Rainbow Bridge, Fort Morgan, Colorado

Summer Plans

I am very excited for this summer!! My first year of college here at Concordia has been awesome, and I have had some great experiences, but I am ready for a summer break. This summer, I am going to go back home to Fort Morgan, Colorado to work with the school district. I will be painting classrooms and mowing lawns to earn some extra money for school next year. I will also be playing "A" Legion baseball, and I am very excited for that. I am very excited to see everyone, especially my family and my dog. I am excited to see old friends and I am excited to start working again. This summer is going to be great!

Pflug Pfamily Name

My name is Brandon Michael Pflug, and all of my life my name has been butchered. In school, over the phone, and at athletic events, "Pflug" is always mispronounced. I know that Pflug is not a very common name, but I always thought that there were a few others in the United States, and certainly across the globe. I typed in "Pflug" and this is what I found:

The top countries where Pflugs can be found are Germany, Austria, Canada, Denmark, Luxembourg, United States, Switzerland, Hungary, Norway, and France. I then clicked on the United States just for fun, and I found that the majority of the Pflugs on the continent of North America can be found in Ontario, Canada. In the states, Pflugs can be found in states such as Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Utah, New York, Louisiana, and Florida. There were a very small population of Pflugs in Nebraska.

I then went over to Germany and found the majority of the Pflugs in this world. Apparently, Pflugs can be found in places such as Berlin, Brandenburg, Sachsen, and Hessen. I found this website very interesting, and I am going to recommend it to my father. It was very interesting to see how many Pflugs are currently populating this world.

People's Republic of China

The People's Republic of China is a communist country that has many strict regulations and laws concerning freedom of the press, and filtered access to the internet. Chinese citizens cannot enjoy all of the privileges of freedom in newspapers and magazines, and internet sites such as YouTube are filtered. I believe that Americans may take these rights for granted, but after studying and looking into these regulations, I believe that the American society is very lucky to be able to read what we want, and watch what we want on television and the internet.

In the World Press Freedom Review, by The International Press Institute, and Barbara Trionfri, she says that the Chinese government even went so far as to censor the events of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. She says, "Covering the events wasn't an easy job. The government imposed restrictions on the media to prevent reporting that could harm the golden image the government was trying to portray for the summer olympics. Even after the games ended, Chinese journalists were pressured to refrain from reporting about the impact of another major story of the year -- the global financial contagion. Journalists who defied the rules faced arrest, detention, harassment, and other forms of intimidation." I cannot imagine the United States with these restrictions. My favorite television shows would cease to exist. "Saturday Night Live" and Will Ferrell would have to stop imitating George Bush, and programs like "Colbert Report" would be taken off the air. It is hard to imagine the United States of America, or any country for that matter, having these restrictions. But the fact is, China experiences these conflicts every day.

In a YouTube video titled, "Free Hugs in China!" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLImQtyjI10 the audience can really see some of these restrictions that the government has placed on residents of China. At the beginning, the "Free hugger" is not getting any business. No one seems comfortable coming up to him and giving him a hug. I think that this shows some of the restrictions by the government. No one has ever seen this before, and they are very reluctant to come up. Then, one by one, individuals come up and hug this man. By the end of the clip, everyone is hugging everyone. I think this is a very interesting clip, and it effectively demonstrates some of the restrictions being imposed on these Chinese people. This clip also shows some good geographical aspects of China as well. The video takes place on crowded streets in suburban areas. You can see many vendors and businesses on the street, as well as cars and bicyclists. I enjoyed this video from YouTube because it shows some of the geographical aspects of China, as well as some of the government restrictions that are being placed on these people. I gave it five stars.

Bizarre Foods

As Americans we have our preconcieved ideas about what is healthy to eat, what tastes good, and what is acceptable to eat. I agree with Professor Helmer that, "it is not taste that determines what we like to eat, but culture." This statement is very true. Our culture permits us to eat items such as hamburgers, spaghetti, salad, mexican food, desserts, and etc.., while other cultures may eat things such as insects, rodents, or even cow's blood. I personally would never eat any of those items unless it was a life or death situation, but that is how I have been brought up. Those other cultures probably look at our American cuisine and think the same things. No doubt, people around the world have extremely varied diets.

The strangest thing I have ever eaten was pate (diseased duck liver). My family and I were in Lyon France for a vacation in the summer of 2004. We had had the amazing opportunity to see the Northern coast, Paris, and Lyon in the two weeks we were there. On the second to last night, we went to a traditional Frech restaruant. The food was very good, but one of the entrees was pate. We were told that pate was a duck liver that had come from a diseased duck. The farmer would feed these ducks corn, which completely destroys their liver, but we were told that the ducks loved it and ate it up. Then, they would harvest the diseased liver and cook it in restaurants. We were served both cooked and uncooked pate. The cooked pate was not bad at all. I even enjoyed it. The uncooked pate was completely different. It tasted like a paste to me. It was about the same consistency as toothpaste, and did not have a good taste at all. But, being a good traveler, I ate it. Diseased duck liver is the strangest thing I have ever eaten, but I am very glad that I had the once in a lifetime opportunity to try it.

G-20
The Group of Twenty (G20) Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors was established in 1999 to bring together systematically important industrialized and developing economies to discuss key issues in the global economy. The G-20 is an informal forum that promotes 0pen and constructive discussion between industrial and emerging-market countries on key issues related to global economic stability. Ultimately, the G-20 helps to support growth and development across the globe. The G-20 is made up of the countries, 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 of America. The United Kingdom was honored to chair the G-20 in 2009. The G-20 faces many challenges that have appeard on the agenda this year. In 2009, it will be important to understand the roots of the international financial crisis and identify the lessons that we can learn to ensure that a crisis of this kind does not happen again. The G-20 will develop proposals that will restore global growth in the medium term, including the unwinding of emergency measures taken in response to the crisis. It is true that America is facing a very tough economic downturn, but it is comforting to know that groups such as the G-20 are working on this crisis.

The G-20 has had many great achievements since 1999. They have progressed a range of issues including agreement about policies for growth, reducing abuse of the financial system, dealing with financial crises, and combating terrorist financing. In 2004, G-20 countries committed to new higher standards of transparency and exchange of information of tax matters. This aims to combat abuses of the financial system and illicit activities including tax evasion. The G-20 also plays a significant role in matters concerned with the reform of the international financial architecture. It is very clear to me that G-20 is working very diligently on this financial crisis, and America will hopefully be clear of its recession soon.

I chose to portray this image of the Earth with South at the top of the map. This map is showing Antarctica at the very top, with Australia, in the center, and the many Indonesia Islands on the bottom of the map. I have never seen the Earth from this perspective, and I find it very interesting to look at the Earth from different view points. Looking at Australia from this perspective makes me realize that the continent is very separated from much of the landmass on the rest of the Earth. Indonesia lies just north of Australia, but besides the many small islands, Australia is very secluded from the rest of the world. This separation from other continents played a huge role in the development of Australain culture and customs. Looking at the Earth from different perspectives really opens your eyes to things that you may not have noticed when looking at maps in traditional spacial perspectives.

Slumdog Millionaire

This last week, I had the opportunity to see Slumdog Millionaire at the Rivoli Theater in Seward, Nebraska. I am very glad that I went to see it. Honestly, I was not expecting much, but I really enjoyed it, and would recommend it to anyone who wants to see a great movie. I really enjoyed the plot, the characters, and the setting of the movie, but it also made me realize how lucky I am to live in the United States. Seeing the slums of Mumbai really opened my eyes. I did not realize how poor the living conditions are in slums like that. I was appaled to see Jamal and Salim swimming in a local pool that was being used to wash clothes, the local port-a-poties, orphanage conditions, and the persecution of the Indian people. I cannot imagine orphans having their eyes burned out to recieve more money on the street, or paying to use a local bathroom that empties right onto a beach, or even having my integrity questioned because I lived in poverty. All of these events lead an audience to disbeleif, but by the end of the movie, it is all resolved when Jamal sucessfully wins "Who Wants to be a Millionarie?" Slumdog Millionaire is a fantastic movie, and I plan on adding it to my collection as soon as it comes out.

Spring Break

This spring break, I traveled to Texas with the baseball team. We left Concordia on Saturday afternoon, and we traveled to Avila Oklahoma. We then played Northwestern Oklahoma on Sunday, and after the game, we traveled to Brownwood, Texas. On Monday, we played Howard Payne University, and then traveled to San Marcos, Texas. We had a free day on Tuesday, and we actually went down to San Antonio and visited to River Walk. We were then rained out on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. On Friday, we traveled back up to Oklahoma, and played Bacone University on Saturday. After the games, we then traveled back to Avila to play Northwestern Oklahoma on Sunday. I really enjoyed this spring break, and I am very glad I had the opportunity to visit cities in Oklahoma, and Texas.

I also really enjoyed visiting the River Walk. I spent most of the afternoon walking around the river, and visiting the shops and restaurants in the mall. A few of the baseball guys went to Hooters for dinner that night, and we had a great time watching some baseball games, eating great wings, and visiting with the waitresses. Southern Texas and Oklahoma are very interesting, and diverse parts of the country, and I am very glad that I had the opportunity to visit these places over spring break!

Aid to Africa

The continent of Africa and the countries within its borders defy conventional logic. How is it that countries with so many mineral riches and resources experience constricting poverty? According to an article titled, African Perspectives on Aid: Foreign Assistance Will Not Pull Africa Out of Poverty, by Thompson Ayodele, "Every decade or so, a throng of western donors, African governments, and international organizers gather to announce grand initiatives to pull the world's poorest continent out of its economic miasma." Projects such as the United Nations 1985 aid boost to Africa, and the 1996 Special Initiative for Africa, which provided Africa with 25 billion dollars, have all fizzled and failed miserably. Giving aid to Africa is most certainly a noble cause, but previous projects have failed, and this has caused many to wonder if this assistance is really benefiting the continent of Africa. Should the United States and other foreign governments and NGOs continue to provide aid, or should these governments and associations concentrate on developing trade, industry, and infrastructure?

More than 500 billion dollars in foreign aid has been pumped into Africa between 1960 and 1997. Instead of increasing development, this aid has created dependancy. For example, the countries of Ghana and Uganda are more than 50 percent aid-dependent. Consequently, the more aid poured into Africa, the lower the standard of living has become. This financial aid is clearly not assisting these countries to develop or better the lives of African citizens, and I personally believe that this aid should be terminated and channeled towards developing more effective trade methods such as bringing the local economy back into mainland Africa.

Speaking at the New Partnership for African Development, former British secretary of state for international development, noted that 40 percent of the wealth created in Africa is invested outside of the continent. The amount of capital leaving Africa is staggering. The external stock of capital held by Africans overseas could possibly be as much as 700 to 800 billion dollars. I believe that financial aid should be provided to the project of bringing African merchants and business men back to Africa. If these citizens invest in the African infrastrucutre, the economies of African countries would become much more fruitful and effective.

Africa, and especially Sub-Saharan Africa is a very poor part of the world. Financial aid has been pouring into this continent since 1960, but conditions have not changed much. Development is still at a slow pace, and poverty rages through cities and country sides. This financial aid is doing nothing for the economy and people of Africa. I personally believe that financial aid should still be provided, but instead to the effort of bringing external wealth back into Africa. The United Nations and other foreign governments should terminate financial aid, and should instead start focusing on developing trade, industry, and infrastructure.

Blog Topic #7

The United Nations produces the Human Development Index (HDI) through its Human Development Program. Each year it produces a Human Development report that lists the countries of the world in relation to several indices. It is also interesting to note that all of the countries ranked as Low Human Development are found in Sub-Saharan Africa. I found this information very interesting to look at, and it made me realize how lucky we are to be living in the United States. I pondered why these Sub-Saharan countries were so different than the United States, and the information provided by the HDI revealed the answer. The HDI report uses variables such as life expectancy at birth in years, adult literacy rate, combined primary, secondary tertiary gross enrolment ratio, and GDP per capita to rate countries of the world as High Human Development, Medium Human Development, and as Low Human Development.

The United States was on the list of High Human Development. The life expectancy in the U.S. is 78 years, the combined primary, secondary, tertiary gross enrolment ratio is 92.4, and the GDP per capita is 43,968. On the other hand, the country of Rwanda in Sub-Saharan Africa has very different numbers. The life expectancy in Rwanda is only 45.8 years, the combined primary, secondary tertiary gross enrolment ratio is 52.2, the GDP per capita is 819, and perhaps the most surprising statistic, is that only 64.9% of adults, aged 15 and older, are literate. I also looked at the country of Sierra Leone. According to the Human Development Index, Sierra Leone is the lowest ranked country in the entire world in terms of development. Their life expectancy is only 42.1 years, the combined primary, secondary tertiary gross enrolment ratio is 44.6, the GDP per capita is 630, and the adult literacy rate is only 37.1%. These numbers are very surprising and sad. As citizens of the United States of America, we take things like reading for granted, while citizens of countries such as Rwanda, and Sierra Leone are not literate, do not make much of a living, and may only live to be 40-45 years of age.

The geographic pattern of Human Development is very clear. Obviously, all of the countries that fall under Low Human Development are in Sub-Saharan Africa, while countries that fall under High Human development can be found in the Western hemisphere, and also in Europe. According to the HDI, Iceland is the highest country in terms of development. Other countries that fall under High Development are Canada, Switzerland, Spain, Italy, Chile, Uruguay, Costa Rica, and Poland. I personally believe that Sub-Saharan Africa falls under Low Development because not much is known about this region. For example, Professor Helmer asked the students in our 10:10 geography class about Sub-Saharan Africa. Not many people knew much about this region. Sub-Saharan Africa is not taught in elementary geography class, and African culture is shyed away from in high schools. Overall, not many people know about Sub-Saharan Africa. I beleive that this region is lowely developed because of this. Technology, healthcare, and politics are not nearly as strong in this region as they are in the western hemisphere. Consequently, this is why people in Rwanda and Sierra Leone, do not live as long, or make as much money. The Human Development Index is very useful and informative, but is sad to see these numbers. It is unfortunate that these countries in Sub-Saharan Africa are lowly developed while other countries are highly developed and almost over developed. Hopefully, one day in the near future, we as a society can change this.

Mount Princeton, Colorado

I chose this image of Mount Princeton in Colorado because I love the mountains! The Rocky Mountains are my favorite place to visit in the entire world. I love this picture because it really does show how beautiful the Rocky Mountains can be. You can see the plain before the mountains rise up, and you can also see the beautiful flowers. Then, in the background, you can see the huge mountains that rise up. I am not quite sure where Mount Princeton is in Colorado, but I love all of the mountains and forests in Colorado. Our family has a cabin in Woodland Park, Colorado, and we go up there every summer. We fish, hike, and shoot up there, I love to go up there because it is very relaxing, and peaceful. You can see all sorts of wildlife in the mountains, and we have seen our share of birds including herons, and beautiful song birds, rabbits, deer, elk, and I have even seen a small brown bear on one occasion. I would love to live in the mountains one day, maybe even close to Mount Princeton.

Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act

The Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act introduced in the United States House of Representatives on Feb. 4 would allow American citizens unrestricted travel to Cuba for the first time since 1963. The bill by Rep. William Delahunt, D-Mass., and eight co-sponsors would also lift limits on travel by Cuban exiles living in the United States. The president would not be able to regulate travel to the island unless an armed conflict or armed danger arises.

This Act would allow American citizens to travel to Cuba, and could possibly bring in massive amounts of revenue for both countries, but there are also many possible negative effects to the act, and many have voiced their disaproval. Cuban officials have said that Cuban exiles should be free to visit their families any time they want, but American tourists should not be able to spend money in resorts that Cubans are banned from. Others have voiced the opinion that Cuban exiles returning to see their families are abusing their refugee priviledges.

American tourists visiting the island would undoubtedly bring in massive amounts of revenue, but these tourism dollars could inject more oxygen into the dying Castro regime. Cuba is one of five communist countries remaining on Earth, and hopefully this current regime will be diminished soon. No one wants the power of communism revived on the island of Cuba. If American tourist money can revive this communism, then Im not sure The Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act is not such a good idea. Freedom to travel between countries would be a positive benefit to this act, but abused refugee priviledges, and the possible return of communism makes this proposed Act a negative and ineffective proposal by Congress.

Bolivia and the Current Crisis

I chose to talk about the current economic and political unrest found in Bolivia. I found this story at http://www.linktv.org/latinpulse/20081007.

As Americans and the rest of the world focus on the looming economic catastrophe, Bolivia is struggling to avert its own internal problems that ultimately could throw Latin America into a tailspin. According to this website, "One out of three Bolivians want their department (province) to secede from the country." Why would anybody want to do this in one of the continent's poorest countries? United States ambassadors to Bolivia have been sent packing, and this event has ultimately created chaos within Bolivia.

The central government of leftist President Evo Morales, Bolivia's first leader from an Indian majority centered in the western highlands, has been conducting talks with governors of largely white provinces in the east who want autonomy. Both sides are trying to settle differences in the distribution of oil and gas revenue, autonomy for eastern states, and Morales' plans for a constitution that would give more rights to indigenous Bolivians. The talks began after clashes this month between supporters of the two sides killed at least 30 people. Morales has said the opposition leaders are trying to overthrow the government. He expelled the U.S. ambassador, Philip Goldberg, on the grounds that the envoy urged anti-government protesters to get violent.

"This is a coup in the past few days by the leaders of some provinces, with the takeover of some institutions, the sacking and robbery of some government institutions and attempts to assault the national police and the armed forces," Morales has said." Opposition leaders said they merely want their demands met.

This topic relates to our discussions of Latin America, and it could eventually play a very large role in geography as a whole. This is a very large political problem that could effect not only Bolivia, but all of Latin America, and its economic policies. Hopefully this event will be resolved quickly and with no more violence.

Internet Users 2002

I chose this map that shows Internet users in 2002, and was surprised at some of the results. Right away, I noticed that the United States, Japan, Europe, China, and southern Asia all had very high numbers of Internet users in 2002. I also noticed that South America, Africa, Austrailia, and Canada had relatively small numbers in comparison. I suspected that Africa would have low numbers of Internet users, but I really thought that Canada would have similar statistics in comparison to the United States, and I thought South America would have higher numbers. The internet is a vital part of our lives in this day and age, and this map makes this fact very apparent.

The United States is one of the largest countries on the map. This makes sense because Americans use the Internet on a daily basis. We use it for entertainment, information, purchasing items, and even for educational purposes. I depend on the Internet for many of my school projects, and I even stay in touch with family and friends on it. I admit that I am somewhat dependent on the Internet.

The Internet is a regular part of our lives, but people of other countries and continents may not have the priveledge to use this very beneficial technology. Africa is one of the smallest continents on the map. Africa had very little internet usage in 2002. I realize that this map was made seven years ago, but considerable development has been made in terms of the expansion of the use of the internet in Africa in the years since. According to "Macro Environment and Telecommunications" African governments have come to realize the importance of global connectivity that the internet offers and are making efforts to provide rudimentary infrastructure for Internet take-off. The internet market in Africa doubled from 2.5 million users to about 5 million in the year 2000, which shows a high level of growth. Specifically, the African market grew by 126 percent in the year 2000. In the same year, South African market grew by 80 percent from 1.6 million users to 2.8 million. About 66 percent, of Internet users on the African continent are in South Africa. The use of the Internet has grown relatively rapidly in most urban areas in Africa, in much the same pattern as the adoption of the cell phone. As an indication, five years ago, only a handful of countries had local Internet access, now it is available in every capital city on the continent.

It is clear that the Internet has been one of the most influential, positive, and revolutionary technologies ever invented. It has become a very large part of our lives, and it is expanding all around the globe. I predict that within the next ten years, the Internet will be found in many more countries all over the world, and within the next 25 years, the Internet will inhabit every household all across the globe.

Blog #2
I chose two very different countries to demonstrate the differences between LDC and MDC countries. I chose Angola as my Lower Developed Country. By looking at the population pyramid, you can tell that the pyramid is fullest at the bottom indicating a healthy and consistent population growth. In 2025, and 2050, Angola is projected to have a higher population.

I chose Japan as my MDC country. Japan is a very developed country, and has been so for quite some time. The lifestyle in Japan is technologically advanced, and inhabitants of this country can enjoy a good lifestyle. Japan's population pyramid does not resemble Angola's at all. This diagram shows that Japan's pyramid influxes and has an irregular shape. This pyramid shows that the majority age is between 25 and 55 years of age, while 0-4 yr olds and 95-100 year olds have the lowest population. This indicates that within the next 50 years, Japan's population may decline. Population pyramids can demstrate a country's potential changes, and these two diagrams have shown that Angola's population will most likely experience an increase, while Japan, a highly developed country may have a decrease in population.

New York City
When I was in seventh grade, my family visited New York City. We stayed for an entire week and we had an absolutely fantastic time! We visited all the sites including the Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge, Times Square, and Ground Zero. We also had the opportunity to attend 5 Broadway productions. We saw Thoroughly Modern Milly, Stomp, the Lion King, Mama Mia, and Beauty and the Beast. Attending those productions was amazing, and Im very glad I had the opporutnity to do so. We also attended a New York Knicks basketball game, and we had the opportunity to ride the subway and take a taxi ride. New York city has been my favorite place to visit and I am very glad I had the opportunity to do so. Visiting all the sites, and seeing the different culture was very eye opening and influential. I am very glad that I got to see the sights and have a good time, all the while learing and spending quality time with my family.

About me
My name is Brandon Michael Pflug and I am 19 years old. I am attending Concordia University in Seward, Nebraska, and I am majoring in Secondary education with a concentration in physical education. I play baseball here at Concordia and we have been practicing all year round. I have a younger brother and a dog at home. I am excited to be here at Concordia, learning, and making new friendships.