The Engaged Electorate

"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be." Thomas Jefferson

[engagedelectorate]

Casualty Report

Sgt. Christopher W. Mulalley, 26, of Eureka, Calif.

[engagedelectorate]

Casualty Report

Sgt. 1st Class Matthew I. Leggett, 39, of Ruskin, Florida

[engagedelectorate]

Casualty Report

Sgt. 1st Class Samuel C. Hairston, 35, of Houston, Texas

[engagedelectorate]

Casualty Report

Maj. Gen. Harold J. Greene, 55, of Schenectady, N.Y.

[engagedelectorate]

Casualty Report

Staff Sgt. Girard D. Gass Jr., of Lumber Bridge, North Carolina

[engagedelectorate]

Casualty Report

Boatswain’s Mate Seaman Yeshabel Villotcarrasco, 23, of Parma, Ohio

[engagedelectorate]

Casualties Report

Staff Sgt. Benjamin G. Prange, 30, of Hickman, Neb.

Pfc. Keith M. Williams, 19, of Visalia, Calif.

[engagedelectorate]

Casualty Report

Pfc. Donnell A. Hamilton, Jr., 20, of Kenosha, Wisconsin

[engagedelectorate]

Commerce knits the modern world together in a way that nothing else quite does. Almost anything you own these days is the result of a complicated web of global interactions. And there's no better way to depict those interactions and the social and political circumstances that give rise to them than with a map or two. Or in our case, 38. These maps are our favorite way to illustrate the major economic themes facing the world today. Some of them focus on the big picture while others illustrate finer details. The overall portrait that emerges is of a world that's more closely linked than ever before, but still riven by enormous geography-driven differences.

[engagedelectorate]

What are Israel and Palestine? Why are they fighting?

Israel is the world's only Jewish state, located just east of the Mediterranean Sea. Palestinians, the Arab population that hails from the land Israel now controls, refer to the territory as Palestine, and want to establish a state by that name on all or part of the same land. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is over who gets what land and how it's controlled.Israel in red, Palestinian-majority territories in pink. Wikimedia CommonsNote that, since 1967, Israel has returned Sinai to Egypt. BBC News

[engagedelectorate]

29 charts that explain Americans' financial lives

Money is complicated. These charts make it simple.

[engagedelectorate]

This is what Pangaea would look like with modern borders

This map shows how the US could border Africa.

[engagedelectorate]

4 simple rules for retirement saving

Saving for retirement doesn't have to be complicated. Follow these four simple rules and you'll be on your way to a comfortable retirement.

[engagedelectorate]

We’re standing on shaky ground, folks. The frequency of earthquakes in the United States seems to have increased recently — from an average of 21 per year last century to 188 in 2011. Geologists believe the increase is due to human activity, especially fracking.

The map above shows several areas in the United States where there have been unusual “swarms” of earthquakes, possibly connected to industry. The map is part of a series released last week by the U.S. Geological Survey, including another map showing where earthquakes are most likely to happen across the country.

[vizual-statistix]

Using data from the UN Human Development Report, I’ve mapped public spending (total current and capital expenditures) on three categories - health, education, and military - for each country as a percentage of its GDP, as derived from purchasing power parity (PPP) calculations. For each map, purple represents higher % spending in that category, and green corresponds to lower % spending, while black signifies no data.  

[engagedelectorate]

40 charts that explain money in politics

Money suffuses our political system. Here’s what’s going on, in charts.

[engagedelectorate]