Chapter 12 T&R

Trevor Jones 

4/25/16

Per. 3

Sources: 

Human Geography: People, Places, and Culture: Chapter 12 - Industries and Service 

Paris, The Industrial Hearth - http://the-paris.blogspot.com/2008/08/industrial-revolution.html 

China, The Top Producer of Goods and Services Worldwide - http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/002fd8f0-4d96-11e0-85e4-00144feab49a.html#axzz46teO33Kn 

Rust Belt in the U.S.: http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Rust_Belt.aspx 

The Oil Crisis of 1973 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1973_oil_crisis#Summary 

During the Yom Kippur War in 1973, the United States wanted to help their alliance, Israel, against attacks by Middle Eastern Arab countries by supplying them with arms, but the waring Middle Wastern countries did not like this so in response, the OAPEC (Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries) announced an oil embargo against Canada, Japan, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the US. So, the United States transitioned to a period of oil uncertainty (because OAPEC was virtually the only source of our oil) and a huge increase in the price of crude oil. The United States then proceeded to negotiate a deal between the warring countries, restoring the relationship between the OAPEC and the United States/the other core countries. After this oil crisis, the Unites States continued to purchase crude oil from Middle Eastern countries, as well as expanding their horizons to other oil sources such as those in Mexico and Russia. 

This is a map of Western Europe. The reason that I chose to draw this map is because it contains the country France, and more specifically, its capital, Paris. During the industrial revolution, Paris was an industrial hub that attracted business and corporations from all around, to take advantage of the workforce and access to transportation and mechanization. This lead to an increase in the manufacturing of luxury items and ultimately a drastic population boom, eventually leading to the cholera epidemic in the 1830’s and 1840’s. Paris became and still remains an important industrial complex due to its mechanization and connectivity to the rest of the world.  

This is a map of the United States. The reason that I chose to draw this map is because it contains the states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. These states make up the Rust Belt, a term given to the large abandoned manufacturing cities of the 70’s and 80’s. As the population in these cities became increasingly wealthy, moment to suburban areas began to take place, moving the large workforce out of the city. The large industrial corporations that relied on workers found themselves struggling to produce, so they had no choice but to abandon their factories and move to cities of higher worker population. The areas leftover were shells of their former glory, taking even more of the population away to areas in the Sun Belt and the West. The Rust belt still lacks the major industrial workforce population of the 60’s and early 70’s, but some areas have attracted local talent and are rebuilding themselves through a unique culture. 

This is a map of the landmass, Eurasia. The reason that I chose to draw this is because it contains East Asia, more specifically, China. China has recently recaptured its status as top manufacture as a country in the world, ending the United State’ 110 year reign of top producer. China has surpassed the United States in production for several reasons, including the presence of a cheap labor force, few trade laws and regulations, few environmental laws, as well as cheap and efficient transportation from megacities all around china. This has given China, as well as other developing countries, a gateway to the world economy, as well as the development of the semi-peripheral country that comes following heavy industrial manufacturing. 

Articles Presentation

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/07/14/gmos-researchers-debate-healthy-safety-genetically-modified-foods.html

Spring Movies Extra Credit

Trevor Jones

4/9/16

Per. 3

There Will We Blood: There will be blood is a movie about Daniel Plainview, a successful oil tycoon, and his orphan son, who work together to acquire the land of a third revelation preacher, Eli, and his poor farm family. Daniel eventually takes control of this land for a very low price, and a series of unfortunate events takes place for his orphan son, workers, and Eli’s family. This movie can be related to chapter 8 (political geography) by being a metaphor of geopolitics. We can see this come into play as powerful tycoon, Daniel Plainview, representing powerful core countries, taking advantage of Eli’s land, representing poor peripheral countries, using their influence and power. In the end, the core country, will succeed and acquire what they wised to acquire from the less powerful peripheral country, as we see in the outcome of “There Will Be Blood”. This example of classic geopolitics can be used at a variety of scales, varying from world powers to large scale corporations.

The Quest for Fire: The Quest for fire is a movie about, as you would guess, the quest for fire, or in the more broad spectrum, societal advancement. In the beginning of the movie, a hunter gatherer tribe of early homo sapiens achieve the gift of fire, which is soon taken away from them by a neighboring tribe. The remaining part of the movie deals with three members of the tribe trying to regain the fire, picking up a friend on the way from a more advanced tribe. This friend helps the three tribesmen recover the fire by teaching them the advanced ways of their tribe, including efficient long-ranged weapons, and making fire with friction. The four reunite with the rest of their tribe in triumph, having recovered their lost artifact, fire. This movie can relate to chapter 11, agriculture, due to the transition of the primitive hunter gatherer society (the tribe seen first), to the semi sedentary more advanced tribe seen later in the movie, as well as showing the notion that the same ideas can appear at once in several different hearths (use of fire).

A Soldier’s Story: A Soldier’s Story is a movie about an African American U.S. Army officer, Richard Davenport, in the time of WW2, who is assigned to the murder case of an African American sergeant, Vernon Waters. Officer Davenport, an officer from Washington DC, is assigned this case in Alabama, and interviews multiple soldiers/ball players at the military base he is assigned to in order to crack the case. He eventually solves the case despite his racial background in the face of other white officers, and turns in the guilty soldier, PFC Peterson. This movie can relate to chapter 5, race, because of the racial differences between military officers, seen between Officer Davenport and other high ranking officials. This racial barrier complicated his job severely, however justice prevailed despite the racial differences. 

Detroit Lives: Detroit Lives is a documentary lead by Johnny Knoxville about the Motown city Detroit of the 60’s, versus the Detroit we know now. Johnny Knoxville tours the city along with several people educating Knoxville about the promise that Detroit shows to talented young, do-it-yourself people. Instead of looking at Detroit as a decrepit city with no hope because it doesn't have major corporations located there or a big sports team, people should look at Detroit as a city of cultural innovations, with promise for the future. This can relate to chapter 9, urban geography, when talking about abandonment of large manufacturing cities and “rust belts”. As people became successful in Detroit, it allowed them to move out of the crowded city into the suburbs, followed by companies and large manufactures soon after. This left Detroit as an empty shell of its former self, with abandoned manufacturing buildings around every corner, labeling Detroit as the perfect example of a rust belt state.

Chapter 11's Agricultural Model: Von Thünen's Model

Chapter 11 T&R on Agriculture

Trevor Jones 

4/6/16

Per. 3

Sources: 

Human Geography: People, Places, and Culture: Chapter 11 - Agriculture

Wheat and the Green Revolution: 
http://geography.about.com/od/globalproblemsandissues/a/greenrevolution.htm  

Supersize Me: Spurlock, Morgan. Super Size Me. New York, N.Y: Hart Sharp Video, 2004.

In the early 1940’s, farmers wanted a larger crop intake at a lower price, but at the time, locally and commercially grown food intake was controlled exclusively by chemical and natural fertilizers, so agricultural scientists began research on plants (mostly) wheat in Mexico. This then allowed Mexico to produce far more wheat than needed by its citizens, leading to its becoming an exporter of wheat by the 1960s. This technology advanced throughout the rest of the Green Revolution and continues on today with the genetic modification of large commercially grown crops.

Supersize Me is a documentary about the effects that fast food can have on a human, when eaten in large quantities (in this case, for one month, three meals a day). Director of the documentary, Morgan Spurlock, takes part in his social experiment of what exactly fast food will do to your body, if eaten for three meals a day, for an entire month. Before this experiment begins, his internal composition is thoroughly measured in order to have a before and after to the experiment. However, there is a catch, if any McDonald’s employee asks his to “supersize” his meal, me must accept, meaning his McDonald’s intake is basically doubled per meal. Before this experiment begins, he collects various doctor’s opinions in the social experiment and almost all doctors agree that there will be no long-term health problems associated with it after only one month. The viewers are given constant updates on his physical state as well as his emotional state, as well as Spurlock attending weekly doctors checkups to measure his internal composition, and give him updates on his health. Towards the end of his challenge, several doctors adjust their opinions in awe on long-term health problems, warning Spurlock about possible irreversible health conditions if he completes his challenge. Spurlock is reluctant on giving up and completes the experiment. After 30 days of eating McDonald’s for three meals a day, Spurlock developed several health problems (both referable and irreversible) that his doctors predicted would happen. After only one month, previously healthy and in shape Spurlock, developed depression, minor fast food addiction, severe liver damage, an extremely high cholesterol, and permanent tendency to gain weigh faster than the norman man of his age, due to excess fat cells. This documentary had several impacts on society, including the removal of the “supersize” options weeks later, which McDonald’s denied any relations to the documentary, as well as a drastic increase in funding to organizations supporting locally grown foods, such as the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). 

This is a map of Southwest Asia. I drew this map because it contains the fertile crescent (outlined in green), or at least the land that used to be known as the fertile crescent, but is now Israel, Lebanon, Northern Syria, Northeastern Jordan, and Northern Iraq. The fertile crescent is tremendously known through agricultural history, beginning 14,000 years ago, as being the hearth of the domestication of plants (along with the Nile River Valley). The Tigris and Euphrates rivers in this region allowed for the cultivation of seed crops, such as grains or wheat. This region is also responsible for the domestication of the first animals as early as 10,000 years ago, with the domestication of goats in the Zagros Mountains. This region is still responsible for much of the world’s wheat, barley, and grain production, as well as animal byproducts from goats, sheep, pigs, and cattle.