Regional Geography

The article brings back memories of this past year and the Boston Marathon where the two bombers were found out to be from the Chechen region.  Due to social networks and word of mouth, many people jumped to assume that the attack was because of "the Russians".  Little was known about Chechnya and the people within the area, but it showed that in America at least, there was quite a bit of ignorance and assumption floating around.  Even political figures and in news reports there was confusion of the exact boundaries and ethnic backgrounds that the region possessed.  It shows the media gives people what they want to hear, and the listeners are seldom to do their own research to understand the truth.

Russia and its surrounding region has constantly been changing since the fall of the Soviet Union.  New countries form and more ethnicities arise constantly and with all these new developments form even newer confusion.  Many of these areas intertwine various languages, religions, cultures, and at times putting a barrier between them is nearly impossible.  As reports unravelled, they showed actual conflict between Chechnya and those of the Russian capital, Moscow.  There had been hostage situations and terrorist plots carried out by people suspected to be from the Chechen region and even the Russian president Vladimir Putin had grown angry about being apart of Chechnya.  With all these events and learnings, it shows that some countries still have people and areas within its boundaries that have little known about them.

Vladimir Putin was once a symbol of efficiency in Russia, but now that tensions are growing due to the subsidies that are being paid to Chechnya. As the article states, Putin's policies are starting to seem like a dead end and will only get more expensive as time goes on.

We don't usually hear about Chechnya subsidies usually it has to do with growing tensions or terrorism. In Russia there are so many ethnic and political divisions that it make sense the Russians feel allegiance to their ethnic group rather than Russia and there for when the government subsidizes Chechnya they see it as Russia subsidizing a population that really isn't "Russian".

European nations moved to reverse decades of unfettered travel across the continent when a majority of EU governments agreed the need to reinstate national passport controls amid fears of a flood of immigrants fleeing the upheaval in North Africa. In a serious blow to one of the cornerstones of a united, integrated Europe, EU interior ministers embarked on a radical revision of the passport-free travel regime known as the Schengen system to allow the 26 participating governments to restore border controls. They also agreed to combat immigration by pressing for "readmission accords" with countries in the Middle East and north Africa to send refugees back to where they came from. The policy shift was pushed by France and Italy, who have been feuding and panicking in recent weeks over a small influx of refugees from Tunisia. But 15 of the 22 EU states which had signed up to Schengen supported the move, with only four resisting, according to officials and diplomats present.

Unit 2

11 billion people projection for the future but a decline in population in Europe? How? What factors altered this? Why? 

This article discusses the population decrease in Southern Italy. The small city called Laviano is now deserted because of the extremely low birth rate. Rocco Falivena, the major, says that he proposed a system to get women to produce more babies. Pregnant women will receive 10,000 euros over the years if they produce a baby. Even with this system the population remains to be decreasing. 

The dramatic decrease of this small city will have huge economic consequences. This city is an example of the opposite that is happening globally and proves that the world needs a stable population and not a population decline. 

Interesting...

Catalonia is not Spain. A region that can draw tourism on its own merits that is distinctly Catalonian and not Spanish. These people have strong cultural ties to Catalonia that makes it distinguishable from Spain.

The physical aspect of the physical geography in this piece shows alot of the beauty side. from valleys, cliff faces, this man knows how to enjoy himself, as he glides across the beautiful landscapes.

This must be an experience unlike any other. You will never get to see the world like this any other way.. unless you ride Soarin' at Disney World, but I would imagine this is a little less expensive, and a little more thrilling, not to mention much more beautiful.

The really cool thing about this is that having extreme sporats in this area is also a way to see how incredible the landscapes really are. It's a combination of two amazing aspects in life that show how the land was formed and how sports can be a way to view this incredible area.

In a society that is seen by most of the world as strict and rigid, it was interesting to see these children having fun and breaking the mold of traditional afghan kids. What makes this even more fascinating is that female children are doing some of the skating. With gender issues a hot topic in some Middle Eastern countries, letting kids have fun before being made to conform to tradition is a nice experience for them. While they still respect the culture to they belong to, it is a break from that and a breathe of fresh air for them. These youth are not seen primarily as men and woman, but as children.

Who could have imagined, that Skateboards could be used as a geopolitical tool? Over a decade ago, the United States invaded Afghanistan with the aim of rooting out and destroying the terrorist who attacked the nation on 911. As with most of our military campaigns in the Middle East, the mission quickly became bogged down in a nation building campaign. The people of Afghanistan have long been wary of foreign influence. Empire after empire has attempted to conquer this nation, only to suffer humiliating defeats. For any chance at sustained success, the United States must win over the hearts and minds of the Afghan people. This skateboard program is a perfect tool in accomplishing that objective. The parks bring all types of youths together in the spirit of fun. They are a unifying factor amongst the youth in Afghanistan.

So is this just to compete with NAFTA and the EU on an economic level?  Or is this to compete with the EU on economic, political and military level, much like the EU's EuroCorps?  Putin states thie is not a return to the USSR, but Russia has always been weary with the growing of NATO and the EU on its borders.  How about if Turkey gets int the EU right on the Russian border?  This action might move thie bloc creation even more forward and Putin might become more forceful to its creation.  No that former KGB member Putin is foreful.

It is more than understandable that former Soviet satelite states are weary of any kind of union with Russia. However, some sort of treaty could benefit the block, particularly an arangement like the one already held between Russia, Belarus, and Kahzakstan. An agreement that would ease travel between the two countries appears to have little downside.

it can hardly be considered surprising that Putin wants another version of the USSR. every other major nation has some form of organization that it is a part of, and with Russia left alone it must now desperately scrabble for some alliance or union with any other nation.

This video is shows the changing demographics of Sweden. Sweden and several other wealthier countries of Europe are now destinations for immigrants where they were once the origin of them. The change is difficult for these nations as they are somewhat unprepared economically and politically for significant immigration.

The immigrants end up feeling unwanted in their new country and their old. This feeling of being unwanted is possibly worse than it would be in the United States, a country more accustomed to immigration.

This growingly intense immigration situation parallels that of our own here in the U.S. and in many other countries throughout the world. World citizens, refugees, don't feel at home in their birth country nor do they feel welcomed in their current home or host country. This puts a lot of stress and pressure on these already punished populations. That's not to say that the host countries concerned citizens don't have a reason to be worried, but are their responses appropriate or productive?  

Europe is a place that makes traveling to different countries relatively easy. This makes sense that their would be migration that is inter-european. 

While the media often focuses on unemployment on a grand scale, regional trends can add insight to the problem at hand. Some places, such as Yuma, Arizona, have unemployment rates as high as 30% while other, like Fargo North Dakota have a safe 3% unemployment rate. At the height of the recession, unemployment was decently even across the country, but recovery has not been an even process. Demographics could be a large key to understanding these issues. Large metros are more resilient to unemployment due to the higher quantity of college graduates, and their positions as economic and creativity hubs.