Representing International Disproportions

Worldmapper offers maps in which the actual land area is morphed to represent various disproportionalities across the globe. The website has over 300 maps! Thanks 73man for the tip!

I borrowed a few examples and pasted them in below. The first map is an actual land area map for reference.

Territory size shows the proportion of worldwide net exports of toys (in US$) that come from there. Net exports are exports minus imports. When imports are larger than exports the territory is not shown.



Territory size shows the proportion of worldwide net imports of toys (in US$) that are received there. Net imports are imports minus exports. When exports are larger than imports the territory is not shown.



Territory size shows the proportion of carbon dioxide emissions in 1980 that were directly from there.



Territory size shows the proportion of all territory level decreases in carbon dioxide emissions between 1980 and 2000, that occurred there.



Territory size shows the proportion of state military spending worldwide that was spent by that territory in 2002.



Territory size shows the proportion of species worldwide that became extinct between 1500 current era and 2004, that became extinct there.



Territory size shows the proportion of all people over 15 in the world living with diabetes who live there.



Territory size shows the proportion of all people aged 15-49 with HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) worldwide, living there.



See more alternative maps here.

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A Quick Lesson In Production And Consumption

Click here for a 20-minute video by Annie Leonard called The Story of Stuff. It it, using animation, she explains how "[f]rom its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad."

Website Lets You Create Tailored Maps to Display Data about U.S.

Here is a link to a government website where you can create a map to show all kinds of basic demographic, environmental, and other information--crime rates (broken down by several types of crime), race/ethnicity, poverty rates, median income, climate information, Superfund sites, toxic waste facilities, agricultural information, and so on. I especially enjoyed looking at how many tornadoes there were in Oklahoma.

"DDT Is Good For Me-e-e!"

DDT was a pesticide marketed to housewives (and many others). We later discovered it to be a horrible environmental toxin. Below are two of the propaganda posters (Via Mindfully and KnowDrama and noticed thanks to John L.):

Text:

“The great expectations held for DDT have been realized. During 1946, exhaustive scientific tests have shown that, when properly used, DDT kills a host of destructive insect pests, and is a benefactor of all humanity.

Pennsalt produces DDT and its products in all standard forms and is now one of the country’s largest producers of this amazing insecticide. Today, everyone can enjoy added comfort, health and safety through the insect-killing powers of Pennsalt DDT products . . . and DDT is only one of Pennsalt’s many chemical products which benefit industry, farm and home.

GOOD FOR FRUITS – Bigger apples, juicier fruits that are free from unsightly worms . . . all benefits resulting from DDT dusts and sprays.

GOOD FOR STEERS – Beef grows meatier nowadays . . . for it’s a scientific fact that compared to untreated cattle beef-steers gain up to 50 pounds extra when protected from horn flies and many other pests with DDT insecticides.

FOR THE HOME – Helps to make healthier and more comfortable homes . . . protects your family from dangerous insect pests. Use Knox-Out DDT Powders and Sprays as directed . . . then watch the bugs ‘bite the dust’!

FOR DAIRIES – Up to 20% more milk . . . more butter . . . more cheese . . . tests prove greater milk production when dairy cows are protected from the annoyance of many insects with DDT insecticides like Knox-Out Stock and Barn Spray.

GOOD FOR ROW CROPS – 25 more barrels of potatoes per acre . . . actual DDT tests have shown crop increases like this! DDT dusts and sprays help truck farmers pass these gains along to you.

FOR INDUSTRY – Food processing plants, laundries, dry cleaning plants, hotels . . . dozens of industries gain effective bug control, more pleasant work conditions with Pennsalt DDT products.

Food And The Environment

This graphic from the New York Times illustrates the different environmental costs of meat and vegetable production (click on image to enlarge):

Framing Genetically-Modified Food

The coining of the term "frankenfood" to refer to genetically-modified food is an excellent example of the way in which words matter. As of today, a search for the word in google returns about 57,000 hits. It's been quite an effective frame for the anti-GM food activists. Here are some examples of their work:




Sources, in order, Green Acres Farm, Monsterzine, and Democratic Underground.

Some Videos for Class

"Pornography: The Secret History of Civilization" (2005) is useful for showing that non-procreational sex and sexual enjoyment are not "modern," and that using and enjoying sexually explicit images isn't new, either. I liked the first two episodes in the series, especially the second one, which shows how many explicit images there are in religious buildings and texts from the Middle Ages in Europe. Be warned, you need to watch these before showing them to be sure you can get away with it with your audience--for many students, even the artwork and religious drawings would probably lead to outrage today (which can be an interesting discussion in and of itself).

"Fenceline" addresses institutional racism, environmental pollution, and activism by looking at residents in a town in Louisiana and the divisions that arise between blacks and whites about the possibility of toxic waste contamination. It could be useful for discussing environmental issues or looking at why two groups in the same community could come to such different conclusions about what is going on.