Tag: politics

  • Florida Primary

    —

    by

    Brendan Barry
    in

    The Republican primaries…they’re still going on…on the long inevitable road to Romney’s coronation. Next up is Florida, always an interesting state to watch. There are a lot of people there with a whole host of interesting demographic slices. Perhaps one of the most interesting ones, at least to the media, is the Hispanic vote. Other…

  • The Family Tree of Kim Jong Il

    —

    by

    Brendan Barry
    in

    Kim Jong Il is dead. And nobody really knows what is going to happen in North Korea. But, what we do have, is the interactive family tree of Kim Jong Il, courtesy of the BBC. Select individuals are clickable and have short biographical sketches. Unfortunately, the tree has been simplified for clarity and it does…

  • The Rise of Newt

    —

    by

    Brendan Barry
    in

    The Iowa caucuses are quickly approaching. And that means for many candidates a scramble to gain as many supporters as possible and then convert their poll ratings into votes. For the Republicans, this has been a truly topsy-turvy cycle with the distant refrain of “anyone but Mitt” echoing in the background. So, here we are…

  • The Finances of Social Security

    —

    by

    Brendan Barry
    in

    Simple graphs can tell great stories with little annotations. This graphic by the New York Times illustrates that point well with a stacked line chart set behind a line on the same scale. The two should match, or at least the red should be beneath the greys. When they don’t, you have a story and…

  • Technology Today

    —

    by

    Brendan Barry
    in

    Technology changes and changes rapidly. The United States led the way with cabled phone networks. Now, countries in Africa are skipping landlines and moving straight to mobile phones. The New York Times has an piece on the changes in technology and accompanies that piece with small multiples of choropleth maps that showcase different technologies and…

  • Campaign Ad Spends

    —

    by

    Brendan Barry
    in

    I don’t know about you, but to me, it’s beginning to look a lot like campaign season. At least from what I read on the internet. Because, according to this interactive piece by the Washington Post, there has been little local campaign spending on ads in the Chicago television market. By clicking on the left,…

  • Maps of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

    —

    by

    Brendan Barry
    in

    The Democratic Republic of the Congo is preparing for elections at the end of the month. For decades since independence from Belgium, the country has been beset by insurrection and civil war. Eastern portions of the country are all lawless and beyond the control of the government in the capital Kinshasa. Yet, DR Congo, which…

  • 363 Days

    —

    by

    Brendan Barry
    in

    We are now just under 365 days away from Election Day 2012. Without a doubt, I shall have many politically-themed graphics coming. People just have to start making them. But for now, the Economist kicked it off Monday—when it was 365 days—with a motion graphic piece that outlines some of the polling numbers and challenges…

  • Humanity’s Not So Finest Hours

    —

    by

    Brendan Barry
    in

    Humanity is amazing. We have great emotional power for love, sympathy, compassion, &c. We have great intellectual power; we have/are mastering mathematics and science to explore the depths of this ocean and the surfaces of planets not our own. Yet with these great powers comes a great responsibility. And as we continue to reflect upon…

  • Can a Republican Win the White House?

    —

    by

    Brendan Barry
    in

    It’s Election Day. Well, not really. But, Nate Silver and the New York Times have come together to release an election simulator, if you will, focused on the chances that a Republican will win the White House. You play with a few different variables to control the outcome: GDP growth and President Obama’s approval rating.…