GEO: Just like I was sayin'...

I was talking about this in my geography classes recently, and indeed, I mentioned it yesterday in the early afternoon and then on my way home National Public Radio has a story about the very phenomena I was talking about: pythons disrupting the ecosystem in the Everglades (as a result of humans letting them go there).

Invasive Pythons Put Squeeze On Everglades' Animals

Now, a SKEPTIC would say "Awe, Healy, come on.  You heard that in the morning news and they just rebroadcast it in the evening."  And, it seems that the morning NPR news show, "Morning Edition" DID have a story on it, but I assure you I missed the morning broadcast.  And many people can attest to the fact that 1) I've been talking about this for years because 2) it's really not breaking news- this has been going on for a while now, so it's not the first I've heard of it.  Still, just goes to show you that what happens in my class is related to things that are truly happening out in the "real world."

ANTHRO and GEO: Oreos, China, and NPR

Heard on All Things Considered today:

Rethinking The Oreo For Chinese Consumers

With 1.3 billion people, China has a consumer audience than many people salivate over.  If you can get 1% of the Chinese to turn over a small profit to you, you will be rich.  Trouble is, the Chinese and their money are not as easily parted as Americans are.  What could be a bigger seller than that which is extremely popular in the United States?  Take the cultural icon of the OREO cookie.  It's the biggest selling cookie in China.  But that wasn't always the case.  It took a decade for Nabisco to figure out how to crack the Chinese market, and it turns out that when people buy Oreos, they aren't necessarily just buying cookies.  Furthermore, the Oreos you know and love might not be so endearing if you haven't grown up with them.  So what is the cultural meaning of an Oreo?  To an American?  To a Chinese?

ANTHRO: The Fear Factor- why we turn away at things that gross us out.

From yesterday's New York Times:

Disgust’s Evolutionary Role Is Irresistible to Researchers

By JAMES GORMAN

What disgusts humans is proving irresistible to researchers exploring the evolutionary value of

revulsion.

Also:  why not take a look at the NYT Evolution page for interesting articles:

http://www.nytimes.com/indexes/2007/06/25/science/index.html

GEO: More than you ever wanted to know about British geography, or the British Crown, depending upon how far you want to go with it.

If you are still with me, go to the following link and watch the embedded youtube video.

A Quick Geography Lesson On The British Isles

Not intended to be funny, I suppose, but it includes a rather dry, "British" sense of humor despite the fact that it seems to have been done by an American (Possibly a Canadian).  Note the picture of God, which comes from Terry Gilliam, who was part of the British comedy squad "Monty Python."  Only he wasn't British.  He was from Minnesota.  That's another story.

GEO: What A Global Flavor Map Can Tell Us About How We Pair Foods

Interesting use of mapping here, and it brings to light some interesting facts about food and culture on a global and regional scale.

what a global flavor map can tell us about how we pair foods

ANTHRO: Why Do So Many Have Trouble Believing in Evolution?

From the "Cosmos and Culture" blog on National Public Radio's website, on Wed, 1/18 they posted the following story: Why Do So Many Have Trouble Believing in Evolution?

I see polls conducted about what percentage of people believe what, and they all seem to differ.  This article cites  a 2009 Gallup poll.  Polls aside, the author (a physicist from Dartmouth) makes some informative observations (but hardly an exhaustive list) about the evidence for evolution.  The comments that are posted at the bottom of the article are pretty standard fare for this kind of article- a lot of "yes it is,"  "no it isn't;" "Yes it IS!" no it ISN'T!" arguments.  Which is why I don't bother arguing this point any more.  In my classes, you don't have to believe in evolution.  You just have to understand it, and also understand that it's the philosophical underpinning of all modern biology and biological anthropology.  You needn't believe Hinduism in order to take a class in Hindu theology, for that matter.

ANTHRO: In the news today: Newly discovered fossils from the collection of Charles Darwin

http://news.yahoo.com/uk-scientists-lost-darwin-fossils-060025391.html

Imagine rumaging through a dusty old cabinet shoved in the corner of a forgotten storage room in the bowels of a governmental agency office and finding something like this.  Almost as exciting as kicking over a stone and finding a hominid fossil embedded in the underside (see the story of the finding of Australopitrhecus sediba).

If for no other reason than historical interest (Isn't that enough?) this is exciting, however wheo knows what will be discovered after analyzing the samples.

What on Earth is going on here!?

This blog is my clearinghouse for websites, videos, articles, and personal commentary regarding the content of my classes at Elgin Community College.  I am insatiably curious and I'm always pouring through materials relevant to all my interests, but especially the topics I cover in class.  Here is where I will endeavor to share the best of my findings with you.  I hear/see/read new things or good examples of what I teach about on a daily basis, so in an effort to show you that what I talk about isn't some quirky little corner of my own private universe, but, rather, issues of importance and interest that find themselves widely covered and discussed in the media, I offer you these sundry tidbits herein.