Month: July 2016

This simply has to be the most polite land dispute in history (though Saint Martin/Sint Maarten is pretty close).

This is what the place looks like:

and this is where it is:

According to a 1933 ruling by the “Permanent Court of International Justice” (which, oddly enough, no longer exists), Hans belongs to the Danish, but given that it is actually slightly closer to Canada, and the fact that when the League of Nations was dissolved, the power of the court went away as well so rulings from that court no longer had the rule of law, the Canadians have laid claim to the land.

From time to time, the Danish will drop by the island, raise the flag of Greenland, and leave a bottle of Brandy. Sometime later, the Canadian military will swing by and change flags, take the brandy, and leave a bottle of Canadian whiskey. Rinse, repeat.

There are negotiations to jointly administer this bare chunk of uninhabited rock with no natural resources, but in the meantime, the internet is having a lot of fun with the “whiskey war”. See, for example, this tongue in cheek website.

Those who have no respect whatsoever for 1933’s justice and found it because it is listed as a “dispute” included:

• Glenmorren
• Garfield
• hhgygy
• Lighthouse
• Phil Ower
• marisa boraas
• Robin
• Eloy Cano
• Maureen
• Tim
• Max_Power
• Junebug

And those who just assumed all along it was part of Greenland, so they couldn’t find it until the hint made them realize there was some sort of controversy:

• Ann K.
• Romano
• Steve J
• Joe9000

Not likely to see any blood shed over this.

Eloy Cano submitted this location as a possibility for Contest #450, and it seemed like a great choice.

The Llano del Hato National Astronomical Observatory (Spanish: OAN de Llano del Hato, or Observatorio Astronómico Nacional de Llano del Hato) is an astronomical observatory in Venezuela (IAU code 303). It is 3600 meters above sea level and is the country’s main observatory. It is situated above the village of Llano del Hato in the Venezuelan Andes, not far from Apartaderos which lies about 50 kilometers north-east of Mérida, Mérida State.

It is the closest observatory to the Equator, allowing it to observe most of the skies to the north and south. It benefits from a very dark site, and its altitude of 3,600 meters (12,000 feet) above sea level means atmospheric turbulence is greatly reduced.

Those who found the spot without a telescope:

• Eloy Cano
• Glenmorren
• Garfield
• Lighthouse
• Phil Ower
• hhgygy

And with some astronomical guidance:

• marisa boraas

Since 1970, it’s been the closest to the middle, which does have its advantages.

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Originally founded around 143 BCE, Chengdu Shishi tries to lay claim to being the oldest school in the world. Because the school has been destroyed and rebuilt several times (even though it is on the same site), and there have been periods when it was not in use, the claim of being the oldest is usually disputed by schools like Kings School in Canterbury, England, which has been continuously in operation since the 6th century.

Those who made it to class on time included:

• Lighthouse
• Garfield
• Phil Ower
• hhgygy

And those who were tardy but still get a point:

• LawnBoy
• Junebug
• Maureen
• Ann K.
• Ashwini Agrawal
• Eloy Cano
• RicardPG
• steven simmons
• Chris Nason
• Max_Power
• Glenmorren
• Paul Voestermans
• joe9000

At the time the first iteration of this institution was founded, the city was called “The Brocade City”. Because it has been destroyed and rebuilt a few times, the folks in Canterbury don’t like anyone calling it “The Oldest …”.