India ? Indeed-ia !!!

The fifth group of educators in my TGC cohort begin their international travels today. A special blessing for an amazing adventure is expressed for those heading to Indial. Their trip will include about 4 days in Bangalore for orientation. Then the group will be divided in to pairs to travel as smaller teams to various communities around India, being hosted by a local teacher and his/her school. The group will then reconnect in New Dehli and Agra for another couple of days together before returning back to the United States.

This pattern of travel was used by the four previous international teams and will be repeated one final time by the last TGC team...my team which heads off to Indonesia in just over two weeks. Travel dates for all six TGC teams within the 2011-2012 cohort include:

Ghana: March 3 to 18, 2012

Morocco: March 17 to 31, 2012

Ukraine: April 14 to 28, 2012

Brazil: June 9 to 23, 2012

India: June 30 to July 14, 2012

Indonesia: July 17 to 31, 2012

If you are interested in roaming the remote roads, in a virtual sense, along with these educators, I've linked many of their travel blogs here to my blog site. It's exciting to see this whole process unfolding and knowing that my trip is ever closer! Blessings to the India team!!!

Tulsa Mosque

Yesterday evening, I met with three of the other four Oklahoma teachers traveling with me to Indonesia. Jeanne Hart, a middle school math teacher in Tulsa had arranged for the educational director of Tulsa's Islamic Society (aka "mosque") to guide us in a cultural study of Islamic customs; the director had four college students from Indonesia join us to help make sure the conversation was relevant and useful for our upcoming trip with the Teachers for Global Classrooms program.

WOW, what an enjoyable gathering this was. We had a great conversation that flowed so freely that the meeting I had assumed would be about an hour in length actually lasted over two and a half hours. And then the four of us teachers visited outside the mosque for another half hour about other trip logistics.

This was my first time inside of a mosque and, while we didn't actually tour the complex, this visit has helped to ease any potential anxiety that I might have for the Ramadan timeframe visit to Indonesia. Wow! Another remote road has been roamed and I'm still in Oklahoma.

Another "perk" of this specific blog posting is that it is my first experiment using my Blogger app on my iPhone. Let's see how well it ends up looking.

Volcanoes!!

According to the CIA's World Factbook entry for Indonesia, the country of 17,000+ islands is the world's home to the largest number of volcanoes.  A couple of the more historically well known volcanoes include Krakatoa and and Mount Tambora.

Krakatoa is considered to have been the most violent volcanic eruption in recorded history; its 1883 eruption is beleved to have caused the destruction or severe damage to over 300 communities and left over 36,000 people dead--the blast is reported to have been heard, even if only faintly, some 2000 miles away.

1888 lithograph of Krakatoa's explosion

Mount Tambora erupted in 1815 and is considered to have had the most far reaching impact of any other volcano in recorded history.  The ecological impact of Tambora created a phenomenon called the "volcanic winter" within the northern hemisphere.  Known as "the year without summer", North America and Europe experienced significant agricultural crop failure and death of livestock leading to one of the worst famines in history in 1816.


Areal view of the caldera of Mt. Tambora.

During my trip to Bandung, Indonesia next month I will have the opportunity to visit a volcano on the outskirts of the city.  Tangkuban Perahu is home to a host of hot springs (some near the boiling point) where visitors are often invited to boil their own eggs there at the volcano itself.  I'm excited for the opportunity to roam a road that is rather remote from an American (or at least Oklahoman) perspective.  I'm looking forward to it!

Tangkuban Perahu outside of Bandung, Indonesia

Indonesia: Agricultural Profile

Indonesia:

An Agricultural Profile

Total Area: 1,904,569 sq km

Land Area: 1,811,569 sq km

Water Area: 93,000 sq km

Climate:

tropical; hot, humid; more moderate in highlands

Terrain:

mostly coastal lowlands; larger islands have interior mountains

Arable Land Use: 11.03%

Permanent Crop Use: 7.04%

Irrigated Land: 67,220 sq km

Total Renewable Water Resources: 2,838 cu km

Total Freshwater Withdrawal: 82.78 cu km per year

Per Person Freshwater Withdrawal: 372 cu m per year

Natural Hazards:

occasional floods; severe droughts; tsunamis; earthquakes; volcanoes; forest fires

Current Environmental Issues:

deforestation; water pollution from industrial wastes, sewage; air pollution in urban areas; smoke and haze from forest fires

Total Labor Force: 117.5 million

% Agricultural Labor Force: 38.3%

Agricultural Products:

rice, cassava (manioc), peanuts, rubber, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, copra; poultry, beef, pork, eggs

Information from CIA's World Factbook

Honduras: Agricultural Profile

Honduras:

An Agricultural Profile

Total Area:112,090 sq km

Land Area: 111,890 sq km

Water Area: 200 sq km

Climate:

subtropical in lowlands, temperate in mountains

Terrain:

mostly mounains in interior, narrow coastal plains

Arable Land Use: 9.53%

Permanent Crop Use: 3.21%

Irrigated Land: 800 sq km

Total Renewable Water Resources: 95.9 cu km

Total Freshwater Withdrawal: 0.86 cu km per year

Per Person Freshwater Withdrawal: 119 cu m per year

Natural Hazards:

frequent, but generally mild earthquakes; extremely susceptible to damaging hurricanes and floods along the Caribbean coast

Current Environmental Issues:

urban population expanding; deforestation results from logging and the cleaning of land for agricultural purposes; further land degradation and soil erosion hastend by uncontrolled development and improper land use practices such as farming of marginal lands; mining activities polluting Lago de Yojoa (the country's largest source of fresh water), as well as several rivers and streams, with heavy metals

Total Labor Force: 3.461 million

% Agricultural Labor Force: 39.2%

Agricultural Products:

bananas, coffee, citrus, corn, African palm, beef, timber, shrimp, tilapia, lobster

Information from CIA's World Factbook

Cousin Peter in China

I received an e-mail early this morning from one of my dad's first cousins who lives in the Houston area.  She knows that I love to travel and to explore new locations so in the e-mail she included a link to her grandson's blog.  Peter Lambert has an eight-week internship in China as part of the World Food Prize Program.  His research while in China is part of an international program to help improve the quality, quantity, and availability of food throughout the world.

The last couple of lines from his July 17th entry grabbed my attention as they relate to the ideas of Global Education (the whole concept of the Teachers for Global Classrooms program I am in). "I am growing more and more fond of this country each day and am discovering many similarities between it and the states.  It just goes to show that people are people no matter where you find them."

Feel free to join me in roaming the remote roads of China as we read Peter's Adventure Blog.

Honduras: Political Profile

Honduras:

A Political Profile

Country's Name: Republic of Honduras

Capital City: Tegucigalpa

Type of Government: democratic constitutional republic

Independence Date: September 15, 1821 (from Spain)

Chief of State (public face): President Porfirio Lobo Sosa

Head of State (actual leader): President Porfirio Lobo Sosa

Description of Executive Powers:

President (who serves as both Chief of State and Head of State) and Vice President are elected by popular vote for a four-year term; the last election was held on November 29, 2009 with the next to be held in November 2013. Additionally, the President appoints a Cabinet.

Description of Legislative Powers:

A unicameral National Congress (Congreso Nacional) with 128 seats; members are elected proportionally by the various departments to serve a four-year term.  The last elections were held on November 29, 2009 with the next to be held in November 2013.

Description of Judicial Powers:

The Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema de Justicia) has 15 judges which are elected for seven-year terms by the National Congress.

Suffrage (voting rights): 18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Their Ambassador to U.S.: Jorge Ramon Hernandez Alcerro

Location of Embassy in U.S.: Washington, DC

Location of Consulates in U.S.: Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans New York, Phoenix, and San Francisco (honorary in Jacksonville)

U.S. Ambassador to Them: Lisa J. Kubiske

Location of U.S. Embassy There: Tegucigalpa

Location of U.S. Consulates There: none

Representative to the UN: Mary Elizabeth Flores Flake

three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white (middle), and blue (bottom), with five blue five-pointed stars arranged in an "X" pattern centered in the white band; the stars represent the members of the former Federal Republic of Central America (Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua); the blue bands symbolize the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea; the white band represents the land between the two bodies of water and the peace and prosperity of its people

Information from CIA's World Factbook and CIA's World Leaders

Indonesia: Political Profile

Indonesia:

A Political Profile

Country's Name: Republic of Indonesia

Capital City: Jakarta

Type of Government: republic

Independence Date: August 17, 1945 (from the Netherlands)

Chief of State (public face): President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

Head of State (actual leader): President Susilo Bambung Yudhoyono

Description of Executive Powers:

President (who serves as both Chief of State and Head of State) and Vice President are elected for five-year terms (eligible for a second term) by direct vote of the citizenry; the last election was held on July 8, 2009 with the next to be held in 2014.  Additionally, the President appoints a Cabinet.

Description of Legislative Powers:

The People's Consultative Assembly (Majelis Permusyawaratan Rakyat or MPR) is the upper house; it consists of members of the DPR and DPD and has a role in inaugurating and impeaching the President and in amending the constitution but does not formulate national policy.  The House of Representatives (Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat or DPR) has 560 seats and its members are elected to serve five-year terms.  The DPR formulates and passes legislation at the national level.  The House of Regional Representatives (Dewan Perwakilan Daerah or DPD) has the constitutionally mandated role of providing legislative input to the DPR on issues affecting the country's various regions (132 members, four from each of Indonesia's 30 provinces, two special regions, and one special capital city district).  The last elections were held on April 9, 2009 with the next to be held in 2014.

Description of Judicial Powers:

The Supreme Court (Mahkamah Agung) is the final court of appeal but does not have the power of judicial review.  Justices are appointed by the President from a list of candidates selected by the legislature.  In March of 2004 the Supreme Court assumed administrative and financial responsibility for the lower court system from the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights.  The Constitutional Court (Mahkamah Konstitusi) has the power of judicial review, has jurisdiction over the results of the general elections, and reviews actions to dismiss a President from office.

Suffrage (voting rights): 17 years of age; universal

all married persons regardless of age

Their Ambassador to U.S.: Dino Patti Djalal

Location of Embassy in U.S.: Washington, DC

Location of Consulates in U.S.: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco

U.S. Ambassador to Them: Scot A. Marciel

Location of U.S. Embassy There: Jakarta

Location of U.S. Consulates There: Surabaya, with presence in Medan and Bali

Representative to the UN: Desra Percaya

two equal horizontal band of red (top) and white (bottom); the colors derive from the banner of the Majapahit Empire of the 13th-15th centuries; red symbolizes courage and white represents purity

Information from CIA's World Factbook and CIA's World Leaders

Indonesia: Culture Profile

Indonesia:

A Cultural Profile

Nationality:

Indonesian

Ethnic Groups:

Languages:

Bahasa Indonesia (official; a modified form of Malay), English, Dutch,

and local dialects (of which the most widely spoken is Javanese)

Religions:

Information from CIA's World Factbook

Honduras: Culture Profile

Honduras:

A Cultural Profile

Nationality: Honduran

Ethnic Groups:

Languages:

Spanish (official) with Amerindian dialects

Religions:

Information from CIA's World Factbook

Violence in Honduras

As a reminder, I am heading to Honduras on July 8th for a one-week missions trip with Crossings Community Church.  Our team will be divided into three groups focusing on construction of a couple of houses, medical care, and children's activities.  I'll be working in the pharmacy with the medical team.  Is "tres pastillas para usted; uno para mí" the correct translation for "three pills for you; one for me"?

Yesterday Michael Milligan, my missions pastor, sent an e-mail with a link to a recent article about Honduras which appeared in an internationally recognized magazine on international issues.  Take a moment and read "Violence in Honduras: The Eye of the Storm" from The Economist.

Favorite line from the article: "Baring war zones, [the high murder rate] makes Honduras by most reckonings the most violent country in the world."

To clarify his thoughts in his e-mail, Michael gave the following commentary to help put his relaying of this article into some perspective: "I am not sending you the article to alarm you, but so that you can have a greater awareness of what the Honduran people face day after day.  I am not worried or anxious about the safety of our team while we are in Pena Blanca, but my heart breaks for the people who constantly live under this cloud of fear and death."

As such, please consider both this article and Michael's commentary as you roam the remote roads of Honduras with me in a couple of weeks.

Honduras: Population Profile

Honduras:

A Population Profile

Population (Mid-2011): 7,754,700

Land Area (sq. km): 112,090

Population Density (per sq. km): 69

Net Migration (# per 100): -2

Crude Birth Rate (# per 1000): 26

Crude Death Rate (# per 1000): 5

Rate of Natural Increase: 2.1%

Infant Mortality (# deaths per 1000 births): 24.0

Total Fertility Rate (av. # born per woman): 3.1

Dependency Rate (<age 15% + >age 65%): 36% + 4% = 40%

Male Life Expectancy: 71 years

Female Life Expectancy: 76 years

Male Literacy Rate: 93%

Female Literacy Rate: 95%

% Male Enrolled in Secondary School: 57%

% Female Enrolled in Secondary School: 72%

GNI PPP per capita (in US$): $3,710

% Living Below US$2 Per Day: 36%

% Male 15+ Economically Active: 80%

% Female 15+ Economically Active: 40%

Mobile Phone Accounts (# per 100): 85

Motor Vehicles (# per 1000): N/A

% Women in Legislative Body: 18%

% Rural with Access to Improved Water: 77%

% Undernourished: 23.0%

% Children <age 5 Underweight: 9.0%

% HIV/AIDS Among Ages 15-49: 0.8%

Information from Population Reference Bureau

Indonesia: Population Profile

Indonesia:

A Population Profile

Population (Mid-2011): 238,181,000

Land Area (sq. km): 1,904,569

Population Density (per sq. km): 125

Net Migration (# per 100): -1

Crude Birth Rate (# per 1000): 19

Crude Death Rate (# per 1000): 6

Rate of Natural Increase: 1.3%

Infant Mortality (# deaths per 1000 births): 30.0

Total Fertility Rate (av. # born per woman): 2.3

Dependency Rate (<age 15% + >age 65%): 28% + 6% = 34%

Male Life Expectancy: 69 years

Female Life Expectancy: 74 years

Male Literacy Rate: 97%

Female Literacy Rate: 96%

% Male Enrolled in Secondary School: 75%

% Female Enrolled in Secondary School: 74%

GNI PPP per capita (in US$): $3,720

% Living Below US$2 Per Day: 51%

% Male 15+ Economically Active: 86%

% Female 15+ Economically Active: 52%

Mobile Phone Accounts (# per 100): 62

Motor Vehicles (# per 1000): 42

% Women in Legislative Body: 18%

% Rural with Access to Improved Water: 71%

% Undernourished: 6.0%

% Children <age 5 Underweight: 20%

% HIV/AIDS Among Ages 15-49: 0.2%

Information from Population Reference Bureau

Local News Article: Take Two

I just learned that the TGC trip to Indonesia made the local news again.  This time the article was in The Tulsa World and featured Jeanne Hart from Carver Middle School in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  Jeanne and I, along with Laura Achhireddy (Broken Arrow), Cora James (Haskell), and Nancy Kunsman (Tahlequah), will join 6 other teachers from Colorado, Utah, and California for a two-week teacher exchange to Indonesia.  Read the article featuring Jeanne here: http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=332&articleid=20120527_19_A2_CUTLIN751479

Fortune Cookie

Even a fortune cookie knows the merits of roaming the roads of lands remote!

Link to blog "A Fortune from a Cookie"

Brazil Nuts

The fourth group of educators in my TGC cohort begin their international travels today. A special blessing for an amazing adventure is expressed for those heading to Brazil. Their trip will include about 4 days in Brasilia, the capital city. Then the group will be divided in to pairs to travel as smaller teams to various communities around Brazil, being hosted by a local teacher and his/her school. The group will then reconnect in Brasilia for another couple of days together before returning back to the United States.

This pattern of travel will be repeated by the next two international teams, including my team which heads off to Indonesia. Travel dates for all six TGC teams within the 2011-2012 cohort include:

Ghana: March 3 to 18, 2012

Morocco: March 17 to 31, 2012

Ukraine: April 14 to 28, 2012

Brazil: June 9 to 23, 2012

India: June 30 to July 14, 2012

Indonesia: July 17 to 31, 2012

If you are interested in roaming the remote roads, in a virtual sense, along with these educators, I've linked many of their travel blogs here to my blog site. It's exciting to see this whole process unfolding! Blessings to the Brazil team!!!



CNN...thank you!!

A special "thank you" to CNN for this article that relates what myself and nearly 11,000 high school and higher education colleagues are involved with for the next two weeks.  There are 1200 US History educators and 350 Chemistry educators reading exams in Louisville with me and I currently have friends reading in Cincinnati, Ohio and Kansas City, Missouri right now with other subject areas.  Next week I have even more friends headed off to Louisville, Cincinnati, Kansas City, and Salt Lake City, Utah for their turn.

June 6th Update:

Was able to connect with two AP Chemistry teachers from my school district: Valerie Ferguson from Moore High and Janice Willingham from Westmoore High.  Kind of cool that Moore Public Schools had all three high schools represented in Col. Sanders land at the same time.  Additionally, I was able to connect with a couple of friends from the OKC area who teach at Edmond Memorial High to watch the Thunder's final game against the San Antonio Spurs.  Special thanks to Kevin McDonald, AP English Language, and T.J. Dortch, AP Chemistry...THUNDER UP!

Vault in the Ville

One of the great things about exploring urban areas is finding the wonderful ways in which communities seek ways to revitalize their inner cities and attempt to re-attract suburbanites back into the original core.  My home community of Oklahoma City has done this through our MAPS (Metropolitan Area Projects) program.

I've been traveling to Louisville, KY, each June for the past six years to help score the essays written for the College Board's AP United States History exam.  During this time I've been able to explore some of the wonderful places which "the Ville" has created or redesigned to help draw people back to its downtown core.  One such area is called "Fourth Street Live".  A section of Fourth Street has been blocked off and all sorts of entertainment opportunities abound.  Restaurants, clubs, a bowling alley, etc.  Additionally, they have live concerts and other activities right in the middle of the street.

Last night I encountered "Vault in the Ville".  A group of competitive pole vaulters were putting on an exhibition of their talents.  Check out the video I put together:



Whether in your home community or within a city which you might visit take the time to get out of your suburban comfort zones and roam the remote roads back into the original core or central business district (often called "downtown") and see what excitement you might find.