The scale of the German Cultural Garden

 I took this photo at One World Day on August 29, 2021.

It shows the scale of the Goethe-Schiller monument in the German Cultural Garden.  Impressive!

More on 2021 One World Day

Berj Shakarian inducted in Cleveland International Hall of Fame

 Architect Berj Shakarian was inducted into the Cleveland International Hall of Fame.  Berj was the driving force behind the Armenian Cultural Garden in Cleveland as well as the Centennial Peace Plaza among other projects. 

Armenian Cultural Garden

Berj Shakarian in the Plaza

Cleveland Cultural Garden Federation president Dr. Wael Khoury introduced Berj and then previous inductee Paul Burik presented Berj and gave him his CIHF award and pin. 

 Berj then gave his acceptance speech.

More on the Cleveland International Hall of Fame 2020 inductions

How Estonians fooled the occupying Soviets

The Estonian Cultural Garden was dedicated June 19, 1966. Each year, the Estonian community and friends gather to celebrate Estonian Victory Day (Võidupüha) and St John's Day (Jaanipäev).

Toomas Tubalkain served as MC and introduced speakers including Lithuanian Honorary Consul Ingrida Bublys, Congressman Dennis Kucinich and Estonian Garden delegate Erika Puussaar.

Erika Puussaar and Toomas Tubalkain

Estonian Garden Group

Estonian Garden Monument

Here’s how they fooled the occupying Soviets. (from our Ambassador Toomas Tubalkain).

Victory Day is the day Estonia won its final battle in the war of independence on June 21, 1919.  St. John's Day is always celebrated as midsummer on June 24th.  Victory Day and midsummer are linked through history.  But during the Soviet occupation, Victory Day was banned, but midsummer (a pagan holiday) was allowed.  Estonians decided to celebrate the two together, without informing anyone that Victory Day was being combined with midsummer celebrations.  

See the Estonian Victory Day celebration

Serbian Cultural Garden in Cleveland Ohio USA

 The Serbian Cultural Garden is one of over 30 ethnic heritage gardens in the Cleveland Cultural Gardens in Cleveland Ohio. 

The founder and driving force of the Serbian Cultural Garden is Serbian Honorary Consul Alex Machaskee. 

Alex gave some history and led a tour of the Garden explaining the various features including the large icon of St. Sava and the busts of Nikola Tesla, King Peter 1, Mileva Maric, Nadezda Petrovic, Michael Pupin, Milutin Milankovic, Petar Njegos, Stevan Mokranjac, Vuk Karadzic and other Serbian cultural figures. 

See more of the Serbian community of Cleveland

St. Theodosius Russian Orthodox Cathedral Choir Master Ken Kovach

 On June 1, 1971 Ken Kovach became Choir Master at the historic St. Theodosius Russian Orthodox Cathedral in the Tremont neighborhood of Cleveland Ohio. In his 50 (and counting) years he has witnessed many things in the Cathedral.

  One of which is being part of the filming of the movie The Deer Hunter, a 1978 American epic war drama film. Ken met and worked with Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, Meryl Streep, writer/director Michael Cimino and others.

 Ken is an Ellis Island Medal Recipient and inductee in the Cleveland International Hall of Fame.  

He also sings with a Russian folk group called the Cuyahoga Cossacks. 

 In this video, Ken tells about the Choir Master role and some of these stories. And then he gives a brief example of his great singing voice – singing The Lord’s Prayer. 

St.Theodosius Orthodox Christian Cathedral in Cleveland

 St. Theodosius Cathedral is the oldest Orthodox Christian Church in the State of Ohio. 

It is located in the historic Tremont area of the City of Cleveland. The historic cathedral was constructed between 1911-1912 and is considered one of the finest examples of Russian church architecture in the United States. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places in the United States.

 The parish of St. Theodosius Orthodox Christian Cathedral was organized by immigrant Russians living in Tremont in 1896. St. Theodosius Cathedral was the "Mother Church" for most of the Orthodox Christian churches in northeast Ohio today. 

The cathedral is perhaps best known for its appearance in the 1978 Best Picture winning film, The Deer Hunter with Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, and Meryl Streep. 

 Ken Kovach has been Choir Master at St Theodosius for 50 years.  He gives us a tour of the inside of the Cathedral and shares some thoughts on the Eastern Orthodox Church. 

See more of the Cleveland Russian community 

Soldiers’ and Sailors' Monument

 The Rotary Club of Cleveland hosted Timothy Daley, Executive Director, Cuyahoga County Soldiers’ and Sailors' Monument for a Zoom meeting.  

The Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument commemorates the American Civil War; it consists of a 125' column surrounded at its base by a Memorial Room and esplanade. The column, topped with a statue of the Goddess of Freedom, defended by the Shield of Liberty, signifies the essence of the Nation for which Cuyahoga County veterans were willing to and did give their lives.

Four bronze groupings on the esplanade depict, in battle scenes, the Navy, Artillery, Infantry and Cavalry. Inside the Memorial Room are four bronze relief sculptures:  Women's Soldiers' and Sailors' Aid Society, Beginning of the War in Ohio, Emancipation of the Slaves and End of the War at City Point, Va., as well as busts of Gen. James Barnett and Architect/ Sculptor Levi T. Scofield, together with 6 officers, who were either killed in action, or died of disease or their wounds.

 The interior of this old Monument built in 1894 has just been gloriously rehabilitated with its original coloration restored, new lighting, heating, air conditioning and ADA access.   

Watch the entire presentation on the Soldiers’ and Sailors' Monument below.

Meet the Author

I am honored to have taken part in the Lakewood Public Library Meet the Author Series for my book Murder in the Cultural Gardens. 

Filmed in the Hungarian and British Gardens and in front of the Mark Twain bust I tell the story of the book, the Cultural Gardens and the writing process. 

See more at https://www.lakewoodpubliclibrary.org/dan-hanson/

King Tut Egyptian Street Food Truck Grand Opening

 

Hadia Tawadros and her husband Nader Soliman are encouraging people to "Eat like the Pharaohs" with the launch of their food truck, King Tut Egyptian Street Food. They love cooking and Egypt so decided to bring authentic Egyptian street food to the people of Cleveland and Northeast Ohio.

 

This is the first food truck in the state of Ohio to feature authentic Egyptian street food.

See more about the King Tut Egyptian Street Food Truck 

National Football League (NFL) 2021 draft in Cleveland

The National Football League (NFL) is hosting the 2021 draft live in Cleveland. A stage is being created between First Energy Browns Stadium and the Great Lakes Science Center and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

On Mall C there are large helmets of all the NFL football teams.

Dan Hanson took a walk down the 2 aisles of helmets and identified each one including the helmet of the next Super Bowl Champion - the Cleveland Browns. (sorry about the wind noise in the video)

Dan Hanson with Cleveland Browns helmet

Washington Football Team helmet - a few years ago there would be a Redskins logo on the helmet

Fun with Maps - North Africa

 Casablanca, Marrakesh, Algiers, the Barbary Coast, Morocco, the Sahara Desert, Darfur, Benghazi, Tunisia, Tripoli.

You've seen these exotic locales in movies, TV shows and the news but do you know where they are or much about them? In this episode of Fun with Maps, host Dan Hanson looks at North Africa.

Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent and contains 54 fully recognized sovereign states (countries). This first episode in a series covering Africa includes Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco (including Western Sahara), Tunisia and Sudan.

After watching you will never listen to Bob Dylan, Crosby Stills and Nash or even the US Marines Hymn the same.

See more Fun with Maps episodes

Lithuanian Independence celebrated in Cleveland

Members of the Cleveland Lithuanian community gathered at the Lithuanian Cultural Garden to celebrate The Act of Reinstating Independence of Lithuania or Act of 16 February which was signed by the Council of Lithuania on 16 February 1918, proclaiming the restoration of an independent State of Lithuania.

Gathering by the bust of Jonas Basanavicius
in the Lithuanian Cultural Garden

Because of the pandemic only a few officers were allowed to attend this brief outdoor ceremony led by President Algis Gudenas and including Honorary Consul General Ingrida Bublys and Cleveland Councilman Mike Polensek.

Photos and video of the Lithuanian event in the Garden

Here's a video from the ceremony

Paczki

Eating paczki is the traditional Polish way to indulge before the fasting in observance of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday. Paczki have been known in Poland at least since the Middle Ages.

All ages love paczki!

Councilman Tony Brancatelli, Cleveland International Hall of Fame inductee Irene Morrow, Polish Cultural Garden delegate Connie Adams and others shared their favorite packzki traditions and memories. What are yours?

Learn more about paczki and read the memories 

Global Cleveland receives Rotary Club of Cleveland International Service Award

Each year the Rotary Club of Cleveland celebrates International Fellowship Day by honoring a person and/or organization with the International Service Award. The 2021 honoree is Global Cleveland and the award was accepted by its president Joe Cimperman.

Club President Ronald J. Felgenhauer welcomed the virtual attendees and spoke about the history and good woks of Rotary. After the Pledge of Allegiance and an invocation by Father Ralph Wiatrowski, Pastor of St. Barnabas Church, past president Julie Brouhard presented the award.

Before the acceptance, Honorary Consul General of the Republic of Lithuania Ingrida Bublys read some of the proclamations from US Senators Rob Portman and Sherrod Brown, Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish and Governor Mike Dewine before showing a video message from Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson.

Then Joe Cimperman accepted the award and gave an inspiring speech about Rotary, Cleveland and Global Cleveland.

The Great Lakes Geek remembers ASCII Art

In my alter ego persona as the the Great Lakes Geek, I posted this short video.

I was cleaning the basement and found two printouts of ASCII Art – Mona Lisa and Alfred E. Newman. 

I talk about ASCII and the ‘good old days’ when you could create art for any existing device using a text editor, ASCII characters, a dot matrix printer and a box of green bar paper.

Led Zeppelin Pinball Machine from Stern Pinball

 Whether you are old enough to remember when Led Zeppelin was touring and cutting their classic LPs or you have "discovered" them more recently, the band is undoubtedly one of the greatest of all time.

Thanks to Stern Pinball, Inc., you can rock out while playing a terrific pinball game.

Stern Pinball, Inc. is a global lifestyle brand based on the iconic and outrageously fun modern American game of pinball.

Headquartered in Chicago, the company creates, designs, engineers, manufactures, markets, and distributes a full line of technologically advanced terrestrial and digital pinball games, parts, accessories, and merchandise. Stern Pinball serves digital, consumer, commercial, and corporate markets around the globe.

Recent Stern Pinball titles include Avengers: Infinity Quest, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Stranger Things, Elvira’s House of Horrors, Jurassic Park, Black Knight: Sword of Rage, The Munsters, The Beatles, Deadpool, Iron Maiden, Guardians of the Galaxy, Star Wars, Aerosmith, Ghostbusters, KISS, Metallica, Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, Star Trek, AC/DC, Batman, and Spider-Man. A broad range of players enjoy Stern Pinball’s games from professional pinball players who compete in high-stakes competitions around the globe to novice players who are discovering the allure of the silver ball for the first time.

Everyone knows Led Zeppelin. Formed in London in 1968, Led Zeppelin consisted of vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist and keyboardist John Paul Jones, and the late, great drummer John Bonham. Together they became one of the best-selling bands with estimated record sales of 300 million units worldwide. In 1995 Led Zeppelin was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for their innovative and influential impact on the entire music industry.

In this high energy rock and roll pinball concert experience, pinball and music are fused together. Players are transported back to Led Zeppelin’s early days and tour the world from 1968-1980. As if players were members of the band playing its music, their play updates game features at the start of each verse and chorus of ten iconic Led Zeppelin songs:

• Good Times Bad Times
• Whole Lotta Love
• The Song Remains the Same
• Rock and Roll
• Trampled Under Foot
• Ramble On
• Kashmir
• Immigrant Song
• Black Dog
• Communication Breakdown

These are high-energy, classic hard rock tunes and some of the Great Lakes Geek's favorites. Yours too I bet.

“There is nothing more energizing and fun than bringing pinball and music together,” said Gary Stern, Chairman and CEO of Stern Pinball, Inc. “Partnering with Led Zeppelin, we created a one-of-a-kind pinball experience. It’s our dream goal to create a pinball machine with this iconic rock band.”

Stern Led Zeppelin Pro Pinball machine

The Pro, Premium, and Limited Edition models all feature a custom-molded Hindenburg Zeppelin toy, based on the iconic imagery from the Led Zeppelin I album. When lit, the Zeppelin toy scores speed locks on the player’s musical journey to Zeppelin multiball. A custom Swan Song Records trademark Icarus sculpted leaper toy takes flight when smashed by the chaotic pinball. A 3-bank of drop targets, 3 custom steel ramps, and 3 flippers keep the pinball action rolling.

Stern Led Zeppelin Premium Pinball machine

The Premium and Limited Edition models feature an innovative interactive Electric Magic™ toy. This device is a unique motorized toy which rises from below the playfield to create different magical pinball experiences. An optical spinner charges the Electric Magic magnet, capturing and making balls disappear. The Electric Magic device also converts into a physical pinball bash toy capable of locking a ball or launching a ball around the playfield.

In true rock concert fashion, the Expression Lighting System™ with 96 intelligent RGB LED’s enables full color spectrum control. Positioned in pockets cut into the cabinet sides to provide color themed full playfield illumination, this integrated playfield lighting system is synchronized to custom light shows specifically designed for every song and dynamically responsive to game events.

As an encore, these models have an additional reversing scoop and metal combo ramp, allowing players to keep the hits coming with constant adrenalized pinball action. A back panel mounted illuminated song status board indicates which Led Zeppelin song is in play. Only 500 Limited Edition games will be made for sale throughout the world. This limited version includes an exclusive Icarus themed full color mirrored backglass, exclusive custom themed cabinet artwork, custom high gloss Paradise Shimmer Blue powder-coated armor, a custom autographed bottom arch, exclusive custom art blades, upgraded audio system, anti-reflection pinball glass, a shaker motor, and a sequentially numbered plaque.

Stern Led Zeppelin Limited Edition Pinball machine

Led Zeppelin pinball machines and accessories are available through authorized Stern Pinball distributors and dealers around the world. Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price to USA end-users, before any VAT, GST, Sales Tax, Duties, or other taxes are:

• Pro Model: $US 6,199
• Premium Model: $US 7,799
• Limited Edition Model: $US 9,199

Check out this Led Zeppelin Pinball - Game Trailer (57 seconds)

If you can swing it, what a great centerpiece in a man cave, game room, bar, club, wherever. The saying is "If it's too loud, you're too old." I'd update that to "If you don't have a blast cranking the Zeppelin while playing this wild pinball game, you need to have your pulse checked."

Rock on!

Cutii companion robot for isolated seniors

 Though Covid-19 made CES 2021 a virtual affair, thanks to ShowStoppers we were able to see some of the latest and greatest technology via Zoom press conferences. That includes the very cool Cutii.

Even before the pandemic, seniors often suffered from isolation and loneliness. Throw in stay-at-home orders and the inability to visit or be visited and the problem is magnified. Millions of seniors are isolated and alone. Experts say that Loneliness is toxic, at enormous moral and economic cost. For example

• 12 million women 75+ live alone (USA)
• 27% have only one conversation a week
• Social isolation increases Medicare costs by an estimated $6.7 billion every year.

The goal of the team at Cutii is to add "Many additional engaged & connected years of living for our seniors at risk of isolation."

Cutii companion robot with grandson on the display

Cutii is a Companion Robot for isolated seniors. Cutii is designed for friendship. It's a "live-in companion" that learns the design of the senior's room.

Seniors communicate directly with Cutii. It's 100% voice activated and offers 2 way calling and text messages. Cutii can entertain and occupy the mind and body with live activities like Yoga, Tai Chi, poetry reading, games, trivia and so on.

And, of course, Cutii can call for help in the event of an emergency.

A senior can

• Call loved ones, send messages and photos
• Play games, trivia and more
• Seek help or care from the comfort of home
• Say "Cutii I need help!" and get help

Here is some of the Technology and IP behind the Cutii.

• Autonomously mobile, voice-controlled robot
• Articulating head
• Proprietary software and AI speech
• Not restricted by Google, Amazon, FB, etc
• Smart home / IoT integration
• ZigBee, ZWave, Bluetooth, wifi
• Proprietary PCB and injection molds
• European CE mark, and GDPR compliance

Here is the Value Proposition:

Families

• Peace of mind
• Less costly than live in caregiver
• 24/7 Monitoring

Home Health

• Enable new revenue streams
• Long term recurring revenue
• Help clients stay in homes

Assisted Living

• New revenue streams via in-room add on
• Entertain & engage residents

Communal space is pre-mapped & Cutii knows the "points of interest". So a Senior resident can say:"Cutii, come to the sofa." or "Raise your head."

If the senior says "Cutii, I need help" since Cutii is always listening it will kick-off an emergency response workflow. For example:

• Calls for help, in pre-determined sequence.
• If answered, message sent to each person in the call list confirming response.
• If not answered, calls first responders.

Of course the live 2-way video could be used for Telehealth consults with Physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, etc. Cutii is secure and private platform developed under EU GDPR regulations.

Fun with Maps - Madagascar

 In this episode of Fun with Maps, host Dan Hanson looks at what has been called the 8th continent – Madagascar.

Map of Africa highlighting Madagascar

The map shows how isolated Madagascar is from the rest of the world and that makes it a hotbed of biodiversity - 90% of its wildlife is found nowhere else on Earth.  It has varieties of plants and animals that do not exist anywhere else.  

Lemur

You’ve probably seen lemurs (endemic to Madagascar) but there are thousands of other unique animals and plants such as the fossa, chameleon, the baobab tree and more.

Dan also shows a quick look at the Spiny Desert of Madagascar exhibit in the Cleveland Botanical Garden. 

Cleveland Botanical Garden - The Spiny Desert of Madagascar

Madagascar is such a unique area and host Dan Hanson had a lot of fun with this map. 

Watch the video below.

More Fun with Maps

Fun with Maps - The Upper Peninsula (U.P.) of Michigan

 In this episode of Fun with Maps, host Dan Hanson looks at the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

Watch this episode.

 About 71% of the earth is covered in water but it’s mostly salt water. The Great Lakes are the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total area, and second-largest by total volume, containing 21% of the world's surface fresh water by volume. 

Great Lakes from space

Map of Michigan - Lower and Upper Peninsulas

The Yoopers sense of humor

The Upper Peninsula (UP) of Michigan is bounded by 3 of the Great Lakes – Superior, Michigan and Huron.  

The 5 mile Mackinac Bridge connects the lower part of Michigan with the UP.  The UP contains 29% of the land area of Michigan but just 3% of its total population.  

The Yoopers who live there have a large Finnish population. 

It’s a fascinating area and host Dan Hanson had a lot of fun with this map. He also quotes the great Plain Dealer sportswriter Terry Pluto who is a regular visitor.

See more Fun with Maps episodes

Fun with Maps – Easter Island (Rapa Nui)

In this episode of Fun with Maps, host Dan Hanson looks at the remote Polynesian island of Rapa Nui or Easter Island.

Though part of Chile, Easter Island has a fascinating culture and history. Dan focuses on the island’s remoteness, the Rapa Nui people and of course the amazing mo’ai, the Easter Island “head” statues.   

Tell me this mo'ai doesn't look like Bart Simpson!

Fun with Maps - Chile

In this episode of Fun with Maps, host Dan Hanson looks at the long country of Chile. Chile is bordered by the Andes Mountains and the Pacific Ocean and the map has played a big part in its history.

Painting of The Zamacueca by Manuel Antonio Caro. Oil on canvas, collection of the Presidency of the Republic of Chile.

In this episode Dan looks at the Straits of Magellan, the Drake Passage, the huasos, the Mapuche people, Santiago, the largest mountain and volcano in the Americas, the rescue of the miners, interesting Chilean people and more.

Click the arrow to watch the video.

See more Fun with Maps episodes

St Stephen Church Cornerstone Dedication

 Cleveland's newest Hungarian monument to St. Stephen, the first King of Hungary, is a cornerstone saved from the recently demolished St. Stephen Hungarian Church in McKeesport, Pennsylvania (1900-2020). The cornerstone was brought to the historic St. Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic Church at 9016 Buckeye Road in Cleveland Ohio which was established on June 4, 1893.

The Church and the United Hungarian Societies (UHS) of Cleveland hosted an outdoor dedication of the monument in the Church's courtyard.

The theme of the dedication ceremony was "Honoring our past by remembering St. Stephen's Catholic Church of McKeesport."

America's first Hungarian Roman Catholic churches in order of cornerstone-laying date:

• St. Elizabeth's Church - Cleveland, OH. June 4, 1893
• St Mary's Church - Throop, PA. July 21, 1895
• St. Stephen's Church - East Toledo, OH. Dedication August 20, 1899
• St. Stephen's Church - Bridgeport, CT. November 30, 1899
• St. Stephen's Church - McKeesport, PA. September 8, 1900

Photos an videos of the Hungarian Church ceremony

Fun with Maps - Lebanon

 In this episode of Fun with Maps, host Dan Hanson looks at the historic country of Lebanon.  Though small in size the influence of Lebanon and its people is huge. 

Tragically, the capital of Beirut was devastated by explosions in August 2020. 

Vigil in Lebanese Cultural Garden in Cleveland for Beirut

Pierre Bejjani, Ms. Blanche Salwan and Mr. Faris Alameh

 In this episode of Fun with Maps, Dan looks at the major cities, culture, geography, the cedar tree, famous Lebanese people and some fascinating history from the Phoenicians to the present. 

More Fun with Maps episodes

Lebanese in Cleveland

Fun with Maps - New Zealand and Zealandia

In this episode of Fun with Maps host Dan Hanson looks at New Zealand and the Lost Continent of Zealandia in Oceania. New Zealand is home to the Maori people, terrific rugby like the All Blacks team, the haka dance, the beautiful scenery as the setting of the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies, Milford Sound and much more.  Modern technology is allowing us to see more of the huge lost continent of Zealandia underneath New Zealand, 94% submerged under the ocean.

See more Fun with Maps episodes

More on New Zealanders in Cleveland



Here's a great video of a Haka before a game.

Captive Nations Week 2020

Captive Nations Week was first recognized in 1959 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower at the urging of future Cleveland Mayor Ralph Perk Sr. and Congressmen Charles Vanik and US Senator Frank Lausche. Captive Nations Week has been supported each 3rd week in July by every US president since.

Judge Ralph Perk Jr. is the current (and only the third) president of the American Nationalities Movement. The first president was his father, the late Mayor Ralph Perk. He was followed by Irene Morrow. All three have been inducted into the Cleveland International Hall of Fame for their significant contributions to the region's ethnic diversity and heritage.

 

Judge Ralph Perk Jr.

The American Nationalities Movement was formed for the purpose of uniting all the nationalities in the United States in the goal to educate, advocate and represent their interests of all the diverse ethnic groups to the public and mostly to the political leaders of the United States. This pursuit of our common interest to achieve an understanding of the complex issues that confront each group individually and collectively and that without our united efforts all of us will be endanger.
Judge Perk gave some opening remarks and then read the current proclamation from President Donald Trump.

Czech Cultural Garden in Cleveland

Joseph Meissner

The annual Captive Nations week dinner event could not be held because of the Coviv19 pandemic so Judge Perk and a few community leaders gathered (socially distant) in the Czech Cultural Garden in Cleveland.

Michael Patterson, Joe Meissner, Pierre Bejjani, Ralph Perk and Paul Burik

Photos and videos of Captive Nations Week in Cleveland

Fun with Maps – Estuaries and the Hudson River

In this episode of Fun with Maps host Dan Hanson looks at estuaries and then drills down on the Hudson River in New York State in the US.

The Hudson River forms the west border of New York City’s Manhattan Island.

 He also looks at the battles of Saratoga which took place along the Hudson River Valley in the Revolutionary War.

See more Fun with Maps

I’m in a Nike commercial!

Well, not me but my video.

4 years ago I was with a million plus of my friends at the Cavs Championship parade.  As usual I had my video camera and posted footage. 

The ad agency for Nike bought the rights to a few seconds of one of the videos featuring LeBron James riding down 9th street (I was about at Superior).

 It’s being used in a TV commercial called The Comeback.  WooHoo! 

My part is at the 36 second mark   Don't Blink

Fun with Maps - Feedback and Foldable Maps

In this episode of Fun with Maps host Dan Hanson considers some viewer feedback and answers their questions. He explains what the dots on the maps mean and shows the world map on the stage of the new plaza in the Cleveland Cultural Gardens.

Then he gives a demo of the classic old school foldable paper map that has been around forever.

See more Fun with Maps

Fun with Maps - Budapest

In this episode of Fun with Maps, host Dan Hanson shows map of a city that is really 2 cities, Buda and Pest, split by the famous Danube River but joined together as Budapest, Hungary.

Budapest is one of the most visited cities in the world and is a hub of music, culture, architecture, education and so on. It's history - Turkish occupation, Austria-Hungary, Lajos Kossuth, Revolution of 1956 - all were influenced by the map.

From the spas and baths to the bridges, the musical influence (Liszt, Bartok, etc.) to other notable citizens (Houdini, Rubik, etc.) Budapest is a fascinating city.

See more Fun with Maps episodes

Fun With Maps- Indonesia

In this episode of Fun with Maps,I show the map of the largest archipelago nation in the world – Indonesia. Archipelagos are often volcanic and as you will see, this certainly applies to Indonesia. 

It consists of more than seventeen thousand islands. You may have heard of Sumatra, Java, New Guinea (Papua), Bali, Borneo and so on. 

Here's a link to the first part of the Fun with Maps- Indonesia

The second part of Fun with Maps - Indonesia shows the Ring of Fire, the biodiversity and looks at some of the bigger islands.

You can see all the Fun with Maps series here

Ukrainian Cultural Garden in Bloom

The Ukrainian Cultural Garden in Cleveland was in bloom when we visited on April 28, 2020. The beautiful flowering trees framed the statue of Lesya Ukrainka.

Lesya Ukrainka statue

More photos of Ukrainian Cultural Garden

Russian Cultural Garden Springtime

Flowers were in bloom in the Russian Cultural Garden in Cleveland when we visited on April 28, 2020. The tulips by the sign were a welcome addition to the bust of Yuri Gagarin, the ring of honor and other features of the Garden.

Russian Garden photos

Cleveland Cultural Gardens Centennial Peace Plaza progress

The first of the Cleveland Cultural Gardens was established in 1916 making the Gardens over 100 years old. The Cleveland Cultural Gardens Federation (CCGF) is the non-profit volunteer-led group that governs the Gardens. They decided to honor the centennial by making a gift to the community in the form of the Centennial Peace Plaza.

The motto of the CCGF is "Peace through Mutual Understanding" and the Plaza is designed to be a gathering place for the community to share music, dance, art, education, camaraderie and share ethnic heritages.

The multi-ton medallion is just a few feet away from the much-traveled MLK Boulevard so will be a focal point of the Plaza.

Video tour and photos of the Plaza

Fun with Maps - Wuhan China

If all you know about Wuhan is what you've heard the last few months about the covid-19 virus, you should watch this episode of Fun with Maps.

When we look at the map and the transportation options starting with the Yangtze River we see why many have called Wuhan the "Chicago of China." Learn more about this city of 11 million people than what you may see on the news.

See more episodes of Fun with Maps with your host Dan Hanson

Fun with Maps

Like millions of others I am a fan of the Big Bang Theory and especially Sheldon Cooper. I even liked his Fun with Flags videos. Seriously. I wished they would continue.

My name is Dan Hanson and I have also been a longtime fan of maps and the role they play in a region's history, commerce, politics, culture and so on. So I started a new video podcast series called Fun with Maps.

Running ClevelandPeople.com which features the 120 or so different ethnic groups that are represented in the area, I've noticed how the geography of a place has played a role in its culture and history.

For example:,

• When you see how close the Horn of Africa is to the Arabian Peninsula you will understand how important the Suez Canal , Red Sea and Gulf of Aden are.



• Or what does it mean for Ethiopia to be landlocked?



• Or for Somalia to have that huge coastline?



• How did a little piece of Russia get to the West of Lithuania?



• Which river is longer - The Nile or the Amazon?



• Why can you see the Aurora Borealis so often in Lapland? And what famous figure comes from Lapland?

We won't just look at countries and large regions. We'll look at how cities split by a river (Chicago, Cleveland, Budapest, etc.) have been influenced by their geography.

There's so much more.

Don't expect cinematic artistry. I don't have the ability and that's not the intention. I just want to share my interest in Maps with others.

So Sheldon Cooper had Fun with Flags and I'm now hoping you will join me in having Fun with Maps.

Watch the introductory video of Fun with Maps. 

Currently there are 3 episodes posted (in addition to the intro video)

The Horn of Africa, Finland and the Nile River.

See Fun with Maps