My Wonderful World Blog

To kick-off this week’s transition to our new blogging home-sweet-home, My Wonderful World is participating in an exciting blog-a-thon.

The blog-a-thon, organized by YO! Youth Outlook Multimedia and Wiretap, is a “multimedia collaboration of youth perspectives.”

The topic: regime change.
A new administration based on change entered the White House on January 20th. The youth of America played a huge part in the success of Obama’s campaign, but how will we sustain the energy and support in keeping the new administration on task?

Get ready for a week of posts from your favorite hip My Wonderful World staffers, as well as a few treats from our guest blogger friends.

Topics to be covered include:

*Tourism can be added to the list of threats to Antarctica’s environmental health as an increasing number of travelers venture “down south” to vacation in arctic waters.  Because the area’s popularity hasn’t yet reached the levels of Spring Break, Cancun, the Antarctic region has an ability to start from scratch in adopting unique forms of eco-tourism.  Yet, should the international community even consider jeopardizing such a delicate ecosystem for the sake of recreation?

*Is the terrible towel Pittsburgh’s key to a Steeler’s win in Superbowl XLIII, or a glorified piece of cloth?  While the debate is heated, there are many similarities between  Steelers nation--with the terrible towel as its flag--and other sports-team affiliations, and political nationalism… I’ll keep my predictions/gripes/personal comments about this subject aside =)

*President Obama called for the EPA to reconsider its policy on setting unique state emissions standards at the same time a national study claimed that cleaner air adds 5 months to an individual’s lifespan.  With clear (excuse the pun) benefits of cleaner air, should states be able to set their own emissions standards, or should the entire nation strive for the lowest possible emissions--regardless of population?

In response to my introductory post, our friend Julianne Idleman shared with us her sense of place. She said, "We love the feeling we have in the garden that we share with our local home schooling group. It gives us a sense of place that is always growing and changing."

I was intrigued by her garden, as gardening was something that I grew up with. My mom used to plant and maintain the most beautiful gardens and serve my family tomatoes and zucchinis that she had grown herself. If you have never eaten a vegetable that you have grown yourself, then you truly haven't lived yet. Please take a little time to look at Julianne's slide show and listen to her discuss her community garden. Who knows, you may learn a little something about living sustainably.

If you found this interesting... why not check out some of Julianne's other posts here?

-Cameron for My Wonderful World

Our new site!

                        
The My Wonderful World blog has moved to a new platform with a more sophisticated look and greater Web 2.0 sharing functionality.  We’ll be keeping the same geographic perspective, but will be located at
http://blog.mywonderfulworld.org.  Make sure to change the settings in your browser if you have us bookmarked, and remind your friends and family to do the same (use the advanced sharing functionality on our new site, e.g. “ShareThis”).
All of our existing posts and your comments have been maintained in the migration, along with existing RSS subscriber names and passwords.
We look forward to hearing from you on the new site...Let us know what you think!
-MWW Team

Image courtesy of wpclipart.com

Hey Everyone!

Let me take a little time to introduce myself, my name is C-A-M to the E... ummmm...  Actually, you can just call me Cameron. I'm the newest addition to the totally radical staff here at My Wonderful World, and I come to you in the form of an intern. My journey to this desk began years ago, when I first developed what some may call my "sense of place". Many of you may be wondering, "What is this 'sense of place' that he speaks of?" It is more than just where something is, it is comprised of a multitude of factors that come together to give you a certain feeling about a space or a place. However, instead of attempting to explain the whole shebang, I'll let you take a look at this site here.

                      

So back to my sense of place, where did it all begin?  I graduated in December, 2008, from Oklahoma State University with an B.A. in Geography. When I started my career as a college student, I also had to get a job. Luckily, I ended up at OSU Outdoor Adventure, which was basically the sweetest job that I could have hoped for. At the job, I was tasked to research maps, plan trips, take participants out into nature and show them how to safely have an AWESOME time! Of course, this lifestyle spoke to me and I thought to myself, "I have found what means most to me! I have found my sense of place!" Taking my newfound "sense of place" into account, I narrowed my academic studies down to focus on recreation, specifically outdoor recreation such as backpacking, mountain biking, rock climbing etc. that takes place in our National Parks.

Rainer Jenss of National Geographic Traveler magazine is in the seventh month of his year-long journey around the world with his family, and the MWW team loves to periodically read about their adventures on the Intelligent Travel blog (and wish we were trekking along with them)!
When we last checked in, the family had just reached China, and has since been to Japan, Bhutan, Thailand, and New Zealand.  They are currently “down under” exploring Australia’s wildlife and visiting Sydney’s famous opera house.

 

A new President means new policy, and the Obama administration has hit the ground running. This week we highlight national education news that we hope President Obama will take into consideration, as well as featuring some exceptional work by individuals in the field.

                               

*After receiving a grant from the National Geographic Education Foundation, My Wonderful World Public Engagement Coordinator and University of Colorado (Colorado Springs) professor Rebecca Theobald plans to expand geography offerings in K-12 classrooms with her colleague Steve Jennings. Their task list includes professional development for teachers in geography education and explaining how geography plays an essential role for students in 21st century learning. 

*Is Borat a better mathematician than American students?  According to the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) released at the end of 2008, he should be. Kazakhstan was just one of several nations that trumped the U.S. in math and science skills.  While the U.S. falls just barely in the top 10 for each of these subjects, it begs us to question the state of our entire educational system when considered alongside the 2006 Roper Poll on geographic literacy.

After a full day of participating in inauguration festivities here in D.C. on Tuesday, I returned to the office Wednesday morning to find the following email in my inbox from the ONE Campaign (an initiative to combat poverty and preventable disease--particularly AIDs in Africa--famously co-founded by U2 frontman Bono]:

"Dear, Sarah,
More than 100,000 ONE members signed our petition to Barack Obama, asking him to make a strong statement about global poverty in his inaugural address. And he did exactly that.
Now it's time to send him a thank you note."

And I obliged. Here's my letter to Obama:

Dear Mr. President,

Many thanks for your steadfast, heartfelt speech at the inauguration Tuesday, and particularly your statements re: global poverty, the green economy, and education. I was honored to stand among my countrymen, (and thousands of others from around the world) on the National Mall and take part in this historic event. Best of wishes in '09 and into the future, and please continue to let us know how We--the American People--can contribute to creating a more perfect union. Fired up... and ready to go!

Best,
Sarah Jane

What did YOU think of President Obama's speech at the inauguration? Let us know!

 

Images courtesy National Geographic News, ONE Campaign.

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Business as usual resumed in Washington D.C. today, and those of us who attended yesterday’s inaugural events are reveling in our personal space once more.  The inauguration ceremony was definitely not for the claustrophobic or cryophobic (fear of cold weather) as crowds filled the 2.2 mile stretch of the National Mall leading west from the U.S. Capitol.  It’s impossible to know the exact number of people who attended yesterday’s affairs, but companies like GeoEye are using satellite imagery to make educated guesses.  This article highlights the art of crowd counting and quotes the final attendance estimate for the inauguration ceremony--anywhere from 800,000 to 3 million people! Check it out to learn about various crowd counting techniques and tell us which you think is most accurate.

While technology is being used to its fullest potential for crowd counting, it could have been used more effectively for crowd control in my opinion.  Jumbotron screens helped the masses to see President Obama deliver his inaugural speech, but they gave little (and inaccurate!) directions on the day’s logistics, including exit routes.  Other than the occasional banner directing ticket holders to their assigned areas or Metro users to the nearest train, there were a few logistical oversights that could have made the day go much smoother had they been included.

As Washington D.C. braces for an estimated 4 million visitors during next week’s presidential inauguration, My Wonderful World is highlighting some spaces in the city with particular significance to both Martin Luther King Jr. Day on the 19th, and the inauguration of the United State’s first African-American president on the 20th.

U-Street Corridor: One of my favorite memories from election night is running down 14th Street in celebration of the newly-elected president.  The intersection of U and 14th Street is layered with history for the African-American community, beginning with jazz clubs in the 1930’s, followed by riots in 1968 after the assassination of MLK Jr., and finally culminating in a multicultural celebration that engulfed the streets and sidewalks in November of 2008. 

The Lincoln Memorial:  In August of 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered the famous “I have a Dream”   speech during the March on Washington-- a civil rights demonstration for equal jobs, justice and peace.  It’s quite appropriate that a free concert celebrating the inauguration of the nation’s first black president will be held in the same space this Sunday.