A student protest against giving Chavez unlimited terms to be "reelected" was crushed by National Guard soldiers and the police.
Students began a peaceful protest and delivered a petition to lawmakers against amending the constitution to Chavez's favor. Once this one done; however, approximately four students chained themselves inside the National Assembly building and refused to leave. Police came and a scuffle incurred. What can be described as a "police riot" then broke outside the building with students combating police and military personnel.
The change in the constitution is just the latest event orchestrated by Chavez to revolutionize Venezuela. Chavez has order the closing down of opposition television stations, open socialist "reeducation" centers, created local party-controlled councils to replace the existing separation of powers/federal system, and even welcomed Hezbollah. The greatest coup Chavez succeeded with though is the elimination of the middle class. Aristotle wrote how the middle class will always be a moderating factor and the best leader of any political system. Chavez's Venezuela is different though. It is a political elite system with the backing of those who are dependant on it (and this class is growing larger everyday). Expect Venezuela to further drift of into the night.
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
English Newspapers Around the World
International newspapers are an excellent geographical teaching resource. They allow one to see what is going on around the world and see new viewpoints.
Earlier Catholicgauze linked to the Newseum's flash page of newspaper front covers. The one drawback was only seeing the front page. World Newspapers and Magazines makes up for this. This site links to English language newspapers and magazines around the world. One can sort through by country, region, or magazine topic. Three random sources to start off with are the Cook Islands News; the Cape Argus from Cape Town, South Africa; and The Irish News from Northern Ireland.
Earlier Catholicgauze linked to the Newseum's flash page of newspaper front covers. The one drawback was only seeing the front page. World Newspapers and Magazines makes up for this. This site links to English language newspapers and magazines around the world. One can sort through by country, region, or magazine topic. Three random sources to start off with are the Cook Islands News; the Cape Argus from Cape Town, South Africa; and The Irish News from Northern Ireland.
Monday, November 05, 2007
Italy Expels Roma (Gypsies)
Europe is no stranger to expulsions, just ask anyone who knows European Jewish history. However, since the end of World War II and the rise of European supernationalism one would think the days of expulsion were over. The European Union allows citizens to move freely from country to country.
That law is being put to the test in Italy. Romania joined the European Union this year and so far over half a million Romanians, mostly Roma (Gypsies), have migrated to Italy. While some Roma are trying to intergrate into the popular culture, there is a visible element engaged in various crimes. Recently a navy officer's wife was killed by a Romanian Roma and this has provided the match for a long set fuse against an immigrant group which refuses to assimilate. Italy has begun expeling the European citizen Roma and is pushing for greater legal authority.
The move by the Democratic Party (the ruling socialist party newly formed by the Democrats of the Left and their allies) followes other European leftist and center-left parties becoming tougher on crime. However, this is the first time a major left party has threatened the supremeacy of the European Union.
That law is being put to the test in Italy. Romania joined the European Union this year and so far over half a million Romanians, mostly Roma (Gypsies), have migrated to Italy. While some Roma are trying to intergrate into the popular culture, there is a visible element engaged in various crimes. Recently a navy officer's wife was killed by a Romanian Roma and this has provided the match for a long set fuse against an immigrant group which refuses to assimilate. Italy has begun expeling the European citizen Roma and is pushing for greater legal authority.
The move by the Democratic Party (the ruling socialist party newly formed by the Democrats of the Left and their allies) followes other European leftist and center-left parties becoming tougher on crime. However, this is the first time a major left party has threatened the supremeacy of the European Union.
Sunday, November 04, 2007
Martial Law in Pakistan
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf stated he cannot let his country commit suicide has declared martial law in Pakistan. Telephone lines are cut, dissidents are being detained, television channels shut down, and Pakistan and now even deeper in its dark age.
There are two reasons for the martial law: an immediate and a more long term problem. The immediate issue at hand is the presidential election and the supreme court. Musharraf won the election, boycott by most of the opposition, but the Supreme Court has been threatening to void his election because Musharraf holding both the presidency and his army post. This continues a long feud between the court and presidency. When martial law was declared, the court called on the army to resist. Only to have Musharraf go one step beyond Abraham Lincoln and lock the court justices in the Supreme Court building.
The long term reason for martial law is the rise of Islamism in nuclear Pakistan. The Swat Valley is now a Taliban/al Qaeda stronghold as is the greater area, North-West Frontier Province and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. Al Qaeda is waging a civil war against Musharraf with hopes of getting its hands on nuclear weapons. Pakistan's military is demoralized because of a series of loses to the militant thugs. The militant also have a large backing from the general public. Musharraf hopes he can use his new powers to crush any opposition.
From The Long War Journal: Red equals Taliban control, purple equals de facto Taliban control, yellow under threat
So in short: Military thug versus Evil.
The wild card in the picture is Benazir Bhutto and her center-left (socialist but very anti-Taliban) Pakistan People's Party. Bhutto stood on the sidelines in an agreement with Musharraf which allowed him to be reelected president. However, after the election Musharraf tried to delay Bhutto's return and al Qaeda attempted an assassination on her (it is unclear how much Pakistani police did to stop the attack). Bhutto is returning from a foreign trip and may be so tired with Musharraf she could lead a popular revolt. She has enough support to greatly damage Musharraf's standing. However, if Musharraf falls there is no guarantee Bhutto could hold power. The Taliban and their al Qaeda friends would certainly see it as a time to strike.
Pakistan is certainly a place to be watching in the next couple of days.
There are two reasons for the martial law: an immediate and a more long term problem. The immediate issue at hand is the presidential election and the supreme court. Musharraf won the election, boycott by most of the opposition, but the Supreme Court has been threatening to void his election because Musharraf holding both the presidency and his army post. This continues a long feud between the court and presidency. When martial law was declared, the court called on the army to resist. Only to have Musharraf go one step beyond Abraham Lincoln and lock the court justices in the Supreme Court building.
The long term reason for martial law is the rise of Islamism in nuclear Pakistan. The Swat Valley is now a Taliban/al Qaeda stronghold as is the greater area, North-West Frontier Province and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. Al Qaeda is waging a civil war against Musharraf with hopes of getting its hands on nuclear weapons. Pakistan's military is demoralized because of a series of loses to the militant thugs. The militant also have a large backing from the general public. Musharraf hopes he can use his new powers to crush any opposition.
From The Long War Journal: Red equals Taliban control, purple equals de facto Taliban control, yellow under threat
So in short: Military thug versus Evil.
The wild card in the picture is Benazir Bhutto and her center-left (socialist but very anti-Taliban) Pakistan People's Party. Bhutto stood on the sidelines in an agreement with Musharraf which allowed him to be reelected president. However, after the election Musharraf tried to delay Bhutto's return and al Qaeda attempted an assassination on her (it is unclear how much Pakistani police did to stop the attack). Bhutto is returning from a foreign trip and may be so tired with Musharraf she could lead a popular revolt. She has enough support to greatly damage Musharraf's standing. However, if Musharraf falls there is no guarantee Bhutto could hold power. The Taliban and their al Qaeda friends would certainly see it as a time to strike.
Pakistan is certainly a place to be watching in the next couple of days.
Saturday, November 03, 2007
A Short History of Cartography in China
Cartography is naturally an ancient art in China. However, it has gone through numerous changes and has experienced ancient and modern high points.
The first "great" Chinese cartographer/geographer was Zhang Heng. Zhang made a series of star maps, understood the world was round, and the Earth revolved around the Sun. For physical geographers he is known for His most important contribution to cartography was the invention of the grid system. The grid system introduced mathematical precision which made cartography a science.
The golden age of Chinese cartography has its genesis from Pei Xiu. Pei (AD 244-271) worked for the Kingdom of Wei and the Jin Dynasty and while at these posts he standardized Chinese map making. Pei's cartographic style called for standard symbolizations and extremely high detail. But the key signature of ancient Chinese cartography was the grid system it was based on. Each map specified length of sides of squares thus establishing a scale. In turn Pei designed maps which could be combined to create larger maps. Right angles were used constantly in maps to make them orthogonal.
For a long time the Chinese led the way cartography making star maps, maps made by govenors for tax purposes, and navigational maps. Ancient China was much more advanced than the Roman Empire and Persia at the time. Sadly many of the Chinese's regional and "world" maps were lost during the isolationist time. The Emperor's then thought there was no need to concern themselves with the barbarian world. Collections of ancient Chinese maps do exist though and some are online. For a more detailed history of pre and post-Pei cartography one can read the article The Han Maps and Early Chinese Cartography (JSTOR access required).
Today is another high point of map creation in China but to call it another golden age is extremely controversial. The People's Republic of China is leading the pack with GIS technicians creating maps for engineering, construction, and military purposes. The artistic side is gone with very few conventional maps coming out of China. The humanistic geographer Yi-Fu Tuan has blasted the Chinese educational and geographical system for creating engineers who do not understand things spatially (thoughts that mirror Catholicgauze's).
The first "great" Chinese cartographer/geographer was Zhang Heng. Zhang made a series of star maps, understood the world was round, and the Earth revolved around the Sun. For physical geographers he is known for His most important contribution to cartography was the invention of the grid system. The grid system introduced mathematical precision which made cartography a science.
The golden age of Chinese cartography has its genesis from Pei Xiu. Pei (AD 244-271) worked for the Kingdom of Wei and the Jin Dynasty and while at these posts he standardized Chinese map making. Pei's cartographic style called for standard symbolizations and extremely high detail. But the key signature of ancient Chinese cartography was the grid system it was based on. Each map specified length of sides of squares thus establishing a scale. In turn Pei designed maps which could be combined to create larger maps. Right angles were used constantly in maps to make them orthogonal.
For a long time the Chinese led the way cartography making star maps, maps made by govenors for tax purposes, and navigational maps. Ancient China was much more advanced than the Roman Empire and Persia at the time. Sadly many of the Chinese's regional and "world" maps were lost during the isolationist time. The Emperor's then thought there was no need to concern themselves with the barbarian world. Collections of ancient Chinese maps do exist though and some are online. For a more detailed history of pre and post-Pei cartography one can read the article The Han Maps and Early Chinese Cartography (JSTOR access required).
Today is another high point of map creation in China but to call it another golden age is extremely controversial. The People's Republic of China is leading the pack with GIS technicians creating maps for engineering, construction, and military purposes. The artistic side is gone with very few conventional maps coming out of China. The humanistic geographer Yi-Fu Tuan has blasted the Chinese educational and geographical system for creating engineers who do not understand things spatially (thoughts that mirror Catholicgauze's).
Friday, November 02, 2007
The Electoral Map: An American Political Geography Blog
A great find indeed for some of Catholicgauze's oldest readers. The Electoral Map is a blog which looks at the geography behind American politics. The blog is less than a month old but already it has some great posts. Be sure to check it out today!
GPS and Google Fight for the Little Guy Against the System
Some people dislike geotechnology for reasons ranging from "ruining" quiet streets, to helping terrorists, to wanting you dead. The reason for the hatred is in part due to the liberty and egalitarian nature of all technology (sometimes provding bad geographical driving directions comes into play though). Great power can be used for good or ill.
The power offered by geotechnology has been in the news lately. GPS units are now used by those who wish to fight speeding tickets. Previously any court dispute over a speeding ticket ended by being the cop's word (backed up by a radar reading which only the cop saw) versus the driver's word. Now drivers can use GPS unit printouts to show that they could have not possibly been speeding because of the lack of distance covered. Google Maps has also helped fight the law. A blogger used Google Maps to show a police officer's memory was "faulty" when it came to one-way streets.
The future of geotechnology is one of innovation and information. Let us all hope for more stories like this and not of driver's suddenly doing U-turns into corn fields because their little black box with the English-voice told them so.
The power offered by geotechnology has been in the news lately. GPS units are now used by those who wish to fight speeding tickets. Previously any court dispute over a speeding ticket ended by being the cop's word (backed up by a radar reading which only the cop saw) versus the driver's word. Now drivers can use GPS unit printouts to show that they could have not possibly been speeding because of the lack of distance covered. Google Maps has also helped fight the law. A blogger used Google Maps to show a police officer's memory was "faulty" when it came to one-way streets.
The future of geotechnology is one of innovation and information. Let us all hope for more stories like this and not of driver's suddenly doing U-turns into corn fields because their little black box with the English-voice told them so.
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