Asian Football Confederation (full size image is better!)
The map above is how FIFA, the governing body of soccer, divides up the “Asian” region of the world. I have had many arguments with my soccer buddies about how to divide up the world, but this region always draws the most criticism from all sides. Personally, I think that FIFA should divide up the region into the Asian and Middle East regions with the dividing line being Pakistan and India (for political reasons). I think that there are way too many nations for the region to only get 4.5 qualification spots. I know the book, and most of the rest of the world, divide up the world into the regions we studied throughout the semester, but my mental maps are based on how FIFA divides up the world. As of now I have a discrepancy with FIFA’s “Asia”, but I guess I will have to complain, moan, and cry to FIFA until they take charge and change it themselves. That is how it works right?
Side note: There is an Oceania region, but somehow Australia got itself grouped with Asia instead...I still have no idea how that played itself out.
Do I really want to get into this? For the sake of the field of geography I will suck it up and brave sharing my opinion for the harsh words of the critic. I think the problem we have with Africa is the same problem we have back home in America. We give people everything they want without that person ever having to work for that item. I think we are doing the same thing with the African nations we give aid to. We feel so bad for them that we give them everything without thinking about the repercussions for our actions. I think we should still provide aid and relief for those who have proven that they will use it without becoming dependent on it.
I think we should help build up the African countries like what the British did when the United States was in its own infancy. I think all of the more developed countries around the world should adopt a less developed country and raise it as its own. I know there are obvious drawbacks with this system, but at the very least the less developed countries (especially the African countries) will improve in most aspects of life. Yes, certain countries can exploit the system, but there can be a system in place implemented by the U.N. to monitor the productivity of the mother country and the progress of the infant country. In the end as a collective world we can help spread the wealth a bit from person to person from country to country.
I do not think it would be fair to say that the people of Yemen disagree with the current presidency. I think one would be correct in saying that the people of Yemen despise their governmental system and the choices made by those in power. The people of Yemen have been protesting against President Ali Abdullah Saleh, railing against poor economy, widespread corruption and rampant unemployment. To sum the situation up would be to say that money is an issue and the president aint doing his job too well.
The map I found takes an interesting look at what is going on with the protests. Most of the major protests are taking in the capitol of Sana’a. Two points of contention being discussed is the separation of the eastern half of the country and the obvious stronghold the Al-Qaeda have in the central part of the country. Some people claim that there are civil war-like activities (as pointed out by the orange) happening to the north-western part of Yemen. Although there are not many reports that back up this claim.
Overall, Yemen looks like it is headed for revolution. The economy is piss poor and the leadership is just as bad. I would like to see some more media attention attached to Yemen, but since they do not supply us oil no one really cares that much about it.
I have always looked at maps and seen the Arctic Ocean as a gigantic space in between Canada and Russia. Whenever we see maps that are flat the Arctic Ocean is cut off and we are led to believe that there is this great expanse above Canada and Russia that parts the two countries. In this image one can clearly see how close the northernmost tip of Greenland is to the coastline of Norway. Viewing the Arctic Ocean from this perspective blows my mind because that makes me wonder how skewed my mental map of the world is. Taking a look at an area of the world like the Arctic Ocean makes me wonder if teachers should use flat maps a lot less and rounded globe-like maps a lot more.
I found very quickly that the ongoing war in Afghanistan is being compared to the likes of the Vietnam War many years ago. Comparing wars throughout history is not an odd practice in any way, shape, or form for humans to do, but what I found particularly interesting was people trying to find connections between the two longest wars in American history.
Yes, I do concede that the two wars have their similarities, but for the most part those connections are few and not of high enough merit for a college educated lad. The article by Tim Lister points out the facts and statistics associated with both wars and arguments relating to comparing the two wars. Throughout the article one learns the difference between the idealistic warfare during the Vietnam War and the Sharia determined warfare employed by the Taliban. I find it interesting that people try to compare such different wars because, let’s face it, Vietnam and Afghanistan are completely opposite like both sides of a coin.
The video attached above is of a Q & A session with the film makers as they field a question concerning the relationship between the Vietnam War and the Afghanistan War. In the video the two men talking make clear that the two wars are different and should not be treated as equals. I find the video clip particularly interesting because we can see this comparison from an actual soldiers view point instead of a member of the media or a philosophical historian. I think it is refreshing to see at least one person come out and express personal emotional feelings toward the subject instead of the objective rabble I had to sift through online. What we learn from this Q & A clip is knowledge concerning opinions and application of the knowledge (most people probably gained from Wikipedia) about both wars.
In the end Tim Lister presents a good objective argument as to why the Vietnam and Afghanistan wars are similar and dissimilar. The Q & A video clip provides people with a resource as to actual human reactions to the subject. Both have their merits, but in the end what matters is that there is a blurred line between the similarities and differences in every war.
Just for fun I will leave all my one audience member with this cartoon...enjoy!
Austin Ramzy paints a picture of what the Chinese citizens are going through in their internet escapades. The “big brother” style government is cracking down on anything that could potentially, maybe, or just might make them look bad. A tactic such as this would make sense except for the fact that humans are wired to go against anything or anybody who limits their freedoms in any way. Mr. Ramzy brought up Han Han and Jason Ng to solidify this very point. Both men are similar in their views about the censorship, but, like most Chinese people, both men take one of two sides on the issue. Han Han pokes fun at and comments about the issue hoping it will go away (most Chinese are probably here as well) while Jason Ng is actively trying to get around and suppress the authoritarian system. Eventually the Great Firewall of China will be torn down by its people. I can only hope that when the Great Firewall of China comes down that will be a lynch pin signifying the start of a more superior revolt against the communist regime and its hazardous effect on the people of China.
Oh, glorious cell phones. Could we have ever extended global outreach to so many without the help of such complex technology? As of 1990 cell phones were only a big deal in a few areas like the U.S., Japan, and Europe (as seen in the map above). However, in the next twelve years cell phone sales would shoot through the roof because of the ever growing cell phone industries in China, Southeast Asia, South America, and India (as seen in the image below). Now one might ask what this has to do with globalization, and quite simply put the cell phone expansion has almost everything to do with the rapid growth of globalization in the past twelve years.
Globalization, as defined by overlord Helmer, is the increased interconnectedness between people especially when it comes to the three “C”’s capital, communication, and culture. Before capital and culture can be melded and integrated there has to be a line of communication open for both parties. In decades before the letter and the corded telephone was the preferred method of communication between two people separated by vast amounts of land or sea. Now, with the booming of the cell phone industry in LDC’s companies and normal folk alike can communicate instantly with friends, business associates, and loved ones in an instant. This leads to an increase in trade of both products and cultural trends by those involved in the cell phone pandemic. Which prompts me to say: thank God for cell phones!
