It's a small world after all

With no desire to look at current politics, no interest from most of my readership on sports, and not enough recent pictures to make a post, I came up with the bright idea of, "What's news in the world's smallest nations?"  So this post will be both geographically educational and hopefully amusing, even though I have told myself, "whatever is on their news, we are going with the lead story."  But it still might be fun.  Let me slip the Musical Tardis, on "no music, just linear travel" mode, and away we go!


Working our way to the smallest:

10- Malta

Where: the rock you wash up on when you're a Libyan illegal immigrant and your boat sinks halfway to Sicily.

Size:  122 square miles ("9/10ths the size of Philadelphia")

Population: Under 500k ("0.01% of total world population")

News story:  The Deputy Premier told everyone to be cautious and not rush to judgment after a Bulgarian national apparently beat on 24-year old Zach Meli around bar time Sunday, causing him to be killed by a fall to the ground.  The expat Bulgarian was released on bail while the investigation goes on.  My question: if you are concerned about rushing to judgment, etc, why not keep the Bulgarian in protective custody JIC?

9- Maldives  

Where:  Left over chunks that God spilled after building Sri Lanka

Size:  115 sq. mi. (a little bigger than Honolulu)

Population: small (but about 7K more than Malta...)

News:  Former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom is in further hot water.  Under investigation for attempting to bribe the Supreme Court ( glad they haven't thought of that here) and trying to overthrow the current government, Maumoon has now been charged with trashing a cell phone the cops believe had evidence.  Didja think to check in Hillary's e-mails?

8- St Kitts and Nevis

Where:  The top of the "island ladder" running from Puerto Rico to Trinidad.  In other words, the north side of last year's "hurricane superhighway".

Size: 101 Sq Mi  ("1 and a half times the size of Washington DC")

Pop:  55K  (think Elkhart, IN)

News story:  A couple of 20-somethings were rushed to the hospital in police vehicles after being shot "Old Road in the vicinity of Winfield Road" Sunday night.  Runner up:  A PDF on how the Governor-General spent last week.

7- Marshall Islands

Where: One of the US's former nuclear testing areas and other little atolls halfway between Australia and Hawaii.

Size (land only): 70 sq mi ( not quite two Disney Worlds), spread over a water area three times the size of Texas.

Pop: 53K (keep thinking Elkhart; Jo-Anne, think Maitland)

News story:  Native Philmar Mendoza has returned home briefly as part of a group of nursing students from a nursing school in Chicago as she works towards her degree, and her goal is to graduate and return.  She was given the job of being the team's translator- which didn't sit too well.

She said she wasn’t satisfied with her role as translator with the mission and told the Journal she kept asking God if she had a special purpose for her second visit.

The answer to this question didn’t come immediately, but during the second week of the OBGYN visit, it arrived with stunning clarity of purpose — in the form of a seriously sick woman who had visited the hospital numerous times during the past seven months without receiving proper treatment to resolve her health condition.

Basically what happened was the mayor of one of the towns called her, begging that her team help the woman out.  She got the team (supported by Canvasback Ministries) to check her out, and lo and behold, removed a couple dozen gall stones!

Now, that's a GOOD story!

6- Liechtenstein

Where: stuck between a couple mountains on the Swiss-Austrian border.

Size:  52 sq mi (could fit inside Carlsbad Caverns Nat'l Park)

Pop: 38K (about 10 Leo-Cedarvilles)

News Story:  "The Liechtensteinische Landesbank Group increased its annual profit by 7.1 per cent to 111.3 million Swiss francs in 2017, announced the bank in a statement. 

 'We have succeeded in increasing our profit for the fourth time in succession' commented Georg Wohlwend, chairman of the Board of Directors.'Our focussed business model and the systematic implementation of our strategy are having a sustained impact' "

But what can you expect?  "Liechtenstein has chartered 17 banks, three non-bank financial companies, and 71 public investment companies, as well as insurance and reinsurance companies. Its 270 licensed fiduciary companies and 81 lawyers serve as nominees for, or manage, more than 73,000 entities (primarily corporations, institutions, or trusts)" says wiki.  It's basically a big ATM for mountain goats.

5- San Marino

Where: On a hill in the middle of Italy

Size: 24 sq mi (1/10th of Chicago)

Pop: 33K (Think "a good crowd at an LA Chargers football game")

News story: A woman judge, Valeria Pierfelici, was removed by the Plenary Judicial Council for releasing secret info on an investigation, which apparently led to other judges involved getting pressured by politicians.  Her replacement is  Lanfranco Ferroni , 68, Judge of Civil Appeal , as the new Magistrate Director of the Court .

This was a bit of a battle.  Of four news sites that alleged to be San Marino sites, one was all sports, one was "no longer available", one was in Japanese and talking about cars, and one was San Marino, California.

4- Tuvalu

Where: If you found the Marshalls, head due south

Size: 10 sq mi (4 times the size of President George W Bush's ranch)

Pop: 11K (New Haven IN on a Saturday night)

News Story:  As we get smaller, the choices I have for news shrink.  Here, I found an article from about the turn of the month in which New Zealand's air force helped search for an emergency beacon in Tuvaluvan (?) waters:

"At present, all we know is that a beacon has been activated in the vicinity of Tuvalu and we are helping Fijian authorities locate it."

A little more digging gave us another happy ending...

"The centre was informed on Sunday, March 4, that Tuvalu authorities received further information on the distress and that three fishermen from Nuilakita were confirmed to have had engine problems to their fishing boat and were drifting at sea. The Tuvalu Police dispatched a Tuvalu fisheries vessel FV Talamoana to the location of the distress," said Mr Tawake.

"At 5.39pm the centre received information from Tuvalu Maritime Police that FV Talamoana had sighted the distress vessel and was making it's way to their location. At 6.02pm the RCCNZ confirmed that they had sighted the FV Talamoana receiving the three fishermen from the distress vessel. The three fishermen were safely transported to Funafuti by FV Talamoana ."


3- Nauru

Where:  Go 1,000 miles NW from Tuvalu.  Wait, you overshot!

Size:  8.1 sq mi (1 1/2 LAXs)

Pop: 11K (see Tuvalu)

News story: The re-established Nauru Post (post office) was opened as a corporate body this week (5 March) along with the release of a commemorative coin and pendant as part of the 50th Independence Day anniversary.

At the opening event in front of the post office, His Excellency President Baron Waqa released the commemorative coin and was received by Madam Louisa Waqa.

The coin and pendant are both shaped like Nauru and features the theme and logo of Nauru’s anniversary, “Nauru progresses forward in unity with God.”

A commemorative stamp for the 50th anniversary was also released during the Independence celebration at the State banquet on Wednesday 31January.


Wow, a commemorative stamp for a post office you just re-opened...

2- Monaco

Where:  You're kidding, right?

Size: .78 sq mi (1/50th the size of Disney World, but 3X the size of DisneyLAND.)

Pop:  38K with an over/under of plus/minus 5,000

News story: PeaceJam Foundation, an award-winning peace education programme that has embraced more than 1.2 million young people, from 40 countries around the world, has just announced an impressive panel for the Second Annual PeaceJam Special Jury Prize at the Monte Carlo Television Festival.

The purpose of the award, which will be given on June 19, is to recognise outstanding Television Films that embody the spirit of the Nobel Peace Prize. It is thus fitting that Nobel Peace Prize Winner  (From 1976) Betty Williams will present this award.

Nominations include The Barack Obama Story, starring Oprah Winfrey as the Obamas and Neil DeGrasse Tyson as Alfred Nobel's ghost...

"That might be a little politically incorrect..."

1- Vatican City

Where: the Pope's bedroom and den

Size: .17 sq mi (40 Manhattan city blocks)

Pop: A smidge under 800 depending on tourist season

News story: Regarding the magisterium of Pope Francis, Benedict writes that “there is interior unity” between his pontificate and that of Pope Francis, his successor. Pope Benedict’s letter was presented by its recipient, Msgr Dario Edoardo Viganò, during a press conference presenting “The Theology of Pope Francis,” a series of 11 books written by 11 different authors, and published by Libreria Editrice Vaticana. The news conference was held in Sala Marconi in the headquarters of Vatican Media.

Translation:  A lot of Catholics aren't exactly happy with some of the directions that Pope Francis is taking the Church.  This is former Pope Benedict putting his blessing on a massive "circle the wagons" effort.


Finale

Well, I hope you are entertained.  If not, at least I bookmarked two sites on world population and comparitive sizing of things, and can figure out what to do if I am hit by a Japanese driver in San Marino.