Question
- Use the ebooks and the selected readings available to you in this class to answer the following question: Is information technology a natural resource? Can human intelligence be considered a natural resource?. End your post with an open-ended question to encourage responses from the audience (has to have at least 150 words, excluding your greeting, signature, quoted/cited text, and the references.)
References
Dahlman, C.T., & Renwick, W.H. (2014). Welcome to Geography: People, Places & Environment (6th ed.). : Pearson Education Company
- Use the ebooks and the selected readings available to you in this class to answer the following question: If you want to set up an industry, what factors will you consider in the location of your industry? Explain. End your post with an open-ended question to encourage responses from the audience (has to have at least 150 words, excluding your greeting, signature, quoted/cited text, and the references.)
References
Dahlman, C.T., & Renwick, W.H. (2014). Welcome to Geography: People, Places & Environment (6th ed.). : Pearson Education Company
- Discuss the following article: The language that unites and the language that divides us: Why was Arabic kept and Serbo-Croatian abolished? (see attached pdf document)
End your post with an open-ended question to encourage responses from the audience (has to have at least 150 words, excluding your greeting, signature, quoted/cited text, and the references.)
- Discuss the following article: Making global labor fair (see attached pdf document)
End your post with an open-ended question to encourage responses from the audience (has to have at least 150 words, excluding your greeting, signature, quoted/cited text, and the references.)
- Watch the video Into the Tropics, and discuss
http://fod.infobase.com/p_ViewVideo.aspx?xtid=40762
End your post with an open-ended question to encourage responses from the audience (has to have at least 150 words, excluding your greeting, signature, quoted/cited text, and the references.)
- Watch the video on Gas, Gas, Gas, and discuss the following question. How is the use of biofuel impacting the economic livelihood of rural China?
http://media.pearsoncmg.com/pcp/pls_0558813755/geography_videos/vid_page.htm?projCode=dig5&vid=gas
Answer
GEO 215
Question 1
Is information technology a natural resource? Can human intelligence be considered a natural resource?
Information technology cannot be regarded as a natural resource. Natural resources are defined as something natural such as a mineral deposit or freshwater that is of importance to humans. Natural resources are categorized into renewable and non-renewable resources. Information technology is a human construction, and therefore not a natural resource (Warner, 2009). Information technology is the result of the work of human intelligence and labor on available natural resources; and not naturally available. Nature provides the natural resources with which man exploits to in order to develop various products. Human intelligence can be defined as mental abilities that determine learning, information processing and memory. Human intelligence cannot be regarded as a natural resource. Human intelligence represents the potential for humans to exploit natural resources, but in itself is not a natural resource which can exploited for commercial gains. Human intelligence is the mental power to do things, but not a natural resource. The question to review is: what is the importance of natural resources to the economy?
Question 2
If you want to set up an industry, what factors will you consider in the location of your industry? Explain. End your post with an open-ended question to encourage responses from the audience
There are certain factors considered while setting up industries in a particular place. The availability of raw materials greatly determines the location of industries. Most industries are set up near the source of raw materials especially where raw materials are bulk in size. The quality of physical infrastructure also determines the location of industries. More industries are located in areas with high quality infrastructure such as roads, railways, and communication network. Roads and railways facilitate the movement of raw materials and finished goods in and out of the industry. Communication helps link an industry to distributors, customers and suppliers. The availability of market is also an important factor to consider. Nearness to a market is important since it enables a company to reduce transportation costs. Nearness to the market is of great importance where the final product is bulky or highly perishable. It is also important to consider government policies. Government policies may determine the level of tax, availability of credit, and subsidies to industries all of which are of great importance to the survival of an industry (Sauvant, 2009). The question to consider is: what do you think the government can do to attract foreign investors to set up industries locally?
Related: global warming
Question 3
Discuss the following article: The language that unites and the language that divides us: Why was Arabic kept and Serbo-Croatian abolished? (see attached pdf document)
The article by Zabarah (2012) explores the reasons why the Arabic language was kept while Serbo-Croatian was abolished. According to the article, this was mainly due to ideological constraints. In the 19th century, the Arabic language underwent major reforms by addition of new terminology. Political and cultural motivations also led to the acceptance of Arabic language. In late 19th century, Arab national thinkers felt a greater need for a United Arab community in light of emergence of other communities such as the German community. The United Arab community would use the Arabic language for unification purposes. The Arabic language was beyond race or tribe barriers, unlike other Western European languages; it was a language for everyone. This means that as long as a person could be able to speak the Arabic language, one was considered as part of the Arabic culture. On the other hand, the lands under the influence of Serbo-Croatian language were divided along religious lines. Further divisions arose in the naming of the language between Serb linguists and Croatian IIIyrians. Both the Serbs and Croatians revered their deep language traditions, making it difficult to adopt a common language standard. The different factions each with its own language characteristics led the abolishment of Serbo-Croatian language in favor of Arabic language. The review question is: what is the essence of language?
Question 4
Discuss the following article: Making global labor fair (see attached pdf document)
The article “Making global labor fair” looks at the plight of workers involved in developing world-leading brands as well as supplying raw materials, and the nature of global supply chains. In the majority of countries which are suppliers of raw materials, one fundamental problem stands out – the issue of child labor and slavery. Child labor and slavery is an issue of international concern, and despite being outlawed under the international human rights watchdog, the issues still remain a common phenomenon in majority of countries around the world. In most parts of West Africa such as Congo, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire and Zimbabwe, child labor and slavery are key challenges bedeviling the societies. Such countries where child labor and slavery are rife represent failed governance. As the writer reckons, these places mark the beginning of the global supply chains which are largely unregulated. Some of the supply chains contain unscrupulous individuals. Due to lack of regulation, consumers are left at the mercies of the suppliers and manufacturers. The question to analyze is: what can governments do to eliminate child labor and slavery in war-torn countries which are the major suppliers of raw materials?
Question 5
End your post with an open-ended question to encourage responses from the audience (has to have at least 150 words, excluding your greeting, signature, quoted/cited text, and the references.)
The video “Into the Tropics” reveals intriguing details of the conquest of Europeans in Africa. The video answers the basic question; how were the Europeans able to conquer large parts of the world? The European region represents one of the earliest civilizations in the entire world. From the video, geography favored Europe – the area was endowed with rich agricultural lands suitable for farming and animal rearing. This availability of food hastened development in the region comparing to other parts of the world. With the coming of Europeans to Africa, three fundamental forces shaped the continent in ways that had never been seen before. These were guns, germs and steel. Having lived in close proximity with domestic animals, the Europeans acquired diseases from animals. However with time, they developed resistance to these diseases. When they came to Africa, the indigenous people had no resistance to such diseases. As a result, diseases such as smallpox decimated entire populations. The Europeans possessed superior weapons such as guns which also helped them conquer most parts of the world. The question is, do you think civilization would have spread to other parts of the world had Europeans remained in Europe? If yes, at what pace?
Question 6
Watch the video on Gas, Gas, Gas, and discuss the following question. How is the use of biofuel impacting the economic livelihood of rural China?
The use of biofuel has a significant impact on the economic livelihood of the rural China. Like many other countries around the world including the developed nations, there exists growing income gaps between the rural and urban areas. Majority of people in the rural areas are unable to afford basic commodities such as access to electricity and running water. In China’s Guangxi Province, the situation is no different. Some homes are not connected to the national electricity grid, making them to rely on wood as their major source of energy for cooking. In addition, even the households connected to electricity still rely on firewood to cook due to the high cost of electricity. The use of biofuels has transformed the lives of many individuals in rural China. This involves use of human and animal waste to produce methane gas for cooking and lighting. The use of bio-energy not only reduces emission of greenhouse gases but also improves the health of rural dwellers. Bio-energy is clean unlike firewood which produce soot. Majority of rural women are also saved from the daunting task of looking for firewood in the forest. The key concern is; what are the impacts of biofuel production on the environment?
References
Into the tropics. Retrieved from: http://fod.infobase.com/p_ViewVideo.aspx?xtid=40762
Sauvant, K. P. (2009). Investing in the United States: Is the US ready for FDI from China?. Cheltenham, Glos, U.K: Edward Elgar.
University of Phoenix. (2014). Making global labor fair.
Warner, J. (2009). Human Information Retrieval (History and Foundations of Information Science). MIT Press.
Zabarah, D. A. (2011). The language that divides and the language that divides us: Why was Arabic kept and Serbo-Croatian abolished. Routledge: Taylor Francis Group.
