Topic #12-Finally the new iPhone

Here is the link to the article that I picked to show a form of globalization.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/167016/iphone_3g_s_debuts_across_us.html

This article takes about the new release of the iPhone in eight countries, and will be available to 80 countries in the upcoming weeks. I think it is interesting that the first eight countries would include the US and European countries were internet use and technology is already high. This article also demonstrates the common reaction in the people from different stores. This shows the relentless movement of cultural trends and money as people from all these different stores buy the same item. The transnational company of apple has diminished the borders of countries to bring the same item, the iphone, to all people. Apple makes use of this must have item to keep selling to the customer after they have bought the iphone through the itunes and app online store. Overall this release of the iphone will increase apples transnational sells; something that causes people to wonder about their individual cultural practices.

Topic #11-London's developing CBD

Here is the link to the video I will discuss in this post: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByVTUfMHAu0.

This video on the rise of London’s new central business district contains tons of references to chapter 11 terms and concepts. One immediate tie that pooped out to me was the recessive and the stopping of the centralizing of this new district. It reminded me of the two predominant factors in central city location of economy and social. Also dealing with the other factor of social they talked about how people recognized that they didn’t feel they were in London while in this area because it was designed with American ideas and not old European ideas. This shows an example of the effect of globalization on an area. But yet there remains a reflection of previous London in the layout of the streets that do not seem to make sense to our modern eyes but have been developed from medieval times. One person even states that this arrangement of the streets is the geography of London. The example of St. Paul’s Cathedral reminds me that the four characteristic features of medieval cities were: the charter, the wall, the market place and the cathedral. It shows a interest in preserving the uniqueness of London by creating the cheesegrater to keep St Paul’s visible. That is what I like about this video; the interest in using modern technology to preserve the past and at the same time continue to move into the future.

Topic #10-Eyes opened in Ukraine

In this post I would like to make the connection between Ukraine’s TFR and there focus on urbanization and loss of religion.  When I was over in Ukraine two summers ago, I was shocked at the lack of family values, a rural characteristic, and the focus on individual success especially in the business field.  We visited an orphanage where the higher the grade the greater the number of children due to the fact that their parent’s would get sick of them or the children would get in the way of their careers.  Women in college saw no importance in establishing a family and raising the next generation.  All they could see was the next big step in their own career and life.  This lack of care for one another shocked me.  When college students found out I wanted to pursue a career in the medical field they looked at me like I was crazy.  Money was in business and they couldn’t see any reason for wanting to help the sick when you were not going to get paid for it.  This overall attitude of individualism is leading the country to decreased population and a large number of poorly cared for orphans.  I almost wonder if it is better that the TFR is below 2.1 because the environment is not beneficial to raising a growing population.  Below were two wonderful girls that had parents, but they just left them at this boarding school because they didn't want to take care of them.  These girls were waiting to get their teeth cleaned by the traveling team of missionary dentists that went with us.  I cannot remember now, but I am sure at least one if not both of these girls had to get a root canal because they are not taught proper hygiene and consequently their teeth are already starting to decay.  

Topic #9-HDI

Human Development Index was established in 1990 to have one statistic to display economic and social development in countries.  Overall HDI is composed of three aspects of human life: a long and healthy life, knowledge, and a decent standard of living.  Because it includes these aspects of healthy life and knowledge it can better demonstrate peoples capabilities instead of just economic growth. The HDI has very little estimated data because there is a big push to include al UN member countries in the HDI.  Overall HDI would be high in developed countries that the US and low in areas like Sub-Saharan Africa because they are still developing and do not have stable economic or social development.  Developed countries are therefore referred to as relativity high HDI and developing countries would be considered relatively low HDI.  This difference across the globe is therefore an overall uneven development.

Topic #8-Random food interest

I saw an episode where he tries squirrel while experiencing Uganda culture. I immediately thought of an old hunting friend of mine, Ian, who could if need be live in the forest without aid from the modern world. I say this because to this day he will kill and eat just about everything including squirrel and porcupine. He actually is really good at getting porcupines because he can sell the quills to Native American Indians for about twenty cents per quill. To top it off I was talking to my Grandpa about Ian’s hunting abilities, and he said that squirrel was actually pretty good when breaded and fried, almost like chicken. When I asked him where he had acquired this knowledge, he said that squirrel used to be his Sunday dinner when he was little due to the great depression. He said they would get whatever fish they could from a local river during the week, but on the weekend they would look for those big reddish squirrels and typically they would always be able to get one. He said a couple times they tried possums but their meat was really greasy and not as good as the squirrels. So I guess some seemingly foreign ideas are closer to home than you think. Foreign unusual diets do seem odd to me, but if that is what you have to work with I guess it can be good too.

Topic # 7-Religion compared to Ethnicity

This map is the distribution of LCMS population across mainland USA. I did look at the German ethnicity map, but for some reason it is not allowing me to upload that image, so you will just have to believe me when I say it is very similar to the above map. In a way this finding is sort of disappointed because it could mean that the Germans did not take their faith to anyone else. It looks like they just stayed in there own faith and did not encourage other ethnic groups to join. This fact can be slightly disproved when you look closely at the changes in the edges and not focus too much on the intensely populated areas, because those are definitely similar.





















On the left is a map of the Muslim distribution and on the right where Arabic is spoken. It seems the website does not show the ethnic map for Asian Indian anymore, but I went back to the Modern Language Associate’s website and found a map of where Arabic was spoken to compare with this map of Muslim distribution in the United States. I did find a pretty close similarity between the two maps as you can see. It would seem that Muslim religion is part of the Middle East culture just as Arabic is a characteristic, so therefore you would likely see both of those characteristics in the same areas on the map. I am reminded of the book called The Kite Runner where a family comes over to California from the Middle East and finds a community of people from their homeland.

Topic #6-Borders (not the bookstore)

Russia’s overall shape is an elongated, sort of oval shape. It also has an exclave part called the Kaliningrad district. Exclave means that the Kaliningrad district is separated from mainland Russia by Poland and Lithuania. Alaska would be another example of an exclave area because it is not directly connected to the mainland 48 states, but rather is separated by Canada. The Kaliningrad district became part of Russia after WWII and before was part of Germany known as East Preussia.



Indonesia’s shape is defined by natural boundaries of various Seas and the Indian and Atlantic Oceans. It is considered a transcontinental country because it spans more than one continent due to its 17,508 islands. There is one border next to Papa New Guinea that looks like more of a geometric boundary because of its unnaturally straight line down the middle of the island of New Guinea.



The Gambia ‘s shape reminds me of a peninsula, but instead of water surrounding the three sides it is another country of Senegal. This shape is referred to as pene-enclaved. Completely enclaved would mean that a country was completely surrounded by another country, like Lesotho. Gambia’s borders seem to parallel the path of the Gambia River. These borders were an agreement between Great Britain and France in 1889. This compromise of control for the river took nearly 15 years to determine the final boundary.