tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008438797765436242024-03-14T06:49:53.221-07:00Recreational GeographyGhost Gunshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05492039854712526130noreply@blogger.comBlogger446125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-400843879776543624.post-17832978323504696712014-09-04T14:21:00.003-07:002014-09-04T14:21:29.186-07:00Ever heard of crowdfunding?<a href="https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/introducing-the-speaker-pod"><strong style="font-size: 16px;">https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/introducing-the-speaker-pod</strong></a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 16px;">Please check out an IndieGoGo campaign for the Speaker Pod. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 16px;">Read some of the details about the Speaker Pod below, but please check out the URL to see ALL the info about this great little gadget, and view a video that shows how the Speaker Pod </span><span style="font-size: 16px;">works - you'll be able to hear the difference in the audio as soon as you put a smartphone or MP3 player on the Speaker Pod.</span><strong style="font-size: 16px;"></strong><br />
<strong style="font-size: 16px;"><br /></strong>
<span style="font-size: 16px;">Crowdfunding is a way for small businesses to raise money to produce their products</span><span style="font-size: 16px;">. </span><strong style="font-size: 16px;"></strong><br />
<strong style="font-size: 16px;"><br /></strong>
<span style="font-size: 16px;">You aren't donating anything - you are a backer, and for your pledge you receive rewards - including a Speaker Pod or two.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 16px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 16px;">I'm helping a friend with this, so please check it out if you like listening to music on your smartphone, or if you just like helping small entrepreneurs realize a dream.</span><strong style="font-size: 16px;"></strong><br />
<strong style="font-size: 16px;"><br /></strong>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgradZNCKA_IvXq0bAsrvt3j11dVnZ4m3qrL39GODtUowE1UUp8q8WHnkfDHQTIFyMtwhpe-vyiKGSJ4M27BU1CC3a43Hr5Um1dS2r5olyq-Er_TnzmU0ys4Loc7g0nRBcnjJLc2kF3-A/s1600/speakerpod.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgradZNCKA_IvXq0bAsrvt3j11dVnZ4m3qrL39GODtUowE1UUp8q8WHnkfDHQTIFyMtwhpe-vyiKGSJ4M27BU1CC3a43Hr5Um1dS2r5olyq-Er_TnzmU0ys4Loc7g0nRBcnjJLc2kF3-A/s1600/speakerpod.jpg" height="366" width="400" /></a></div>
<strong style="font-size: 16px;"><br /></strong>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<strong style="font-size: 16px;">If you love to listen to music
wherever you go and are tired of carrying cables around, the Speaker Pod
is for you! Join the Pod People!</strong><br />
<br />
Speaker Pod represents big sound in a small package. With its innovative acoustic
mechanism, Speaker Pod delivers sound that is crisp, clear, and full-bodied.
Sound emanates from your phone's speakers and envelops your ears, with no need for wires, cables or Bluetooth!<br />
<br />
Our Speaker Pods, which come in snazzy green or basic black, have a starting cost of just $24!<br />
Unlike
our
first iteration of this technology - the Boom Bx - Speaker Pod is
powered by a rechargeable battery. Not having to buy batteries equals a
savings cost to the consumer, and is of course a benefit to the
environment. All the user has to do
is use a mini USB (included) to charge their Speaker Pod.<br />
<br />
<b>The
Speaker Pod</b> has a simple on/off switch, which is much better than a push button
when it comes to quality. (We discovered this with our Boom Bx, which
had a push button. We quickly learned that an on/off switch is much more
reliable.) <br />
<br />
Simply turn the Speaker Pod on. Then, turn on your
smartphone or MP3 player and start playing music. Place this device on
the Speaker Pod, and immediately the music, crisp, and clear, will soar
out into the room.</blockquote>
Ghost Gunshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05492039854712526130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-400843879776543624.post-27496642185765286272014-07-22T12:36:00.002-07:002014-07-22T12:36:30.739-07:00The spread of tobacco across the Middle EastThe "New World" - a world that had existed for centuries of course, with indigenous inhabitants, before it was "discovered" by Spanish and English explorers during the 1500s - gave the "Old World" and "the East" many products.... not the least of which was tobacco.<br />
<br />
In the "New World" tobacco was smoked in a variety of small pipes, or in cigars or cigarettes. The indigenous peoples used these for their religious ceremonies.<br />
<br />
When the British brought tobacco to the lands of the Middle East such as Persia (now known as Iran) the tobacco was too harsh to be inhaled frequently, so an inventor <i>somewhere </i>in that region invented the water pipe, in which the smoke from burning tobacco was filtered, making it more palatable.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbQhI1Cex476ndxNYEmYN-OC97qbZ3Ntn6zzEdNF2ehu7tlZvHfELhgep6eQ00Kx7QcM7g-FZ0CEQ5IvFmU7m1qdAgdLo6aIXOq2SLg-krJPcRxRPxsNPggO2pvJBukQJjXX1A5mfbxlw/s1600/IranGlobe.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbQhI1Cex476ndxNYEmYN-OC97qbZ3Ntn6zzEdNF2ehu7tlZvHfELhgep6eQ00Kx7QcM7g-FZ0CEQ5IvFmU7m1qdAgdLo6aIXOq2SLg-krJPcRxRPxsNPggO2pvJBukQJjXX1A5mfbxlw/s1600/IranGlobe.png" /></a></div>
Modern day Iran - notice it is located to the north east of Africa. Can you identify the countries surrounding it?<br />
<br />
Smoking from a water pipe, or hookah, became popular in the 1500s and continues to do so today.<br />
<br />
When people from the Middle East began emigrating to England and the United States in the 1800s, they brought the water pipe with then, although it never achieved the popularity that cigarettes and cigars did.<br />
<br />
Today, however, the use of electronic, portable hookahs - <a href="http://hookahtown.com/" target="_blank">hookah sticks</a> or hookah pens as they are called is increasing. Instead of using tobacco, people use fruit flavored liquids which are vaporized and then inhaled.Ghost Gunshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05492039854712526130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-400843879776543624.post-31289720739157257682014-07-17T15:10:00.001-07:002014-07-17T15:10:56.908-07:00Just where are Mason County and Pierce County?<a href="http://www.proudtobeyourplumber.com/" target="_blank">Plumbers in Mason county</a> and plumbers in Pierce county can be found by searching for them on the internet. But just where are these two counties?<br />
<br /><br />
According to Wikipedia:<br />
<b>Mason County</b> is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2010 census, the population was 60,699.<sup> </sup> The county seat and only incorporated city is Shelton. The county was formed out of King County on March 13, 1854. Originally named Sawamish County, it took its present name in 1864 in honor of Charles H. Mason, the first Secretary of Washington Territory.<br />
<sup><br /></sup><br />
Mason County comprises the Shelton, WA Micropolitan Statistical Area and is included in the Seattle-Tacoma, WA Combined Statistical Area.<br />
<br /><br />
So, what's that terminology mean?<br />
<br /><br />
1. What is an incorporated city?<br />
<br /><br />
2. What is a Micropolitan statistical area?<br />
<br /><br />
3. What is a Combined Statistical area?<br />
<br /><br />
I'm glad you asked!<br />
<br /><br />
1. A <b>municipal corporation</b> is the legal term for a local governing body, including cities, counties, towns, townships, charter townships, villages, and boroughs. When such a municipality wants to become a self-governing entity, under the laws of the state or province in which they are located. Often, this event is marked by the award or declaration of a municipal charter.<br />
<br /><br />
2. A <b>United States Micropolitan Statistical Areas</b> is an urban area based around an urban cluster with a population of 10,000 to 49,999. The micropolitan area designation was created in 2003. Like the better-known metropolitan area, a micropolitan area is a geographic entity used for statistical purposes based on counties and county-equivalents.<br />
<br /><br />
The OMB (Office of Management and Budget) has identified 576 micropolitan areas in the United States. The term "micropolitan" became popular in the 1990s to describe growing population centers in the United States that are removed from larger cities, in some cases by 100 miles or more. Lower land and labor costs have led some micropolitan areas to develop many housing subdivisions and suburban cultures similar to those found in larger metropolitan areas.<br />
<br /><br />
3. A <b>Combined Statistical Area</b> (<b>CSA</b>) is a grouping of adjacent metropolitan and/or micropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) in the United States and Puerto Rico. The United States Office of Management and Budget defines combined statistical areas based on social and economic ties measured by commuting patterns between adjacent MSAs. <br />
<br /><br />
The areas that combine retain their own designations as metropolitan or micropolitan statistical areas within the larger combined statistical area. The primary distinguishing factor between a CSA and an MSA is that the social and economic ties between the individual MSAs within a CSA are at lower levels than between the counties within an MSA. CSAs represent multiple metropolitan or micropolitan areas that have a moderate degree of employment interchange. CSAs often represent regions with overlapping labor and media markets.<br />
<br /><br />
(When working with government entities, you must get used to acronyms.)<br />
<br /><br />
Whenever you do a search for businesses in your area, and it doesn't have to be plumbers in Mason county or plumbers in Pierce county, always give a thought to what you can learn during that search!<br />
<br /><br />
<br /><br />
<br />Ghost Gunshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05492039854712526130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-400843879776543624.post-22377322678707836582014-07-12T15:34:00.001-07:002014-07-12T15:34:14.804-07:00Pop quiz: What is Mt. Baker's claim to fame?<b>From Wikipedia</b><br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>Mount Baker</b> also called <b>Kulshan</b>, is an <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" title="Active volcano">active</a><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Scott_7-0"><span></span><span></span></sup> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" title="Glacier">glaciated</a> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" title="Andesite">andesitic</a> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" title="Stratovolcano">stratovolcano</a> <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Wood_4-1"><span></span><span></span></sup> in the <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" title="Cascade Volcanoes">Cascade Volcanic Arc</a> and the <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" title="North Cascades">North Cascades</a> of <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" title="Washington (U.S. state)">Washington</a> State in the United States. Mount Baker has the second-most thermally active crater in the <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" title="Cascade Range">Cascade Range</a> after <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" title="Mount Saint Helens">Mount Saint Helens</a>.<br />
<br />
After <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" title="Mount Rainier">Mount Rainier</a>, Mount Baker is the most heavily <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" title="Glacier">glaciated</a> of the Cascade Range volcanoes; the volume of snow and ice on Mount Baker, 0.43 cu mi (1.79 km<sup>3</sup>)
is greater than that of all the other Cascades volcanoes (except
Rainier) combined. It is also one of the snowiest places in the world;
in 1999, <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" title="Mount Baker Ski Area">Mount Baker Ski Area</a>, located 14 km (8.7 mi) to the northeast, set the world record for recorded <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" title="Snowfall">snowfall</a> in a single season—1,140 in (2,900 cm).</blockquote>
<br />
I'm planning a 50-state trip next year, and of course must start in Washington state, work my way down to California, then start the journey back north again through.... what state?<br />
<br />
I was looking for <a href="http://www.snowater.org/" target="_blank">Mt. Baker lodgings</a> on the web and came across Snowater lodge, which is quite close to Mt. Baker - being located on the Nooksack River.<br />
<br />
The thing about this lodge - in fact probably every timeshare rental in Washington state in this area, is that there's not going to be any internet. That is going to be a shock to the system! But, after a year of working hard doing research on geography, I'm going to need a break from the internet.<br />
<br />
So make note of Mt. Baker lodgings, and plan your own virtual trip around the United States.Ghost Gunshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05492039854712526130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-400843879776543624.post-80417616335546964232014-01-06T08:59:00.000-08:002014-01-06T08:59:28.517-08:00A New Map Reveals the Geography of American TV NewsFrom the Atlantic: http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/12/a-new-map-reveals-the-geography-of-american-tv-news/282443/<br />
<br />
Most Americans—<a href="http://www.gallup.com/poll/163412/americans-main-source-news.aspx">some 55 percent</a>—get
their news from television. That’s more than double the number who look
to the web first, and more than five times the number who turn to
print.<br />
So television news steers, to a great degree, our political
discourse. But unlike text on the page or screen, it remains more
difficult to analyze. TV arrives as sound and moving images—both of
which algorithms have a harder time making sense of.<br />
That’s why a <a href="https://blog.archive.org/2013/12/13/mapping-400000-hours-of-u-s-tv-news/">recent pilot project from the Internet Archive</a> is so welcome. Using <a href="https://archive.org/">the Archive</a>’s massive archive of television news, Georgetown scholar <a href="http://www.kalevleetaru.com/">Kalev Leetaru</a> tracked all the locations mentioned on U.S. television news between June 2009 and October 2013, then <a href="http://archive.org/tvgeo/">plotted them on a world map</a>.<br />
On the foundation’s blog, archivist Roger Macdonald <a href="https://blog.archive.org/2013/12/13/mapping-400000-hours-of-u-s-tv-news/">writes</a>
that the map constitutes the “first large-scale glimpses of the
geography of American television news, beginning to reveal which areas
receive outsized attention and which are neglected.”<br />
<center>
<figure data-uninsertable="has-image-tag"><img alt="" height="268" src="http://cdn.theatlantic.com/newsroom/img/posts/TVnewMap2.gif" width="490" /><figcaption class="credit">Internet Archive</figcaption></figure></center>
Leetaru’s project isn’t the first to examine quantitatively how TV
news represents the world. Last year, scholars in Germany and Israel <a href="http://gaz.sagepub.com/content/74/4/301.abstract">examined</a> how domestic TV news sources in different countries covered “foreign news.” MIT’s Media Lab, too, has <a href="http://globe.mediameter.org/">mapped</a> where the <em>Boston Globe</em> directs its attention; they’ve also looked at <a href="http://opengendertracking.org/blog/2013/01/08/Tracking-Gender-In-Online-News/">how often online news sources speak to men and women</a>.<br />
But the Internet Archive's map seems to be the first to depict the
breadth of U.S. news. Looking at the map, I quickly found some
rarely-covered areas that surprised me. Talking heads, apparently,
rarely mentioned North Dakota, <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2013/06/06/news/economy/north-dakota-economy/">despite its booming economy</a>.<br />
To make the map, Leetaru used the massive library of closed captioning held by the Internet Archive. Macdonald <a href="https://blog.archive.org/2013/12/13/mapping-400000-hours-of-u-s-tv-news/">explains</a> the process, called “fulltext geocoding”:<br />
<blockquote>
<div data-uninsertable="has-special-tag">
<span>These algorithms scan the
closed captioning of each broadcast looking for any mention of a
location anywhere in the world, disambiguate them using the surrounding
discussion (Springfield, Illinois vs Springfield, Massachusetts), and
ultimately map each location.</span></div>
</blockquote>
<span>Underlying problems, therefore, might lurk in the data: “Two
pairs of shoes” might be captioned—and thus interpreted—as “Two Paris of
shoes.” But the prototype represents what’s now possible at the
intersection of algorithmic text-reading and geographic visualization.
Someday, data like this might inform more than the (worthy) world of
media studies—it might help news organizations make decisions about
where under-covered stories might be lurking. </span><br />
<span><strong>One more thing: </strong>I’d love to see this map with
the population filtered out: Does the I-95 corridor’s large population
justify its massive coverage, or is it indeed over-represented? (It’s
hard not to think of <a href="http://xkcd.com/1138/">this XKCD classic</a>.) I’m struck, though, by the visualization’s similarity to the famous <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/NPP/news/earth-at-night.html#.UrCJMJGVi2w">Earth at Night</a> image. It seems an image so awesome, so unfathomable, we can only always be referencing it in maps like these.</span>Ghost Gunshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05492039854712526130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-400843879776543624.post-16844099370466439762014-01-01T15:51:00.000-08:002014-01-01T15:51:00.128-08:00Events of 1792<b>Nautical Exploration</b><br />
Joseph Whidbey, an English naval officer, circumnavigated the island named after him in 1792, on Captain George Vancouver's ship. Ghost Gunshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05492039854712526130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-400843879776543624.post-40531702831443024212013-02-26T08:22:00.001-08:002013-02-26T08:22:02.152-08:00Never get involved in a land war in Asiaand never agree to transcribe 20 hours of meetings from an Australian business meeting.<br />
<br />
That's what I've been doing for the last 4 days...utter nightmare. Could NOT understand their accents. Making it worse were the bad audio levels and the fact that a lot of the people preesnt insisted on talking over each other from all around the room except in front of the microphone... I will never transcribe ANYTHING every again.<br />
<br />
Anyway, so sorry to be MIA from my blogs.Ghost Gunshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05492039854712526130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-400843879776543624.post-45804302413728678972013-02-17T11:03:00.001-08:002013-02-17T11:03:27.873-08:00Geography to play larger role in health premiumsFrom SFGate: <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Geography-to-play-larger-role-in-health-premiums-4284573.php#ixzz2LBVeA9Fj">Geography to play larger role in health premiums</a><br /><br />
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SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Whether it's the densely populated Southern California coast or the mountains of rural Northern California, geography is going to play a larger role in the cost of health insurance under the federal health care overhaul set to take effect next year.</div>
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Health insurers are facing new rules and restrictions on how they set prices as part of the Affordable Care Act's aim to expand coverage to millions of Americans. No longer can insurers deny coverage because of a preexisting condition or place lifetime limits on medical care. While a person's age will remain a factor in setting rates, older customers cannot be charged more than three times what younger customers pay.</div>
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California also has rejected an option under the federal law that allows health insurance companies to charge smokers up to 50 percent more for their premiums.</div>
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All this leaves geography as one of the few ways insurers can adjust premiums. The premiums will not be set for most consumers under the law until summer, although estimates are available at the website of California's health benefits exchange, <a href="http://www.coveredca.com/">www.coveredca.com</a> .</div>
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The federal government has proposed that a state should not create more than seven geographic rating areas to prevent insurers from charging excessively high premiums in certain areas.</div>
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To accommodate California's size and diversity, the state's health exchange is proceeding with 19 regions with the understanding that its plan eventually will receive federal approval.</div>
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To complicate matters, state lawmakers are scheduled to convene a special session next week, during which the <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/?controllerName=search&action=search&channel=news&search=1&inlineLink=1&query=%22Democrats%22">Democrats</a> who dominate the Legislature could come up with their own number.</div>
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"Should there be one rate for all of California, every zip code or something in between?" said <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/?controllerName=search&action=search&channel=news&search=1&inlineLink=1&query=%22Anthony+Wright%22">Anthony Wright</a>, executive director of Health Access California, which advocates for low-income families.</div>
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It's still too early to say just how much of a determining factor geography will be in setting premiums.</div>
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But one health plan rated the difference between east and west Los Angeles County by a factor of 50 percent, which could mean a difference of hundreds of dollars for a family of the same size and whose members are the same age.</div>
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Health plans argue that 19 rate-setting regions are necessary in California because premiums should reflect the underlying costs of care. Those costs include regional wage rates, number of hospitals and the amount of competition in the area for providing medical services.</div>
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Health policy experts say different regions carry different risks for disease and access to treatment. For example, the Central Valley has higher incidence of asthma because of its poor air quality.</div>
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But consumer advocates are concerned that smaller regions will give health plans the opportunity to target poor, rural or less healthy communities with higher rates, similar to how insurance companies have charged higher auto rates in some communities deemed higher risk.</div>
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California needs to balance the social benefit of spreading risk — defined as having healthy people subsidize care for those who are less healthy — against having people paying their own medical costs, said <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/?controllerName=search&action=search&channel=news&search=1&inlineLink=1&query=%22Marian+Mulkey%22">Marian Mulkey</a>, director of the Oakland-based nonprofit <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/?controllerName=search&action=search&channel=news&search=1&inlineLink=1&query=%22California+HealthCare+Foundation%22">California HealthCare Foundation</a>'s health reform initiative.</div>
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"There's probably some Goldilocks, just-right balance between there, but it's extremely hard to find," she said. "And that's why this is a sticky conversation and difficult to navigate."</div>
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California Secretary of Health and Human Services Diana Dooley said having seven rating regions is "completely unrealistic for California." The state is moving ahead with 19 regions with the understanding that the federal government will allow it.</div>
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"We're going to be making adjustments to this, certainly in the first few years and maybe over the course of the decade," she said. "When we see how this performs after a year or two, we may come back and make changes to those rating regions."</div>
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The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is currently reviewing comments and plans to issue a new rule soon.</div>
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At this time, there is no geographic standard for setting premiums. Health plans typically have used nine rating regions in California because they also can use so many other factors in determining premiums, said <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/?controllerName=search&action=search&channel=news&search=1&inlineLink=1&query=%22Charles+Bacchi%22">Charles Bacchi</a>, executive vice president of the <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/?controllerName=search&action=search&channel=news&search=1&inlineLink=1&query=%22California+Association+of+Health+Plans%22">California Association of Health Plans</a>.</div>
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Health insurers had argued that California needs many rate-setting regions because the state is asking them to switch to a standard benefit design next year.</div>
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While it will allow consumers to make direct comparisons of health plans, insurers say the standardization of benefits could drive up premium costs. That is because it restricts the amount and the number of ways they can charge people for co-pays, co-insurance and deductibles.</div>
Ghost Gunshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05492039854712526130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-400843879776543624.post-20081646597518018042013-01-30T00:30:00.000-08:002013-01-30T00:30:04.661-08:00Beyond the Geography Bee From Directions Magazine: <a href="http://www.directionsmag.com/articles/beyond-the-geography-bee/305994">Beyond the Geography Bee</a><br />
<br />
<div style="float: left; font-weight: bold; padding-right: 5px;">
Summary:</div>
<div style="font-style: italic;">
When was the last time you read about geography in the traditional
media? Executive Editor Adena Schutzberg reads about it quite a bit,
especially stories about local Geography Bees. The events and their
coverage reinforce old ideas about the discipline, rather than
showcasing its valuable use in today’s world.<br />
</div>
I’m a serial news searcher. It’s my job to keep up with the news about
GIS, geospatial technology, GPS, remote sensing, location-based services
and related topics. But every now and then I break down and search the
news for articles about geography, the discipline in which I hold two
degrees.<br />
<div id="cke_pastebin">
When reading about geospatial technology news I get excited, jazzed and
thoughtful. When I read about geography news I get depressed. Outside
of a handful of analytical articles from the <a href="http://www.theatlanticcities.com/">Atlantic Cities blog</a> or efforts in local reporting like <a href="http://www.njspotlight.com/">New Jersey Spotlight</a> or the odd book review or interview with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jared_Diamond">Jared Diamond</a> or <a href="http://www.profilebooks.com/isbn/9781846685095/">Simon Garfield</a>, it’s all about Geography Bees.</div>
<div id="cke_pastebin">
</div>
<div id="cke_pastebin">
It’s mid-January as I write this essay. Google News reports it found
523 articles, in the last week, about the announcement of, or the winner
of, this or that Bee. This week marks the end of the qualifying period
for school Bee events. The news stories, mostly from local papers,
profile the event (how many students, in which grades, how they studied,
what questions were hard), introduce the winner, and detail the next
step in the competition. Martians reading our local papers would assume
that geography is a game schoolchildren play, with the highest
achievement being attendance at the National Geography Bee. They’d see
geography as akin to the U.S. Super Bowl, only with far fewer sponsors
and no pay at all for the middle school-sized players.</div>
<div id="cke_pastebin">
</div>
<div id="cke_pastebin">
I understand why the local paper and local schools want to highlight
their events. I applaud the paper for wanting to promote student
achievements other than those found on the football or soccer field. I
appreciate that the school cares enough about geography to participate
in the event (and has the $100 <a href="http://www.nationalgeographic.com/geobee/how-schools-register/">registration fee</a>
to do so). Of course, pictures of smiling children with maps and medals
make for eye-catching online or print features. Finally, we adults are
always impressed to learn of children who know more than we do about
geography. </div>
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</div>
<div id="cke_pastebin">
Sadly, though, these articles about the Geography Bees and the
children’s encyclopedic knowledge do not help highlight the important
role geography and related technical and spatial skills play in the
students’ and parents’ everyday lives. Nor does the coverage explore the
way the participants’ cities, states or territories, and country are
organized (or not) or how they work together with other
cities/states/countries (or not). Instead, the Bee reinforces geography
as mostly memorization. I know the questions are getting better, with
more of them based on map interpretation, physical geography and the
like, but too few address the role of geography in today’s world. Those
that do rarely make it into the paper.</div>
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</div>
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The Geography Bee homepage includes these two resources for those planning to study for the Bee:</div>
<ol>
<li>
“...The National Geographic Bee Ultimate Fact Book: Countries A-Z,
chock-full of all the facts kids need to know to become a geography
expert.”</li>
<li>
“Simply memorizing terms and place locations can be tedious and even
boring. One solution is to make the task fun with an atlas-based
scavenger game.”</li>
</ol>
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Sigh.</div>
<div id="cke_pastebin">
</div>
<div id="cke_pastebin">
How might the National Geographic Society get at the compelling
applications of geography? I suggest a National Geography Fair, akin to a
National Science Fair. The students could pick a current geographic
problem (local or regional, alone or in groups) explore it, offer
analysis and even suggest one or more ways to address it. I’d be happy
to be a judge and I’d be far more likely to tune in to the finals on TV
where some hip geography teacher interviewed each of the presenters. </div>
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</div>
<div id="cke_pastebin">
I know this sort of teaching and learning is more complex than
memorization and that grading the projects and selecting winners would
be harder than the current tests used in the Bee. Still, project-based
learning is the “in thing”; perhaps project-based competition will be,
too? And, in the real world we do projects, not tests!</div>
<div id="cke_pastebin">
</div>
<div id="cke_pastebin">
It’s not lost on me that quiz-show host Alex Trebek hosts the National
Geography Bee finals on TV. We need to rebrand geography from a category
in a quiz show to an activity that people do.</div>
<br />
<h1 class="title">
</h1>
Ghost Gunshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05492039854712526130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-400843879776543624.post-3871465395428210472013-01-29T10:43:00.002-08:002013-01-29T10:43:29.911-08:00Ice Age in the Hudson Valley: A Geographical HistoryFrom Hudson Valley Magazine: <a href="http://www.hvmag.com/Hudson-Valley-Magazine/February-2013/Ice-Age-in-the-Hudson-Valley-A-Geographical-History/"> Ice Age in the Hudson Valley: A Geographical History</a><br />
<br />
<span class="dropcap">W</span>hen you or I stand upon the great lawn at the <a href="http://www.hvmag.com/Hudson-Valley-Magazine/Hudson-Valley-Resources/Travel/index.php/name/Vanderbilt-Mansion-and-Historic-Site/listing/20365/" target="_self">Vanderbilt Mansion</a>
in Hyde Park, we picture ourselves living the grand lifestyle of fin de
siècle Hudson Valley aristocracy, of opulent balls and market-rigging
business deals held amid the stunning landscape of river and mountains.
When Johanna and Robert Titus stand on that same lawn, they picture
something a bit different. In their minds’ eye, they are knee-deep in
water, at the edge of a vast lake that stretches from the middle of the
eastern Valley counties to the middle of the western ones, and from
somewhere near Glens Falls all the way to the Atlantic Ocean (which is
about 100 miles further out and 400 feet lower than it is now). The
couple also envisions gigantic glaciers, which cover the continent from
mid-Long Island, through Chicago and Omaha, to the Dakotas, Montana, and
the Great Northwest — and are in the process of melting back to the
Arctic.<br />
The Tituses, you see, are standing at the Vanderbilt Mansion circa
15,000 years BP (the geological term meaning “before present”). Robert
has a Ph.D. in geology and teaches at Hartwick College; Johanna has a
master’s in molecular biology and teaches at SUNY Dutchess. You may know
them as columnists for <em>Kaatskill Life</em> and other newspapers. They recently published a delightful book called <em>The Hudson Valley in the Ice Age: A Geographical History and Tour</em>
(Black Dome Press, $17.95). Part popular science, part travelogue, it
is that rare science book that is both challenging and entertaining.
Readers learn about arcane geological formations like moraines, alluvial
fans, and rock drumlins. Better yet, they discover where to find the
remnants of these formations via hikes and drive-bys at dozens of easily
accessible spots around the Valley. Consider these locales postcards
from the ice age.<br />
We asked the Tituses to pick a handful of their favorite locations
where interested parties can launch their own geological time travel.
Once you start, our beautiful Valley will never look quite the same
again:<br />
<strong>The floor of glacial Lake Albany</strong><br />
That’s what the previously mentioned lake is known as, and the site of
the Vanderbilt estate is just one of many places where you can easily
imagine the soft, flat lake bottom. “Get used to the idea that anytime
you see flat landscapes, you may well be literally on the floor of the
lake,” Robert says. The thruway south of Kingston, for instance, was
built on such a flat stretch of land, which is the result of deposits
left behind as mud on the floor of the lake. “Flat isn’t all that
interesting, until you realize you are at a lake bottom,” he says.<br />
<table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="1" style="width: 200px;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
<div class="photo-credit">
<img alt="springwood" src="http://www.hvmag.com/Hudson-Valley-Magazine/February-2013/Ice-Age-in-the-Hudson-Valley-A-Geographical-History/NEW_History_Ch-29-1.jpg" style="height: 263px; width: 350px;" />FDR’s Springwood is perched on the edge of an ice age delta</div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<strong>North Lake</strong> The area’s many lakes and rivers are all
remnants of the Hudson Valley glacier, which preceded and then was
overridden by the Laurentide Ice Sheet that covered all of the northern
reaches of North America. As the ice advanced, it left scratches in the
rock, called striations. One of the best places to find these is along
the eastern shore of North Lake in Haines Falls. “Look at the bedrock at
the edge of the water, and you’ll see the footprints of glaciers,”
Robert says.<br />
<strong>The Kaaterskill Clove</strong> When deltas, like the one the
Vanderbilt Mansion sits on, are carved into gorges by rivers, they are
called cloves. In the Catskills, the Kaaterskill Clove — which contains
Kaaterskill Falls and the Red Chasm — is an example of this; at its
bottom is Palenville, which sits on a formation known as an alluvial
fan. Streams from the retreating glacier all headed into this delta in a
fan-shaped formation, cutting through rock, sand, and clay to create
the landscape. Johanna recommends that you stop at Red Chasm. “This is a
really scenic spot — many use it to swim — and you can really see how
the waters from the melting ice carved the canyon,” she says.<br />
What’s most important about this site, the Tituses say, is that this
landscape carved by melting glaciers became the touchstone of the Hudson
River School of Art. “Thomas Cole painted his first paintings there,
and they figure so importantly in the cultural history of the Hudson
Valley,” Robert says. “And that all comes out of the ice age.”<br />
<table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="1" style="width: 200px;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
<div class="photo-credit" style="text-align: left;">
<img alt="high falls spillway" src="http://www.hvmag.com/Hudson-Valley-Magazine/February-2013/Ice-Age-in-the-Hudson-Valley-A-Geographical-History/NEW_History_Ch-16-3.jpg" style="height: 188px; width: 250px;" />The High Falls spillway in Greene County once drained a glacial lake</div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<strong>The Mansions</strong> The big houses built on the eastern edge
of the river, including Vanderbilt Mansion and FDR’s Springwood, are all
positioned on ice age deposits at the bottom of glacial Lake Albany.
Hyde Park rests on one of the lake’s biggest deltas, and the mansions
sit on the crest of that delta. “The aristocracy didn’t know it, but 150
years ago [when they were building their mansions] they were following
the path of the glaciers,” Robert says.<br />
They also didn’t know that one day, their houses might slip toward the
river valley. The houses are not built on bedrock; they sit on soft
sediments like clay. Whenever you hear of a home damaged by a landslide,
usually after a heavy rain, it’s the result of land like this sliding
down the slope of the prehistoric lake bed. “The sediments are very
prone to landslides,” Robert says. “We have met people who lost homes
that slid downhill, and we have visited homes to evaluate their threat
of slides and had to tell them they were threatened. It is a present
danger anywhere in the Valley where these deposits exist.”<br />
The Tituses say they have seen evidence of the bigger mansions
installing new drainage systems to shore up the grounds on which they
sit. “But there is no way to know when a landslide might happen,” Robert
says. “It could be 1,000 years, or 10,000 years, or in March if we get a
lot of rain.” He doubts the latter, though. “The land has been there
15,000 years, so I don’t think there is an immediate threat.”<br />
<table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="1" style="width: 200px;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
<div class="photo-credit">
<img alt="patterson's pellet" src="http://www.hvmag.com/Hudson-Valley-Magazine/February-2013/Ice-Age-in-the-Hudson-Valley-A-Geographical-History/NEW_History_Ch-3-8.jpg" style="height: 199px; width: 300px;" />Patterson’s Pellet in Minnewaska State Park, a glacial erratic</div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<strong>The Pine Bush</strong> These days, the Pine Bush Preserve in
Albany County is a foliage-covered plot of hilly, sandy soil. Just after
the glaciers retreated, though, it was a small desert not unlike
something you’d see in <em>Lawrence of Arabia</em>. “All that was
missing were camels,” Robert says. The sand was blown in from what is
now Schenectady County, which then was one of Lake Albany’s biggest
deltas. As the lake retreated, the sandy deposits at its bottom were
blown by the west winds and dropped here, forming the dunes and swales
that have since been overgrown. “Stand on top of the dunes and imagine
what the area looked like 12,000 years ago,” he suggests.<br />
There are many more spots where you can pick up the ice age trail.
Along their upper edges, the Shawangunks reveal erratic striations left
by the passage of ice. Frederic Church’s Olana near Hudson sits atop a
rock drumlin, a hill shaped like an inverted spoon bowl, which is a
signature of glacial advance. “Each location has its own chapter. We
suggest you pick up the book and go see what we saw,” Robert says,
“because it is an autobiography of our great adventures.” Adventures
that can take you to the dawn of your own homeland.<br />
<h4>
<strong>Speaking of ice...</strong></h4>
The Tituses discuss their book at:<br />
• Mine Kill State Park at the Power Authority. Off State Hwy. 30, North
Blenheim. Feb. 2, call for time (weather permitting); 518-827-6111<br />
• John Boyd Thacher State Park Nature Center. 87 Nature Center Way, Voorheesville. Feb. 23 at 2 p.m.; 518-872-0800<br />
• <a href="http://www.hvmag.com/Hudson-Valley-Magazine/Hudson-Valley-Resources/Arts/index.php/name/Albany-Institute-of-History-and-Art/listing/20147/" target="_self">The Albany Institute of History and Art</a>. 125 Washington Ave., Albany. March 10 at 2 p.m.; 518-463-4478 or <a href="http://www.albanyinstitute.org/" target="_blank"><em>www.albanyinstitute.org </em></a><br />
<br />
<h1>
</h1>
Ghost Gunshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05492039854712526130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-400843879776543624.post-76167875179482512382013-01-24T14:59:00.001-08:002013-01-24T14:59:24.523-08:00OMG!Never realized I hadn't posted in over 2 weeks!<br />
<br />
Sorry, folks<br />
<br />
Things have just gotten away from me the last week and a half...posting should be back on schedule starting this weekend.Ghost Gunshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05492039854712526130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-400843879776543624.post-64835264318430536212013-01-11T11:45:00.001-08:002013-01-11T11:45:08.281-08:00Pop quiz: where is the Crimea?From Yahoo News: <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/2-000-old-treasure-discovered-black-sea-fortress-151425299.html">2,000-Year-Old Treasure Discovered In Black Sea Fortress</a><br />
<br />
<div class="first" id="yui_3_5_1_21_1357933303209_269">
Residents of a town under siege by the Roman army about 2,000 years ago
buried two hoards of treasure in the town's citadel — treasure recently
excavated by archaeologists.</div>
<div id="yui_3_5_1_21_1357933303209_265">
More than 200 coins, mainly bronze, were found along with "various
items of gold, silver and bronze jewelry and glass vessels" inside an
ancient fortress within the Artezian settlement in the Crimea (in
Ukraine), the researchers wrote in the most recent edition of the
journal Ancient Civilizations from Scythia to Siberia.</div>
<div id="yui_3_5_1_21_1357933303209_270">
"The fortress had been besieged. Wealthy people from the settlement and
the neighborhood had tried to hide there from the Romans. They had
buried their hoards inside the citadel," Nikolaï Vinokurov, a professor
at Moscow State Pedagogical University, explained. [<a href="http://www.livescience.com/26148-ancient-buried-treasure-photos.html" rel="nofollow">See Photos of the Buried Treasure</a>]</div>
<div id="yui_3_5_1_21_1357933303209_271">
Artezian, which covered an area of at least 3.2 acres (1.3 hectares)
and also had a necropolis (a cemetery), was part of the Bosporus
Kingdom. At the time, the kingdom's fate was torn between two brothers
—Mithridates VIII, who sought independence from Rome, and his younger
brother, Cotys I, who was in favor of keeping the kingdom a client state
of the growing empire. Rome sent an army to support Cotys, establishing
him in the Bosporan capital and torching settlements controlled by
Mithridates, including Artezian.</div>
People huddled in the fortress for protection as <a href="http://www.livescience.com/24246-ancient-carthage.html" rel="nofollow">the Romans attacked</a>,
but Vinokurov said they knew they were doomed. "We can say that these
hoards were funeral sacrifices. It was obvious for the people that they
were going to die shortly," he wrote in an email to LiveScience. The
siege and fall of the fortress occurred in AD 45.<br />
Curiously, each hoard included exactly 55 coins minted by Mithridates
VIII. "This is possibly just a simple coincidence, or perhaps these were
equal sums received by the owners of these caskets from the supporters
of Mithridates," the team wrote in its paper.<br />
<strong>A Greek lifestyle</strong><br />
Vinokurov's team, including a number of volunteers, has been exploring
Artezian since 1989 and has found that the people of the settlement
followed a culture that was distinctly Greek. The population's ethnicity
was mixed, Vinokurov wrote, "but their culture was pure Greek. They
spoke Greek language, had Greek school; the architecture and
fortification were Greek as well. They were Hellenes by culture but not
that pure by blood."<br />
Greeks are known to have created colonies on the Black Sea centuries
earlier, intermarrying with the Crimeans. The customs and art forms they
introduced appear to have persisted through the ages despite being
practiced nearly 600 miles (1,000 kilometers) from Greece itself.<br />
This Greek influence can be seen in <a href="http://www.livescience.com/20749-image-gallery-ancient-treasure-trove-revealed.html" rel="nofollow">the treasures</a> the people of Artezian buried. Among them is a silver brooch engraved with an image of <a href="http://www.livescience.com/5709-ancient-aphrodite-figures-hint-pagan-resistance.html" rel="nofollow">Aphrodite</a>, the Greek goddess of love, and gold rings with gems engraved with images of Nemesis and Tyche, both Greek deities.<br />
<div id="yui_3_5_1_21_1357933303209_273">
When archaeologists excavated other portions of the torched site they found more evidence of <a href="http://www.livescience.com/18697-christianity-evidence-tomb-inscriptions.html" rel="nofollow">a Greek lifestyle</a>.</div>
<div id="yui_3_5_1_21_1357933303209_272">
"In the burnt level of the early citadel, many fragmentary small terra cotta figures were found depicting <a href="http://www.livescience.com/26056-athenian-snake-goddess-demeter.html" rel="nofollow">Demeter</a>,
Cora, Cybele, Aphrodite with a dolphin, Psyche and Eros, a maiden with
gifts, Hermes, Attis, foot soldiers and warriors on horseback,
semi-naked youths," the researchers wrote in their paper, adding
fragments of a miniature oinochoai (a form of Greek pottery) and small
jugs for libations also were found.</div>
<div id="yui_3_5_1_21_1357933303209_287">
All this was torched by the Romans and later rebuilt by Cotys I, who
had been successfully enthroned by Rome. However the treasures of the
earlier inhabitants remained undiscovered beneath the surface, a
testament to a desperate stand against the growing power of Rome.</div>
Ghost Gunshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05492039854712526130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-400843879776543624.post-64833818718625596022013-01-08T08:21:00.001-08:002013-01-08T08:21:34.531-08:00Posting resumes Thursday<strong><em>I know I've been saying this periodically but this will be the last time I say it...I'm visiting relatives and although they have Wi fi I don't have a private room to work.</em></strong><br />
<strong><em></em></strong> <br />
<strong><em>I'll be home Thursaday and will get back into the swing of things then.</em></strong>Ghost Gunshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05492039854712526130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-400843879776543624.post-5577770090102626372013-01-01T15:04:00.001-08:002013-01-01T15:04:22.659-08:00The New Geography of JobsFrom Bacon's Rebellion: <a href="http://www.baconsrebellion.com/2012/12/the-new-geography-of-jobs.html">The New Geography of Jobs</a><br />
<br />
“<a href="http://www.amazon.com/New-Geography-Jobs-Enrico-Moretti/dp/0547750110/ref=sr_1_1_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1356961475&sr=1-1&keywords=New+Geography+of+Jobs" target="_blank">The New Geography of Jobs</a>”
is arguably the most important book about urban economics published in
2012. Author Enrico Moretti, an Italian-born economics professor at
Berkeley, analyzes the great divergence occurring between metropolitan
regions in the United States. While much of his narrative about the
“innovation” sector as the key driver in regional growth will be
familiar to readers of Richard Florida, Moretti provides a valuable
counter-balance to Florida’s theories about the creative class.<br />
Just as Florida ascribes remarkable wealth-creating properties to the
“creative class,” Moretti puts the innovation sector — referring
primarily to high-tech industry clusters — at the center of his
analysis. While Florida suggests that members of the creative class
gravitate to metropolitan areas that offer a particular set of attitudes
(openness, tolerance) and amenities (urban cafe lifestyle, street arts
scene), Moretti argues that the economic logic of labor markets are the
driving factor.<br />
To Moretti, metropolitan regions are labor pools. The labor that
really matters in a knowledge economy is college-educated labor. And
what matters even more than generic college-educated labor is labor with
technology-related competencies in demand by the corporations that
create innovative products and services. “In the world of innovation,”
Moretti writes, “productivity and creativity can outweigh labor and real
estate costs.”<br />
Thus, a region like San Fransisco/San Jose can have outrageous costs
of living and doing business yet tech businesses migrate there because
that’s where the talent is. And talent moves there because that’s where
the jobs are. By doing a better job of matching employers with workers,
the productivity-enhancing advantages of “thick” labor markets like
Silicon Valley’s more than compensate for the region’s higher costs.<br />
There are two other critical benefits to industry clustering, Moretti
writes. Innovation clusters attract investment capital, which funds and
nurtures business start-ups. And clusters have what he calls almost
“magical” spillover effects. “New ideas are rarely born in a vacuum.
Research shows that social interactions among creative workers tend to
generate learning opportunities that enhance innovation and
productivity. This flow and diffusion of knowledge represents a crucial
third advantage for workers and firms that locate within an innovation
cluster.”<br />
Thus, regions with strong knowledge clusters tend to grow, attracting
both corporations and employees. Regions with weak knowledge clusters
tend to remain weak. A third class of cities, which are caught in
between, have uncertain futures.<br />
The great public policy question for wanna-be growth centers is how
to jump-start an innovation cluster. Broadly speaking, regions have
followed two types of approaches. One is a demand-side approach,
attracting employers with the hope that workers will follow. The other
is the supply-side approach, improving a city’s amenities to lure
talented workers in the hope that corporations will come. Following (and
often misinterpreting) the theories of Richard Florida, many regions
have invested public resources in a futile effort to make themselves
“cool” and attract the creative class.<br />
Moretti demolishes that reasoning: “It is certainly true that cities
that have built a solid economic base in the innovation sector are often
lively, interesting, and culturally open-minded. However, it is
important to distinguish cause from effect. The history of successful
innovation clusters suggests that in many cases, cities became
attractive because they succeeded in building a solid economic base, not
vice versa.”<br />
Seattle, for instance, was a dump before Microsoft landed there and
created a thick labor market for Amazon.com and a swarm of technology
start-ups. Now the region is the epitome of cool. Conversely, Berlin may
be the coolest city in Europe from the perspective of artistic
creativity, Moretti argues. But technologically, it ranks low on the
innovation index, and its income is lower than many other German cities.<br />
What, then, can regions do? Building world-class universities is no
panacea. For every Stanford/Silicon Valley, there’s a Johns
Hopkins/Baltimore. How about a “big push” industrial policy — targeting a
growth industry with public investment? Such approaches might be
successful, he contends, but they are very expensive and very risky.
Governments chase fads; they are not good at picking winners and losers.
How about investing in schools and universities to create home-grown
human capital? Great idea, except in the absence of local innovation
clusters, the talent will move away. Regions subsidize the development
of someone else’s workforce.<br />
At times, Moretti sounds as if the rise of innovation clusters is a
matter of serendipity, beyond the ken of government policy wonks to
manipulate. Who could have predicted the rise of Microsoft? Who could
have predicted its transformative effect on Seattle? One of the few
tangible policy proposals he advances is to reform immigration policy to
encourage well-educated foreigners (not unlike himself) to settle in
the United States. They contribute disproportionately to wealth
creation. Of course, they, too, tend to migrate to the nation’s main
innovation centers.<br />
<strong>Bacon’s bottom line:</strong> Other than to replicate Seattle
by giving rise to a Microsoft-scale success story — in other words, by
getting lucky — there is no simple answer. I distrust industrial policy
of picking industries, whether conducted at the national level or the
regional level. And the pseudo-Creative Class approach of investing
scarce public resources in urban amenities that attract young, educated
workers is equally problematic unless corporations can be recruited or
businesses launched to hire them.<br />
My inclination is to stick with the basics. Government should focus
on a few things and do them well. Here in Virginia, and throughout
American, that means reforming key broken institutions — K-12, higher
ed, health care, transportation and land use — while keeping taxes as
low as practicable and the business climate as hospitable as possible. I
do think there is a role for making regions attractive to the creative
class but those initiatives are best left to the civic realm. In sum,
regional success is like personal success — the harder you work, the
luckier you get.<br />
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Ghost Gunshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05492039854712526130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-400843879776543624.post-83414473170073407242012-12-30T09:50:00.000-08:002012-12-30T09:50:21.370-08:00Where in the world? A geography quiz for travelersFrom the Seattle Times: <a href="http://seattletimes.com/html/travel/2019995437_geographyquizxml.html">Where in the world? A geography quiz for travelers</a><br />
<br />
<em>It’s that time of year again when we roll out NWTraveler’s annual
geography quiz. So sharpen your pencil, and your mind, and test your
knowledge of places near and far. </em><br />
<strong>CLOSE TO HOME </strong><br />
<strong>1.</strong> What two major rivers flow by Portland?<br />
<strong>2.</strong> What town is at the southwest tip of Washington?<br />
<strong>3.</strong> Name at least four Western Washington rivers ending in “mish.”<br />
<strong>4.</strong> Americans sometimes call them “the Canadian San Juans.” What’s the real name of the islands?<br />
<strong>5.</strong> Which is farther north, Bellingham, Wash., or Victoria, B.C.?<br />
<strong>6.</strong> What is the highest mountain in Olympic National Park?<br />
<strong>7.</strong> The Washington town of Metaline Falls is on which river?<br />
<strong>8.</strong> Which state has a bigger population, Washington or Oregon?<br />
<strong>9.</strong> What is the overall name for the inland marine waters of southwest British Columbia and northwest Washington?<br />
<strong>10.</strong> What national forest covers much of the northwest Cascades in Washington?<br />
<strong>FARAWAY PLACES</strong><br />
<strong>1.</strong> Which country is larger in area, the United States or Brazil?<br />
<strong>2.</strong> What island nation sits off southern India?<br />
<strong>3.</strong> Name at least three countries that border Kenya.<br />
<strong>4.</strong> What body of water divides Alaska and Russia?<br />
<strong>5.</strong> Name two landlocked South American countries.<br />
<strong>AMERICAN STATE CAPITALS </strong><br />
<strong>1. </strong>The capital of Idaho has a name derived from French. What is it?<br />
<strong>2.</strong> Name the four U.S. state capitals whose names include the word “City.”<br />
<strong>3.</strong> What four state capitals were named for U.S. presidents?<br />
<strong>4.</strong> What state capital has the largest population within its city limits?<br />
<strong>5.</strong> Name at least five state capitals situated on saltwater.<br />
<strong>WORLD CAPITALS</strong><br />
<strong>1.</strong>What is the capital of Malaysia?<br />
<strong>2.</strong> Name the capital of Brazil.<br />
<strong>3.</strong> What is the capital of Bhutan?<br />
<strong>4.</strong> What is Australia’s capital?<br />
<strong>5.</strong> Name the capital of Costa Rica.<br />
<strong>WERE YOU PAYING ATTENTION?</strong><br />
<strong>1.</strong> Name at least three of the five national parks in Utah.<br />
<strong>2.</strong> How many states are there in Mexico?<br />
<strong>3.</strong> What is the second biggest Italian island?<br />
<strong>4.</strong> Where will the 2014 Winter Olympics be held?<br />
<strong>5.</strong> What is the second biggest Hawaiian island after the Big Island?<br />
<br />
ANSWERS:<br />
<strong>CL</strong><strong>OSE TO HOME</strong><br />
<strong></strong><strong>1. </strong><strong></strong>Columbia River and Willamette River.<br />
<strong>2.</strong> Ilwaco, Pacific County.<br />
<strong>3.</strong> Duwamish, Snohomish, Skykomish, Stillaguamish, Skokomish, Samish, Sammamish.<br />
<strong>4</strong>. The Gulf Islands (in British Columbia). <strong></strong><br />
<strong>5.</strong> Bellingham.<br />
<strong>6</strong>. Mount Olympus (7,980 feet).<br />
<strong>7</strong>. Pend Oreille River.<br />
<strong>8</strong>. Washington (approximately 6.8 million people; Oregon has 3.8 million).<br />
<strong>9</strong>. Salish Sea.<br />
<strong>10</strong>: Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.<br />
<strong>FARAWAY PLACES </strong><br />
<strong></strong><strong>1</strong>. The United States (3.79 million square miles vs. Brazil’s 3.28 million).<br />
<strong>2</strong>. Sri Lanka.<br />
<strong>3</strong>. Ethiopia, Somalia, Tanzania, Uganda and South Sudan border Kenya.<br />
<strong>4</strong>. The Bering Strait.<br />
<strong>5</strong>. Paraguay and Bolivia.<br />
<strong>AMERICAN STATE CAPITALS </strong><br />
<strong>1. </strong>Boise (derived from the French for “trees” or “wooded”).<br />
<strong>2.</strong> Carson City (Nev.), Jefferson City (Mo.), Oklahoma City (Okla.), Salt Lake City (Utah).<br />
<strong>3.</strong> Jackson, Miss.; Jefferson City, Mo.; Lincoln, Neb.; Madison, Wis.<br />
<strong>4.</strong> Phoenix, Ariz. (1,469,471, according to 2011 census figures).<br />
<strong>5.</strong> Annapolis, Md.; Boston, Mass.; Honolulu, Hawaii;
Juneau, Alaska; Olympia, Wash.; Providence, R.I. (Bonus point: Salt Lake
City, Utah, touches a marsh at the edge of the Great Salt Lake.)<br />
<strong>WORLD CAPITALS</strong><br />
<strong>1</strong>. Kuala Lumpur.<br />
<strong>2</strong>. Brasilia.<br />
<strong>3</strong>. Thimphu.<br />
<strong>4</strong>. Canberra.<br />
<strong>5</strong>. San Jose.<br />
<strong>WERE YOU PAYING ATTENTION? </strong><br />
<strong>1</strong>. Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef and Zion national parks.<br />
<strong>2</strong>. 31 states plus the federal district of Mexico City.<br />
<strong>3</strong>. Sardinia (Sicily is the biggest).<br />
<strong>4</strong>. Sochi, Russia.<br />
<strong>5</strong>. Maui (727 square miles compared to the Big Island’s 4,028 square miles)<br />
<br />
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Ghost Gunshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05492039854712526130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-400843879776543624.post-80817661057030211412012-12-25T09:17:00.000-08:002012-12-25T09:17:06.396-08:00Geography in the News: Lake-Effect SnowFrom National Geographic: <a href="http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2012/12/23/geography-in-the-news-lake-effect-snow-2/" rel="bookmark">Geography in the News: Lake-Effect Snow</a><br />
<br />
Lake-effect snow has arrived around the Great Lakes as winter has finally come to the Midwest.<br />
During a single 1995 December storm, Buffalo, N.Y., received 40
inches of snow. Although this was a heavy snow, it was not a record for
Buffalo. Buffalo’s geographic location places it in position to receive
some of the Eastern United States’ heaviest urban snowfalls. The ring of
snowfall that occurs around the east side of the Great Lakes is a
phenomenon called lake‑effect snow.<br />
Buffalo is located on the eastern shore of Lake Erie in western New
York State. The city is on a relatively flat glacial lake plain, to the
northwest of the Allegheny portion of the Appalachian Plateau. The plain
formed when a remnant of the Pleistocene continental glacier blocked
the northern drainage of the St. Lawrence River, backing up water into a
huge ice-dammed lake..<br />
<a href="http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2012/12/23/geography-in-the-news-lake-effect-snow-2/605_010402lakesnow2/" rel="attachment wp-att-75177"><img alt="" class="alignnone wp-image-75177" height="365" src="http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/files/2012/12/605_010402lakesnow2-600x522.gif" title="605_010402lakesnow2" width="420" /></a>
The lake finally spilled through the Mohawk Valley into the Hudson
River Valley and exited at present‑day New York City. The valley became a
glacial spillway. Today it is a broad, flat valley occupied by the tiny
Mohawk River.<br />
Buffalo’s growth was stimulated by its location at the eastern end of
Lake Erie and at the western end of the Mohawk Valley. The Erie Canal,
following the Mohawk, was completed in 1825 and served as a water link
between New York City and Buffalo. Freight rates for shipping between
Buffalo and New York City immediately dropped by 95 percent and travel
time between the two cities decreased by more than half. This meant that
nearly all goods traveling by land or water between New York City and
the Midwest had to go through Buffalo.<br />
Despite deep snows and winter winds from the lake, Buffalo ‑‑ today a city of more than 621,000 people ‑‑ grew and prospered.<br />
One look at a map of the region confirms that Buffalo is the only
major city on an eastern shore of one of the Great Lakes. In fact, only a
few small towns are found on the east sides of the lakes. Snowy winters
and high lake winds are common in these locations, largely as a result
of a lake‑effect.<br />
Lake‑effect snows result from cold, dry winter winds sweeping from
Canada across unfrozen lakes. As they cross open water, the winds
evaporate some moisture and become warmer. When the moist air reaches
the east sides of the lakes, the air is forced to rise abruptly over the
land and the colder air above the land. The results are exceptional
snowfalls in bands along the southeast sides of the lakes, often
accompanied by the unusual winter phenomena of thunder and lightning.<br />
The most dramatic effect normally extends up to 70 miles (113 km)
inland from the lakes, but bands of light snow and flurries may extend
as far away as the ski resort at Snowshoe, W.Va., on the Appalachian
Plateau.<br />
Most winter air from Canada is very dry and generally brings only
flurries, except on the leeward sides of the unfrozen Great Lakes.
Moisture for most heavy snowfalls in the Eastern United States ‑‑
outside of the areas having lake‑effect snows ‑‑ comes from the Gulf of
Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean.<br />
Lake‑effect snows around the Great Lakes begin to cease when the
Great Lakes mostly freeze over, usually by February. An interesting
feature about the freezing of lakes is that all the water in the lake
must cool to 39 degrees F (4 C) before the surface can cool to 32 F (0
C) and freeze. The result is that a shallow lake–such as Lake Erie, the
shallowest of the five lakes–freezes over earlier and more frequently
than the other Great Lakes.<br />
Buffalo’s average annual snowfall is nearly 100 inches (2.5 m), but
some surprising snowfalls have taken place in lake‑effect locations. For
example, Oswego, near the east end of Lake Ontario, received 101 inches
(2.56 m) in five days in 1966. Buffalo received 48 inches (1.2 m) in
one day in 1937. During the blizzard of 1977, Buffalo received over 120
inches (3 m) by the end of January, with February and March yet to go.<br />
Few who have witnessed a heavy Buffalo snowfall accompanied by thunder and lightning ever forget it.<br />
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Ghost Gunshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05492039854712526130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-400843879776543624.post-42255092973273045652012-12-19T14:20:00.001-08:002012-12-19T14:20:00.996-08:00New posting scheduleNow that I've got this new full-time job, I'll be posting in this blog twice a week - on Monday's and Wednesdays.<br />
<br />
So the next post for this blog will be on Monday.<br />
<br />
Thanks for your patience.Ghost Gunshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05492039854712526130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-400843879776543624.post-91425030407064017242012-12-17T15:56:00.001-08:002012-12-17T15:56:48.312-08:00Posts resume this WednesdayI'm a freelance writer and I am way behind on a job I have to do, so I won't be posting here until Wednesday..<br />
<br />
Thanks for your patience!<br />
<br />Ghost Gunshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05492039854712526130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-400843879776543624.post-86103036182511917092012-12-10T00:30:00.000-08:002012-12-10T00:30:05.966-08:00Geography in the News: Storm Surge ThreatsFrom National Geographic: <a href="http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2012/12/08/geography-in-the-news-storm-surge-threats/" rel="bookmark">Geography in the News: Storm Surge Threats</a><br />
<br />
Superstorm Sandy sent a storm surge of 13 feet (4 m) onto New
Jersey’s and New York’s fragile shorelines, creating chaos and
widespread misery for coastal inhabitants. Examining experiences with
hurricanes Katrina and more recently Irene, storm surges clearly create
more damage than wind and rain during these tropical and middle latitude
cyclones.<br />
Storm surges are associated with high winds over water. Wind over
open water can bring not only high water surging onto a shoreline, but
the surge, combined with intense wave action, can pummel shoreline
structures. Parts of demolished structures then become battering rams
with the surging water and waves destroying even more structures.<br />
<a href="http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2012/12/08/geography-in-the-news-storm-surge-threats/1175_120712stormsurge/" rel="attachment wp-att-72951"><img alt="" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-72951" height="248" src="http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/files/2012/12/1175_120712stormsurge.gif" title="1175_120712stormsurge" width="453" /></a>Virtually
all ocean swells and waves are created by wind over water. As wind
speed increases, the height between the tops of swells and the troughs
that separate them increases. As the swells reach the shallow waters of
coastal areas, drag created at the bottoms of swells slows their
movement, creating breaking waves along the shore.<br />
The faster the wind, the larger the body of water<em> </em>and the
longer the wind blows from a single direction, the larger will be the
swells. As these large swells approach the shallower water along the
shores, drag increases along their bottoms causing the tops of the
swells to become closer together. Thus, the net effect is that the water
literally piles up against the shore, creating a storm surge.<br />
Therefore, hurricane-force winds blowing from the Atlantic Ocean
toward the Eastern Shore for several days can push a devastating storm
surge into low coastal areas, overwhelming natural protective dunes.
This process is precisely what happened with Superstorm Sandy between
October 27-31.<br />
Not since Hurricane Katrina struck the Louisiana and Mississippi
coasts in 2005 has there been greater coastal damage from a storm surge
than Sandy’s damage. Katrina was one of the top five deadliest Atlantic
hurricanes with a documented 1,833 dead. By far, the majority of
Katrina’s fatalities were caused by the storm surge that overtopped the
levies and flooded New Orleans’ low Ninth Ward. The protective dikes
were overwhelmed by the surge that reached 25 to 28 feet (7.6 to 8.5 m)
above normal sea level.<br />
Additional factors played supporting roles in Superstorm Sandy’s
increased storm surge. As the counterclockwise rotating storm made
landfall on the New Jersey and New York coasts, the winds on the north
side of the storm came directly onshore driving the full force of the
surge onto the shoreline. In addition, the landfall coincided precisely
with the high tide associated with a full moon (spring tide). As the
moon lines up on the opposite side of the Earth from the sun during a
full moon (<em>syzygy</em>), the gravitational pull between the two intensifies, resulting in higher tides.<br />
Few who endured the direct affects of coastal flooding associated
with Sandy’s storm surge will soon recover from the personal and
emotional damage. Storm surges, however, are the real destructive agents
and represent the most dangerous phenomena associated with tropical
storms.<br />
Superstorm Sandy was a perfect example of the perfect storm, battering the densely populated East Coast with impunity.<br />
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Ghost Gunshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05492039854712526130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-400843879776543624.post-69415644219861229822012-12-09T17:52:00.003-08:002012-12-09T17:52:58.934-08:00Geography students at UW-Eau Claire explore the SouthwestFrom Leader-Telegram: <a href="http://www.leadertelegram.com/features/chippewa_valley/article_149b7d40-7128-5acf-b62d-53a4d297debc.html"><span class="blox-headline entry-title">Geography students at UW-Eau Claire explore the Southwest</span></a><br />
<br />
<div class="content">
<span class="paragraph-0">
Sandy beaches, ocean views, huge sand dunes and military bunkers
were the backdrop for part of a recent UW-Eau Claire geography field
seminar trip to the Southwest region of the United States.<br />
</span>
<span class="paragraph-1">
A student field research project at the Fort Ord Dunes in
Marina, Calif. - a former World War I military post that was converted
into a state park in 2009 - focused on how giant coastal sand dunes
formed over cement bunkers and was the first research to be conducted in
the new park.<br />
</span>
<div class="encrypted-content">
UW-Eau Claire senior Meghan Kelly, a geography major from
Mankato, Minn., said studying the dunes was her favorite part of the
trip.<br />
</div>
<div class="encrypted-content">
"I am most interested in cultural and human geography so my
research focused on the geographical history of the dunes and the human
impact on the environment," Kelly said. "Dunes form in a certain way,
but the geography of this area makes for a more complicated process to
study."<br />
</div>
<div class="encrypted-content">
The class collaborated with graduate students from California
State University, East Bay, and used ground-penetrating radar to study
the layering effects of dunes. Students from both universities continue
to share and analyze data that was collected for their research, which
will be presented at UW-Eau Claire's Student Research Day and the 2013
Association of American Geographers conference.<br />
</div>
<div class="encrypted-content">
"Having the opportunity to actually use tools, such as GPR, in
the field is a great skill to add to my resume," Kelly said. "None of us
have ever used it before, so it was an exciting experience and really
took learning beyond the classroom."<br />
</div>
<div class="encrypted-content">
Harry Jol, UW-Eau Claire professor of geography, and Martin
Goettl, a geospatial technology facilitator at the university, stressed
the importance of giving students field experience during their
undergraduate education.<br />
</div>
<div class="encrypted-content">
"Students developed and processed information differently
because they experienced it," Goettl said. "They gained true knowledge
of what they were working with and had hands-on experience with
geospatial technology."<br />
</div>
<div class="encrypted-content">
Phil Larson, a 2008 UW-Eau Claire alumnus and 2000 graduate of
Prescott High School who currently is pursuing his doctorate,
accompanied the class on the recent trip. He graduated from UW-Eau
Claire with a comprehensive major in geography-resource management and a
minor in geology and is currently a doctoral student at Arizona State
University, working as a geomorphologist.<br />
</div>
<div class="encrypted-content">
Field seminars helped prepare him for graduate school, Larson said.<br />
</div>
<div class="encrypted-content">
"Not only did they provide useful methodological approaches to
varied topics within earth science, they were my introduction to the
rigors of the academic publication and research process," Larson said.<br />
</div>
<div class="encrypted-content">
Larson certainly made an impression on senior geography major
Jackson Becker, of Rochester, Minn. He now plans to follow Larson's path
to graduate school.<br />
</div>
<div class="encrypted-content">
"Seeing what Phil is doing in graduate school made me really
excited," Becker said. "This trip has taught me to look at things in
more detail, which is really important in geography."<br />
</div>
<div class="encrypted-content">
The class traveled to geographically significant places of
interest during the 10-day immersion experience, such as Yosemite, Death
Valley and Zion national parks. The final destination was the Grand
Canyon, where Larson introduced the class to his colleague, John
Douglass, a prominent geographer with alternative theories on the
development of the canyon.<br />
</div>
<div class="encrypted-content">
Like Larson, Douglass encouraged future geographers to look
beyond what is in textbooks and think about new ways of explaining
geographical phenomena. Douglass presented the class with the "lake
overflow theory," which suggests that over millions of years, rivers
from mountains to the east of the Grand Canyon poured water and sediment
into a large basin in the northeast side of the canyon, eventually
spilling over a low point in the ridge causing the formation.<br />
</div>
<div class="encrypted-content">
Becker said he was fascinated by the theory Douglas presented.<br />
</div>
<div class="encrypted-content">
"I really got to see geography in action," Becker said. "I
always thought science was all figured out, but then here is this
scientist teaching us about a cutting-edge theory."<br />
</div>
<div class="encrypted-content">
Field research trips are not common among undergraduate
programs. Immersion experiences receive financial support from UW-Eau
Claire's Blugold Commitment, a student-supported differential tuition
increase designed to enhance student learning.<br />
</div>
<div class="encrypted-content">
"Opportunities for field research are what make UW-Eau Claire
such a unique university," Jol said. "Besides developing academic
skills, students learned how to work as a team under intense
conditions."<br />
</div>
<div class="encrypted-content">
Becker said actually seeing the topics he and other students study in class has helped him gain a better understanding of them.<br />
</div>
<div class="encrypted-content">
"No matter what field you're studying, going out and
experiencing it firsthand makes it all so much clearer. I couldn't be
happier that I went on this trip."<br />
</div>
</div>
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Ghost Gunshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05492039854712526130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-400843879776543624.post-18047465115051445552012-12-05T17:42:00.001-08:002012-12-05T17:42:27.327-08:00Geography bee winner maps out plan for next roundFrom the Advertiser-Tribune: <a href="http://www.advertiser-tribune.com/page/content.detail/id/551347/Geography-bee-winner-maps-out-plan-for-next-round.html?nav=5005">Geography bee winner maps out plan for next round</a><br />
<br />
Eighth-grader Pranav Parsi was the winner of the first round of the
2013 National Geographic Bee Tuesday at Tiffin Middle School.<br />
<br />
"I am very proud and excited," Parsi said.<br />
<br />
About
600 students at the middle school competed in seven rounds of
preliminary classroom competitions resulting in 10 finalists who
competed in the final round.<br />
<br />
Parsi's main goal out of this competition is to have fun and learn more about geography.<br />
<br />
"I had confidence, but I didn't think I was going to win," Parsi said.<br />
<br />
Parsi was in a deadlock and had to enter in a tie-breaker round with second-place winner Catherine Stover.<br />
<br />
After several rounds, Parsi came out on top.<br />
<br />
Students were
asked a series of questions such as "To visit St. Patrick's cathedral in
Dublin and enjoy the Arts Festival in Kilkenny, you would travel to
what country?" and "Which Canadian province produces more than half of
the country's manufactured goods?"<br />
<br />
The other finalists were
sixth-graders Mya Alvarado, Kayla Reuter and Gavin Robison;
seventh-graders Xavier Noftz, Logan O'Donnell and Browning Riley; and
eighth-graders Dathan Liming and Jeffery Morehart.<br />
<br />
Parsi received
a certificate and a National Geographic Society medal. He also will
have his name engraved on a plaque to be kept in the Tiffin Middle
School trophy case.<br />
Other contestants all received certificates from the society.<br />
<br />
The
bee moderator and score keeper was Paula Zirm, gifted education
coordinator; reader, Frank Barber of senecacountyradio.com; and time
keeper and judge, Joe Moore, director of the<br />
International Cultural Center.<br />
<br />
Parsi will have to take a written assessment to advance to the next level of competition to be held at Ohio State University.<br />
<br />
For the test, Parsi said he will study and look over National Geographic books.<br />
<br />
"Personally, I think that it is great for the students to have the opportunity to express their talents," Zirm said.<br />
<br />
Following
state competitions, winners will be eligible to win the national
championship and its first prize, a $25,000 college scholarship. Host of
"Jeopardy!" Alex Trebek will moderate the national finals May 22.<br />
<br />
The
winner also will receive a lifetime membership in the National
Geographic Society and a trip to the Galapagos Islands, courtesy of
Lindbald Expeditions and National Geographic.<br />
<br />
This is the 25th
year the National Geographic Society has held the geography bee for
students in fourth through eighth grades in thousands of schools across
the United States and in the five U.S. territories as well as in the
Department of Defense schools around the world.<br />
<br />
The national 2013
bee is sponsored by Google. Tiffin Middle School bee was sponsored by
the Office of Gifted Education, The International Cultural Center and
TMS.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h1 class="entry-title padBtm">
</h1>
Ghost Gunshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05492039854712526130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-400843879776543624.post-22503868135987257272012-12-05T02:00:00.000-08:002012-12-05T17:45:39.848-08:00All Over the Map: 10 Ways to Teach About GeographyFrom the New York Times: <a href="http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/04/all-over-the-map-10-ways-to-teach-about-geography/">All Over the Map: 10 Ways to Teach About Geography</a><br />
<br />
Geography frequently takes a back seat to history in the social
studies classroom, but teaching geographic literacy is essential if
students are going to understanding the challenges and opportunities of
our complex world.<br />
We have created 10 activities for teaching about geography using Times content, all related to the <a href="http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/standards/national-geography-standards/?ar_a=1">National Geography Standards</a>, which were produced by the <a href="http://genip.tamu.edu/">Geography Education National Implementation Project</a>.<br />
Our
list is a grab-bag of ideas — from designing maps to analyzing border
conflicts — and teachers can use the activities in any order, or as a
road map for tracking ongoing coverage of <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/subjects/g/geography/index.html">geography-related issues</a>.<br /> <span id="more-122372"></span><br /> <strong>1. Start with Geography Bingo:</strong> Use this <a href="http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/blogs/learning/pdf/2012/GeographyStandardsBingoLN.pdf">BINGO card</a>,
which lists many of the geography standards, and find examples of
stories from The New York Times that take on topics like migration,
culture and ecosystems in various ways. When you have a diagonal,
horizontal or vertical row of examples, you have “Bingo!” Students can
search either a print copy of the paper or the online <a href="http://query.nytimes.com/search/query?srchst=nyt&&srcht=a&srchr=n">archives</a>. (Each of the concepts in the squares was taken from the <a href="http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/standards/national-geography-standards/?ar_a=1">National Geography Standards.</a>)<br />
<strong>2. People use <a href="http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/standards/national-geography-standards/2/?ar_a=1">mental maps</a> to understand the world. </strong>
Every time you memorize a route to the grocery store or plot a route
through the subway, you’re using a mental map. It’s one of the key tools
a geographically skilled person uses to navigate their world. Read
these stories on the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/05/opinion/sunday/is-gps-all-in-our-head.html">science of mental mapping</a> and the <a href="http://ideas.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/19/can-gps-help-your-brain-get-lost/">risks of losing such skills</a>
because of technology. Then ask students to think of a time when they
got lost or figured out how to find something, drawing and annotating
their own mental maps to tell the story. Post them in a classroom “Atlas
of the Mind” exhibit.<br />
<strong>3. <a href="http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/standards/national-geography-standards/1/?ar_a=1">Some maps </a> are better than others. </strong> What exactly is a ‘map,’ and what does it do? Ask students to define the term. Then look at these <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/07/27/arts/spatial-maps.html">examples of maps</a>
in The New York Times that use technology, symbols or images to broaden
our understanding. Ask students to explain what each map shows, and how
it conveys more information than a simple road map. Then students can
brainstorm and design their own maps of a place they know well, a
location described in a film or novel, or an imaginary place, using
similar methods to convey detail and enhance people’s understanding.<br />
<strong>4. Groups <a href="http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/standards/national-geography-standards/13/?ar_a=1">struggle over boundaries</a>. </strong>
Palestinians and Israelis have struggled for generations over the
question of borders. Earlier this month the United Nations General
Assembly <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/30/world/middleeast/Palestinian-Authority-United-Nations-Israel.html">voted to grant Palestine nonmember observer status</a>, just a week after the latest <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/11/19/world/middleeast/Mapping-the-Attacks-Gaza-and-Israel.html">cease-fire</a>
in the conflict and 65 years after the U.N. first called for the
creation of separate Jewish and Arab nations in the land then known as
Palestine. Why has it taken <a href="http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/07/the-elephant-in-the-map-room/#more-132441">so long</a>
to draw one map? Ask students to brainstorm the factors that have kept
Palestinians and Israelis from reaching a final agreement on territory
and borders. Then watch this <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/09/05/world/middleeast/challenges-in-defining-an-israeli-palestinian-border.html">series of five videos</a>, noting the arguments and obstacles cited by each side. Does the conflict seem intractable, or do you see signs of progress?<br /> <br /> As a culminating activity, ask students to look for other examples of boundary conflicts in the <a href="http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/category/borderlines/">Borderlines</a>
blog at The New York Times, and hold a class contest to find the most
interesting or compelling examples that no one has ever heard of.<br />
<strong>5. Culture affects <a href="http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/standards/national-geography-standards/6/?ar_a=1">perceptions and stereotypes</a> of other places? </strong>
Everyone holds opinions about other cultures, and they can easily lead
to misunderstandings or disputes. Lead students through a safe
introductory discussion of stereotyping. Then read highlights from this
interview of a business executive who has <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/18/business/global/francois-lancon-on-respecting-cultural-differences.html">learned from his mistakes working in Asia</a> and this story about <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/06/world/europe/perceptions-of-migration-clash-with-reality-report-finds.html">perceptions about immigration in Europe</a>, and discuss the main points or lessons of each story. Ask students to search the <a href="http://query.nytimes.com/search/sitesearch/#/cultural+stereotypes/">archives</a>
and track coverage in The New York Times for examples of stereotyping
in all cultures, gathering examples and making presentations on how
people can resist or counteract this all-too-human tendency.<br />
<hr />
<hr />
<strong>6. The world’s <a href="http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/standards/national-geography-standards/11/?ar_a=1">economy is interconnected</a>, for good and ill. </strong>
It’s old news that globalization has sent many American jobs overseas.
But how exactly does the process work, and what happens when there’s a
glitch? Watch this <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/01/20/business/the-iphone-economy.html">video on the iPhone economy</a>, which explains what happens when the United States gains (or loses) 1,000 manufacturing jobs. Then read stories about how <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/21/business/global/floodwaters-are-gone-but-supply-chain-issues-linger.html">floods in Thailand</a> and an <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/20/business/20supply.html">earthquake and tsunami in Japan</a> threw a monkey wrench in the <a href="http://query.nytimes.com/search/sitesearch/#/supply+chain">global supply chain</a>.
Ask students to make up a fictional American company that produces a
very desirable electronic product, and appoint themselves to the job of
vice president in charge of logistics and supplies. Write a memo to your
boss recommending a long-term strategy for ensuring that your supply
chain is never interrupted for long by an international disaster.<br />
<strong>7. Geography isn’t just about places on a map; it’s about <a href="http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/standards/national-geography-standards/4/?ar_a=1">the people, culture, history and landscape of those places</a>.</strong>
And every vacation or travel story provides an opportunity to gather
information and describe those places. Read some examples of colorful,
descriptive writing in the Travel Section of The New York Times, like
the <a href="http://frugaltraveler.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/06/29/more-riviera-but-this-time-in-albani/">Frugal Traveler</a> blog and the <a href="http://query.nytimes.com/search/sitesearch/?vertical=travel/#/journeys">Journeys</a>
columns. Then ask students to write their own travel stories about a
place they’ve visited, either locally or farther from home, using vivid
examples and description to help readers fully imagine that place.<br />
<strong>8. People <a href="http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/standards/national-geography-standards/14/?ar_a=1">change or modify the environment </a> for better or worse. </strong>Since the dawn of time, populations have grown and expanded. Read about the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/25/world/americas/swallowing-rain-forest-brazilian-cities-surge-in-amazon.html">growth of cities</a> within the Brazilian rain forest, and watch a <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/video/2012/03/24/world/americas/100000001448717/paraguays-fading-forest.html">video about efforts in Paraguay</a> to protect similar woodlands. Then explore the <a href="http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/">Dot Earth </a>blog at The New York Times to find more stories about the effort to <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/science/20071024_DOTEARTH_FEATURE/index.html">balance environmental and human needs</a>, like this project by scientists to <a href="http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/20/mapping-gas-leaks-from-aging-urban-pipes/">map gas leaks</a>
in cities. Ask students to pick a topic related to humanity’s
management of the environment and global resources, track coverage and
identify the most promising solutions, presenting their findings in a
Sustainability Fair.<br />
<strong>9. <a href="http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/standards/national-geography-standards/15/?ar_a=1">Physical systems</a> affect or threaten people.</strong>
From storms and earthquakes to global warming, it’s clear that the
physical environment exerts a powerful effect on people. Sometimes, as
with <a href="http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/30/teaching-hurricane-sandy-ideas-and-resources/">Hurricane Sandy</a>,
the impact is destructive. But environmental challenges also offer
opportunities for people to create new industries and systems to provide
a safer future. Brainstorm with students on whether the New York City
metropolitan region ought to take steps to prevent future storm-related
flooding, or simply move the city to higher ground. Then read this story
on <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/08/nyregion/after-hurricane-sandy-debating-costly-sea-barriers-in-new-york-area.html">floodgates in Connecticut</a>, a proposal for <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/20/science/creating-a-balloonlike-plug-to-hold-back-floodwaters.html">inflatable subway-stoppers</a> and this Room for Debate <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2012/11/01/should-new-york-build-sea-gates">feature</a>. As a culminating activity, students can write letters to local officials suggesting the wisest policy.<br />
<strong>10. People <a href="http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/standards/national-geography-standards/9/?ar_a=1">settle or migrate</a> to new places. </strong>People
make decisions on where to live for all kinds of reasons; some are
pulled to a new destination, while others are pushed or blocked from
leaving by factors beyond their control. Divide students into small
groups, and assign each group to read one of these stories about
migration trends within the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/28/us/americans-migration-patterns-shifting.html">United States</a>, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/04/world/asia/04migrants.html">Asia</a>, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/23/world/europe/malta-struggles-under-wave-of-african-migrants.html">Europe</a> and <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/06/world/americas/migrants-new-paths-reshaping-latin-america.html">Latin America</a>, or find their own stories in the <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/i/immigration-and-emigration/index.html">archives</a>
of The New York Times. For each story, students can fill in a Post-it
note under the heading “Pushed,” “ Pulled” or “Blocked,” summarizing the
situation and posting it on a class map of the world. Each group can
then present their findings to the class.<br />
<br />
<h1 class="entry-title">
</h1>
Ghost Gunshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05492039854712526130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-400843879776543624.post-66446595758910110052012-12-03T00:30:00.000-08:002012-12-03T00:30:05.181-08:00EU-China Geographical Indications – "10 plus 10" project is now completeFrom Europa EU: <a href="http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-12-1297_en.htm"> EU-China Geographical Indications – "10 plus 10" project is now complete</a><br />
<br />
<div class="A_Standard__35__20_Normal">
A project aiming at ensuring
protection of 10 famous EU food names in China, the biggest consumer
market in the world, has now been finalised. "<span class="A__T1">Grana Padano</span>", "<span class="A__T1">Prosciutto di Parma</span>" and "<span class="A__T1">White Stilton cheese</span>" / "<span class="A__T1">Blue Stilton cheese</span>"
were the last of 10 EU names that have been protected as Geographical
Indications in China as part of the so-called "10+10 project". In
parallel, the European Commission has examined and registered 10 Chinese
food names with the last 2 Chinese names "<span class="A__T1">Pinggu da Tao</span>" (peach) and "<span class="A__T1">Dongshan Bai Lu Sun</span>"
(asparagus) receiving protected status in the EU as Geographical
Indications. These 10 Chinese names have been added to the more than
1000 names of agricultural products and foodstuffs, which are protected
in the EU (among them 13 non-EU GIs). Not only does the GI system
provide an important protection against imitations, but it is also known
to be a useful marketing tool. </div>
<div class="A_Standard__35__20_Normal">
Commissioner Cioloş welcomed the completion of the project: "<span class="A__T1">The
EU and China have rich traditions in the production of quality
products, and the GI system is a good way of highlighting these regional
traditions to consumers. China is a key future export market for EU
food products. The completion of the 10+10 is an important step in the
process towards a better protection in China of EU Geographical
Indications for agricultural products and foodstuffs. We are now looking
to build on this success through negotiating a broader bilateral
agreement on GIs, which we hope to conclude in the course of 2013</span>."</div>
<div class="A_Standard_Sous-titre_20_1">
Background</div>
<div class="A_Standard__35__20_Normal">
The pilot project started in July 2007 when both the EU (European Commission) and China (AQSIQ<span class="A__Footnote_20_Symbol"><a href="http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-12-1297_en.htm#footnote-1"><sup>1</sup></a></span>)
formally lodged applications for the protection of 10 agriculture GIs
in each other's territories. Since then, each of the Chinese GIs has
undergone examination, including the right of any interested party to
oppose registration. While the geographical indications systems are
similar, significant differences in procedures and linguistic problems
had to be overcome. The process was given an additional boost when EU
Agriculture Commissioner Dacian Cioloș visited China in 2010, including a
trip to see the production of Longjing Tea. </div>
<div class="A__35__20_Normal_P11">
In terms of value, China is among the 5
most important export markets of EU GI products (agricultural products,
foodstuffs, wines and spirits). In 2010 the total value of GI exports to
China amounted to more than € 650 million<span class="A__Footnote_20_Symbol"><a href="http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-12-1297_en.htm#footnote-2"><sup>2</sup></a></span>.
Wines and spirits represent the biggest part in terms of value:
between 2005 and 2010 the exports of EU GI wines and spirits to China
increased fourfold, i.e. by more than 400%.</div>
<br />
<h1>
</h1>
Ghost Gunshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05492039854712526130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-400843879776543624.post-12727599963841490052012-12-02T15:00:00.003-08:002012-12-02T15:00:50.976-08:00TX: Ed briefs: Geography bee slated for Dec. 5; Pacelli Honor Roll announcedFrom Austin Daily Herald: <a href="http://www.austindailyherald.com/2012/12/01/ed-briefs-geography-bee-slated-for-dec-5-pacelli-honor-roll-announced/">Ed briefs: Geography bee slated for Dec. 5; Pacelli Honor Roll announced</a><br />
<br />
Local fourth- through eighth-grade students at Ellis Middle School,
Banfield Elementary, Neveln Elementary, Southgate Elementary and Sumner
Elementary will compete Dec. 5 to test their knowledge of the world’s
geography and cultures. The students took a qualifying test the first
week of November.<br />
The contest is designed to encourage teachers to
include geography in their classrooms, spark student interest and
increase public awareness about geography. For more information, visit <a href="http://www.nationalgeographic.com/geobee">www.nationalgeographic.com/geobee</a>.<br />
Contact
David Wolff at 507-460-1600 or 507-1912 with questions. For specific
times and locations, call the site coordinators: Ellis Middle School,
Derik Gustafson, 460-1500; Banfield Elementary School, Karla Carroll,
460-1200; Neveln Elementary School, David Wolff, 460-1600; Southgate
Elementary School, Sherrie Voigt, 460-1300; Sumner Elementary School,
Megan Higgins, 460-1100.<br />
<br />
<h2>
</h2>
Ghost Gunshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05492039854712526130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-400843879776543624.post-60218007986914999922012-11-28T09:41:00.000-08:002012-11-28T09:41:05.920-08:00Embarrassed residents try to rename beauty spot called Negro Bill Canyon - but NAACP wants to KEEP itShould geographical place names be changed from their original "unenlightened" forms to new names that have little to do with their history? Will future archeologists and geographers be confused by these name changes. Would such confusion matter? <P>
Does the not-politically-correct names inspire visitors to ask questions so they can learn about the history of the location?<P>
From Daily Mail: <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2238654/Negro-Bill-Canyon-Embarrassed-Utah-residents-make-attempt-local-beauty-spot-renamed.html?ito=feeds-newsxml">Embarrassed residents try to rename beauty spot called Negro Bill Canyon - but NAACP wants to KEEP it</a><br />
<br />
Residents in Moab, Utah are trying for a third time to get a popular canyon just outside the city renamed because they believe the current name is embarrassing and disrespectful.
<P>
Local resident Louis Williams says he cringes every time he has to tell visitors that the name of the canyon is Negro Bill Canyon.
<P>
Williams, a window cleaner who has lived in the area for 14 years, has posted an online petition that has garnered more than 600 signatures. He plans to submit a formal renaming application to the U.S. Board of Geographic Names.
<P>
The canyon was named after black cowboy William 'Bill' Grandstaff who lived in the area from 1877 to 1881.
<P>
‘People cringe when we have to tell the name of it. The looks on their face is: “What did you just say?”’ Williams said. ‘People ask. “Why is it named that?” They don’t ask who he is.’
<P>
But president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’s Salt Lake City chapter, Jeanetta Williams, has said her organization will oppose the name change just as it has when the proposal has been put forward before.
<P>
‘If the name changes, it’s going to lose its history,’ she said. ‘Negro is an acceptable word.’
<P>
Even though efforts in the late 1990s and 2000s to change the canyon name were met by resistance from the NAACP, Williams is optimistic the idea will gain more traction this time.
<P>
‘Most of the places and streets and trails that were named after settlers just used their last names,’ Williams said. ‘That is what we should do for him.’
<P>
For nearly 100 years the canyon had an even worse name featuring the 'N-word', which was changed in the 1960s apparently at the request of First Lady Lady Bird Johnson.
Louis Williams says the current name and its earlier, ruder, variation is disrespectful. He wants the southern Utah canyon to be renamed Grandstaff Canyon.
'I don't think he introduced himself that way and I know that isn't the way his parents named him,' he told KLS.com. 'All the other settlers in this area have got the respect of their given names. So I think we should give a little bit more homage to Mr Grandstaff.'
The campaign is one of dozens across the country to rename canyons, reservoirs, lakes and other places still bearing names deemed derogatory.
There are 757 places with ‘negro’ in the name from Alaska to Florida and Maine to California, according to an analysis of government records.
<P>
It’s difficult to say precisely how many offensively named towns and geographic features remain as state lawmakers don't always agree with federal government on geographical labels, and people have varying levels of sensitivity.
<P>
Government mapmakers have however been working for decades to clean up such relics from less enlightened times. The U.S. Board on Geographic Names, a branch of the Interior Department, issued two blanket rules decades ago to erase racial slurs from federal maps.
<P>
In 1962, the U.S. Board of Geographic Names replaced ‘N*****’ with ‘Negro’ in the names of at least 174 places, when 'Negro' was still widely considered an acceptable alternative.
<P>
Along with Negro Bill Canyon, there are more than 700 other places with 'Negro' in the name including Free Negro Point in Louisiana and several Little Negro Creeks.
<P>
‘Jap’ was switched to ‘Japanese’ in 1974 in dozens of places.
<P>
The also remain more than 800 places with ‘squaw’ – an offensive word for a Native American woman with sexual undertones - in their title including South Dakota's Squaw Humper Dam, Squaw Humper Table and Little Squaw-Humper Creek.
<P>
A handful of state legislatures have banished select racial slurs from their maps, yet there remain places such as Arizona’s Dago Spring and Gringo Gulch, Florida’s Jew Point, New York’s Polack Swamp, Indiana’s Redskin Brook and Chinaman Bayou in Louisiana, to name just a few.<P>
GOP presidential candidate and Texas Gov. Rick Perry got into trouble last year, after it was revealed his family had long held a lease on a hunting camp in Texas known to many locals as ‘N*****head,’ a name that appeared on a large rock on the property.
<P>
Perry claims his father painted over the name as soon as he bought the land, although some in the area dispute the governor’s timeline. N*****head was a fairly common place name in the 19th century.
<P>
Ghost Gunshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05492039854712526130noreply@blogger.com0