Pre-release material for unit 4 (Year 13 students)

The pre-release materials will be available on the 9th December 2010. You can find it by following this link.
You will not be able to take this material into the exam with you.

The Prosperity Index

What is prosperity? This website looks at ways of measuring how well countries are doing

The Legatum Prosperity Index is the world's only global assessment of wealth and wellbeing; unlike other studies that rank countries by actual levels of wealth, life satisfaction or development, the Prosperity Index produces rankings based upon the very foundations of prosperity those factors that will help drive economic growth and produce happy citizens over the long term.

Using their system of ranking countries and measuring prosperity, here are the 10 most successful countries in the world:
1 Norway
2 Denmark
3 Finland
4 Australia
5 New Zealand
6 Sweden
7 Canada
8 Switzerland
9 Netherlands
10 United States

Click on the post title to be taken to the website, where you can see data and maps showing levels of development all over the world.

International Aid from the UK to increase

The Government has been cutting spending in an attempt to save money. But it announced that the amount of money being spent on aid for poorer countries will be increased by about 40%. This means that the UK will hit the UN target of 0.7% of our Gross Domestic Product (GDP) being given as aid within 3 years. Each country has this target, though only a handful have ever managed to meet it. However, aid to China and Russia will be stopped.

Click on the post title to watch a 2 minute clip from the BBC that looks at the issue and opinions.

Click here to read more about this story

Click here to watch a short and simple presentation from the BBC called "Beating Poverty"

Qatar attempt to solve food security problems

Click on the title to watch a 4 minute BBC video report on attempts to sort out the issue of food security in the Middle Eastern country of Qatar.

With a rapidly-growing population and more than 90% of its food needs met through imports, the island state of Qatar has begun investing heavily in improving its food security. While working to improve and maintain relationships with its providers, Qatar is also setting several challenges for its own agricultural industry to help address the imbalance.

Over 100 dead and thousands suffering from effects of Cholera in Haiti

It's been 9 months since the devestating earthquake that hit Haiti in January. Although the story might not be in the news headlines as often now, thousands of people are still living in tents in temporary camps.
An outbreak of Cholera has killed 135 people and the fear is that if the disease spreads to these camps, then many more hundreds or thousands will also die. This shows how the effects of earthquakes can be felt for long periods after the actual disaster.

Click on the post title to read the full story and watch the latest video news from Haiti

Water Scarcity Poses International Conflict and Threatens Regional Stability

An interesting article for Year 13 students, currently studying Water Conflicts. This article talks about the potential for conflict in various parts of the world as a result of growing popualtions and resource scarcity.

An extract from the article (read the whole thing by clicking on the post title):

"With the global population expected to reach ten billion people by the year 2050, severe shortages over our most critical resource, water, will certainly arise. The areas of the world that will ultimately confront this challenge already are challenged by instability"

The article then goes on to look at the Middle East and Aftrica and South Asia in more detail.

Cick on the photo for another report into the growing water crisis in Asia

Climate change threatens emerging superpowers

Some of the "big economies of the future" are the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change, according to a new study published today.

UK consultancy Maplecroft identified Bangladesh and India as the two countries facing the greatest risks to their populations, ecosystems and business environments after ranking 170 countries based on their exposure to climate-related natural disasters and their social, economic and political ability to adapt to a changing climate.
According to Maplecroft, the countries facing the greatest risks are characterised by high levels of poverty, dense populations, exposure to climate-related events and reliance on flood- and drought-prone agricultural land.
Bangladesh ticks most of these boxes and the report warns that rising climate risks could hit foreign investment into the country, undermining the driving force behind economic growth of 88 per cent between 2000 and 2008.
Similarly, the report warned that India's massive population and increasing demand for scarce resources made it particularly sensitive to climate change.

Typhoon Megi leaves 200,000 homeless in Philippines

Typhoon Megi is gathering strength and heading towards southern China, meteorologists said, after leaving 200,000 Filipinos homeless.

The severe storm left a trail of destruction in its wake after hitting the northern Philippines on Monday.

Officials there said at least 200,000 people remained homeless with the cost to infrastructure still unknown.

The storm is described as the worst in many years, but predictions vary about where it will make next landfall.

People in the Chinese province of Guangdong and Hong Kong are stockpiling food ahead of the storm, which has been gathering strength over the South China Sea.

Ships and fishing boats have been told to stay in harbour, as Hong Kong's weather officials predicted winds of up to more than 185 km/hour(115mph).

The Philippines hit by "super typhoon"

The Philippines declared a state of calamity in a northern province after super typhoon Megi made landfall on Monday, cutting off power, forcing flight cancellations and putting the region's rice crop at risk.

A typhoon is a tropical storm. In the Atlantic ocean they are known as Hurricanes and in South Asia they are called Cyclones.

Forecasters said Megi was probably the most powerful storm in the world this year and the strongest to hit the Philippines since Typhoon Durian unleashed mudslides that buried entire towns and killed more than 1000 people in 2006.


With the storm forecast to sweep into the South China Sea, Chinese authorities have issued a disaster warning across southern coastal areas.

Megi pummelled remote coastal areas of the northern Philippines with gusts of up to 260km/h yesterday morning as it made landfall, tearing roofs off houses and bringing down power lines.

"We are marooned inside our home. We cannot go out. The winds and rain are very strong. Many trees are being uprooted or snapped in half," Ernesto Macadangdang, a resident of Burgos town in Isabela province, told DZBB radio.

Click on the title for a more detailed report or the photo for some footage of the typhoon

United Nations calls for united front against hunger on World Food Day

With nearly one billion people still suffering from food shortages around the globe, the world must take a united stand against hunger, the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has said.

World Food Day is celebrated every year around the world on October the 16th  in honour of the date of the founding of the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) in 1945.


The Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of halving the proportion of hungry people in the world is a pillar for achieving all eight of the globally-agreed targets with a 2015 deadline, Ban said.
"When people are hungry, they cannot break the crippling chains of poverty, and are vulnerable to infectious diseases," the secretary-general said. "When children are hungry, they cannot grow, learn and develop."
This year alone, Ban said, millions have been pushed into hunger by the earthquake in Haiti, the drought in the Sahel and floods in Pakistan, while the twin food and financial crises continue to affect the world's most vulnerable.
He highlighted the need for global cooperation -- bringing together governments, intergovernmental organizations, regional and sub-regional bodies, business and civil society groups -- to combat hunger.
"Increasingly, their approach is comprehensive," Ban said, covering all aspects of food security, ranging from small farms to feeding schoolchildren.

For more information follow the links below:

Some progress made and some suggestions for the future - including an audio report on the issue

Hunger in Focus: India's Hungry Women and Children Remain a Major Problem

Report Says Hunger Costing Poor Countries Billions

UN Says Global Hunger Remains 'Unacceptably High'

Google news search results about hunger on world Food Day 2010 (search dated Oct 16th)

Ban Ki-Moon speech on World Food Day 2008

Resources being used at 1.5 times the rate nature can replace them

The Earth's population is using the equivalent of 1.5 planets' worth of natural resources, but the long-term decline of animal life appears to have been halted, a WWF report shows.

The latest Living Planet report, published today by the conservation group, also reveals the extent to which modern Western lifestyles are plundering natural resources from the tropics at record levels.

The report shows shows the impact of living off the planet's "savings": in the last 40 years human consumption has doubled, while the Living Planet index – measuring the decline and increase of thousands of species on land, in rivers and at sea – has declined by 30% overall, and by a massive 60% in the tropics.

Click the title for a full report from The Guardian newspaper

The map below shows ecological footprints across the world. The darker the green, the bigger the ecological footprint.
Click the map to be taken to the WWF site for a full report and a short video

Year 10

Thank you for all pupils who worked hard and behaved well on the trip Monday and Tuesday. We now have data that we can use for our controlled assessment which will begin next week. This week your teacher will talk to you about the fieldtrip and how to approach your work.

I have in my possession one pair of wellington boots and a pair of girls black boots. If you didn't collect these from the coach please come and see me at some point (or they're going to end up in lost property)

Map of the world

Click on the map to be taken to a site where you can see the world presented in lots of different ways, depending on what you choose to look at. You can have a map that shows you population, military spending, broadband access, aid and energy consumption - it really is quite interesting!

Year 10 trip to Wales - weather update

Hopefully you're all packed and ready to go - don't forget to bring a pen and pencil with you. The latest weather report is that it will be dry and a little sunny with some patchy cloud, with top temperatures of around 16 degrees. So that sounds pretty positive and good weather for getting into a river - but be aware that the weather could change suddenly, so still come prepared for rain!

Click on the title to be taken to the local newspapers weather forcast.

Further advice about what to bring is a few posts down.

Attention Year 13! Colonialism and Neo-colonialism

Your current topic of Superpower Geographies is constantly in the news. Make sure you keep up to date with the changes in power and relationships that are taking place.

This week Nigeria have been celebrating 50 years of independence from their former colonial power - Britain. But how has the last 50 years been for Nigeria? Have they made advances since gaining their freedom?
The link below is for an article about the independence of Nigeria and is worth a read:
Guardian article on Nigeria's 50th year of independence from Britain

And here's another article, from today (2nd October 2010) about the new form of colonalism - in this case China's growing relationship with Africa. China has now overtaken the USA as Africa's number one trading partner. They are more than happy to deal with some of the countries Western countries frown upon (Zimbabwe for example). Read the article by clicking the link below:
Independent newspaper article on China in Africa

Look at the podcast section and you will see more useful information, in a form that you can listen to.

If you click on the title of this post you will see a blog by someone about China and India's battle for supremacy in China. There are 4 parts to to, follow the links at the end of each article.

Year 10 fieldtrip to Wales - October 11th and 12th, 2010

Our fieldtrip is fast approaching and here are some final bits of information:


1. Rooming: Your teacher should have told you about the rooming and how many people there are in each room - get your lost of names to either your teacher or Mr Bains as soon as you can. Make sure the names of those on your list do not appear on other lists, discuss the matter with your friends fully!


2. What you need to bring with you: Bedding and such like are provided. You need to bring the following -
Toiletries (for washing, cleaning and smelling nice - for example a toothbrush or some soap or deoderant)
A towel
Clothes - a long sleeved top (in case we do any evening activities), layers of warm clothing (rather than one big jumper, it is better to have layers that can be removed if you get warm and added to if you get cold). If you have Wellies and waterproofs you should bring them. You are likely to be asked to get into the river to measure it! a change of footwear - you may find one pair get wet. Jeans aren't geat if they get wet as they stick to you, so think about suitable bottoms. Keep the shoes sensible - don't bring high heels for example. If you've got hats and gloves you may wish to bring them (remember, we're going to Wales in October!).
Pencil case, with the proper equipment (pen, pencil, ruler etc)


3. Food - Dinner will be provided (it is essential that tell us of any allergies etc on the medical form so we can warn the centre) on Monday and you will get breakfast and lunch on the Tuesday. You should have a good breakfast on Monday morning to set you up for a day of travel and work!You may wish to bring snacks.


4. Expensive items: If you bring ipods, games, camera's and other expensive items, you do so at your own risk. The school nor the centre will be responsible if anything is damaged or goes missong. My advice is not to bring expensive items......you're only away for one night and I'm sure you can live without such things!


5. Bag search: A reminder that your bags will be searched for items you shouldn't be bringing before we leave (alcohol, drugs and weapons! I'm sure no one will be bringing any of these items, but it's best to be safe and have a quick look!). We expect you to behave well when we're in Wales and remember that you are collecting information for your controlled assessment - work hard and properly!


6. GET TO SCHOOL FOR 7.00AM ON THE MONDAY!
This may seem very early for some of you, but we need to make a quick and early get away in order to get all our data collection done once we're in Wales. We will be back about 7pm on the Tuesday and you are expected to come to school as normal on Wednesday. You will not need a day to recover as it's only a short trip. You must catch up with work missed from other subjects - it is your responsibility to make sure this happens.


If you click on the title, you will be taken to the website of the Kingswood, Colomendy Centre.