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Tuesday, January 19, 2021

It needn’t be a WESTERNcentric world -MAPS



intro:  

 Western mindsets on the northern hemisphere


Mercator Misconceptions: Clever Map Shows the True Size of Countries

Nopv  2018 
https://www.visualcapitalist.com/mercator-map-true-size-of-countries/


In 1569, the great cartographer, Gerardus Mercator, created a revolutionary new map based on a cylindrical projection.  BUT, and it it is a big but, Mercator’s map inadvertently also pumps up the sizes of Europe and North America. Visually speaking, Albeit no-one complained at the time.... At least in our euro-centered view of the world.





PART 1___ 

A matter of perspective: 





  • A perspective from .......: does it matter? to whom? 
  • Get used to these new options ... here
  • Pacific-centred?  
  •  Azimuthal polar projection?


PART 2___ 


          


       What is the Center? 
  • Sinocentrism in China 
  • From  211 BCE to 1831 CE

When China was the Center of the world and we were Barbarians


"The Complete Map of the Myriad Countries" (Wanguo Quantu), Jesuit's adaptation of Western geographic knowledge to Chinese cartographic standards (early 17th century).




PART 3 
               It needn’t be a Eurocentric world 

 McArthur's map -1979





PART 4   

Ifrika - Africa

But no-one can fool everybody everytime!
Columbus gets a lot of flak for mistaken the Americas for India, but c'mon, the guy couldn't exactly consult GPS and Google. 

My fav goofs


  • George W. Bush: 
  • "Africa is a nation that suffers from incredible disease.”  
  • Paris Hilton 
  • “I love Africa in general. South Africa and West Africa. They are both great countries.” 
  • Britney Spears 
  • "I've never really wanted to go to Japan. Simply because I don't like eating fish. And I know that's very popular out there in Africa."






BONUS CATALAN  MAP

MEDITERRANIAN: The best Catalan map 1375 
-made in Mallorca    by  Abraham Cresques 

«Cresques lo juhueu qui lo dit mapamundi a fet»

"Les cartes portolanes: la representació medieval d'una mar solcada",  a body of knowledge regarding the map-makers of Majorca of the late middle ages that had not obtained the recognition it deserves in the English-speaking cartographical research world.


 Crescques was the first to draw an ornate compass rose on a map. By the end of the 15th century, Portuguese cartographers began drawing multiple ornate compass roses throughout the chart.
His son, Jafuda (Jehuda) , dues to the Crown persecutions of 1391 converted to Christianity, at which time he took the name Jaume Riba, Jacobus Ribus,
Despite the map's rather approximate cartographical design, which emphasize the earth's spherical shape and the state of the known world, many Indian and Chinese cities can be identified. The explanatory texts report customs described by Marco Polo and catalogue local economic resources, real ones or supposed ones. This, indeed, is perhaps the most interesting aspect of the Catalan Atlas : to the east of the well-defined Mediterranean world lie immense regions whose economic importance is clearly understood, but which remain mysterious and unexplored. This world of spices, silks, and fabulous riches described by Marco Polo is the one that Christopher Columbus would attempt to reach by a western route 117 years later.



Everybody makes mistakes sometimes....




Yanko Tsetkov -map of prejudice:


AND

Martin's Positive stereotypes: such as ‘Japanese and Koreans are all very smart’, ‘the French are very romantic’, and ‘all Canadians are polite.’”

Click an pick up your negative ones  

   mapping stereotypes



or Independence day!




mapping the territory: order and the border

 ordering the borders 


oral-2  Our view and their view(s)


You  two work for two rival newspaper Regio7 and  El nou 9 and are deciding to cooperate in a 8-page cultural supplement  called  It needn't be a self-centric world. 

Have a look at both pics, try to discuss which is the best image to include as a cover in our supplement. The images are  these:  

  •  the famous sculpture in the London School of Economics  The world upside down  (2019)
  • a UNESCO-promoted project (1976)   to offer a more realistic view of a world map with the real size of your country:  Peters' map (1979) 

 

You may use these 2 sets with bullet points in you discussion:

  •  Your own reaction to one picture
  •  How successful would you say the supplement may be?

  •  Why might people criticise your cover?

              set2 

  • What other pieces could be used?
  • some political implications
  • your readership knowledge
  •  ...... 




The world upside down



Peter's map

to read more, click here


Worldcentric: Peters' map


McArthur's Universal Corrective Map of the World has a fabulous history, 
made by an Australian who was tormented for coming  ... 
from the "bottom of the world". It was the first modern south-up map, 
published in 1979


the  most famous and controversial map has been Peters world map.
He devised a map based on Gall's orthographic projection in 1967 and presented it in 1973 as a "new invention." He promoted it as a superior alternative to the Mercator projection, which was suited to navigation but also used commonly in world maps. The Mercator projection increasingly inflates the sizes of regions according to their distance from the equator


the world around us: Two pieces of news below

  1. the borders affected the meaning of the piece of art.... here2 . 
  2. Change.org took issues with the sculpture  ....              here

  3. another way with WORLDMAPPER... here



Monday, January 18, 2021

The art of Note-taking -Caroline Criado-Perez twice

 

PART 1 ______ 

The art of Note-taking  with VIDEO 1.

     MARCH 2020   (some months ago)

magine a world where…
· Your phone is too big for your hand
· Your doctor prescribes a drug that is wrong for your body
· In a car accident you are 47% more likely to be injured.
If any of that sounds familiar,  
chances are you’re a woman.


I just don't believe someone 
would use that excuse if they weren't
thinking of women as a minority rather than half the available population !


As a way of entertaining yourself, try again 

i like her here:  video 2- dialogue helps (some months ago)

INTRO_ VIDEO for pleasure for 6min and they are entering the topic.
      06:02 all the research is still massively male-dominated ....--->

THEN take notes
till 06:02 12:25
designed by people who seem to 
have no idea about how problematic the
data that they're feeling their algorith -
12:26







Tuesday, January 12, 2021

Music to my ears: From Mercury to a messy Lionel

          Long live Queen

  • The event took place after recording Bohemian Rhapsody. 

  • When Freddie sat at the piano and first played ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ to the band, producer Roy Baker said, “Freddie set out three impressive verses then stopped and said, ‘Now dear, this is where the opera section comes in.” 

  • This was before pre-digital days. The 180-voice ‘chorus’ in Bohemian Rhapsody (all Mercury/May/Taylor vocals) was recorded over seven straight 12-hour days. 
“Talent will out, my dears”  was Freddie's comment at the end.





ORAL 2- Role play.

- OUR school is running a campagn to the betterment of our community. We have to prepare creative posters with 12 candidates.

   

TASK-
 Discuss some public figures who can be a model for our future generations







You may use these bullet points

  • ·    Features that made them so successful
  • ·    Who else? Other ... women? continents?
  • ·    How they overcome troubles in their careers
  • ·    Examples in their lives






Today we will face

 a hard test: 

ADJECTIVES for them








EL RUNRÚN - Adjetivos para Messi    Màrius Serra - 12/04/2010

How good is Google translator to cope with adjectives. 

Today we will face a hard test: Messi

 


  ___ A ___
Abismal, abnegado, abstracto, accesible, acertado, acometedor, activo, acurado, adecuado, admirable, afable, afanado, agigantado, ágil, agradable, agresivo, agudo, alarife, alegrante, alegre, alentoso, altruista,
amable, ambidextro, ambidiestro, amigable, angelical, animado, ,, aplicado, apreciable, apropiado, apto, arrojado, asequible, asombroso, astuto, atento, atrevido, atroz, audaz, aventurado,

Abysmal, selfless, abstract, accessible, accurate, undertaker, active, Acura, adequate, admirable, loving, toiling, gigantic, fast, friendly, aggressive, sharp, praise, scorpion, architect, gracious, happy, encouraged, unselfish, 
kind, two-handed, ambidextrous, friendly, angelic, animated,, rigged, apparently, applied, wretched, significantly, a hurry, appropriate, suitable, argument, cast, affordable, amazing, clever, caring, daring, outrageous, audacious, adventurous


  ___ H ___
hábil, habilidoso, hacendoso, halagüeño,  hurón,

clever, skillful, industrious, promising,  ferret-like,

  ___ I ___
ilimitado, ilógico, impagable, impertérrito,
 imponderable,  imprevisible, imprevisto,   incansable, 
 inefable, inesperado, inestimable,
 infatigable, ingente, inigual,
, inimaginable, inmenso,  inquieto,
 insólito, insospechado,
insuperable, íntegro, intrépido, intrigante, inusitado,  irrepetible, 

unlimited ,illogical, pricelessimpassive, 
unflappable, unforeseeableunpredictable,  tireless, 
 unspeakable, unexpected, valuable, 
relentless,  enormous, unequaled, 
 superb, immense,  unforgettable restless, unusual, unexpected,
 unsurpassed, whole,  bold, intriguing, unusual,  unique,

 


  __ J ___  
jovial, juguetón, juicioso, justo, 

 jovial, playful, thoughtful, fair, 

 


  ___  ___
laborioso, laudable,  ligero, límpido, lince, lindo, listo, llamativo, llano, loable, loco, lúcido, luminoso, 

laborious,  laudable,  light, clear, lynx, cute, smart, flashy, plain, laudable, crazy, lucid, luminous,

 
  ___  T ___

talentoso,  temerario, templado, tímido, titánico,  tolerante,   tratable, tremendo, trepidante, turbulento, único, útil, valeroso, válido, valiente, valioso, vasto, veloz,  vertiginoso,  vistoso, vivaracho, vivaz, vivo, viril, voluntarioso, zalamero, 

talented , fearless, warm, shy, titanic,  tolerant,   treatable, tremendous, exciting, turbulent, unique, useful, brave, true, brave, valued, vast, fast,  vertiginous,  colorful, lively, vivacious, vivid, virile, willful, flattering.