WARNING: Graphic Content

Here is some cool cartography to go along with the flags I posted earlier. I inherited my dad's love of maps, but not his ability to read them. When it comes to the various sub-disciplines within history, I have my strengths and weaknesses. Geography definitely falls into the latter category.

No matter. Into the fray.

The first details the amount of money wasted due to bad traffic. And you thought your commute was bad:

The next is The New York Times' day-by-day account of the violence in Iraq (Jan. 2007). Still a very arresting background image for the debate over recent tactics & the possibility of an end-game as we approach 4,000 casualties (minus Blackwater contractors & the horrific toll on Iraqis themselves) and TRILLIONS of dollars. Yes, that was plural. How high do the numerical denominations have to get before they sound like they were made up by a fourth grader?

And, lastly, from Strange Maps is this subtle reminder of the United States' still-quite-considerable economic potency despite recent market indicators to the contrary. What's your state's GDP? Besides the obvious biggies, please note the equivalents for New Jersey, Tennessee, & Alabama: