Ransom

Colin Ransom Professor English 15 September 2012

Standing aside land that was once neither economically nor culturally golden, the thought of how it became so enriched with massive infrastructure and a buzzing city environment that never sleeps troubles ones mind. Motor vehicles zipping and zapping through streets, pedestrians running wild to reach destinations, and a every man for themselves attitude that engulf the hustlers mentality for a "New Yorker" sums up what this city has amounted to since its early humble beginnings. The location for cultural growth and its development is just as important as the materials needed for its success. As it was with early America geographical setting was a major factor in the development of the Americas in its beginning stages. In the city of New York recent Sea rising's and undetermined risk regarding the city's safety have taken on a more conscious awareness by the city's officials and leading experts because of its location on sea level, showing that just as in the early Americas developing a safety and functioning environment is not easy when located on specific land, and with specific land comes a vary of minerals and resources that supply the land that other countries (cultures, governments, empires) strive to obtain to increase their power or for the benefit of their own homeland to prosper.

As it was with early America, geographical setting was a major factor in the development of the Americas in its beginning stages. Jared Diamond stated, unlike Urasia, America was constricted to Central America, and with that barrier migration throughout the land was not popular and in turn cultural clashing did not happen often (80). Due to geographical settings America was not suitable for food production. The food never diffused from the southwest and Mississippi regions to places such as California & Oregon. Animals such as the llama and guinea pig never reached North America nor Mexico so for quite sometime there were no domestic animals except for

Ransom 2 dogs (Diamond 81). A foreign land to the outside world, America occupied inhabitants already when discovered by Christopher Columbus. Inhabitant by the Native Americans, the land was wide and in abundance but definitely behind culturally compared to the vast and shinning empires of the outer world. America lacked the resources needed to prosper and also lacked the diversity of peoples to accelerates its evolution. But when they did it seem to only result for the worse for the natives, as the foreigners soon manipulated and took control of the people and its land.

Throughout history, it has been shown that geographical setting is key when trying to develop and sustain a land. Just as it is an economical and geographical barrier for the Americas in its early stages, it has become a barrier for New York to sustain its functioning and elite city environment with recent high sea and flood risks. The New York Times reported, "Only a year ago, the city shut down the subway system and ordered the evacuation of 370,000 people due to Hurricane Irene barreled on the Atlantic Coast" (Navarro). This leads to the issues of whether New York is as prepared or advanced as other states who have the same problems such as San Francisco Bay and Charlotte, NC. Just as New York appears to be behind in flooding development, the same can be compared to how whereas the Americas lacked in their inventions and writing system. Although the Andean societies that resided in the Americas lacked the noninventions of writing and things such as the wheel barrel its neighboring counterpart in the Mesoamerican society did in fact make those inventions (Diamond 82). Puzzling but yet true, the same can be said for New York City. As the city plans for flooding, engineers suggest the city should be tackling these issues cautiously and calculating the risks and benefits of the climate changes. Being only second to New Orleans in number of people living less than four feet about high tide, oceans have been rising and expanding at an accelerating rate (Navarro). Yet the city has no plans from retreating from its shoreline.

The earth is accompanied with many lands that possess rich minerals and resources. As in the case with Nuuk, Greenland, they are experiencing a political and economical auction regarding their newly discovered melting ice in the Artic. Within the

Ransom 3 ice lie oils, gas and minerals that are now easily accessible. China, the only country in the heated race that has no Artic territory has involved itself deeply with Artic nations offering lucrative deals to heightened its interest amongst its leaders (Rosenthal). China has even offered, Chinese workers and a developing mining industry as a trade deal with Artic relations (Rosenthal). Similar to this situation is Chinas involvement in Africas newest and grandest project since the Pyramids in large Dams that stretch across the nations largest countries. The project would boost hydropower and electricity in Africas largest laboring countries (Randall,Westhuizen) The Dam project in Ethiopia when completed will be Africas largest dam but the strings attached with Chinas involvement concerns not only the conservatives but the people as well. The damn which would be build on Africas Nile river will be 600 miles long, will in fact flood towns and tombs of the people and setback the labor of work and production in these small towns (Randall,Westhuizen).

The location for cultural growth and its development is just as important as the materials needed for its success. As it was with early America, geographical setting was a major factor in the development of the Americas in its beginning stages. In the city of New York recent Sea rising's and undetermined risk regarding the city's safety have taken on a more conscious awareness by the city's officials and leading experts because of its location on sea level, showing that just as in the early Americas developing a safety and functioning environment is not easy when located on specific land. And with specific land comes a deviate amount of minerals and resources that supply the land that other countries (cultures, governments, empires) strive to obtain to increase their power or for the benefit of their own homeland to prosper. Standing aside land that was once neither economically nor culturally golden, the thought of how it became so enriched with massive infrastructure and a buzzing city environment that never sleeps troubles ones mind. Motor vehicles zipping and zapping through streets, pedestrians running wild to reach destinations, and a every man for themselves attitude that engulf the hustlers mentality for a "New Yorker" sums up what this city has amounted to since its early humble beginnings. Within the borders of the city lays atmosphere build from the ground

Ransom 4 up but from its own ground did its seedlings grow and sprout. Materials outsourced from other regions of the world make up what we call New York City, because of its location in the world the city couldnt develop without counterparts involve in its progression.

Ransom Works Cited "Chinese Dams in Africa." International Rivers. International Rivers, n.d. Web. 20 Sept. 2012. <http://www.internationalrivers.org/campaigns/chinese-dams-in-africa>.

Hackley, Randall, and Lauren Van Der Westhuizen. "Africa's Friend China Finances $9.3 Billion of Hydropower." Bloomberg. Bloomberg.com, 9 Sept. 2011. Web. 21 Sept. 2012. <http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-09-09/africa-s-new-friend-china-finances-9-3billion-of-hydropower.html>.

Diamond, Jared. "Chapter 2, Economics; From Guns Germs and Steel" Great Interdisciplinary Ideas. New York: Pearson Longman, 2008. N. pag. Print. A Reader for Writers

Rosenthal, Elisabeth. "Arctic Resources, Exposed by Warming, Set Off Competition." The New York Times. The New York Times, 19 Sept. 2012. Web. 21 Sept. 2012. <http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/19/science/earth/arctic-resources-exposed-bywarming-set-off-competition.html?pagewanted=all>.

Navarro, Mireya. "New York Is Lagging as Seas and Risks Rise, Critics Warn." Nytimes.com. N.p., 10 Sept. 2012. Web. 10 Sept. 2012. <http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/11/nyregion/new-york-faces-rising-seas-and-slowcity-action.html?pagewanted=all>.