European Monarchs

Michael Badnarik was talking about Sweden on his radio show this morning. His co-host, who was calling from outside of Stockholm, mentioned that Sweden has a king. That got me to wondering how many EU or European nations still have monarchies. After perusing the net, I compiled this list:

European Union Monarchs:
UK - Elizabeth II
Sweden - Carl XVI Gustaf
Netherlands - Beatrix
Denmark - Margrethe II
Belgium - Albert II
Luxembourg - Duke Henri
Spain - Juan Carlos I

Other European Monarchs:
Norway - Harald V
Liechtenstein - Prince Hans-Adams II
Monaco - Prince Albert II

Most European countries were under a monarch or Emperor until the 19th or 20th centuries, save San Marino, which declared independence from the Roman Empire in 301 AD.

County Names

More trivial pursuits...

The State of Alabama has 67 counties.

Of the remaining southern states, the following have counties with the same name:

MS

MARSHALL
LEE
MONROE
CLAY
CALHOUN
MONTGOMERY
WASHINGTON
CLARKE
LOWNDES
LAUDERDALE
PERRY
GREENE
JEFFERSON
JACKSON
FRANKLIN
WINSTON
PIKE
CLAIBORNE*
COVINGTON
LAWRENCE
LAMAR
MARION

***************
GA


WALKER
CHEROKEE
PICKENS
FRANKLIN
JACKSON
MADISON
FAYETTE
LAMAR
MONROE
BIBB
MACON
SUMTER
WASHINTON
GREENE
MORGAN
CLARKE
DEKALB
PIKE
HOUSTON
JEFFERSON
BULLOCK
LOWNDES
CALHOUN
CLAY
RANDOLPH
LEE
COFFEE
MONTGOMERY
HENRY

***************
TN

LAUDERDALE
SHELBY
FAYETTE
MADISON
HENRY
PERRY
MONTGOMERY
LAWRENCE
MARSHALL
MACON
CLAY
DEKALB
COFFEE
MARION
JACKSON
MONROE
BLOUNT
CLAIBORNE*
GREEN
WASHINGTON
MORGAN

***************
FL

CALHOUN
CLAY
ESCAMBIA
FRANKLIN
JACKSON
JEFFERSON
LEE
MADISON
MARION
MONROE
SUMTER
WASHINGTON

***************
LA

JEFFERSON

***************
SC

CALHOUN
CHEROKEE
LEE
MARION
PICKENS
SUMTER

***************
NC

CHEROKEE
CLAY
FRANKLIN
GREENE
JACKSON
LEE
MACON
MADISON
MONTGOMERY
RANDOLPH
WASHINGTON

***************
VA

CLARKE
FRANKLIN
GREENE
HENRY
LEE
MADISON
MONTGOMERY
RUSSELL
WASHINGTON

***************
AR

CALHOUN
CLARKE
CLAY
CLEBURNE
DALLAS
FRANKLIN
GREENE
JACKSON
JEFFERSON
LAWRENCE
LEE
MADISON
MARION
MONROE
MONTGOMERY
PERRY
PIKE
RANDOLPH
WASHINGTON

***************
TX

CALHOUN
CHAMBERS
CHEROKEE
CLAY
DALLAS
FAYETTE
FRANKLIN
HALE
HOUSTON
JACKSON
JEFFERSON
LEE
LIMESTONE
MARION
MONTGOMERY
SHELBY
WALKER

***************
MO

BUTLER
CLARKE
CLAY
DALLAS
DEKALB
FRANKLIN
GREENE
HENRY
JACKSON
JEFFERSON
LAWRENCE
MACON
MARION
MONROE
MONTGOMERY
MORGAN
PERRY
PIKE
RANDOLPH
ST. CLAIR*
SHELBY
WASHINGTON

***************
OK

CHEROKEE
CHOCTAW
JACKSON
JEFFERSON
MARSHALL
WASHINGTON
***************
KY

BUTLER
CLARK*
FAYETTE
FRANKLIN
GREEN*
HENRY
JACKSON
JEFFERSON
LAWRENCE
LEE
MADISON
MARION
MARSHALL
MONROE
MONTGOMERY
MORGAN
PERRY
PIKE
RUSSELL
SHELBY
WASHINGTON

*=similar, but spelled differently

More Arcanery...

There are 21 states in the US that end with the letter 'A'.
5 end with the letter 'S'.
4ea end with either the letter 'E', 'N', or 'O'.
3 end with the letter 'I'.
2ea end with either 'D', 'T', or 'Y'.
1ea end with either 'G', 'H', or 'K'.

Every other letter in 'Alabama' is an A. If you take them away, it leaves my grandfather's initials, L B M, for Leon Bowers Morgan, bka L.B. Morgan.

The first letters of state names are more diverse. The only letters not represented are B, E, J, Q, X, Y and Z.

The letters represented are numbered as follows:
A=4
C=3
D=1
F=1
G=1
H=1
I=4
K=2
L=1
M=8
N=8
O=3
P=1
R=1
S=2
T=2
U=1
V=2
W=4

Enough inconsequent info for today...

Pandemic!

I assumed, at first, that my task in this game, like most games, was to save the world. In this case, from a pandemic disease. Wrong. Unlike most normal games, the objective of this game is to wipe out humanity. It's frighteningly fun.

Random World Facts

A few facts:

There are 6,912 known languages in the world.

China has 31 provinces, Russia 84, and Japan has 47.