Where Americans are Moving (Forbes interactive map)

Above is a screen shot of the interactive map that can be found on Forbes.com. (You can click on the title of this post to go to that map.) Black lines show in-migration and red lines show out-migration. Once you select a county you can hover your cursor over another county to show migration streams between those two locations and the average per capita income of those who migrated. Students can draw their own conclusions and theorize about causes. This might fit nicely as an extension activity after students create the choropleth maps of the U.S.

Kermit and the Hearts and Minds of Afghan Children

There are plans to bring Sesame Street to television screens across Afghanistan in an attempt to reach children before their brains are "hard wired" with the baggage of decades of war. It is hoped that the emphasis on fair play, ethnic tolerance and the value of education will send the message that revenge is not the answer. The television programming available to Afghani children so far has included World Wrestling Entertainment matches and Tom and Jerry cartoons in which the characters are "searching for ever more elaborate ways to pummel one another." It is hoped that Sesame Street's subtle humor can have a positive effect.

Of course, there will have to be some accommodation to local customs and religious outlook. (In class we referred to this as "glocalization.") Will Kermit have facial hair and wear a prayer cap? Will Elmo have to wear clothes? How will Afghanis view the feisty Miss Piggy? Will she be covered from head to toe? Will she go to school? The producers of Sesame Street have had some practice with the process of glocalization after adapting the program for airing in Northern Ireland, Kosovo, South Africa, and Bangladesh.

Kermit has the potential to pick up where the coalition forces leave off. Hooray for Sesame Street!

"Trumpeting Catalan on the Big Screen"

Catalonia is a prosperous region in the northeast of Spain that has been granted a great deal of autonomy by the Spanish government. Approximately one million of the 7.3 million living there are immigrants, and the Catalonian government is taking measures to protect its culture and language.
By law children are required to receive their eduction in Catalan, and the local government is expected to pass a bill that will require at least half of the copies of every film from outside of Europe to be dubbed in Catalan.

Rwanda adopts English as its official language

Connectafrica reports that in an effort to join the English-speaking East African Community, Rwanda has adopted English as its official language. All education is to be conducted in English rather than French. Relations between Rwanda and France have been cool because of the belief that the French had supported the Hutus who carried out violent acts during the genocide of the mid 1990s. Some are hoping that that this will also help to build a sense of unity in Rwanda.

Quasi-states

The January/February '10 issue of Foreign Policy Magazine has an interesting article on quasi-states. These are breakaway republics that have established the trappings of government--bureaucracies, government officials, flags, and official seals--in the hopes that if they act like independent states, international recognition will follow. Are we looking at a new phenomenon--a sort of permanent second-class state?

These quasi-states seem to arise where there is a weak state and where the international community finds it easier to look the other way than to push for some kind of resolution to the situation. The country from which they have broken away is too weak to do anything or finds it easier to allow the status quo to continue. Their existence is problematic in that they embolden other secessionists.

Several examples are discussed in the reading:

Abkhazia declared independence from Georgia in the early 1990s. Thousands were killed on either side and 100,000 ethnic Georgians and Mingrelians were forced from their homes. Russia has recognized Abkhazia's independence, issued passports, and opened up trade. (As a tie to the language unit--the Abkhaz language has 67 consanants and only one vowel.)

Somaliland claimed independence 20 years ago. It has not been recognized by the international community, but Ethiopia has offered support and has gained access to ports. Somalia is a failed state, and Somaliland is at leas trying to establish a viable and legitimate state.

Kurdistan--The stated goal is independence, but the Kurds have come to accept their current situation. They are doing relatively well for themselves and ultimately see no need to put that new-found prosperity in jeopardy.

The June 1, '09 issue of Newsweek suggests other examples of quasi-states in an article entitled "When is a country not a country?"

South Ossetia: Located in Georgia, South Ossetia has been functioning as an independent country. Russian incursions into Georgia in 2008 were in support of South Ossetia.

Nagorno-Karabakh: Armenia and Azerbaijan fought a war over Nagorno-Karabakh in the early 1990s. The population is ethnic Armenian, but it is claimed by Azerbaijan. Nagorno-Karabakh uses Armenian currency, but does not have official recognition from any country.

Northern Cyprus: The southern part of Cyprus has full UN and EU membership. The northern part of the island has declared independence and Turkey is the only country that supports its sovereignty.

Kosovo: Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008 and within days the U.S. and others announced recognition. Russia still considers Kosovo a part of Serbia and is blocking its membership to the United Nations.

Western Sahara: This is made up of the coastal region between Morocco and Algeria. Some think it should be a part of Morocco, but no one wants to irritate Algeria.

Transdniestria--This is a tiny strip between Ukraine and Moldova that declared independence in 1990. It is governed by Moldova, but it has its own constitution, parliament, military, postal service, currency, flag, and national anthem.

"Arctic Meltdown: The Economic and Security Implications of Global Warming

Foreign Affairs March/April 2008
Article by Scott Borgerson (International Affairs Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and a former Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Coast Guard.


As global warming opens Arctic transportation corridors and possible oil deposits, Russia, Canada, Denmark, and Norway are all attempting to establish claims. The United States has rights to the 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone, but we have not yet ratified the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). In addition, we have only one seaworthy icebreaker.


Global warming will likely open polar shipping lanes as well, which would shorten shipping time considerably. The shipping industry could save billions of dollars per year.
It is in our national interest to have a role in the Arctic, but our State Department and National Security Council have ignored the strategic importance of the area. We need to develop "overarching political or legal structures that can provide for the orderly development of the region."

Images: Foreign Affairs Magazine

"How Biofuels Could Starve the Poor" Foreign Affairs May/June 2007

Notes from an article by C. Ford Runge and Benjamin Senauer:

Corn-based ethanol is becoming more popular because of a combination of high oil prices and government subsidies. Some estimates are that ethanol plants will burn up half of our domestic corn supplies within a few years. Filling the 25-gallon tank of an SUV with pure ethanol requires over 450 pounds of corn (with enough calories to feed one person for a year). What are the possible consequences?

1. As farmers expand production of corn, fewer acres will be planted with other crops, meaning that food prices worldwide will be higher. In 2006, the price of corn flour for tortillas in Mexico doubled partly due to the rise in U.S. corn prices from $2.80 to $4.20.

2. Iowa's pork producers may be forced out of business if they have to compete with ethanol plants for corn supplies. (Much of the corn currently grown in the U.S. is used for feed.)

3. If we gear our agricultural production towards biofuel and oil prices fall, our farmers would be at grea risk. There would be pressure for a massive bailout of an overinvested industry.

4. If poor countries begin to grow cassava (manioc) for biofuel production, a basic food source would be threatened. Cassava now provides 1/3 of the caloric needs of the people of Sub-Saharan Africa. It is the food that the poor turn to when they cannot afford anything else. Suppliers from these countries would benefit, but the large producers are likely to be the main beneficiaries.

5. More people in the world may face hunger and starvation. It has been estimated that given the rates of economic and population growth, the number of hungry people in the world would decline by 23% by 2025. If the price of staple foods increases because of demand for biofuels, the projected number of chronically hungry could increase from 625 million to 1.2 billion.


Our dependence on corn and soybeans for biofuel is the result of lobbying on the part of growers and Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM). Profits have been based on heavy government subsidies, and protective tariffs on cheaper ethanol coming from outside the U.S. The consumer endus up paying.

There are also questions about how green biofuels are. If the entire corn crop of the United States was used to make ethanol, that fuel would replace only 12% of current U.S. gasoline use. A switch to biofuels will not mean energy independence nor will it allow us to exit Middle East politics.

Corn and soybeans are not the most sustainable crops. They require large amounts of fertilizer, pesticides, and fuel to grow, harvest, and dry. Runoff contributes to the degradation of water and contributes to the Gulf of Mexico's "dead zone."

Another concern has to do with gains in terms of "net energy balance"--the ratio of the energy produced to the energy required for production. Ethanol made from cellulose (found in trees, grasses, and other plants) is more efficient, but does not yet have the economy of scale.

One alternative is ethanol produced from sugar cane, which has a higher efficiency ratio and is not a staple crop. Brazil currently produces approximately the same amount of ethanol as the United States, but derives almost all of it from sugar cane. A focus on sugar cane might also benefit poorer producer countries.

So what is the alternative to the alternative?