Geography America – Giant Traveling Maps Program

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giant-traveling-mapThe public programming section of the National Geographic Society, National Geographic Live, has a project to promote geography America in schools.  The plan – that began around six years ago – was set up to help students learn about geography America on a much larger scale than they have been to date.  Indeed, at the Schuylkill Valley Middle School in Leesport, PA, students are going to be benefiting from a 35 by 26 foot map of North America thanks to the Giant Traveling Maps Program.  Sixth graders have been using the map to study longitude and latitude Friday.

As well as being a map, there are America geography adventures, world atlases, interactive games and more that enable students to learn about the continent’s physical characteristics, culture and history.  While initially the map just had Africa, it has since expanded and now includes North America, Asia, South America, Europe and the Pacific Ocean.

This project is proving to be a fun way for kids to interactively learn about geography America.

Society America: Scientific Data

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Since 2008, individuals – both professional and volunteers – interested in various scientific aspects of society America have been working toward gaining data on the “important phases in the annual life cycles of plants and animals.”  This has been coordinated through ‘Nature’s Notebook,’ a multi-taxa phenology observation program based in Virginia.  The idea behind the program is, that to understand the animals in American society, the USA National Phenology Network is investigating both plant and animal activity throughout the nation. Today, the program boasts over 2,500 active participants and contributions from 2.3 million people.

Just two weeks ago, a presentation was held to publicize these findings.  Held at the Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey in Virginia at the Office of Communications and Publishing, the presentation provided a general overview of the network, its partners and participants as well as local and national-scale projects.  It also looked at invasive species, as well as trends in phenology in the past and what is likely to happen in this realm in the future.

Geography America: Supermarket Watch

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To form an understanding of the diversity in geography America’s landscape, one angle is assessing the country’s food and supermarket changes over the years over various regions.  There are many different types of supermarkets, based often on the nation’s geographical boundaries and preferences.  But even so, the staples carried in the markets are largely the same throughout geography America. 

In an IBISWorld report published in April 2013, it was found that American markets and grocery stores have encountered both quantity and quality decline since 2008, impacting geography America’s economic outlook.  This has been connected to the recession which has impacted employment and thereafter household disposable income.  In turn, this has led to escalated spending on generic brands and discounted items. 

When the economy is affected, supermarkets have to respond.  Thus Walmart and Costco – which were already appealing to those with lower disposable incomes – throughout America are faring well, increasing profit margins.  When the economy started showing signs of recovery, supermarkets were able to increase prices.

But in terms of popular food items throughout the country, when it comes to brands, there is a larger geography of food that needs to be considered.  For example, in the south and western parts of the nation, one will find a particular type of corn chip to be very popular.  But then in other geographical parts of America, there are certain chips that can only be found there and not in other areas of geography America.  It seems that those who live by the Potomac River are not fans of sweet teas but in other geographical areas that is not the case.

Nonetheless, it is not all about differences when it comes to assessing geographical America’s supermarkets.  Indeed, due to advanced transportation capacities, grocery stores are actually quite similar throughout the nation.  They still all have shopping carts – that were invented nearly 80 years ago and most of them boast their own bakeries as well, usually placed far away from the door so that the smell of freshly baked goodies permeates to all who enter the market.  Indeed, there is also a concept of supermarket geography America which translates into a study of where the items are placed in the market, for it to gain the highest profit margin.

Geography America

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Geography America has undergone significant changes since the Great Recession, most notably from 2007.   Various suburbs – especially those in the Southern region – are turning into slums as many individuals are returning to dense core cities. Also of note is what was discovered by demographer Wendell Cox in his analysis. Almost all 20 states that gained additional residents between 2007 and 2012 are found in suburbs from larger cities, mostly California, except Portland. What this means when analyzing geography America is that expansion is developing the fastest in the Southern region, suburban cities and municipalities that are more spread-out.

Further, the study did not reveal a revival of the older, dense cities.  Most cities that grew significantly after 2007 were in the Southern region, such as El Paso, Raleigh and Ft. Worth, and out of the metropolitan areas like Bakersfield, Durham and Corpus Christi.  In addition, suburban cities performed very well including: Irvine (that came in third place); Fremont and Oxnard.

One analyzing current geography America trends can learn the following from these results:  Americans are still moving to more spacious cities that have opportunities for job creation and it is easier to get into schools because they are less populated.  Even if one just looks at the migration figures between 2010 and 2012, it seems to suggest that suburban areas are still the most attractive and the denser the area, the lower the popularity.  Even though there has been a slight decline in growth of suburban locales in the last decade, compared to other areas, these regions have still witnessed a substantial increase.

Anthropology: America’s Immigrants

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america anthropologyTaking a look at news on the subject of anthropology America, it seems that according to a new report put together by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, US immigrants are arriving from different regions than they were say 20 years ago.  It has been a slow but steady change.  In the early 1990s, the country’s immigrants hailed mainly from Europe and Latin America. These days though, there is a higher proportion coming from both Africa and Asia.  These figures should only be taken into account however, when examining the legal ramifications of anthropology America’s fluctuations over the years.  These figures just cover the legal immigrants and it has been estimated by the Pew foundation that there are over 11 million unauthorized immigrants in America, most of whom hail from the Caribbean and Latin America.

Even though there has been and continues to be a large influx of illegal immigrants in American society, it should be noted that the greatest amount of foreign-born individuals in America (around 75 percent) are legal immigrants, a trend that is continuing.  As well, since around 2007 when looking at anthropological movements in America, the amount of illegal immigrants has decreased.  It is unsure however whether this is due to the country’s less-than-stable economy or because of more effective law enforcement.

Rejuvenation of Ecosystems

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Two US ecosystems – that have for a long while been nothing more than relics – have recently been designated by the National Park Service as national natural landmarks.  The landmarks are the Wade Tract Preserve (southern Georgia) and the Zumwalt Prairie (Oregon).  According to Jonathan B. Jarvis, Director of the National Park Service, being designated in this way is akin to gaining of recognition of being one of the US’s “extraordinary landscapes.” Further, according to scientific experts, the Wade Tract Preserve is reminiscent of what this part of America would have looked like when the Europeans colonized it.  Some trees there are over three hundred years old.

The Zumwalt Prairie is where large groups of mammals, birds and prey make their home and owned by The Nature Conservancy which bought 27,000 acres of it in 2000 (marking Oregon’s largest acquisition in its history.  A further 6,065 acres were added six years later, rendering it Oregon’s largest private nature sanctuary.    the area has been surveyed, monitored and investigated in the hope of forming a better understanding of how to protect sensitive species.

It is all the more fitting that today, April 22, is Earth Day.

Chicago Exhibit of Lascaux Cave Paintings

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For the first time ever in America, cave paintings of Lascaux are being exhibited.  Until now, they have only ever been viewed for the public in France, at the Conseil General of Dordogne, but now the state of Illinois will be home to the exhibit, in replica form of course.  Given that the cave has been closed to the public since 1963, the only way they can be viewed is in their replica format, which has been copied very accurately.  Closing the exhibition was seen as the best way to preserve the ancient masterpieces.

The new traveling exhibit is purposely dimly lit so that visitors can feel as if they are walking through the cave.  Standing underneath rugged panels they can imagine how cave dwellers at the time used the stone wall contours to enhance perspective and depth to the images. 

It was decided that this exhibit would be seen in other parts of the world, as French Senator and president of the Counseil General of Dordogne, Bernard Cazeau, said that such a “global treasure” cannot be kept from worldwide appreciation and given that many are unable to come to the museum, with the new technology “I thought we could bring Lascaux to the world.”

In 1940, the caves were discovered by four boys who were exploring a deep depression caused by a falling tree near Montignac.  Today, they are seen as “the Sistine Chapel of prehistoric art,” being viewed by over a million people before it was closed to the public.  It is believed that the paintings are over 17,000 years old and even though they have been studied for close to 70 years, the purpose and meaning of them remain unrevealed.

It is intended that the tour will make stops at Canada, Houston, Montreal and Texas.

Panama Discovery

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A dozen stones were recently discovered in the archaeological mound of Casita de Piedra, at the Isthmus of Panama. It marks the earliest evidence of practicing shamanism in Central America. The question is, why were stones brought in bags around 4,000 years ago?

According to some Panamanian historians, these were used in the practice or shamans, or healers. Indeed, Geologist Stewart Redwood maintains that they were taken from Panama’s gold mining area (known as the Cordillera Central). While there was no sign of gold found on them, these Casita de Piedra stones did have magnetite – a black mineral boasting strong magnetic properties that can deflect a compass needle.

Casita de Piedra was the place where many Native American peoples lived: Ngäbe, Buglé, Bribri, Cabécar and the extinct tribe of Dorasque. These stones – as well as being used by healers – also formed part of legends of contemporary Indians.

Grand Central Centennial

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The Grand Central rail terminal is approaching 100 years.  On Friday 8th February, it will be marking this milestone with a celebration of speeches, a brass band and a cake depicting the infamous multi-million dollar clock.  This date is exactly 100 years to the day of when the station master received the key to Grand Central, midtown Manhattan.     Another way the centennial is being marked is by switching the prices they had that day in 1913: 19 cents for a slice of cheesecake and 10 cents for a shoeshine!

One hundred years following its inception, the terminal is still one of the most visited tourist attractions in the world, with a special interest for lovers of architecture.  It was built in the style of Beaux Arts by the Vanderbilt family, but is modern enough to be of efficient service to New York’s commuters. Indeed, around 750,000 people pass through every day.

Grand Central Station boasts a great deal of history.  In the 1970s it was only due to the late Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis’ hard work that it was saved from being turned into an office tower.   In 1978 the US Supreme Court ruled in favor of maintaining the station on the basis that cities are well within their rights to protect historic buildings.

This really is quite a milestone.  As Michael Bloomberg, the city’s Mayor pointed out, “it’s not easy to last 100 years in a city of constant change,” but Grand Central Station has done it.

Las Vegas Fossils

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In June 2012, two interesting, somewhat unique fossils were discovered in Las Vegas.  It is said that they belonged to a saber-toothed cat and were unearthed by a team of paleontologists from San Bernardino County Museum, CA. It is believed that the fossils are front leg bones of the cat which existed from 42 million to 11,000 years ago. According to the senior curator of the museum, Kathleen Springer, it is estimated that the fossils are around 15,590 years old.  They had foot-long fangs, a bobbed tail, and a sleek body that was a bit like a large version of today's housecats.

It is believed that this finding is the first ever to be unearthed in Upper Las Vegas Wash – an area of approximately 23,000 acres of land containing fossils from 200,000 years ago.  For over ten years, Springer has been guiding a team that has been examining the wash and assembling fossils there.  She has been doing this within the terms of the contract the museum signed in 2008 with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.  The next step is to continue the study of these bones – those that belong to the only-known saber-toothed cat in the region. It was asked why they hadn’t been dug up in the region until now, but that is probably because in general, there are less predators than prey.   At some point in the future, it is hoped that they will be displayed.