) For my project I would have students look at the different percentages of religious beliefs and practices in each state and compare it to the religion distribution in the states. Then the student would have to explain why or why not the percentages of religious beliefs and practices make sense or not compared to the main religions belief.
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    Cameron- I think it was good that you connected this website back to the demographic transition model and the migration transition model. This is the kind of thinking the Mr. Reidy would be proud of.
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    Nicole, I love your idea! Not only are you learning about a majority of faiths in America, but you get to attack certain issues head on! This certainly beats just writing a paragraph!
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    http://religions.pewforum.org/comparisons# This graph shows what political parties a certain religion is most affiliated to. 2. I chose this because the beliefs that a specific religion has affects which political party they affiliate with. They would choose a party with similar views as themselves. Most of the religions have a majority in the Democratic Party, but Jehovah's Witnesses have a majority in no proference/don't know. This group is the "odd man out" as it has relatively low percent of followers that are affiliated with the Democratic Party. 3. I would have students look at this data and a map of the U.S. of where each religion is mostly located and what political preference they have at election time, and determine if the data with the religions matches up with the data of the political parties of each state.
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    Olivia- Interesting project idea. One would believe that universalizing religions would be tend to be wealthier, but then to find ethnic religions that are wealthy, or universalizing religions that are poor when researching. Also to find differences in wealth of the same religion, but in different areas of the world.
Jake Kurtz

FAST-US-1 Intro to American English Reference File - 5 views

    • Jake Kurtz
       
      Different languages (dialects) arise from the mixing of languages. If a language isnt present in a given area, it wont mix with the current language in that area.
    • Jake Kurtz
       
      Prestige can cause separate languages because people of certain class interact with those of the same class, therefore it allows for certain dialects to form in different areas. 
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    CH. 5, KI#3: Highlight and annotate at least two major ideas in this article that seem meaningful in understanding why individual languages vary among places, such as in the US. (Do this by 11/21 for 1 extra credit point. :-))
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    "Generally, the southern dialects of American English carry a lower prestige, at least among northerners who will assume that a person speaking a southern dialect is less intelligent and less educated than they are. Some educated southerners even feel this way and will "correct" their speech to meet northern standards. The New York City dialect carries the lowest prestige of all." Similar to what Jake said, dialects can be considered favorable or unfavorable. Southern accents and New York accents are both of low prestige, and deemed improper. Teachers discourage the use of phrases derived from these dialects in formal writing. A language may evolve to eradicate dialects or promote dialects. Either way, the individual language will inevitably vary because of past, present, and future influences of both the indigenous inhabitants of a given region, and the ongoing flow of migrating persons.
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    "Compared with the Eastern United States, the Western regions were settled too recently for very distinctive dialects to have time to develop or to be studied in detail. Many words originally came from Spanish, cowboy jargon, and even some from the languages of the Native Americans: adobe, beer bust, belly up, boneyard, bronco, buckaroo, bunkhouse, cahoots, corral, greenhorn, hightail, hoosegow, lasso, mustang, maverick, roundup, wingding." This quote identifies a key factor in deciphering the cause for variations in individual languages: time and indigenous peoples. After a language has diffused from an area, the new locations that are influenced begin to develop their own unique twist on the language. This doesn't happen overnight. Because the Midwest was settled recently in historical terms, the dialects are not distinct. Perhaps in the future, an accent may develop. In addition, when a homeland of an indigenous group of people is influenced by a new language, the two languages intermix. Because of the large populations of Native Americans living in the Midwest, the pioneers adopted terms they learned from the Indians. This will cause the language to vary from a region with few Native Americans. In effect, both time and indigenous peoples impact a language and inspire regional differences.
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    "Mutual understandability in theory determines what is a "dialect" and what is a "language," but in reality there are also social and political issues. The government of a country might declare that all the languages spoken in that country are actually dialects of one language in order to create the illusion of political unity, while the government of another country might declare that the dialect spoken by its people is actually a unique language from other countries that speak dialects of the same language in order to create a sense of national pride." This quote is meaningful to identify why individual languages vary among places because it talks about how the government plays into the development of languages. This is relevant to the U.S, because when Webster's dictionary was made, he changed the spellings of words to break free from being dependent of England and to create a sense of national pride. This is just one example of how languages change over time.
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    "The modern development of communications technology may possibly retard the evolution of dialects and languages. For the first time in history, a single dialect (sometimes called Network Standard) can be broadcast over an entire country, so few people actually still live in geographic isolation. However, the existence of racism, poverty, and class distinctions may cause some groups to remain socially isolated from the cultural mainstream, giving rise to social dialects like Black English (Ebonics), which is spoken by some urban African-Americans. " This quote plays on the idea that new communication methods are stopping the evolution of dialects. This would mean that less people are living in isolation and therefore it is harder for a dialect to stay strong. This also means that geographic locations that are in isolation have an easier time developing their own dialect and/or language.
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    "Three things are needed for a new dialect to develop: a group of people living in close proximity to each other; this group living in isolation (either geographically or socially) from other groups; and the passage of time. Given enough time, a dialect may evolve to the point that it becomes a different language from the one it started as." This quote describes the factors needed for dialect and even new language to develop and vary among places. It is saying that first of all, there needs to be a group of people for this new language to develop in, which is common sense. However, it also says that this group needs to be living in isolation. For example, when British colonists moved to America, they became isolated from Britain by the Atlantic ocean, this isolation caused them to be unable to hear people talk from their homeland, as they only communicated through letters and writing. This slowly began to morph their language as they fed off each other's new pronunciations. This slow process is also displayed in the quote, when it says there is a need for time, a new dialect must slowly form as people speaking the same language being to get a little bit sloppy with pronunciation, spelling, etc. As the quote states, "given enough time, a dialect may evolve into a language."
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    "For the first time in history, a single dialect (sometimes called Network Standard) can be broadcast over an entire country, so few people actually still live in geographic isolation. However, the existence of racism, poverty, and class distinctions may cause some groups to remain socially isolated from the cultural mainstream, giving rise to social dialects like Black English (Ebonics), which is spoken by some urban African-Americans." This quote also displays how languages can diffuse, and vary among places. Or how they cant. It talks about modern technology's effect of the spread of language, so that people are able to experience ebonics or dialects they have never come in contact with. This could cause less variation, as people want to become like those they see on TV or hear on the radio. However, it could also have the opposite effect; increasing variation. Racism, poverty, and social class seen as "undesirable" by the public, could effect language by isolating it, causing more dialects of these languages to spring up. Technology can have a huge effect of language variation.
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    "Contrary to what your teachers may have tried to tell you, there is no such thing as "correct English." Any manner of speaking that follows the rules of a dialect is equally "correct." Words like ain't are "real" words in some dialects and perfectly acceptable to use." This quote shows how languages and their rules are arbitrary. The main point of language is just to communicate ideas, so as long as the message is spread then the rules don't matter as much.
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    "Pennsylvania Dutch, a dialect of German spoken by people in this area (in this context, 'Dutch' is actually a mispronunciation of the German word, 'Deutsch,' which means 'German')." PA Dutch is an example of a creole language because the German migrators' language fused with the indigineous residents' language which formed PA Dutch.
Padraic Manning

Religious Affiliations and Percentage Practiced In the United States - 3 views

    • Bronte Lebo
       
      2) This map is very interesting because it shows what the majority of Americans in different reasons believe about their religion. The unique thing about this map is that it represents all religions, not just one. I looked in particular at the map of how strongly people view their religion as the one true faith. A relatively low number of people agree with this, which is probably why there aren't many huge religious conflicts in the United States. 3) For a project, I would ask students to look at this map and identify the states with the highest percentage of people who believe that their religion is the one true faith. Then I would have them research religious conflicts in these areas. We would then compare this research with data about states that had the lowest percentage of people who agreed with the statement. This would show if there is a correlation between religious conflict and the belief that a certain religion is the only right way. 
    • Bronte Lebo
       
      Elina: your observations make sense because the South East is the Bible belt, so there are probably a lot more people there who believe in God. It's interesting that Colorado is so much lower than all of the states around it too.
    • Mr. Reidy
       
      Good observation, Bronte. Why does Colorado seem to be not as "mainstream religious" as other states?
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    1) This map depicts the various religions, denominations, and sects within the United States. It shows how these faiths are distributed across the nation and how dense they are in their respective locations. This map is invaluabe in describing what Americans believe and where they do so. 2)I chose this map because of how helpful and powerful it is. It does a fantastic job at being straigh forward in showing the geographer where different faiths reside. From this information, the human geographer can make powerful inferences on why things are the way they are regarding religion. 3) Using the "Religious Landscape Survey" website, the students should write a well-thought-out response answering the prompt "How are different faiths distributed across America?"
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    I agree with you, Liam. The map does an excellent job of showing the distribution of the different religions across the United States. The maps themselves would help others to preform your project idea. It would involve what we have learned in the past about migration, but would also tie in what we have learned about religion so far.
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    1.) The map on this webpage displays the distribution of certain religions within the US. For example, it shows that Protestantism and Catholicism are the two most dominant religions within the US. 2.) I chose this part of the survey because it provided me with a visual aid of the distribution of religions within the US. Also, it shows the distribution of specific religions within certain states. 3.) Create a visual representation of the distribution of a religion of your choice within the US, and provide some insight learned from this unit (and others) in order to explain the cause of the religion's distribution.
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    Liam, I agree that the map has power in the way it displays the distribution of different faiths. The visual representation is helpful in understanding a religion's distribution.
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    Very impressive, APHUG! It's a pleasure reading all of your online text transactions. I'm recording these excellent task ideas, too. See you all Friday.
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    This map portrays the percentage of each state in which citizens answer whether religion is "very important" in their life or not. 2. Not only can we learn the number of citizens who truly value their religion in either a widespread or specific area, but also come to some conclusions on what possible dominant religion that area is ruled by. For example, the states of Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Louisiana all have very high percentage rates in which the citizens say their religion is very important in their life. From prior knowledge we know this is around the "Bible Belt" area, and can assume that these states are predominately Protestant. In state such as California and Nevada, the percentage rates of the citizens who feel that religion is important to their life is relatively low. Especially on the West Coast, religion isn't well known. 3. A project I feel that would be beneficial and "real world" like would be to survey students at our own High School, asking the same question; whether religion is "very important" in their life. Of course you can't force students to take the survey, but it would be interesting to examine the results gathered from responses of fellow classmates.
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    Nathan V- I really like the creativity of your project. There are definitely a few important correlations between amount of attendance at services and the predominant religion in the area. Great connection.
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    1. This map shows all the religions practiced in the United States and exactly what percentage of people practice each religion. You can also click a link that shows us how many people actively practice their religion. 2. I chose this because it is interesting to see exactly what religions are being practiced and if people are actually practicing their religion. 3. I think an interesting project idea would be to first, take a survey of the people in your neighborhood of what religion they practice. Secondly, take a survey of how many actively practice their religion. Then look up the same statistics for 2000 and compare the results to see how it has changed. After make a presentation/power point showing these results seeing whether more people practice their religions or not now a days as opposed to 13 years ago.
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    Brendan- I love your project idea. I think it would be more beneficial than just writing or creating a visual representation because it would be more like you're doing real field work and it would be more real life than writing about the map.
Alexia Ometz

Industry Awakens to Threat of Climate Change - NYTimes.com - 4 views

  • Both Nike and Coke are responding internally: Coke uses water-conservation technologies and Nike is using more synthetic material that is less dependent on weather conditions. At Davos and in global capitals, the companies are also lobbying governments to enact environmentally friendly policies.
  • Coke’s vice president for environment and water resources, listing the problems that he said were also disrupting the company’s supply of sugar cane and sugar beets, as well as citrus for its fruit juices.
  • global warming as a force that contributes to lower gross domestic products, higher food and commodity costs, broken supply chains and increased financial risk. Their position is at striking odds with the longstanding argument, advanced by the coal industry and others, that policies to curb carbon emissions are more economically harmful than the impact of climate change.
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  • ven the most conservative estimates peg the social benefit of carbon-based fuels as 50 times greater than its supposed social cost.”
  • n Europe, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the Paris-based club of 34 industrialized nations, has begun to warn of the steep costs of increased carbon pollution.
  • Nike, which has more than 700 factories in 49 countries, many in Southeast Asia, is also speaking out because of extreme weather that is disrupting its supply chain. In 2008, floods temporarily shut down four Nike factories in Thailand, and the company remains concerned about rising droughts in regions that produce cotton, which the company uses in its athletic clothes.
    • Alexia Ometz
       
      Why is the cheaper electricity helping to raise so many people out of poverty? And why in China and Inda?
  • as high energy costs, declining industrial competitiveness and a recognition that the economy is unlikely to rebound soon caused European policy makers to question the short-term economic trade-offs of climate policy.
  • “There will be agriculture and economic effects — it’s inescapable.” He added, “I’d be shocked if people supported anything other than a carbon tax — that’s how economists think about it.”
    • Alexia Ometz
       
      I find it interesting and surprising that high energy costs are causing declining competitiveness between industries because it just doesn't seem to make a lot of sense. It maybe causes different companies to go broke or stop manufacturing different things because of the high costs of producing them. 
    • Alexia Ometz
       
      This part shows how this article is related to industry. Nike has different factories, which is part of industry. Also, it talks about how different factors would cause factories to shut down, such as droughts. Many people would go out of jobs because of this happening for a certain length of time, which we have talked about in the industry and service chapters. 
    • Alexia Ometz
       
      This section talks about globalization and nature-culture. It shows globalization because of the different factories that Nike owns, and even with most in the same place, Southeast Asia, they sell to the entire world. It shows nature-culture with the different factories having to close because of floods. 
    • Alexia Ometz
       
      http://environment.about.com/od/waterpollution/a/groundwater_ind.htm This article connects because the beginning of this article talks about how Coca-Cola is using up water and creating droughts to produce its drinks. 
  •  
    Just an idea in all, but if this so-called carbon tax is passed wouldn't it raise the price of goods? But then again, I guess companies have to make up the deficient somehow.
  •  
    It's crazy to think that a company has so much power that even though it is depleting water supplies and causing pollution it is still not shut down. This is probably due to lack of knowledge consumers have and the mass of money that the company has.
Alec Gehman

Asheville area natural products industry on the rise - 1 views

  • Western North Carolina is not just where the wild things grow, but home to a growing number of businesses using technology to turn those native plants into consumer products.
  • Blue Ridge has added a natural products manufacturing line to help small start-ups venturing into skin care, cosmetics and even dietary supplements. This market relies on rigorous manufacturing standards, quality testing in high-tech labs, and carefully documenting ingredients through the process.
  • WNC is now home to this industry that goes all the way from the field from people growing and harvesting plants to manufacturers processing materials at Blue Ridge Food Ventures, to quality testing at A-B Tech and the U.S. Botanical Safety Lab, all the way to the market,”
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  • A new AdvantageWest report shows the fruits of three years of local efforts to cultivate that industry, resulting in more than 48 full-time jobs, 15 new manufacturers, 1,487 farmers trained and 44 new acres in production of medicinal plants, such as goldenseal, black cohosh and others.
  • Meanwhile smaller businesses and start-ups are joining the growing market for natural products.
  • As more manufacturers spring up, with a demand for locally sourced plants, more farmers may beginning to see botanicals as a feasible cash crop, Raker said.
  • “There’s a consumer demand,”
  • Gaia Herbs moved its operations to the region in 1997. Now 140 workers process 300 different lines of herbs and nutritional supplements in the 25,000-square-foot facility on rolling countryside outside Brevard.
  • buying healing plant materials from across the mountains to ship through New York brokers to pharmaceutical companies.
  • But the modern-day herbal market has gone more high-tech.
    • Alec Gehman
       
      a.) I am surprised that this specific operation and factories in the North Carolina region have existed since  1989, but are now gaining millions of dollars in revenue just from the medicine industry.
    • Alec Gehman
       
      b.) The theme of cultural landscape is found in this article.  Cultural landscape is used because the farmers and growers for these industries are changing the landscape so that they are able to produce crops from the land.  Nature culture is also fit into this because the farmers could be influenced by nature if there is a poor crop or something from the environment that influences their farming.
    • Alec Gehman
       
      c.) One reference to the industrial sector is how this specific industry is located near the farms in the region.  This makes sense to what we learned about industry because most of the product includes the crops harvested in this region so the actual facility locates near these crops.
    • Alec Gehman
       
      d.) Are these types of medicinal industries bulk-gaining or bulk-reducing?
    • Alec Gehman
       
      e.) http://www.ibtimes.co.in/video/?video_id=NTQwODEzfHwxNDcxfHx8fHx8MTZ8fA==&video_tile=Romanian+bees+still+creating+a+buzz+in+health+industry This article relates to this article here because both are about natural products from the environment being made into medicinal products.  Although the medicine from bees in the linked article is then transported and sold in stores, it is not on a scale that is as large as the industries in North Carolina in this article.
  •  
    In your article is says "About 80 of those local companies will be featured among the 200 exhibitors at the Mother Earth News Fair, a massive natural products trade show..." It's very exciting to see these small scale, local businesses thriving. In a country dominated by commercial manufacturing, it is good to see these true home grown enterprises succeeding.
cmerris

Western Sydney ready and willing to work hard and clever | thetelegraph.com.au - 3 views

    • cmerris
       
      Australia is ranked second in HDI, yet it is still in industries that most stage three countries would have.  Australia still has not opened themselves up to services like the United States and Western European nations.
  • Experts say an influx of “knowledge jobs’’ — that usually require a tertiary degree — are growing strongly despite a high Australian dollar and competition from cheap imports.
  • industries such as healthcare, finance and insurance are growing strongly, while manufacturing companies are adapting to changing conditions.
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  • There is a recognition and a willingness to adapt to new and emerging industries such as those providing the ‘knowledge’ jobs so crucial to future growth,” he said.
  • education facilities
  • colleges are developing and offering courses tailored to new industries.”
  • “Importantly, this contraction has been more than offset by strong growth in a number of industries, primarily the construction and service (finance, healthcare and transport) sectors.
  • Manufacturing makes up 14.5 per cent of the Greater Western Sydney economy.
  • manufacturing remains the most important employer in Western Sydney, making up 15.6 per cent of total employment.
  • Healthcare and social assistance accounted for 60,174 jobs (12.1 per cent of employment in the region), followed by retail trade with 52,523 (10.5 per cent) and wholesale trade 34,879 (7.0 per cent)
  • Healthcare and social assistance accounted for 60,174 jobs (12.1 per cent of employment in the region), followed by retail trade with 52,523 (10.5 per cent) and wholesale trade 34,879 (7.0 per cent)
    • cmerris
       
      This relates to the theme of globalization because it shows how more countries are using service related jobs instead of primary and secondary jobs because technology is making those jobs easier for fewer people to complete.
    • cmerris
    • cmerris
       
      An article about the United States that relates to growing industries after the recession can be seen by clicking the link below.  Although this article is more about the rebounding secondary sector jobs, it parallels the growth in new jobs.
    • cmerris
       
      Why is Australia so behind in making this change if they are higher in the HDI which normally relates to how high a country is developed?
    • cmerris
       
      This article relates to chapter eleven and twelve because it explains the change a developed country, Australia is going through the process of becoming reliant on tertiary sector jobs instead of jobs in the secondary sector.  This article explains how quickly healthcare is growing while other companies in manufacturing have to adjust to not having as much of the population to hire.
  •  
    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.
Nathan Vrabel

Dying for fashion - 101 East - Al Jazeera English - 1 views

    • Nathan Vrabel
       
      I'm not surprised that these workers go on so many strikes, considering the poor working conditions they are put in.
    • Nathan Vrabel
       
      This is an example of globalization because these brands are getting involved in an issue that is outside of their borders. Companies like Adidas are not stationed in Cambodia, but are becoming increasingly involved in the issues. This breaking down of the barriers is an example of globalization
    • Nathan Vrabel
       
      This portion is related to the industry sector. The clothing industry is one of the major industries in the world and the most important industry in Cambodia.
    • Mr. Reidy
       
      Nathan - Al Jazeera is a very unique media site. I like how it offers a different perspective other than an American one.
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  • Low wages and an abundant workforce, powered mainly by the country's rural population, have drawn major clothing brand names like GAP, H&M, Nike and Puma to Cambodia. Today, the industry is a $5bn-a-year business with almost 550 factories, mostly owned by Taiwanese, Korean, Chinese, Hong Kong and Singaporean companies.
    • Nathan Vrabel
       
      What are the other companies that set up shop in Cambodia?
    • Nathan Vrabel
       
      http://www.thezimbabwean.co/news/zimbabwe/71077/designer-calls-for-revival-in.html This separate current event connects with the importance of the clothing industry. The clothing industry is an important industry in the continent of Africa, a separate region from Cambodia. This goes to show how important the clothing industry is across the globe.
  •  
    The inhumane conditions in the factories caused the workers to strike, and this caused great damage to the apparel industry. This is an example that shows why factories in the U.S. are more likely to locate in states with right-to-work laws. These states have lower chances that unions will organize and even strike, meaning that productivity will most likely remain at a high level. The striking workers in Cambodia will probably also demand higher wages, which lowers profits for manufacturing companies.
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  •  
    I found it interesting that there were quite a few fires throughout the factories in Cambodia. The government and factory owners don't seem too concerned about it, which makes me wonder if these factories have laws about safety in the work place or not.
  •  
    It's crazy that it took until now for us to start seeing strikes in developing countries where wages are incredibly low. I wonder what the internet censorship laws are like that prohibited them from discovering what the rest of the world was earning.
  •  
    Nathan, I found this article to be very interesting and how large this industry is, even in a developing country such as Cambodia. I am surprised to see that in one year this is a 5 billion dollar industry. I also was surprised to find out how many well-known companies outsourced to Cambodia, such as GAP, H&M, Nike and Puma.
loganknepper

Religious Discord Menaces Mideast as Israel-Palestinian Peacemaking Fails - Businessweek - 1 views

  • An undercurrent of religious strife has burst to the fore in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, threatening to turn a political battle over land into a war of faiths between Muslim and Jew.
  • “If a political conflict is transformed into a religious war between Muslims and Jews, it becomes impossible to solve since religious problems tend to be absolutist.”
  • The radicals’ growing influence has changed the face of the Arab world, a change that “is also happening very quickly now in Palestinian society,” Ben-Zur said. In this combustible environment, Israeli officials must avoid actions or comments that can be interpreted as anti-Muslim, especially where the Jerusalem shrine is concerned, he said.
  •  
    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.
jared snell

China's Embrace of Foreign Cars - NYTimes.com - 0 views

  • Chinese consumers increasingly favor American brands, which have a reputation for safety, youth and international flair. The domestic brands have tended to lag in surveys of initial quality and engineering, although they are starting to close the gap. In long-term reliability, they are far behind and falling even further.
  • Multinational corporations are steadily clawing market share from Chinese brands in their home market
  • as a succession of global brands have pushed their way into China
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  • Rising affluence has left consumers reluctant
  • to accept cheaper, spartan models from domestic manufacturers
  • They want to persuade China’s Commerce Ministry to retain a requirement seldom found in other top manufacturing nations: Foreign automakers may assemble cars in China only through 50-50 joint ventures with domestic partners.
  • “If there is a loosening of the restrictions on foreign ownership in automotive shares, it will instigate massive changes in the configuration of our country’s automotive industry,”
  • “The cap has hindered fair, open and transparent competition, which undermines the interests of consumers and the overall competitiveness of the Chinese auto industry,”
  • “It is our common goal to further develop these and to be successful together in the Chinese automotive market,” Volkswagen said in a statement.
  • The original goal of the joint venture requirement was to force multinationals to work with big, state-owned automakers with ample access to credit from state-owned banks. The ministry’s hope has been that the state-owned automakers would learn from their partners to build world-class cars that they could then export
  • The multinationals have continued to provide most of the designs, engineering and marketing. They build essentially the same cars that they sell in the rest of the world
  • domestic brands had only 29.5 percent of the car market last year
  • Ford’s joint venture here in western China has 15,000 employees who assembled more than 600,000 vehicles last year, making it Ford’s largest operation outside southeastern Michigan
  • The second factory is among the most modern anywhere in the world: Steel coils go in one end and finished cars come out the other just eight hours later.
  • Domestic Chinese automakers have also bought robots for their operations from international suppliers. But they have tended to rely much more on using huge teams of workers for manufacturing, and they have struggled to figure out how to integrate robots efficiently into assembly lines — a task that took decades for multinationals to master
    • jared snell
       
      <-- This 50-50 Domestic and Foreign part requirement is interesting in the fact that I have never heard another country implicate a guideline like it. It certainly goes against what is found in the US (IE. The vehicle is either 100 percent foreign or 100 percent domestic...rarely both.
    • jared snell
       
      This bit of text here exemplifies the Human Geography them of Globalization, or the diffusion of ideas and innovations to other regions. By allowing international manufacturers like Ford to form joint ventures with its domestic manufacturers, the Chinese state hopes that important ideas like an aspect of a design or Aerodynamics will "rub off". These industry secrets if you will would, in turn make Chinese domestic cars much more valuable and safe.
    • jared snell
       
      The fact that Chinese domestic manufacturers are can't use robots as efficiently as their international counterparts is just the classic case of under-skilled labor within the secondary sector.. Because international corporations have been around for years, they have been able to master and teach the techniques of operating a complicated machine like a robotic arm. In turn, they are much more efficient in their production and generate a higher profit. On the other hand, China is relatively new to the light vehicle scene and as consequence it's workers aren't as experienced.
    • jared snell
       
      My only question is why have the 50-50 cap in the first place? Is it to protect domestic companies and act as a tariff in a sense? Or is it their to allow the Chinese government to tax the multi-national vehicles?
    • jared snell
       
      The article had mentioned that Chinese domestic vehicle manufacturers were unpopular with the public due to poor crash test results and safety risks. This other article relates seeing how it explains how Toyota had to recall over 6 million vehicles due to product defects that could pose a serious safety threat. Here's the link:http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/10/business/international/toyota-to-recall-vehicles.html?rref=business/international&module=Ribbon&version=context&region=Header&action=click&contentCollection=International%20Business&pgtype=article
smarikunte

EU parliament backs Palestinian state 'in principle' | World news | The Guardian - 3 views

  • Israel has been hammered by a series of diplomatic rebuffs across Europe after the European parliament voted overwhelmingly for qualified recognition of the Palestinian state.
  • The rare international meeting in Switzerland of the high contracting parties to the Geneva conventions was boycotted by Israel, the US, Canada and Australia.
  • Palestinian statehood and call for an end to Israeli occupation.
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  • 498 votes to 88, stated: “The European parliament supports in principle recognition of Palestinian statehood and the two-state solution, and believes these should go hand in hand with the development of peace talks, which should be advanced.”
  • The Jordanian-backed draft, which the US is almost certain to veto, sets a November 2016 deadline for an Israeli withdrawal.
  •  
    To achieve peace in the Middle East, the European Union voted on a bill presented by Jordan. The bill states that Palestine should be recognized as a 'principle state'. The US and Israel both strongly oppose this bill. The conflict has escalated in the past years. This territorial conflict is occurring because two religious groups want the same sacred holy land. How is the bill going to affect Israel and Palestine in the future?
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  •  
    This is a fascinating conflict. Why do you think that the two opposing religious groups cannot agree to share the Holy Land and thereby resolve the conflict? Will there ever be a solution to this?
  •  
    Sadhana and Jenna - I don't think there will ever be an end to this. If one side gets control, the other will never be happy and they won't stop until they get it, and so on. I don't think they can ever agree because they both feel that it should be their own and don't want the other to get the land. I almost feel like because its been going on for so long, there will never be an end since they are both so determined to control it.
  •  
    Jenna, I think that the two opposing religious groups cannot agree to share the Holy Land and create a resolution because both have significant holy sites that are close to one another (e.g. The Dome of the Rock is close to the Western/Wailing Wall). I think that there could be a solution to this because if some Palestinian areas could see the need for Israel to have the land that it does currently and its right to exist, then the problem could be resolved.
  •  
    Jenna, Since both religions have holy spots in this area, what do you think the best way to solve this issue would be? Is the U.N at a place to solve this conflict or should people who are more directly involved with the conflict be the ones who have more of a say in the peace talks?
  •  
    I only see two possible solutions, both flawed. Somehow, I believe that the two religious groups could find a way to coexist, allowing them both to have access to their holy sites, but this would mean accepting the fact that the other is there. This seems unlikely to happen. Another option is to not let either group have it, and that way neither could be angry that the other possesses it. This, however, is also unlikely seeing how each group strongly refuses to give up its sites. They would fight until death for access. I really don't see this conflict ending any time soon.
  •  
    Interesting solutions to the conflict. Why do you think the United States government has been pro-Israel since the creation of the state in the 1940s?
jbasom

Folk Clothing-Jocy and Molly - 26 views

  •  
    When viewing our website about a variety of unique folk clothing items, you will be pulled into our "journey"around the world as we travel to Africa, the Arctic, the Middle East, and South America in search of folk fashion.
  • ...19 more comments...
  •  
    I think you guys did a really good job of showing how unique each country's style of dressing is. I really liked the game and your pictures!
  •  
    I really liked how you added the game, the Pinterest page, and the pictures of you dressed up. It made the site fun to look through. Great job!!
  •  
    Yours kept me interested the whole way through, especially looking at the pictures of you guys dressing up. You were very creative and nicely represented fashions from all over the world.
  •  
    You guys did an excellent job with the appearance of the site and information that adhered the viewer. The representations you guys did goes back to the concept of folk clothing influencing popular clothing that we wear today.
  •  
    I really like the idea of the games and Pinterest page! It added to the site and made it really interesting. I also thought it was creative how you dressed up.
  •  
    Your site was really pretty and I liked it! The idea of the Pinterest page made your site so much better. I think you really did a good job making this project.
  •  
    I liked your site a lot! As we described in class, I saw how the culture of a group affects the style of clothing. The Pinterest page and game were nice touches!
  •  
    The pictures were very interesting and I learned a lot about how different cultures wear different types of clothes!
  •  
    I like how you chose cultural dresses from very different parts of the world! It really shows how diverse the world's styles really are. I dare you to pick one and wear it to school!
  •  
    I liked the entire page, it was easy to use, which is wonderful. Information involved was very informative, which is great for an informative site
  •  
    Your website was really cool and had a great use of pictures and placement of information! One connection I noticed in your work that was learned in our class activities, when we took notes from the book, was from the picture of the Eskimos wearing boots, because the book talked about that people living in colder areas might wear boots.
  •  
    This is a very creative website that shows all different types of clothing styles all around the world. I like your presentation with all the clothes, it looked like a lot of fun to make!
  •  
    I really enjoyed viewing the folk clothes from different places in the world. It's amazing how different they all are from place to place.
  •  
    I love the site! my favorite part was the Eskimos who have the right idea about how to bundle up in this weather. They also rock a nice fashion style. Makes me wish I could wear dead animals in school. Great job!
  •  
    It is interesting to see what clothing around the world looks like when it is not influenced by popular fashion styles. The pictures on your website are neat and the website is east to navigate. Great job!
  •  
    I liked how you showed the diversity of clothing in world today by picking outfits from different parts of the world. Your presentation of you wearing the clothes looked like fun! Your website was very good!!
  •  
    Great simple and informative layout with nice looking use of pictures. I liked how you used clothing from around the world to show the many different styles and there histories, as well as their diffusion.
  •  
    Your website was very well put together and informative and you guys can pull off those folk outfits really well! haha Great job!
  •  
    I really enjoyed learning about the different regions you chose and the clothing they wear. I found similarities with the website I created because of the South American clothing, and how some clothing was influenced by immigrants. I also made a connection with what we learned in class being that a popular clothing item in developed regions is the UGG boot, which was inspired by folk clothing in arctic regions.
  •  
    I liked how well organized and informative your website is. In addition to the hijab, I know that women in the Middle East also wear burkas (which were in the top picture) as well as chadors.
  •  
    I enjoyed this website a lot! I thought it was very interesting to see how different the dress is in places all over the world, as well as the impact that the environment has on style of clothing. Your website is organized and overall very well done! Great job!
Jessica Wray

Dove's Latest Ad Entails Tricking Women to Wear Fake Beauty Patches - ABC News - 1 views

    • Jessica Wray
       
      I cannot believe that this is real; if I were to have a patch on my arm for a few weeks, I would hide it and wonder how it is possibly helping me...Does it really make them feel confident???!
    • Jessica Wray
       
      This relates to advertisement which relates to consumerism which relates to services. Services depend on and affect societies and culture. Different regions of the world have different types of society and culture. Thus, this article relates to the theme of REGION.
    • Jessica Wray
       
      This article deals with advertisement, which is a huge part of consumerism. Consumerism dictates services- if a service is not desirable by the people, then it will not thrive and will not be in a place. Dove attempts to become more popular by making a commercial in which woman wear fake patches that make them feel confident, and even more so upon the revelation that it is made of nothing and is worthless!
  • ...9 more annotations...
    • Jessica Wray
       
      I don't understand how any woman would feel better by wearing the patch...? What did the patch claim to do exactly- why did they want to "show off" such a thing?
    • Jessica Wray
       
      This is an older article; I'll post another one, but it certainly relates!!!! http://weburbanist.com/2010/11/08/15-cool-crazy-controversial-advertisements/
    • Jessica Wray
       
      http://abcnews.go.com/Business/banana-republic-sued-allegedly-deceptive-discount-signs/story?id=23178043 This current event also involves silly and questionable advertisement tricks to attract customers...
    • Mr. Reidy
       
      How does marketing manipulate the range and threshold of services?
    • Jessica Wray
       
      This relates to advertisement which relates to consumerism which relates to services. Services depend on and affect societies and culture. Different regions of the world have different types of society and culture. Thus, this article relates to the theme of REGION.
  • advertising
  • Dove may have struck advertising gold last year with its “Real Beauty Sketches” ad, but not everyone is praising its latest attempt at a viral video in which women were given beauty patches for two weeks as part of an experiment and then told the whole thing was fake
  • sychologis
  • “I’m beautiful. I’m strong. I’m independent. And I can just be whoever I want to.”
  • Dove: Patches campaign was designed to evoke conversation about how the right state of mind can unlock a powerful feeling of beauty that lives inside all women.
  •  
    This is really interesting. I wonder if any of the women at least suspected that something was going on. The whole idea seems kind of ridiculous, but I don't really see why so many people were extremely offended by it!
  •  
    Jes, your article was fascinating. It is baffling how far people will go to "fit in." You made a tremendous point about Dove's advertisement. TV commercials are sources of globalization since they connect different people from around the world.
adamlaudenslager

The Daily Tar Heel :: Religious beliefs create conflict over gay marriage for NC officials - 2 views

  • Six county magistrates have resigned from their positions, saying they can’t grant gay marriage licenses due to religious convictions.
  • She said she thinks magistrates have a right to sue the state for violating their religious freedom.
  • “Even those magistrates who may be uneasy or reluctant about it will see that the ceremonies have become even more common. They’ll probably see people they know getting married. Folks will get used to it.”
  •  
    This article relates to the religion of Christianity and its belief of disapproval of gay marriage. Why will the magistrates not marry gay couples if it is legal, but even still it is not the magistrates who are gay, it is only the people they are marrying?
  •  
    Putting personal beliefs aside, if North Carolina were to ban gay marriage like this for religious reasons, it would be a violation of the first amendment. There should not be a conflict if one side violates the rights of people.
  •  
    In my own opinion, and this is something I fear will happen frequently, is that America is slowly becoming less of a country that has freedom OF religion and more of a country where there is freedom FROM religion. I think the magistrates should be able to practice their own beliefs even if there are some who disagree.
skylarann

Jerusalem attack 'strikes at soul' of Jews worldwide - CNN.com - 0 views

shared by skylarann on 19 Dec 14 - No Cached
  • "This is an attack on all of us," said Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld, who leads Ohev Sholom Synagogue in Washington. "Any terrorist attack is a horror. But to attack people while they are engaged in prayer, are talking to God, is a new low."
  • In 1994, a Jewish extremist murdered 29 Palestinians worshiping in Hebron. In 2002, Palestinian extremists attacked a Passover Seder in Natanya, killing 30.
  • "But for this terrorist attack to occur in a synagogue, deliberately targeting innocent Jews deep in prayer, is something that strikes at the soul of Jewish people around the world."
  • ...1 more annotation...
  • "That's what's so horrible about this," said Herzfeld. "These people were trying to do their part to bring good into this world through their dedication to God."
  •  
    The killing of the Jewish rabbis during prayer adds into the mix of the Isreali-Palestinian conflict over what is considered the Holy Land and has inspired even more Jews to take action against the Palestinians. Is there a possibility for peace between these two peoples, or will they remain at odds with each other forever?
  •  
    The killing of the Jewish rabbis during prayer adds into the mix of the Isreali-Palestinian conflict over what is considered the Holy Land and has inspired even more Jews to take action against the Palestinians. Is there a possibility for peace between these two peoples, or will they remain at odds with each other forever?
rdeveney

'Infidels are our enemy': Afghan fighters cherish old American schoolbooks | Al Jazeera... - 2 views

  • More alarmingly for U.S. and international forces still in the country, the textbooks describe all nonbelievers as the enemy. “Our religion is Islam. Muhammad is our leader. All the Russians and infidels are our enemy.”
  • That built resentment toward foreigners and Kabul in some villages passed over for such support. “If people perceive that their enemy is getting more of those services, then that could contribute to the underlying conditions for conflict,
  • “When you have a school not set up in a government structure but in a home or a mosque, in the village, protected by the village and supported by the villagers, the likelihood of the school being attacked is reduced,” she said. “And you don't have construction, so you don't have problems with contracts.”
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    There was conflict between the Taliban and the Westerns and those who support the western views, because of the different religious and ethnic views. For example westerns believe women should be educated just like men, but the Taliban is against women education. Why is a school in a home that teaches the same thing that a governmentally funded school less likely to be attacked, since the Taliban is still against those ideas?
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    I think that as long as the Taliban are in control there will always be violence between the Taliban and the Westerners. Women should be educated just like men, but as long as the Taliban have power, I do not think that will happen. The Taliban showed just how much they are against women getting an education when they shot Malala Yousafzai in the head on her way home from school. Schools in homes are less likely to be attacked than schools run by the government because they have the protection and support of the village and villagers. The Taliban might also target government run schools because they oppose the government.
Clayton Lockwood

Current Event #9 - 3 views

  • U.S. technology&nbsp;companies remain silent in the wake of the sudden and escalating&nbsp;standoff between the U.S. and Russia over the latter's annexation of Crimea in&nbsp;Ukraine, but&nbsp;experts say that economic sanctions&nbsp;could still impact their operations in the countr
  • U.S. technology&nbsp;companies remain silent in the wake of the sudden and escalating&nbsp;standoff between the U.S. and Russia over the latter's annexation of Crimea in&nbsp;Ukraine, but&nbsp;experts say that economic sanctions&nbsp;could still impact their operations in the country.
    • Clayton Lockwood
       
      This text, though connecting directly to industry, also speaks a lot about political geography, 'the struggle over space' as well, tieing it in to past units, and showwing the connectivity between all sections of uman geography
  • Technology companies in Silicon Valley
    • Clayton Lockwood
       
      What in particular lures computer companies in particular to put factories in silicon valley?
    • Clayton Lockwood
       
      one of the words larger industrial centers because of the nearby ural mountains, which contain many reasorces
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  • Global technology companies have only a small impact on Russia's overall economy, despite the country's recent&nbsp;status as a high-growth "BRIC" economy.
  • Russia is&nbsp;the 15th-largest smartphone market and fifth-largest tablet market in the world.
    • Clayton Lockwood
       
      this connects to cultural landscape because it shows that many people in russia probably have iphones or tablets, and owning one, or seeing them often is not an unusual occurance.
  • You might find that Moscow suddenly finds that these U.S. companies 'owe taxes
    • Clayton Lockwood
       
      because of the situation, tax might prompt companies to move
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    All about possible sanctions of U.S goods from Russia which effects many computer companies which have factories in silicon valley
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    I think this is so interesting as it is a dramatic issue in the world right now. We know that through political geography, conflict almost always arises over land and resources. This situation is no different. Russia is trying to gain more resources and the rest of the world does no approve. I wonder how sanctions will affect developing nation's economies. Which economies will be hurt the most by this change?
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    The fact that all of those big companies declined to make any comment on how the situation will affect their business just really proves to me that they are really worried about the impacts of the events going on in the Ukraine and Russia. With the Russian economy right on the brink of recession, can/will they be able to risk losing a ton of U.S. technological business, and be able to create all of their own technology without U.S. parts or devices?
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    I think that it is interesting that the company might have to move due to taxes. I don't think that they talked much about it in the textbook but I do feel that it is a HUGE reason that companies might have to move so that they can keep up their profit.
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    It's interesting that the US is getting involved in the issue between Russia and Ukraine. It's unfortunate that the computer companies might feel a backlash from Russia's actions in Ukraine. Nice work Lockwood!
Mr. Reidy

E-Cigarettes: FDA Regulation Looms for $1.5 Billion Industry - Businessweek - 0 views

  • booked a trip to China; and began meeting with manufacturers.
    • Allyson Fea
       
      I chose this article because it really interested me. Though I do not smoke myself, and I hope I never will, I have always wondered how E-Cigs work and how they are different than regular cigs
    • Mr. Reidy
       
      I think there is an E-Cig shop in Mechanicsburg, downtown.
  • it did work, it could upend the tobacco industry.
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  • Verleur saw right away that if e-cigarettes could be made as convenient and satisfying as a pack of smokes, he’d make a killing. He enlisted the help of his brother, an engineer working for an Agilent Technologies (A) spinoff; booked a trip to China; and began meeting with manufacturers. In 2009 he formed his company, V2Cigs, with four employees working out of an apartment.
    • Allyson Fea
       
      This article really display the effects of worldwide globalization, a theme we discussed in class. E-Cigs were created in China, but they quickly became a huge part of the US economy through electronic media and industry. Both of these are ways that new inventions can diffuse across the globe. Now many countries are using E-Cigs due to globalization.
    • Mr. Reidy
       
      Interesting graphic.
  • booked a trip to China; and began meeting with manufacturers.
    • Allyson Fea
       
      One thing we talked about in class was cheap labor. I find it very interesting that Verleur and his brother immediately thought to manufacture their product in China, almost as if this was the only place TO manufacture it. China provides very cheap labor for US companies and E-Cigs are probably not that expensive to ship, so they would save a lot of money.
    • Mr. Reidy
       
      I like your connection to this major site factor.
  • 250 employees, and 5 million customers worldwide.
  • six manufacturing facilities in Shenzhen, China
  • Miami headquarters,
  • commercially marketed device was created by a Chinese pharmacist, Hon Lik, and introduced to the Chinese market as a smoking cessation device in 2004.
  • iny fraction of what Americans spend on tobacco, but it’s pretty solid for an industry that barely existed five years ago.
    • Allyson Fea
       
      More examples of Globalization and Mobility as ECigs diffuse to different countries around the world. They were created through stimulus diffusion and now are expanding
    • Allyson Fea
       
      Will E-Cigs replace regular cigarettes in the near future? I wonder!
    • Allyson Fea
       
      This article relates to current events we looked at when we discussed the globalization of food products around the world, especially fast food, and how people in developing countries and developed countries all drink coca-cola, etc. Same with ECIGs
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    An article discussing how the E-Cigarette industry is quickly growing and diffusing around the world. 
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    Interesting choice of article Ally. I like how it show the production of the e cigarettes spreading all around the world, even to china, which shows globalization. Good Job!!
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    I think that it's very interesting how he moved to China immediately to build and produce his product. It must have had several appealing characteristics, perhaps cheap labor, resources, or less strict regulations. I wonder if the tobacco industry will try to combat e-cigs to protect their profits, maybe even by leading research on the effects of inhaling the nicotine vapors.
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    I Think that it was interesting that hey immediately thought to produce it in China. I have seen many start up businesses that was to get to manufacturing in China because it will cut down their production cost and it will increase their profit which is the goal of the business.
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    I was surprised to read that globally, cigarettes earn more than a half trillion dollars in sales annually because I thought the amount would be much less. With the rise in popularity of E-Cigerattes, the markets, as well as the inputs for cigarettes is likely to decline. In addition, I find it very interesting that the product, after improving it with access to technology and knowledge in the U.S., is produced in China. This is probably due to the cheap labor force, as well as the large amount of land available to produce the product, for production near urban and suburban areas could spark debate with health problems.
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    After reading Danyelle's article and the one we read in class, I wonder if the increase in Chinese wages will have an impact on the industries which produce the e-cig. If the factor of cheap labor is taken away, but available somewhere else, how will that shift the distribution and manufacturing of the cigarettes.
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    An article discussing how the E-Cigarette industry is quickly growing and diffusing around the world. 
Eric Bossert

Brazil's Diagnostic Medicine Market - Its Growth and Profits - 2 views

  • &nbsp;After nearly three years on the market, Alliar – the diagnostic medicine group – continues with its aggressive expansion strategy with a total of 65 diagnostic imaging units in Brazil and reaching revenues of about R$310 million (US$125 million) and a 40 % average growth
  • Alliar’s growth has been in the range of 50% per year.
  • Alliar’s president has stated that “It’s a segment that has differentiated growth possibilities, more accelerated than healthcare in general”. “The sector is still very fragmented and therefore opportunities for consolidation still exist.”
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  • Since the beginning Alliar has been taking advantage of the current Brazilian market forces that have health insurance companies setting up low prices for this particular line of services with significant detriment to its profit margins and a growing middle class expansion that have substantially increased its demand for medical diagnostic services.
  • Fleury SA (FLRY3) and Diagnosticos of America SA (DASA), Brazil’s biggest publicly traded diagnostics companies are Alliar strongest competitors, however, these are services in the major centers such as São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. Thus, Alliar has focused in smaller cities having most of its units in São Paulo and Minas Gerais away from their metropolitan areas, areas that are not fully served by FLRY3 and DASA.
  • In 2010, a partnership between the Blackstone Group (NYSE: BX) and Patria Investments – Brazil’s leading private equity fund firm – was established allowing Blackstone to buy a 40% stake in Patria Investments with the goal of building their businesses in Brazil and throughout South America.
    • Eric Bossert
       
      Why would the Blackstone group want to build its reach into Brazil? I  am certain there are many other countries with booming markets. For example China.
    • Eric Bossert
       
      This interest the Blackstone Group has in Brazil is showing the theme of globalization as they try to reach out to places around the world for business.
    • Eric Bossert
       
      This article in general connects to our current chapter as it shows the interaction between a business service and a health service as they work together to better their own companies.
    • Eric Bossert
       
      This relates to services in the fact that it is smart of the Alliar Group to locate farther away from competition so that they have more of a pull on the people that live in the rural areas. This opposed to fighting for consumers in an already service filled area. 
    • Eric Bossert
       
      This relates to our previous chapter on industry. It does so as it brings up how strong Brazil's economy is getting. This shows it is indeed a BRIC country.
    • Eric Bossert
       
      This article reminds me a lot of horizontal integration in the trust days of the U.S.
    • Eric Bossert
       
      This is stating that since this company's particular service has so much variation it is easy to consolidate and grow.  
    • Eric Bossert
       
      http://www.businessoffashion.com/2014/02/brazil-fast-fashion-heats.html This other article describes how fashion businesses are trying to get into Brazil and take advantage of its strong economy.
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    This article describes how a health service company is taking advantage of Brazil's booming economy to consolidate business and give itself an edge. This group has an annual growth of about 50% and shows the booming medical services. 
Maddie Bright

Malaysia reckless on MH370 facts - CNN.com - 1 views

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    This article is about the Malaysia MH370 that mysteriously disappeared last year. They finally have found evidence that it did not just vanish into thin air (which is certainly what appeared to have happened!) in the form of a flaperon that French authorities are pretty sure belongs to a 777. The issue is now that the Malaysian government is now saying that it MUST be from the 777 that disappeared, though the French authorities aren't certain it's from that flight, and they still haven't determined the origin of other plane debris. This is a problem because spreading misinformation gives false hope to the survivors of those in the tragedy that are looking for closure, and each time the crash comes up in the news again, it reopens old wounds. What makes this even worse is that due to the mysterious circumstances surrounding the crash, an investigation could take years to be completed. This is unique because most plane crashes are confirmed crashes, and people survive. This time, they just have data to analyze and a lot of research to do. With the internet comes increased globalization. The results of an investigation in France can arrive in Malaysia almost instantly, and then broadcast to the world within a short period of time. The internet also allows information to become distorted, or for people to spread complete misinformation easily. This makes it somewhat difficult to find trustworthy information on much-debated matters, like the fate of MH370. It is extremely important in this age where information can reach across the globe in an instant that governments be accurate in what they release. After all, what if the debris is confirmed to be from something else? What will Malaysia tell the citizens who needed that hope that they were given false information? Will Malaysia attempt to use France's analysis as a scapegoat for the misinformation? How would this action affect the relationship between Malaysia and France?
allylocy

Is America ready for a new wave of tropical diseases? - CNN.com - 1 views

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    In this article, it is showing the new tropical disease occurring from a bug called the "kissing bug". The disease that the kissing bug gives out is neurocysticercosis, which is a parasitic infection of the brain. The kissing bug also causes Chagas disease which is a protozoan parasite, and can cause mild inflamed skin, as well as infection and inflammation of other body tissue. The theme of nature-culture is displayed through the people interacting with the nature where the kissing bugs are found, and catching the disease. Also, the kissing bug are native in Guatemala, and travelers were bringing back the disease and spreading it to their community, affecting and infecting the citizens of Texas. In Houston, Texas infectious diseases broke out and in the Smith's Clinic, doctors were doing their best to cure everyone who has tropical diseases. The tropical diseases were increasing to the point where one wing on the third floor of the Houston hospital was filled with patients. Everyone on the third floor had caught the tropical disease from the kissing bugs. The disease has been occurring since 2011, and the doctors are treating anyone who walks in with the tropical disease. Even though the disease has not affect Pennsylvania, it is still extremely important due to the fact that it is happening in the United States. What kind of research has been done to find a cure to the tropical disease? What should the citizens in Texas do to try to avoid catching this disease? How long does it take to cure the tropical diseases and what medication is used? These are the type of questions that are pondering in the media's mind.
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