Toronto, Ontario, Canada

The year is ending: one more revolution around the sun done, 730 hour-hand rotations replicated, an infinity of memories made. It's time for 2013 to recede into the museum of the mind. Soon, our remembrances of the year gone by will bear only slight resemblance to the reality that brought them into being. [2013]

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

In only a few hours, the new year will begin making its way around the world, time zone by time zone. For a brief moment, our planet will be divided between two different years. Then, even American Samoa will catch up, and 2013 will recede into the shadows. [2006]

Delhi, India

The Christian Era (C.E.) began with the birth of Jesus.  The Buddhist Era (B.E.) began with the parinirvada of Buddha.  The year on the Christian calendar is 2013 C.E., the year on the Buddhist calendar is 2556 B.E.  Who says ancient history is irrelevant?  Who says C.E. stands for Common Era?  [2011]

Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico

"Hey, Mom! I can't reach the bubbler." Fountains and band shells are to be expected on every plaza in Mexico. With their plazas, Mexican places combat placelessness and signal their quality of life. [2008]

Moab, Utah, USA

The shadows are closing in on 2013, and thoughts are now turning to New Year's resolutions: get more exercise, take a walk daily, eat less greasy food, end every day with ice cream, and make every minute count. [2013]

Schellsburg, Pennsylvania, USA

The L stands for Lincoln Highway, the country's first modern transcontinental connection. This year is its 100th anniversary. For the first time in 1913 it appeared on a map, and over the next decade it materialized on the landscape, less than half a century later to be supplanted by the Interstate Highway System. [2010]

Calhoun, Georgia, USA

The winter solstice, the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, was four days ago. Four days was just enough for the ancients to notice the days getting longer. That meant a celebration, accompanied by hymns of praise to the gods for not to taking away the sun completely.  Those pagan hymns have morphed into our Christmas carols. [2013]

Bethlehem, Palestine

The spire in the distance is the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, but the minaret of a mosque dominates the skyline. Are streets in the Holy Land laboratories of political geography? [1999]

Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

   Take pride in your stride.
Stand tall and preside
Over street-corner crossings
Where millions of Aussies
With satchel and sack
Rush to get back
To work on the hour.
   The sculpture presiding
The figure that's striding
Has an ego inflated,
A gait formulated,
To bump others aside
No pretense implied.
[2006]

Taipei, Taiwan

Feast your eyes on the dragon before the dragon feasts his teeth on you! From his rooftop perch, he could pounce at any time, and you would be defenseless. Just avoid the possibility completely: Stay away from Longshan Temple. [2012]

Pisté, Yucatan, Mexico

He's peddling into town to sell his wood. Perhaps it will be used for cooking. Here is evidence of Von Thünen's "second ring." It seems to still exist in some places. Haven't heard of Von Thünen? You need to take a human geography class! [2013]

East Gwillembury, Ontario, Canada

A maniac is buried here: both "topomaniac" (high on Toronto) and sports maniac (high on the Maple Leafs). He's gone, but his cap is right where it belongs: on his head(stone). [2010]

Victoria, Gozo, Malta

The pop culture pie includes a very large piece spiked with place-promoting propaganda. Think about your many shirts, socks, ties, scarves, and hats that refer to the places where you have lived or visited. "Gozomania" suggests a new term for the larger phenomenon: topomania. [2009]

Monte Carlo, Monaco

What activities give character to the place where you live? If you lived in Monaco, motor racing would be one of them. It contributes to the spirit of place and is perpetuated in popular culture. Hot hat, don't you think? [2008]

Mount Simeon, Syria

Western Syria was one of the most productive parts of the Byzantine Empire, though it hardly looks like it could have been when you see the condition of the land today. No soil is left, limestone bedrock presides over the surface, and only scrubby vegetation takes hold. The ruins, however, tell a different story. [1993]

Istanbul, Turkey

Everyone knows what Baroque meant to the architecture of Christian cathedrals. Here is an example of how the Baroque style influenced Islamic architecture. The small Ortaköy Mosque is almost 200 years old. It overlooks the Bosporus. [2010]

Bondi Beach, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Bondi Beach is one of the Southern Hemisphere's iconic surfing destinations. Bondi Bay is set up to intercept waves from the open ocean, shape them to the liking of surfer dudes, and hurl both waves and riders landward. Is this a January or a July snapshot of the beach? [2006]

Montgomery, Alabama, USA

Alabama joined the Union on December 14, 1819, which makes this year Alabama's 190th year of statehood. Check the math. If the numbers don't add up, remember that there were four years when Alabama was not united with the States of America. Its allegiance was to a different union. [2013]

Patong, Phuket Island, Thailand

The carrying pole makes agriculture in Von Thünen's inner ring a commercial success throughout East Asia. It minimizes capital investment and maximizes mobility. Her pole and baskets fit on trucks and buses for the trip to town. Once there, she can look around until she finds a market for her fragile eggs and perishable produce. [2011]

Sandown, Isle of Wight, England, UK

Over a dozen young scholars and a teacher: They're out walking the streets of Sandown. Where are you in this parade? Out front leading?  In the middle flirting?  At the end dragging? [2011]

Singapore, Republic of Singapore

City Plaza is one of the older mixed-use shopping malls in Singapore. It dates back to the early 1980s; not so old to some of us! Its stock in trade is its warm, oblique banding, easily seen from Orchard Road. In other words, it's branded by bands. [2011]

Gardner, Massachusetts, USA

The backdrop suggests work. The action suggests play. Let's not confuse the two. Work is work, and play is play, and never the twain shall meet. Then, again, this young scholar looks like he is working hard at play. [2013]

Oxford, Alabama, USA

Crashes to ashes, and rust to dust: That's what happens to the auto primeval, known as the beetle. For old VWs, it's the end of the road. Like their drivers human, none knew how long the road was, and few thought they would end up in Oxford, Alabama. [1985]

Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA

Define palette: "a thin board on which an artist mixes colors." Use palette in a sentence: "When using palette in a sentence, make sure you don't mean palate or pallet." Discuss the etymology of palette: derived from the Latin word "pala" which means "spade" or "blade." [2012]

Tlaquepaque, Jalisco, Mexico

Define pigment: "a powdered substance that is mixed with liquid and used to impart color." Use pigment in a sentence: "The greatest masterpieces were once only pigments on a palette." (Henry Hoskins) Discuss the etymology of pigment: derived from the Latin word "pigmentum," meaning "coloring matter." [2007]

Sosua, Dominican Republic

Define economic base: "any industry that brings money into a community." Use economic base in a sentence:  Art is part of the economic base of Sosua. Discuss the etymology of economic base: derived from two Greek words, "oikonomia" meaning "household management" and "basis" meaning "pedestal" (which is where we should put the arts). [1992]

Playa Del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico

Define gringo:  "a white person from an English-speaking country." Use gringo in a sentence: "All gringos look alike." Discuss the etymology of gringo: probably derived from "griego," the Castilian word for "Greek" as a signifier of someone who does not speak Spanish properly. [2013]

Madrid, Spain

Succulents: sucking up the sun.

Blinds: color of slime.

Felipe: looking down upon the street. 

Number five: with a Roman vibe. 

[2009]

Holyoke, Massachusetts, USA

They're fire escapes, not balconies; necessities, not amenities; settings for calamities, not festivities. Yet, a little green and a matrix of morning shadow give everyone a reason to lift their eyes and restore their spirits. [2013]

Denver, Colorado, USA

Denver: downtown. The mall: a stage. The sidewalk: a venue for shadow theatre. The upright: a canvas. The thrills of shopping: alive with music and performance. The arts: saved from snobbery. [2013]

Reedville, Virginia, USA

Packs of Christmas elves all over the country have been busy during the past month. They've been getting our streets ready for 'The Holidays,' which is what most of us still call Christmas. By this time, all the decorations, banners, and trees are up. Most people think they just appear and disappear by magic. Here is evidence they don't. [2013]