I’ve always said “garbage,” but down here in Texas they use the word “trash.” I have no idea where I found this, and I can’t verify the source, but it looks right to me.
Any contrary arguments about this map?
maps
Eye Candy: the provinces of ancient Rome
This is a beautiful map of Rome’s administrative units. There’s not much more to say, really.
Here is Barry on Roman law. Here is Mark on the Roman economy. Have a good week!
Eye Candy: travel advice for Dutch citizens
Interesting map, for a few reasons. The United States is in green, which means there are “no special safety risks” to worry about. What I take this to mean is that as long as you stay out of, say, North Sacramento, or East Austin, when the sun goes down you’ll be safe.
The “pay attention, safety risks” label makes quite a big jump in my conceptual understanding of this map. What this warning means is that if you are particularly stupid, you won’t end up getting mugged and losing your wallet (like you would in green areas), you will instead end up losing your life or being kidnapped for ransom (or slavery).
This is quite a big jump, but it makes perfect sense, especially if you think about the jump in terms of inequality and, more abstractly, freedom.
Eye Candy: Shanghai Cooperation Organization
First off, Shanghai and Warsaw are two very different cities, and because of that I think the SCO is a different animal than the Warsaw Pact. For one thing (aside from the difference in the two cities, one being selected for its geographical prominence, the other for its commercial acumen), the Warsaw Pact was a military alliance led by the Soviet Union, while the SCO is dedicated to political and economic cooperation as well as military security. Notably, the security aspect of the SCO is dedicated to coordinating state-led efforts against terrorism and separatism rather than against a rival alliance.
I don’t see anything wrong with multilateral efforts undertaken by states other than the US. I don’t see any need to worry, fret, or otherwise suspect the SCO of undermining world peace and prosperity. The fact that the SCO is made up of cooperating autocratic regimes rather than democratic ones does not faze me. The SCO has been making overtures to the democracies of India, Iran, and Sri Lanka (be sure to check out Tridivesh’s excellent take on India and the SCO), and multilateral cooperation among states is in itself an exercise in political participation among equals, albeit not at an individual level.
There is also cause to be happy that China and Russia have bound themselves up in such a prominent cooperative venture, too, given the two powers’ history of fighting each other. The SCO is contributing to peace and prosperity, and while it appears on the surface that the venture is designed to be a rival of the Western-built world order, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization actually contributes to it.
(h/t Nick)
Eye Candy: Mexican election results (2018)
Yikes, the red team is a left-wing populist party (like the one that governs Venezuela). How did it come to this? Here’s a more optimistic take.
Eye Candy: Each (American) state’s biggest export trading partner
Those tariffs will work wonders for the economy, I’m sure…
Eye Candy: Countries whose capital is not their largest city
Not much to add here. There doesn’t seem to be any correlation of any kind (colonialism, economic development, etc.). Still, I thought it was cool…
Eye Candy: 2026 World Cup votes, by country
My only question is why did 3 countries that could easily (and have, in the past) host the World Cup on their own gang together? Mexico, Canada, and the United States are wealthy countries. Why gang up?
My guess is that wealthier countries are going to have to do a lot more cooperating if they want to host world-level events from now on, due to the fact that the selection process for these types of events has become democratized. Economist Branko Milanovic has a thoughtful piece on FIFA (the governing body for world-level soccer events) and corruption that ties in to all of this.
Eye Candy: the Arab world’s administrative divisions
Imagine if these divisions were all states in a federal republic. Myself, I think some of them,maybe even half of them, could be combined, but if that ever happened, and the resulting combined administrative divisions of the Arab world federated, the region would be in much better shape. (The federation of Arabia would need a Senate, of course.)
What if the OECD did the same? Or simply the US and it’s closest allies?
Eye Candy: medieval trade networks
‘Nuff said, and don’t forget to zoom in!
Eye Candy: the US Asian population, circa 2010
“Asian” is a pretty broad term. Racial classifications are, perhaps, the dumbest thing in the world.
Imagine seeing something like this in the press today, or this as an advertisement. There’s been lots of progress in this country, it’s just hard to see sometimes.
Eye Candy: Japanese anti-Russian propaganda
This dates from the late 19th or early 20th century. The Japanese won the Russo-Japanese War, but a quick glance at the casualties suggests it was more a pyrrhic victory for the Japanese.
Eye candy: Azimuthal Argentina, 1975
Azimuthal is a type of map. (Wiki) Argentina has 13 bases in Antarctica (6 permanent ones, 7 seasonal ones), with 230 people living in the 6 permanent ones, and one of only two civilian settlements on the continent (Chile supports the other one). (Wiki)
Eye Candy: the languages of Brazil
My only question: no Spanish, anywhere? Not even along the borders?
Notes On Liberty 