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It's International Literacy Day!



This day of recognition is sponsored by the United Nations and the International Reading Association (IRA), a National Geographic Education partner and member of the Verizon Thinkfinity Consortium, and supported by many other leading organizations.

IRA suggests classrooms celebrate the day by participating in a readathon, kicking off a cross-grade reading buddy program, or making original books to share with others in the community. For additional ideas, download the IRA's collection of ideas: Idea Starters! International Literacy Day Activities and Events.

Check out these other International Literacy Day resources for bibliophiles and beginning readers alike:

Read the August 2010 Newsletter: "Inspire students to take action this year!"

INSIDE:
Editor's Pick: Special Guest Blogger Elisabeth Soep talks about her inspiring new book,
Drop That Knowledge: Youth Radio Stories.

August Challenge: Plan a service-learning project
GeoFeature: 4-H2O: National Youth Science Day
GeoNews: U.N. declares "International Year of Youth"
Blog: A Kid, a Campaign, Iceland

Read the July 2010 Newsletter: Use geotechnology to uncover ancient and modern-day mysteries this summer!

Inside
July Challenge: Give geocaching or earthcaching a go!
GeoFeature: Gravestones and GPS
GeoNews: Join Expedition: Mongolia
Blog: Find bargains near you

Plus: more newsletter highlights on the next page!

The National Geographic Society  recently awarded Alexander Graham Bell Medals to GIS pioneers Dr. Roger Tomlinson and Jack Dangermond. 

The Alexander Graham Bell Medal is named after the inventor, who also served as the second president of the National Geographic society.  It is awarded for extraordinary achievement in geographic research. 

Bell's great-grandson, National Geographic Society Chairman Gilbert M. Grosvenor presented the medals to Tomlinson and Dangermond at the ESRI International User Conference on July 12, 2010. 

Background:  In early June, ethnic rioting broke out in and around Osh, Kyrgyzstan.  To better understand the nature of the current violence, the roots of the violence, and the global implications, see our recent blog posts, Ethnic Violence Breaks Out In Kyrgyzstan,  Kyrgyzstan: Roots of Violence, and International Implications of Violence in Krygyzstan.

The Project:  Following recent reports of extensive violence, including looting and arson, between Kyrgyz and Uzbeks, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) used satellite imagery to conduct a damage assessment of the area around Osh, Kyrgyzstan. AAAS conducted the study at the request of Amnesty International, USA, who wanted to corroborate that on-the-ground reporting was consistent with a bird's eye view of the violence. 

The images show that an estimated 1640 structures were damaged including 172 damaged structures in in Furkat, 297 in Cheremushki, 448 in Kizil Kishtak and 551 in Osh.  These are damage estimates, not exact counts, as it is difficult to count structures in dense urban areas using satellite imagery.
 

Although the World Cup may be old news to many in the U.S., replaced by the drama of sports events such as the Tour de France, the death of former Yankees baseball team owner, George Steinbrenner, and even the National League's win of the Major League All-Star Game, transition back to "normalcy" after the World Cup will not be as smooth for the nations of South Africa, the Netherlands, or Spain--the host country and the tournament's top finishers.
 
As fans and players leave South Africa, the site of the first World Cup on the continent, the country prepares for a transition back to life, pre-World Cup. In a country of 48 million, an estimated 130,000 jobs were created by the tournament, many in construction.  However, these jobs were only temporary, and as they fade away, it's possible South Africa will plummet back to the 25% unemployment rate, that was "normal" prior to the tournament.  In South Africa, "normal" conditions also include large wealth gaps between rich and poor, and limited access to basic services for much of the population.  As the World Cup fervor dies down, many fear that the same national unity and enthusiasm mustered for the World Cup will not be sustained enough to bring long-term prosperity to the country.
 
 
But not all of the prosperity gained from the World Cup is leaving with the football fans.  The South African government invested billions of dollars in infrastructure and construction that will benefit the development of the country in the long term.  As South Africa's finance minister, Pravin Gordhan said, "Once you build a road, it doesn't disappear once the World Cup ends."

ABOUT THE SURVEY:
National Geographic and international polling firm GlobeScan recently released the results of the third annual Greendex survey.   The Greendex is a quantitative study of 17,000 consumers in 17 countries.  Participants were asked questions about their energy use, consumer product use, transportation practices, beliefs about the environment and sustainability, and knowledge of environmental issues.  The answers were then calculated to churn out a Greendex score--the relative environmental impact of a person's consumer choices.  Individual scores are averaged to create a mean score for each country.  The Greendex measures the impact of the average consumer in each country surveyed; it does not measure the environmental impact of a total country.


Here are some of the results:

Thanks to recent news coverage, we know that there has been ongoing violence in Kyrgyzstan between the Kyrgyz and the Uzbeks.  But what we may not know is WHY.  Whenever news coverage provides an explanation for the violence, "ethnic tension" is usually cited as the cause.  But what are the roots of the ethnic tension that has continuously lead to violence between these two groups?

First of all, the term "ethnic" conflict may be a misnomer.  There are almost no discernible ethnic differences between the Kyrgyz and the Uzbeks.  Both groups are predominantly Muslim and they speak a similar Turkic language.
 
Issue 1: Economic Disparity

The real conflict seems to stem from this fact:  Kyrgyz were traditionally nomadic while Uzbeks established themselves as farmers.  Since farmers typically stay in one place to tend their fields, they are able to build stable settlements and create surpluses.  Historically, this translates to wide class divisions.  Today, the Uzbeks in the south of Kyrgyzstan own and operate many successful businesses.  These economic differences are certainly a large contributing factor to the ethnic tension and the recent outbreak of violence.


Courtesy New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/15/world/asia/15kyrgyz.html?scp=6&sq=kyrgyzstan&st=cse

An Uzbek soldier directed Uzbek refugees on Monday in Osh, a southern Kyrgyz city, as they waited to cross into Uzbekistan
 

The violence and instability in Kyrgyzstan affects more than just the people of Kyrgyzstan and the surrounding area.  The situation in Kyrgyzstan has international implications, particularly for U.S. and Russian military strategy and humanitarian aid efforts.

Both Kyrgyz and Uzbeks called on Russia to step in as a third party peace-keeper.  The Collective Security Treaty Organization, an alliance made up of regional partners and dominated by Russia, met and adjourned without a commitment from Russia to send troops, but with an implication that if conditions worsened, Russia may act. 
Uzbek refugees lined up around an armored vehicle with Uzbek soldiers in the southern Kyrgyz city of Osh.
Courtesy New York Times, Faruk Akkan/CHA, Via Associated Press
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2010/06/14/world/0614-Kyrgyzstan-2.html

Thursday, June 10th, ethnic violence broke out in the southern city of Osh in Kyrgyzstan.  Shortly after, American newspapers and news channels began covering the story.


For many of us, Kyrgyzstan isn't a country we hear about often. We're likely unsure of what language Kyrgyzstanis speak, what type of government they have, how big the country is, where it is located, and even how to pronounce or spell "Kyrgyzstan." 

Without context, stories of violence in Kyrgyzstan on news programs and in newspapers are nothing more than stories, confined to a 2D non-reality.







Courtesy New York Times