Course Conclusion

This course was cool, there were many fun moments in class, and there were many headaches at home. I really enjoyed playing Devil's advocate with all of the topics we've talked about. I believe that I've gained a lot of experience in research, and staying confident when most of the class disagrees with what you're saying. I've had a great time in class discussions and group activities. I also enjoyed presenting my inquiry projects to the class, it was fun. However, I do have some constructive criticism. I found that a lot of my classmates got very tired of doing the same project 3 times over. Yes, there were minor changes here and there but for the most part, it was the same. If it were me, I would change it up a bit to keep the class on its toes and excited to start a new activity. A lot of the things we've talked about in class were interesting, the videos we watched were well-made and packed with information. As much as I have enjoyed it, it does bring me a sigh of relief to be writing the last blog, much like our in-class discussions, the blogs allowed me to get comfortable with presenting an unpopular opinion in writing. Thank you, Ms. Ecker!

Unit 3 - Conclusion

Throughout unit 3 we have learned all about Food and Agriculture. From the impacts of the phosphorus in fertilizers, to why Apple is expensive garbage. The course question can be answered now. We are shaped by our geography because have to make farms on the land provided to us. However, we also shape our geography by expanding that land. We drain marshes to make more farmland, and we dig alternative routes for water to flow in an efficient manner. I have talked about how terrible obesity is and why we should stop it. I've also gone on a rant about Apple because of how scummy their business practices are. All of these things are fueled by consumerism, people have the urge to buy the new iPhone each year, and they have the urge to stuff themselves with McDonald's. However, I think consumerism gets a bad rap. Consumerism is great for the economy, and it has great social benefits too. We also need to encourage people to live healthier lifestyles. This will keep the good about consumerism and get rid of the bad. We need to promote healthier lifestyles by reimplementing home cooking, and physical activities, reduce the amount of time we spend sitting, etc. If we make these changes, the benefits will be worth the trouble.

Apple is not Biodegradable

When I said apple in the title I meant the company, not actual apples. Unfortunately, Apple has some very not eco-friendly business practices. Now, I do have an Apple phone, but it will be my last because I've come to realize that Apple's motto "Does more costs less" did not age too well. Before I dive into why Apple is corporate scum, I have to admit that as terrible as they might be, these strategies earn a lot of money, like a lot. Without further ado, reason number 1, Apple does not sell replacement parts separately. For example, if you have to replace one single chip in the computer, they will make you pay for a whole new circuit because everything is permanently sealed. This means that Apple is simply throwing out 99% good electronics because one tiny piece was broken. Instead of replacing the chip they waste resources on a whole new circuit! This is because they get to charge extra by saying: "you're gonna have to pay for the whole thing!" Secondly, their products are not upgradable. Normally, on laptops, one may open the back and upgrade a few parts by taking the slow old ones out and inserting the new fast ones. Unfortunately, Apple welds its pieces together so that you cannot upgrade. Instead, Apple encourages you to buy a whole new computer from them while they go swimming in money like Scrooge. Finally, Apple releases almost three phones per year! Most of them are virtually the same thing, but on they just changed the number after "iPhone." This makes a lot of people throw out perfectly good tech each year to get the new phone. All of these things are horrible for the environment, all of the great tech is being thrown out to landfills which pollute the environment, and there are many resources wasted on producing all that tech that is destined to be thrown out a year later. Economically, this is great, a constant source for jobs in production and manufacturing, many tax dollars, etc. In the end, Apple really needs to make a 180 turn and go back to their old motto.

Obesity Costs

Since we're on the topic of food and agriculture, I thought that it is important to talk about how a lot of food can actually be bad for a country. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website, obesity costs America 147 billion dollars per year in medical costs! Not only does obesity actually cost more for the government, but it also costs the transportation industry too! I was reading an article the other day which stated that obese people are bad for the transportation industry because they take up more space on the vehicle while paying the same amount as any other person. All over social media, I see posts about "fat acceptance." These posts propagate lies about obesity, they say things like "diets don't work" and "obesity is perfectly healthy." The CDC states that there are many, horrible, due to obesity which reduces your life expectancy by a large chunk. There have been studies that show a clear relationship between obesity and mental health problems. To fix this, we should stop "fat acceptance" and we should start doing things to help other people's lifestyles. Promote raw ingredients, fresh greens, etc. That way, people will have to buy all the ingredients and cook themselves. They will know exactly what they put into their stomachs and they will be healthier because home cooking will replace fast-foods. If we continue down the path we are going down right now, we will end up like the guys in WallE. I've already stated the negative economic impacts, but wait there's more! If a countries population is largely obese, it's military will also start having to accept more and more obese people. This is bad because there is a serious concern of many soldiers getting a heart-attack on a battlefield. Soldiers need to be in great condition to protect their homeland, an obese population is simply not healthy, and by extension not as strong as a healthy population. If we have a weak army, other countries may see us as a weak opponent and try to usurp our power and resources. Environmentally, obesity is a nightmare because people are consuming so much more than they need. Earth will not be able to sustain the number of farms required if we continue our overeating lifestyle. Finally, there are social impacts. I've mentioned that obesity is linked with depression, well, if everyone is obese, then everyone is going to have a higher rate of depression. A lackadaisical population is the last thing that a country needs to stay strong. There will be much more conflict between civilians. About a year ago there was a story in the news about a man who had bought a plane ticket, only to find that his spot was being taken by an obese man who took up two spots. The first man had to stand for the nine-hour flight even though he paid the same amount as the other guy! Obesity is a clear problem, it is not something that we should "accept." We have to fight to stay strong and be our best selves.

Conclusion - Unit 2

"How does our geography shape us, and how do we shape our geography?" That's our course question. This unit took that question very literally as can be seen in my Unit 2 blogs. Singapore's citizens have to deal with the small space available, and they shape the island themselves by making it bigger. Our geography also affects us in Canada by not letting us ship resources to Indian reserved by land. We learned about Canada's aging population and the problems that arise with it. We talked about gentrification and revitalization. Humanity is always changing and evolving, that's why it is important to study these trends and learn about the good and the bad. To conclude this unit, I'd like to say that to solve these problems we need to consider all side of geographic thinking. We should look at what is best for the economy, for the people, for the environment, etc.

If things are so Bad up North, why don't the First Nations move down South? - Unit 2

In class, we discussed food insecurity and the lack of schools up in Indian reserves. A jug of orange juice costs almost $27 and female hygiene products such as pads can cost up to $50 per pack. There are no high schools which means that students have to leave their families to come to study down south. While talking about this, I had a question, why don't they just move to somewhere where living conditions aren't horrible? I started doing a bit of research and found an article by CBC. (Click here.) This article states that people don't want to move for two main reasons: 1, they will miss their culture, land, friends, etc. 2, they will be the targets of racism and discrimination in the city. Personally, I don't think that these are valid reasons. I myself am an immigrant, I was born in Russia, my whole heritage is Russian. My family had friends and jobs, we knew the language and loved our culture. With all of that, we still decided to uproot everything and come to Canada. The conditions we were living in were way better than that of the Indian reserves. That's why I believe that the first argument is invalid. It sucks to have to leave your culture, but you don't see me crying because there are no Matryoshka Doll making classes in school. The second argument does not make sense either. It's 2019, everyone except for a few old-timers here and there has acknowledged that racism is bad. In our school, the TV shows an acknowledgment that we are on Indian land every few minutes. The murders in Thunderbay are bad, but in our area, such things do not exist. I do not believe that being called a savage a couple times in your life by someone who has not caught up with society is worse than not having clean water or an education. It's no secret that if the people in Indian reserves moved down here, it would be better economically. Currently, Canada has to spend a lot of money shipping everything up north. If they moved to the city, taxpayers would not have to pay for that. Socially, it would be good because they can fill jobs and grow our economy. The only problem is the Indian Act 87. It states that Indians get income tax relief. This means that when they come to the city, they will be using public services that they don't as pay much as any other citizen does for. In conclusion, if they decide to move to the city, a lot of problems would be solved. However, we first need to solve a few problems such as the Indian Act 87.

Why the Government should not Waste Time on Climate Change - Unit 2

Singapore is a small island, meaning that there is limited space to work with, this shaped the city to be compact and efficient. On the other hand, people also shaped the geography by literally adding more land and expanding the island. Singapore is a smart country which gave spawn too many great technological advancements and milestones. The best part is that they did not need a prime minister promising a carbon-tax to do so. The government runs everything, it is illogical to expect it to fix everything for us. Singapore knew this, and instead of taking money away from big corporations for producing CO2, Singapore's government outsourced this issue to private companies. This was a win-win situation because the government can focus on the people, while the private companies can save us from the big scary CO2 monster. It's not just Singapore, in Silicone Valley billionaires like Elon Musk are having much more success in a shorter span of time than the government does. This is great from all perspectives, environmentally, it's a win because we solve climate change. Economically, it's a win because there are more jobs for citizens, the government gets taxes from the companies, and the government does not waste money and resources on attempting to do it themselves. When looking from a social perspective, it's amazing because there are more jobs for the people and the citizens won't get sick because of pollution. In conclusion, citizens should not vote for a president/prime minister because they promise to fix climate change by themselves. You should encourage private companies to do it, or better yet, be the change you want to see in the world
and do it yourself.