Lviv Declares Autonomy

The Ukrainian oblast of Lviv has declared autonomy from the pro-Russian government in Kyiv.  The oblast's legislature, known as the "People's Rada", unilaterally voted for autonomy  in protest against the pro-Russian national government's crackdown against protesters.

It is unknown if this declaration of autonomy will survive the post-crisis fallout.  If it does then Lviv's move would elevate the oblast to the same level of independence from Kyiv that the majority-Russian, more Russia-friendly than the national government Autonomous Republic of Crimea.  Like the Crimea, which was part of the Russian soviet republic and not the Ukrainian until 1954, Lviv has a unique background separate from much of the rest of Ukraine.  Lviv was not under Russian rule until the Soviet invasion of Poland in 1939.  Unlike Germany which was punished by loses of traditional lands at the end of World War II, the Soviet Union's 1939 alliance with Nazi Germany was blessed by the Allies which recognized the annexation of Lviv and other parts of Poland to the Soviet Union.  Before that the region was ruled by the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (1340 to 1772), the Hapsburg/Austro-Hungarian Empire (1772 to 1918), and Poland (1918 to 1939).

An autonomous Lviv would also be the first self-ruling Eastern Catholic-majority state since pre-civil war Lebanon.  The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church are the largest religious bodies in the oblast.  The Kyiv-based and Moscow-based Orthodox churches are the weaker in Lviv than anywhere else in Ukraine due to Lviv's separate history.    

North Colorado Will Never Be a State

Certain advocates in northeastern Colorado (NoCo) are pushing to have ten counties break off and establish a new state called North Colorado.  The root cause of the split is the cultural difference between the conservative rural society and the urban liberal/Californian transplant societies located in Denver and along the Rocky Mountains.

Geography and political common sense are against the North Colorado-advocates.  Eighty percent of Colorado's oil and gas revenues is from NoCo.  While some say this is a great reason to break off it is also a great reason for Denver not to let the region go.  NoCo also uses about 80 percent of the state's water due to agriculture practices.  As a state NoCo would have to obtain water access by negotiating with other states including Colorado.  This is something not likely to go well for an independent NoCo.

Even if Denver were to allow NoCo's separation, NoCo would need congressional approval as well.  There is no way congress would give its blessing because then separatist groups in California, Oregon, Washington, Michigan, and elsewhere would start pushing hard for their right to break-off.

Only two states have even been spun-off existing states.  Maine gained separation from Massachusetts.  It took Maine's abandonment by Massachusetts during the War of 1812 to give pro-statehood people enough credence to even start a movement and then it took the threat of civil war and the Missouri Compromise to give Maine its freedom.  The other successor, West Virginia, needed the Civil War to break off from Virginia.

It will take civil war or the threat of civil war for North Colorado to become a state.  Until then NoCo will always be a part of Colorado so there is no need to pay any attention to this statehood debate.

Abortion Wars Show Shifting Ground

The news has been full of efforts to expand or restrict abortions around the world.

In Ireland a supposedly "pro-life" bill was passed that changes Ireland's complete ban on abortion to a ban except when a) the mother's life is in danger or b) the mother threatens suicide.  Pro-life activists claim that this is a de facto legalization as anyone can claim they would choose suicide.  Pro-life activists further claim that the genesis of this change, a woman who reportedly died because she did not have access to abortion, is based either on a lie or gross muddling of events.

The legalization of some abortions in Ireland will probably help end the myth that Ireland is still a Catholic culture country.  The 1990s secularization fueled by an economic boom (which went bust in a big way) and the priestly homosexual abuse of post-pubescents scandal have taken their toll on Church-State-Culture relations.  The only way for pro-life forces to fight back and win is for the Catholic-friendly Fianna Fáil to recover from its election obliteration and defeat the coalition government of the once-more Catholic Church-friendly/now anti-Catholic Church Fine Gail and the Socialist International Labour Party.  A recent poll had Fianna Fail leading Fine Gail by one point though the next election could be as late as 2016.

Chile, a country with a complete abortion ban, recently defeated abortion advocates in the battle over whether or not an eleven year old named "Belen" should be allowed to abort a child conceived during rape.  Belene reportedly wants to give birth to the child, which Chilean President Sebastian Piñera supports, while Amnesty International wants the girl to have a legal exception to abort.

Earlier in the spring pro-abortion forces tried to get El Salvador to end its abortion ban in order for a women, "Beatiz", with severe medical issues to have an abortion.  The Supreme Court rejected the push and the woman had an emergency C-section, after which the ill baby died after a few hours.

The battles in Latin America reflect a growing battle between pan-Hispano leftist movements and foreign-funded organizations against the local conservative culture and traditional liberal parties which typically have not contested abortion.

Finally Texas passed a law to prevent abortions 20 weeks after conception.  The bill was strongly opposed by pro-abortion forces who managed to disrupt the legislature long enough to foil the first effort to pass the bill.  The bill's popularity has reinforced the conservative position in Texas and may prevent liberal Democrats from gaining a stronghold within Texas, something they hoped to do after the 2012 election.

Puritanical Salafis Destroy Shrine on Abraham's Trail

I have twice written about my affinity towards Abraham's Oasis in Al Anbar Province, Iraq.  The site is one of a series of holy spots associated with Abraham on his journey from Ur to the Promise Land.  Another site along the Patriarch's Trail is the Shrine of Abraham in the northeastern Syrian village of Ayn al-Arous.  Tradition says Abraham stopped in the village and placed his tent in the place where the shrine is now.

The shrine was destroyed in May this year by Salafi Sunni rebels.



The Salafis destroyed the shrine because they feel people who pray there are praying and worshiping Abraham and not God.  Salafis are puritanical (not necessarily orthodox) and seek to dissuade anything that they believe takes away worship of God.  In its militant form, Salafis are the Muslim equivalent to the Puritans who stripped the altars, destroyed monasteries, and hunted down priests during the Reformation.

Salafis in general have spent the last twenty years actively destroying land marks because they believe them to be sites of worshiping something other than God.  Tombs of Islamic saints, graves of imams, and even old mosques which locals regarded as special have been destroyed in Afghanistan, Mecca and Medina, Timbuktu  and elsewhere by Muslims influenced by Saudi and Egyptian Salafi teaching.  Sadly, the Shrine of Abraham is the latest victim of aggressive foreign Islam on the local native Syrian Islam.

I fear one day Abraham's Oasis may fall victim to aggressive foreign Islamic thought and actions.  Judeo-Christian-Islamic history is being wiped off the map by those who seek to destroy anything they disagree with.

International Date Line's Move Across Samoa Plays Havoc with Seventh-Day Adventists

Two years ago I wrote about the Independent State of Samoa's decision to move the international date line in order to be on the same day as Australia and New Zealand.   Samoa decided to skip a day for this change to be accomplished.  Little did I see that the move would cause local Seventh-Day Adventists, a brand of Christianity that rejects celebrating the Lord's Day and still observes a Saturday sabbath, to worship on Sunday since now that is the seventh-day in Samoa.  This move has caused some controversy among Adventists though the official church is trying to calm the situation down.

When I first read about the decision from Geography@About.com I was startled.  One of the cornerstones of Seventh-Day Adventist theology is that the corrupt Church wrongly changed the day of Christian worship from Saturday to Sunday (ignoring the mentions of celebrating on the Lord's Day in the Bible).  The logic of the Seventh-day decision not only undercuts its arguments but is unique in the church.  Hispanic countries' calendars have Monday as the first day and Sunday as the seventh day.  However, Hispanic Seventh-Day Adventist churches still have Saturday as the sabbath (This is because the overriding American cultural traits which dominate Adventism).  The date line move controversy could cause a split in Samoan Adventism if church leaders cannot reconcile the move.

Calendars can be a very tricky religious-political problem for Churches.  The Date of Easter controversy plagued early Christianity.  The Gregorian Calendar was adopted in Protestant countries bit-by-bit and the adoption of a slightly altered version of the Gregorian Calendar by some Orthodox Churches lead to a split between the mainstream and Old Calendarists.  Even Islam currently has calendar issues.  Ramadan's start date can be determined by at least three different means and it has become a political issue in the growing Sunni-Shia civil war.

American Geographical Ignorance: The Czech Republic is not Chechnya

As Americans learned more about Boston Marathon terrorists, a small but vocal group began to voice their demand: Prague must pay.


View Larger Map

The horribly geographically ignorant chorus was such a concern that Petr Gandalovič, the Czech ambassador to the United States, issued a statement

As many I was deeply shocked by the tragedy that occurred in Boston earlier this month. It was a stark reminder of the fact that any of us could be a victim of senseless violence anywhere at any moment.  

As more information on the origin of the alleged perpetrators is coming to light, I am concerned to note in the social media a most unfortunate misunderstanding in this respect. The Czech Republic and Chechnya are two very different entities - the Czech Republic is a Central European country; Chechnya is a part of the Russian Federation.  

As the President of the Czech Republic Miloš Zeman noted in his message to President Obama, the Czech Republic is an active and reliable partner of the United States in the fight against terrorism. We are determined to stand side by side with our allies in this respect, there is no doubt about that.  

Petr Gandalovič Ambassador of the Czech Republic

One is a country in central Europe and the other is an ethnic homeland republic in southern Russia.  Geo-illiteracy: not only does it make one look dumb but makes the whole country stupid as another ambassador has to put out a memo like the Czechs did.  

People's Republic of China Realizes that Population Planning is Taking its Toll

Three hundred thirty-six million.  336,000,000.  That number is more than the entire population of the United States.  That figure is the estimated number of babies aborted in the People's Republic of China (PRC) since the 1970s.  That equates to 13 million a year or 1,500 per hour.  Adding the number of abortions, and excluding children who would have likely been born from these Chinese, the People's Republic is missing about 20 percent of its population.

In the past the Communist Party of China would not of been concerned about its abortion-demographic imbalance.  However, the PRC is finally realizing its dangers and it is phasing out its Family Planning Commission which is in charge of the One Child Policy.  The country's workforce actually decreased last year and the problem is only going to get worse.  The government realizes that demographic decline can create severe problems for country with a welfare state, something that the PRC is trying to establish.  As the population ages there are fewer workers to pay into the system.

China, like the first world, is graying... and slowly dying. From  China - Europe - USA: Who will win the global race

Additionally, the targeting of girls for abortion creates an additional gender imbalance.  Without family social nets economic and social problems that would be handled on a family or community-level become problems of the government.

After 2025 the PRC's population is actually assessed to start shrinking.  Unless steps are taken to change that, that is the time period when China will begin to truly feel dying pains in its society and economy.

New Patriarchs, Popes, and Bishops while Rome Picks Its Pope

While the world's attention is turned towards Rome as the Catholic Churches prepares to elect a new pope, the last few months, the last week especially, have seen significant turn over in other Churches and ecclesiastical communities.  These new leaders face unique sets of challenges.

Bulgarian Orthodox Church

The Bulgarian Orthodox Church elected Simeon Nikolov Dimitrov (Metropolitan Neophyte) as its new patriarch on February 24.  Neophyte, and much of the rest of the church, have been tainted by its close relationship with the previous Communist regime.  In fact, Neophyte actively worked with the secret police and other intelligence agencies.

The Bulgarian Orthodox Church has little active role in national politics, somewhat rare for a post-Communist Orthodox church, probably due to its appearance of being too tied with the old regime.  Neophyte faces lack of relevance, declining birth rates which threaten the long-term existence of Bulgaria, and internal division with the an alternative synod.

Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church

Ethiopian Orthodox elected Teklemariam Asrat (Abune Mathias) as its new patriarch on February 28.  Mathias was active in the Ethiopian church abroad when the Communist Derg movement overthrew the emperor which caused Mathias to live in exile.  Mathias was active supporting the Church in Europe and Jerusalem even after the fall of the Derg.

The Ethiopian government is highly supportive of the Church yet it faces problems from a natural birth rate growing Muslim minorities, Protestant missions and growing native-run Protestant groups, and the former patriarch from the Communist-era, Abuna Merkorios, who runs his own alternative synod and parishes in the United States.

Church of England/Anglican Communion

Justin Welby was appointed by the British prime minister on November 9, 2012, elected on January 10, 2013, legally took office on February 4, and will be enthroned as the protestant Archbishop of Canterbury on March 21.  Welby is a low church "evangelical" who follows the new tradition of having a low church person follow a high church ritualist "Anglo-Catholic" as Archbishop of Canterbury.

Welby, a former oil executive, has the appeal of a socially responsible, real world social justice churchman.  However, he faces a government which can override any church decision, a pro-gay marriage/pro-women bishops divide inside the Church of England, conservative churches ready to breakaway from the Anglican Communion, and liberal North American churches which ignore communion rules on homosexuality.  Welby may very well be the last Archbishop of Canterbury of a nominal-pre-schismatic Anglican communion.

Coptic Orthodox Church

On November 4, 2012, the final three candidates for Coptic Pope sat in a room as a blindfolded child picked a name out of a jar.  The child picked Wagih Subhi Baqi Sulayman's name and Sulayman decided to have the papal name of Tawadros II.

Tawadros II faces the significant problem of a Muslim Brotherhood-run Egypt where Islamist gangs lay open siege to Christian villages.  Before the Egyptian "Arab Spring" about 10% of Egypt's population was Christian.  By late 2011 over 100,000 Copts fled Egypt.  Since then things have gotten worse to the point Church leadership has advised faithful to leave the country if religious freedoms are not ensured.  The Coptic Orthodox Church faces the very real possibility that it will lose its home in a generation or two.

Christianity around the World: Lent 2013

Church Triumphant

The big news for global Christianity recently is Pope Benedict XVI's plan to resign the papacy.  He will become the first pope to resign in nearly 600 years.  Most people are focusing on the possibility of having another non-European pope.  However, I personally believe the big news story is Benedict XVI's move to increase the papacy's involvement with the world.  The Pope knows he is fading away, dying, and is unable to interact with the world as he once could.  He knows that a Pope needs to be a shepherd not only in deep theological matters but also have the energy to take that theology to the world.  The true spirit of Vatican II triumphs as Benedict shows what a Pope needs to be capable of.

Church Militant

The Catholic Church in Latin America has long been lax with its outreach.  Its assumption that it has a strangle hold on the parties of party and people has allowed various Protestant movements to grow and heresies like Liberation Theology to take off as church leadership did nothing.

Now, however, church leadership is taking a more active role by trying to help heal the harm caused by everyday drug violence in Latin America.  The Catholic Church took the lead in El Salvador to bring about a truce that is still working between the violent international nacro-terrorist-gangs MS-13 and Min 18 (M18).  Meanwhile, a priest of the Society of Saint Paul is releasing a mini-series movie about forgiveness during the Mexican Drug War.  According to First Things

The ten-minute segment tells the story of thirteen-year-old Miri, who, despite family members’ urging her on to vengeance, comes to forgive the drug dealers who killed her parents, even hugging one of them as he crashes her parents’ funeral.

Here is the first part



Church Suffering

Meanwhile violence against Christians is up, primarily in but not limited to the 10/40 Window.  Success is threatening government and social status quos in Asia and in response the People's Republic of China is trying to shut down independent Protestant churches while Hindu ultranationalists work with police to close down churches and arrest local pastors in India.  Meanwhile, Islamists are targeting the growing Christian population on Zanzibar.

Elsewhere the rise of Islamism is strangling dying ancient Christian populations.  Coptic Oriential Orthodox are being targeted in Egypt.  The violence is going global as two Copts were beheaded by an Islamist in New Jersey.  In Syria, elements of the Free Syrian Army video taped an old Armenian Oriental Orthodox who was clearly under duress and emotionally broken as he cried to denounce Christianity, convert to Islam, call on other Christians to convert, and declare Syria to be an Islamic state.  Things like this happen everyday.

Stalingrad is Back, at Times, as Re-Sovietization Continues across the Land

Stalingrad.  The city which stopped the Nazi advance into the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.  It was the battle here from summer 1942 into early 1943 which international communism turned the tide against national socialism.

Another long running battle, this one dealing with geographic place names, is continuing in Russia and recently reignited in the city.  First a little bit of background: the city was originally named Tsaritsyn, loosely translated Tsar (Russian king) town.  In the 1920s Soviet leader Joseph Stalin renamed the city after himself.  He was the local Communist Red Army leader during the Russian Civil War and was personally attached to the city.  However, the city was renamed Volograd (Volga town) in 1961 as part of Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev destalinization efforts.

The name Volograd stayed throughout the rest of the Soviet Union and into the Russian Federation because of recognition of Stalin's evils, he killed more people than Hitler, and, later, a desire to break Russia away from its Communist past.  However, the local city government last month declared that the city will be renamed Stalingrad for several days each year.  These days will be the anniversaries of the Soviet victory at Stalingrad, the fall of Berlin to the Red Army, the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union, Victory against Japan Day, and the beginning of the Soviet counter attack at Stalingrad.

The official reason for the name change is to mark history.  Some geographers like Z-Geographer do not mind this change.  I, however, see this as yet another bad choice.  Russian nationalism is embracing Sovietness across the landscape.  I wrote earlier about Kirov and Leningori, especially Leningori, having name changes in order to reinforce the message of a totalitarian Russian state meant to dominant domestically and internationally.  Dreams for a liberal, or at least constitutional  order inside Russia died with Putin.  The landscape name changes are sadly just the fruits of change to root.

Current Hot and Cold Weather Extremes

2012 was the hottest year on record beating out the old recognized record setter 1998 (this title is disputed between 1998 and 1934), according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.  The organization's press release stated "2012 marked the warmest year on record for the contiguous United States with the year consisting of a record warm spring, second warmest summer, fourth warmest winter and a warmer-than-average autumn. The average temperature for 2012 was 55.3°F, 3.2°F above the 20th century average, and 1.0°F above 1998, the previous warmest year."  Of interesting note there was a notable drop in the number of hurricanes.

NOAA's map below does a good job showing how new heat records, along with drought, was pretty much widespread over the United States.

Down under in Australia the Australian Bureau of Meteorology made a new color in order to display temperature forecasted between 54 and 56 degrees Celsius (129 to 133 Fahrenheit).

So hot it went from black death to somesort of deep cosmic purple

Meanwhile other places are experiencing extreme cold.  Asia is currently going through extreme winter weather.  The Levant saw a major snowstorm which brought up to eight inches of snow in Israel, covered Jerusalem, and froze Syrian refugees to death.  India and China's temperatures have broken or matched record cold.  Hundreds if not more have frozen to death in these populace lands.

Interestingly enough, despite record annual warm temperatures, the snow extent in North America for December was the largest ever recorded.  This despite global warming/climate change models which predicted less snow.

Ireland and Czech Republic See Palestine Through Their Own Geopolitical History

The United Nations voted 38 to 9, with 41 abstentions, to recognize "Palestine" as a “non-member observer state.  Two European countries, Ireland and Czech Republic, campaigned and voted differently concerning Palestine due to their unique geopolitical history.

Ireland

The Republic of Ireland took great pride in being the European spearhead for United Nations' recognition of a Palestinian state.  The Irish nationalist movement and by extension the Irish government has long sympathized with the Palestinian movement.  Irish nationalists see similarities between the centuries-long occupation of Ireland by the English and the Israeli occupation of the ethnic Palestinian territories.  Similarities extend also to 1949, the year the Arab war against Israel failed (destroying the chance for a Palestinian state controlling all of the old mandate) and Ireland left the Commonwealth of Nations and became fully independent.  Ireland therefore viewed advocating for a Palestine as continuing the fight for national sovereignty which freed the Irish and other ethnic groups.

Czech Republic

The Czech Republic was the only European country to vote against the United Nations' recognition of Palestine.  The geopolitical explanation is that the Czechs remember the pain and suffering caused by appeasement through cutting up and dividing a country.  Nightmares of the France and the United Kingdom giving into Hitler's demands for first the Sudetenland and then the rest of the country drive the Czech's support for territorial integrity on Israel's terms.

Religion Geo-News Update: September 2012

Two new stories about geo-political developments with religious organizations

Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe Does a Henry VIII

Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe may have been denounced by the country's Catholic leadership but he remains very proud of his Catholic beliefs.  He has traveled to Rome to meet the Pope, promotes Catholic morals, and still defends his destructive policies with Catholic social teaching.

Another trait of the Catholic Mugabe is a hatred of the Anglican church which most Zimbabweans belong to.  So when Anglican bishop Nolbert Kunnoga, a noted Mugabe supporter, lost his leadership position in the Anglican Church of the Province of Central Africa (CPCA), Kunnoga and Mugabe teamed up to take down the local Anglican leadership in 2011.  Kunnoga's goons seized churches and kicked out CPCA priests.  In their place Kunnoga-allied priests formed the Anglican Church of Zimbabwe (CZ).  The cover story was that the conservative CPCA was in fact pro-women's ordination, pro-gay, and a colonial tool controlled by Whites.  Only a minority of churches seized by CZ are able to be served by the few priests allied with Kunnoga.  So Kunnoga and Mugabe are turning priestless parishes into secular, state owned buildings which ironically mirrors England's first Protestant king Henry VIII.

The Anglican Communion is too divided by the downfall of its communion and the civil war in the United States and Canada between the established Episcopal Church (USA) and the Anglican Church of Canada and the new, conservative church recognized by most the third world churches, the Anglican Church in North America, to care.  CZ is too blatantly pro-Mugabe to survive as is, however, if it can play the conservative African churches against the supposedly local liberal leadership it may just have a fighting chance at survival. Another, more likely to succeed, route for survival is to cut off all ties to Anglicanism and attempt to preach a highly Afro-centric version of Christianity.  The pitfall here is many Zimbabweans take great pride being members of the Anglican worldwide communion.

Bahrain's Monarchy Courts the Rising Tide of Christianity in the Middle East

Bahrain has a Shia majority but a ruling Sunni minority.  The failed Arab Spring there resulted in the suppression of the Shia and the growth of hardline Sunni groups which demand the crushing of Shia rights, in a sense turning Shia from second class citizens to third class.  In late August, radical Sunnis were shocked when the country's king announced plans to create the biggest Catholic Church in the Persian Gulf area.  They wondered why would the king court infidels during Sunni (Saudi)-Shia (Iranian) Cold War.

The reasoning behind the king's move shows he actually has the best interests of the Sunnis in mind.  In 1970 the countries breakdown was roughtly 70% Shia and 30% Sunni.  Now the breakdown is roughly 45% Shia, 25% Sunni, and 30% Christian.  These mostly Catholic Christians are overlooked because they are non-citizen guest workers.  However, the king knows that while traditional Christian groups are being cleansed out of the northern Middle East, the guest worker population is causing a growth of Christianity in the Arabian Peninsula including in Bahrain.  The balance of power in Bahrain becomes 55%-45% in favor of the anti-Shia bloc if the guest workers are swayed to cement an alliance with the Christian-friendly Sunni Monarchy.  Shia would likely become even more vocal of guest workers if this happens.  This in turn would only further solidify Sunni leadership and Christians in Bahrain.

An alliance between the Sunni minority and a Christian population where many guest workers have spent 30+ years of their lives in Bahrain would help suppress any Shia revolt.  However, radical Sunnis may force the king to withdraw the offer and ironically cut the Sunnis from a very big ally.

Map of Muslim Protests About the "Innocence of Islam" Against Embassies and at Other Places

The Atlantic Wire has created a map of Muslim protests concerning the “Innocence of Islam”.  While many of the news worthy protests are against embassies, there are other protests going on in neighborhoods and against third party countries.


View Muslim Protests in a larger map

Party Platforms and Jerusalem: Part 2

The Democratic Party's change to its platform's call to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel reached the highest realm of comedic political theater.



The Democratic Party amended its platform so that Jerusalem should be recognized as the capital.  It now reads

Jerusalem is and will remain the capital of Israel.  The parties have agreed that Jerusalem is a matter for final status negotiations.  It should remain an undivided city accessible to people of all faiths.

For such a minor thing (which no president is ever likely to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital before a major peace negotiation breakthrough) in an economy-focused election demonstrates just how passionate the subject is.

Of an interest note is the Republican Party's moderation on the issue.  A long time reader and Democratic Party activist pointed out the differences between the 2008 and 2012 Republican Party platforms concerning Jerusalem.

The 2008 platform called for an undivided Jerusalem as Israel's capital

We support Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel and moving the American embassy to that undivided capital of Israel. 

While the 2012 platform leaves the divided question open

We support Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state with secure, defensible borders; and we envision two democratic states— Israel with Jerusalem as its capital and Palestine— living in peace and security.

All this just goes to show how the geography of the Holy Land can still stir passions in the Twenty-first century.

America's Carbon Dioxide Output at Twenty Year Low Due to Natural Gas

The economic slow, conservation efforts, and most importantly cheap, domestically produced natural gas have reduced the United States' carbon dioxide (CO2) output levels to a twenty year low.  The drop is primarily due to the increase drilling and exploitation of shell gas, which has given North Dakota one of the strongest economies in the nation. 

The primary means of getting shell gas are horizontal drilling and fracking (post on this coming fairly soon).

The need for energy at a reasonable price will further drive shell natural gas drilling in the country.  Looking at a map of shell gas, it is clear there is plenty of room for gas-driven economic growth in the interior of the country.

Dark pink is areas currently being tapped while light pink are untapped basins.  Yellow is potential.  From the Energy Information Administration.  Click to enlarge.

Pumice Island Floating in the Pacific

The Pumice Island and ash shore from space.  Click to Enlarge.  Image from NASA.

The New Zealand Navy discovered a new, temporary island floating in the Pacific Ocean.  The "island" is floating because the new geographic oddity is a collection of ash and pumice rock, which floats easily due to its lightweight caused by magma quickly be cooled by water. The island span an area of 300 miles (480 km) by 30 miles (48 km).

Scientists were confused as they could not find a reason for the islands existence.  After some investigation it seems that the underwater volcano Havre Seamount erupted and belched out the rock and ash.  The island isn't solid so it should not pose trouble to ship traffic.  In fact, it is believed that pumice can aid in the replenishment of coral reefs.

India's Blackout in Comparison

Map of the blackout affected area.  Image from Defense Pakistan

Three of India's power grids (Northern, Eastern, and Northeastern) have failed leaving an approximate 670 million people in the dark.  Granted, while not everyone in this zone has electricity, the disruption of society affects everyone from the house wife who watches her soap operas to the street beggar who relies on alms from the stock brokers.

670,000,000 people is hard to imagine.  Here are some geographic comparisons

• 314,000,000 - Roughly the amount of people in the United States of America, the third most populous country in the world (47% of the blackout population)
• 570,000,000 - The entire population of South America (85%)
• 503,000,000 - The population of the European Union (75%)
• 180,000,000 - The population of Pakistan (27%)

Saudi Arabia-Bahrain Union Delayed, Not Stopped

One monarchy to rule them all.  The Gulf Cooperation Council: The royalist answer to the United Arab Republic?

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) met  to discuss a series of proposals, including the formation of a union between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.  While the decision was delayed this move is still the potential continuation of a long running geopolitical shift speed up by unrest.  If taken to the fullest extent, Bahrain would become the first country to disappear because of the Arab Spring.

But before we discuss this here is some important background:

BACKGROUND

Starting in the 1700s, Arab tribes led by the Saud family spred from the center of present-day Saudi Arabia and quickly branched out and dominated the Arabian Peninsula north of the mountains forming the present-day northern rim of Yemen and the Empty Quarter which protected trade-heavy Oman.  The Saud family conquered through force and political unions through marriage and adoptions.  Unions of small tribal states is the reason why there are so many princes and princesses in Saudi Arabia.  The only reason Qatar, Bahrain, and the emirates which form today’s United Arab Emirates (UAE) remained free from the Saud family’s forced unions was the protection of European trading powers, primarily the Portuguese and British.

Bahrain is a majority Shia country (70% Shia to 30% Sunni officially / 50% Shia, 20% Sunni, 30% Christian and Hindu in reality).  Bahrain was under British protection until the 1970s when the people voted for independence rather joining Shia-majority Iran.  The government is primarily Sunni and many Shia complain about discrimination.  Anger over this discrimination has led to rebellions in the 1980s, 1990s, and the on-going Bahraini Arab Spring.

The GCC is an organization formed in 1981 to act as a trading organization like NAFTA and quickly evolved into a regional development and defense pact.  Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, and Oman form the membership of the organization.  A criticism against the GCC is that it is a Saudi-run front organization meant to control the smaller members.

The Arab Spring has toppled governments in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and Yemen.  All these governments were based on various models of Arab Socialist Republicanism.  All GCC members are monarchies, with Bahrain having a very limited parliament while Kuwait’s is slightly freer.  The rest are absolute monarchies.

Today

There is debate even among GCC members over what exactly the movement towards union would mean.  The lack of a clear definition led to the delay. Some state that union will merely align economic and defense matters while Iran claims this is out right annexation (Note: Iranian website).  Some claim the union would allow members to keep the United Nations seat and vote, however, this did not stop the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics from absolutely dominating United Nation members Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic and Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic.

The benefits of union for Saudi Arabia are plentiful: more if not complete control of military, diplomatic, and economic matters of neighboring states along with increased influence in “domestic” political affairs.  The benefit for Bahrain’s monarchy is that they would hold on to their personal holdings and have a much stronger arm to crush the Shia dissent. 

While the move has been delayed, it has not been defeated.  Look for Saudi Arabia to continue to push for its completion of the conquest of the Arabian Peninsula, one way or the other.

Fucking, Austria 168 Miles from Changing its Name to Fugging, Austria

Fucking, Austria is a village of 104 people in the state of Upper Austria near the German border.  The village is named after an ancient Bavarian nobleman named Focko.  The towns name, while unfortunate in English-speakers' ears, is perfectly fine and to say it is not a swear.  Sadly, English-speakers from the of American occupation troops after World War II who discovered the village to immature present-day tourists cannot move past the similarity of the village name from the swear word.

Due to thefts of road signs, horrible phone calls, and horrible tourists, the villagers finally gave up and voted to change the name of the village to Fugging.  Unfortunately for the village, there is already village named Fugging in the state of Lower Austria and Fugging does not want to share the name.  To top it all off Fugging, Lower Austria claims to be named after the same nobleman.

The village of Fucking thought it was one vote away from changing names but instead has found itself 168 miles (267 km) away from the name change.


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Austrian law is murky on if the village of Fugging can stop Fucking from changing its name.  The final decision may come down to Austria's equivalent of the board of geographic names.