How to Create a Legend in Google Earth

Update August 7, 2010:  Now with easy copy and paste text of the code!

For my Russia-Georgia War maps I had a fixed non-movable legend in the bottom left corner of the screen. I preferred the legend because it provided a solid reminder of what date was being shown and it promoted the blog.

I have received several requests for the code to create the legend so below is the code.

First, create a legend in an image editing software and save as an image file like .jpg, .bmp, or .gif. Second, open Notepad. Then type/copy in the code below into Notepad.

Only the name, description, and icon data need to be changed. The icon path should be something like "c:\maps\russiageorgia\legend.jpg
 

<ScreenOverlay id="legend">

<name>Give the file a display name</name>

<description>Write what you want displayed in the properties textbox</description>

<Icon><href>Write the path to the legend image</href></icon>

<overlayXY  x="0" y=".055" xunits="fraction" yunits="fraction"/>

<screenXY  x="0" y=".055" xunits="fraction" yunits="fraction"/>

<rotation>0</rotation><size x="0" y="0" xunits="pixels" yunits="pixels"/>

</ScreenOverlay>

When the text is inserted save the file as something like "legend.kml". Make sure the file is not saved as a text file. Now go into Google Earth and open the saved kml file. Your legend should be displayed. Using Google Earth you can make it change how opaque it is.

Easter Geography 2009: Virtually Visiting Second Temple Mount

The Second Temple plays a large role in early Christianity. It was there where Jesus made his stand against the Temple Priests and their interpretation of God's words and laws. It was near the temple where Pentecost occurred and the missionary zeal of Christianity was first realized.

Through computer technology and researching primary and secondary sources, it is now possible to view what Jesus, the Apostles, Priests, and others saw. The Jerusalem Archaeological Park has some panoramic views and so does The Israel Museum Jerusalem.

Descent into a Black Hole

Astronomers have created a video that shows what one would see if they fell into a Black Hole. It is facsincating to see how light is bent as one goes closer and closer to the event horizon.

These all consuming beasts are truly an anomoly. What happends to the matter that enters in the black hole since we believe matter cannot be created nor destroyed? Can one truly enter a black hole because using the theory of realitivity one could never reach the event horizon because time would stop for that individual?

In the anicent days there were monsters, ends of the earth, and neither regions of the world where the impossible happened. Now we know there are no places like that on earth... they are out in space.

Easter Geography 2009: The Orthodox/Eastern Rite Spatiality of Heaven on Earth

And the Lord Saideth, "More Icons"

The story goes that when Vladimir of Rus was looking for a religion for his pagan kingdom he sent emissaries out to the Jews, Muslims, and Christians. The ones that traveled to Constantinople reported they attended the Divine Liturgy in Haga Sophia. They further stated that during the service they could not tell if they were in on Earth or in Heaven. The emissaries witness the cosmographic design of the Divine Liturgy whose purpose is to bring a taste of heaven unto the Earth.

The Divine Liturgy is how Orthodox and Eastern Rite Catholics conduct worship services. In Western rite churches the services is the equivalent to a mass. Unlike modern Western church masses that focus on recreating the feel of the Last Supper, Eastern services combine the Lord's Supper with bringing the feeling of Heaven unto the Earth. A microgeography is used to create this feeling.

A well laid plan

Attendees of the Divine Liturgy enter through the narthex or lobby. The narthex serves a part in the liturgy unlike Western churches that tend just to have a lobby to separate the church proper and the outside It is here where confessions are heard. Eastern churches continually stress that confessions need to be the last part of preparation before one can fully take part in the service by taking communion. Prayer and fasting are the first two steps. Once these preparations are complete then one can enter the church proper. I have been told that the narthex should become smaller and smaller as one approaches its end. This represents the narrow path to Heaven.

People gather and witness the Divine Liturgy in the nave or church proper. The older or more traditional the church the more likely the nave will be completely covered icons. Also, chairs tend to be hard to come by depending on the priest's preference. During service most of the lights are to be turned off in the nave. Candelas are traditionally used to give a glow of faith/love/grace in the darkness.

The people in the nave are witnesses with their ears and eyes to what goes on behind the icon screen. Behind this obstruction the priest conducts most of the service with the deacon. Depending on what denomination, the icon screen can be fully obstructing or only partially. This represents the division between man and God. At other points in the service a choir will sing behind the screen too.

It is behind the icon where the alter, the holy of holies, is located. This represents the closest heaven ever comes to Earth. Access to the holy of holies is strictly regulated. Once the Eucharist is blessed the priest takes it out of the alter into the nave and dispenses it to the people. This represents the priest's role as intermediate between God/Heaven and the people/Earth.

While there is still a bit more service to go after communion the micrography of the church reaches its climax here. The design of the church has successfully brought Heaven to Earth for the faithful.

Guns into Mexico

The Mexican Drug War continues to wage on as Felipe Calderón continues to mount pressure on the nacro-terrorists who prospered in the ungoverned spaces of northern Mexico. One of the biggest concerns in the international arena with the war is where are the drug cartels getting their weaponry.

The issue has been highly politicized in the United States. Proponents of more gun control contend that most of the weapons come from the United States. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Senator Barbra Boxer claim as much as ninety percent of all the firearms come from the United States. Some others have gone as far to claim these weapons are bought from gun stores and gun shows directly.

The claim is alarming. It indicates a new stage in irregular warfare. Instead of relying on black market arms runners, it seems possible for Mexican anti-government forces to purchase openly and directly in the open market. This; however, does not appear to be the case.

While ninety-percent of weapons sent to the United States for tracing are from the United States; only a small percentage are sent to America for tracing. It appears only seventeen percent of the weapons recovered in Mexico's gun war are from the United States.

So where are the weapons coming from? According to the Fox News article:

• The Black Market. Mexico is a virtual arms bazaar, with fragmentation grenades from South Korea, AK-47s from China, and shoulder-fired rocket launchers from Spain, Israel and former Soviet bloc manufacturers.
• Russian crime organizations. Interpol says Russian Mafia groups such as Poldolskaya and Moscow-based Solntsevskaya are actively trafficking drugs and arms in Mexico.
• South America. During the late 1990s, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) established a clandestine arms smuggling and drug trafficking partnership with the Tijuana cartel, according to the Federal Research Division report from the Library of Congress.
• Asia. According to a 2006 Amnesty International Report, China has provided arms to countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Chinese assault weapons and Korean explosives have been recovered in Mexico.
• The Mexican Army. More than 150,000 soldiers deserted in the last six years, according to Mexican Congressman Robert Badillo. Many took their weapons with them, including the standard issue M-16 assault rifle made in Belgium.
• Guatemala. U.S. intelligence agencies say traffickers move immigrants, stolen cars, guns and drugs, including most of America's cocaine, along the porous Mexican-Guatemalan border. On March 27, La Hora, a Guatemalan newspaper, reported that police seized 500 grenades and a load of AK-47s on the border. Police say the cache was transported by a Mexican drug cartel operating out of Ixcan, a border town.
  

In the past Latin American insurgencies relied on Soviet or American direct arms supplies, supplies from supportive neighboring regimes like Cuba and Nicaragua, or the black market. The fall of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War led many to hope that the high point of Latin American insurgencies was over. The thought was that the black market was too expensive for anything more than city-level gangsters. However, the American taste for narcotics allowed for drug groups to afford a wide range of weaponry. This was first proved by Pablo Escobar and continues to be proved by nacro-terrorists groups today.

Notes on the State of Virginia: America's First Geographic Epic

Thomas Jefferson is known for many things: the Declaration of Independence, his presidency, his love of science, and other positive and negative traits of his life. Geographers mostly look back and consider Jefferson's role with the Lewis and Clark Expedition. However, Jefferson should also be remembered for creating the first American geographical textbook entitled Notes on the State of Virginia.

Notes was made in reply to a request by French diplomatic officials who wished to have a better understanding of the newly independent United States. In Notes, Jefferson goes into detail describing the physical and human geography of Virgina. There was much to write about because his definition of Virginia included present-day Virginia, the Northwest Territories, and much of everything extending from the Atlantic Coast to the Mississippi River. Everything from rivers to mountains to animals to religion to currency is detailed by Jefferson.

One can buy Notes on the State of Virginia at bookstores or one can go through chapter by chapter online. The University of Virginia features Notes on the State of Virginia for free viewing.

The book reads like a textbook; however, for anyone who is interested in learning about the historical background of early Virginia or is a fan of Jefferson it is worthy a read.

United Nations Human Rights Council Votes to Ban Religious Defamation; Ignores Human Rights

Earlier I wrote about my lack of faith in the United Nations Human Rights Council to support human rights because of the geography of membership. I pointed out how too much membership is given to the "gap" countries which are not part of the world's "core" (liberal states that work together, promote liberties, and function best in cooperation). Sadly, I have been proven correct.

Instead on focusing efforts to decriminalize homosexuality (note to readers: I am not referring to whether homosexuality is considered right or wrong but instead focusing on the effort to stop jailing/executing gays) the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) has voted to call on nations to criminalize defamation of religions. The UNHRC has now turned its focus from human rights to giving religions rights. The right of a religion not to be offended trumps a person's right to free speech.

The vote was proposed by Pakistan, a UNHRC member, on behalf of the Organization of Islamic States.

Gap countries are too narcissistic sometimes and world leadership tends to blend these states. Problems are blamed on colonial legacies and not cultural differences, dictatorship, or poor governance. Take this bill for example. Pakistan and the OIS only mention Islam in particular in the bill. Pakistan and other countries blasphemy other religious groups, as documented by Amnesty International. Ahmadiyyas (sort of Mormon-like Muslims) are prevented by Pakistani law to call themselves Muslims or express beliefs that they share with orthodox Islam. Malaysian Christians are fighting for their right to use the term "Allah" for services even though Allah is not a proper name but literally means "God" because the Muslim rulers feel Christians and other groups cannot properly worship God.

I await the day when the countries who supported this bill will end their apostate laws and all freedom of religion. Until then the United Nations, founded as the hope for world peace, will continue to fiddle as freedom is crushed and individuals are killed by their own state.