5 Important Topics from first 1/2 of Chapter 14: Globalization and the Geography of Networks

Jack S.
5/8/16
AP Human Geography
Per. 6
Chapter 14: Globalization and the Geography of Networks



Important Topics:
-Personal Connectedness
-Networks
-Time-Space Compression
-Global cities
-Networks with a social focus

Thoughts and Ruminations on Chapter 13: The Humanized Environment

Jack S.

5/3/16

AP Human Geography 

Per.6

Chapter 13: The Humanized Environment 

Write Up:

 The documentary Home, by Yann Arthus-Bertrand, discusses the matter of human's effects on the  planet. The documentary starts by giving a history of the earth and how it came to be. With stunning aerial footage of many different parts of the earth the viewer can see lots of biodiversity within the first few minutes. While the footage is quite beautiful, the topics being discussed are not. Topics such as the crisis of habitat destruction, energy depletion, and climate disruption are all touched upon. A major  problem with habitat destruction is the risk of contributing to mass extinctions. Destroying animals natural homes can eventually lead to the destruction of the species which take a large toll on diversity on the planet. Energy depletion is also a large problem the world faces today. With a lack of  renewable resources we rely on things such as fossil fuels which only adds to environmental stress. This problem goes hand in hand with climate disruption because the use of nonrenewable usually leads to an increase in greenhouse gases causing the ozone layer of our atmosphere to continue to deplete.  Overall, Home is an eye opening documentary filled with mind blowing statistics that help paint the bigger picture. I would recommend this documentary to anyone wanting to learn a little bit more about our earth and what we humans are truly doing to it. 

Map: 

I chose to color a map of Asia because when it comes to the topic of the Humanized environment Asia is very closely associated with that. With countries like China and India which produce a significant amount of the world's pollution alone it causes Asias name to be brought up on the more negative side of the conversation when talking about the Humanized environment.

Thoughts and Ruminations on Chapter 12: Industry and Services

Jack S.

4/28/16

AP Human Geography 

Mr. Angus

Chapter 12: Industry and Services 

Article: Article Link

Sentence: The Colombian Coffee Company saw the sheer demand for authentic Colombian coffee but many of the brands were low quality and flawed so they started The CCC based out of Colombia creating new jobs and source their beans through local farms and pay above market price which helps grow the local economy and then The Colombian CoffeeCompany has seen their profits and demand for their coffee rise ever since they started.

Maps:

I decided to color a map of Africa for the major lack of very profitable and flourishing industries. Their 3 main industries include arts, film production, and music. While all of these industries are big in Africa the poor economy makes it hard for any industry to do well.

I decided to color a map of Russia because they rank as the  3rd largest oil producer in the world. The oil industry in Russia produces 11 million barrels per day trailing only the U.S. and Saudi Arabia. 

I decided to color a map of South America because of the agglomeration of industries that are housed there. These industries include a major transport equipment industry in Brazil, a large oil industry in Venezuela, and huge coffee industries in both Peru and Colombia. 

Thoughts and Ruminations on Chapter 11: Agriculture

Jack S.
4/18/16
Mr. Angus
AP Human Geography
Chapter 11: Development

Thoughts and Ruminations

Presentation Link: Presentation

Supersize Me Write-Up: 

     In the documentary Supersize Me, a man named Morgan Spurlock eats only McDonalds for 30 days 3 times per day. Spurlock does this as an experiment to see what eating nothing but McDonalds does to your body. Before he begins the experiment Spurlock meets with three doctors who all say he a very healthy 30 year old man. At first Spurlock is 6'2 and 185.5 pounds. After just five days Spurlock had  already put on 10 pounds and they following five days he put on another 5 pounds. It is important to note that Spurlock could only walk the amount of steps the average American walks per day which comes out to 5000 steps per day which is not a lot. Additionally, if the cashier at the McDonalds asked if he would like his meal "Supersized" he had to say yes. After putting on a significant amount of weight Spurlock went back to visit his three doctors. Each doctor is appalled by the amount of weight he had put on in the short amount of time. In addition to the weight gain there were also other underlying problems. Spurlock found that he would become very sad when he was not eating the fast food but the instant he began eating it again the sadness vanished. One doctor claimed that Spurlock became addicted to the McDonalds food. Another one of his doctors urged him to stop the experiment immediately due to the fact that he could be prone to a heart attack or liver failure if he continued to eat this way. In the end, Spurlock ends up gaining 24.5 pounds and developed some very harsh health issues to go along with that. The main point this documentary tries to make is that fast food chains get their customers to keep coming back by getting them hooked to their food like a drug so they continue to pay for it while it simultaneously destroys their bodies. 

Link: Sentence Link

Sentence: Go Green Agriculture wanted to help the industry in agriculture become more environmentally friendly but many farmers are set in their traditional ways and refuse to change so Go Green Agriculture built their own farms with their technology and environmentally sound farming techniques and now there are 9 Go Green Farms across the U.S. making a difference.

Map: I chose to color a map of Cuba because in 2006 the World Wildlife Fund identified Cuba as the only sustainably developed country in the world. This is because they had adopted the practice of agrocelogy.  This is a farming practice that reduces and eliminates the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Many believe that Cuba is now the future of modern day farming, but many are hesitant to adopt this farming practice due to the fact that it might negativly effect the amount of food we are able to produce at one time.
Article Info is from:  Article
"Is Cuba the Future of Farming? - The Boston Globe." BostonGlobe.com. Web. 18 Apr. 2016.

Model: Von Thünens model helps depict the different areas of farming that take place within a city. 

Thoughts and Ruminations on Chapter 10: Development

Jack S.

3/28/16

Mr. Angus

AP Huaman Geography

Chapter 10: Development

                                                          Thoughts and Ruminations

Presentation Link: Presentation

Write Up: Sean Costello, Jack Shams, Quin Ramos, and Lexie Schmelzer

Development Case Study Write Up

In our statistical data collection, we found that Bent county needs the most help with development. Our group decided to choose Bent County because it was the poorest county when measured by GDP which is $16,505. One of the indicators we chose was liver disease death rate per 100,000 people. High death rates from liver disease can indicate heavy use of drugs and alcohol as well as mediocre access to adequate health care. Bent County’s death rate is almost four times higher than Boulder County’s due to liver disease. It was also a factor in our decision that many other groups chose Costilla county, and we wanted to distinguish ourselves by choosing a different county. There are also people in our class who have been through Bent County and shared their experiences in the county which was also a deciding factor for us.

Due to the poorer nature of the county, it is likely that most of the citizens of Bent county work in the primary or secondary sectors. While there are clearly tertiary, quaternary, and quinary workers in Bent, there are likely less of them.

Looking at our data the two metrics with the best correlation to development level were liver disease and teen pregnancy rate. Constant across the poorer counties was a high liver disease rate and teen pregnancy rate. All of the counties we selected had a higher teen pregnancy rate than Boulder County. Boulder County was at 18 percent while Bent County was at 71 percent. Liver disease in Bent was 23.12 while liver disease was 6.64 percent in Boulder (per 100,000). With the exception of Yuma, all of the selected counties had a higher liver disease rate than Boulder county as well.

The liver disease can be explained by inadequate access to health care and, to a lesser extent, alcoholism. The increased teen pregnancy rate is most likely attributed to lack of sexual education and low amounts of family planning centers. All of these problems stem from the lack of development in Bent county.

In order to get the most out of volunteer work and improving the quality of life in Bent County, we focused on churches and hospitals. Specifically, Bent County Healthcare Center, Las Animas Dental Clinic, Seed and Supply Church, Friends Church, First Presbyterian Church, and Seventh Day Adventist Church. Our group decided to pick these churches and hospitals in these counties mostly because there are very few volunteer opportunities within these counties outside of their local churches and hospitals.

Map: This is a map of Norway, Sweden, and Finland. This map is relevant to our chapter because these countries are three of the most developed countries in the world. In each country almost if not all citizens are above the poverty line which allows their economies to flourish. These countries also have very high GNP's which paves the way for development and wealth. These countries are what all coitmries strive to be like. 

Sentence: Farm Africa wanted to help underdeveloped periphery countries in Africa begin developing and provide sustainable food sources but the people in those countries don't have the tools or man power to build and sustain farms by themselves so Farm Africa was created to pioneer techniques that boost harvests, reduce poverty, sustain natural resources and help end Africa's need for aid and then 30,000 people in Kenya benefited from a doubled crop harvest. 

Link to Farm Africa:Farm Africa

Model: 

Stage 1: This stage would be a country with a weak economy where the majority of their money goes         to the military and religion.

Stage 2: This stage includes wealthy people in the population investing in infrastructure allowing it to grow and get better. Transportaion and sewage systems are put in place. 

Stage 3: This stage has small but quick growth and traditional practices are still in tact.

Stage 4: This stage is when madden technology beings to take hold and workers become more specialized and advanced.

Stage 5: This stage includes the economy being set on mass consumption and there is heavy industrial out put.

Stage 6: This is the final stage where all products are recylced and reused and there is no more pollution or waste and things like solar energy utilized daily. 

     

Thoughts and Ruminations on Chapter 9: Urban Geography

Twitter: Chase and I designed and created this Twitter as a way to help more people find out about Rail to Trails.  We included a link to the Rails To Trails website and started a Rails To Trails hashtag. We also included articles about new trails that have recently been opened. Overall this Twitter allows virtually anyone to stumble upon it without knowing a thing about Rails To Trails and within minutes have a great understanding about what Rails To Trails is and their mission.

Link to Twitter account: https://twitter.com/RailsToTrailsCo

Sentence: Kiki Wallace wanted there to be an urban, environmentally friendly living space in Colorado but there was no such thing in Colorado in the early 1990's so she teamed up with firm Duany Plater Zyberk & Company then they designed and built Prospect New Town in Longmont Colorado which is considered around the US as one of the most urban and environmentally friendly neighborhoods in America.
http://www.prospectnewtown.com/


Map:

This is a map of the Roamn Empire at their peak. During this time period all of the countries in the Roman Empire became very urban due to the advanced technology, city planning, and the agglomeration of so many countries all intertwined.
http://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/research/research-projects/humanities/an-empire-of-2000-cities-urban-networks-and-economic-integration-in-the-roman-empire

Models:

Thoughts and Ruminations on Chapter 8: Political Geography

Sentence: Mexican immigrants wanted to enter the U.S. for new job opportunities and new begginings but people in the U.S. disliked the fact that immigrants where "taking their jobs" so the U.S. Government increased border patrol and security and then it became very hard to enter the U.S. from Mexico as an immigrant and it made it very hard for people who live near the boarder due to all of the traffic and extra security. 

Article: http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/12/30/u-s-border-apprehensions-of-mexicans-fall-to-historic-lows/

Map: This map shows the Mexican United States border which is constantly a problem for both countries. In recent years it has become very hard to enter and/or leave from one of the countries to another. 

Thoughts and Ruminations on Chapter 8: Political Geography and Gerrymandering Solved

Jack S.
AP Human Geography
2/3/16
Gerrymandering Solved
Chapter 8: Political Geography

Thoughts and Ruminations 

      In the article Gerrymandering Solved, by Christopher Ingraham, a software engineer named Brian Olsen solves the problem of gerrymandering in his spare time. He created a program that redraws district laws so they are, "optimally compact." By redrawing these lines not only are the districts more compact, but elections can no longer be rigged in the favor of one candidate which will increase their political ability. 

Thoughts and Ruminations on Chapter 8: Political Geography and Lines in the Sand

Jack S.
AP Human Geography
2/3/16
Lines in the Sand
Chapter 8: Political Geography

Thoughts and Ruminations 

       In Lines in the Sand, by Cullen Murphy, a map drawn by T.E. Lawrence is discussed. This map was discovered by Lawrence in 1918 and submitted to the British government who was drawing the new boundaries for the Middle East. Lawrence's map had boundaries that were beneficial to the areas underlying social and religious contours. However, his map was rejected and the British government drew their own boundaries and changing Middle Eastern countries territoriality from then on. 

     

 

Thoughts and Ruminations on Chapter 8: Political Geography and Crossing the Mexican-American Border, Every Day

Jack S.
AP Human Geography
2/3/16
Crossing the Mexican-American Border, Every Day
Chapter 8: Political Geography

Thoughts and Ruminations

          The article Crossing the Mexican-American Border, Every Day, by Alana Semuels, follows a college student named Valeria Padilla, who drives from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico to El Paso, Texas every day to attend her college classes. Semuels points out how hard it is to pass from Mexico into the United States and vice-versa. This is because a core country like the U.S. makes it very hard for people in semi-periphery countries like Mexico to enter the country. 

Thoughts and Ruminations on Chapter 8: Political Geography and Texas is About to Turn Blue

Jack S.
AP Human Geography
2/3/16
Texas is About to Turn Blue
Chapter 8: Political Geography

Thoughts and Ruminations

     Texas is About to Turn Blue, by Juan Wilder, is about the significance of Texas' Political Geography. Wilder writes about how Texas is slowly, "turning blue," which means it is becoming more Democratic rather than Republican, and how if Texas does become a Democratic state a Republican candidate may never win the election again. 

Research Book Post #4- The Future of Oil- Sanjay Patel- Pages 100-130

   In the beginning of this section, Patel writes about if one should worry about higher GHG emissions from oil sands. He goes on to show that GHG emissions have in fact doubled since the beginning of oil sand production. Later in this section Patel shows what strides are being made to reduce GHG emissions in our world today. Oil sand production uses lots of energy which is one of the reasons GHG emissions went up when oil sand production started, so with scientists developing more renewable forms of energy the production of oil sands will not raise GHG emissions as high. The tail end of this section is chapter 6 which talks about the threats oil production poses to biodiversity including the changing of the earths surface.

Research Book Post #3- The Future of Oil- Sanjay Patel- Pages 80-100

     This section of the book consists of chapter 3, 4, and 5. Chapter 3 and 4 are more back-round chapters on Canadian oil sands. Patel stresses that the base knowledge of this topic is critical to understanding the more complicated aspects of it. The second half of chapter 3 talks about the first commercial oil sand plant and the history behind how it came to be. Chapter 4 covers what oil sands are and where they are located. The end of chapter 4 also covered how oil sand are produced. Chapter 5 begins talking about the toll oil takes on the environment. This includes Green House Gas emissions (GHG) and climate change. Patel gives a good amount of information on climate change because it plays such a big role in this topic.

Research Book Post #2- The Future of Oil- Sanjay Patel- Pages 50-80

      In the first few pages of this section of the book, Patel explains what oil sands are and how they can help solve the oil problem in the world today. He explains the pros and cons of the "extra heavy" Venezuelan oil sands. One of the big upsides is that Venezuela has lots of oil sands, but the downside is that it takes extra refining which is why its called "extra heavy oil sand". Patel also talks about the Canadian oil sands and how that is a better solution because they have almost as much oil as Venezuela and it does not need as much refinement. Towards the end of this section of the book chapter 3 begins, Chapter 3 is, "The History of Canadian Oil Sands" which gives one a deeper look into who discovered them, early attempts to utilize the sands, and how they came to be so important. The primary info in the first few pages was about the first explores and pioneers to discover the Canadian Oil Sands.

Research Book Post #1- The Future of Oil- Sanjay Patel- Pages 20-50

      In the first 30 pages of my book, The Future of Oil, Sanjay Patel builds a good foundation of knowledge one should know about the oil crisis in order to understand what is happening in the events he touches on. Patel talks about how the price of oil has never been that high in the past so now that they are extremely high it has taken time for people to adjust their lifestyles to it. He shows the effects that rising oil prices have on everyday people and how big of an effect it can have on their lifestyles. Patel acknowledges that oil is not a reliable source of energy for the worlds future and there are some short term alternatives to this problem, but as of now we do not have any long term solutions for this problem. Patel says that the only true way that we can make the switch from oil to a different source is if we reduce the demand for oil. This means that our world needs to become much more environmentally friendly and people need to start realizing the effects their actions have on the earth.

Thoughts and Ruminations on Chapter 7: Religion and Who Owns Jerusalem, Israel Arab Conflict, Religious Conflict in the Middle East?

Jack Shams

AP Human Geography 

1/6/16

Who Owns Jerusalem 

Israel Arab Conflict 

Religious Conflict in the Middle East

Chapter 7: Religion 

                                                              Thoughts and Ruminations 

Essay Question: How do the terms religion, Judaism, and Islam used in the Chapter 7 relate to Who Owns Jerusalem, Israel Arab Conflict, Religious Conflict in the Middle East?

     Religion is debatably the most discussed topic in the world today. While religion has given many people hope, happiness, and direction in their lives it has also caused wars, death, and corruption. People become so affiliated and close with their religion that they believe it should be the only religion. This creates religious based conflicts. For example the conflict between Judaism and Islam. The Jewish and Muslim religions have lots of historical connections, their values are quite different. In the article Arab-Israeli Conflict in the Israel Science and Technology Directory, some of the differences between the two religions are shared. The article reads, “In contrast to Islam, the Jewish beliefs and traditions are associated specifically with the Jewish People. Judaism strongly opposes forced conversions of other nations…The use of Islamic religion to encourage suicide bombers with the promise of heavenly life with virgins, illustrates the great gap between Islam and Jewish beliefs. The Hebrew Bible prohibits killing in the Ten Commandments and completely rejects and deplores suicide.” Differences in values and beliefs such as these lead opposing religions to engage in conflict causing tragedies such as war. 

   The constant fight against Jews and Muslims can be attributed to many things, but the controversy over Jerusalem continues to be a large point of disagreement and argument. this is because before the war of Israeli Independence in 1948, the UN decided to divide the land that is now Israel and Palestine so that Jews and Arabs could both live there while technically still in two separate countries. With the division of the land the holy city of Jerusalem was located on the Arab side of the border. This land is so important to both religions because the city of Jerusalem lies there. Jerusalem is a holy place for both Jews and Muslims alike. According to the article Who Owns Jerusalem by Ehab Zahriyeh The Arabs of the Jerusalem-Bethlehem area controlled the majority of the land there and the people of Jews did not like that. Israel declared its independence from the Arabs of Palestine which was not taken well by the Arabs. This was followed by the Arabs going to war with the Israelis in 1948. During the war Israeli forces fought their way to Jerusalem and pushed out the Palestinian Muslims. This resulted in the Israelis taking control of Jerusalem along with 78% of the land. This has lead to the controversy of who truly and rightfully owns Jerusalem.   

     Jews and Muslims have never had a great relationship with one another as history shows. After the war of 1948 thousands of Jews were forced to leave Arab countries or face death. The same happened for to Muslims on Jewish countries. In the article Hotspots in the Middle East from the Center for Reduction of Religious-Based Conflict, the losses suffered by both sides are explained. The article reads, “After the 1948 War, more than 700,000 Jews in 8 Arab countries were forced flee for their lives, their property ransacked, and their schools, hospitals, synagogues and cemeteries expropriated or destroyed. On the other hand, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were either forced from their lands after the UN founding of the state of Israel, or tragically, have remained quarantined in squalid camps sustained by UN and Arab countries’ aid.” The constant feud between the Jews and Muslims have cost them both very much over time yet they continue to fight. This is due to the sheer power that religion holds over man. 

     The hostility between Jews and Muslims still very present to this day along with many other religious conflicts. Two of the biggest points of the conflict between the two religions are the difference in values and the controversy of who owns Jerusalem. Religious conflicts will always be happening as long as religion is still around as history has shown. 

Muslim women wanted there to be equality within the Muslim community but men contiuned to shut them down and reject their ideas so they created the Musawah Organization which then 

began raising awareness and ideas on how this problem needs to be dealt with. 

http://www.musawah.org/

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6J6k6k4pSY