Subject: URGENT – Funding for Social Studies — Civic Learning & History

This from our friends at the National Council for Social Studies. Please take a moment to read and act! It is critical that we raise every voice to ensure that critical funding is available for our schools. Many recent reports have shown the increased relevance and importance of Social Studies (and Geography) to the success of our children as they develop the skills that will make them successful and productive adults. Maps.com is committed to not only creating products and services that are an essential part of our children’s education, but also to promoting and advocating for the resources that our schools need.

Subject: URGENT – Funding for Social Studies — Civic Learning & History

Dear Supporter: We need your support for funding for civic learning and history.  A high-quality social studies education plays a vital role in preparing students for college, careers and citizenship.  In the next few days, members of Congress will submit their funding priorities to the Appropriations committees in the House and Senate for consideration as part of the Fiscal Year 2014 funding legislation. We urge you to be in touch with your members of Congress this weekend to ask them to support civic learning and history in the 2014 Budget.  Just the link at the bottom of this message and follow the prompts.  After you send your message, please do forward this message to your colleagues by using the prompts that will be provided. Thank you in advance for taking this important step! Ana Post Director of External Relations & Council Communications National Council for the Social Studies Click the link below to log in and send your message: http://www.votervoice.net/link/target/ncss/GW898q5F.aspx You have received this message because you have subscribed to a mailing list of National Council for the Social Studies. If you do not wish to receive periodic emails from this source, please click below to unsubscribe.

learn about how else you can help at the NCSS Advocacy page.

See also the following links for more about the increasing importance of geography to our collective future:

http://www.latimes.com/travel/la-tr-geography-main-20130407,0,2690536,full.story

http://blog.telemapics.com/?p=411

CAR-Tography

A UK design agency has reproduced the world map using outlines of Landrover’s familiar range of 4×4 vehicles.

Under the title ’70% of the world is covered by water, the rest is covered by Discovery’ this delightful marketing piece uses  irregularly shaped topography to accommodate its vehicle silhouettes. This is a great example of cartographic double entendre that is arguably more honest and open than many accepted or ‘real’ world maps in print.

This is not the first imaginative, travel-themed campaign adopted by Landrover, according to the Creative Review Blog. In 2011 they used a cluster of passport stamps in the shape of a Land Rover Vehicle as part of a print campaign.

What Cartographic Advertising favorites stick in your mind? Let us know in the comments.

Its that time of year when Geography People get to strut their stuff……

Geography Bee season is upon us, and this year Maps.com was lucky enough to take part at grass roots.

Instead of just writing about maps, geo-politics and an increasingly bizarre group of place-shaped kitchen products we elected to use our time more effectively by assisting in the early rounds of the National Geographic Geography Bee at our local school, Goleta Valley Junior High.

The results were inspirational. This is the second Geo Bee we have been involved with locally in recent weeks and once again it was a delight to see kids of school age up for geography.

You can read about it here at our Maps101 blog.

Apple + Maps needn’t = a crappy holiday gift.

This blog has something of a history of being slightly cynical about map-shaped things. Or at least reporting them in a cynical way. If anybody DID want to send us a skillet in the shape of Texas it would not be returned to sender.

One of the craftiest members of our team (and by that I mean artistic crafty) has been customizing iphones using old maps and we have to say the results are wonderful. The process is simple and looks equally good whether you are using maps of South Africa or San Francisco. Indeed, if you are seeking a gift for your favorite  couple you could even refer back to one of our recent stories using maps from Scotland and the American North West and wish them a Dull and Boring Christmas from the bottom of your heart.

Get the full story – including a detailed ‘how-to’ in the following video.

22 Crafts with Old Maps and Atlases

Our crafty friends over at Benchmark Maps have compiled a plethora of ways to make use of your old maps and atlases. You can do it with your new maps even. Just traipse over to the Maps.com store and buy more when you are done!

http://www.benchmarkmaps.com/blog/22-crafts-with-old-maps-and-atlases.html

Make your honey a map rose

In Theaters Now – Caught Mapping, The Movie.

Ever wondered what goes into a map? We let the cameras behind the scenes at Maps.com to reveal the intricate and detailed work of our expert draftsmen and scouts. Its truly amazing some of the tricks they use to ensure that maps can be updated almost every 2 weeks! All done unmindful of gruelling road and weather conditions.

Vacuum frames, glass negatives and zinc plates – Enjoy this 9 minute vintage movie all about mapping for the modern motorist, keeping pace with the rapid change of America’s roads.

Sandy. No, the other one. The Island.

An intrepid team of Aussie researchers set out to find the prize of explorers for centuries, undiscovered lands. In this case, it was a small-ish island shown on some maps as lying between Australia and New Caledonia. There was some disagreement as to whether the island even existed. You see, some maps showed it, including Google, while others did not, like nautical charts. Which was right? Why were there no records of inhabitants on this island or previous landfalls. Could this be where Amelia Earhart landed? Or where all those missing from the Bermuda Triangle were transported?

Of course not. That’s because the island doesn’t exist. When the ship arrived at the place that was supposed to be an island, all they found was water. About 1400 feet deep of the stuff. When asked, Google merely said that the World is a constantly changing place, so maybe it sunk, or something to that affect.

All we could surmise was that the grant that the Aussies had was specifically to pay for a boat expedition. It would have been too fast to consult satellite imagery or too easy to fly a plane over the area. Had to be a boat. Hope they went fishing too.

Get the real story here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-20442487?goback=%2Egde_1494267_member_188928862