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

Orchid Mania 2020 at Cleveland Botanical Garden

Cleveland Botanical Garden celebrates one of the world’s most exotic and beautiful flowers at their annual flower show, Orchid Mania. From the moment you enter, you will see colorful displays of orchids everywhere.

Orchid Mania at Cleveland Botanical Garden

Orchid Mania at Cleveland Botanical Garden

Orchid Mania at Cleveland Botanical Garden

See photos and videos from Orchid Mania

Dan's first novel published - ​Murder in the Cultural Gardens

"It just didn’t seem right to DJ.  A body found bludgeoned in a place known for “Peace through Mutual Understanding.”  But there she was, crumpled behind a bust of composer Franz Liszt in the Hungarian Cultural Garden.   He pulled out his cell phone and dialed 911.  “What is the nature of your emergency?” the dispatcher queried.  With a suddenly very dry mouth DJ managed to get out, “There’s been a murder in the Cultural Gardens.” 

That's the opening paragraph in my novel.  It's a whodunit that takes place in the Cleveland Cultural Gardens.  

I have a quick webpage set up - Murder in the Cultural Gardens
and the book is available in paperback and Kindle at Amazon 

Let me know what you think!

Do you know what this is?

We post a lot of content on our family of webpages and we never know which pages will be popular.  Sometimes it is surprising.

For example, we get lots of views from all over the world on a ClevelandSeniors.com page for an object like this:

Believe it or not it is a bedpan!  The picture was sent in by a site visitor.

The page about collecting bedpans is extremely popular!  Who Knew?

Street named for Cleveland Chinese leader Stanley Eng

Ward 7 Councilman Basheer Jones spearheaded a posthumous honor for Mr. Stanley Eng, a community leader, with the addition of an honorary street name to E. 30th Street in Cleveland, Ohio. The Ceremony took place Saturday, December 7, 2019 at 11 a.m. at Asia Plaza.

Mr. Stanley Eng (1926-2004) was selected for this honor by many leaders in the AsiaTown community. He founded and led several organizations including the Cleveland Chinese Senior Citizens Association, which still exists today, and he was best known for his work on behalf of the poor and elderly residents of Cleveland’s Chinatown (now known as AsiaTown). He spearheaded efforts to provide much-needed housing for elderly Chinese Americans that resulted in the Asian Evergreen Apartments on Payne Avenue, launched a meal program serving over 50 seniors per day at Li Wah, and led English language classes at the Cleveland Chinese Christian Church.

Photos and videos of the Stanley Eng ceremony