Summer 2009

This map shows the Pacific Ring of Fire, a magnificent ring of volcanoes, due to excessive tectonic activity.

On a different note, I plan on filling my summer with the things I usually have, perhaps for the last time. This is my last summer at home before I graduate college, so the future is uncertain. After school ends in May, I will go back home and work as a hired man for a local farmer and friend of mine. I will also occasionally help my dad on our farm. My youngest sister and I will also mow and do yard work for a lady in our area. One of my favorite summertime activities is Men's League Slow-Pitch Softball League in Hastings, NE. I have played on a team with some local friends for several years and am signed up again this year. I will also lift weights every morning with a high school friend to prepare for my final football season here at Concordia. Every summer, I usually work at Christian camps for two weeks. I am looking forward to this experience, and am glad to be able to invest my time in the lives of some kids I have gotten to know well by now. Finally, I am best man in my neighbor and friend's wedding this summer. This means I am in charge of planning a bachelor party, and I think I have some decent ideas. I will also be attending at least one other wedding of college friends. This summer will be filled with whatever comes my way, and I hope to make the most of it.

-Daniel Uden 4-27-2009

World Names Profiler

When I typed "Uden" into the World Names Profiler, I found what I expected to, for the most part. I know that my family immigrated from Germany, and all of the countries that showed up as high occurence rates were in Northwest Europe, except for New Zealand. The country with the highest occurence for "Uden" happened to be Sweden. I did not expect this. Perhaps I have some long, lost Swedish relatives I knew nothing about. The United States had a lower occurence rate than the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, Sweden or Germany. Countries with very low occurence rates included Australia, India and Japan. This is a very interesting tool that I am sure I will play with for at least five more minutes now before I continue with my homework.

-Daniel Uden 4-27-2009

Underground Chinese Christians

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H77pZGzUUZI

This YouTube video I selected is a 2007 CBS special on Christianity in China. Since Mao Zedong and the Chinese Communist Party took power in 1949, communism has been the official state religion in China. Yet today, even after 60 years of suppression, the Christian Church in China is flourishing. Most Chinese Christians meet secretly in house churches, for fear of the Chinese authorities. Several state-sponsored churches exist today, but members must register with the Communist Party and are subject to close government scrutiny. As China continues to rapidly develop in today's global economy, some Chinese are seeing that the world of materialism is a dead-end road in the end, and are turning to religion. In Chrisitanity and faith in Jesus Christ, these people have found something for which they are willing to endure persecution at the hands of their government. These Chinese long for a day when they are allowed to openly practice their faith. But until then, they continue to faithfully meet where they are unseen by the world.

-Daniel Uden 4-27-2009

Bizarre Foods and Globalization

As cultures around the world developed in isolation, they developed a taste for certain foods, favoring some over others. Certain foods became delicacies, others were despised or forbidden. A range of factors likely contributed to varied diets worldwide, including native animals and plants in certain regions, the ability to trade and religion. For example, cultures that developed near bodies of water are more likely to include fish in their diets. Cultures lying along major trade routes are exposed to goods from other parts of the world, including foods and spices. And finally, cultures where certain foods are prohibited by religion (ex. cattle in Hinduism or pork in Judaism) fail to incorp0rate certain foods into their diets.

As the world become increasingly interconnected, people are continually exposed to what may be considered 'bizarre foods' from other cultures. I believe that as long as globalization continues, the worldwide trend will favor a decrease in diversity. Only through conscious effort will traditional cultural cooking styles and tastes be preserved in their true forms. This may seem like a stretch, considering that there still remains a high level of diversity in the world, but the world is developing and moving toward more uniform culture at a rapid rate. However, despite the fact that traditional styles, tastes and cultures are threatened by the globalization trend, globalization makes it possible for different parts of the word to share their individual tastes in food with the rest of the world, no matter how bizarre it may be.

-Daniel Uden 4-26-2009

G-20 Summit

This week, world leaders are meeting at the G-20 Summit in London, where they will discuss their plans for addressing the current global recession. The G-20 Summit brings together financial leaders of important world economies with the goal of bettering the world economy through cooperation and dialogue. The G-20 was first held in 1999, and has been held annually ever since in nine different countries. Member nations include Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, United Kingdom and the United States. Pictured above are four influential leaders at the summit: Gordon Brown of Britain, Barack Obama of the United States, Angela Merkel of Germany and Nicolas Sarkozy of France.

-Daniel Uden 4/5/2009

European New World View

When viewing the North American continent on maps, we often become used to looking at it in a certain way. This way usually includes North America centered on the map, with north facing the map top. State and national borders are also usually included and aid us in thinking about the region spatially. However, North America takes on a very different view when we simply change the perspective we are viewing it from.

This image from Google Earth shows North America from a Western European perspective, how the New World may have appeared in the minds of European explorers in centuries past. From an English viewpoint, the Canadian Provinces of Quebec and Newfoundland lie directly to the west, while the United States sits further south. The northerly regions of the lower 48, brought into perspective by the Great Lakes, are seen to sit off to the southwest of England. I, from a midwestern United States standpoint, am not used to thinking of the Great Lakes as lying south of anything. However, the Great Lakes are not any further north than the greater part of Europe, which sits largely north fo the 48th parallel. I wonder if old maps could indicate how the spatial perspective of early European explorers and settlers differed from ours today? It is interesting to note that even home isn't very recognizable when one's vantage point is changed.

-Daniel Uden 4/5/2009

Slumdog Millionaire

Slumdog Millionaire is a newly released British film about Jamal Mailik, young man from the slums of India, who goes from rags to riches by winning India's version of the game show, "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" Throughout the gameshow, the movie flashes back to Jamal's childhood in the slums, where his previous experiences provide him with the answers to the questions on the show.

The movie is said to realistically portray the life of India's poor. Scenes of miles of tin roofs, busy marketplaces, children playing in garbage, Islam-Hindu conflicts, polluted rivers and poor diets give the viewer an accurate picture of everyday life for many Indians. Some of the poorest and most oppressed members of India's population are the dalits, or untouchables. The lowest caste in the caste system, most untouchables live life begging and doing anything they can to earn their next meal. Slumdog Millionaire paints the story of a boy who overcomes the hand he has been dealt in life and emerges a millionaire, though Jamal is portrayed as coming from a Muslim family and therefore would not be considered a part of the Hindu-based caste system.

Slumdog Millionaire provides a glimpse of the developing world, where the gap between the rich and the poor is immense, and countless hopes for a better life are never realized. It accurately portrays how life in India is influenced by traditional Indian culture and globalization. The fim also serves to raise awareness of how much of the developing world population lives, and presents a hopeful ending to a sad story.

-Daniel Uden 3-24-2009

Spring Break 2009

I went into this year's spring break uncertain about my plans. Originally, the only travel option I was considering was my two hour drive back home to Kenesaw, NE. I felt like it would be a good time to see the family, relax, visit my friends at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, and maybe make a little money working for my summertime boss. But a few days before break started, one of my high school friends called me up to talk and presented me with an alternative spring break plan. He and two of his college friends were planning a week-long camping trip at Buffalo River National Park in the Ozarks of Arkansas. I've never been down South, and a week camping in the Ozarks is right up my alley. In the end, I had a family event come up and decided to go back to Kenesaw as originally planned.

I spent the first few days of break at home. I think I took three naps the first two days (sometimes this college thing gets me pretty busy and anxious, and I don't get the sleep I should.) Then Monday night, I drove two hours south to my friend Barry's house. My friends Dayton, Dan and Nate were also there, and we hung out for a couple of days. On Tuesday night, everyone except me left for Seward, the stopping point on their journey to the Women's NAIA National Basketball Tournament in Sioux City, Iowa. I decided not to go yet, and just went back home. I stuck around home for a few more days, worked on tearing down a shed with my dad, got my haircut, did my track work-outs, and then drove 1/2 hour west to Kearney, NE, to visit my friends at UNK. I went to Campus Crusade for Christ at UNK, spent some time with my friends, and left for home the next morning.

After a few more days at home, I left for my friend Dayton's house near Madison, in northeast Nebraska. I spent Friday night there with Dayton and several other friends, then drove 1 1/2 hours into Sioux City, Iowa the next morning to watch the Concordia women, who were now in the quarterfinals of the National Championship. The women ended up losing a hard fought game to Hastings College. Saturday night, after the game, I drove a carload of people back to Seward, where I stayed until my dorm opened on Sunday morning. Overall, it was a good break, although by the end, I was very tired of being behind the wheel.

Daniel Uden 3/17/2009

Aid to Sub-Saharan Africa

As most nations of the world continue to advance in interconnectedness and communication through globalization, Africa continues to fall further behind. As each year passes, the inability of many African nations to provide for the basic needs of their suffering populations becomes increasingly evident, and hope for the future grows dim. Since 1960, more developed world countries have provided over $500 billion dollars of aid to African nations, in hope that their economies will be stimulated into growth in the global economy. However, now nine years into the 21st Century, there remains to be seen any significant development in the region.

Some reasons for this lack of progress include war, famine and the HIV/AIDS epidemic. However, arguably one of the most detrimental factors in Africa's failure to develop is corrupt leaders. Much of the international aid poured into Africa fails to reach its target, the African people, in any real way. When African leaders embezzle and squander monetary gifts from nations such as the United States, France and Great Britain, no improvement to the countries' infrastructure results, and the people and country simply grow more dependent on further aid.

In my opinion, aid to Africa in various forms is most definetly warranted, but donor nations must intently work to prevent that aid from being hoarded by the corrupt African elite any longer. I am not capable of presenting a workable solution for donations to African nations in this blog, but I do believe that there should be stipulations and regulations attached to aid to Africa. In addition, those regulations should be closely monitored and enforced by an outside organization not subject to the local governmental corruption that is so prevalent. Any system organized for African aid should be monitored closely by an organization, such as the United Nations, to ensure that both the African nations are good stewards of the aid, and that developed nations are responsible givers. Unless this is accomplished, any future African development cannot be guaranteed, especially in these trying economic times.

-Daniel Uden 3/5/2009

The Human Development Index

The Human Development Index (HDI) is a system used to summerize the basic developmental achievements of the countries of the world by comparing them to the development of other nations. The HDI is published by the United Nations Development Programme yearly and calculates an HDI score for each country based on three developmental aspects; health, knowledge and standard of living. Health is defined by life expectancy at birth, knowledge is gauged by combining adult literacy rates and enrollment ratios, and standard of living is found by assessing GDP per capita. 179 countries are currently ranked by the HDI on a 1.0 scale that also places countries in 1 of 3 broader developmental categories; High Human Development, Medium Human Development, and Low Human Development. The three countries with the highest HDI are Iceland, Norway and Canada. Meanwhile the three lowest scorers on the HDI are the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic and Sierra Leone.

When looking over the complete HDI rankings, distinct patterns emerge in regard to development in different world regions. Countries considered to have "High Human Development" are concentrated mainly in the Western Hemisphere and Europe. Several Latin American and wealthy Middle Eastern countries also achieve a high HDI score, but the majority are limited to the modern Western World. Countries with "Medium Human Development" are found mostly in Central America, South America, Asia, the Middle East, and a few African nations. Finally, "Low Human Development" is completely isolated in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Africa as a whole clearly lags behind the rest of the world in development. This is likely due to several factors, including wars, famines, the extensive colonization of Africa by Europeans, the unavailability and underallocation of food and natural resources, and epidemics including malaria and HIV/AIDS. It is true that most African countries have only gained their independence over the past century, and are therefore naturally behind in development. However, in many nations, development is simply not occuring, and the suffering of a growing population continues to increase in the face of war, starvation and famine. The future of the populations of African nations relies heavily on whether or not Africa can develop enough in order that the basic needs of its inhabitants can be provided for.

-Daniel Uden 3/4/2009

National Geographic Photograph: The Arctic North

This National Geographic Photograph shows two arctic adventurers dragging their sleds across the ice. Since the arrival of the famous American Explorer Robert Peary at the position he believed to be the geographic North Pole of the Earth in 1909, expeditions to the far north have continued over the past century. Although current calculations show that Perry was in fact about 60 miles short of the pole, his historic journey is credited as the first known venture of man into this extreme polar region.

I enjoy this photograph because it shows the extremity of climate on the Earth. Even today, as man has effectively subdued and inhabited much of Earth's surface, areas like this remain untamed and untouched by man. Yet even across the harsh arctic ice, the same sun sits above the horizon.

I confess to having a fascination with desolate places and with journeying across the wilderness. Although all of my adventuring experience is on a very small scale and limited to what I still consider to be habitated places, the lure of exploring new places never grows old. I don't think that it's the beauty or physical features of a place that fascinate me so much, it's more the thought of being somewhere someone else has never been, or at least few people have ever been.

I am always reminded of the words of King David in Psalm 139. I feel that they capture the beauty of existence for me as I consider that nowhere on, inside, or outside this Earth is out of the direct line of sight of my God. No matter how far man may roam, the Almighty God will be everywhere around him.

"Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your Presence? If I go up to the heavens, You are there. If I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there Your hand will guide me, Your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, 'surely the darkness will hide me, and the light become night around me, even the darkness will not be dark to you, the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you."

-Daniel Uden 2-19-2009

Cuban Travel Ban

Since Fidel Castro's 1959 siezure of power in Cuba, the United States has maintained a hardline approach in its opposition of the communist regime. In 1962, under the leadership of President John F Kennedy, the United States enacted a trade and travel embargo against Cuba. Forty-six years later, the embargo still stands, but is currently being challenged by a bill in Congress. The proposed bill would drop travel restrictions between Cuba and the United States.


This proposal comes at a crucial point in Cuba's history, as long-time Cuban President Fidel Castro has recently stepped down and the nation continues to experience economic hardships. A lifting of the ban would likely pump United States tourism dollars into the Cuban economy and serve to strengthen the Communist regime now under the leadership of Fidel's brogher, Raul. The prospect of economic benefits and better relations with the United States may make reform-based dialogue between the neighboring nations possible. However, it is unlikely that Cuba will significantly alter its stance on human rights and individual liberties for its people. Unless the Cuban Government is willing to address these fundamental issues in regard to the treatment of its population, I do not believe that any form of financial support of the Castro regime is appropriate at this time. The United States must focus on ways to support the Cuban people, not the Cuban Government.

-Daniel Uden 2-19-2009

Venezuela Suspend's Oil Sales to Exxon Mobile

http://xrl.us/begh3v

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, the Venezuelan oil boom brought livlihood to Venezuela and the surrounding region. Today, Venezuela, an OPEC member, still relies heavily on its ability to export oil to the rest of the world. Venezuela is currently the fourth leading source of United States oil imports.

Late last week, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez cut off his nation's oil sales to Exxon Mobile, an American based oil and gas corporation. The announcement follows a recent dispute over the attempted Venezuelan nationalization of Exxon's oil assets in the country. Historically positive Venezuelan-US relations have been strained since Chavez's election in 2000. Chavez has often threatened to cut off all Venezuelan oil exports to the United States altogether. If carried through, this act would severely strain the economies of both nations. As United States President Barack Obama considers future United States foreign policy with Venezuela, the continued availability of United Sates oil resources will undoubtedly remain an important factor.

-Daniel Uden 2-16-2009

Cartogram: Worldwide Drought

This cartogram shows deaths by drought worldwide. Although drought is a normal occurence in many areas of the world, the destructive power of it in regard to loss of human life is felt most heavily, and almost solely, on the continent of Africa.

Nations such as South Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Tanzania in southeast Africa cite the shortage or unavailability of safe water sources as the main catalyst of suffering among their populations. Often times, this is not because the countries lack the water resources neccessary to provide for the population, but is instead due to the fact that the available water resources are underdeveloped and underallocated. Water is abundant during rainy seasons, but supplies dwindle over long dry seasons, and subsistence farmers are barely able to get by.

In southern Africa, water resources that are already strained and insufficient during periods of normal precipitation virtually disappear in times of drought, multiplying the suffering of the populations that depend on them. This has been observed over the past decade, as unrelenting drought has resulted in shortfalls of both food and water, factors heavily contributing to the Global Food Crisis.

Today, fertility rates remain high across Africa, and populations are expected to continue to grow. This increase in population will further strain the continent's water resourcs, especially in drought affected areas. Africa and the world must continue their work to provide the water neccessary to support the African people. I chose to write about this Death by Drought cartogram because of the great importance involved in securing water resources now and in the future. Water is arguably the most valuable resource man possesses today, and that value will only increase with time.

-Daniel Uden 2-4-2008

Ireland vs Haiti: Comparison by Population Pyramid

The population pyramids I compared are Haiti (an LDC) and Ireland (a MDC). As can be seen, Haiti has a much younger population than Ireland. This follows the trend observed between LDC's and MDC's.

Haiti is officially the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, ranking 148 of 179 on the Human Development Index. Meanwhile, Ireland ranks 5 out of 179 on the HDI, and is relatively wealthy. The total fertility rate for each Irish woman sits at 2.0, keeping the Irish population relatively stable. Haitian women, on the other hand, average 4.0 births in their lifetime, a full 2.0 children per woman higher than Ireland.

There are several factors that contribute to this trend. It is likely that most Irish women have demanding careers throughout their childbearing years. Because of this, and the wide availability and practice of birth control methods in Europe, Irish couples limit the size of their families to cater to their desires. Hatian women can not afford luxuries such as these, and have characteristically larger families. In the slums of Haiti, women are usually not a part of the workforce. Instead, they spend time caring for their children. Children in 3rd world countries can aid the family's survival by becoming a source of work and income.

As far as can be determined, the Irish population will continue to grow older and live longer, while the population of Haiti will remain young with children constituting the most significant portion of the population.

-Daniel Uden 1-29-2009

Firsthand Glimpse into the Past

I got a letter in the mail from my grandma today, and part of her letter described growing up in the Nebraska Sandhills during the Great Depression. What experience and insight...

"I am still working on my organization project and it sure is going slow! I guess I don't know what to do with stuff and it is hard for me, having lived through the Great Depression when I was a kid, to throw things out. I remember that we were issued stamps so one pair of shoes per person was allowed. You could buy one banana for each member of your household-you couldn't get much sugar unless you had fruit to case and my mom had bought lots of jars of sour plums from a neighbor before we moved to Brown County so we could get plenty of sugar which we shared with our neighbors. We made our own fire by burning cow chips in Garden County and lots of cobs both places and my dad also raised hogs back then. We ate lots of rabbits and pheasants and then fish too after we moved to Goose Creek. We had big gardens, had our own milk, creams, eggs and butter-We sold cream and eggs via the barter system. I guess that paid for our groceries. We wore lots of hand-me-downs and were glad to get them. We were lucky to live in Nebraska. I guess we didn't even know we were poor! We had no electricity or plumbing, of course-Had kerosene lamps-our house was "3-room and a path!" I wrote a song about that-How things have changed! My dad drove our cattle from Garden County in 1942 when we moved-21 days on the trail with 3 teenage boys helping him-tent, chuckwagon and all! I was 6 years old that spring."

Only someone who has seen the Nebraska Sandhills can imagine what a trek across them in a wagon while driving a herd of cattle would be like. What I wouldn't do to witness this and events like it...at least I have a first-hand description.

-Daniel Uden 1-27-2009

Favorite North American Place

Of all the places I’ve visited in North America, the Mira Valley near Ord in central Nebraska is my favorite. The Mira Valley lies just south of the town of Ord, with the Mira Creek winding through it. Both Ord and the Mira Valley are near the larger North Loup Valley, one of the most beautiful of Nebraska’s rivers.

My uncle, Keith Peterson, who grew up in the valley and now farms and ranches there, introduced me to the Mira Valley. When my family travels to Ord for holidays and special occasions, I often spend the better part of the day walking the rolling Mira Valley hills hunting upland game birds with my uncle and his brother.

The Mira Valley and the surrounding terrain resemble the Sandhills or northern Nebraska, which lie relatively close to the north. Yet, the area is distinctly different, especially in regard to the soil. While the soil of the Sandhills is very sandy and unsuitable for farming, the Mira Valley is a very fertile and farmable area, especially alongside the Mira Creek. Even though most of the land there is farmable, the few residents of the valley make a living through a combination of farming and ranching. This combination is evident in the landscape, as corn and soybean fields border alfalfa fields and unplowed pasture. Horses are still the choice work vehicle in many jobs that involve moving and working cattle.

Many kinds of wildlife thrive in the Mira Valley. When walking the valley, one passes beaver dams on the creek, spooks both whitetail and mule deer across the hills, hears turkey flocks gathering beneath cottonwood trees, sees coyotes and raccoons crossing the roads, and flushes out upland game birds such as quail, pheasant and grouse.

One reason that I am so interested in and impressed by the Mira Valley is that I am attracted to areas of Nebraska that have remained largely unchanged over the past several centuries of human settlement. Perhaps this is because I come from a highly plowed area, where the fertile land spells profit, and the landscape looks nothing like it once did. Although the human presence has certainly been made known in the Mira Valley, areas of traditional Nebraska prairie remain and offer a glimpse into the past that long was the American Midwest. I also enjoy the memories that my relatives and I have made walking those Mira Valley hills. It's the place I learned to hunt, shoot a gun, and ride a horse. I hope this place can continue to be enjoyed by me and those that call it home.

-Daniel Uden 1-27-2009

1st Time Blogger

I am entering the blogging world for the first time as part of an introductory level geography class this semester. I am actually a geography major in my third year of school, but this is the first time it has worked for me to take this class, Diversity Amid Globalization. The class is a broad overview of world regions...a little different than what I'm used to, which are classes that tend to focus in depth on smaller regions or issues. But I'm enjoying this so far. First blog accomplished

-Dan