Random Map!

Ireland at the beginning of the Sixteenth Century

Pointless Juxtapositions

Renowned Harvard Historian, Niall Ferguson:

"There is no Gucci I can buy There is no Louis Vuitton to put on There is no {?} that they could sell To get my heart, out of this hell And my mind, out of this jail There is no clothes that I could buy That could turn, back in time There is no vacation spot I could fly That could bring back, a piece of real life..."

World-famous singer dude Kanye West:

"Economic volatility, plus ethnic disintegration, plus an empire in decline: That combination is about the most lethal in geopolitics. We now have all three. The age of upheaval starts now."

More on Mexico

I'm still telling everyone I meet that I'm shocked at how crazy and violent Mexico has become.

Wall Street Journal: "The parallels between Pakistan and Mexico are strong enough that the U.S. military singled them out recently as the two countries where there is a risk the government could suffer a swift and catastrophic collapse, becoming a failed state.

Pakistan is the greater worry because the risk of collapse is higher and because it has nuclear weapons. But Mexico is also scary: It has 100 million people on the southern doorstep of the U.S., meaning any serious instability would flood the U.S. with refugees. Mexico is also the U.S.'s second biggest trading partner.

Mexico's cartels already have tentacles that stretch across the border. The U.S. Justice Department said recently that Mexican gangs are the "biggest organized crime threat to the United States," operating in at least 230 cities and towns."

[Photo of a Mexican gang member; WSJ.]

Northern Ireland tops creationist belief survey

[Above, photo of an ancient Crustacean fossil recently found in Northern Ireland.]

BBC: Northern Ireland has the highest percentage of people who believe human beings were created by God in the last 10,000 years, according to a UK survey.

Theology think-tank Theos questioned 2,060 people across the UK, 60 of whom were from Northern Ireland. People were asked their views on evolution and the origins of mankind.

A quarter of those questioned in Northern Ireland said they believed in creationism while 16% said they believed in Intelligent Design (AKA: Intelligence? Declined!)

Theos spokesman Nick Spencer said the survey found many people had inconsistent views.

"The overall picture in the UK is that about one in four are convinced evolutionists, while one in five people are convinced in their opposition to evolution - half of whom are creationists and half who believe in intelligent design," he said.