culturegrams
http://onlineedition.culturegrams.com/world/index.html
make a website
http://poster.hprtec.org/
news
http://www.newslink.org
maps
http://worldatlas.com/aatlas/world.htm
reference
awesomelibrary.org/classroom/socialstudies/html
country facts
http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/
reference
http://about.com/travel
travel and country reports
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations
country data
http://www.worldbank.org/cgi-bin/sendoff.cgi?page=%2Fdata%2Fcountrydata%2Fict%2Fusa_ict.pdf
maine government
http://www.janus/state.me.us/legislature/
maine
http://www.maine.gov/portal/living/statistics.html
http://www.cnn.com/world
http://factmonster.com
Nowwhere to hide- why move to maine?
http://www.ismec.org
political cartoons- index
http://politicalhumor.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http%3A%2F%2Fcagle.slate.msn.com%2Fnews%2FMideast0203%2Fmain.asp
Burj Al Arab- hotel like a sail- UAE- Dubai
http://www.burj-al-arab.com/baa/c.htm
practice middle east countries and capitals
http://www.lizardpoint.com/fun/geoquiz/mideastquiz.html
the veil and the Koran
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/globalconnections/mideast/questions/women/index.html
globetrekker- Ian Wright
http://www.pilotguides.com/tv_shows/globe_trekker/travelers/ian_wright.php
Should headscarves be banned in France?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/talking_point/3309723.stm
geography
http://www.kidsgeo.com/
persian carpets
http://images.google.com/images?q=persian+carpets&svnum=10&hl=en&start=20&sa=N&ndsp=20
Photo tour of the Al Bustan Hotel in Oman
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviewImages-g294007-d299171-b9S-rb6313209-InterContinental_Al_Bustan_Palace-Muscat.html
wonders of teh world contest
http://travel.msn.com/Guides/article.aspx?cp-documentid=377397
wonders of the world slide show
http://travel.msn.com//Guides/MSNTravelSlideShow.aspx?destinationid=&cp-documentid=379388
practice Asian locations
http://www.lizardpoint.com/fun/geoquiz/asiaquiz.html
practice Asian capitals
http://www.quia.com/jfc/66443.html
laptop survey
http://usm.maine.edu/cepare//surveys/mltistudent.htm
Burj al Arab hotel
http://www.burj-al-arab.com/virtual_tours/
UNICEF
http://www.unicefusa.org/site/c.duLRI8O0H/b.2109021/k.FF0D/Himals_Story__Middle_School_Resources__Lesson_Plans__TeachUNICEF__US_Fund_for_UNICEF.htm
global poverty quiz
http://www.unpac.ca/economy/global_poverty/1.html
Miniature earth video
http://www.miniature-earth.com/
middle east map practice
http://www.ilike2learn.com/ilike2learn/MidEast.html
middle east capitals practice etc.
http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/Middle-east_Geography.htm
newspaper headlines around the world
http://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/default.asp
citizen test
file:///Users/teacher/Desktop/government/citizenship%20test
is your school promoting global citizenship?
http://www.globalfootprints.org/issues/footprint/councquiz1
MIddle East Country practice
http://www.rethinkingschools.org/just_fun/games/mapgame.html
hot flat and crowded
This is the complete summary of the Book, Hot, Flat and Crowded by Thomas L
Friedman.
Yup, he is the same guy who wrote that the world is flat a few years back that
highlighted how the internet and global supply chains is flattening the world.
Now he is on to his next book that is highlighting Hot= Climate Change and
Global Warming, Flat = Globalisation and Crowded = the growing middle class.
Here is the first part of my summary.
Part 1: Where we are
1. Where birds don’t fly
American has gotten distracted by its war on terror and has become more
insulated and loss its path from global leadership. Friedman argues that green
is a new national strategy to take its economic to its new heights.
2. Today’s Date 1E.C.E
The trends of Hot, Flat and crowded are converging.
1. Hot= Global Warming
2. Flat= Globalisation of marketplaces
3. Crowded= Growing competition for resources
The convergence of these 3 trends increase the magnitude of problems: energy
supply and demand, petrodicatorship, climate change, energy poverty and
biodiversity loss
We have to do something about these 5 problems as they determine peace,
security, economic growth and human rights.
Part 2: How we got there
3. Our carbon copies
This chapter focuses on energy supply and demand.
The American lifestyle is wasteful and being emulated in developing countries.
If all of them reach American standards, the demand will be so high the Earth
will not be able to provide the current level of resources to all. There will
be intense competition for resources which will lead to conflict.
Thus a more sustainable growth model is required. The US needs to take
leadership as it is the country using most of the resources right now.
4. Fill em up with dictators
This chapter focuses on petrodicatorship which is a political development in
oil producing country.
As energy demand exceeds supply, oil prices rises which then gives oil
producing countries a lot of money. The influx of Oil money influences
politics in countries and turns it less democratic and more anti American. It
also fuels terrorism and armies.
First Law of Petro Politics: As oil prices does up, the less freedom in
petrolist countries
Thus reduction of oil use is necessary.
5. Global Weirding
This chapter focuses on climate change.
Climate change is real and proven. We are not sure if they will happen even
faster than previous predictions. We are not sure of the changes that might
happen because we have not accurately modelled the complexity of the climate.
We need to increase national awareness of climate change.
6. The Age of Noah
This chapter focuses on biodiversity loss.
Rapid climate change and human development destroys biodiversity. Loss of
biodiversity directly affects human life quality. Degrading the environment
means that we have to do more that the climate used to do for us.
Later is too late and we have to stop biodiversity loss now.
7. Energy Poverty
This chapter focuses on energy poverty in developing countries.
1.6 Billion people do not have access to electricity grid. Without energy,
almost all aspect of life is affected. The poorest are the ones most affected
by climate change.
Without electricity, one has no access to machines and communication necessary
for making a living in this flat world.
This keeps the poor poorer.
With communication and electricity, we can move to a more sustainable work
life style
8. Green is the new red white and blue
We have passed the point where we cannot put off dealing with the 5 problems.
The true costs of the problems are becoming clear in a transparent flat world
which demands accountability.
America must take the lead because if it does not it will lose its global
competitive edge. America can because it still has innovation, research and
capitalist funding that is still leading edge in the world.
Plan A (There is no Plan B)
Code Green: Friedman proposes a Code Green Plan and highlights the need for a
whole new system to power the economy. Need to replace the entire input of the
system (dirty fuel)
The components of the Plan are Clean Electrons, Energy Efficiency and Conservation
Clean Electrons: We need to simulate innovation to find a source of electrons
that is abundant, clean, reliable and cheap.
Energy Efficiency and Resource Productivity: In the short term, we must reduce
the demand because Clean Energy will not be here soon.
Ethic of Conservation: Responsibility for the earth. Changing our lifestyle to
something that has less effect on the earth
What We Need: A system of government policies, regulations, research funding
and tax incentives that would stimulate a system for innovating, generating
gland deploying clean electrons, energy efficient and resource productivity
along with an ethic of conservation
On the next summary, I will cover the remaining portions of the books.
Part 3: How We Move Forward
9. 205 Easy Ways to Save the Earth
In this chapter, Friedman lists how many parties are jumping on the green
bandwagon regardless of if they are really going green. He argues that the
media is positioning green as the next big thing and mis-leading people into
thinking that it will be easy to achieve.
He goes on to show how it is really hard to go green. He shows examples of the
rapidly increasing demand on energy, the amount of investment we need to make
into alternative energy and the amount of time to start these sources of
energy and how hard it will be to achieve all these three. The second example
he shows is that to stop the doubling of CO2 by 2050, we would have to make
several major changes to the current life style all of which are also hard to
achieve.
10. The Energy Internet: When IT Meets ET
The energy internet is the convergence of information technology and energy
technology. This and the next 3 chapters describe a system of clean power,
energy efficiency and conservation. The current power grid is built patchwork
and dumb. Major regions are not interconnected and prices are set by
regulation instead of market forces. The system was setup without the total
cost of ownership in mind.
A scenario is painted 20 years into the future where the grid is connected to
your home appliances and dynamic energy load balancing is done based on the
instantaneous price of electricity. The utilities are now incentized to help
your save energy and even give you loans and rebates to make your house and
your appliances more efficient.
11. The Stone Age Didn’t End Because We Ran Out Of Stones
Clean energy is going to be the next global industry. We need a clean energy
input to power the grid described in the previous chapter. However we have had
no exponential breakthroughs yet and Friedman says that this is because of
both the barrier of innovation and more importantly that we haven’t really
tried. We need to create a market of clean energy. Current energy markets are
dominated by the interest of oil, coal and gas companies and we need to level
the playing field so the market can adopt clean energy.
A price signal is required to make sure investors will invest in the creation
of clean tech companies and their products. A stable price signal will
stimulate demand and confidence and pull our R&D efforts up the learning curve.
Price signals should show the true cost of burning fossil fuels. There are
several ways that it could be implemented such as Carbon Taxes or
Cap-and-trade schemes. Friedman concludes it doesn’t matter as much which
system is implemented but the speed of the implementation.
12. If It Isn’t Boring, It Isn’t Green
We need to nurture all the cost-effective energy efficiency because it is
cheaper than generating electricity. This chapter focus on how standards and
regulations can optimise and lead to efficient energy usage.
Friedman uses the case of GE’s Transportation EVO Train of how tighter
environmental regulation and standards drive innovation which leads to more
efficient products that command a higher market premium. He also brings
examples from the auto industry and air conditioning products.
Green building design can also cut operating cost even though construction
cost might be higher.
The current utility incentive system has to be redesigned. Instead of aligning
profits with the consumption of energy, states should reward utilities from
helping to make energy use more efficient.
Transportation has to be electrified as we can then directly control the
emissions from transportation. A smart grid can use the off peak power and
even out loads throughout the day by exchanging power between parked cars and
the grid.
13. A Million Noahs, A Million Arks
We need to develop a system for preservation of our natural assets because the
degradation of these assets directly affects the quality of life. Each
preservation system will need to be different depending on the local
environment. There are 6 components.
1) National government policies to set aside areas for conservation and other
areas for development
2) Economic opportunities for the local community to thrive without harming
the local biodiversity
3) Investors with an interest in keeping the biodiversity intact and make profits
4) Local government who is able and willing to preserve and protect the areas
5) Experts with the ability to do biodiversity assessment to assess which
areas should be protected
6) Education programs for the people so it is less necessary to plunder the
natural world around the
14. Out Greening Al-Qaeda (Or Buy 1 Get Four Free)
Out greening is a competitive issue (economically and military). When you
adopt a competitive greening strategy, you get more than 1 advantage. Being
cheapest also means greenest. We need to change the current mindset of carbon
neutral to pro green. Carbon neutral means a cost to the companies. But if you
get the green strategy right, you can use it as a competitive tool to
outcompete your competition.
Part 4 China
15: Can Red China Become Green China
China has a pollution problem because of the waste and pollution of its
industry. China cannot do take the same path of dirty industrialization as the
west has done because it would mean serve health problem to its citizens.
The government has realised this and has been taking small steps to go green
while still keeping the economy red hot. Executing a green plan however is not
easy because of the large inertia and the lack of control over local
governments. Transparency in the ground is requiring for citizens to police
polluters by using media outlets and civil rights movements. This is possible
with the government endorsing this movement.
China is having an emergence of a clean tech industry. Buildings play a large
part in the environmental policy of China mainly because of the number of
buildings erected.
The US needs to take the moral ground in leading clean energy because China
will follow us as it has no choice but to follow the world standard.
Part 5 America
16. China for a Day (But Not For Two)
America has been discussing greening for too long with too little action.
Decisions carry too much divergent priorities. The difference between the
China and US is that it takes the US takes too long to decide but measures are
implemented while China can mandate in an instant but the plan might not be
correctly implemented.
Decision making is being impacted by traditional energy companies that oppose
any incentive to clean energy. They use advertising to mislead voters.
Congress is also negligent is letting funding go to the wrong projects instead
of science and development. Government need to be funding basic research so as
to seed the breakthroughs required to solve the green problem.
There is too much red tape involved in construction of a power plant. It took
11 years to connect a wind farm 275 Miles to Los Angeles. This is too slow
compared to the speed at which China is building power plants of one every 2
weeks.
17. A Democratic China or a banana republic
Change will be painfully disruptive and everyone needs to be involved in
bringing attention to the issue. The benefit is not immediate but it has to be
done for our children.
We need a strategy to move the general public.
The energy climate era represents a new set of dangers and opportunities. We
need leaders to solve this multi generational multi faceted multi trillion
dollar problem.