Regional Geography

While I'm glad that they are dong something for their poor, it makes me wonder if they are only doing it for the upcoming world cup and olympics.  I just wonder if they are trying to hide some of what really goes on there from tourists so they will think everything in brazil is all good. 

FIFA 2014 is being hosted in Brazil. This article details the completely flawed and inhumane plan that Brazil has to get ready for the madness of FIFA. They seem to be too caught up in artificial aesthetic and have lost focus on development, while displacing thousands of poor Brazilians on the way.

With the world cup and summer Olympics being hosted in Brazil, the government are forcing people out of favelas to improve their image for tourists. What is frustrating about this is that bringing in a large sporting event like the Olympics and world cup actually looses money for the hosting country. So in their haste they are damaging the country twice over. First the government of Brazil is creating thousands of displaced and poor citizens, and on top of that they are spending valuable resources on preparing for a sporting event that will not turn a profit. What will happen after 2016, when you have a massive population of desperate homeless people migrating back to the favelas.

Honduras' role in the drug trafficking industry has increased immensely which does not mix well with their already corrupt government and police force.  However, a history of U.S. aid and security "support" is what rooted this country in violence.  Honduras' situation is spiraling out of control because the drug trafficking industry has taken advantage of its already weak state.

In the news we sometimes hear about violence taking place at the border of the US and Mexico, but you never hear of the violence in Honduras. With a mix of drug trafficking, corruption, political instability and history has led to a murder rate that is now four times that of Mexico., which is pretty hard to think of since there Mexico already has a high muder right. The situation has gotten so bad that the Peace Corps has withdrawn its volunteers.

While Mexico gets all the bad press when it comes to violence and police corruption, Honduras is actually a  more violent place to be. The murder rate in the nation is four times that of Mexico. Like Mexico, the rule of law in Honduras is quite questionable. Most of the nations police force is corrupt. Many police officers are  on the payrolls of drug lords and gangs. Average citizens have no respect for law enforcement, which they view as an extension of the drug trade. A country without  the rule of law, will descend into anarchy. This situation is playing out in Honduras, to the detriment of its people.

It's easy to forget that for most of history, even the greatest of empires were subject to the whims of the climate. The ability to survive in places where humans really shouldn't thrive is only a recent development thanks to technology, but a drought is something the mightiest army can't fight, and all the wealth in the world will not stop, without the right technology.

(Southeast Asia topic 10 [independent topic 2])

Naturally, that which fails to adapt to its environment will not survive. Such was the likely fate of Angkor. But was this early industrial area the cause of its own drought demise? I'll answer this question with another modern one: Are booming metropolises of today having an impact on their environment? Look at the American Southwest, where the booming populations of Las Vegas and Phoenix, and the water use that goes along with it, are slowly sucking dry Lake Mead. Though in both cases the climate is becoming drier itself, adaptations could be the remedy. Just as the inhabitants of Easter Island caused their own demise as well, it truly pays to learn from the past and take proactive precautions to prevent such worse-case scenarios. Luckily today there is knowledge to do such that, and now the issue goes to getting that message acknowledged and acted upon.

This reminds me of the theories as to why Easter Island fell. Although what many people know of Easter Island is the giant heads, there was once a flourishing civilization in the area but many scholars theorize that they deforested the island to a point that they ran out of resources and had to flee to survive.

Yet another collection of pictures I'm scooping, but this time there's over 100 of them! Getting a western view into the insulated society of Burma is a rare opportunity, this shows some interesting pastimes such as Water buffalo surfing, but also things of major cultural significance, such as the importance of Buddhism.

This article depicts the differences and the little things that we in the USA take for granted for instance in this case it is a cd that is known as the "Western" type of misc and mass media culture that has been transported in this Burmese society.  It truly is the little things such as the Robbie Williams CD that is being depicted as not only the Western musical society but also being grouped with Bob Marley songs that would depict from the Burmese translation the Western society. And even though the people in this society don't know what the lyrics mean they can still be moved by the melody.  

I found the fact that the government of Burma banned certain music, it seems like an odd thing to refuse the people of the country, but we forget that it is the small things that we take for granted in the US, that are seen as luxuries in other parts of the world and that is an interesting idea to wrap your mind around.

Illegal trade runs in both direction, drugs from Mexico north and guns and ammo south from the US.  Some of the trade was a badly handled "sting operation" to trace where the gun eventually went, but the government lost track of where they went and were not able to find the bigger bosses in the cartels.  Compared to gun laws in Mexico, yes ours are lax, however I think to state them as lax or weak in general might be an overstatement.  Some countries are even more strict, like Great Britian and there are some areas of the world where a child can buy an AK-47 off the street in broad daylight.  It is all taken in contex. 

I think it is a good idea to have lifted restrictions on Cuba. We are talking about a restriction put on a country because of a Conflict called the Cold War, but the Cold War is long done now. It is also ridiculous that as a free country we are not allowed to travel there really without government approved sightseeing. Although the government approved sightseeing is informative for both culture and education, with less restrictions, people should be able to do stuff outside pre approved government tours. Being able to wander the country freely might even possibly boost economy from money being spent. 

with the relaxing of restrictions towards Cuba an increase in tourism can obviously be expected to rise massively, especially as Cuban repatriates gain the ability to go and visit family and ancestral homes. this new policy will prove to be good for Cuba.

As an outsider looking in the concept of the United Kingdom is a little confusing. We are taught to view Scotland as its own country, but they are countries within a larger structure. This video makes what would confuse many Americans and condenses it into a clear video that is just about 5 mins.

Many people often interchange the UK, Great Britain, and England, but in reality, they all describe different different things. The UK is a country of four countries, each with equal power, including Scotland, Northern Ireland, England, and Wales but they are all considered British citizens.UK is a political term, describing a country. Great Britain is a physical geographical term describing the land mass containing Scotland, Wales, and England.  The British Isles refers to both Great Britain and the Island of Ireland. All of these terms describe different things, being characterized by either political affiliation or geographic characteristics. 

Laws like this are not only tearing families apart, but they are also creating more tension in a region that really doen't need any help in that department. In order for these families to stay together, it seems their only option is immigration, which is difficult and costly.

Once again, American's arrogant beliefs about how everyone else SHOULD live their lives has caused a bad situation to become worse. We rush in to help, with good intentions, but we fail to see what the Haitians really needed help with. Instead of asking them "What can we do for you?" and really listening to the answer, we rush in and help them the way WE want to. Ultimately our 'help' actually makes their situation worse.

I couldn't stop watching. I felt horror for those people who so desperately needed help and instead were treated like criminals. The mass injustices were ridiculous. The continuous tropical storms, earthquakes, and flooding create disastrous situations for Haitians in poverty. The way the government tried to desert them in a barren area was disgraceful if they were afraid those people would be angry they should be. They have a right to be angry. People were more busy guarding spilled milk then saving the lives that were still alive in that market!!! It absolutely was a massive failure!