tdaxp - geography

Catholicgauze in the Mainstream Media

noreply@blogspirit.com (Dan tdaxp) — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 10:18:51 -0500

Congratulations to Catholicgauze, who got his start here at tdaxp, on being referenced in an Associated Press article at nytimes.com.

Geographic Travels with Catholicgauze is the premier popularizer of geography in the blogosphere. It's quite an achievement. Good job!

Catholicgauze Hacks Google Earth, Part II

noreply@blogspirit.com (Dan tdaxp) — Tue, 3 Apr 2007 08:00:00 -0500

CG, who just finished from using free GIS tools to outline the Oregon Trail, returns by adding overlays to Google's free globe:

The Holy Land at the Time of Christ

Good work, CG!

Catholicgauze Hacks Google Earth!

noreply@blogspirit.com (Dan tdaxp) — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 16:45:00 -0500

Using KML2Shp, Forestry GIS, and Paint.net, Catholicgauze adds the Oregon Trail to Google Earth:

CG's Oregon Trail on Google Earth

As he writes:

This is one way Catholicgauze has discovered to made "professional" looking maps. If you have your own way feel free to comment and share!

As part of my efforts to eventually get my writings on the Oregon Trail published I have been creating maps. However, as a poor person most cartographic programs are beyond my reached. However, by scouring the internet I have found a way to make maps for free. All one needs is a little time and several easy to use freeware programs.

Read the whole thing.

Need a geographer?

noreply@blogspirit.com (Dan tdaxp) — Sun, 7 Jan 2007 10:49:52 -0600

My close friend Catholicgauze is halfway through his graduate training in Geography, and is looking for ways to leverage his skills this summer. From his resume:

Intern - National Geographic Society
At National Geographic I was one of nine geography interns for autumn of 2005. I worked with the internet and film library divisions researching possible stories and providing a geographic perspective to new educational material. Other duties include writing news pieces for National Geographic Kid’s News Online and aiding the internet division with the recently completed redesign of the homepage. Finally, I assisted the digital film library with research possible videos to adopt for video of the day on MSN and Yahoo.

..

Honors
Dean's List every semester of full time study during undergraduate studies.
Duel-enrollment student during high school
Graduate in two years; entered college with junior standing
President of Delta Zeta chapter of Gamma Theta Upsilon geographical honor society (2004-5)
Award recipient for work done for state's geography convention
Recipient of many department and school scholarships
Full out of state tuition waver for graduate studies

Read the whole thing. (Even if you're not hiring, help out Jude and edit it like crazy!)

Academic Bloggers

noreply@blogspirit.com (Dan tdaxp) — Sat, 11 Nov 2006 08:23:32 -0600

My friend Catholicgauze is lighting a fire under me by his uber-productivity in Conference geography:

Paper: United Caliphates of Europe: A Geographical Look at Sharia Microstates
Paper: Portrayals of Plains Indians and US Army along the Oregon Trail
Panel: Spread the word: Podcasting, blogging and the New Media in Geography
Lecture: How do you cite a KML file? A look at Neogeography

For my point, I am preparing conference papers on Genetics and Warfare in the Age of Non-State Actors, Redefining the Gap, and The Suicide Bomber Type.

Happy Pumpkinday

noreply@blogspirit.com (Dan tdaxp) — Tue, 31 Oct 2006 13:55:00 -0600

Blogfriend Catholicgauze has some posts up on the intersection of geography, New England, and Halloween:

Boo!

Vampires!,

Werewolves!,

Witches!, and

Catholics!

Oh my!

Update: Edgewise likes Catholicgauze's Halloween post, too.

Geography Conference

noreply@blogspirit.com (Dan tdaxp) — Fri, 6 Oct 2006 10:04:25 -0500

Catholicgauze is in town, and this morning I am hanging out with him at the Great Plains / Rocky Mountain Division Association of American Geographers 2006 Conference in Lincoln, Nebraska. The keynote speaker gave a somber talk on the depopulation of the Great Plains. The Q&A immediately following was fascination. Asked about the relative silence about the depopulation on the fact that the plains was settled after the ascendancy of the Eastern Establishment. Audience comments ranged from the insightful -- multi-county ranchers as supporters of county consolidation -- to the idiotic -- blaming the rural-urban shift in America, Canada, India, China, and Asia on Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan.

Geographers of the Heartland

It must be conference season in general, as next weak UNL's Political Science department hosts a Hendricks Symposium on Genetics and Political Behavior. Up to twenty research papers should soon be available online. The conference is hosted by my professor, a genius who I heard speak last year.

Historical Map of Sioux Falls

noreply@blogspirit.com (Dan tdaxp) — Sun, 1 Oct 2006 14:11:13 -0500

Ever wonder what your city looked like a century ago? The answer is available from The University of Texas at Austin's Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection (which has previously been described at tdaxp and by Catholicgauze).

Here's what the grandest city in South Dakota, Sioux Falls, looked like in 1920:

What's interesting to me is how few of the streets I am familiar with. Main and Philippes are still in the city's center, and Minnesota and Cliff are still imposing avenues. But Ridge? Colton?

I recognize some further sites -- the Big Sioux River, obviously, as well as the South Dakota ~~Deaf Mute Institute~~ School for the Deaf

1920 Map of Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Sioux Falls is a beautiful city. 'Specially when we blow stuff up. And afterwards, too.

Stalin's Old New Map

noreply@blogspirit.com (Dan tdaxp) — Mon, 25 Sep 2006 15:34:27 -0500

Catholicgauze, Coming Anarchy, and Sun Bin are abuzz about a terrifying proposed world map from the 1940s. Representing, if implemented, preemptive surrender in the Cold War, the map would have been a disastrous on an unimaginable scale.

The Greater Soviet Union

The proposal would have completely demilitarized the Rimland, throwing democratic parties out of Europe, Africa, and coastal Asia, with the sole exception of Britain (whose possessions would focus on Australasia). The Soviets would have war-water ports on three oceans, and the exclusive American dominion over the Western Hemisphere would be reduced to only North America.

Bloody Sovietism in full swing, the plan called for ethnic cleansing genocide, and socialism on a huge scale

For instance

38. To reduce the numerical power of the aggressor nations, as a potential military advantage, a Population Control Policy shall be elaborated and applied in the quarantined areas
39. In the New World Moral Order which we week to establish, besides the essential political freedoms, the following fundamental economic changes are imperative
(a) Nationalization of all natural resources and equitable distribution of same to all nations -- everywhere in the world;
(b) Nationalization of international banking, foreign investments, railroads, and power plants -- everywhere in the world;
(c) Nationalization of all armaments producing establishments by all remaining military powers;
(d) Federal control of foreign commerce and shipping;
(e) The establishment of a world common monetary system
(f) World-wide limitations of interest rates to a maximum of two percent
40. To retain the victory and leadership of our united democratic effort -- the aim of which is not vengeance or exploitation, but freedom and security to all notions for peaceful progress -- the unified "Supreme War Command of the United Nations" at the conclusion of the present war, shall be reorganized and transformed into a permanent "Supreme Military and Economic Council" collaborating with the World League of Nationalities in post-war reconstruction and to enforce world peace.

Thank God we didn't lose the War through that sort of "peace"! Even if it meant 50 years of "war"!

Cole's Oil Cartography

noreply@blogspirit.com (Dan tdaxp) — Wed, 6 Sep 2006 08:00:00 -0500

"Bush Turns to Fear-Mongering: Creation of 'Islamic' Bogeyman," by Juan Cole, Informed Comment, 6 September 2006, http://www.juancole.com/2006/09/bush-turns-to-fear-mongering-creation.html.

The latest column by Juan Cole (a Professor at the University of Michigan) is his usual semi-factual self

Iran has not launched a war on a neighbor since the late 1700s.

True... ish. (Never mind that in the Tanker War, Kuwait required assistance of both the Soviet Union and the United States to protect her ships from Iranian aggression.

Another comment comparing the Syrian regime to California New-Agers must be read in context to be believed.

Next, Dr. Cole attacks the usual enemies -- Christians and Texans

If you want to know what is really going on, it is a struggle for control of the Strategic Ellipse, which just happens demographically to be mostly Muslim. Bush has to demonize the Muslim world in order to justify his swooping down on the Strategic Ellipse. If demons occupy it, obviously they have to be cleared out in favor of Christian fundamentalists or at least Texas oilmen.

This paragraph leads to an interesting map where Cole defines a "strategic ellipse." The map combines the best of Barnettian and Spykmanian geopolitics.

The Pentagon's New Heartland?

Leaving aside Cole's incoherent rant, what we are left with is the fact that much of the world's oil and gas comes from countries we don't much trust. Hopefully President Bush is serious about a geogreen gas tax.