Twelve Mile Circle
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Virginia’s Bermuda
Bermuda was once part of Virginia. It would be natural to wonder how that might happen. There is a striking difference between the two. Most visibly, Virginia occupies a solid placement on the North American mainland. Meanwhile, Bermuda is an island archipelago 650 miles (1046 kilometers) out to sea. If Bermuda was directly off the…
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Quantico: the Ultimate Gated Community
Imagine a community ringed by an impenetrable perimeter, a compact neighborhood patrolled vigorously around the clock by highly-trained armed guards, motivated by mission and granted the full authority to challenge intruders with lethal force if necessary. The privacy afforded by this level of security could only be the exclusive domain of the ultra-rich and privileged,…
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Shirts Around the World
This odd geography fixation of mine is nothing new. It’s been pretty much a lifelong commitment. I was leafing through a photo shoebox a few days ago and I stumbled across a faded envelope that I hadn’t given much thought to in several years. It contained an interesting collection of photos from the early 1990’s…
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Colorado is NOT a Rectangle
Take a look at Colorado. Go ahead, stare at it for awhile. How would you describe its shape? Here’s the question: (a) It’s a rectangle. (b) It’s not a Rectangle I’ve already given you the answer and it’s not a trick question so there’s no way you can earn anything less than an A+ on…
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Bad Signs
I spent most of the day preparing my Federal income taxes so I’m not in much of a mood to think of anything profound. I swear the tax code gets more complicated every year. My brain has nothing left to give. Come back in a couple of days and I promise I’ll have a topic…
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Hawaii is Closer than you Think
Oh those intrepid Googlers, the source of so much amusement and adventure. I encounter them as I relentlessly review their keyword searches captured in my access logs. What would a weekend morning be without a cup of coffee and a pile of raw statistical data to mine through? Some people prefer the New York Times’…
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Need a Time Waster?
I come across all sorts of interesting resources and reference tools as I flesh-out my story ideas. Some are useful or stimulating, or simply entertaining. I wade through a lot of trash, too but I toss those aside. Fortunately that’s not the case today. Here are a couple of sites that are — dare I…
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Glasgow or Madrid?
Think quickly: Which city is further west, Glasgow, Scotland or Madrid, Spain? If you’re a cynic like me you’d guess Madrid. Of course, you’d figure it was a trick question whether you “knew” the answer or not. You’d also be wrong. Glasgow is indeed further west than Madrid. However, if I substituted Edinburgh, Scotland for…
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Nasty Commutes
The Washington Post published a recent article on bad commutes, “A Dubious Distinction: The Longest Ride in U.S.” This was considered so significantly newsworthy that it appeared on the front page of their print edition on February 3, 2009. They determined that the sufferers of the worst average commute in the United States live in…
Latest Comments
Hi Mr. Howder — Just going from memory, I recall that your “rule” for counting a nation/state/county is “if I’m…
Thank you!
Not driving husband asked and I got him the answer thanks for information
Does anyone have actual music to the song – Tanaha ,Timpson. Bobo and Blair ?? It was recorded by Tex…
I think you might be referring to a post from January 2010 called “What Counts as a Visit.” My first…