"The United Countries of Baseball" - Blog Topic #11

This map immediately caught my eye as I was surfing the internet.  Since I play in college and inspired to be a professional baseball player as a child I love supporting my two favorite teams.  I had never imagined even trying to map where a majority of fans live for a certain team.  Maps always give you a new spatial perspective on a situation.  After studying the map I realized where some of the teams are located in the first place and that many states do not have teams  There are more teams in the East than the West by far.  This is probably due to the size of cities near the east coast.  Bigger cities means more fans, or in other words more money.  Since baseball teams do not exist in all states, it makes sense that neighboring states would accept the closest team geographically as their home team.  I am originally from Oklahoma (which has no professional baseball team) and have been a Texas Rangers fan from birth.  I moved to Colorado when I was young and also became a Rockies fan.  This map really opened my eyes to where baseball teams are located and where their fan base is.

$500 Billion and Counting - Blog Topic #10

When problems in Africa are talked about in the news, printed in magazines, or sprayed over the internet Americans are reminded that they should feel bad for people suffering and donate to help those in need.  Since 1960 foreign nations have donated over $500 billion dollars in aid to the suffering nations of Africa.  Although these intentions are good at heart, we may be actually causing other problems instead of helping fix the problems already present in Africa.  A majority of the money sent to Africa is swallowed up by corrupt leaders and governments and does not help the people actually suffering.  People have donated clothes and other items to families in need in Africa.  These goods rarely make it to the intended families and are instead sold in markets to make easy an easy profit.  All of the money and goods donated since the 1960s has caused Africa to become dependent on other nations.  We sought to help Africa get back on their feet, but have actually made them less likely to be self sufficient then when we started.
  To help build the Africa that can use its resource rich land to benefit all, we will have to help establish better trade, industry, and infrastructure.  We need to teach them to help themselves and to help rid the continent of corrupt leaders and governments.  Before anything productive can be done there needs to be a major shift in how countries are led.  Without a proper, responsible leader a country cannot move forward to come out of its recession.  Africa is a beautiful and resource rich land deserves a new face that does not include corruption and poverty.

Enough is Enough - Blog Topic #9

Recently countries in the Middle East and Northern Africa have encountered riots and demonstrations against leaders who have been in power for decades.  Countries like Egypt and Tunisia forced their repressive leaders out of power at the beginning of this year.  These actions, along with poverty, high unemployment, and high food prices, have inspired Algeria to do the same to their President Abdelaziz Bouteflika.  Riots began in January when food prices angered citizens.  The situation intensified when three people were killed while the riot occurred. 

In early February, 10,000 people marched towards the capitol to riot against the president.  A massive police force of 26,000 was put together to stop people from making to the center of the capitol for their march.  Around 1,500 citizens were able to make it passed the blockade and held signs and chanted, "Bouteflika out!".  A man named Sadi leads the Rally for Culture and Democracy or RCD and said, "We're going to continue to demonstrate and to defy the authorities until they fall,".  It is evident that countries are being inspired by others in their area to overthrow their repressive governments and leaders.  It will be interesting to see what happens in Algeria and in other countries in the Middle East and Northern Africa. 

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=12899848&page=1

Would You Just Look At That? - Blog Topic #8

As a student I have not been exposed to many variations of maps throughout my education.  I have become accustomed to viewing the world as a flat space, where Asia is thought to be thousands of miles away America and the poles of the earth are long stretches of land secluded from all other places.  As I explored Google Earth from a 3D view I began to see how distorted my image of the world is.  Oceans began to expand and the poles of the earth became centric instead of spread out.  The oceans intrigued me because I never realized how large they were until I poked around the globe.  It is incredible how many remote islands have been discovered with ancient artifacts on them, revealing that human life existed on them before colonists discovered them.

This particular view caught my eye and changed how I viewed the earth.  A normal map displays Antarctica as a stretch of frozen land taking up most of the bottom of the map, while the spherical view of the earth reveals its' true form.  Antarctica's shape resembles Australia in a way and stretches out at one point towards South America.  I never realized how close the southern tip of South America is to Antarctica.  Before when I thought of South America I never thought of it in relation to Antarctica and now I realize that they may have been connected at some point.  I have a completely different perspective of the world after viewing it through Google Earth.

Drugs = Bad - Blog Topic #7

Opium has taken over the lives of many Afghans including the old and young.  Since many farms have transitioned from traditional crops to poppy fields, many Afghans have become addicted to the narcotic.  Families are starving because no eatable crops are being grown and the families spend their money on more opium. Some families know that the addiction is hurting their families and hope their children do not follow in their footsteps.  Even though some Afghans know they are doing wrong, the Taliban still has its hold on the citizens.

Afghanistan is the largest opium producer in the world and provides heroin to many parts of the world.  Afghanistan, being one of the least developed countries on earth, has turned to opium to generate money instead of traditional crops.  In the last ten years there has been a substantial rise in poppy cultivation instead of traditional crops causing many people in Afghanistan to go hungry.  Afghanistan primarily sells and trades their narcotics to Europe, Russia, and the United States.  Not long ago Russia claimed that the U.S. was in control of the opium fields in Afghanistan and blamed us for the narcotics in their country.  Opium addiction in Russia is the cause of the deaths of 30,000 people each year.  By 2009 there were two and half million heroin addicts in Russia.

The income produced from opium and heroin trade goes to the Taliban, which supports terrorist attacks on the West.  Many efforts are being put forth to destroy poppy fields causing a lot of tension between police and Taliban members.  Many Afghans have lost their lives trying to destroy poppy fields as a small war wages over these fields.  Until these fields are destroyed the Taliban will continue using profits to commit terrorist acts and families will be torn apart from drug addiction.

ACCESS DENIED: Blog Topic #6

Everyone has heard of the Great Wall of China, but many people are unaware of a technological wall that bars Chinese from viewing information on the internet, in cell phone texts, or even in videos.  The Great Firewall of China is a country wide filter on the internet that is monitored 24/7 by more than 30,000 Chinese workers.  The wall was put in place to keep information from the public that might jeopardize the governments power.  A list of 987 words have been banned from being used in blogs, texts, or instant messengers in China.  Topics such as the Tienanmen Square massacre, Taiwan independence, or even freedom are blocked from the general public on the internet. 

Websites are constantly being monitored by workers to make sure that the none of the listed words are used on the internet.  Even companies from other countries have to limit themselves to these restrictions if they wish to get their technology into China.  Companies like Google, Yahoo!, MSN, and Skype have had to comply to China's rules to even get their websites approved to be used.  Many believe that China's Great Firewall is a tool used to try and keep the general public from turning against the government. 

Article summarized:

http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/jan2006/tc20060112_434051.htm

I decided to update my blog with a little news.  Google has decided to move its headquarters to Hong Kong from Beijing where it is not required by law to censor material on the internet. Google is trying to make a stance of freedom of speech.

Did you see that??? Blog Post #5

Televisions in use

Television sets have been around just over 100 years and have made an incredible contribution to how people receive entertainment, news, and connections to other places and cultures in the world.  The map above shows that most of the worlds countries have television sets with China and the United States as the countries with the most televisions per person.  Globalization of technology has made it possible for countries all over the world to use the television.  This has also caused the globalization of entertainment and news.  Now that most of the world has obtained the technology to have television with cable news can be shared almost simultaneously around the world.  There are definite gaps in the world where news will most likely not reach the entire public's ears, but most of the northern hemisphere dominates the television scene.  This is due to the fact that more MDC's occupy the northern hemisphere.  China has jumped to the top of the list recently because of its ever growing population and the urbanization occurring throughout the country.  Some countries, mostly in the southern hemisphere, are still working towards becoming more technologically advanced.  As the world becomes even more globalized the southern hemisphere's countries should become larger on this map.

"Let's play, Who Wants to be a Millionaire!!!"- Blog Topic #4

In the movie "Slumdog Millionaire" the main character Jamal was asked a question about a Hindu god that is widely known throughout India.  In this blog I will explore Hinduism as a religion and the Hindu god Rama to better understand the context of the question.  Predating recorded history (according to the religion), Hinduism is the world's oldest religion.  Hinduism is the largest religion in India today with over 800 million followers, about 80.5% of the total population.  Hinduism is a polytheistic religion that includes hundreds of gods and demons.  Hindus also believe that the universe undergoes endless cycles of creation, preservation and dissolution, or reincarnation in other words.  To Hindus all life is sacred and that no religion teaches the only way to salvation above all others.  Karma is a belief of Hindus that guide their lives towards doing good.  Karma to Hindus is what controls all consequences good and bad in a persons life and controls what kind of reincarnation they undertake after death.  Hindus believe that the soul reincarnates, evolving through many births until all karmas have been resolved, and moksha, or liberation from the cycle of rebirth, is attained. Not a single person will be deprived of this privilege.  

 

The Hindu god Lord Rama occupies a very considerable place in the religious life of India.  He is the epitome of righteousness and is believed to be the reincarnation of Vishnu (the supreme god in Hinduism).  Lord Rama is the hero of the religious epic called Ramayana, which was written sometime between the fifth and first century B.C. The story goes that Rama was asked by Saint Vishwamitra to destroy a demon named Tarka and her two sons.  Rama completed this task and was sent before King Janak.  The king said that whoever could bend King Shiva's bow (bow and arrow) would have the hand of his daughter Sita.  Rama was able to bend the bow and take Sita for his own.  This is why Rama is always depicted holding a bow.

Many temples in India are home to Rama which always portray him as having two arms like that of a human and holding his bow.  This aspect makes him widely popular because people inspire to be like Rama.  To Hindus the expression of Rama means that peace and prosperity reign.  

Beauty is Pain: Blog Topic 3

In the United States we are accustomed to seeing women use make-up, injections, and plastic surgery to enhance their physical appearance.  Women in countries all throughout the world share the desire to show their beauty and belong to certain class in their culture. Thailand women in the Pa Dang tribe have developed a unique way to show their beauty through wearing brass rings around their necks to "lengthen them".  In the Pa Dang tribe it is custom for women to wear these "brass shackles" around their neck and limbs to show their commitment to being a true women in their culture.  The pain is beyond worth it to these women to be beautiful and accepted in the Pa Dang culture.  I chose this video because it shows how Thailand women care about how they look just as much as women in the United States.  Even though they have the desire to look beautiful it is interesting to see how the culture in Thailand has influenced how they try to improve their looks.  It is incredible to see how influential your elders can be when it comes to tradition.  These women are expected to put themselves through incredible pain just to maintain tradition.  The tribal culture is a huge part of the geographical diversity in southeast Asia.

"AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE!!!" Blog Topic #2

 The celebration of Australia Day in Australia is comparable to the Fourth of July in America.  On January 26 Australia celebrates its independence as a country.  In the article "Move on from Australia Day debate: Wyatt" by Josh Jerga the debate over whether Australia day should be celebrated is discussed.  Older aborigines in Australia are having a hard time celebrating a national holiday that reminds them of only of losing their freedom.  Jerga quotes 1984 Australian of the Year Lowitja O'Donoghue when he says that Australia Day is considered "Invasion Day" to many aborigines.  According to our text the First Fleet arrived in 1788 which began British Colonization in Australia.  Although many aborigines view Australia Day as a sort of slap in the face, younger aborigines have started to accept Australia Day as an opportunity to celebrate being Australian.  In our text it explains that even though Australia enjoys limited self-rule a majority of voters decided to retain their ties to the Crown in Britain.  All in all Australia Day is becoming more a holiday that an entire nation can enjoy together instead of a day that divides a nation.
 (Page numbers: 640, 653)

http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/move-on-from-australia-day-debate-wyatt-20110126-1a57v.html

Australia is a country of immigration today and much of this population consists of southern Asian ethnicity. In an article called, "Happily swamped by dinki-di Asian Australians" written by David Penberthy the topic of Asian immigration in Australia is the primary focus.  Penberthy's article starts with suggesting what a typical Australian home would look like after an Asian immigrant bought it from a resident.  He creates a vivid image of the immigrant changing the home to look like an Islamic household.  The carpet being covered in prayer rugs and the house being stripped of meat are just two examples. Penberthy expresses these ideas from the viewpoint of an Australian politician (Pauline Hanson) who, early in her career, made it clear that she did not like the idea of Asian immigrants.

  The article goes on to say that she changed her mind later on, but it just shows what an Australian might have thought about immigrants in the past.  In an interview Hanson showed statistics of how many immigrants are from Asia.  She said that between 1984 and 1995 almost 40 percent of immigrants were from Asia.  This is also stated in our textbook where it says, "In the early twenty-first century, almost 40 percent of settlers arriving in the country were from Asia."  Later in the same interview Hanson stated, "They have their own culture and religion, form ghettos and do not assimilate."  Similarly in our textbook it says that even though English is the national language, more than 2.5 million Australians speak another language.  Also in our text it says that some of the fastest growing religions in Australia include Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism.  Penberthy goes on to say that Australians need to have a self check on their old prejudices and put them aside.  He says they must get used to the fact that the immigrants will keep coming and are here to stay.   The article concludes by sharing that it is encouraging to see that even originally racist politicians are starting to accept the new immigrants into Australia. 
(Page numbers: 646)

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/opinion/happily-swamped-by-dinki-di-asian-australians/story-e6freall-1225860459329

What does Globalization mean to you?: Blog Topic #1

When I think of Globalization I think of industries trying to spread their businesses all over the world.  I am reminded that this is only possible through breakthroughs in science, which have given us better means of travel and communication.  This picture best represents what Globalization means to me because it shows how influential instant communication is in spreading business world wide.