Recently my family and I went to the local Cracker Barrel for dinner. When we were seated the waitress asked me if I wanted a dinner menu or a breakfast menu. Despite it being late in the evening, I couldn’t resist, I was going to have breakfast as my dinner. I ordered a country fried steak topped with gravy and eggs prepared sunny side up. The accompanying sides were grits, hash browns, and biscuits with gravy on the side. I enjoyed my meal and didn’t really think about it again.
A traditional country breakfast.
A few days later I was looking through the New York Times site and came across a feature about typical breakfast foods around the world. A common theme was the serving of cold cereals but it was not universal. Many of the foods were not something Americans would typically associate with a morning meal. Looking back at my “breakfast” at Cracker Barrel, I realized that my steak and eggs provided more protein in one meal than what many people consume over several days.
I hope you check out the link to see the unique morning meals served around the world. If you aren’t curious about the foods, at least take a look as the adorable kids posing for each shot.
On August 1st this site posted about the threat of Ebola in West Africa. In the two months since the worst Ebola outbreak in history has only grown. The biggest concentration of those infected has been found in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea with those countries reporting over 7400 cases and about 3500 deaths. The illness can only be transmitted through direct contact with bodily fluids otherwise the number would be significantly higher. Despite this limitation the number of new cases is doubling roughly every three weeks. Those most susceptible to contracting Ebola are health care workers due to their direct contact with the infected. The lack of basic medical supplies, such as latex gloves and masks, has created a situation where the people doing the most to combat the spread of Ebola and care for the ill have become its primary victims.
The international response to the crisis has been lacking at best. A handful of countries including Britain, China, and Cuba have sent a small number of medical professionals to help local doctors. The greatest outside support West Africa has received came from the United Stated as President Obama recently announced that he was committing the resources of the U.S. military to establish 17 field hospitals to slow down the disease. Not only is there a moral imperative to act but there is an economic one as well, the longer the world waits to deal with the issue the cost of solving the crisis becomes significantly greater.
Last week the first case of Ebola outside of West Africa was confirmed in the United States. A man from Liberia visiting his son and fiancé in Dallas checked into a hospital and was diagnosed. This singular case was identified early and is highly unlikely to create a mass infection in the United States. It has served a greater purpose by bringing more attention to the growing crisis in West Africa. Hopefully, the perception of a threat to the west will encourage the rich world to contribute more to the struggle; ideally they could begin by sending in enough gloves and masks to protect the front line of defense, doctors and nurses.
On Friday September 26th a suicidal man started a fire at the air traffic control center which directs flights in and out of Chicago’s two major airports, O’Hare and Midway. The fire did enough damage that travel in and out of both airports came to a near standstill. The man was later arrested but not before he managed to create a transportation nightmare across the country.
Chicago is not only the third largest city in the US but it also functions as a major transportation gateway linking various parts of the country. O’Hare is the primary hub for United Airlines and one of the biggest hubs for American Airlines. When flights were suspended it created a ripple effect that caused the cancellation of nearly 4000 flights across the country. Hundreds of thousands of passengers found themselves stranded or canceling weekend plans. Not only were thousands inconvenienced but the economic impact has been estimated at about $123 million.
Air travel is dependent on a vast network of planes moving continuously across the country. Planes are typically scheduled to land at a destination, unload passengers, load new passengers, and then proceed on to the next destination as quickly as possible. It is a system that has been finely tuned over the years and despite the large number of people traveling at all times it creates a remarkably high level of efficiency.
At the same time when an unexpected event causes a major disruption it shows the weakness of networks. Removing one city from the grid, even for just a few days, can disrupt the system nationally and create chaos. When people travel they don’t typically think of all the moving parts required to get them to their destination on time. This high level of efficiency comes at a price, the lack of resilience to potential delays and cancellations that can be caused by any number of things, in this instance a mentally disturbed individual.
Alarming Fact: The Turkish government estimates that it has taken in 1.6 million Syrian refugees as a result of ISIS.
The Human Geo Guy’s Take: ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) continues to expand its territory in eastern Syria and northwest Iraq, with the conflict escalating people are fleeing by the hundreds of thousands. Escaping ahead of the ISIS advance is a wise decision as Islamic State have proven to show no mercy conducting mass executions and beheadings of American and British journalists. This is a clear example of forced migration as these refugees feel they have no choice but to run for their lives.
Adding to the crisis a large number of these refugees entering Turkey are Kurds. Turkey has had a troubled history with its Kurdish population and even attempted to close off the border to slow down the influx. The numbers have become so overwhelming that Turkey has had no choice but to let them in. With so many displaced people entering it has become a humanitarian crisis, they are in desperate need of basic necessities as most of their belongings were left behind in the rapid evacuations. With ISIS gaining in strength Turkey should brace itself for an even greater number of refugees heading their way.
Earlier this month the Pew Research Center released an article by Christopher Inkpen with 7 critical facts about world migration and an interactive map that shows the source countries for migrants around the world. The site is a valuable resource worth checking out: http://pewrsr.ch/1qXZRr5.
My biggest takeaway was something I’ve been teaching my students for years: In the poorest countries of Sub-Saharan few if any people are making it out. Their reality is that they live in extreme poverty and are only surrounded by other countries with similar conditions. They have almost no options for reaching the rich world. I even make my students memorize the following phrase about the limited amount of migration from Africa to the developed countries, “if they could, they would, but they can’t, so they don’t.”
Recently there was massive flooding along the border of India and Pakistan, especially hard hit was the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. The death toll is near 300 and it is estimated that in some villages as many as 95% of homes have been destroyed. It is a humanitarian crisis of the highest level as these people have limited options for shelter and are running low on food. The fact that heavy rains hit the region is not a surprise as this is an annual event typically lasting from June-September. As students of human geography it is critical to analyze the relationship between the people in this part of the world and the annual rains as well as how the hostile relationship between India and Pakistan has made the situation that much worse.
Agriculture
While in other parts of the world such heavy rains would be seen solely as a threat, in South Asia the downpours are welcomed as a critical part of their existence. Agriculture in much of South Asia depends on the annual monsoons to provide enough water to irrigate crops throughout the year. There are years where the rains fail to provide enough water, and the region, already struggling with extreme poverty, must deal with the crisis of drought and becomes highly vulnerable to famine. As is often the case in the poor world, what they count on to sustain them, may also bring about their demise.
Territorial Dispute
Disaster relief would normally override most political issues, but not when India and Pakistan are involved. Kashmir has long been a disputed territory as a result of the Partition of India in 1947. When India was granted it’s independence by the British, one of the final acts of the European colonizers was to create Pakistan as a Muslim state in an attempt to separate them from the Hindu population. When the British created the new border they kept Kashmir in India despite being predominantly Muslim. This is one of the most militarized borders on the planet and moving in troops to provide aid to victims could be seen as a hostile act. Not even in this extreme crisis can these two governments coordinate in order to help their people.
Alarming Fact: The rich world throws away as much food as all of Sub-Saharan Africa produces.
The Human Geo Guy’s Take: Two ways to look at this. First, the moral quandary, we live in a world that suffers from mass starvation yet in the United States we are able to sustain countless All-You-Can-Eat Buffets and childhood traditions like “Food Fights.” Then there is the economic perspective, redirecting food to the poor world before it spoils is not a practical reality. Any help sent that way must be thought out and planned, not a last second scramble. Viable options for food waste must be created that are better than spending resources transporting garbage from our homes and businesses to take up space in our growing landfills.
When rooting for their favorite NFL team few football fans are considering human geography definitions but that doesn’t mean they don’t apply. A region is defined as an area that is tied together by a physical or cultural trait, supporting your favorite team can be an example of this. Earlier this week Facebook released a map they compiled using their data to identify the rooting interests of fans in each county. As you can see below, the most common pattern that emerged, not surprisingly, is that fans will root for the home team.
NFL Fan Map created by Facebook.
While a quick glance at this map would lead to the simple, and relatively accurate conclusion that fans root for the team closest to them, a deeper analysis reveals that there are several glaring exceptions to this rule and other observations of note.
The Oakland Raiders don’t have nearly the same support as the San Francisco 49ers with whom they share the Northern California market. Their primary support base is located in Southern California where they played from 1982-1995. There is even speculation that they might move back to Los Angeles as the city is desperate to bring back an NFL team.
The Denver Broncos have the widest land area of fans although much of that area is sparsely populated.
The Dallas Cowboys truly live up to their nickname “America’s Team.” Not only are they dominant in a wide area immediately around them, they also have fan bases dispersed throughout the country.
The Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers both have pockets of fan bases around the country. Not surprising as both of these teams were highly successful in the 1960s and 1970s when the NFL saw a meteoric rise in its popularity.
Lastly, the poor Jets. They share the New York, Northern New Jersey, and Western Connecticut market with the Giants. The Giants have always been viewed as the superior franchise and having grown up in this area I can vouch for the fact that most people consider the Jets to be an afterthought.
On a personal note, for those of you wondering who I root for, I am a fan of the Buffalo Bills. Having grown up in New Jersey and later moving to Miami I actually lived in the home areas of their biggest rivals. As I always tell my students, “exceptions don’t break rules, they prove them by standing out so much.” I assure you having lived in areas where people supported the Giants, Jets, or Dolphins not only was I an exception, but for most people, I was the only Bills fan they knew. It was not until the age of 31 that I finally befriended another Bills fan, and yes, he is originally from the Buffalo area.
Introducing a New Feature to The Human Geo Guy, it’s called, “Alarming Fact.” Instead of a full length blog post it will be a short, simple piece of information that mostly speaks for itself.
Alarming Fact: The average woman in Niger will give birth to 7 children.
The Human Geo Guy’s Take: Niger is one of the poorest countries on the planet and suffers from mass starvation. It has few prospects for economic development and any hope of their quality of life improving depends on being able to bring their population growth under control.
For the past two months global headlines have been dominated by an all too familiar conflict that seems to repeat itself every few years. Israel and Palestine have again failed to find a way to peacefully coexist. The religious and political tension that exists between these two groups of people has become so overwhelming that many believe the fighting will never come to a permanent end. I have been often asked by my students if this conflict will ever have a final resolution. My honest answer is always the same, “Not in my lifetime, or only if one group manages to achieve the catastrophic result of the total destruction of the other.” I can only hope that my analysis is wrong but past experience has given me no reason to think otherwise.
Over the course of the fighting there have been several brief cease fires that have mostly ended prematurely. Yet, in the past 24 hours they have agreed to an Egyptian brokered cease fire with no set time limit, this is the most promising agreement since the fighting started in early July.
The primary weapon in this round of fighting has been rocket fire or air strikes which can inflict a high level of damage from a far off distance. The New York Times Magazine sent two photographers to show the world the realities of the physical and emotional devastation this latest round of fighting has created. Below is a link to their haunting portrayal of life in the war torn zone.
