The first thing I will say about this debate is that it was a close one in my eyes; both sides presented great arguments and rebuttals, however, my conservative mind took over and chose my side about halfway through. The only Con side I really liked was the loss of sovereignty. The independent authority to rule a geographical area or territory is something many developed nations enjoy, and supranationalism, in a sense, kills that. But that is a pretty good trade off considering what could be at risk in a time of conflict, especially for smaller European countries.
My main reasons for siding with the Pro side is pretty simple: supranationalism facilitates national security and economic growth, the latter through removing trade barriers. I support supranationalism via my support for NATO. NATO has freed up trade among member nations and has allowed smaller European countries to be afforded a more secure atmosphere than in the past. Additionally, NATO has made warfare easier for member militaries through innovations, such as the Standardization Agreements, which includes the use of the 7.62mm NATO cartridge, which is the standard firearm cartridge in most NATO countries militaries.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Blog #2
My personal interests and goals are helped by me taking Political Geography simply because not only am I interested in the subject of geography, but this class brings me one step closer to attaining my minor in Geography. The concepts of PolyGeo really help me take on a better understanding of things I see on the news and read in the paper, specifically election results, voting patterns, and my interpretation of conflicts around the world. My mental map hasn't changed too much specifically because of the class, although it has given me an idea about where I may want to one day live and where I wouldn't. As a registered voter in Florida, I know that my vote, especially in Presidential elections, counts more here than it does in my native state of Alabama, which regularly votes Republican by a landslide, as opposed to Florida, which is often straddling the fence.
The countries I chose to write about are the United Kingdom and Zimbabwe. The five maps I chose to compare between the countries were the HIV/AIDS map (43), Gross National Product per capita (52), illiteracy rates (39), infant mortality rates (29), and the life expectancy at birth rate (33). The first map, the Adult HIV Prevalence map, is a good indicator for healthcare and the availability of pharmaceuticals (or the lack thereof both). Less than 1% of the 62 million people residing in the United Kingdom are reported to have HIV or AIDS while 16% or more of the 12.5 million population of Zimbabwe have HIV or AIDS. The gross nation product per capita is used instead of Gross Domestic Product as GNP is not a measure, necessarily, of economic strength and does not measure wealth distribution across the population, but it is good for comparative economic well-being. The UK's GNP per capita is in the top tier, at "Above $9,656", while Zimbabwe is in the lowest tier, which is "$785 or less".
For illiteracy rates, the United Kingdom is in the Top Tier, with less than 10% of the population illiterate. Zimbabwe is not too far behind, as they are in the next tier down, which is 11%-30%, which is low in Africa, but considered to be quite high in the developed world. The infant mortality rate map, once again, shows that the UK is quite developed, compared to underdeveloped Zimbabwe. The rate is 10 or less for the UK, but 31-90 for Zimbabwe. Finally, in life expectancy at birth, like most of Africa, Zimbabwe's is less than 55 years, while the UK is at 73 or more years.
The countries I chose to write about are the United Kingdom and Zimbabwe. The five maps I chose to compare between the countries were the HIV/AIDS map (43), Gross National Product per capita (52), illiteracy rates (39), infant mortality rates (29), and the life expectancy at birth rate (33). The first map, the Adult HIV Prevalence map, is a good indicator for healthcare and the availability of pharmaceuticals (or the lack thereof both). Less than 1% of the 62 million people residing in the United Kingdom are reported to have HIV or AIDS while 16% or more of the 12.5 million population of Zimbabwe have HIV or AIDS. The gross nation product per capita is used instead of Gross Domestic Product as GNP is not a measure, necessarily, of economic strength and does not measure wealth distribution across the population, but it is good for comparative economic well-being. The UK's GNP per capita is in the top tier, at "Above $9,656", while Zimbabwe is in the lowest tier, which is "$785 or less".
For illiteracy rates, the United Kingdom is in the Top Tier, with less than 10% of the population illiterate. Zimbabwe is not too far behind, as they are in the next tier down, which is 11%-30%, which is low in Africa, but considered to be quite high in the developed world. The infant mortality rate map, once again, shows that the UK is quite developed, compared to underdeveloped Zimbabwe. The rate is 10 or less for the UK, but 31-90 for Zimbabwe. Finally, in life expectancy at birth, like most of Africa, Zimbabwe's is less than 55 years, while the UK is at 73 or more years.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
About Me!
Hola!
This is my very first blog post for Blogger.com and for my Political Geography class.
So, pretty much, I am your average college student just trying to survive and figure everything out. I spend the first 15 years of my life in small Demopolis, Alabama, 5A football powerhouse and not much more to it, except Wal-Mart and the famous Christmas on the River every December, although the Wal-Mart was a HUGE deal when we first got it.. yeah, it's that kind of town. However, despite my grumbles, Demopolis is the only place I'd want to be raised in, and of course, the best place for being groomed from birth to be a die hard, rock solid Alabama Crimson Tide fan!
Moving forward, for many reasons, my dad retired from his job in Demopolis and got a job with a company out of Tallahassee when I was in the 8th grade. A year later we moved to Santa Rosa Beach, FL (ever heard of Seaside?) and later Freeport, FL, where I attended South Walton High School all four years of high school. No state championships or anything, but it was still a healthy change from Demopolis High. Due to out-of-state tuition being hefty, and Bright Futures being, well, awesome, I at the last second decided to withdraw my intent to attend the University of Alabama and to go to The Florida State University here in beautiful, and sometimes dangerous, Tallahassee!!
I would like to think that I lead an interesting life, but I'm only fooling myself. I am a student pilot, and aviation is the greatest joy in my life, other than my 5 year old niece, and 3 year old niece and nephew (twins). I play the trumpet and the French horn, and am a firm believer that it takes an elite brass player to play the French horn, and that's not up for discussion. I am an avid flight simmer, and am a pretty big computer nerd. Intense computer nerd. I built my own computer. The plus side to this? I can usually fix most peoples computer issues. I'm pretty awkward sometimes, and I am a sucker for romantic stuff, Disney movies and soundtracks, and Demi Lovato. I like to wear suits and dress nicely, so don't be surprised if I make up excuses to wear my Hugo Boss suit on the day of fraternity meetings. Oh yeah, I am a brother of the Delta Chi Colony here at FSU.
I'm pretty sure this is the most I've ever talked about myself... awkward...
So, for those of you in PolyGeog, see you in class!
-Drew
This is my very first blog post for Blogger.com and for my Political Geography class.
So, pretty much, I am your average college student just trying to survive and figure everything out. I spend the first 15 years of my life in small Demopolis, Alabama, 5A football powerhouse and not much more to it, except Wal-Mart and the famous Christmas on the River every December, although the Wal-Mart was a HUGE deal when we first got it.. yeah, it's that kind of town. However, despite my grumbles, Demopolis is the only place I'd want to be raised in, and of course, the best place for being groomed from birth to be a die hard, rock solid Alabama Crimson Tide fan!
Moving forward, for many reasons, my dad retired from his job in Demopolis and got a job with a company out of Tallahassee when I was in the 8th grade. A year later we moved to Santa Rosa Beach, FL (ever heard of Seaside?) and later Freeport, FL, where I attended South Walton High School all four years of high school. No state championships or anything, but it was still a healthy change from Demopolis High. Due to out-of-state tuition being hefty, and Bright Futures being, well, awesome, I at the last second decided to withdraw my intent to attend the University of Alabama and to go to The Florida State University here in beautiful, and sometimes dangerous, Tallahassee!!
I would like to think that I lead an interesting life, but I'm only fooling myself. I am a student pilot, and aviation is the greatest joy in my life, other than my 5 year old niece, and 3 year old niece and nephew (twins). I play the trumpet and the French horn, and am a firm believer that it takes an elite brass player to play the French horn, and that's not up for discussion. I am an avid flight simmer, and am a pretty big computer nerd. Intense computer nerd. I built my own computer. The plus side to this? I can usually fix most peoples computer issues. I'm pretty awkward sometimes, and I am a sucker for romantic stuff, Disney movies and soundtracks, and Demi Lovato. I like to wear suits and dress nicely, so don't be surprised if I make up excuses to wear my Hugo Boss suit on the day of fraternity meetings. Oh yeah, I am a brother of the Delta Chi Colony here at FSU.
I'm pretty sure this is the most I've ever talked about myself... awkward...
So, for those of you in PolyGeog, see you in class!
-Drew
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