Weekly Homework Assignment 5

Focus Article

Washington Post

Royal daughters win equal right to ascend to British throne by Karla Adam

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/royal-daughters-win-equal-right-to-ascend-to-british-throne/2011/10/28/gIQAWeeSPM_story.html

Today, (Oct. 28^th) a new law has been passed among the 16 Commonwealth nations that younger male heirs will no longer rank higher in succession than their older sisters.  The male-first ruling has been in place for 300 years now, but the commonwealth sees this as a necessary change. The current heirs are in the same rank as they were before, so they are not affected by this newly placed law. This is relates to our current human geo course, because it shows how much culture can affect a society. The cultural norm for almost 300 years excluded females from the opportunity to become rulers in all commonwealth nations. If this law had been in place since the beginning, the world’s history could have been completely different. I’m intrigued to see how this law changes the government in places such as England, and how to public reacts to these changes.

Article Summaries

NBC Nightly News

Floodwater, fears swell in Bangkok by NBC News

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032619/ns/nightly_news/#45078947

The streets of Bangkok are completely flooded, with its main river reaching record highs. This is their worst flood in almost 50 years.  A third of the country is flooded and over 370 people have died, yet some people still refuse to leave their homes. 

PRI the World

Global Population to Reach Seven Billion by Rhitu Chatterjee

http://www.theworld.org/2011/10/global-population-seven-billion/

The world is expected to hit 7 billion people on October 31^st. This is just 12 years after hitting 6 billion in 1999. Some people say that this is a bad thing; higher population means higher consumption rate, and higher consumption rate means less natural resources on earth.  In the end, it really depends on how we handle our responsibility of caring for the earth and making innovations to sustain ourselves.

Reflection

Reflection

This culture unit has taught me that our cultural differences can unite or separate us, benefit or inhibit us, and create peace or cause conflict between us. Ultimately how culture affects us depends on how we react to people who think differently from us and if we can accept, or at least respect, foreign customs and traditions that seem may odd to us. 

Weekly Homework Assignment 4 (Pictures)

Five Pictures

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2011/09/too_much_of_a_basic_human_need.html#photo12

Boston – Big Picture

Villagers are forced out of their homes on Sept. 16 due to a flood. These monsoons have killed 270 people, destroyed more than 1,100,000 homes, and affected 5.5 million others. This image captures this disaster but showing how it uproots families from their homes. In this photo, these men are risking their lives to carry the little belongings they can to safety.

http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/occupylry/bp5.jpg

Boston – Big Picture

Hundreds of people gathered in Manhattan to protest the influence of corporate money in politics. The demonstrators have been living in a park near Wall Street to further emphasize their cause. Protesters gathered on the Brooklyn Bridge, blocking traffic, to spread their ideas. More than 700 people were arrested.

 http://msnbcmedia4.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Slideshows/_production/ss-afghanistan2011/ss-110823-afghanistan-10.ss_full.jpg

MSNBC

The photograph above shows a wounded Afghan police officer being carried to safety after a Taliban attack on British Council offices in Kabul. The assault killed eight people and was set on the 92^nd anniversary of Afghan’s liberation from Britain.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/animals-rescued-amid-thailand-flooding/2011/10/19/gIQAqh4WyL_gallery.html#photo=2

The Washington Post

Floods in Thailand have killed over 300 people and caused billions of dollars of damage since this July. This photo shows residents trying to save themselves, and their pets from the flood.

Focus Photo

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2011/05/24/world/africa/20110524_LIBYA-slide-FPIE/20110524_LIBYA-slide-FPIE-jumbo.jpg

New York Times

This photo shows a small group of rebels guarding Misurata's western front line in Libya. It depicts how disorganized these rebels are, and their how strong their drive is to protect their beliefs. In the distance you can see the debris on the road and along the tree lines. This photo caught my attention because of the contradictory elements in it. The men in this photo are dressed casually – without uniform – as if they could be anyone off of the street, and yet they hold heavy machinery in their hands. It amazed me that these men appear to have very little military experience but they have been put in charge of guarding a vital road in Libya. To me, this shows their dedication to their cause. This relates to our course in human geography because these people are fighting over cultural differences that include political, religious, and ethnic disagreements. 

Reflection

This week in our Human Geography course, we’ve learned about cultural geography and how it has major effects on our world. Cultural Geography can change an entire continent based on language, religion, heritage, and other cultural characteristics. These components can either divide or unite a region. Looking back on our history, most of the world as we know it has come to be through cultural geography and its effects on civilization. 

Weekly Homework Assignment 3

Choose a Study ModeScatterLearnFlashcards

Study these flash cards

Focus Article

New York Times

Gleaming City Rising From Ruins Can’t Hide Psychic Scars of a War by Seth Mydans

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/06/world/europe/new-grozny-cant-hide-wars-psychic-scars.html?ref=world

Although Chechnya has been shrouded in terrorism and warfare, their leader Mr. Kadyrov, has come up with a ‘solution’ to bring the region out of the dark. About 90% of the population suffers from serious physiological issues from years of repression, torture, and tyranny. Kadyrov’s idea to bring Chechnya out of their dark times was to build Grozny, a city that included a fairground and ice-skating rink and plans for a water park, a racetrack, a cultural center and a ski resort. I found this article very interesting because the strong contrast of a theme park-like city and a suffering people living in ruins are brought together in a very different mixture. Guards with assault rifles help protect the city of amusement rides and luxury. This relates to the course we are studying because it shows that a government can completely change the course of a civilization. Just like China took control and limited families to one child per household; Kadyrov is taking control by building a booming tourist city in the ruins of a tormented society. Chechnya is now independent, while getting support from Moscow at the same time. The death rates of Chechnya have also been lowered tremendously thanks to the addition of the new city.

Article Summaries 
Washington Post

China says U.S. policy, not its currency, to blame for economic woes by: Keith B. Richburg

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/china-says-us-policy-not-its-currency-to-blame-for-economic-woes/2011/10/06/gIQAFHPyPL_story.html

Many people in America see the Chinese as the source of our economic recession because their goods are sold at an extremely cheap price. The Chinese strongly disagree with this mentality. China is experiencing its own economic troubles, with inflation, bankruptcy, and foreclosure on a rampage.

New York Times

Europe Tries to Stave Off a Reckoning by Steven Erlanger

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/06/world/europe/europe-tries-to-stave-off-a-reckoning.html?_r=1&ref=world

Europe looks as if it is about to enter a large scale recession. Greece has a huge amount of debt, and with no means to pay it off, it will be forced to default on its loans. As a result, most of the developed countries of Europe will be economically affected as well. Many hope that they can go through a reckoning like America did, to help them change their economy to something more efficient.

Washington Post

Despite death of Awlaki, U.S.-Yemen relations strained by Sudarsan Raghavan and Karen DeYoung

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle-east/despite-death-of-awlaki-us-yemen-relations-strained/2011/10/05/gIQAevelOL_story.html

The death of Awlaki, one of the most influential al-Qaeda operatives in Yemen, has not relaxed the strained relationship between U.S. officials and Yemen citizens. The people of Yemen still want to fight terrorists, while the country is on the brink of war and economic devastation. United States officials however, are instructed not to aid the Yemen efforts. This causes tension in the relations between the two.

New York Times

Apple’s Visionary Redefined Digital Age by John Markoff

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/06/business/steve-jobs-of-apple-dies-at-56.html?scp=2&sq=steve%20jobs&st=cse

Steve Jobs died at age 56 after helping usher in the ear of personal computers and leading a cultural revolution in music, movies, and communications. He co-founded Apple, and founded Pixar. These two industries had a huge impact on electronics, multi-media, and today’s culture.

Reflection 
In the past two weeks, we have learned about population growth across the world, and throughout the earth's timeline. I've learned that the culture in each society affects the population of the world as a whole. Some cultures see having children as a necessity, others view it as something to do once they've settled down, and have progressed through their careers. Each culture is different in the way reproduction is seen in the community, but all strive for a well-balanced population.