Puerto Rico a Step Closer to Statehood or Independence
Thursday May 31, 2007
In 1967, 1981, 1993, and 1998 the citizens of Puerto Rico voted whether the island should remain a commonwealth, become a state, or become and independent country. In all four ... Read More
Get Involved in the World of Microcredit
Wednesday May 30, 2007
The United Nations declared 2005 to be the International Year of Microcredit and in 2006, leading microcreditor Grameen Bank and its founder Muhammad Yunus were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. ... Read More
New Geography Quiz
Monday May 28, 2007
Test your geographic knowledge with my latest five-question multiple-choice geography quiz. Good luck!
New Castile, New Granada, and New Spain
Sunday May 27, 2007
The Spanish Empire was developed in the sixteenth century into one of the world's earliest and largest empires. It extended across most of the Americas and was divided into ... Read More
Imaginary Transit Map of Los Angeles
Sunday May 27, 2007
The blog The Map Room provides a great entry about a group that's publishing imaginary transit maps of Los Angeles - the maps look as though they were create for ... Read More
Americans Not Getting Taller
Friday May 25, 2007
Americans are shrinking in height with respect to their European counterparts and a recent study blames a failed health care system and lack of an effective social welfare system. ... Read More
Mexico Opens 47th Consulate in United States
Friday May 25, 2007
The government of Mexico opened its forty-seventh consulate in the United States last month in Little Rock, Arkansas. Since 2000, the Mexican government has opened consulates, which provide services ... Read More
First Girl Since 1990 Wins National Geographic Bee
Friday May 25, 2007
Eighth grader Caitlin Snaring of Redmond, Washington became the first female to win the National Geographic Bee since 1990 and became the second female to ever win in the final ... Read More
Wettest Cities in U.S.
Thursday May 24, 2007
LiveScience.com provides a listing of the wettest major cities in the United States, based on climatic average rainfall per year. The list was surprising. The top four are ... Read More
If the World Were a Village Book Review
Tuesday May 22, 2007
Take a look at my latest book review - it's a review of David J. Smith's fantastic book for young people, If the World Were a Village.
China Cracks Down on Excess Births
Tuesday May 22, 2007
In the 1980s, forced sterilizations and abortions were common in China as the one-child policy was strictly enforced but since then, fines have more typically been imposed. Now, the ... Read More
City Parks Reduce Temperatures
Monday May 21, 2007
According to a recent study, an increase in ten percent in urban parkland can reduce urban temperatures by as much as eight degrees Fahrenheit. Parks and green roofs all ... Read More
Hurricane Preparedness Week
Monday May 21, 2007
May 20-26 is Hurricane Preparedness Week in the United States in anticipation of hurricane season, which begins June 1. Each day of the week is devoted to a different ... Read More
U.S. Minority Population Passes 100 Million Mark
Saturday May 19, 2007
The U.S. Census Bureau reports that the minority population in the United States has surpassed 100 million, making the minority population in the U.S. the equivalent to the twelfth largest ... Read More
Most Popular Baby Names
Thursday May 17, 2007
The U.S. Social Security Administration has released its listing of the most popular baby names for 2006 in the United States. About.com Pregnancy Guide Robin Weiss has a summary ... Read More
Protecting the Great Wall of China, Finally
Thursday May 17, 2007
Last December, China enacted its first nationwide legislation protecting the Great Wall of China. The law prohibits taking bricks, vandalizing the wall, holding raves on the wall, and building ... Read More
First Train Across Korean Border in 56 Years
Thursday May 17, 2007
Two trains crossed the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between South Korea and North Korea on Thursday, for the first time since 1951. The symbolic train crossing is a sign of ... Read More
Somaliland - Since 1991?
Wednesday May 16, 2007
Somaliland, declaring itself an independent country within the boundaries of the non-functional Somalia in 1991, is completely unrecognized by any other country. However, it does have a "governmental" website. ... Read More
Google Launches GeoBlog
Tuesday May 15, 2007
Google has launched a geographical blog called Google LatLong to communicate developments in Google Earth and Google Maps. The blog is fairly new so there isn't much there yet ... Read More
EU GPS Not Moving Forward
Monday May 14, 2007
Galileo, the European Union's answer to GPS, is on hold as the public-private project has become mired in disputes. Now, the EU wants to make Galileo a public-financed project ... Read More
Cesium in Atomic Clocks
Sunday May 13, 2007
The New York Times answers the question, "Why is cesium used in atmoic clocks?"
Taiwan is a Country
Thursday May 10, 2007
After much consideration, I have decided to place the total number of countries in the world at 194 as I have included Taiwan as an independent county. The only ... Read More
Some Disregard One-Child Policy in China
Thursday May 10, 2007
The BBC reports that as personal income rises among the elite in China, those families are beginning to disregard the One Child Law and are willing to pay the fines ... Read More
Andrea is First Named Storm of Hurricane Season
Wednesday May 9, 2007
Tropical Storm Andrea is the first named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, despite the fact that hurricane season doesn't begin for another three weeks (June 1). Tropical Storm ... Read More
Life Expectancy in Iraq
Tuesday May 8, 2007
Due to the years of war and violence in Iraq, it is one of the few non-African countries to have a drop in life expectancy. Iraqi life expectancy in ... Read More
Global Warming Can Be Stopped
Tuesday May 8, 2007
The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports that if greenhouse gasses are dramatically reduced worldwide, global warming can be slowed or stopped. The panel recommends, "Human society ... Read More
China's Car-Free Day
Tuesday May 8, 2007
Next September 22, many Chinese cities, including Beijing and Shanghai will host a "car-free day" when cars will be banned from certain streets and public transportation will be encouraged in ... Read More
New Tornado Scale
Monday May 7, 2007
The new tornado scale in the United States, known as the Enhanced Fujita Scale for Tornado Damage, is an upgrade of the Fujita Scale. The Enhanced Fujita Scale took ... Read More
L.A. Still Has Worst Air
Friday May 4, 2007
The American Lung Association's study of air pollution in American metropolitan areas discovered that Los Angeles' air continues to be the nation's worst but the number of critically polluted days ... Read More
Americans Prepare for Queen's Arrival
Thursday May 3, 2007
This fun article from the Washington Post discusses the intricacies that locals in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area are going through in anticipation of this week's visit by Queen Elizabeth ... Read More
Mobile Homes to Include Weather Radios in Indiana
Thursday May 3, 2007
While a mere 7% of the United States population lives in mobile homes, 40% of tornado fatalities occur among those who live in these prefabricated dwellings. Thanks to a new ... Read More
Singapore is Fastest City for Pedestrians
Thursday May 3, 2007
Researchers in the United Kingdom have discovered that pedestrians in Singapore are the fastest in the world, taking a mere 10.55 seconds to walk 60 feet. Following Singapore in ... Read More
Independence for Scotland?
Thursday May 3, 2007
While Scotland is not currently independent, an election being held in the region today may lead, if pollsters are accurate, to the Scottish National Party (SNP) controlling the parliament. ... Read More