It is refreshing to see democracy alive and kicking in Iran — a country known for its ultra-strict religious political structure. The aftermath of the June 12 elections is really taking a toll on Iran's government (and I'm not just talking about its image).

Reading between the lines, a major (yet unspoken) concern is over the country's stability and the safety of Iran's nuclear and missile facilities.

To understand the scope of the situation, one must brush up on Iranian history first. Here are a couple of wire graphics to help you out. And then you can check out my News Illustrated page (coming out Sunday) to understand the political hierarchy and why there is growing international concern.

If you want more, the New York Times has a nice page filled with stories and summaries that I used as reference. Or you can visit Global Security or the Federation of American Scientists to get more information about Iran's nuclear and missile programs.

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Ready for the switch to digital TV? If you need to buy a converter box or need help hooking one up, download our News Illustrated page that you see below.

It explains the difference between analog and digital broadcasting, how converter boxes work and how to hook them up.

You can still apply for a coupon for $40 off a digital-to-analog converter box. But be warned, it typically takes nine business days to process the request and mail out the coupons.

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Extremely dry conditions have contributed to the fires that closed Alligator Alley and could lead to more throughout the state. One of the main indicators of these conditions is the drought index map below. It is updated daily and can be found at can be found at the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

HOW TO READ THE MAPS
601-800 Associated with severe drought. Live fuels burn actively, creating intense, deep burning fires.
401-600 Plant leaves, twigs, etc. (whole or decomposing) burn intensely.
201-400 Plant leaves, twigs, etc. (whole or decomposing) are drying and beginning to contribute to fire intensity.
0-200 Moisture levels are high and do not contribute significantly to fire intensity.

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How long will it take me to get over the first black president being elected by these United States? I have no idea, but I am happy to be alive for this historic moment in American history. Take a look at other historic African-American firsts on blackpast.org.

		FOR MORE INFORMATION Download my News Illustrated page from this Sunday's Sun-Sentinel.

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January 28, 2009

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Shaping a community Economic and politics have helped boost Cuban immigration for almost 50 years, helping shape South Florida's image.

The birth of a revolution Fulgencio Batista ruled Cuba through a succession of puppet presidents and then seized power in 1952. His regime provoked years of violent opposition that propelled Fidel Castro to power.

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The death penalty has been around since 1608. Since then, changes have constantly been made to laws to ensure that the death penalty is carried out in a way that is constitutional and doesn't fall under cruel and unusual punishment. While it once enjoyed days where it was pretty popular, it now seems to be losing support. There have been a lot of developments in the past few years that suggest the death penalty is on its way out. For example:

- A number of states, including Maryland, Connecticut, Nebraska, Virginia and Alabama, introduced bills to abolish the death penalty this year. To date, none of these have passed, but it is obviously on lawmakers' minds.

- The number of death sentences handed down has decreased steadily from 306 in 1998 to an estimated 111 this year.

For more on the death penalty, its potential fate and its costs, check out my News Illustrated page on the back of the Outlook section on Sunday.

There are also some videos about the experiences of those who have been exonerated and about exploring the death penalty on the Death Penalty Information Center's website.

Also, to find facts about the death penalty by state, use this map on the Death Penalty Information Centers' website . Below is the information on Florida.

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My name is Alex Bordens and for the past five months or so I have had the pleasure of being the graphics intern. The position has allowed me to learn and try new things, including the interactive graphic below explaining Governor Crist’s trip to Europe (click the image to open the feature) The graphic on the governor’s spending shows how tons of information can be displayed at one time, yet in a simple manner.
 

A professor from college told me that design either needs to be blatantly complex or so simple someone would think, hey I can do that. In this case simplicity is king. There is so much information that it was important not to over emphasize the small things. Let the numbers be what the reader remembers not the design.
 
The project may have looked simple but it was very complex to develop­­ — at least for a beginner programmer. It was one of those projects that when it is over you feel like you accomplished something. Although there may have been an easier way to build some of the components, it was worth the struggle. Together they made the project seamless. They made the project simple.

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MIAMI-DADE COUNTY
Express lanes will begin charging tolls Friday, Dec. 5 on Interstate 95.
For some people travel will be free: registered carpools with three or more occupants, registered hybrid vehicles, motorcycles, emergency vehicles and buses. Drivers will be able to use their SunPass for these lanes, although the amount will vary depending on road congestion. Costs will generally be 25 cents to $2.65 to travel from downtown Miami to the Golden Glades interchange.

BROWARD COUNTY
Construction scheduled to begin in 2010.

MORE INFORMATION
See the Express Lanes site by the Florida Department of Transportation.

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Talks between Gov. Charlie Christ and U.S. Sugar Corp. have now shifted gears to include ethanol production on the land to be used in the Everglades restoration. Lindsay Dubois recently did a full-page graphic on Brazil's role in the world's ethanol production and how the the rise in ethanol use in the U.S. will affect us.

Here is part of the graphic. Click graphic to enlarge.

Download the News Illustrated page to read all the details. • Ethanol production in the U.S. • How does ethanol compare to gas in cost • Flexible fuel vehicles • History of Brazil and ethanol

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The Pentagon memorial, dedicated to the victims of American Airlines Flight 77 and people at the Pentagon, is now open to the public. The memorial park has 184 inscribed memorial benches, one for each person that died.

GRAPHICS

UPDATE: GET THE GRAPHIC This News Illustrated page has all the details on the Pentagon Memorial. THE EDGE, our multimedia gallery has many more News Illustrated graphics. Once there, select the News Illustrated tab and download page.

An interactive graphic allows users to see details of the park and search for individual victims, by the Washington Post.

VIDEO

The couple that designed the memorial talks about different features in the park and how truly special it is.

VISITING THE MEMORIAL

An interactive map shows landmarks around the memorial park and the Pentagon in case you would like visit.

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Well, the state is down to the wire on elections and now we find out that more than 30,000 felons are illegally registered to vote in the upcoming election. Florida's elections chief, Secretary of State Kurt Browning, says that his staff has failed to remove thousands of ineligible felons because of they are short of workers and swamped with new registrations.

To give you a better scope of the issue we put together an interactive map that shows the number of felons registered to vote by zip code.

Read more on this story.

Credit for the interactive: Lindsay Dubois, Alex Bordens, Dana Williams

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Are you curious about how different states' electoral votes could affect the outcome of the presidential race in November? Well, we have a handy interactive that will do the math for you. You can click on a state, select a winner and see who would win overall as a result. You can also compare it to the electoral winners from the 2004 election. It's pretty cool. Click here to check it out.

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Good grief!

According to the Treasury Department, our total national debt is $9.79 trillion! And according to the National Debt Clock, that averages to $32,126.51 per U.S. citizen (does that include my unborn child?). Seems like the government has been spending money faster than the women on Bravo's The Real Housewives series.

So naturally, the next question comes to mind: If the $700 billion bailout plan is approved, how will it affect the national debt?

I don't have an answer causes I'm not an economist. But at least I can have a little fun while the Wall Street crisis continues. Enter School House Rock's "Tyrannosaurus Debt." I like how it just sums everything up ...





But don't fret just yet! I found this graphic on the AP wire that kind of puts our public debt in a positive light, if you compare it against our Gross Domestic Product. It's a little comforting ...

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Can you imagine riding a train that goes more than 350 miles per hour? That's faster than current high-speed trains, and a cheaper ride than in an airplane (think about the money you save if you don't have to check in a bag or pay for peanuts).

What's so great about these, you ask? Well for starters ... they FLOAT (yes, float!) on tracks and use magnets to guide them along, creating less friction which makes for a faster ride. How can you not get excited about that?

There are three magnetically levitating trains (or maglevs) in existence, but only China has the first working system. The other two are either a test track or still in planning phase (as evidenced in the photo above).

As for the United States, there are several proposed routes in Los Angeles, Baltimore, Pittsburgh and even Atlanta. There was even a proposed route in Florida back in the late 1990s, linking Port Canaveral to the Kennedy Space Center and eventually to Orlando, but the project is stalled due to a lack of fundraising.

And finally, there's even a site dedicated to putting a maglev in the country.

But the problem is they cost so much to build — try billions of dollars — because of new tracks. But we may be closer to getting our first maglev, since a proposed Los Angeles-Las Vegas route got a huge federal grant this summer.

Take a look at this Sunday's News Illustrated to find out more about how maglevs work and where these routes could take place.

Meanwhile, to wet your appetite, check out this wire graphic that compares maglevs to other existing high-speed trains.

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I think we're all aware of the stock crisis that's been exploding this week — all thanks to that pesky little problem called the housing market.

It was also announced this week that the Federal Reserve would bail out AIG, and I heard on NPR this morning that they're considering doing more. So that got me thinking: Just how many of these has the Feds done?

Voila! AP comes to my rescue, and they sent out a chart yesterday explaining its history. And while we're at it, let's do a review of the top banks in America and look at how many billions both the Federal Reserve and world banks are investing to keep this ship from sinking.

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The Navy along with the Coast Guard finished their surveillance test of the Florida Straits using a blimp. You might be wondering "what good is a slow moving blimp." Well, this was not just any blimp advertising your favorite energy drink. This was a custom fitted "Skyship 600," equipped with a special infrared camera, a powerful radar, two Porsche engines and a large gondola with enough room to fit special equipment.

The main advantage of the blimp is that it can remain airborne for extended periods of time which helps to save on fuel dollars. During its 6-week test the blimp produce great results and actually helped officials spot migrants on two different occasions.

The blimp could possibly be used to patrol the Straits and help protect the U.S. borders in the future.

You can download the News Illustrated page here.

Learn more about the blimp at Airship Management Services, Inc or check out airshipoperations.com.

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Meteorologists at the National Hurricane Center study a wide array of data and use experience and intuition to predict a hurricane’s future path. Computer-generated weather models and measurements gathered by Hurricane Hunter aircraft play a major role. Here’s how some of the models work:

CLIPER CLImatology and PERsistence; National Hurricane Center
Type: Statistical model
How it works: Compares a storm to historically similar storms.

NHC981998 National Hurricane Center model, National Hurricane Center
Type: Combined model
How it works: Combines the CLIPER and GFS models. 

GFS Global Forecast System, National Centers for Environmental Prediction
Type: Dynamic model
How it works: Creates worldwide forecasts by plotting the storm on a large grid that covers the globe. Readings from the grid points nearest the storm are combined with known values consistent with hurricanes, such as convection.

BAM Beta and Advection Model, National Hurricane Center
Type: Dynamic model
How it works: Follows a vortex placed in the storm’s current position and corrects errors caused by the earth’s spin not accounted for in the GFS trajectory. Three types of BAM models:
BAMS (Shallow): For winds 5,000 to 10,000 feet
BAMM (Medium): For winds 10,000 to 24,500 feet
BAMD (Deep): For winds 24,500 to 47,000 feet

GFDL Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory
Type: Dynamic baroclinic model
How it works: This model, developed specifically for hurricane prediction, uses a grid similar to GFS. It adds smaller grids over the storm to compute additional data. Meteorologists give this model significant weight.

NOGAPS Naval Operational Global Atmospheric Prediction System, Naval Research Laboratory
Type: Dynamic global model
How it works: This model uses parameters of physical processes and a bogussing, or faking, scheme for a tropical cyclone.

UKMET United Kingdom Meteorological Office
Type: Dynamic Global model
How it works: Like the NOGAPS and GFS models, the UKMET includes extensive readings and a bogussing system.

GUNS Ensemble Naval Research Laboratory
Type: Combined model
How it works: This model averages the GFDL, UKMET and NOGAPS tracks. It is more accurate at 24, 48 and 72 hours than the best of individual models.

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The Olympics is just around the corner. Athletes from around the world will test their skills in Beijing. But with all the excitement surrounding the games, China's relationship with Tibet has become a big issue. Protests have sprung up around the world and human rights leaders and journalists have been detained.

The News Illustrated takes a look at the history behind the conflict. You can download it here.

You can find out more at freetibet.org.

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Now that the death penalty has started up again in Florida, here is a glance at past executions and some of those who are on death row. For more, visit the Florida Department of Corrections.

Here are two men on death row. They are from Broward and Palm Beach Counties. Click on them to learn more. To search for others, click here.

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UPDATE, TAKE TWO (April 1, 2009): Here is the map of the latest proposal to buy US Sugar land. You can get the story on the new deal here.

UPDATE: Here's the latest map illustrating Florida's plan to buy US Sugar and create a natural flow for water into the everglades. Get the full story.

Here's a couple graphics from our archives that relate to the recent story on the state purchasing land in the EAA.
Graphics locate government-owned property in the EAA and diagram the "River of Grass" through the Everglades.

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Now that the presidential horse race between McCain and Obama is under way, it's time to get yourself on over to Pollster. Yeah, Yeah, we know...

Don't polls have a huge margin of error? Sort of.

Don't polls talk to ridiculously small groups of people? Not really.

How do I know which poll is right? You can't know for sure, but Pollster can help...

Pollster simplifies things by charting results from many polls to show a general trend. It doesn't make them right. It just makes a lot of sense.

Here are two examples:

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If you didn't catch my News Illustrated page on Sunday, you can find it here.

For more information on the crime in your city, you can find PDFs of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement's Uniform Crime Report here. There is information about the number of each type of crime by city, county and state and also information about arrests.

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So we're trying something new. We're offering up some of our graphics as widgets you can add to your web site, Facebook, MySpace, etc. First one out of the gate is a small version of the Crist-O-Meter, a graphic we posted a little while back. Editors monitor news stories and update Charlie's chances of being McCain's running mate.

To get it, click on the "get and share" button on the bottom of the graphic. All the necessary code will be provided.

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Oh great! Recent news confirms Broward County lost some residents since 2006, but what about the other counties?

Check out this Flash graphic we did earlier this year that shows Florida's population in more detail. Click on any county you want to learn more about its population change between 2006 and 2007.

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The new $5 dollar bill has been in circulation since March. You can protect yourself from counterfeits by learning its security features. The U.S. Department of the Treasury has put together the interactive graphic below showing what the new $5 bill looks like. To see the $10, $20, and $50, go to the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing site.

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The HBO movie Recount premiers this weekend.

We expected to find a better explainer of the infamous Palm Beach County Butterfly Ballot on their Web site but didn't. Fortunately for you, we reproduced the actual ballot back in 2000 to let readers see if they would have voted correctly. Try it out, if you dare.

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Who said politics can't be fun? Our Crist-O-Meter, an idea from Managing Editor Sharon Rosenhause, ranks Chuck's likelihood of becoming McCain's running mate. It's updated by Sun-Sentinel editors based on breaking news.

Is he getting closer to snagging the job? The Crist-O-Meter will let you know when his fortunes change!

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After spending 10 months traveling to Mars, the Phoenix lander will touch down on Mars this Sunday. NASA scientists will be biting their nails between the seven minutes it will take to land once it enters Mars' atmosphere.

So what is NASA doing this time? This wire graphic explains the mission and how the spacecraft will make its landing. The Phoenix's goal is to find evidence that life existed on the planet by studying soil and ice samples.

Need more? NASA has some great images and a blog, while the University of Arizona (the brains behind the ship) has a more in-depth site on the spacecraft and its mission.

But please, try to keep the theme music to "2001: A space odyssey" on low as you do the research.

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May 3rd was a disasterous day for Myanmar. Cyclone Nargis has left over 43,000 dead and over 27,000 are still missing. The strict military rulers are not making things easy. Borders closed off to the relief efforts and aid organizations are still waiting for visas.

Look for my News Illustrated page this Sunday in the Sun-Sentinel to learn about the country's troubled history.

Also check out United Nations to get more info or if you want to pitch in and help out, Red Cross is taking donations.

Photo: AFP/Getty Images

UPDATE: The cyclone's official death toll has surpassed 78,000 with another 56,000 missing. The United Nations continue to pressure the govenment to let in more aid workers. Survivors are in great need for help as they are faced with diseases and malnutrition.

In case you missed Sunday's Sun-Sentinel, you can download my News Illustrated page.

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Since we are at the height of fire season, we thought we would give you another way to keep track of the smoldering state we call home.

The map shows current fires in red and fires from throughout the year in yellow. The USDA Forest Service creates these maps for the entire United States. They also provide maps of fires for various regions and some individual states like Florida.

We also have a Google map with active fires.

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Over the weekend, the Sun-Sentinel published a report on violent crimes at 13 South Florida malls. Part of our online storytelling included a searchable database (above) that lets readers explore the information.

The database was compiled by reporters Brian Hass and Sofia Santana and editor Dana Williams. They examined more than 22,000 police reports, found that more than 500 cases were violent crimes and cataloged the details in a spreadsheet. It was handed off to the graphics department and I designed and programmed the interface in Flash with a ton of help from Multimedia Director R. Scott Horner, our Flash wiz.

The rest of the Flash package was produced by Karsten Ivey, Belinda Long-Ivey and Lindsay Dubois.

We are always tying to improve and would love to hear comments on your experience with the project. Was it easy to use? Could something have been better?

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A massive 7.8 earthquake struck China on Monday, possibly killing as many as 5,000 people. The quake hit at 2:28 EDT.

The U.S. Geological Survey monitors earthquakes around the world and offers detailed information. The maps are updated daily.

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If you didn't see Sunday's New Illustrated page on the Air Force's "Airborne Laser," you can download it here. The page explains how the plane shoots down ballistic missiles and gives an in-depth view on how its nose turret and chemical laser works.

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Ok so you may have been wondering when was the guy with the “flat head” ever going to do a post? Well here it is...

This video shows how the "nose turret" on an Air Force's Airborne Laser works, The ABL fires its powerful chemical laser through this turret to shoot down ballistic missiles in their boost phase.

Looks Sci-fi huh? Well guess what, it may become reality in a couple of years.

The ABL will be part of a missile defense system intended to protect U.S. territory from missile attacks. Contractors are currently working on this weapon which has so far totaled $4.3 billion. You can learn more about it in this Sundays News Illustrated page.

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May 14 marks the 60th anniversary of Israel's creation, so the Sun-Sentinel shared the stories of local survivors of the Israeli War of Independence in Sunday's Outlook section.

My contribution was a large historical map and timeline showing how much land Israel gained from 1946 (when the first plan to create an Israeli and Arab state emerged) to June 1949 (end of the war).

Yet, while the end result may look simple, rest assured this was a beast to put together. I had a book of historical maps as my source material, with a goal to fit 12 maps into one. But what is the best way to compact nearly 3 years of history and still make it look good?

I went through about three or four sketches before coming up with my final one, but even then I spent a week tweaking, editing and redesigning the page to make the story flow correctly.

My biggest concern was repeating too much information. For example, is it important to include a mini map of Israel's current boundaries? Or do I add them in the big map to show context but keep it subtle (I eventually chose this option).

The moral of my story is that even with your best planning, the end result doesn't always turn out like the final sketch. See for yourself by comparing my sketches with the final page:

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With Fleet Week nearly upon us, we thought we would trot out a guide to reading a sailor's uniform. The page dates from 2004 and serves as a guide to rank and medals.

Of course, if you would rather know the ranks and insignias for the Marines, you can find them here.

Anchors away!

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Noel's actual path superimposed on a 5-day forecast.

With the National Hurricane Center's push to extend their forecast to seven days, we decided to take a quick look at Noel, a tropical storm that threatened Florida last year. The track veers wildly at times, but it mostly stays within the forecast cone. Noel became a hurricane after passing over the Bahamas.

You can view the NHC's animation of Noel forecast maps or the report for the entire 2007 hurricane season.

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Promotional rendering of The Wave transit system

Fort Lauderdale has decided to ante up part of the money ($37.5 million) for a proposed light rail loop downtown. I can't wait for the sourdough bread and clam chowder.

You can download the city's promotional materials and map of where the train would go or watch a short video of what the intersection of Andrews Avenue and 2nd Street could look like.

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Forecasters are warning of an intense hurricane season this year. So we thought we would offer you a look at sea surface temperatures, a contributor to hurricane formation and intensity.

The images below compare three years of records for March 31. While 2008 doesn't look bad yet, there is still plenty of time for oceans to heat up. The images are produced daily by NOAA, so you can check on them at any time.

Also, check out Ken Kaye's Storm Center for regular updates on hurricane coverage.

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I built the really awesome interactive map above so that you can see how the population has changed in Florida from 2006 to 2007. It's pretty neat to see what is going on in your neck of the woods.

If you find all this interesting and want more, here is a link to a U.S. and World population counter. It's always updating, so you can watch the world grow right from your computer.

Here is another really cool link that tells you the number of people of people being born, dying, etc. every few seconds. Not terribly useful for everyday life, but definately cool trivia to know. There are also some world population numbers.

If you want to see the changes as they happen, here is the place for an RSS feed.

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The map above was produced with data from the Iraq Coalition Casualty Count web site. Once you are there, click on a state to get detailed information. It has city-by-city details of forces who have died or been injured in Iraq. The information is collected from several sources, including Centcom, the Multi-National Force of Iraq, news reports and the Department of Defense. All reports must be confirmed by the Department of Defense to be counted.

Who's doing the counting? Here's an excerpt from the site:

This site is maintained by amateurs. We have no affiliation with the government, think tanks, or news organizations. The site is maintained during the early morning hours, late at night, and during lunch breaks. This site is provided as a free service and is self financed with cost off set by user donations.

Their records match the Department of Defense in most cases. Casualties that have not yet been confirmed are listed but identified as such.

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Hello and welcome to one of the Sun-Sentinel's newest blogs. Rather than bore you with who we are and why we're here (check About This Blog if you really want to know), here's some examples of what we do and what you can expect.

You may have seen the Florida property tax calculator before. We struggled to explain how portability would affect individuals (including us — we have homes, too). So Karsten Ivey built a calculator to figure it out. It made his brain bleed a little, but the end result is simple to use and informative.

Some graphics just work better when you can play with the information. This Lake Okeechobee water level graphic lets you scroll on a timeline and watch lake levels change.

A Broward County and Palm Beach County home foreclosures graphic lets you investigate detailed information in your neighborhood. Go ahead, we'll wait.

You're back? Excellent! Did watch you the lunar eclipse in February? Well, we produced a total lunar eclipse graphic to help you plan your viewing.

Political junkie? We have you covered. We built a Florida primary election results map for the January primary. It updated every two minutes on election night. Look for more of these in November.

But we're not afraid to have fun.

Are you a snowbird? Did you come down and forget to leave? Well, we know there are somethings you can't help but miss. So check out our South Florida snowman builder. It's good for what ails you.

Or check out our Paper Airplane Garage. That's right, we actually got paid to play with paper airplanes so that you could too. Choose from several different models, customize their appearance then print them out and build 'em.

Well, now you've got an idea of the things we do.

Be sure to let us know what you think. And give us your ideas and requests. We'll try to so something with the best of them.

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