The Iranian View on Star Wars

Iran likes Star Wars! No, I'm not talking about the missile defense system, but the film with Anakin and Padme (....and Jar Jar Binks?). After the release of Star Wars Episode III, many Americans found the story line to be analogous to the current Bush administration. This discourse in itself is nothing short of old. Surprisingly, though, is this line of thought hasn't solely been in the realm of American rhetoric but also in the Iranian media -- Ok, it's not that surprising. This translated video is an Iranian commentary on Lucas' latest space opera.

Source: MEMRI

US States Renamed For Countries With Similar GDPs

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The map above breaks down the U.S. GDP into individual state GDPs, and then compares those with countries around the world. One must point out the population of each state is not taken into account with this map. For example, just because Oregon has a GDP comparable to Turkey, the people of Oregon have a higher quality of living because the overall population is less. In other words, it is the same amount of money but just spread around to a smaller population.

Source: StrangeMaps

Global Warming should not be a Top Priority

If you took the top economists around the world, sat them down in a room, and had them list the world's problems by order of priority....what would you get? Well a list with Global warming at the bottom, apparently. Economist Bjorn Lomborg explains the findings of the 2004 Copenhagen Consensus and reveals that our priorities might not be the most pragmatic. (On a side note, BMW is paying for this lecture; although his premises may be valid, one might question whether he is a purely disinterested party)