Friday Fun: The Big Apple in the Movies

Here's a fun compilation of clips from movies set in New York. How many do you recognize?


  (Don't fret: Here is the list of all the movies.)

Christmas Eve! NORAD Tracks Santa Once More

Time for one of our favorite holiday traditions!

Around the World in 196 Books

Never mind 80 days!

Satire Alert: "Everyone In Middle East Given Own Country In 317,000,000-State Solution"

Since the Middle East is going up in flames and the much-ballyhooed 2-state solution doesn't seem to be feasible, the humorists at the Onion have another proposal.

The USA: Not Just 50 States (and DC)!

Add reservations and a bunch of islands!  Here's a brand-new video from CGP Grey:

Awesome LOL: Global Stereotype Map

This is brilliant ... and a brilliant commentary on the absurdity of reductive stereotypes.  It is also delightfully insightful and incisive in places: note how it calls a chunk of Russia "Putingrad," Ukraine "Putin's Precious," and Crimea "Putinistan."  On a lighter note, Sweden is labeled "ABBA," "IKEA," and "Nobel Prizes."

ISIS, the Caliphate, and the War On History

So ISIS (or ISIL or you say tomayto, I say tomahto, you say bloody-minded extremist, I say violent jihadist) has renamed itself IS (Islamic State) and declared a caliphate.  Bold and risky move.  See too the role of history, mangled and otherwise.  While we're on the topic,  don't forget this:

By formally abolishing the Syrian-Iraqi border ISIS doubtless hopes to evoke memories of the Ottoman era before supposedly artificial states were constructed for the convenience of European powers—a time when frontiers were porous and the ways of Islam were universally observed. The fatal flaw in this utopian vision—apart from its obvious historical inaccuracy—is its failure to recognize the division between Sunnism and Shiism that long predated Western interventions in Iraq and Syria. ...

However much the leaders of ISIS seek to draw on the imagery of an international Arab jihad rolling back a century of Western imperialism, the growth of ISIS feeds on these sectarian tensions that have been reanimated across the region. Politically, the jihadists have gained support from the widespread hatred of the Shiite cronyism of the Maliki regime, which replaced the cronyism of Saddam Hussein’s, as well as from the brutality of its counterpart in Damascus. And to the extent that foreign powers are driving the situation, the underlying dynamic flows less from the West than from the rivalry between the Sunni monarchies of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf on one side and Shiite Iran on the other. 

The Post-WWI Map That Ruined the Middle East?

Cartography matters: thoughts from a PhD candidate in international relations at Georgetown.  The collapse of the Ottoman Empire opened a Pandora's Box.

What's In a Name: Literal Geography

A few cartographers had a lot of fun with the "Atlas of True Names" project.  More locations here!

Knowledge Is Power ... and a Hackney Carriage License

Can you master the Knowledge like London cabbies?

Ireland By Facts and Figures

Since we're all Irish today, here's a nice look at the Emerald Isle.  Oh, one more factoid.  Did you hear about the Swedish geographer who claimed Ireland is really Atlantis?  

Cartography Caper: China to Publish New Map of Its Territories

Expect lots of tendentious claims on that map, and I'm not only talking about the Senkaku islands.  It's almost like Beijing is actively trying to tick off its neighbors.   

Best comment yet: View from Taiwan - "Rumor has it the map will include the Andromeda galaxy, Ringworld, and areas to be named south of Gondor."

Gorgeous Photos from NatGeo's Annual Competition

Look at these lovely photos submitted by some of the world's best shutterbugs.

Land Grabs: Maps and Territorial Disputes

Bring it on!  Well, at least it's better than Apple Maps.

Friday Fun Video: Helvetia By Night

Gorgeous Swiss landscapes in time-lapse photography done by Helvetia By Night.  My favorite moment begins around 2:35.  Amazingly beautiful.

The BBC Needs a Geography Lesson

Hmmm, what's wrong with this picture?

#Gaza militants launch missiles at Tel Aviv in 1st rocket attack on Israeli capital since 1991 Gulf War bbc.in/QJkWK9
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) November 15, 2012

British Humor 1, Apples Maps 0

Seen at a London train station.

(Source.)

Naval War Games at the Strait of Hormuz

One British paper reports (amid some breathless speculation about Israel and Iran -  just the facts about the fleet, please) that this round of the annual exercises are the biggest war games ever for that region as vessels from 25 nations head for the Persian Gulf:

The multi-national naval force in the Gulf includes three US Nimitz class carrier groups ... supported by at least 12 battleships, including ballistic missile cruisers, frigates, destroyers and assault ships carrying thousands of US Marines and special forces. 

The British component consists of four British minesweepers and the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Cardigan Bay, a logistics vessel. HMS Diamond, a brand-new £1billion Type 45 destroyer, one of the most powerful ships in the British fleet, will also be operating in the region.

Mapping the Unrest

Here's a handy map!  UPDATE: Another handy map!  I do love maps.

The 2012 Failed States Index

Mondays suck anyway, so I figured we might as well do this annually depressing survey now instead of later this week. The 2012 Failed States Index is online.  The top 5 are all in Africa.