HAPPY NEW YEAR!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Catholicgauze is taking a well earned day vacation from blogging

Geography Web 2.0 Awards for 2006

Sure while most web awards are decided by group or reader polls, the Catholicgauze Geography Web 2.0 Awards are not. Instead, view this as one geographer's praise upon his comrades who are doing the world a service.

BEST ALL AROUND GEOGRAPHY SITE
Geography@About.com
Not only does Matt Rosenberg have a blog with geography news and interesting bits of knowledge but he also has physical, political, cultural geography information in easily navigable web pages. Do not forget information on geotechnical toys and jobs in geography.

BEST CARTOGRAPHY SITE
The Map Room
2006 was a dark year with the loss of Cartography blog. Fortunately, fellow Canadian
Jonathan Crowe provided all the cartographic wants with news reports and, of course, maps.

BEST MASH-UP SITE
Platial
While some may find other mash-up sites easier or having more bells and whistles for individual maps, Platial has everything one needs and a lively community to boot. One can easily make friends and work together on Platial. Today Nearby merges local news and events with fellow Platial users. Also they are community conscious with support of local businesses and other efforts.

BEST GEOPOLITICS SITE
Coming Anarchy
No, it is not what you think. Instead of young radicals who plot a leftist utopia these bloggers are three men who assume the idenities of Victorian-era politicians and pine for the days when the British Empire "spoke Christian but acted pagan." Whether it be the geopolitical situation of Puerto Rico or Chinese Economic Colonization of Africa these men use a "pessimistic realist” political outlook and worship the ground Robert Kaplan walks upon.

BEST PODCAST
Very Spatial
Very Spatial continues to impress by getting people ranging from academics to employees of National Geographic to update us on the advancement of geography itself.

CATHOLICGAUZE ORDINATION AWARD
TDAXP
This is a special award Catholicgauze uses to thank those who have greatly aided him in one way or the other with the blog. For the first year Catholicgauze has no choice but to award it to TDAXP! Without TDAXP Catholicgauze would have never guess blogged, would have never of started GTWC!, and the blog's readership would be much more limited. Thanks!


These awards go to those who Catholicgauze must thank. I hope next year to have a community effort to decide on awards and increase categories to include the likes of physical geographers and others.

Video of Saddam Hussein Being Executed

UPDATE: Further discussion here.

WARNING: VIDEO SHOWS THE DEATH OF SADDAM HUSSEIN. MAY NOT BE APPROPRIATE FOR ALL AUDIENCES

After several requests and debate on whether or not to show it, it has been decided the video of Saddam Hussein's legal execution by the government of the Republic of Iraq has geographical merrit and warrants mentioning. In the first few days of January I shall blog about the significance of this event to the Mideast and the rest of the world.

The Difference Between Sunni and Shiite Muslims

Click to enlarge the map

Many people, including American leaders, do not know the difference between Sunni an Shia Islam and do not know who is who.

Fortunately for all of us, TDAXP has a short, Complete Idiot's-style guide to understand what Sunni and Shia believe. To sum it up: Sunnis are like Congregationalist Baptists who want a Pope (Caliph) while Shiites are like Lutherans who believe their leader has been hiding for about 1,300 years.

Of course within Sunni and Shiite there are differences. These range from unaligned moderate Sunnis in Lebanon who live Western-style lives with Christian neighbors to "Jihad-now!" Wahabbis in Saudi Arabia. The Shia have their own divisions like the Twelvers and Ismailis but these groups differ on who were the rightful leaders in the past.

There are also some smaller groups which fall between the cracks. The Alawites in Syria have communion and a greater emphasis on Jesus (probably influenced by the cultural interaction from the Crusades). Also there is also Sufi Islam which is much more personal and mystical than Sunni or Shia. On the fringe are the Druze who can be considered the Muslim equivalent of Mormonism. This is to name only a few of the other denominations of Islam.

Germany Needs Babies!

Much like France, Germany is in desperate need of children. Germans are not having children and it shows with a negative population rate. So starting on December 1, 2007; women who give birth will receive a $33,300 bonus. Some women are even waiting to give birth until the new year.

No country can just stand aside as its population, its life blood, declines. The Prime Minister of Singapore stated this late last year. For far too long a welfare state mentality has been maintained in Europe. Why have children when they are more of a burden. The state will provide for you. Well, with fewer souls pumping money into the economy and 11.7% of all Germans on unemployment and no need for a job, the system is falling apart. Europe must change or it will fade away and be inherited by someone else.

Hat Tip: Geography@About.com

Victory in Somalia and Lessons from the War

It seems not so long ago that Somalia was doomed. But like many predictions by Catholicgauze this has not been the case!

On December 20th the Islamic Courts Union attacked the last remaining stronghold of the internationally recognized Somalian government at Baidoa. Soon Ethiopian forces came in with American technology and training and turned the tide of battle. The Islamists were defeated on December 26. By December 28 Ethiopian troops stepped aside as the government retook the capital city of Mogadishu.

Islamic Courts Union officials have resigned while die-hards have retreated for their last stand at Kismayo. The Ethiopian government has vowed to hunt down and destroy any remaining threat to Ethiopian and expects military victory by the end of next week.

The similarities to Afghanistan are plentiful. Both the Taliban and Islamic Courts Union believed Shria (Islamic law) was the answer to all the fighting. Both groups came from an urban area with a tribal/rural culture. Each side managed to blitz their way across the country but only controlled a few key areas. The rest of the territory was controlled by allying with or forcing other tribes to become part of a network. Once tide turned against the Islamists their nominal tribal allies were destroyed or, in most cases, switched sides.

Ethiopia won because they followed America's Afghanistan model. Find out who your enemy is (Taliban/Islamic Court Union), find out who opposes them (Northern Alliance/Government), destroy your enemy and let those who oppose them take control right away. This is the way to fight and win the War on Terrorism.

In Iraq America has followed multiple strategies with varying degrees of success. In Kurdistan the Kurds were allowed to run their own government under the Afghanistan model and that area has been quite. In the south the British have managed to keep peace while battling death squads which come from the problem of Iraq- the center. In the center the US and Allied forces have fought against Sunni terrorists all the while trying to negotiate with Sunni terrorists not allied with al Qaeda. Meanwhile Coalition forces have battled against al Sadr's militas while taking no steps to remove the leadership of the gang. All this while trying to get two sides to form unnatural unity governments.

Maybe Iraq would be better off if we went strictly with the Afghanistan model, maybe not. Too much of life is "If they would only heard me out." What should be done is learn how Ethiopia has defeated a common enemy.

Where has Greenland gone?

Greenland is missing

As the United States finishes its drive to victory over the United Kingdom in the first annual Geography Cup I could not notice a slight mistake. Besides the forgivable "find Serbia & Montenegro question" I noticed Greenland does not show up on the minimap. D'oh!