Thanks to Matt N. for pointing out this great post in BoingBoing which tells and shows of a fun 1927 wrist map of the UK to be used for navigational purposes. I simply love the dials used to rotate the map!

The New York Times provides an entertaining and lighthearted look at the celebrities who have been granted honorary positions in the French Foreign Legion. As the Times reports, the honor has, "Been awarded to an estimated 40,000 foreigners and 96,000 French citizens — military personnel and civilians, men and women."

The recent earthquake in China's Sichuan Province is the world's most populous nation's worst disaster in thirty years, since the catastrophic 1976 earthquake in Tangshan, which killed at least 255,000 people. Officials expect that the death toll from this week's 7.9 quake could approach 50,000. One of the very unfortunate effects of the earthquake is that families who lost a child in the disaster, lost any hope of descendants due to the country's One Child Law.

The New York Times has a fantastic article and video about romance and love in Saudi Arabia. It's an interesting look at this traditional and conservative country that often lies outside the glare of the West. What do you think about the article?

Did you know that the United Nations has declared 2008 as the Year of the Potato?! The Year of the Potato has its own website and the UN, especially in light of the developing global food crisis, has recommended that poorer countries grow more potatoes as a great source of protein, carbohydrates, and vitamins. The UN's blog, UN Dispatch led me to the magic of the potato. What are your thoughts on this tuber?

About.com's 20th Century History site explores the fascinating history of the calendar in the former Soviet Union. Learn about their 5-day week calendar which didn't work out so well. I have more on the Soviet Union and on the Gregorian calendar, which we use today.

NASA provides satellite imagery of the cyclone-caused flooding in Myanmar following Cyclone Nargis. Cyclone Nargis swept through the Irrawaddy Delta of Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) and the country’s main city, Yangon (formerly known as Rangoon), and left tens of thousands dead and thousands more missing. The term cyclone is used in the Bay of Bengal (which Myanmar borders) to describe what many refer to as a hurricane.

An Olympic torch made its way to the top of Mount Everest last Thursday as part of the torch's relay to Beijing for the start of the Summer Games, which begins on August 8. The New York Times reports on the ascent.

As reported earlier in a heavily discussed post, there is concern about U.S. presidential candidate John McCain's birthplace. In support of Senator McCain and his birthplace, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed a non-binding resolution declaring John McCain a natural-born U.S. citizen. What do you think about the Senate's latest move?

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom wants to make recycling in the city of San Francisco mandatory and if residents do not comply, their garbage pickup would cease. Mayor Newsom is happy about the recent news that shows that the city keeps 70 percent of its recyclable trash out of landfills. However, the mayor would like that number to rise to 75 percent. What do you think?