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I live in Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland is not afflicted by huge measures of natural disaster. We dont get volcanoes. We dont get earthquakes. We dont get huge amounts of rainfall or drought. We dont get huge tropical cyclones parking off the coast and controlling our weather for weeks on end. I suppose we are pretty lucky. Over the last few days we have seen some pictures of the impact that a cyclone has had on Burma. To date about 22,000 are deads with another 40,000 lost. If this happened in NI what would our response be? It would be on every channel 24/7. We would know everything about the loss of life and the impact on people. Yet again, I feel that we are selling this crisis short. We need to see the problem. We need to see how we can help and we need to see how we can help countries like this make sure that something like this is minimised iun the future. Maybe it just that our countries have been navel-gazing recently - worrying about the global credit crunch and house prices falling that we are more worried about the state of our finances compared to the survival of others. Let me finish with one fact.

Average annual wage of a subsistence rice farmer in Burma (of which around 17,000 are now dead) = $150

Average amount of money spent by students in my school on school dinners in a year = $1000 (£500)

Is Geography teaching rubbish?

There has been a lot of stuff on the news this week about the low standards of Geography teaching in England and Wales. In a report by the BBC they claim that Geography must be made more relevant. I suppose I find it hard to believe that it isnt! Everything we teach is part of the world - part of the bigger picture - part of the macro ecosystem of the world that we live in. I cannot think of any more relevant subject - global warming, debt, poverty, migration, aids - these are the issues that make up the news and these are the things of geography. Maybe teachers need to refresh their case studies a bit and maybe we need to protect the specialism that is geography rather than let it be diluted into 'popular science'. Our job is to teach how the world works. Do we do it? The President of the RGS (Royal Geographical Society) - Dr Rita Gardner replied that

"Young people have a tremendous curiosity about the world, and there are few subjects more relevant than geography. Indeed, it remains one of the most popular subjects at GCSE. Through forthcoming curriculum changes and enhanced professional development opportunities and resources, I am convinced that geography will become sufficiently interesting and engaging for that curiosity to be stimulated for all our children.”

Are cars bad?

I want one of these. Is that bad? I have been reading Jeremy Clarkson's book recently which I suppose as opposite as you can get to being an environmentally friendly geography teacher. To Clarkson, I am probably some sort of tree-hugging friend of Bill Oddie who thinks we should all ride about on milk floats. But the big question is just how bad are cars? Does the amount of pollution taht gets pumped out of exhausts cause a noticeable difference to the environment? Are cars bad? If so - why have we not got good enough replacements yet. I cant actually get a bus from my house to my work - there just isnt a bus that would get me home and anyway I normally have to get to Belfast to pick the kids up before I get home. It would take me about 5 hours to get home using public transport. Give me a fuel efficient, low emission, non-carbon burning car and I will be happy. I dont want to pollute the environment but give me better options. Please.

Geography questions - from the site!

Why was the weather so weird during the summer? Why are some countries (like Australia) having massive droughts? Why are some countries so dry that forest fires are destroying huge areas of land (like Greece)? Why are some countries experiencing too much rain - like the flooding in India and England? Why are fish stocks in Peru being killed by changing sea temperatures? Why are the global ice caps melting at a frantic rate? Why does where you are born matter so much? Why are people in Africa poor? Why do the midges travel 150 miles just to bite a cow and give it Blue tongue disease? Why do volcanoes erupt all the time? Why is Foot and Mouth disease a bad thing? Why do some people think that wind turbines are actually BAD for the environment? Why is the sky blue? Why do people think the world might be made up of liquid? Why do earthquakes kill more people in poor countries?

Thats just some of the things that I have been thiking about this week. These are my questions. What are yours?

Environmentally Friendly!

This week some plans were announced to put a tidal barrage across the Severn estuary from Wales to England. This would help to create 'green energy' - ie we would not have to burn fossil fuels and would generate about 5% of ALL of the energy needs for the whole of the UK. Wow! That is some plan. Green energy is finally here. Who would oppose such a thing? Guess who - that's right. the environmentalists because of the impact it would have on the environment. Read more about the barrage here or you can look at the for and against arguments. They will be telling us that nuclear energy is not safe next . . . . . .

Geography is not important anymore!

One of my friends has just bought a Sat Nav system for his car. Thats one of those gadgets that sits in the front of your car and tells him where to go. Now, as a fellow gadget freak he expected me to already have one and was surprised that I hadn't already got one. I hate them. I really, really despise those GPS things. Its because I love maps (too much!) I love the look of maps, I love finding places and I especially love to plot routes. I love having to plot my route from one place to another. For me, that is part of my holiday. Normally about 3 weeks before I go away in the summer I get out my atlases and maps and plot my route - where will I go, where will I stop etc. Sat Nav systems take the fun out of planning. They take the randomness out of it. the thrill of finding something unexpected. Of course, there is also the argument that these things also cause more accidents as people watch them and fiddle with them as well. My friend's comment also was - guess that meand you dont need to teach maps anymore - I wish. But I'll bet that most of the people with SatNav systems have NO idea what all those symbols actually mean on the screen . . . . .

Over the summer I was reading that fewer people now take A levels and GCSE exams in Geography than ever before. Shock! The education system has gone from about 15 A Level subjects and options to about 500 different subjects and options. Of course Geography (and every other subject ) was going to lose out. The big question that Geography teachers need to be considering is if they are making their geography relevant. This summer has proven (yet again) the need for geography in schools. Bad weather? Rivers that flood? Earthquakes? Cities that are expanding? Farming catastrophes and Foot and Mouth disease? Ice caps that are melting? These are the things of Geography. The news is filled with Geography from start to finish. We need to make sure that our students understand the implications of these issues - the things that are behibd the news. Geography is more imporant today than at ANY other time!

Is Global Warming caused by us?

I suppose we are now at the point that we have to accept the science 'fact' that Global Warming is taking place. Nearly every day there is a new story in the news that supports this. The BBC has a great mini site dedicated to Climate Change. One of the most recent stories is related to the disappearing ice and snow on Kilimanjaro. However, with the recent winter being the warmest on record and the weather over the last 3 weeks being abnormally warm and dry fo this time of year - people do start to aske questions. So - we can establish that the weather is different, that we dont quite get the same winter extremes that we used to and that spring plants and butterflies, bees and wasps are all out a lot earlier. But the BIG question remains - is this caused by us or is this part of the natural cycles of world climate. Would this have happened normally even without our input and production of the so called 'greenhouse gases'? For me, that is the big question and I am not quite sure that the proof is quite there yet.

In saying that how can reducing our carbon emissions and the amount of chemicals and pollution that we pump into the atmosphere be anything but a good thing - but will it help to reduce the way that our climate changes . . . that is the big question. What do you think?

The Geography of war and disaster.

I have just learned that a big earthquake has just happened off the coast of the Solomon Islands in the Pacific Ocean tonight that casued a Tsunami. I suppose one of things that amazes me is that we can find out about things like this so fast. Although communuications in the area are not great, they still can find out what happened and put word around the world very quickly. Though as a bit of a news junkie I want to know more and see video and pictures right now. Is this right?

This week a big story has been the capture of 15 Royal Navy Personnel in the water around Iran and Iraq. It is amazing when geography has brought the UK and Iran to the brink of this level of dispute. Year ago, before satellite navigation and accurate measuments of distance and place, i suppose these so-called incursions into another country's terratorial waters would have been pretty minor. Today, it is different. Military satellites can track to within 2cm. Thats pretty good. So whats the problem then, the UK have shown theor proof, the Iranians have aired theirs on TV. Who wins? Is there some sort of geographical arbiter who steps in to make the final decision? The other thing is that in the past wars between countries have often started due to smaller things than this . . . .

Launch of the first Slemish College Film Festival!

On Wednesday 21st March during assemby I will be launching the very first Slemish College film festival! Students are going to be invited to create their own digital music video that they will submit for a special film festival event to be held in May 2007. Prizes of digital movie making equipment can be won and both students and staff are encouraged to make entries for the competition!

Further information and help for students can be found on the special Film Festival web site. If you have any questions - please feel free to email me

In other Geography news I was amazed at some of the reports this week about how some of the main rivers in our world are under pressure . The BBC reports that there is a wide range of reasons for this, from dams, shipping, pollution, climate change to over fishing. As glaciers melt due to the supposed speeding up fo the Global Warming process - this can mean that drip water than used to fule the rivers will be disappearing. The consequences to many communities - especially in Asais are disastrous.

Making a small difference this week!

Now I am not one to be defending Tony Blair. But I have been looking at some recent statistics today that compare the amount of Aid that is given by each of the 'rich' countries. The UK does give a great amount of Aid in all of its forms to countries and organisations. In fact, in total it gives around £10 Billion a year compared to £27 Billion a year from the USA. There has been an increase in aid over the last few years but is it really enough? Is the aid that we do give actually being of use and of benefit to the people who need it most?

This week the BBC is focued on its Comic Relief/ Red Nose Day programme of events which aims at raising about £40 million this year in aid to help people both here and around the world. It is vital that we get involved and show our political leaders that we want them to be reaching out in the same way to counties around the world. We want poverty to end. We want solutions found to issues like HIV/AIDS. We do not want people living in Slums around the world. So - put your hand in your pocket and instead of having another bar of chocolate why not give some money to someone who needs that money a lot more than you do!

Big events that don't make the news.

Did you know that massive floods had hit Bolivia? Don't worry of you didn't - it wasn't really headlining any of the news bulletins on any of the channels. You maybe heard about the train crash in Cumbria, you maybe heard about some film awards ceremony in California, you maybe heard about the mighty Ireland giving a proper beating to the English at Rugby. Sometimes though, events happen around the world that we dont get to hear about. Like the recent floods in Bolivia.

It makes me wonder what other things I have missed? And, what makes a big news story anyway? Do you need to have a massive amount of deaths and carnage. Or perhaps, if I can be a tad cynical for a minute, we only hear about the disaster if there are a significant number of British or Americans caught up in the tragedy.

On another note - dont forget to support the BIG One - red Nose day on 16th March

Waste increasing, Wales decreasing

This week has seen some reports about how the EU is set to introduce some tough new laws that should help governments reduce the amount of waste being produced every year. The story is that the UK is one of the biggest producers of watse in Europe and something needs to be done. Some MEPs are calling that all waste should go through some form or re-porcessing or recycling. In another EU related story I was slighly worried to hear about plans to ban Earl Gray tea due to 'production issues'.

Reports have also been made by the Welsh National Trust as they are worried that climate change and global warming could have a huge impact on the Welsh coastline. The Trust owns 143 miles of coastline in Wales and reckins that 66 coastal sites covering 1,572 hectares are at risk of flooding in the next 100 years. By that time, some experts preedict that sea levels will rise by a metre and climate chnage will lead to more severe storms. I guess people will have to move back up into the valleys! Who knows what will happen - a friend of mine reminded me in a letter that when we were kids back in 1984 we were told that flying cars would be wizzing past our ears by 2007. Em . . . no flying cars yet . . . amazing when scientists get it wrong really!

And, I should therefore write a bit about how disappointed my kids are that we have not had the long promised snow yet. Last Thursday we were promised snow - nope! Last Satursday we were promised snow - nope! I wish the the weather forecasters with their big super computers would get it right once in a while. I bought a sledge for my kids at Christmas 2005 and it has never been used. Global Warming - pah!

Poverty, Tornadoes and Climate Change

It has been an extremely busy week for Geography in the news this week! India's finance minister has recently said that poverty would be wiped out in India by 2040. The Indian government has put a programme into place to make sure that poverty within the country is reduced. Although over 250 million Indians currently live in poverty - he claimed that this was a priority for the government to tackle. Read more of the report here.

My kids favourite movie 'Cars', has a line by Mater where he says 'I'm as happy as a tornado in a trailer park'. We got to see some images of the devastation that tornadoes can wreak this week in Florida. Used to having to deal with hurricanes, this week they were coming to terms with the disaster casued by a tornado. About 19 people are thought to be dead or missing. Read the reports here.

This week has been a big one for the cimate change debate with the release of a report from IPCC. I also got a copy of 'An Inconcievable Truth' for my birthday - so it will be interesting viewing. The debate is heating up nearly as much as the climate about how much of the warming in the atmosphere is caused by nature and how much is caused by humans. Read the reports here

Finally - some news just in - it seems that bird flu has finally hit us in a big way in the UK. This spells disaster for poultry farming in the UK! Read early reports here.

Blair, Bono and the climate adventure

The World Economic Forum is meeting at Davos in Switzerland at the moment. This is basically a big meeting for the top world business men and leaders to talk about the issues that concern them. I was reading some interesting stuff about the Google party on Friday night being the coolest party on the planet with every guest getting a special flashing, magnetic badge. The very coolest got to get a lift home in the Google jet! But at another meeting Tony Blair got much praise and support for his vision and perception of the state of the world in relation to how they manage the climate. With friend and general 'good cause buddy' Bono at his side he thought that the world was very close to a climate deal towards 2012. He noted that the US had changed its stance in recent months and signals from China about their desire to reduce emissions was evidience of a more soft approach. Maybe, finally, we are starting to realise that if we keep pumping chemicals into our atmosphere that this might be a bad thing!

What's up with the weather?

The weather this month, in fact over the last 2 months has been bizarre! It really hasn't felt like winter at all! Temperatures have rarely dipped below zero and we have only had 3 frosty mornings through December and January. The last few weeks have been filled with rain and wind with tropcial cyclone force winds hitting England on Thursday and causing massive chaos. What's next? Today I read a story about how ships were starting to run aground because of the weather. But also, weather forecasters are warning us about a cold spell due to come in through the week. I am not that surprised. It is our Open Nights in school this week and we ALWAYS get the oddest weather for these nights. This year will surely be no exception!

Ps - the weather map above is the weather map for Monday 22nd Jan. My forecast is Snow with the possibility of more snow on Tuesday and Wednesday.

I stumbled across an article this week that noticed that the volcano Vesuvius in Italy is one of the most monitored in the world. Yet, it needs to be as over 3 million people live within 12 miles of the volcano. Naples is also well within the range of any volcani eruption. Scientists are warning the government authorities that their evacuation plan, should anything happen, is not good enough. If an eruption on the scale of the one that decimated Pompeii 4,000 years ago (in the same place!) was to happen again - there would be huge devastation and loss of life. I suppose the big question is how much warning can we expect to get. Scientists reckon we could have about 10 days warning. However, this could be much less as vulcanologists are notoriously bad at getting things wrong - they seem to forget that nature and volcanoes in particular have an awful habit of being unpredictable (eg Mt St Helens in 1980 - it was mainly scientists who were killed by the unpredictable pyroclastic flow).

Cows - Global Warming timebombs?

Farmers are apparentley 7% responsible for Global Warming and Climate Change. Shame on you, farmers. And what exactly are you doing to put a halt to the amount of greenhouse gases you produce? Let's face it, there are not many catalytic converters being strapped onto the end of cows and their 4 stomachs filled with luscious organic vegetable matter. Think about any vegetarian that you know and multiply that by four to get the amount of greenhouse gas produced by ONE cow. How many cows are there on the planet? Big question . . . answers on a post card . . . . but apparantley the country with the most is India with 400 million - though Argentina has 80 million - even though only 40 million people live there!

New Year . . . New Weather?

Is it just me or do white Christmases seem to be a thing of the past? Also, why is that the weather is always bad on New Year's Eve? I remember being in Belfast a few years ago and watching bins being pushed down the street (by the wind, that is!) Last year wasn't great either as some celebrations had to be cancelled. Is there some strange weather phenomena that dictates bad weather for the new year? What is going to happen this time?

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The Impact of Natural Disasters