Winter sun destinations: 10 top trips

Joanne O'Connor

Sunday 17 December 2017

Concepts of thinking: Spatial Significance, Patterns and Trends

Inquiry: Where might the best vacation spot for you be? What might be the most important criteria when deciding the best location?

Activity: Create a spatial journal of the top location. Examine for spatial significance and patterns and trends. Conduct an issue analysis of a location to determine an action plan on how to promote the location via story map.

'Slow-moving crisis' as Beijing bolsters South China Sea war platform 

Benjamin Haas China correspondent

 

Concepts of Thinking: Spatial Significance, Geographic Perspective

Inquiry: Why might the South China Sea be indisput? 

Activity: Create a spatial journal of the region. Identify areas of interest and other data that may help determine the spatial significance of this region. Conduct an issue analysis and develop an action plan that can be communicated via story map.

World Bank to end financial support for oil and gas exploration 

Larry Elliott Economics editor Tuesday 12 December 2017 22.19 GMT

Concepts of Thinking: Geographic Perspective, Interrelationships

Inquiry: How should the World Bank invest this money now?  Why have these multibillion dollar corporation been supported in the first place?

Activity: Create a spatial  journal of the headquarters for the to oil and gas corporation. Add to it the location of the oil and gas fields. Conduct an issue analysis to determine the impact these corporation have in the regions. Create an action plan to suggest how the World Bank  should invest this money now. Communicate via story map.

Women in sub-Saharan Africa forced into sex to pay hospital bills, study says
Kate Hodal

Concepts of Thinking: Interrelationships, Spatial Significance

Inquiry: How might people get involved to better empower the women? Why is this practise allowed to continue? What might be the best way to end this practise? What might be the ramifications of this practice?

Activity: Gather information on this situation and other such sex trafficking. Create spatial journal to help determine where this practise is occurring.  Conduct an issue analysis to help develop a course of action. Create a story map to communicate the plan of action to an appropriate audience.

Sir Richard Branson and BMR Energy Call for Renewable Energy Rebuild in the Caribbean

Concepts of Thinking: Interrelationships, Geographic Perspective, Spatial Significance

Inquiry: Which alternative energy sources might be best suited for the region? How might other countries move forward with renewable energies?

Activity: Conduct research on renewable energy sources. Examine the the spatial significance of the Caribbean to determine where to place certain renewable energy source. Conduct an issue analysis to help determine a plan of action for the Caribbean. Communicate the plan via story map to an appropriate audience.  Do some further investigation to compare how this plan of action might compare to other countries or regions?

The index ranks 180 countries according to the level of freedom available to journalists 

Michael Safi in Delhi, Jonathan Watts in São Paulo, Oliver Holmes in Bangkok, Kareem Shaheen in Istanbul and Shaun Walker in Moscow, Thursday 30 November 2017 00.01 GMT

Concepts of Thinking: Spatial Significance,

Patterns and Trends

Inquiry: How might more countries become safer for journalists?

Activity: Determine the characteristics of freedom. Conduct an issue analysis of countries. Create an action plan to address this problem and communicate via story map.

This map shows every ship at sea in real time Image: REUTERS/Chris Helgren

Concept of Thinking: Patterns and Trends, Spatial Significance

Inquiry: Why might these ships take these routes? What might these ships be transporting? What might the environmental impacts be with all this shipping?

Activity: Gather information on the ports of origin of the ships. GAther data on weather  and conduct an issue analysis  to determine when weather could impact shipping by making it to dangerous and create an action plan to deal with the situation i.e. alternate routes. Communicate via story map.

These are the world's 10 most competitive economies

Concepts of Thinking: Geographic Perspective, Spatial Significance, Patterns and Trends, Interrelationship

Inquiry: What makes these economies most competitive? How might this ranking change in the future?

Activity: Conduct research into the different economies to determine why they are most competitive. Create a spatial journal to observe for spatial significance and/or patterns and trends that may appear. Conduct an issue analysis to help make predictions as to what the future of these economies may be and communicate via story map to an appropriate audience.

Inquiry: What might be the importance of teaching geography? Well to paraphrase Alex Trebek at the annual RCGS Fellows dinner " History is the past and Geography is the future!"

History is the documentation of geographic and geopolitical events. We need to understand this to be able to solve current and future geographic and geopolitical problems.

10 of the best Christmas shopping cities in Europe

Gemma Bowes, Jane Dunford, Will Coldwell

Saturday 18 November 2017

Concepts of Thinking: Spatial Significance, Patterns and Trends, Interreltionships

Inquiry: What makes a city the best Christmas shopping?

Activity: Create a spatial journal of theses cities to observe any patterns or trends. Conduct an issue analysis to better understand the ranking process. Make suggestions on what might be required for other cities to make the list next time and communicate in a story map.

A history of the battle for economic supremacy  Jeff Desjardins   Founder and editor of Visual Capitalist

Concepts of Thinking: Patterns and Trends, Spatial Significance

Inquiry:  What might be needed for the world to achieve a more equitable distribution of wealth?

Activity: Create a spatial journal of the top countries that hold the world's wealth. Conduct an issue analysis of the distribution of wealth. Develop an action plan that can address this issue to help ensure a more equitable distribution of wealth and reduce things like world famines. Communicate results via story map.

New road will be Canada's first permanent link to Arctic coast The Canadian Press Bob Weber

Concept of Thinking: Spatial Significance, Geographic Perspective, Interrelationship

Inquiry: How might this road impact communities along its length?

Activity: Create a spatial journal of potential impact sites. Conduct an issue analysis to  help make predictions as to how this new road may impact communities and at what cost. Create a story map to communicate the results.

Scientist grades water risks from wildfires; Prairies at top of list By Bob Weber, The Canadian Press

Concepts of Thinking: Interrelationships, Spatial Significance, Patterns and Trends

Inquiry: How might communities prepare for increased forest fires?

Activity: Determine what might be some of the problems faced by planners when redeveloping after a forest fire. Conduct an issue analysis to determine a path to rebuilding. Communicate results via story map.

21.9% of Canadians are immigrants, the highest share in 85 years: StatsCan By Éric Grenier, CBC News

Concepts of Thinking: Patterns and Trends, Spatial Significance, 

Inquiry: Why might so many people want to come to Canada? How might this increase impact Canada?

Activity: Gather data on the spatial significance of places people are leaving. Create a spatial journal representing the data and observe for any patterns and trends. Communicate observation and possible impacts via story map.

16th North Atlantic right whale found dead off Cape Cod CBC News Posted: Oct 24, 2017

Concepts of Thinking: Interrelationships, Patterns and Trends, Spatial Significance, Geographic Perspective

Inquiry: What might be causing these right whales to die? What might be done to help this endangered species?

Activity: Collect data on recent right whale deaths . Create a spatial journal to illustrate how spatial significance may help understand the issue. Conduct an issue analysis to help determine the human interrelationship. Develop an action plan for a geographic perspective and communicate via story map which helps illustrate any patterns and trends that appear.

Life Goes On For Marine Ecosystems After Cataclysmic Mass Extinction 

Concepts of Thinking: Geographic Perspective, Spatial Significance, Patterns and Trends,


Inquiry: How might these findings impact different regions? How might this Pattern and Trend be impacted by human activity?

Activity: Gather data on coral reefs and create a spatial journal of areas that have been impacted by bleaching. Conduct an issue analysis to determine a plan of action. Communicate the plan via story map.

Credit: Arc Centre of Excellence Coral Reef Studies

Related links: WE HAVE UNREALISTIC BEAUTY STANDARDS FOR CORAL, TOO

YELLOWSTONE SUPERVOLCANO MAY WAKE UP SOONER THAN WE THOUGHT  NAtional Geographic 10/16/2017 · by carylsue

Concepts of Thinking: Patterns and Trends, Spatial SIgnificance, Interrelationships

Inquiry: How could accuracy of the eruption be improved? How will this event impact regions around the world?

Activity:  Gather information on super volcanoes. Evaluate evidence of past eruption to determine impact regions. Suggest ways this eruption may change the landscape. How might people prepare for such an event? Create a story map to communicate suggestions.

World must wake up to crackdown in Cambodia, says exiled opposition politician Oliver Holmes, South-east Asia correspondent

Concepts of Thinking: Interrelationships, Patterns and Trends, Geographic Perspective, Spatial Significance

Inquiry: How might this change policy impact countries, people in the region? 

Activity: Create a spatial journal of the region that shows government type and demographics. Conduct an issue analysis to determine a possible course of action that could be taken that benefits the at risk. Communicate via story map.

California’s Wildfires Are Only Getting Worse TIME, Katy Steinmetz / San Francisco

Concepts of Thinking: Patterns and Trends, Spatial Significance, Interrelationships

Inquiry: How might communities deal with the aftermath of these fires?

Activity: Create a spatial journal of the fires from the beginning to the present to identify communities that have been impacted by the fires. Gather information on rebuilding that may reduce the risk of fire damage in a community. Conduct an issue analysis to determine a plan of action. Communicate the plan via story map.

The Catalan leader puts independence on hold for talks the Economist, Oct 10th 2017, BARCELONA

Concepts of Thinking: Geographic Perspective, Interrelationships

Inquiry: What might Catalans' independance look like?

Activity: Gather data on Spain and Catalan. Conduct an issue analysis to develop a strategy that may be acceptable by "most" stakeholders. Communicate a potential outcome of Catalans' independance via story map.

2.5 billion people lack access to basic sanitation 

Stockholm Environmental Institute Tuesday, 10 October 2017 16:07

Concepts of Thinking: Interrelationships, Spatial Significance

Inquiry: How might more people get access to basic sanitation?

Activity: Determine how spatial significance may impact accessibility to sanitation, a basic human right. Gather data and create a spatial journal to determine which areas need increased accessibility. Conduct an issue analysis and develop a plan of action that can be communicated via story map.

Controversial pesticides found in honey samples from six continents, Damian CarringtonEnvironment editor

Concepts of Thinking: Interrelationship, Patterns and Trends, Spatial Significance

Inquiry: How might these pesticide samples impact people?

Activity: Gather data related to the study and create a spatial journal. Conduct an issue analysis to develop a plan of action. Communicate plan via story map.

Trump say Puetro Rico is an island surrounded by big water.  Emily Shugerman New York

Concepts of Thinking: Spatial Significance, Geographic Perspective

Inquiry: How might people know President Trump understands Spatial Significance?

Activity: Gather data from Presidents Trumps speeches and or actions that can be mapped to create a spatial journal. Review for any patterns and suggest corrections. Communicate via Story Map to the President.

Industrial farmingHow the use of antibiotics in poultry farming changed the way America eats. The Economist 

Concepts of Thinking: Geographic Perspective, InterrelationshipInquiry:  Why might antibiotics be used in food? Activity: Gather research on the use of antibiotics in food. Conduct an issue analysis to determine the stakeholders.  Make suggestions and communicate via story map. 

Japan braces as North Korea threatens hydrogen bomb test in Pacific 

the guardian: Justin McCurry in Tokyo and Julian Borger in New York

Friday 22 September 2017 12.23 BST

Concepts of Thinking: Geographic Perspective, Interrelationships

Inquiry: How might the world react to this testing?

Activity: Gather information on the impacts of such a test. Create a spatial journal to illustrate the extent of such testing. Conduct an issue analysis to develop an action plan in the event of such testing. Communicate vis story map.

At least 217 dead after powerful quake hits Mexico – as it happened the guardian

Concepts of Thinking: Spatial Significance, Geographic Perspective

Inquiry: How might the Mexico City recover?

Activity: Gather data relating to the earthquake and highlight areas impacted. Determine what infrastructure has been effected. Determine how these needs might be addressed. Conduct an issue analysis to determine a plan of action c]and communicate via story map.