Feb

29th 2008

2008 Statistical Abstract

Filed Under Data, United States | Leave a Comment

Compiled from various U.S. Government and private sources such as the Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bureau of Economic Analysis, the Statistical Abstract is the mother lode of statistics on many aspects of American life. Covering a range of such subjects as politics, economics, life expectancy, and marital status, the Statistical Abstract has been capturing an annual snapshot of the United States since 1878.

Feb

29th 2008

Electoral Geography 2.0

Filed Under Political Science, World | Leave a Comment

If you can’t get enough of the minutia of the current race for the democratic and republican parties, then the Electoral Geography 2.0 is a blog you need to have on your list of election sites to visit. The site lists the results for each state primary at the county level. The site isn’t just about the primaries in the United States. There are extensive results lists for other countries, most recently listing the Serbian and Cyprus presidential election results. Click on the “archives” and you can browse through election results dating back to 1910. Each page has a random map thumbnail you can click on to see a larger version. Unfortunately, a listing of all maps on the site was apparent and it would be nice to see accompanying text to discuss each map. If exploring the site leaves you hungry for more, the links tab provides further related sites.

Feb

27th 2008

Geography Songs

Filed Under Education | Leave a Comment

Learning through singing has been used as an effective tool.  The Songs for Teaching site has a lite of recommended songs for learning about geography.  The songs listed on this page link to lyrics for each of the pages with the option to either purchase the song via download or CD. 

Yakko Warner, who looks vaguely like Mickey Mouse, sings about the countries of the world in this animated clip from YouTube. 

Feb

18th 2008

How Do Shanty Towns Develop?

Filed Under Education, World | Leave a Comment

This educational animation created by the Staffordshire Learning Network (SLN) shows the four stages of shanty town development.  Shanty towns, also referred to as barrios, favelas, and squatter settlements, form when immigrants to a city without access to fixed housing, develop their own impoverished communities.  The animation takes the user through the different stages with clickable areas to learn more about the different aspect of how these impromptu developments come about.

Visit: Shanty Town 

Feb

14th 2008

Fun Facts About Valentine’s Day from the US Census

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Valentine’s Day 2008: Feb. 14

Opinions abound as to who was the original Valentine, with the most popular theory that he was a clergyman who was executed for secretly marrying couples in ancient Rome. Emperor Claudius II felt that marriage weakened his soldiers. In any event, in A.D. 496, Pope Gelasius set aside Feb. 14 to honor St. Valentine. Through the centuries, the Christian holiday became a time to exchange love messages, and St. Valentine became the patron saint of lovers. Esther Howland, a native of Massachusetts, is given credit for sending the first valentine cards in the 1840s. The spirit of love continues today as valentines are sent with sentimental verses, and children exchange valentine cards at school. Read more

Feb

06th 2008

Census Atlas of the United States

Filed Under Data, Map Collections, United States | Leave a Comment

atlascover.jpgAvailable in PDF format, the Census Atlas of the United States is the first comprehensive atlas produced by the United States Census Bureau in over 80 years.  The Atlas contains almost 800 maps which look at a range of cultural and socio-economic issues “ranging from language and ancestry characteristics to housing patterns and the geographic distribution of the population.”  The atlas can be downloaded by chapters which are arranged by subject matter.  If you don’t want to go through the trouble of downloading and printing out the 300 pages of statistics and maps you can always  from the U.S. Government Bookstore.