tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57730612024-02-03T14:02:39.188-05:00toponymyHere, there, everywhere. We have to call it something, don't we? Who's got an idea?
Let's call it Toponymy.Nick Helmholdthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08892886839901526815noreply@blogger.comBlogger299125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5773061.post-11016057028391651892007-11-12T10:52:00.000-05:002007-11-12T11:13:30.644-05:00Rubber's Boomtown<style type="text/css">.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; }</style><div class="flickr-frame"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/30496136@N00/190148758/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/45/190148758_1eb1d057c2.jpg" class="flickr-photo" alt="" /></a><br /><span class="flickr-caption"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/30496136@N00/190148758/">De haven van Manuas</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/30496136@N00/">elinegijs</a>.</span></div> <p class="flickr-yourcomment">Deep in the middle of the Amazon Jungle there is a city named <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manaus">Manuas</a>. Situated near the confluence of the Negro and Amazon rivers Manuas acts as a transportation hub for the interior of South America. Founded to keep Spanish armies from floating into the Portuguese mainland but it later became wealthy because of the rubber trade.</p> <p class="flickr-yourcomment">Rubber trees naturally occur throughout the Amazon rain forest. Latex rubber can be extracted from trees in a way that is similar to gathering sap from maple trees. Although colonists and native South Americans knew about latex rubber there were few good uses for the sticky substance until 1844. In that year <a href="http://www.invent.org/hall_of_fame/68.html">Charles Goodyear</a> developed the first vulcanization process, this would lead to the now common brand of tires. By 1879 industries began exploring and extracting rubber from the Amazon.<br /></p><blockquote><br />The fundamental fact that explains Brazil’s entry into and domination of natural rubber production during the period 1870 through roughly 1913 is that most of the world’s rubber trees grew naturally in the Amazon region of Brazil. The Brazilian rubber industry developed a high-wage cost structure as the result of labor scarcity and lack of competition in the early years of rubber production. Since there were no credit markets to finance the trips of the workers of other parts of Brazil to the Amazon, workers paid their trips with loans from their future employers. Much like indenture servitude during colonial times in the United States, these loans were paid back to the employers with work once the laborers were established in the Amazon basin. (<a href="http://eh.net/encyclopedia/article/frank.international.rubber.market">source</a>)<br /></blockquote><p></p> <p class="flickr-yourcomment">Manuas was named after the original inhabitants of the area, the <span class="new">Manaós</span>. In their language the word means "mother of God," ("Mãe de Deus" in Portuguese) an idea that would certainly conflict with the Catholic colonists setting up this new town. If the rubber boom had not occurred it is unlikely that any other wealth would have come into the area. Manuas' landmarks such as the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teatro_Amazonas">Teatro Amazonas</a> could never have been built without rubber money.<br /></p> <p class="flickr-yourcomment">The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubber_boom">rubber boom</a> died out around the 1920s when industrialists discovered that rubber could be grown and harvested at a lower cost in Malaysia, Sri Lanka, and Africa. At this time synthetic blends of rubber also became prevalent reducing the amount of actual latex rubber needed for many rubber products.<br /></p>Nick Helmholdthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08892886839901526815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5773061.post-83100581873496057562007-10-24T23:18:00.000-04:002007-10-24T15:29:40.115-04:00No Toro, Más Dinero<style type="text/css">.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; }</style><div class="flickr-frame"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/xip/11830435/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/6/11830435_f93b1ab95b.jpg" class="flickr-photo" alt="" /></a><br /><span class="flickr-caption"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/xip/11830435/">Plaza de toros de las Arenas (en su máximo esplendor).</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/xip/">xip</a>.</span></div> <p class="flickr-yourcomment">Sometime next year Barcelona will have its last scheduled bull fight. The city once was home to <a href="http://gospain.about.com/od/bullfightinginspain/qt/barcabullfight.htm">three bullrings</a>, Plaza de el Torin (demolished), Plaza de las Arenas (closed in 1977), and the Plaza de Toros Monumental</p> <p class="flickr-yourcomment">These massive stadiums were designed for the "national spectacle" of bullfighting. However, many Catalans consider bullfighting a tradition that is "too Spanish." The Monumental has <a href="http://www.barcelonareporter.com/index.php/news/comments/the_end_of_bull_fighting_in_barcelonas_monumental/">announced</a> that it will hold the <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/12/20/wbulls20.xml">last scheduled bullfight</a> in the city sometime next year.<br /></p> <p class="flickr-yourcomment">Architect Richard Rogers has signed on to a <a href="http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/4-25-2003-39590.asp">100 Million Euro project</a> to transform the dilapadated Plaza de las Arenas bullring into a <a href="http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=plazadelasarenas-barcelona-spain">shopping destination</a>. Catalans and tourists alike can now shop for shoes and CDs on the very soil where matadors and bulls <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bullfighting">danced to the death</a>.<br /></p>Nick Helmholdthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08892886839901526815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5773061.post-5923220721152856652007-10-22T12:00:00.000-04:002007-10-22T12:37:27.530-04:00Sri Pada, Adam's Peak<style type="text/css">.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; }</style><div class="flickr-frame"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/maxxg/393876311/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/170/393876311_0b87033d7b.jpg" class="flickr-photo" alt="" /></a><br /><span class="flickr-caption"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/maxxg/393876311/">Shadow</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/maxxg/">MaxxG</a>.<br /></span><br />No other mountain in the world is revered by as many different religions as <a href="http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/buddhistworld/sri-pada.htm">Sri Pada</a>. It is known as Al Rohoun to Arabs, Svargarohanam to Tamils, and Adam's Peak to English speakers. Even before Bhuddists arrived at Sri Pada (or any part of Sri Lanka, the island south of the Indian peninsula) the mountain had religious significance. An ancient and mysterious footprint was carved into rock near the mountain's peak. Abrahamic religions interpreted this as Adam's footprint, Bhuddists see it as a mark left by Bhudda himself during one of his many journeys to Sri Lanka.<br /><br />Thirty miles of <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ea/Adams_Bridge_aerial.jpg">tiny islands</a> seperate Sri Lanka from India. While geologists, oceanogaphers, and historians cannot agree on the age of the formation, most agree that it is a man-made structure. Hindus call it Rama's Bridge after the popular epic hero of Hinduism. Westerners typically refer to it as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam%27s_Bridge">Adam's Bridge</a> in order to tie together the region's religious metaphors. The water is typically shallow between these limestone islands (rarely greater than 30 feet) - this would presumably have aided human movement between India and Sri Lanka.<br /><br />The Indian government has started a <a href="http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl2218/stories/20050909005011400.htm">dredging project</a> through the narrow and shallow strait. Although people have opposed the project on religious and <a href="http://www.sethusamudram.info/">environmental</a> grounds their objections fell on deaf ears. It is officially known as the Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project.<br /></div>Nick Helmholdthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08892886839901526815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5773061.post-51186142299543694682007-10-20T01:38:00.000-04:002007-10-21T10:27:06.050-04:00Retracing the footsteps of Alexander<object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/QjLd4pUHcWY"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/QjLd4pUHcWY" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="350" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br />This BBC documentary attempts to follow in the <a href="http://www.bbcshop.com/invt/bbcdvd1503">"Footsteps of Alexander"</a> (the Great, as he is known in the West). You can watch the entire thing on <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/alexandros1821">YouTube</a>. <br /><br />The two "webisodes" above highlight Alexander's truly earth-changing force. The island city of Tyre resisted his authority in 332 BC. Alexander ordered his army to <a href="http://www.emersonkent.com/map_archive/tyre.htm">build a causeway</a> from the mainland to the Phonecian city (in modern <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyre%2C_Lebanon">Lebanon</a>). The earthworks took seven months but had the desired effect. Alexander took over the city and essentially attached it to the shore. The 6/10 mile long road collected silt from sea currents and <a http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifhref="http://sciam.com/article.cfm?articleID=8C7873EF-E7F2-99DF-3362C13B1773CF70&chanID=sa003">transformed the island city</a> into a peninsular city.<br /><br />Another <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQcjjpRwqw4">video in this series</a> discusses the Egyptian city of Alexandria far more eloquently than I can. Many cities throughout the Middle East and Central Asia bear his name. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/40/MacedonEmpire.jpg">This map shows where a few of them are located</a>.Nick Helmholdthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08892886839901526815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5773061.post-13050497045692213752007-10-19T15:07:00.000-04:002007-10-19T14:28:51.177-04:00A Tale of Two Monuments<style type="text/css">.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; }</style><div class="flickr-frame"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/peanut99/117826589/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/51/117826589_1b4cce05c1.jpg" class="flickr-photo" alt="" /></a><br /><span class="flickr-caption"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/peanut99/117826589/">spire</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/peanut99/">Peanut99</a>.</span></div> <p>The wedge on the right part of that photo is not an errant needle. It is the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.slate.com/id/2173568/nav/tap3/">Dublin Spire</a>, officially known as the "Monument of Light." At 400 feet tall this stainless steel spike punctures the skyline of a mostly horizontal city.<br /><br />What is truly spectacular about the Spire is that it stands on the site of <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson%27s_Pillar">Nelson's Pillar</a>. An IRA bomb demolished the top part of the Pillar in 1966 - nobody was hurt or killed by the blast. In fact, many Irish seemed happy that the monument to their British colonial past had suffered such a blow. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.tradfolkireland.com/Folk%20and%20Ballads.html">Several folk-style songs</a>, such as <a target="_blank" href="http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=9786&messages=24"><span style="font-style: italic;">Up Went Nelson</span></a>, commended the bombers and quickly rose to the top of the Irish radio.<br /></p><blockquote style="font-style: italic;">One early morning in the year of 'sixty six,<br />A band of Irish laddies were knocking up some tricks,<br />They thought Horatio Nelson had over stayed a mite,<br />So they helped him on his way with some sticks of <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gelignite">gelignite</a>.</blockquote><br />While the Spire has its own share of detractors, it is not nearly as unpopular as its predecessor. There is no "visitors center" or other means of interpretation on the site. A coil of metal at street-level is said to signify <a target="_blank" href="http://www.anima.demon.co.uk/intro.html">prehistoric Celtic megaliths</a>. Beyond that the site is entirely void of description. As <a target="_blank" href="http://www.slate.com/id/2173568/nav/tap3/">Witold Rybczynski says</a>, the Spire "gains its power from its engineering, rather than from symbolism."Nick Helmholdthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08892886839901526815noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5773061.post-73000379589439655782007-10-13T10:51:00.001-04:002007-10-13T10:52:50.446-04:00Rule of the East<style type="text/css">.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; }</style><div class="flickr-frame"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/chimpsonfilm/44425740/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/27/44425740_e940981048.jpg" class="flickr-photo" alt="" /></a><br /> <span class="flickr-caption"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/chimpsonfilm/44425740/">Vladivostok Station.</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/chimpsonfilm/">chimpsonfilm</a>.</span></div> <p class="flickr-yourcomment"> The Vladivostok Terminal of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans-Siberian_Railway">Trans Siberian Railway</a> is an elegant structure. It is eight time zones and several days' journey away from it's opposite terminus.</p>Nick Helmholdthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08892886839901526815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5773061.post-74874693739672660722007-09-07T00:16:00.001-04:002007-09-07T00:23:29.356-04:008-Bit Graffiti<style type="text/css">.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; }</style><div class="flickr-frame"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/myhovercraftisfullofeels/775248783/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1036/775248783_e60a3292d6.jpg" class="flickr-photo" alt="" /></a><br /> <span class="flickr-caption"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/myhovercraftisfullofeels/775248783/">does this really need a title?</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/myhovercraftisfullofeels/">Bernat_83</a>.</span></div> <p class="flickr-yourcomment"> Fixed-width, or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typeface#Proportion">monospace</a>, fonts wouldn't exist if not for the invention of the typewriter. While many people claim to have invented the first typewriter it was first manufactured in Central New York. <a href="http://www.ecs.syr.edu/explore/lymancsmith.aspx">L.C. Smith</a>, <a href="http://homepage.mac.com/sljohnson/typewriter/corona.html">Corona</a>, and <a href="http://www.ithaca-ship.org/history.htm">Morse Chain Company</a> were among the first to build typewriters for the general public.<br /><br />Manual <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typewriter">typewriters</a> used these fixed-width fonts to simplify the key-to-print machinery. These fonts were adopted by early word processing programs and redrawn to for dot-matrix printers.<br /><br />Nostalgic feelings run deep for these digital relics such as this Graffiti example, <a href="http://englishrussia.com/?p=1377#more-1377">ASCII</a>, and other <a href="http://gaming.monstersandcritics.com/news/article_1242328.php/GDC_to_wax_nostalgic_with_i_am_8-bit">8-bit art</a>.</p>Nick Helmholdthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08892886839901526815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5773061.post-21874875252673196272007-09-05T00:23:00.001-04:002007-09-05T20:49:01.746-04:00Factories of Art<style type="text/css">.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; }</style><div class="flickr-frame"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lila75/283301177/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/115/283301177_21c168b811.jpg" class="flickr-photo" alt="" /></a><br /><span class="flickr-caption"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lila75/283301177/">dafen</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/lila75/">lila75</a>.</span><br /></div> <p class="flickr-yourcomment">The gates to the village of Dafen are marked by this giant sculpture. Dafen has gained international fame and noterity as a hub for art reproductions. Cribbing works like the Mona Lisa requires a great deal of technical skill.<br /><br />In vast studios Dafen's artists create their reproductions in an assembly line fashion. Each artist adds only a few brush strokes, ones that he or she has perfected. The end result is a stunningly high quality painting that is difficult to differentiate from the original.<br /><br />Dafen is located outside <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shenzhen">Shenzhen</a>, a large Chinese city near Hong Kong. Each year more artists flock to the village. <a href="http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,433134,00.html">Spiegel</a> estimates that over 5 million oil paintings come out of Dafen each year.<br /><br /><object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/dRN41URGThQ"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/dRN41URGThQ" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="350" width="425"></embed></object></p>Nick Helmholdthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08892886839901526815noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5773061.post-84324981712610720862007-09-04T15:41:00.001-04:002007-09-04T15:52:12.474-04:00Australia's Meeting Place: Canberra<style type="text/css">.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; }</style><div class="flickr-frame"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ozbandit/127542023/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/35/127542023_3e07c57a1b.jpg" class="flickr-photo" alt="" /></a><br /> <span class="flickr-caption"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ozbandit/127542023/">Nighty Sky in Canberra</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/ozbandit/">OzBandit</a>.</span></div> <p class="flickr-yourcomment"> The largest and best known planned city in Australia is its capital: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canberra">Canberra</a>. Around 1900 Aussies debated whether to put the capital in Sydney or Melbourne, the two largest cities on the continent. Since it was located between the two cities Canberra was picked as a compromise in 1908. Currently it is the largest inland city in Australia.<br /><br />The name of Canberra comes from the Ngunnawal and Walgalu tribes who inhabited the area. It translates to "meeting place." The nomadic tribes gathered around present-day Canberra to meet the annual Bogong moth migration.<br /><br /></p><blockquote>"As the moths migrate southwards, their world collides with human society. Their route, followed for thousands of generations past, now passes over the bright lights of Canberra and other large cities. The lights fool the moths into behaving as if the sun is coming up. Their natural response is to dive down to the ground to find a dark place before the heat of the day sets in, and <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/science/scribblygum/november2002/default.htm">suddenly there are moths everywhere</a>."</blockquote>Bogong moths travel over 900 miles during their short lives. The aboriginal Australians met the moth flock every spring to feast on them. According to anthropologists the moths were mashed into a pasty meal that <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/science/scribblygum/november2002/default.htm">tasted like walnuts</a>. The giant swarm of moths is critical for the <a href="http://www.parkweb.vic.gov.au/1park_display.cfm?park=41">ecosystem of the Australian Alps</a>; they are a food source for many animals.<p></p>The design of Canberra was selected from an international competition in 1911. Chicago architect <a href="http://culture.gov.au/articles/canberra/">Walter Burley Griffin</a> along with his partner and wife, Marion Mahony Griffin won the contract. Both had worked for Frank Lloyd Wright. The influence of his prairie style and the City Beautiful movement is evident in their designs.Nick Helmholdthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08892886839901526815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5773061.post-23708986473272096082007-08-29T00:11:00.001-04:002007-08-29T00:21:19.275-04:00Jeepney<style type="text/css">.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; }</style><div class="flickr-frame"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rborja/249737596/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/95/249737596_ce2ee70a24.jpg" class="flickr-photo" alt="" /></a><br /> <span class="flickr-caption"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rborja/249737596/">Jeepney</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/rborja/">Raphael Borja</a>.</span></div> <p class="flickr-yourcomment"> At least one resident of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manila">Manila</a> is sick of his city's portrayal in popular media. Carlos Celdran, a tour guide in Manila, expressed his anger at outsiders who come to the Philippines in search of only poverty, slums, and desperation. In response to a photographer searching for Manila's "bat people" <a href="http://celdrantours.blogspot.com/2007/08/carlos-on-rag.html">he wrote</a>,<br /><br /></p><blockquote>" I have always been so confused about why is it that the negative side of Manila is what a lot of photographers and journalists are interested in. My request to these people in the past to show a balanced picture of Manila (a good side, as well as a bad one), has always been met with confused stares. It's as if Philippine middle class values, arts, heritage, and beauty in the "normal" sense isn't beautiful to them or worse, it won't sell. To many, the Philippines has become the cliche/easy picking for the grotesque and I will not enjoin this cause. Once again, my apologies if I offended you or seem a little politicized or upset, but poverty and bat people is NOT ALL that we are about." (via <a href="http://www.metafilter.com/64236/Manila-in-my-mind">MetaFilter</a>)<br /></blockquote>The photograph above is a "Jeepney." At the end of World War II, the American military abandoned hundreds of jeeps on the main island of the Philippines. Lavishly decorated and often crammed full of passengers these vehicles act like buses on the streets of Manila.<br /><br />The name "Manila" derives from the Tagalog word "maynilad", a reference the white mangrove-like plants named "nilads". Spanish conquistador <a href="http://www.aenet.org/philip/manila.htm">Miguel López de Legazpi</a> took over Manila in 1570 ousting the Muslim Sultanate that originally settled it. Since that time the city had been under the control of the British and Americans before gaining independence in 1946.<p></p>Nick Helmholdthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08892886839901526815noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5773061.post-64837939664313879362007-08-26T11:50:00.001-04:002007-08-26T11:54:36.870-04:00Korea's Ginseng Market<style type="text/css">.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; }</style><div class="flickr-frame"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeroen020/278088922/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/101/278088922_06fafc8a4c.jpg" class="flickr-photo" alt="" /></a><br /> <span class="flickr-caption"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeroen020/278088922/">/root - IMG_1040</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/jeroen020/">jeroen020</a>.</span></div> <p class="flickr-yourcomment"> The Latin name for the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginseng">ginseng</a> plant is Panax which means "all-heal." <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linnaeus">Carl Linnaeus</a>, the man responsible for all those Latin names, had heard about the reported healing attributes of ginseng as the Chinese applied it. Since then the plant has become a staple of the alternative-medicine market. Ginseng <a href="http://www.a-spi.org/AGF/faq.htm">boosters</a> claim that the plant is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginsenoside">effective</a> against conditions as diverse as diabetes, male impotence, allergies, and cancer.<br /><br />Because the actual chemical components of the ginseng plant cannot be patented for pharmaceutical purposes not much quantitative research has been preformed on its effects. Nevertheless many people in the East and West believe in the healing effects of ginseng. Some extremely wealthy Koreans are willing to pay many thousands of dollars for rare, wild ginseng plants.<br /><br />The New York Times just reported that a <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/23/world/asia/23ginseng.html?_r=1&em&ex=1188100800&en=3be069717e849106&ei=5087%0A&oref=slogin">8.3 ounce ginseng plant sold for $65,000</a>. The person who discovered the Lexus-of-plants claimed to have a spiritual experience before finding the plant on Mt. Sobaek, seeing "three pillars of fire." The struggling South Korean economy has driven many people into the mountains searching for the elusive root-plants.<br /><br />The picture above is of <a href="http://english.tour2korea.com/06shopping/WhereToshop/Depth04.asp?sight=Shopping&sightseeing_id=39&ADDRESS_1=6142&ADDRESS_2=5541&konum=&kosm=m6_3">Namdaemon market</a> in Seoul, South Korea. Ginseng roots are preserved in jars and left on display for the market's patrons.</p>Nick Helmholdthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08892886839901526815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5773061.post-72299016672493223682007-08-25T12:08:00.000-04:002007-08-25T13:14:22.491-04:00Seven (Several) SeasOne of the categories of <a href="http://www.annasova.com/catalog/aspaint.asp">Anna Sova's online color pallets</a> (for wall finishes) is called "7/10 of the planet." The description goes on to list the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Seas">seven seas</a> of classical antiquity:<br /><br /><ul><li>Red Sea</li><li>Mediterranean Sea</li><li>Persian Gulf</li><li>Black Sea</li><li>Adriatic Sea</li><li>Caspian Sea</li><li>Indian Ocean</li></ul>Curious about which cartographer coined the term I started to do some research. While I'm not trying to criticize the marketing staff at Anna Sova (who, in my opinion, have done a fantastic job of cataloging their many color options!) they might be a bit off about their listing.<br /><span class="on down" style="display: block;" id="formatbar_CreateLink" title="Link" onmouseover="ButtonHoverOn(this);" onmouseout="ButtonHoverOff(this);" onmouseup="" onmousedown="CheckFormatting(event);FormatbarButton('richeditorframe', this, 8);ButtonMouseDown(this);"></span><br />At least four ancient nations described "seven seas," <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:100%;" ><span back="#FFFFFF" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:100%;" ><a href="http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/m7sea.html">Hindus, Chinese, Persians, and Romans</a> all called various bodies of water by this ambiguous name. The Romans dubbed the seven salty lagoons surrounding Venice such; the Hindus used it for the Punjab River; the Persians did the same for the </span></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:100%;" ><span back="#FFFFFF" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:100%;" >Oxus River. This begs the question: why always seven?<br /></span></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:100%;" ><span back="#FFFFFF" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:100%;" ><br /></span></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:100%;" ><span back="#FFFFFF" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:100%;" >Seven is held up as a sacred <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/7_%28number%29#In_the_classical_world">number</a> by people around the world. There are seven days in a week, seven deadly sins, seven wonders of the world, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naked_eye_planets#The_planets_in_culture_and_mythology">seven "naked eye" solar bodies</a>. Some people even suggest that seven is analogous to several: the use of the number seven might be a way of acknowledging the vast and unpredictable nature of water.<br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kipling">Rudyard Kipling</a> might be responsible for the modern usage of the term. In 1896 he titled a collection of poems <span style="font-style: italic;">The Seven Seas</span>. Nevertheless, </span></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:100%;" ><span back="#FFFFFF" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:100%;" >modern attempts to mold the oceans of the world to the number seven seem contrived (dividing the Atlantic Pacific into North and South, for instance).<br /></span></span>Nick Helmholdthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08892886839901526815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5773061.post-77739932930032464502007-08-24T19:12:00.001-04:002007-08-24T22:11:11.610-04:00The Polar Bear Memorial<div class="flickr-frame"><a title="photo sharing" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mothlike/238558791/"><img class="flickr-photo" alt="" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/85/238558791_40a648fc7d.jpg" /></a><br /><span class="flickr-caption"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mothlike/238558791/">Уехать за горизонт</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/mothlike/">Mothlike</a>.</span></div><p class="flickr-yourcomment">You won't find it in Arkhangelsk, the location of the "campaign." It's in Troy, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. Allied commanders decided <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polar_Bear_Expedition">to deploy soldiers to Arkhangelsk</a> after the conclusion of World War I. Their justification for this superbly dumb expedition was to defeat the Bolshevik armies and rejoin with the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czech_Legion" title="Czech Legion">Czech Legion</a>.<br /></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment">Fifteen hundred <a href="http://info.detnews.com/history/story/index.cfm?id=178&category=life">infantrymen from Michigan</a> and Wisconsin were sent to fight over some of the coldest and most inhospitable terrain in the Northern Hemisphere. They joined an additional thirty five hundred British and French soldiers along the Murmansk coast; facing the White Sea and the Arctic Ocean. Their mission proved to be futile and directionless. Extreme cold, a shortage of supplies and the Spanish Flu combined with their unclear objectives deteriorated the troops morale.<br /></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment">After several public calls to bring "Detroit's Own" back home Woodrow Wilson (and the other Allied commanders) decided to pull the plug on the "Polar Bear Expedition." By the early summer of 1919 the soldiers began to return. It wou<span style="font-size:100%;">ld take another ten years for the Russians to return the remains of the American dead. The Polar Bear Memorial in Troy has a quote from </span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span class="indent">Stephen </span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span class="indent">Decatur</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span class="indent"> engraved on its base: "Our Country, in her intercourse with foreign nations, may she always be in the right; but our Country, right or wrong."</span></span></p>Nick Helmholdthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08892886839901526815noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5773061.post-74378624073970733532007-08-23T13:40:00.001-04:002007-08-23T13:47:20.120-04:00The Great Lake of Cambodia<style type="text/css">.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; }</style><div class="flickr-frame"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/siggito/409086676/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/143/409086676_778effb55c.jpg" class="flickr-photo" alt="" /></a><br /> <span class="flickr-caption"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/siggito/409086676/">Reflection of living</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/siggito/">siggito</a>.</span></div> <p class="flickr-yourcomment"> High in the Chinese Himalayas the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mekong">Mekong River</a> begins its long journey to the sea. Parts of the river are strongly affected by the tropical climates of Southeast Asia. Melting snow combined with monsoons bring the river and its tributaries far beyond their dry season banks.<br /><br />In Cambodia this torrential rain reverses the Mekong's flow. The water fills in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonle_Sap">Tonlé Sap</a>, or "Great Lake." During the dry season the small, marshy basin is at most around 3 feet deep. At the peak of the wet season the lake grows to six times its surface area and over sixty feet deep.<br /><br />Less ingenious people might think of this region as uninhabitable. Cambodians, however, have built homes, businesses, churches and whole towns in the Tonlé Sap area. The house pictured above is <a href="http://dpmac.com/angkor/trip-reports/07-07/23-tonlesap.html">designed to float</a> with the rising waters. Other buildings are <a href="http://dpmac.com/angkor/trip-reports/07-07/23-kompongphluk.html">built on tall stilts</a> (some over 30 feet tall).<br /><br />Furthermore, the Tonlé Sap is a critical part of the region's economy. The lake/river water is <a href="http://www.peaceofangkorweb.com/TonleSap.htm">ideal for fish breeding</a>. Cambodians harvest shrimp, riel, and many other kinds of seafood from the pulsing lake.</p>Nick Helmholdthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08892886839901526815noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5773061.post-48031062841245502362007-08-19T11:32:00.001-04:002007-08-19T11:46:02.799-04:00City on Fire<style type="text/css">.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; }</style><div class="flickr-frame"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/fadilb/1161348316/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1119/1161348316_0ebb494610.jpg" class="flickr-photo" alt="" /></a><br /> <span class="flickr-caption"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/fadilb/1161348316/">Urbanity</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/fadilb/">Piax</a>.</span></div> <p class="flickr-yourcomment"> Last Summer the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_Israel-Lebanon_conflict">conflict along the Israel-Lebanon border</a> drew the world's attention. Hezbollah militants provoked Israel into launching a full scale war against its northern neighbor. <a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0207/p01s01-wome.html">Unexploded cluster bombs</a> in southern Lebanon remain after the month-long war. These places remain abandoned for fear of unexpected detonations.<br /><br />Although most of the fighting took place near the border, Lebanon's largest city and capital was also bombed by Israeli forces. The ancient city that modern <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beirut">Beirut</a> is built over was poorly understood until <a href="http://almashriq.hiof.no/lebanon/900/930/930.1/ph/ph-index.html">archaeologists</a> returned following Lebanon's 15 year civil war. They uncovered layers of Ottoman, Roman, Phoenician, and Hellenistic civilizations.</p>Nick Helmholdthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08892886839901526815noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5773061.post-35131523347531671342007-08-15T21:56:00.000-04:002007-08-15T22:02:55.984-04:00How did we get here?Which of these is closer to reality? Which is more fun to watch?<br /><br /><br /><object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/WkPh8As-y6E"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/WkPh8As-y6E" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="350" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br /><div><object height="316" width="400"><param name="movie" value="http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/2tcKpKkLxFmeKj9YR"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/2tcKpKkLxFmeKj9YR" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" height="316" width="400"></embed></object><br /><b><a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2pvm1_magic-highway-usa-distribution_tech">Magic Highway USA (Distribution)</a></b><br /><i>Uploaded by <a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/donaldtheduckie">donaldtheduckie</a></i></div><br /><br />I can't give you the answers. You have to decide for yourself. Via <a href="http://greatlakesguy.blogspot.com/2007/08/muppets-take-mass-transit.html">Great Lakes Guy</a> and <a href="http://paleo-future.blogspot.com/2007/08/farm-to-market-1958.html">Paleo Future<br /></a>.Nick Helmholdthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08892886839901526815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5773061.post-79125093238401839052007-07-27T11:00:00.000-04:002007-07-27T10:57:47.460-04:00America's Moving Adventure<style type="text/css">.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; }</style><div class="flickr-frame"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattchamplin/290530837/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/100/290530837_e57e045513.jpg" class="flickr-photo" alt="" /></a><br /><span class="flickr-caption"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattchamplin/290530837/">Fly Fishing</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/mattchamplin/">champy1013</a>.</span></div> <p class="flickr-yourcomment"> I love <a href="http://www.uhaul.com/legal/trademarks.aspx">U-Haul's slogan</a> for its ambiguity. The reference to <span style="font-style: italic;">moving </span>either implies hauling your junk across the country in an automobile or trailer or being emotionally moved by some unnamed force.<br /><br />I will be on the move next week so posting will be light. Above is a picture of where I'm moving: Ithaca, New York.</p>Nick Helmholdthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08892886839901526815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5773061.post-29485544747559991802007-07-27T10:52:00.001-04:002007-07-27T10:55:17.453-04:00Yes, it's very gouda!<style type="text/css">.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; }</style><div class="flickr-frame"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yvonnecheong/309341950/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/108/309341950_b6298de276.jpg" class="flickr-photo" alt="" /></a><br /><span class="flickr-caption"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yvonnecheong/309341950/">Market Square, Woerden</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/yvonnecheong/">groggy doggy</a>.</span></div> <p class="flickr-yourcomment"> Of the <a href="http://www.dutch-cheese.com/dutch-cheese-markets.html">four cheese markets in the Netherlands</a> only the one in Woerden is authentic. Here, dairy farmers who produce cheese set the sale price with a market foreman (marktmeester) in an open setting. The other three cheese markets (kaasmarkt) are historical reproductions for tourists. They are located in the cities of Alkmaar, Edam, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gouda">Gouda</a>.<br /><br />The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gouda_%28cheese%29">Gouda</a> you find at the grocery store did not come from Gouda in the Netherlands unless it says "<a href="http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/qual/en/192_en.htm">Noord-Hollandse Gouda</a>." The European Union has strict standards on how place names are used on food labels. Strangely, the city of Gouda is not located in North (Noord) Holland, but South Holland - somebody should alert the <a href="http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/qual/en/1bbab_en.htm">PDO/PGI/TSG</a>.</p>Nick Helmholdthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08892886839901526815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5773061.post-6763798956691486922007-07-26T12:08:00.001-04:002007-07-26T12:16:24.868-04:00Buried Treasure, c. 1914<style type="text/css">.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; }</style><div class="flickr-frame"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ichimusai/141311196/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/53/141311196_39f70ce970.jpg" class="flickr-photo" alt="" /></a><br /> <span class="flickr-caption"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ichimusai/141311196/">DSC_2153</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/ichimusai/">ichimusai</a>.</span></div> <p class="flickr-yourcomment"> Southern Europe is cited in countless history books as the fuse that ignited World War I. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macedonia_naming_dispute">Macedonia (also called F.Y.R.O.M.)</a> was under the control of the Central Powers during the war. The French army fought throughout the area. Joined by British and Serbian forces they <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macedonian_front_%28World_War_I%29">attempted to repel</a> Austrian, German and Bulgarian armies.<br /><br />Fifteen years ago a farmer near Gradesnica (a town in <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Novaci,+macedonia&ie=UTF8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&z=10&iwloc=addr&om=1">Novaci, Macedonia</a>) happened upon some old glass bottles. According to <a href="http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/article2793070.ece">the Independent</a>,<br /></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment"></p><blockquote>The cases appear to be dotted all over Gradesnica, like bones buried by dogs. One cache was unearthed by farmers plowing their fields. Two more were found when a glint of metal in the sand of an old trench caught one farmer's eye.</blockquote><br />The cases were filled with <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6911694.stm">wines and cognacs from World War I</a>. French connoisseurs are paying enormous sums for these rare and spectacular bottles of cognac (the wine has gone bad, apparently). A bottle was recently sold for <a href="http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&hs=jhk&q=5000+euro+to+dollars&btnG=Search">5,000 euros</a>. (via <a href="http://www.chow.com/grinder/3261">Chow</a>)<br /><br /><a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/country_profiles/1067125.stm">Macedonia</a> is negotiating for the use of its name. The dispute between Greek Macedonians and ethnic Macedonians ignites passions but doesn't generally affect the commerce and cooperation between the two nations. Greek Macedonians want to keep the name "Macedonia" for their provinces which go by the same name. They believe that it would be incorrect to allow Slavic Macedonians the exclusive use of the name. The Greeks want their neighbor to be called the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM). The dispute is in negotiation through the United Nations.<br /><br />The city pictured above is the capital of Macedonia (FYROM), <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skopje">Skopje</a>. Greeks use this name to refer to the entire nation in order to avoid confusion with their Macedonian province. Linguists would say that the Greeks are using a "metonym."<p></p>Nick Helmholdthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08892886839901526815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5773061.post-86555282255577222322007-07-24T16:39:00.001-04:002007-07-24T16:52:55.084-04:00Iran in Pictures<style type="text/css">.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; }</style><div class="flickr-frame"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sebastiagiralt/593377033/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1110/593377033_d057899a62.jpg" class="flickr-photo" alt="" /></a><br /><span class="flickr-caption"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sebastiagiralt/593377033/">Yazd, panoràmica (2)</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/sebastiagiralt/">Sebastià Giralt</a>.</span></div> <p class="flickr-yourcomment"> The infamous autocratic regime running the Iranian government <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Censorship_in_Iran">would like</a> to have a total monopoly on photography. Nevertheless, last month the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/iranian/pool/">Iranian Flickr group</a> celebrated their <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hamed/564819621/">one-year anniversary</a>. In spite of the national internet provider <a href="http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/ideas/bal-id.blog24jun24,1,4608447.column?coll=bal-ideas-headlines">blocking flickr.com</a>, these dedicated Iranians have been posting pictures of their nation for thirteen months now.<br /><br />The city pictured here is called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yazd">Yzad</a>. Around a half-million people call this Central-Asian city home. Yzad is named after a Sasanian King who ruled in the beginning of the 5th century. Yazdegerd I, as he was called, was apparently a terrible leader, <a href="http://www.cais-soas.com/CAIS/History/Sasanian/yazdegerd_I.htm">one account says this of him</a>,<br /><br /></p><blockquote>When he consolidated his power, he so greatly belittled the nobility oppressed the weak and shed so much blood that his subjects prayed to God to end his tyranny. He earned the epithet "the Sinner"</blockquote><br />In the current asymmetrical, image-centric conflict, Iran's citizens might be gaining an upper-hand. <a href="http://www.archibase.net/archinews/14245.html">Recently created webpages</a> claiming to show Iran have "gone viral" in attempts to show what <a href="http://newsofinterest.tv/iran_images/index.php">Iran really looks like</a>.<p></p><p class="flickr-yourcomment">Check the previous Toponymy post on <a href="http://toponymy.blogspot.com/2006/01/fire-temple-or-agiary.htm">The Fire Temple or Agiary</a> to learn more about Zoroastrianism and the religious history of Central-Asia.<br /></p><h3 class="post-title"><a href="http://toponymy.blogspot.com/2006/01/fire-temple-or-agiary.htm"><br /></a></h3>Nick Helmholdthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08892886839901526815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5773061.post-67575930507553772002007-07-23T11:57:00.001-04:002007-07-23T12:03:00.132-04:00Wadi al-Hijarah<style type="text/css">.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; }</style><div class="flickr-frame"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/fritztroid/861467168/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1111/861467168_59b2b5cebe.jpg" class="flickr-photo" alt="" /></a><br /> <span class="flickr-caption"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/fritztroid/861467168/">GDL</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/fritztroid/">fritztroid</a>.</span></div> <p class="flickr-yourcomment"> Mexico's "Second City" in terms of population and business activity is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guadalajara%2C_Jalisco">Guadalajara</a>. It takes its name from the city in Spain located in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castile-La_Mancha">Castile-La Mancha</a>. The literal <a href="http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9038268/Guadalajara">translation</a> of Guadalajara is "River of Stones" from the Arabic phrase: Wadi al-Hijarah.<br /><br />Spanish Guadalajara was occupied by the Roman empire, however, all physical evidence of their presence has vanished. As the Islamic <a href="http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/199301/historical.markers.htm">caliphate spread</a> across the Iberian peninsula it established <a href="http://www.geonames.de/coues.html">hundreds of new settlements</a>. An "<a href="http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/The_Alcazar.html">alcazar</a>" or fortress was built at Guadalajara, and some of its ruins remain. Even though Islamic settlers did not found <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/george-photography-pictures/143895870/">Mexican Guadalajara</a>, the name is still rooted in Arabic.<br /><br />This picture shows the Hospicio Cabañas, a hospital for orphans, elderly, handicapped, and chronically ill people. Built in the early 1800s it is a massive and simple building. It is home to <a href="http://www.explore-guadalajara.com/HospicioCabanas.html">several works</a> by Mexican muralist José Clemente Orozco. UNESCO has designated it a cultural <a href="http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/815">World Heritage Landmark</a>.</p>Nick Helmholdthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08892886839901526815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5773061.post-6211423574837514392007-07-18T12:27:00.001-04:002007-07-18T12:55:54.383-04:008th Continent<style type="text/css">.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; }</style><div class="flickr-frame"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58488156@N00/312969510/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/120/312969510_f2a9b33cdc.jpg" class="flickr-photo" alt="" /></a><br /><span class="flickr-caption"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58488156@N00/312969510/">morondava</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/58488156@N00/">stephaneu_06</a>.</span></div> <p class="flickr-yourcomment"> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Eighth-Continent-Death-Discovery-Madagascar/dp/0380975777/ref=sr_1_1/002-9063031-7320061?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1184773745&sr=8-1">Peter Tyson</a> coined this nickname for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madagascar">Madagascar</a> in the title of his ecologically-oriented book. The <a href="http://www.biodiversityhotspots.org/xp/Hotspots/madagascar/Pages/default.aspx?showpage=Biodiversity">enormous number of species</a> endemic to Madagascar draw biologists from around the world. Many distinct varieties of <a href="http://www.mobot.org/MOBOT/Madagasc/sarcolae.html">flowering plants</a>, <a href="http://www.pbs.org/edens/madagascar/creature2.htm">lemurs</a> and <a href="http://www.pbs.org/edens/madagascar/creature3.htm">chameleons</a> of any color can be found <a href="http://www.wbur.org/special/madagascar/biodiversity/">only here</a>. These species survive on Madagascar because of its isolation from other continents.<br /><br />The central highlands and plateau divide the narrow island's East and West regions. Tropical forests are found mostly along the East coast while the West remains drier. This <a href="http://www.wildmadagascar.org/overview/geography.html">topography </a>prevents plants and animals from inhabiting the whole of the island.<br /><br />Geologists speculate that Madagascar is one of the oldest islands (having been separated from Africa for some <a href="http://www.innovations-report.com/html/reports/life_sciences/report-16448.html">88 million</a> years). That long period of time has allowed the fauna plenty of time to adapt to the special circumstances of their environment. It is also long enough that evidence of prehistoric creatures such as the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elephant_bird">Elephant Bird</a>.<br /><br />The Malagasy people have as fascinating story as their non-human neighbors. The island was settled between 1,800 and 1,500 years ago by <a href="http://www.ualberta.ca/%7Evmitchel/rev3.html">Austronesian</a> explorers from Indonesian islands. Sturdy boats and fast currents brought the Austronesian people from their home waters to places as far flung as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Orthographic_projection_centred_over_Easter_Island.png">Easter Island</a>. Around the same time settlers from mainland Africa first discovered it.<br /><br />The trees pictured above are known as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baobab">Baobabs</a>, and yes, this variety is found only on Madagascar. You can see them in the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ahaano/367476892/">daylight</a> and at <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/98752795@N00/383536319/">sunset</a>.</p>Nick Helmholdthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08892886839901526815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5773061.post-88918343344649184712007-07-17T16:39:00.000-04:002007-07-17T17:13:01.281-04:00The Story of Booger MountainI was going to title this post <span style="font-style: italic;">Unusual and Derogatory American Toponyms</span>, but it just didn't feel right.<br /><br />A ten minute <a href="http://weekendamerica.publicradio.org/programs/2007/07/14/whats_in_a_name_.html">segment</a> on Weekend America pondered the significance of strange place names. Reporter Kelly McEvers investigated a small Illinois town named <a href="http://www.google.com/maps?q=Goofy+Ridge,+Uninc+Mason+County,+IL,+USA&ie=UTF8&ll=40.988192,-89.939575&spn=2.59971,5.141602&amp;z=8&om=1">Goofy Ridge</a>. According to local accounts it was dangerous, filled with meth-addicts, and really backwards. The "official account" of the origin of Goofy Ridge's name can be traced to a time when men in the area shot walnuts off one-another's shoulders (a la <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Tell">William Tell</a>).<br /><br />According to the sociologist interviewed here, the factual and truthful reason for Goofy Ridge's name is less important than how listeners respond to hearing an outlandish story. In his framework, toponyms like Goofy Ridge are applied by more powerful groups onto their weaker neighbors.<br /><br />The second half of the segment is a discussion with Gary Gladstone, a photographer who sought out American towns with bizzare names (such as booger mountain). A <a href="http://www.gladstone.com/">gallery</a> of his work is available online, you can go from <a href="http://www.gladstone.com/climax/climax7.html">Idiotville, Oregon</a> to <a href="http://www.gladstone.com/america/america2.html">Tightwad, Missouri</a>.<br /><br />If you would like to listen to the segment you have two options. <a href="http://podcastdownload.npr.org/anon.npr-podcasts/podcast/4788725/510099/11983561/APM_11983561.mp3">Download the MP3</a> [24.9MB] and start at the 31 minute mark. Or go to the <a href="http://weekendamerica.publicradio.org/programs/2007/07/14/whats_in_a_name_.html">Weekend America</a> page and use Real Player.Nick Helmholdthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08892886839901526815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5773061.post-17040697622764370372007-07-16T14:31:00.000-04:002007-07-16T14:32:58.755-04:00Getting Around, Asia<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/T8Doy_7sOoM"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/T8Doy_7sOoM" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object><br /><br /><object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/jett0doPK0Q"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/jett0doPK0Q" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object><br /><br /><object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/pJ_BxUtV5xg"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/pJ_BxUtV5xg" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>Nick Helmholdthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08892886839901526815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5773061.post-16085449173150231062007-07-16T14:11:00.000-04:002007-07-16T14:31:21.851-04:00Getting Around, United States<object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/1cz1mNqwR94"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/1cz1mNqwR94" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="350" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br /><embed style="width: 400px; height: 326px;" id="VideoPlayback" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docId=7995318367282839599&hl=en" flashvars=""></embed><br /><br /><br /><object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/s1Q7HomBkmo"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/s1Q7HomBkmo" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="350" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br />Previously, the <a href="http://toponymy.blogspot.com/2007/05/ride-ride-ride.html">Detroit People Mover</a>.Nick Helmholdthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08892886839901526815noreply@blogger.com0