2003

JANUARY 2003

The New Year starts with more flooding. Prolonged heavy rain has saturated soil and made for a soggy start to many towns which were also hit in October 2000, and may find themselves unable to secure insurance, or be hit by extra premiums. Most of Europe suffers as well, as torrential rain is followed by a big freeze. (BBC Website)

Cyclone Zoe tears through the Solomon Islands of Tikopia and Anuta: a category 5 hurricane (BBC Website) It is 4 or 5 days before the first pictures of the devastation arrive but remarkably, people all seem to have survived the experience.

Further eruptions of Stromboli continuing.

An interesting story on China's population experiencing a mini 'baby-boom' because couples are trying to have their one allocated child before the arrival of the Year of the Goat in February. The goat is apparently inauspicious, with the belief that children born under the sign will have bad luck for the whole of their lives. Some couples think that it may be a good idea to wait however, as there will be fewer children born, so there will be less competition for places at schools, colleges and for jobs. (The Guardian, 10/01/03)

Road use has increased by 73% in the last 20 years according to official statistics. Petrol prices have increased by 12%, but bus fares have risen by 31% and rail fares by 37%. Average disposable income has increased by 80%, so transport, particularly cars, have become relatively more affordable. The number of people using buses has slumped by 21%, although demand has remained the same in London. Accidents have decreased (The Independent, 17/01/03)

2 stories from India, where a friend of mine is currently on holiday. The first relates to a cold spell, made worse by winds from the Himalayas, which is currently hitting Northern India. Over 500 people have been killed by the weather. There was also a report about a sit in by Hindus on the banks of the Ganges at Allahabad to demand that a dam upriver has to be opened to allow water down the river to flush away the pollution that has built up in the area. (The Guardian, 18/01/03)

The Spanish airline Iberia is offering free flights to Spanish nationals from various destinations to Galicia to help in the oil clean up following the spillage from the Prestige. 77 000 tonnes of oil was spilt, and over 10 000 seats are being offered to try to restrict the damage to Spain's NW coast. (BBC Website)

The tea fields of Cornwall. Just when we are saying that we need to import crops like tea because they can't be grown in our climate we can find another sign that perhaps the climate is changing and adapting. Following the introduction of vineyards, there are now plans to grow a tea crop in Britain. The place in question is south Cornwall. Tea is a huge industry in the UK. Britons drink 165 million cups of tea a day. The teabag was invented in 1908. The first tea crop is used to be harvested in 2005. The crops cover 20 acres. Tea plants need to be grown on south facing naturally irrigated slopes with plenty of rain and no extremes of temperature. (Daily Mail, 28/01/03)

FEBRUARY

A bit of snow and the country descended into chaos yesterday - at least it meant I got the day off work! - lots in the news regarding the chaos. (01/02/03)

A good article by David Lambert (Chief Executive of the Geographical Association) on the fact that Specialist school status can't be applied to Geography or other Humanities/Environmental subjects. He discusses the fact that Geography straddles the Arts and Science spheres. The National Curriculum was perhaps behind a decline in the teaching due to the importance of delivering 'content'.

A colleague passed on an article from 'The Independent' entitled "Is Geography brainwashing ?" It looks at the way in which issues like poverty, global warming and globalisation are emerging and perhaps being over-simplified. 'Has Geography become propaganda ? Are geography classrooms places where students are taught to bow down before the altar of environmentalism, while learning that multinationals and Western governments are the devil incarnate ? Even worse, are they learning these things at the expense of good old-fashioned skills like map-reading and knowing where places are ?'

Apparently they are, says our old friend Alex Standish. Kirk Leech from the Central Academy in London says "Geography has become an ethics lesson and a means to moralise about the world." Chris Durbin is quoted as saying "What's the point of doing Geography unless it is to make the world a better place ?" Inevitably, as David Lambert says, the amount to which this is done in an even-handed way depends on the individual teacher.

One very true point says that relatively few teachers have first-hand experience of the developing world they teach about. The RGS is launching a site called 'Geography in the News' (much the same as this section...) which looks at geographical issues in the news. Alex Standish is now studying for a PhD in the USA.... (The Independent, 06/02/03)

Geography "is topical, and can engage with the future. It recognises that contemporary concepts such as sustainability and globalisation are slippery catch-alls that mask enormously complex and urgent disputes about all our futures." (TES, 07/02/03)

The Daily Mail carried an article with the headline: "No place for tradition in new-look Geography" - a new hybrid GCSE is being planned. Apparently the 'traditional' topics of rivers, coastlines, natural hazards and capital cities are being sidelined in favour of weather forecasting and tourism. Sounds like they've taken out the wrong bits. Physical geography needs to be increased rather than reduced! 50 trial schools will test the syllabus from September (Mail, 10/02/03)

Congestion Charging started in London (17/02/03) - see CONGESTION CHARGING PAGE for more details.

10 000th visitor to GeographyPages. Thankyou, whoever you are...you really should get out more.

Also had my first experience of BROADBAND. So my conspiracy theory about it not actually existing is not quite true... very impressive too, and if it ever arrives in Norfolk I'll be on the list.

However.... perhaps a better bet is to move to an area where Broadband is available. Any Head-teachers out there who want a new Head of Department can get in touch..

60 years ago today, a Mexican farmer noticed some ash and steam rising from his ploughed field. The result, several days, weeks and months later was the formation of the Paracutin volcano. (20/02/03) As one of my students said when I told the story. Why didn't he just kick it over or pour water over it when it was still really small... er, there's no answer to that.

A fascinating article in the Guardian on the cold spell which killed 900 people in parts of India, Nepal and Bangladesh due to hypothermia. The temperature never actually dropped below 5°C. We expect hypothermia to be the result of much lower temperatures and wind chill, but it seems that people were not prepared for the cold spell. It was unexpected and they didn't have the warm clothing and blankets (or even the cardboard and newspapers used by homeless people in the UK) and they were probably also under nourished compared to those MEDC residents. This affects the body's ability to retain its core temperature, and causes low blood sugar levels. (The Guardian, 27/02/03)

MARCH

Interesting article on Robert Garside, from Chester who is well on course to complete a run around the world. It has so far taken nearly 5 and a half years of daily non-stop running, covering 35 000 miles. He has survived land mines, gun attacks and jail. He set out from India in October 1997, gone through 50 pairs of running shoes and spent £170 000 on his travels. There were some sponsors, but much of the money has come from individual donations. One of the main issues has been proving that he did the run, so he has spent a lot of time logging his position and sections of the run on video. See his RUNNING MAN website for more details. He has seen most of the great landmarks of the world, and fallen in love. His next project is a plan to run across the icy wastes of Antarctica and swim the globe. A remarkable man. (The Observer 02/03/03)

Good article in the Observer Sport Monthly looking at the search that surfers are making for the 'perfect wave'. Satellites and high-tech devices are being used to try to find the 100 ft wave that can be ridden: the closest they can get to a tsunami. El Nino will apparently produce bigger waves than in the past. Artificial reefs may be built to force waves to break. (The Observer, 02/03/03)

Geography itself was in the news early this month with the announcement of a new pilot GCSE Geography, which I received more details about. This is described as a 'HYBRID' syllabus, and is being offered by OCR in some pilot schools from September, alongside the more 'traditional' syllabuses. The idea is to remove the current trend for the same subjects to be offered at Key Stage 3, GCSE and AS level, and also to increase the vocational element of the subject, which is tied in to increasing uptake as the entry at GCSE level has dropped substantially in recent years.

The new syllabus followed consultations with the QCA and a recent Government green paper. It has a Core and Option structure. This allows flexibility in the course construction, and emphasises the vocational element.

The CORE will be the equivalent of the current Short Course, and would be taught in Year 10 as a foundation to the optional units. There will probably be a written paper and some sort of internal assessment.

The OPTIONs will follow the core, and will include some rather 'different' aspects of Geography. They will be half the size of a GCSE short course, and range from general (academic) areas to vocational.

Assessment could include:

Following Options are under consideration. Meetings are being held to discuss the ones that could be adopted.

A report on the start of construction of a road to the South Pole. There are plans to have an ice road. The first main obstacle to the construction has been a shear zone. This is where plans often falter, where the ice shifts and cracks. (BBC News, 05/03/03)

The WORLD WATER FORUM started on March the 16th in Kyoto, Shiga and Osaka, Japan. There are fears that the world is running short of water.

An article on the BBC NEWS site gives some interesting insights into flood warnings in Bangladesh, and the role that mosques have to play in this. In 1972 the country's Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC) was established, but its warnings often arrived too late, or not at all, as many people had no access to TV, radio, newspapers or Internet. It is estimated that warnings only reach 50% of the rural poor. Trials have started with loudspeakers in mosques broadcasting warnings during prayer meetings.

UK beaches are apparently more covered with litter than ever. The most recent survey by the Marine Conservation Society found a piece of litter every 60cm around the coast of the UK. Plastics accounted for almost 60% of the waste. Go HERE for the article, and links to the MCS site. (BBC News, 14/03/03)

News dominated by coalition forces moving into Iraq. Oil wells are deliberately set ablaze causing tremendous environmental damage.

APRIL

Massive mudslides in Bolivia at a place called Chima leave hundreds of people missing. (01/04/03)

The last reactor in Calder Hall was switched off this week. Calder Hall was the first commercial power producing nuclear plant. It was opened by the Queen on October 17th 1956. A Guardian article ran through the history of Nuclear power under the headline: "Is this the end of the dream?" (The Guardian, 03/04/03)

Plans by animal protection groups to bring a test case on the cruelty faced by farm animals. CIWF (Compassion in World Farming) is planning to bring the action, describing the use of growth hormones and inhumane conditions. (Daily Mail, 09/04/03)

The warm weather in the run up to Easter drew the usual headlines: "Hotter than the Med", and then the pollution warnings. Long tail backs on the roads to Cornwall, train strikes. So far, so usual...we usually stay at home for Bank holidays as the local roads are packed with holidaymakers - loads of flabby white skin on show..

An amusing story from Westminster where people have apparently been counterfeiting bin bags to avoid the 80p charge per bag for the special bags that are used in the council area. We have to pay around 50p up here in Norfolk for special bags for garden waste. A lot of letters to the local paper have maligned the refuse collection service in the area. Fraudsters have noticed a niche in the market.

A second story at the other extreme was about the freak frosts which could have destroyed up to 50% of the French Chardonnay vines which are used to produce the grapes for champagne. (The Times, 19/04/03)

Apparently the term 'brainstorming' is being discouraged in teacher education courses as it may cause offence to those with epilepsy. Try doing a 'word storm' or 'thought shower' instead... remember to write it on the blackboard....er (Daily Mail, 26/04/03)

SARS SARS SARS SARS Education GCSE A level Case Study Geography Spreading - that should get me listed on some searches... notice that Channel 5 are showing the film 'Outbreak' - good scheduling!

Earthquake in Turkey. Children trapped in a collapsed school. There have also been suggestions that the quality of some of the buildings in the area are suspect - people have perhaps taken payments, and one article in the Observer names certain builders in the Bingol area. The quake struck at 3.30am and the school was made of poor quality concrete.

Floods in Argentina. Cities are cut off by tremendous flooding - just something else to add to the country's woes. Apparently 45 000 people have been evacuated from Santa Fe in the north of the country.

Also noticed that BBC Bitesize is now available on BBCi which is part of the SKY Digital service. Put the box on channel 101 or 102, then press the red button. When the screen has loaded, press the blue button and select BBCi and one of the options is BITESIZE: each day is a different subject - when I last looked it was Biology with some useful examples of human impact on ecosystems.

Another fairly inevitable news story to round off this first set of NEWS links is the loss of jobs from steelworks operated by CORUS. My dad was a steelworker in the Rotherham and Sheffield area for over 40 years, and he retired a couple of years ago. Increasingly, jobs in steel are becoming rare in the area that was synonymous with steel (a visit to the KELHAM ISLAND museum in Sheffield will give you some idea...) This time the area that was badly hit was the town of STOCKSBRIDGE to the north of the city. Most people in the town were employed at the steelworks, and the YORKSHIRE POST had some reports where they interviewed people from the town and asked their views on the impact of the job losses.

GO ON FURTHER IN 2003

GO BACK TO THE INDEX PAGE