September 2007 Archives

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                            Photo courtesy of www.microsoft.com 

Last week I found a comment posted on a June, 2006 entry titled: “World Party.” In the initial post, we described an innovative international school in Seattle that promotes global citizenship through a wide range of activities, including participation in “World Party Day.” In his comment, Gerry Owens directed readers to a Wikipedia article on “World Party Day.” I was fascinated to learn about this event described by Wikipedia as “a synchronized global mass celebration of a better world and the creation of desirable reality.” As Gerry points out, World Party Day, first held in April 1996, was inspired by the 1995 novel Flight, A Quantum Fiction Novel by Vanna Bonta, which described a “world party” to take place in the year 2000. The actual 1996 event was facilitated through communication over the internet, and has continued in the 10+ years since as an annual tradition. In effect, a fictional event from a novel was made real through the shared enthusiasm of its readers. What an intriguing concept and testament to the internet’s power as a tool for communication and mass mobilization.

Indeed, this process of relatively minor--or even fictional--events gaining attention, and ultimately becoming newsworthy through grassroots, viral communication over the internet seems to reflect a growing trend. Just yesterday afternoon I attended a lecture at National Geographic headquarters in which a 'trends' expert presented research related to online social networking, the online video ‘craze’ and other topics of the Pew Foundation’s “Internet and American Life Project.” 

What should we make of these trends? Many praise the internet, blogs, and You Tube as ‘democratizing’ forces that allow anyone with computer access to interact with others around the globe and spread ideas to even further reaches. But does open access to people, resources, and ideas across the world actually lead internet users to think and act globally, as the organization of World Party Day would seem to suggest? Or are these effects overshadowed by other aspects of internet use?

Tell Us: Do you feel more globally connected as a result of using the internet? How do you use the internet to learn about and interact with people around the world?

This question is of critical interest to My Wonderful World, where internet and social networking technologies can fuel our efforts to connect people with their world and others in it.

Sarah for My Wonderful World

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Image courtesy of MSNBC.com

Last night President Bush revealed his new plan for the Iraq war. This strategy is based on the findings of the “Petraeus Report” issued earlier this week by General David Petraeus and Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker.

A key issue addressed in the report, and mentioned no less than five times in Bush’s speech: sectarian violence. I’m sure that many out there—even those actively following the news reports—have, at best, a foggy idea of what this actually means. The term itself refers to fighting among rival groups, usually within a single religion, or country. The actual dynamics are much more difficult to sort out.

And “sort them out” is exactly what I’ve been attempting to do over the last few days. With this year’s Geography Action! focus on Asia, it’s all the more relevant (yes, Iraq is considered part of Asia).

My Quest
To begin this task, I scanned an assortment of reputable news and information organizations on the web. This process led me to draw two primary conclusions: First, there are a relatively limited number of sources available, perhaps because the dynamics of sectarian strife are so complex. Second, the complexity is largely a product of physical, cultural, and historical geography.

In the following, I attempt to briefly summarize what I’ve been able to ascertain. I don’t claim to serve as an authority on these issues: My hope is that readers will recognize the central role of human and physical geographies in the situation in Iraq and contemporary politics in general, and will be inspired to conduct their own quests for knowledge.

The Breakdown of Sectarian Groups
There are three main groups of influence in Iraq. These groups represent ethnicities and religious heritages that overlap in some respects (over 97% are Muslim, for example), but are ultimately disparate. These distinctions are mapped onto separate geopolitical regions.

                    geographic distribution of ethnoreligious groups in Iraq
                           image courtesy of National Geographic News

Kurds
Breakdown:
ethnicity: Kurdish religion: mostly Sunni Islam region: Northeastern Iraq oil resources: modest (20%) 
primary sympathizers: Kurds in Iran, Syria, and Turkey
The Kurds represent 15-20% of the total Iraqi population. Kurds are ethnically distinct from Arabs, which comprise the other two groups. They speak a unique language, and are part of a larger Kurdish group occupying a region that stretches across the nations of Iraq, Iran, Turkey, and Syria. Kurds have long aspired to consolidate these regions into an independent Kurdish nation (often referred to as “Kurdistan”). In Iraq, the Kurds were targeted under Saddam Hussein’s reign of terror, which resulted in their banishment to the Northeastern region they now occupy. Since the time of that conflict, they have maintained a tradition of semi-autonomous self-governance. They are moderately represented in the new transitional government. Most Kurds practice the Sunni tradition of Islam, but the government remains secular. The Kurds maintain about 20% of Iraq’s oil reserves—the country’s most profitable natural resource.

Sunni Arabs
Breakdown:
ethnicity: Arab religion: Sunni Islam region: Central Iraq (including Baghdad) Oil resources: scant primary sympathizers: Sunni Arabs throughout the Middle East
The second group is the Sunni Arabs. While they share a religious tradition of Sunni Islam with most Kurds, they are ethnically distinct and generally more dogmatic in their beliefs. They make up only about 15-20% of the population. This differentiates Iraq from most other Middle Eastern countries where Sunni Arabs dominate--with the notable exception of the Persian Shiite majority in Iran. They occupy the central region, which contains very few oil resources. In the current U.S. led attempts at transitional democracy, they have been largely excluded from the political process. Outnumbered by the Shiites and out-resourced by both the Shiites and the Kurds, they have limited power. This makes them somewhat defensive: Saddam Hussein’s Baathist party formed out of a group of secularized Sunni Arabs.

Shiite Arabs
Breakdown:
ethnicity: Arab religion: Shia Islam region: Southwestern Iraq(including Baghdad) oil resources: overwhelming, 80% sympathizers: Shiites (mostly Persians in Iran)
Finally, the most sizable, wealthy group in Iraq is the Shiite Arabs of the South. Representing about 60-65% of the population, they share an ethnic heritage with Sunni Arabs to their north, but follow the Shia tradition of Islam: a source of contentious ideological division in the Muslim world. In their extremely dogmatic religious beliefs, they are largely supported by the Persian Shiites in Iran (different ethnic heritage, similar religious beliefs). The Shiites have two main resources working in their favor: numbers and control of approximately 80% of the nation’s oil (centered around the oil rich capital of Basra). They have contemplated autonomy, but are not quite as independent as the Kurds. They have largely dominated the political scene since the coalition was formed; current Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is a Shiite Arab.

Map of Iraq oil resources
Image courtesy of BBC News

Conclusion
I hope the preceding description has been at least mildly useful in helping to disambiguate the ethnic, religious, and geographic characteristics of these three main groups. Of course, it merely scratches the surface of the complex dynamics in what is now considered by many to be a Civil War. The divisions reflect  a religious history dating back to the 7th century, followed by a colonial legacy of strategic resource extraction and tribal affiliations, and a hasty process of border drawing in the 20th century. Within the three groups there are hundreds of subgroups and "sects" that interact differently in each of the nation’s provinces and in Baghdad: Most of the violence reported in the media is perpetrated by these small extremist groups. Add the influence of incoming Muslim opportunists (e.g. many claim that al-Qaeda entered the country only after 2003) and U.S.-led coalition forces to the mix, and you have a quite a tumultuous situation. Or as comedian Jon Stewart quips: A “Mess o’Potamia.”

I urge you to start your own Iraq Study Group to search deeper into these issues and consider how human and physical geography are implicated in conflicts throughout the Middle East, the post-colonial states of Africa, and similar circumstances across the geopolitical landscape.

For a start, check out the following resources I found to be useful on Iraq:

1)"Iraq's Central Struggles" Washington Post, September 8, 2007 (provides brief breakdown of recent activities among the three main groups)

2) "Uniting Iraq's Disparate Cultures a Challenge, Experts Say" ” National Geographic News, April 24, 2003 (Very helpful!!)

3) CIA World Factbook Iraq Country Profile (relatively short & succinct)

4) Library of Congress country profile (very comprehensive, especially in providing historical context)

5) Wikipedia profile of Civil War in Iraq (very reader-friendly)

6) "Geography Shapes Nature of War in Iraq National Geographic News, March 27, 2003 (a different take on the impact of physical geography on the Iraq War)

Happy researching!

Sarah, for My Wonderful World

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Many of you have been tracking the story of Steve Fossett, the infamous adventurer and aviator who was the first man to circumvent the globe in a hot air balloon, and who is currently missing after taking off in a small plane in Nevada on September 3. His disappearance is startling and mysterious, given his reputation and resume of survival and perseverance, and also because there is no trace of him or his plane.

But now, Internet users can join in the search for Steve Fossett. National Public Radio’s “Morning Edition” broadcast a story today explaining how Google Earth and Amazon are enabling and encouraging a desktop search party.

In response to a plea from Fossett’s friend Richard Branson, Google Earth worked with satellite imagery companies GeoEye and Digital Globe to obtain current images of the area in Nevada where Fossett is thought to have disappeared. Google Earth shared these satellite images with Amazon.com. Amazon’s Mechanical Turk tool divides the images into sections, which are then assigned to willing searchers. The amateur searchers, from their computers, can scan the images and indicate either “Yes, this image contains foreign objects that should be looked at more closely” or “No, this image contains nothing of interest.”

According to NPR, “the international community of online searchers has marked several thousand small images as "interesting" and worth closer attention. Google forwarded those images to search teams in Nevada. So far, though, none of the tips has led to Fossett.”

This amazing technology, coupled with an online, participatory culture, may lead to Fossett’s discovery. For updates on the search for Fossett, visit his website www.stevefossett.com.

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Image courtesy of Donors Choose

Across the country, millions of teachers and students are getting a start on the new school year.

At My Wonderful World, we support teachers in their efforts to bring geography into the classroom and provide rich educational experiences for students. As part of that initiative, we're teaming up with Donors Choose this fall to create  the My Wonderful World Challenge.

Founded in 2001 by a high school teacher in the  Bronx, NY, Donors Choose is a non-profit organization that connects teachers in need of materials with those willing to lend a helping hand. The process mirrors their three-phrase mission statement: "Teachers ask. You choose. Students learn."

Here's how it works: First, public school teachers submit proposals, via an easy-to-use online-form describing the specifics of their intended project, the materials needed to execute it, and the exact costs. Next, they provide a brief demographic profile of the student community and how the new project will impact it. Once approved by Donors Choose, proposals are placed on the website for public viewing. Donors from across the country search the site and select projects to sponsor, committing full or partial funds.

Donors Choose takes care of all the logistics and purchasing of materials, and donors directly witness the effects of their gifts on teachers and students. A revolutionary concept that maximizes transparency and accountability while minimizing red tape, www.donorschoose.org has been wildly successful.

My Wonderful World with Donors Choose has created a My Wonderful World Challenge. Eligible educators can submit project ideas that creatively integrate geography into the curriculum. We've scoured the existing proposals for potential candidates and ideas. Some of our favorite examples include:

1) "Geography  Learning Center."An educator with a large number of special needs students would like a puzzle globe and GeoSafari talking globe to provide interactive, hands-on resources to students that often struggle with traditional presentation of geographic principles.

2) "Get Outta Town."A sixth-grade teacher seeks to incorporate geography, math, and exercise by first researching interesting destinations around the local community, then calculating distances to those places using maps and GPS technology, and finally encouraging students to virtually travel to those places on a stationary exercise bike in the classroom.

3) "Think Globally, Act Locally." Students from Chicago want to build "earth boxes" with plants to help mitigate their school's carbon dioxide emissions. A previous project served as inspiration: The city mayor challenged students to create globes depicting ways to reduce impacts on global warming.

Of course, the possibilities are limitless! So, if you are an educator with a great idea for a project involving geography, consider submitting it to the My Wonderful World Challenge. Once you've created a proposal on the Donors Choose site and it's been successfully approved, send a link to the post to Sarah at scaban@ngs.org. Proposals will be selected based on innovation and engagement of geographic principles -- including helping students better understand the world's cultures and environments, both close to home and far away. Special consideration will be given to projects that explicitly address state and/or national geography standards. For the rest of the geography enthusiasts out there who aren't classroom teachers, we hope you'll join the challenge as a donor. What better way to demonstrate your support for geography education and directly impact students in need!

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It’s back-to-school: Are you geography ready? As parents and students hurry to prepare for the new school year, now is a perfect time to think about ways to ensure that kids have access to great geography resources. Here’s an idea: As you’re filling backpacks with pencils, rulers, and spiral notebooks, why not throw in some new books? We love National Geographic’s collection of books and atlases just for kids. Full of colorful pictures and age-appropriate text, these materials are invaluable sources of information that inspire geographic interest in young learners. They cover a variety of topics including culture, history, science and space, animals and nature, and reference. My pick: The new World Atlas for Young Explorers, 3rd Edition, which now features an interactive website. Since I enjoyed the  Arctic  Tale movie so much, I'd also recommend the official companion book to the film.

And for a fresh dose of geography each month, you might consider purchasing a subscription to National Geographic Kids. I constantly hear rave review from parents about this magazine, along with stories of disputes among siblings for “first dibs!” For all the teachers out there, National Geographic now produces classroom magazines specifically designed to improve reading skills while teaching intriguing science and social studies core content.

MyWonderfulWorld.org also offers great resources so you don’t have to spend a penny to enjoy geography as a family. Check out this great list of geography activities full of projects and games to do in your house, backyard, community, and while on the road.

And finally, we hope you’ll take action to ensure that kids receive sufficient geography education both at home and at school. Encourage teens and college students to sign up for geography classes if available. Take a look at our global schools checklist to see if your community’s schools are ‘geography ready” with appropriate curricula and resources in place. If not, consider becoming involved in your local PTA and voice your support for geography education. And did you know that there are currently bills before both the Senate and the House of Representatives to increase federal funding for geography programs? Why not contact your lawmakers to let them know that “Teaching Geography is Fundamental?”. Make it your homework assignment this fall to become an advocate for geography by taking just a few of these simple steps!

Good luck hitting the books!

Sarah for My Wonderful World

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Out of the millions of active Websites, we are thrilled to announce that Yahoo! chose My Wonderful World as its Pick of the Day!

Yahoo! was impressed with the My Wonderful World campaign mission to promote geography education, and by all its great parent and teacher resources and the printable world maps. And, not to toot our little blog horn, but they called out the blog as well (way to go Sarah!).

Check out the My Wonderful World home page for ways you can join the campaign to give kids the power of global knowledge. Beyond all the action kits, quizzes, and games, you can sign up for the monthly newsletter and notify your law makers to support geography education.

Big thanks to Yahoo! for the recognition!

-Alice for My Wonderful World

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