TURKEY-SYRIA EARTHQUAKE LEADS TO UNPRECEDENTED SEARCH AND RESCUE EFFORT, INCLUDING FROM L.A. COUNTY AND ARMENIA

The French newspaper Le Monde notes that the United Nation’s World Health Organization [WHO] is calling the Turkey-Syria earthquakes, which hit the two nations last Monday, February 6th, the worst natural disaster in Europe in over a century. In turn, this has led to the largest humanitarian aid mission in UN history, with search and rescue teams from across the world, including from L.A. County.

The L.A. Times also notes that “As seismic engineers study the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria that killed more than 35,000 [according to the most recent estimates…] it’s becoming clear that a significant cause of the destruction involved a building design common in California and other parts of the U.S.

Finally, in some uplifting news for Los Cuentos listeners, Namak Newsletter states that “For the first time in more than 30 years, a border passage opened on February 11 between Armenia and Turkey to let Armenian vehicles deliver humanitarian aid to Turkey following the devastating earthquake.”

For more of these updates and then some, please follow J.T. the L.A. Storyteller on Apple or Spotify, then rate and review us!

And if you’d like to tune into the show from elsewhere, please see our RSS feed here: https://jmbtms.com/category/podcast/feed/

J.T.

black textile

The Twenty Largest Nations and their Populations (by millions): 1950 – 2100

Rank
1950
PopulationRank2000Population
1China554.81China1 275.2
2India357.62India1 016.9
3U.S.A.157.83U.S.A.285
4Russian Federation102.74Indonesia211.6
5Japan83.65Brazil171.8
6Indonesia79.56Russian Federation145.6
7Germany68.47Pakistan142.7
8Brazil548Bangladesh138
9United Kingdom49.89Japan127
10Italy47.110Nigeria114.7
11France41.811Mexico98.9
12Bangladesh41.812Germany82.3
13Pakistan39.713Viet Nam78.1
14Ukraine37.314Philippines75.7
15Nigeria29.815Turkey68.3
16Spain2816Egypt67.8
17Mexico27.717Iran66.4
18Viet Nam27.418Ethiopia65.6
19Poland24.819Thailand60.9
20Egypt21.820France59.3
Rank2050PopulationRank2100Population
1India1 531.41India1 458.4
2China1 395.22China1 181.5
3U.S.A.408.73U.S.A.437.2
4Pakistan348.74Pakistan408.5
5Indonesia293.85Nigeria302.5
6Nigeria258.56Indonesia272.8
7Bangladesh254.67Bangladesh259.9
8Brazil233.18Ethiopia222.2
9Ethiopia1719Brazil212.4
10Congo, DR151.610Congo, DR203.3
11Mexico140.211Uganda167.1
12Egypt127.412Yemen144.2
13Philippines12713Egypt131.8
14Viet Nam117.714Philippines128.8
15Japan109.715Mexico128.1
16Iran105.516Viet Nam110.2
17Uganda103.217Niger98.6
18Russian Federation101.518Iran98.2
19Turkey97.819Turkey90.3
20Yemen84.420Afghanistan90.3
Source: United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs/Population Division, World Population to 2300, 2002
Source: Wikimedia Commons

It truly hasn’t been long since the days of Manifest Destiny in the mid-19th century led to an expansion project that violently spread from some 26 states in North America to the west coast’s former Mexican territories. But for a child born in the United States today, before they turn 30 years old, the world and their country will look much different than it did for their parents at that age, and entirely other-worldly from the time of their grandparents or great grandparents.

Consider that in 1950, just after the end of World War II, seven European nations occupied a place among the top 20 most populated states. By 2000, only three would remain in the top 20; by 205o, only the Russian Federation will remain on the list (and will be out of the list by 2100). The rest of the list will be occupied by Asian, African, and a handful of American nations, including the U.S., Brazil, and Mexico. But consider as well that by 2050 the U.S. will be a majority-minority” nation (the first of its kind), where although whites will likely remain the largest single group (47%), there will be more Black, Native, Latinx, Asian and other citizens (53%) in the country altogether.

It’s also fascinating that by 2100, the people and culture of nations such as Pakistan and Afghanistan, which have occupied the mind of many U.S. citizens as war-torn nations, will nonetheless continue expanding to outsize most other nations across the world. Just as well, it’s mind-boggling that the Philippines, which maintains a total area of some 115,800 square miles, is projected to count more people in its boundaries than Mexico, which holds a total area of some 761,600 square miles by 2100. Similarly, Yemen, which is one of the poorest nations in the Middle East–and which since 2015 has been locked in a war with Saudi Arabia, or one of the richest countries in the region–will also climb the ranks over the next 30 years to make the top 20 list; and Yemen will be 13th on the list by the end of the century.

The world is thus on track, or “destined,” to become only more diverse as the 21st century unfolds, making the development of peace and understanding between diversities more important with each day. In the spirit of friendly competition, however, the Californians–or Californianxs–in the vicinity need not to worry: The Golden State will remain the largest in the U.S. by 2050, when 48% of the state’s population is projected to be Latinx compared to the group’s current rate of 39%.

Source: Animated Stats Channel on YouTube.

So many numbers, and such little time, but we still make the time in Los Angeles.

J.T.

EPISODE 62 – NICOLE BANISTER MAKES MY BASKETBALL TEAM IN CAPE TOWN

In our 62nd episode, we link up with fellow writer, educator and community advocate, Nicole Banister, who is based in Cape Town, South Africa. Among other things, Nicole is the Founder and Commissioner of My Basketball Team, a new storytelling platform committed to demystifying and normalizing intimacy with sex positive stories submitted by people from all over the globe. Nicole and I discuss her inspiration for launching My Basketball Team, how her time working as a Fellow with the United Nations has shaped her interest in community development, lessons from apartheid’s continuing effects in South Africa for the world, and much more. A truly energizing conversation for cosmopolitans everywhere!

J.T.