Group items tagged

As seen before, the effects of war can be physically and mentally gruesome as spontaneous acts of violence unravel extreme havoc to numerous civilians. In fact, recent violence has caused insurmountable refugees (mostly Syrians, Afghans, and Eritreans) to leave their homes and embark on a journey to Europe for their safety. This portrays the example of mobility as large amounts of people are leaving their homes in hopes of a better future. This is an example of relocation diffusion. As stated on page 11 of the textbook reading, relocation diffusion brings the ideas and practices of the migrant(s) to a new region. Furthermore, this mimics the events of Ishmael (the protagonist) in the memoir, A Long Way Gone, as he leaves his nation of Sierra Leone to live a safer life in New York City. Along with mobility, the geographical theme of globalization is also represented in the article. As the number of refugees crossing the Mediterranean increased, the European Union decided to distribute the thousands of refugees across its 28 nations. As a result, the European Union itself is an example of globalization as they communicate and connect with its members. All 28 countries are connected with one another, and they communicate to solve problems regarding peace, human rights, and economic development in Europe. Moreover, nations with a greater access to technology and communication (such as the members of the European Union) have a much better chance of establishing global connections because of the resources they have. Thus, this sudden rise of refugees migrating into European nations is correspondent to the themes of mobility and globalization. However, how does the increase of migrations affect the European nations bordering the Mediterranean? What economic problems will arrive with the increase of labor and population? How will the core-periphery pattern of formal regions, in regards to Syrian culture, change as many of its civilians depart?

Nicely done, Sam. Good job weaving the current event into themes from your book. The current migration flows n the Mediterranean region have tremendous political, economic, and social implications. How do you think the cultural landscape of European countries such as Norway or Germany might change as a result of recent migration flows?

I believe as the number of cultural groups migrate, they will bring their cultural characteristics to the new region. One of them, most likely, is religion. This might affect the landscape because religious shrines or temples will now be incorporated in European nations. In turn, it will definitely diversify the architectural styles seen in the new region.

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

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

The civil war occurring in the Central African Republic recently affected even a neutral peacekeeping organization in a negative way. This threat have left many homeless searching for a way out. These emigrants trying to escape the war will likely cause traits of their culture to expand beyond the Central African Republic's boarders. Such an event would relate to the theme of mobility as the ideas of those people move through relocation diffusion. These events have also grabbed attention on a global stage as the rest of the world works to solve the conflict that is hurting so many people. A theme of region also starts to appear, when the area where most of the violence is occurring produces this carnage. Where the war rages heaviest people will develop a vernacular region, labeling the area dangerous, and try to stay away. One event in a defined part of the world can have a large impact all over. How will the United Nations respond to the violence? What will happen to the supply deprived people in Central African Republic is the main supply route is impassable?

Thank you for making accurate connections, Christian. Great questions, too. One way to predict the UN's response to violence would be to see their previous responses to conflicts. The organization has made many mistakes (Rwandan Genocide) in the past so I believe they attempt to be as proactive as possible. On another note, as human geographers, it's interesting to observe who is emigrating and where they choose to go. I believe it suggests a deeper story as to what the political, environmental, and economic conditions of the places are. Stay tuned for our second unit on people and migration.

What information in this article reflects the theme of mobility?  What do these maps suggest?

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

This current event relates to the theme of region.  It is shown in the regions of Kansas City and the state of Kansas.  This is because both of these regions are measured geographical locations that have characteristics based on the aspects, actions, and lifestyles of the culture of that area.  How does this article represent mobility?

An article discussing how the E-Cigarette industry is quickly growing and diffusing around the world. 

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.

An article discussing how the E-Cigarette industry is quickly growing and diffusing around the world. 

Current Event #9

It is very surprising that the most globally popular sport in the world (soccer) had a lack of medical support at a major FIFA match. However, it is good to see that the next World Cup in Brazil will have the medical bags. You never know when a player could be put into a life threatening situation. I also agree with Bronte, in that Johnson and Johnson will have a significant gain in product sales after advertising at such a prestige event like the World Cup.

It is interesting to know that FIFA has just now decided to construct a standardized medical bag for the 2014 world cup. I wonder what precautions were taken for injuries in the past.

This directly relates to how the tertiary sector is growing, because other sectors, like manufacturing is in, are declining.

This article is interesting. Bronte- you said this is a "popular fad" in America. Does this mean it will most likely die off just like other fads? After all, I don't feel like a vacation for wellness is very family-friendly.

I understand where Jake is coming from with his statement but isn't a vacation that gets you away from the stress of work and neighbours and everything healthy? Wouldn't that constitute a wellness vacation? Also for really busy parents a vacation with their children would be both family-friendly and healthy. Not to mention that the service sector, including the consumer sector, is continuing to grow and in the quote Bronte highlighted it said that wellness vacations make up 14% of all tourism revenues, so wouldn't that imply that this fad will continue to grow?

I find it very interesting that there are vacations that can help you with your wellness. I am curious about the different ways that they actually intend to do this. I agree with Olivia, with the idea that a vacation away from stress would be a wellness vacation in its own idea.

Fishing industries in Thailand are abusing migrant workers.

I've never heard of a fishing industry helping in human trafficking. It just shows how much people don't know about the messed up industrial world that we live in. It is also crazy to hear about all the different situations people live in around the world. Globalization is happening, but places around the world still are drastically different.

I didnt even know that Thailand had such a prominant fishing industry, let alone the fact that they are basically using slaves instead of at least paying some sort of wage.

What are the causes and effects of urbanization? Read this article to learn more. (**Hint. Hint)

More than a dozen Republicans and a handful of Democrats have announced they are running for their party's 2016 presidential nomination. Page lists all the Democratic and Republican candidates. The page has links to mini articles describing what each person must do to win and why they won't succeed.

This is a useful resource. Which theme(s) of geography might be demonstrated by these candidates attempting to persuade citizens to vote for them?

Mobility- The campaigns demonstrate how ideas are moved to different areas as well as techniques to persuade people to accept the ideas. In this case the idea being spread is to vote for a certain candidate over another for various reasons.

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?

This article talks about the issue of the build-up of people waiting at the Greece-Macedonia border to gain access into Macedonia. Most of these people are fleeing from Syria, trying to avoid being caught in the middle of the civil-war in their country. The migrants are stuck at this border because the Macedonian police are denying passage into the country. They are having trouble processing all of the people attempting to come in and keeping everything organized. Macedonia simply does not have a place for all of the refugees trying to gain their access into the country. Coming with these migrants is also their problems, which brings me to my theme which is mobility. Macedonia does not want the problems of the war or problems of the people to overwhelm their country, and that being said, they are not allowing everyone to come in. These migrants are very poor as well, having little to no food or money with them. Where are the migrants going, or what will they do if they do not receive access to Macedonia? How will they obtain basic materials to meet their needs of survival?

This article describes the struggles of migrants as they try to cross Macedonia's border to escape conflicts such as war in Syria. Recently, thousands of the refugees and migrants have forced their way across the border and are closer to the safety which Europe can offer them, away from their war-ravaged homes. The migrants had faced challenges with police as many poured into Greece and tried to move further into Europe, spending, "...days in the open with little or no food or water after Macedonia on Thursday declared a state of emergency and sealed its borders to migrants..." (Reuters). The geographical theme of mobility is shown here because of the diffusion of the migrants from their homes, in areas such as Syria, Afghanistan, or Iraq, to Greece and other areas of Europe. With the rising issues and struggles of the migrants, questions arise. Why are the migrants receiving no help or care from other countries to remove them from the war zones they had escaped from. What will Macedonian police do in response to the continually rising amount of migrants coming through their protected borders?

The film industry is trying to bring the dangers of advancing terror groups into light. Groups like ISIS are spreading fear and influence across regions like the Middle East, but they are also spreading their influence to places all around the world. Social media outlets have made this spread of ideas possible and able to thrive. Globalization or the interconnection between all of us in this day and age has given us the ability to spread and receive ideas like these with ease. Anyway, important people that run the film industry may realize the importance of this danger and decide that they should spread it to get the audience to realize it as well. It's a case of hierarchical diffusion and I believe that their goal is eventually expansion diffusion. It's all about spreading ideas to where they're not necessarily regarded as widely. I know for a fact that the war on terror isn't as prevalent in our minds as it is in the people that are collateral damage from it. Filmmakers are trying to change that with themes that act like metaphors to the situations going on right now in war-torn areas. These producers and creators of films take advantage of the popularity of the medium to display their ideas and spread them. However, will these messages make their way through to the public? Will they see that the war on terror is sometimes as bad as the films' problems? Will the medium have any effect on the progress we make with ridding the world of these groups of terror?

You got it. The film industry has certainly been a vehicle for globalization. We tend to trust ideas from those we admire and respect or from mediums such as Youtube that are easily accessible. Invisible Children came out with a Youtube video a few years ago about the African war lord, Joseph Kony. https://youtu.be/Y4MnpzG5Sqc How might something similar be created about ISIS?

Yes, I remember this video. I had watched it when it had caught so much traction. I think a huge difference between Kony and ISIS is that I feel like not many people really knew about Kony while the news has basically insured that everybody knows about ISIS. When it's a new topic, people may be more interested in finding out more about it, like with Kony. But I feel like if a Youtube video like that was created for ISIS, it might not gain the same traction because it has been covered heavily for the past year. That's why I'm so intrigued with the hidden themes in movies because I feel that subtlety is the best way to bring forth new ideas without being overbearing.

This article is a great example of the theme mobility as it was found that seals came to the new world first, bringing tuberculosis with them and giving it to the humans that hunted them. Even though this is a great discovery, there is no one alive today with the same ancient strain, which means that they still don't know if it can be transmitted from human to human.

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

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