Tuesday, March 29, 2016

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. 
     



Sunday, February 21, 2016

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:



























Wednesday, February 3, 2016

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. 



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.