Journey to the center of...Europe?

Apparently, for years, geographers have been trying to decide where the exact center of Europe is so that a monument could be established in the central town. I find this humorous because it seems like there could be better things to do with the time spent on finding the center of Europe- not to mention the heavy debate over the topic. The country still has not come to a conclusion of where the exact center is.

This map shows 7 towns and cities that have at one point been thought of as the center of Europe. Monuments have been established in each of them and the citizens of each province believe that they are the most central town in Europe. The only trouble is that Europe has acquired different countries over the years and some of their "current countries" are not sure if they want to be a part of Europe. Do you count Turkey...or not? Armenia?

If I had a vote, I would vote for the center to be in Dilove, Ukraine because I have always found Ukrainians friendly and hilarious. I think that they deserve to have a monument in their country. I mean, can you think of the amount of tourism that would bring in!?

African Aid: On the Way to Self-sufficiency or Foreign Dependency?

Have you ever been to a national park where there was a sign against feeding the animals? What is the purpose for those signs? No, they aren't there to be a buzz kill, but they are there to keep the animals from being fed by humans and becoming dependent on humans for food. If that were to happen, the animals would no longer be self-sufficient and they wouldn't work for their food. That might be the case for animals, but is it the same for humans? Let me ask you, if you were getting paid to sit at home and watch TV or crochet would you give that up to go and find a job? Probably not because you are already getting paid to do nothing!

This is what is happening in Africa. Countries like the U.S. are giving financial aid to help break the bond of poverty and, while the intentions are good, this is creating a dependency in Africa. In 2001, the U.S. increased their giving to African Aid to $4.3 billion. This money is given to various African countries and is meant to help the nation become more independent. Besides the dependency issue, political corruption has had a huge impact on what the money is spent on. Some examples of what corrupt politicians spend the money on are: defense ministry, buying luxury vehicles for ministers and meeting the salaries of resident district commissioners. Are these all bad things? No, but there are more important things that this money should go towards such as agricultural research to make Africa more efficient at farming?

The key to this problem is to stop throwing money at Africa expecting things to change. There are only three countries (Uganda, Lesotho and Nigeria) that are ON THE WAY to meeting the goals set up by the U.N. for African countries to become more self-reliant. Out of 53 countries, I would not call this a success story. We need to stop treating them as a charity case and help them become more independent and self-sufficient. We should stop giving money to their governments because that has proven to be ineffective in reaching the people who really need the aid and instead, we should find ways to fund their private sector (temporarily). If Africa could develop a free-market system this would be their best option at breaking the bondage of foreign dependency and they would become more and more independent.

Lastly, we do need to realize that Africa is different than the U.S. just as France is different from the U.S. They have different customs, traditions and lifestyles than us and that is okay. We must not seek to make them more like the U.S. but rather support the things that are, in fact, working in their nation(s). Also, we need to realize that money can only do so much. As Christians, we need to pray for Africa and send our people to be the hands and feet of Jesus to spread the Gospel and fight injustices there. This is where we, as the church, come in. God's people can and will be the most effective difference-maker in Africa. 

Price Protests in Algeria

In early February riots broke out in Algeria, one of Africa's largest and most oil-rich countries. The riots were spurred by the rise in prices of sugar and cooking oil. Pro-democratic civilians went up against Algerian police with riot shields and 5 people were killed while at least 800 people were wounded.

The protesters main goal was to remove President Abdelaziz Bouteflika. He has been in power for 12 years and has kept his country under a strict authoritarian rule. The protesters did not get their wish and Bouteflika still remains in power.

Since the riots in February, Bouteflika has promised to use the country's oil and gas wealth to lower the cost of key foods such as sugar and cooking oil. This has brought about a proverbial "calm" within the country. Whether it's a calm before the storm, I am uncertain. I do know that all of the other unrest in the middle east will not help Algeria remain peaceful within its borders.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/11/algeria-prepares-day-of-protests

Northern Flights

It was really weird for me to look at a map from this point of view. So much of the time I see a map of the world and I gloss over the Antarctic region. It seems like there should be another world when you flip the map over and that would be the Antarctic. Looking at it from this angle, this region doesn't look very big at all. It is funny to see how close North America actually is to Asia. In fact, it's only about 80 miles from Alaska's west peninsula to Russia's eastern-most point. If you wanted to travel from Alaska to Sweden it is only 2,700 miles which might be a 9 or 10 hour plane ride instead of traveling all the way across the U.S. to Western Europe and then to Sweden which would be about 9,000 miles and a 1-2 day flight. Looking at the world from a different perspective really helps you get a better handle on how small it actually is and how globalization is becoming more and more easier.

Death Valley

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1890243,00.html

http://restrepothemovie.com/story/

It's a 6-mile wide, isolated mountainous region of caves and canyons with lushly forested areas of trees and little agricultural land. No, I am not talking about Death Valley in California but, rather, the Korengal Valley in Afghanistan. In the documentary, "Restrepo," Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger, take us inside the battle of the Korengal Valley by spending an entire year with a platoon of American Soldiers there.

Nicknamed the "Valley of Death" by American Soldiers, the Korengal Valley has been a key battleground in the War in Afghanistan. It's rugged terrain makes for the perfect insurgent hideout. 

The U.S. went into Afghanistan in 2001, however we did not enter the Korengal Valley until 2006. From the time we went into the Korengal, until the time we pulled our troops out in 2009, we lost Forty-two American service men, many Afghan soldiers and hundreds were also wounded there. 

It's hard to look at the war in Afghanistan from a non-partisan view. Everyone has their own opinions about whether we should be there or not and each party, Republican and Democrat, have their pros and cons about whether we should stay. But, when it all comes down to it- these are American soldiers over there at the end of the day and they are fighting for our freedoms here in the states. That is why I like Restrepo so much. Because they capture what is truly going on in Afghanistan; in the Korengal in particular, and they aren't worried about stressing either side of the argument of whether we should be there or not. 

Regardless of what your opinion is about the war going on, remember to thank our troops for serving us and keep them in your prayers!

Rabbit Revolutionaries

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/innovation/2011/0225/1224290375860.html



As you may know, China has one of the largest and most strict internet filters of any country. The government can block and filter any content it views as inappropriate for it's citizens. This makes the concept of democracy and any other ideas other than communism virtually impossible to spread.

People are finding ways around the firewall, however. One way, people are getting around the firewall is by producing comics made to look like innocent children's stories. But, when viewed in further detail there are political undertones speaking out against the tyrannical rule of communism and encouraging revolution.

This being the year of the rabbit, one such comic is called "Little Rabbit, Be Good." While this video is a little too graphic for children, it was able to get over the firewall. This video begins with a popular Chinese kids' song and little bunnies in what must be China. The government is portrayed as vicious tigers that could care less about the rabbits' hardships. In one scene, the tigers (government) drop off milk for the new bunny babies and the milk causes the babies' heads to explode. In another scene, the tigers knock down the rabbits houses, run over some rabbits with their cars and kill anyone who shows disdain for their system of government.

In the final scenes of the comic, the rabbits rebel against the tigers and overtake them by biting and killing them. The video displays, "Even rabbits will bite when pushed" hinting at an ensuing revolt if the oppression continues. Then, the kid wakes from what must have been a dream about the bunnies and goes back to his life of oppression.

Since February, this video has received a lot of attention and has since been banned from viewing in China. There are others like it that have hurdled the firewall and it is good to know that the government cannot block everything online. In my opinion this leaves hope for the people of China to spread the word of democracy and to revolt if necessary.

Suicide among the nations

Suicide is a hard subject for anyone that has lost a loved one to it. This map shows the world and the proportions of suicide globally. Eastern Europe contains 7 of the top 10 countries while China and India show the biggest area of self-inflicted death.





The main cause of suicide is depression; but, what is causing people in Eastern Europe and Asia to be so depressed? Could it be government? Economy? Whatever it is, we must not be experiencing it as heavily here in North America.


My theory is that it has to do with a lack of Christianity. When you look at this map of Christianity, you see that most of the major countries on it are minor countires on the suicide cartograph. Is this coincidence? I don't think so. 





The hope of Jesus Christ is unlike any other hope on earth. It gives you a reason to live because you know that God has purpose for you and that you are a chosen child of God. Religions like Budism and Hinduism don't have that. There is no divine purpose for your life, there is only fear of the gods they claim to have. This can be so opressive that I can see how it would lead to suicide.


How does this relate to globalization? Well, globalization is the increasing inerconnectedness of people and places throughout the world through converging processes of economic, political and cultural change. If we "globalize" Christ (take the Gospel throughout the earth), we can make a huge impact for the kingdom and give people the hope that we have. 


1 Peter 3:15, "But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect."