Get Started for FREE
Sign up with Facebook Sign up with X
I don't have a Facebook or a X account
 Your new post is loading...
Your new post is loading...
Scoop.it!
"Chapulines [grasshoppers] have become a snack favorite among baseball fans in Seattle. Follow their path from Oaxaca, Mexico, to Safeco Field. To many, the insect might be a novelty - a quirky highlight for an Instagram story from a day at the ballpark. To those in Mexico consuming them for centuries, they are a building block of nutrition." Via Nancy Watson 
No comment yet.
Sign up to comment
Scoop.it!
"A host of environmental factors are threatening to push a crowded capital toward a breaking point."
Danielle Yen's curator insight,
March 3, 2017 8:45 AM
Urban ecology, environmental justice, gendered inequities, primate city politics, the struggle of growing megacities…it’s all here in this fantastic piece of investigative reporting. The article highlights the ecological problems that Mexico City faces (high-altitude exacerbates air pollution, interior drainage worsens water pollution, limited aquifers that are overworked lead to subsidence, importing water outside of the basin requires enormous amounts of energy, etc.). just because the article doesn't use the word 'geography' doesn't mean that it isn't incredibly geographic. All of these problems are at the heart of human-environmental nexus of 21st century urbanization.
Tags: urban, megacities, water, environment, Mexico. 
Zavier Lineberger's curator insight,
February 8, 2018 1:04 PM
(Mexico/Central America) Mexico city seems to be built in the worst way possible. The original Aztec architects could not imagine the locational problems the city faces today. Originally built on an island, Spanish conquerors drained the lakes and created an inland, mountainous position that causes the city to sink inches every year. Ironically, the city is now forced to use underground water sources or expensively import drinking water and poor locals can rarely count on tap water. The uneven clay and volcanic soil foundation and climate change further drives subsidence of this unplanned metropolis. Climate change will also create a series of floods and droughts and the inefficient sewage and water system will lead to devastation.
Scoop.it!
At its fullest extent the Pan-American Highway is a network of roads stretching from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, to Ushuaia, Argentina, a distance of around 30,000 kilometres (19,000 miles). Via malbert, Mike Busarello's Digital Storybooks
James Piccolino's curator insight,
February 8, 2018 6:57 AM
Wow,yet another feature in our country that I never knew about, I'm finding the increasing amount of things I never even heard of right in our own backyard troubling (although if it lies on the education system or just my own flat out ignorance I have not decided yet). It is interesting that so many people turn to these things as challenges to beat and overcome where most would most likely view it as just another long road for transportation.
tyrone perry's curator insight,
March 22, 2018 1:21 PM
I couldn’t imagine the sites that you would see traveling the road between two different continents in over 14 countries. 30,000 miles, official and unofficial road with a stretch of road that is uninhabited and another stretch that has no real roads. I for one would love the beautiful sites that you would see but I would hate the actual traveling, driving that many miles would drive me crazy. one thing that I wonder is if you would actually be able to do it without any problems within each country. The article also does not say How people made it across the Darian gap. The top of one continent to the bottom of another is just amazing.
Kelvis Hernandez's curator insight,
September 29, 2018 9:00 PM
This sounds like it would be the best idea for a road trip. The question is whether you are making the trip because you can say you did or to see as much as possible. I prefer the latter so given the number of breaks needed in between to be able to get up, stretch, and see some interesting sites on the road, I would need to take a lot of time off, but it would definitely be worth it. All the different cultures and people you would meet as you pass over the border of fourteen different countries. Goes to show that we are more connected than we believe, literally.
Scoop.it!
This animation is made from a time series of maps reconstructing the movements of continental crust or blocks, as South America pulled away from North America, starting 170 million years ago. Note that South America is still clinging to Africa at the beginning of the series. Via CT Blake
Katie Kershaw's curator insight,
February 8, 2018 3:24 PM
The animation in this video depicts how Central America and the Caribbean’s landforms came to be. What is interesting is that about 170 million years ago, Africa and South America were part of the same land mass and today Africa is pretty far away from South America. This means that there are probably similar geographic features on the two continents, like rocks or soil, despite the distance between them now. That may contribute to people being able to grow similar crops in the two areas that are oftentimes seen as so different. The western part of South America, specifically Central America seems to have been pulled apart from North America. This means that these two continents may share geographic features as well. Although regions may seem like they are separated by great lengths and should be dissimilar from each other, that is not the case- as the tectonic plates are constantly shifting the way the earth’s surface looks. It’s hard to think that the earth was ever different than it is today and how such large land masses could possibly move so far. This animation does a good job of exemplifying the great effect that tectonic plates actually have.
Nicole Canova's curator insight,
February 9, 2018 5:36 PM
It's interesting to see how the earth's surface has changed over time. It's also strange to see that at one point the Americas were so compact, and that Africa was attached to both North and South America. Although these tectonic shifts take place over the course of millions of years, this video makes me wonder what the globe will look like in another million years, or another 100 million years. I'm sure the continents will be in a new configuration as unrecognizable as they were 170 million years ago.
Corey Rogers's curator insight,
December 14, 2018 11:24 PM
It is fascinating to see how South and Central America has formed into what we know today. A nice view of what was once attached to Africa is now a distant past and can still see some similarities. It's nice to see how our world today was formed million of years ago.
Scoop.it!
Some four decades after welcoming foreign assembly plants and factories, known as maquiladoras, Mexico has seen only a trickle of its industrial and factory workers join the ranks of those who even slightly resemble a middle class.
Despite making such consumer goods like BlackBerry smartphones, plasma TVs, appliances and cars that most people in the US, for instance, consider necessities, Mexican workers in these factories seldom get to enjoy these items because, as this article argues, the labor system keeps them in poverty. Foreign investment in these businesses keep unions out and attracts workers from poorer areas, allowing low-cost labor to prevail. Less than $8 a day is the going wage - great for the bottom line and consumer prices but very bleak for those who toil in this system. Via Dean Haakenson
Jessica Rieman's curator insight,
February 4, 2014 12:47 PM
The labor system keeps workers in Poverty. This is the argument that is transitioned by stating the fact that many factory workers are and will always remian in poverty if they have no oppurtunity to move up in the food chain and become educated in order to get themselves out of poverty. They need different skills in order to aquire a better job to create a better life. 
Edgar Manasseh Jr.'s curator insight,
February 11, 2015 11:33 PM
Its a very sad situation reading this. Seeing people go through all this to just survive. Kids don't even get any education and follow their parents footsteps to work at a plant just to be able to pay for bills. 8 dollars a day, and you wonder why they try to run to united states. Its very unfortunate that a lot of people go through this and i hope it changes soon, because to see that this is going on makes me thankful for what i have around me. Foreign investors are not great as they set out to be take advantage of the poor and get rich out of it, i think its pretty ridiculous. 
Matt Danielson's curator insight,
September 24, 2018 1:31 PM
This is a sad story of struggling in Mexican factories. These factories are a double sided blade. The plus is that these factories bring in jobs and relative safety to the communities( more jobs=less crime, also id imagine factories garner more protection provided by the state via police). The downside is the stagnant low wages and terrible living conditions. Though wages are better than they previously were they are not rising near the rate of other countries going through similar economic change. This reminds me of what the industrial revolution was like in the United States.
Scoop.it!
"Mass killings have become increasingly common across Mexico due to the country's ongoing war on drugs. Cartels and gangs, often working with help from local police, are murdering innocent victims by the dozens and leaving them in unmarked graves. So just how bad is the violence in Mexico, and what is the Mexican President doing to stop it?"
Kevin Nguyen's curator insight,
October 28, 2015 12:23 PM
This video was very informative on the mass killing related to drug cartels. It clearly shows that the war on drugs comes at a high price of human lives. There is not real viable solution to stopping these drugs cartels because as seen in this video, many law enforcement agency cracked down on the head of the cartels but it backfired instead. Many factions or "little snakes" exists now because the head of it is gone. In my opinion we cannot stop drugs violence if there is no reason to make drugs in the first place (the consumers). 
Gene Gagne's curator insight,
December 1, 2015 9:50 PM
It is hard for the Mexican authorities to do anything about it, they know who the drug dealers are but think about it a police chief who is honest has a life expectancy of 18 months on the force. 
Adam Deneault's curator insight,
December 6, 2015 5:34 PM
After watching a video like this, I have nothing to feel except sadness, all the missing people and all the dead because of drugs... What really through me for a loop was when the narrator said the police handed people over to a cartel. Who does that? Clearly it is an issue if it makes the top five for most widely reported mass killings, plus who knows however many more going unreported. It appears as something good was being done by capturing and or killing drug cartel leaders, but apparently doing good, made things worse, because without leaders, new factions were made and apparently those new factions were much worse, being more violent and creating more incidents. Having corruption within is also probably making things much worse. |
Scoop.it!
Walk on the streets and you´ll be exposed to its informal economy: people who do what they can to eke out a living including washing windshields, selling food, or even singing, dancing, and performing acrobatics for a tip. Via Courtney Barrowman, Mike Busarello's Digital Storybooks
Corey Rogers's curator insight,
December 14, 2018 5:58 PM
Most of the time when you think of Mexico you hear poor and unsuccessful cities and countries. But that is not entirely true because Mexico City is a very successful Primate City and is one of the wealthiest places to be. People need to be more mindful and do more research before making assumptions.
Scoop.it!
From
qz
"A religious revolution is underway in Latin America. Between 1900 and 1960, 90% of Latin Americans were Catholics. But in the last fifty years, that figure has slumped to 69%, according to a recent survey by the Pew Research Center (from which most of the data in this article are taken). The continent may still be home to 425 million Catholics—40% of the world’s total—but the Vatican’s grip is slipping."
Tags: culture, religion, Christianity, Middle America, South America. Via Mike Busarello's Digital Storybooks
Nicole Canova's curator insight,
February 10, 2018 7:04 PM
Despite being home to a huge amount of the world's Roman Catholics, membership in the Church is dropping throughout South America in favor of other religious options, from various Protestant sects to New Age beliefs to African diaspora religions. The Pentacostal church in particular is highly favored all over the region, predominantly because it puts a bigger emphasis on a relationship with God and faith healing. It has also adapted much better to Latin American culture than the Catholic church. Most Pentacostal priests are from the region, while most Catholic clergy are outsiders, and Pentacostal churches use more Latin American music and dance. The Catholic church has, however, had some limited success in the region with the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, which has adopted many aspects of Pentacostal church services while retaining the traditional church hierarchy and reverence for the Virgin Mary and the saints. However, the Catholic church would systemic reform to slow or even reverse the the trend in South America, which would make the church unappealing to more conservative Catholic communities in Africa and Asia. This touches on a variety of cultural differences between these regions, and poses an impossible dilemma to the church in which it must pick and choose which region or regions are more important.
Scoop.it!
Mexico’s cities are ballooning in population while rural and indigenous communities, where there are still over 60 indigenous languages other than Spanish spoken, are disappearing. For many indigenous families, illiteracy and the powerful forces of racism and discrimination can often offset the lures that brought them to migrate to urban centers.
The northern border with the United States is not the only destination for Mexican migrants. For millions, the bustling cities, which offer hopes of better jobs and education lure many from their traditional rural, and often indigenous communities. What they find in the cities is a mix of hope and hardship. Tags: Mexico, indigenous, economic, development, migration.
London Kassab's curator insight,
November 3, 2015 9:35 PM
Mexico is having a lot of internal migration within cities. Many different languages are disappearing and for a lot of the people literacy, racism, and other forces can often bring them to urban areas. Also the border isn't the only hope for migrants, bustling cities offer hopes of better lifestyle as well. L.K. 
Clayton Nelson's curator insight,
December 16, 2015 11:14 AM
I believe migrants should be allowed to migrate to their destination. But there should of course be policies as to how many people come to one area at a time and such. In my opinion the main problem lies with those who exploit the border and migrate illegally as well as those who don't belong such as terrorists. Once this is resolved migration from Mexico to the United States or to anywhere will be much smoother. CN
tyrone perry's curator insight,
March 23, 2018 12:44 PM
The internal migration going on in Mexico is mainly comprised from the indigenous communities. They think that if they move to the city they can better their lives by getting an education and a wealthy paying job. But as they soon find out there is more problems than jobs and education. many of the personal videos show the hard path many of the people endure with very little success.
Scoop.it!
The proposed Nicaragua Canal could be one of the largest engineering projects in history and promises to bring thousands of jobs to the impoverished country. But the government’s secretive deal with a Chinese-led firm has some Nicaraguans raising the alarm about displacement and environmental destruction in the canal’s path. Via GTANSW & ACT
Blake Joseph's curator insight,
April 24, 2015 4:38 PM
The Chinese government is seriously considering plans to build a new canal through Nicaragua that will rival the United States' Panama canal. The size of the planned canal will be much larger than the Panama canal, allowing much bigger freighters and cargo vessels to be able to pass through it to and from the Chinese mainland. While many Nicaraguans are enthusiastic about the potential jobs and money involved in the project, others can see through this and sense great problems for the country if completed. The canal would destroy many environments within Nicaragua such as Lake Nicaragua and the forest that are located nearby, displacing many people who live and depend on the area for food and work. China is fast becoming a world superpower, and is alarmingly similar to the old Soviet Union as far as a lack of environmental protection and the welfare of citizens. I fear the future environmental impact this will have on Nicaragua could be devastatingly similar to the fatal impacts of other old Soviet failures like the Aral Sea or Chernobyl (without the radioactive isotopes, of course). I think many Nicaraguans do as well. 
BrianCaldwell7's curator insight,
April 5, 2016 8:12 AM
I'm fascinated by massive geo-engineering projects. Usually, the proponents of the project will support it claiming that by reconfiguring the geographic settings it will lead to the economic growth of the country and strengthen their political situation. Opponents cite that traditional land use patterns will get disrupted, the poor will be displaced, and the environment will be degraded. This canal is not so very different from many other geo-engineering projects in that respect.
Tags: transportation, Nicaragua, globalization, industry, economic, environment, political, resources, political ecology.
Scoop.it!
"This program, Boundaries and Borderlands, introduces the case study approach of the course. Here we examine the borderland region between the regions of North America and Latin America. The first case study, Twin Cities, Divided Lives, follows the story of Concha Martinez as she crosses between the U.S. and Mexico in order to make a life for herself and her children. The second case study, Operation Hold the Line, follows up the question of cross-border migration raised in the first program. It takes a look at how U.S. border policy is shaping the lives of not only the people living in this borderland region, but in more distant U.S. and Mexican locations as well."
Dennis Swender's curator insight,
November 17, 2014 3:16 AM
Open borders: An American Exceptionalism asset worth preserving?
Scoop.it!
Explore the travels and exploits of five real pirates of the Caribbean. Click through the tabs to track the adventures of each pirate overlaid on Spanish ports and pirate strongholds in the area. Zoom into the map to see additional detail.
Jared Medeiros's curator insight,
February 11, 2015 10:00 PM
This pirate excursion map is so cool and gives a great look at the travels of different pirates. As we get farther away from these time periods, it seems like the idea of these Caribbean pirates are fictional. To hear true historical events about these individual pirates is very interesting. I would love to take a time machine back to Port Royal during these times to experience that madness. 
Brian Wilk's curator insight,
March 28, 2015 9:34 AM
Imagine the horror a native of the Caribbean must have felt when white men came into their scenic lands and pillaged their villages and plundered their treasuries? Blackbeard otherwise known as Edward Teach, would light slow burning cannon fuses and place them in his beard to create an aura about him as he fought and raided these port of call. Calico Jack Rackham, a great pirate name if there ever was one, was best known for having a pair of female pirates aboard. Instantly becomes one of my heroes! Then you have William Parker who was actually an opportunist backed by England who plundered Spanish treasures throughout Central America. Here is my favorite pirate joke; what is a pirate's favorite letter? "R" you say? No, it's the letter "C", pirates love the sea.... |
