APHumanGeography

Which menu item wo uld you like to eat the most?

Why are some human actions not sustainable?

Check out these GDP #s. Which countries surprise you with their rank?

North Korea and South Korea are talking. After an exchange of gunfire between the two countries they are finally meeting in Tokyo after more than a year to discuss with each other as well as to try and end the military standoff which has brought fear and death so that it won't lead into a full scale military dispute between the two countries. You can view this as the theme of globalization because of South Korea's propaganda broadcast into one of the most isolated countries in the world. Which if not stopped could have brought more war into both countries.

This interesting article relates to foreign events in the Middle East, mainly in the city of Palmyra and the Islamic State. It details the destruction of a religious monument, and as geographers, we can infer that the event was malicious since the site (and others like it) are cherished places of worship. Through the study of cultures, we can determine the motives of people such as those affiliated with the Islamic State.

This article describes how humans are ultimately the world's top predator. Through research and studies it is easy to see that we are much more dominant over many of the top animal predators such as lions, tigers and bears. The theme of nature culture is shown through this incident as us humans are killing off some of the worlds top predators. Because of this, ecosystems are not in balance anymore as their top predators are being taken away. This can therefore change the evolution of these animals as they reproduce. In the future, we could have a shorter supply of these specific animals, especially the ones we depend on as a supply of food. The author poses a solution to this problem in the article as well. Human hunters should focus on hunting the young and preserve the adults, as they are capable of having offspring. Will human hunters stop the overhunting of these predators? Or will they continue to destroy the ecosystems?

As shown in this article, three men from the United States of America were on a long vacation traveling throughout Europe. They were on a train to Paris when something unforgettable happened. One of the men heard gun shots. Instead of sitting around scared, the three men plus two others from Europe showed large amounts of courageousness and attacked the gunman. This is an example of globalization because the three men from the U.S were connections to the people on the train. If the men weren't there to help, many people could have died or have been severely injured. These men saved the lives of not only the people on the train but the people in the surrounding region. If the gunman had gotten away, how many more lives would he have taken? These men were not only travelers, they are heroes.

This article is connected to the recent deal made between The UN agency and Iran. The deal essentially removed any sanctions on Iran, and allowed them to grow in the global market again. That agreement in itself shows a relationship between The UN and Iran, since they did strike a deal. However, as this article outlines, it also brings the relations between the UN and Israel into play. Since Iran, a country that has mentioned on several occasions that they wish to wipe Israel of the map, will soon have a much larger economy, and with that much more money, it is rightfully suspected that they may use that money to help to carry out there plan. This enrages Israel not only because the UN made a deal with a country that wishes to destroy them, but also because that deal may very well help them to accomplish that goal. That is why Israel is demanding to know every last detail of the situation, which is what this article covers. With all of the relationships and connections brought up by this topic, it is clearly related to the geographic theme of globalization. In the end however, the question brought up by this really is, will Iran actually destroy Israel, and if so how much credit should go to this deal?

This article talks about the environmental crisis on the west coast. Several states in the west are being plagued with forest fires. Over 15,000 square miles have been burned. Hundreds of people have been evacuated. Thousands of brave firefighters are working to control the fires and have now been joined in some places by the national guard. This phenomenon relates to the theme of nature culture as it gives strong examples of human and natural interaction through attempts to keep people safe and contain the fires.

In Poland a train was discovered that had gone missing in 1945 at the end of World War II. The people who found the train will not reveal its location until they are promised 10% of the value of what's inside the train. Some believe there is Nazi treasure well over one million dollars hidden within the train. The train was a military train, so there could also potentially be weapons such as nuclear bombs in it. This is an example of the geographical theme of globalization because it describes the technological advancements that the Nazis has during World War II. Will the people who discovered the train reveal its location? Are there weapons, treasure, or something else inside the train?

This article describes the chemical explosions that happened in a warehouse located in Tianjin China on August 12. The warehouse contained more than 700 tons of highly toxic substances and as a result many people died and many buildings were destroyed. As said in the article, the concentration of deadly chemicals was and still is extremely high in certain locations, and needs lots of cleanup work. It relates to the theme of Nature Culture because of the effects that the blasts have had around the area. There is a designated warning zone where cyanide pollution is severe and polluted water is contained. Even though the pollution has been mostly contained it still has impacted the environment in ways that make it dangerous for human contact. As an example, water tests in the area were done and showed high levels of sodium cyanide, which has the ability to kill humans. The explosion caused by a human built warehouse created problems with the air and water, thus impacting the environment in negative ways; making it unsanitary and clearly not safe. Is the pollution spreading? Are there more precautions companies can take to avoid another situation like this? These are a few of the questions that concern this topic.

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

Did your relatives migrate to the US through Ellis Island? If so, check this resource out. Looking forward to our People and Migration Unit in a few weeks.

This article talks about an event currently taking place in China regarding its devaluation of currency. Specifically, this article describes the devaluation of China's currency caused by China's government and its ultimate effects on investors in the stock market. This event represents the theme of globalization, particularly, economic globalization. It is readily apparent that the devaluation of China's currency not only affected stock markets across the globe, but also seemed to affect other countries' currency as well, such as Taiwan. This can be inferred from this particular quote from the article, "Penso Advisors, a hedge fund adviser that manages money for investors like pension funds, scoped out currencies that were affected by the renminbi devaluation in an attempt to profit from the shock waves. The firm bet on the Taiwan dollar, which dropped more than the renminibi, said Ari Bergmann, founder of Penso Advisors." (Stevenson) In sum, this article demonstrates that both stock markets and various countries' currency-particularly currencies in a country with a strong economy like China-are mediums that are increasingly linking the world. The economic globalization represented by these latest events in China is best proven by the following statement: "Investors ultimately know that they cannot ignore China, given its size and influence." (Stevenson).

Worldwide food shortages are expected to become more common because of global warming. Global warming is a way that humans have modified the planet. Part of the theme of nature culture is looking at how humans modify the Earth. Shortages can also be caused by the globalization of food production. Not all countries have developed systems for food production. Countries, like those in the Middle East, that rely on other countries to import food are the ones that are expected to be impacted the most.

Great post! Does anyone think that the movement to use genetically modified seeds will be a way to adapt to global warming?

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?

The given article informs readers of the growth of the amount of Chinese secret agents in the United States and the reasons for why they are there. The United States government does not know of said spies' whereabouts. "The agents are from the Ministry of Public Security, China's security service. U.S. officials charged Wednesday that the increase suggests China lacks concern for U.S. laws." (Scuitto, Scott). This is a repeating issue, as United States representatives "warned China to stop using covert law enforcement agents on U.S. soil." (Scuitto, Scott). China states that it is not breaching any legal contracts, it is only fighting corruption in a program called Fox Hunt 2015. This shows the theme of globalization, as Chinese spies are within the United States' boundaries. The information they retrieve (as gathering is in the nature of being a spy) will affect China somehow. That action crossing continents is a link between those continents, and links the world together in this way.

This article discusses an interesting recent discovery of the possibility of water on one of Jupiter's moons, named Europa. The discovery was made in 2012 when the Hubble Space Telescope spotted water vapor in the air above southern parts of Europa, and now several space agencies, including NASA have taken an interest in exploring it even further. This summer, work on building the spacecraft that is to be sent to explore Europa, began. In addition to exploring Europa, this spacecraft will also be exploring two of Jupiter's other moons, Ganymede and Callisto. Although covered in ice, all three of these moons have the potential to be harboring oceans underneath, and possibly some bacteria necessary to begin the growth of life on another rocky object in our solar system. The relationship between the moons in the Jovian system and humans on earth looking to explore these objects is an example of nature-culture on a very broad scale. Instead of just one small region of people interacting with the environment around them, this project deals with humans on earth as the people who are trying to change the environment (in this case other moons in the solar system) around them. One could also tie the theme of globalization to this article because various countries from around the world are bringing their knowledge and money together to try to achieve this mission of exploring Jupiter's moons.