ITMB - Axis - Free Newsletter

AXIS OF EVIL MAPPING NEWSLETTER # 6, July, 2008

The Axis of Evil Mapping Newsletter is released irregularly. Any opinions expressed are strictly those of myself and are not intended to provoke anything more than the intellect.

INTRODUCTION

Lan has been in Hanoi, basking in pea-soup humidity and no doubt loving it. We spent a week in Japan, before she flew on to VN, researching possible new future projects and came up with the northern half of the country, central Japan as the second side to Tokyo, and a new map of Yokahama. Do any of you feel that these would be worthwhile, or have alternative suggestions? We’d love your input.

I am stuck in Vancouver for the next two months. August is our big ‘move’ month, when production staff and our warehouse staff officially move in to our new headquarters in Richmond, and I’m working long hours moving inventory, assembling shelves, and co-ordinating contractors (of whom there are too many).

One of the most interesting countries in Asia to visit is Japan. During our visit, we concentrated on the northern half of the country. We learned a few things that I’d like to pass on to you.

1. Teriyaki sauce does not exist in Japan; they’ve never heard of it. This is a staple ingedient of Japanese restaurants in North America – so where does it come from?

2. The oldest hotel in the world is in Japan. The Awasi Ryokan was founded in 731AD and has been in the same family’s ownership for 46 generations. We stayed there and met the owner – a great pleasure.

3. For a country the size of Japan, there is relatively little new construction going on.

4. The Japan Rail Pass is the best investment anyone planning on a trip to Japan could make. The country is larger than it appears to be on a map, and we were caught short several times by the distances taking longer to cover than expected. The ability of their computer system to arrange trips needing several changes of trains in seconds is amazing.

5. Prices, by North American standards, are not high. Apart from buying the pass before our flight, we spent less than $600 in nine days for the two of us (ryokan excepted – that was expensive).

6. When Admiral Peary and his fleet arrived in Japan in 1868 and ordered the Japanese to open their country to international trade, he also made a request for fresh meat for his sailors. Reluctantly, Japanese officials brought a cow to a nearby tree. One of the ship’s cooks butchered the animal in front of the horrified Japanese, who were even more aghast at the barbeque that followed. To this day, Japanese schoolchildren are bussed to the spot, called the Cow Killing Tree, to impress upon them the travesty of what the barbarians did. The tree, now protected by a fence, is a national outrage symbol 150 years later. Thus endeth the sermon on cultural sensitivity. This is a true story.

This will be our new address, come September. Please don’t use this address for communications yet – this is just an advance warning of the impending move. Actually, Moe and I figured out recently that this will be ITMB’s 10th move since 1980. We will be giving tours during the IMTA conference, probably on the Tuesday afternoon. 12300 consists of 2,800 sq ft of retail display space, a second storey for cartographic production, a separate warehouse complex of 15,000 sq ft, and a further 4,600 sq ft of offices and storage areas. The grand tour takes about an hour. It is proving to be an enormous undertaking to transfer our inventory of ITMB titles. With 320 titles in print, we are in the process of shifting almost 8,000 cartons of maps.

Who says that our industry is healthy? Some of us are doing all right, but others aren’t. Faced with declining sales for paper map products, and stiff competition from other Canadian map publishers, Rand McNally USA has thrown in the towel and sold its Canadian subsidiary, Rand McNally Canada, to its major competitor, Mapart (based in Oshawa, Ontario). This sale significantly affects the map trade in Canada, in that the production and sales of paper maps of Canadian cities and provinces are now concentrated in the hands of one company. Apparently, Mapart intends to maintain its new acquisition as a separate entity, under the name Canadian Cartographics, having somehow acquired that name from its long-time owner, and all staff positions are being retained. Rand McNally US titles will still be available from the newly-named company.

A few days ago, In Chilliwack, BC, a young tough with a penchant for stealing Ford F-150 pickup trucks, stole a Ford – to drive to his probation officer’s office for his weekly reporting session. A police vehicle checking licence plates noticed that this vehicle had recently been reported stolen, so followed the offender and saw him park in front of the probation office. When backup arrived, three big, burly policemen confronted the offender inside the office of the probation officer. This young man, apparently not willing to accept that the jig was up, pulled out a can of bear spray (a very strong form of pepper spray) and doused the three officers with enough spray to bring a grizzly to its knees, and tried to escape the premises. Talk about dumb. You’re in a building where everybody is an armed police official, in a closed office with three very large men, and you use a spray meant for the outdoors, designed to keep wild animals 20 metres away from you. The spray hit the wall, the three cops fell on top of the perpetrator, the vehicle was returned to its owner, and our bad guy is now awaiting trial for his – get this – 31st stolen car offence. What’s the kicker? Even though he has been convicted 30 times, lenient judges have always given him non-jail conditional sentences. Why? He’s 17.

The Fairmont Hotel Vancouver has now reached its quota of IMTA members registering and has honoured its contract with IMTA regarding the conference. We are now guaranteed that this will be the largest IMTA conference in years.

Wine Tasting, sponsored by G.M.Johnson and ITMB, Is planned for Saturday evening at MIA CASA, a sumptuous residence in east Vancouver. British Columbia is a major wine producing area and early-bird arrivals will be invited to partake of smaples of locally-produced wine in a congenial atmosphere, starting at 7:30.

Grouse Grind is the name of a 3,000 foot climb from sea level to the top of Grouse Mountain. Sponsored by Mussio Ventures, a local IMTA member and shared host of the conference, and led by Russel Mussio, energetic members/delegates/partners are welcome to join Russ and climb your hearts out!

Toast and Topics returns to its Monday morning spot of 7:30am, preparing IMTA delegates for the conference by posing questions relevant to the mapping industry over snacks and coffee, sponsored by the Spherical Concepts division of Herff Jones.

Traditional First Nations Drumming As a unique experience, we have encouraged elders of the local squamish nation to bless our conference with a traditional drumming experience.

The Sunday evening reception will include some entertainment, courtesy of ITMB. The reception is always popular, probably thanks to sponsored drinks and snacks.

The ESRI and Avenza workshops are filling up fast. We have booked three spots for our staff. This is a REAL bargain for training staff affordably and one of the benefits of being an IMTA member.

This will be a very busy conference, with 19 workshops, seminars, and presentations. Details from IMTA.

The conference banquet, included in the registration fee for exhibitors, is scheduled for Monday evening, September 15th. It is worth being an exhibitor, just for the add-ons. The stand is only a couple of hundred bucks!

Bowron Lakes Canoe Route (BC) Topo/Rec Map 1st Ed. 2008 1:50,000, on waterproof ITM paper ISBN 9781553418511 UPC 815534185143 $14.95cdn/us, E8.95 6.99GBP – last minute arrival, description to follow

Brisbane and Queensland Travel Reference Map 1st Ed. 2008 1:10,000/3,600,000 ISBN 9781553416265 UPC 815534162601 $12.95cdn/us, E8.95 6.99GBP – ITMB’s latest title explore’s Australia’s northeast, with a very detailed map of Brisbane on one side and an equally informative map covering the State of Queensland on the reverse. The city coverage is from Albion Park in the north to the university in the south. The bus-ways and river ferry routes are shown, as are the to-be-expected ITM features of hotles, shopping areas, parks, and rail lines. The detailed Queensland map is lifted from our ITM Australia map and actually cover NSW and South Australia as wel as Queensland. Printed double-sided, on paper; AVAILABLE.

Canadian Rockies Travel Reference Map 1st Ed. 2008 1:250,000 ISBN 9781553418887 UPC 815534188878 $14.95cdn/us, E8.95 6.99GBP – This is a fabulous map. The artwork consists of four complete Govt. of Canada Topographic maps (82J, K, N, and O) overprinted with hundreds of touristic attractions – camping sites, hiking trails, canoeing areas, wilderness lodges, youth hostels, golf courses – you name it, it’s there. Coverage is from the 50th parallel, just north of the American border, to Saskatchewan Crossing in Jasper National Park, and from Calgary in the east to Mount Revelstoke in the west. This map is a ‘must have’ for every map retailer. All the big names are included: Banff, Lake Louise, Maligne Lake, Columbia Icefield, Yoho, Kootenay, Kicking Horse Pass, the CPR spiral tunnels, Radium Hot Springs, Upper Arrow Lake – this is THE definitive map of the one and only Rockies (actually, the Rocky Mountain Range stretches from the Yukon down to New Mexico, but this is hype, so let’s forget reality for the moment).Printed double-sided on ITM plastic paper; AVAILABLE.

Cuba Travel Reference Map 5th Ed. 2008 1:600,000 ISBN 9781553411864 UPC 815534118622 $12.95cdn/us, E8.95 6.99GBP – Cuba is the hidden agenda in this year’s US election. Thus far, no candidate is making extreme statements about it. This is good, because with the withdrawl of Fidel from active politics, the government is starting to open its doors and effect some real changes. As a tourist destination, Cuba is without doubt the Number One attraction in the Caribbean. With easy access from Toronto, Mexico City, and the Bahamas, Cuba is within reach by everyone – even American running-dog imperialist war-mongers are welcomed. Hey, it’s Cuba, man; everyone parties! Printed on ITM plastic paper, double-sided; AVAILABLE.

Italy Travel Reference Map 2nd Ed. 2008 1:800,000 ISBN 9781553412588 UPC 815534125835 $12.95cdn/us, E8.95 6.99GBP – Italy is a favoured travel destination. Although its attraction is its ancient heritage, Italy is a modern country with an evolving infrastructure. This 2nd edition is greatly improved by the updates that have added new motorway and autoroute portions since the previous edition was prepared; AVAILABLE.

Jordan and Syria Travel Reference Map 2nd Ed. 2008 1:700,000/850,000 ISBN 9781553414247 UPC 815534142412 $12.95cdn/us, E8.95 6.99GBP – We have updated both countries, and issued them back-to-back, with Jordan on one side and a separate map of Syria (at a different scale) on the opposite side. The reason for this is that most travellers visiting the one country are probably also visiting the other on the same trip, so it saves them money as well as saving us paper. We still have a separate map of Syria for those wishing only that country. This map is printed double-sided, on paper, AVAILABLE.

Okanagan/Shuswap Travel Reference Map 1st Ed. 2008 1:200,000 waterproof ISBN 9781553418702 UPC 815534187000 $9.95cdn/us, E7.95 5.99GBP – The Okanagan is British Columbia’s paramount vacation area. Combine it with the equally popular Shuswap Lake region, and throw in the Arrow Lakes for good measure, and a real winner emerges. This double-sided map of BC’s interior continues our long-standing commitment to publishing original maps of interesting parts of Canada. Printed on paper, AVAILABLE.

Revelstoke National Park Region (BC) Topo/Rec Map 1st Ed. 2008 1:50,000 on ITM plastic paper ISBN 9781553418504 UPC 815534185068 $14.95cdn/us, E8.95 6.99GBP – last minute arrival, description to follow in August

Sri Lanka/Southern India Travel Reference Map 2nd Ed. 2008 1:475,000 waterproof ISBN 9781553414124 UPC 815534141286 $12.95cdn/us, E8.95 6.99GBP – We are pleased to re-introduce our Sri Lanka map, thoroughly updated, and having a detailed map of the southern portion of India on the reverse. Most travellers to Sri Lanka arrive there via India, and we felt that the combination of the country with the Tamil-language states ajacent to it will enhance travel prospects and give the customer more map for the same price; AVAILABLE.

Strathcona Plateau/Buttle Lake (BC) Topo/Rec Map 1st Ed. 2008 1:250,000/50,000 ISBN 9781553418528 UPC 815534185228 $14.95cdn/us, E8.95 6.99GBP – last minute arrival, description follows in Aug.

Tweedsmuir Provincial Park Region (BC) Topo/Rec Map 1st Ed. 2008 1:250,000 ISBN 9781553418894 UPC 815534188915 $14.95cdn/us, E8.95 6.99GBP – last minute arrival, description follows in Aug.

Belize Travel Reference Map, hard covered version (re-introduced) ISBN 9781553411352 $8.95cdn/us E6.95 4.99GBP – AVAILABLE.

Bhutan Travel Reference Map 3rd Edition 2008 1:380,000 ISBN 9781553411390 UPC 815534113900 $12.95cnd/us E8.95 6.99GBP ISBN change; AVAILABLE.

Cairo and Nile Delta Travel Reference Map 2nd Edition 2008 1:12,500/1:700,000 ISBN 9781553416258 UPC 815534162526 $12.95cdn/us E8.95 6.99GBP AVAILABLE.

Cariboo Chilcotin (BC) Travel Reference Map 1st Ed. 2008 1:300,000 ISBN 9781553419808 UPC 815534198044 $9.95cdn/us E7.95 5.99GBP – AVAILABLE.

Italy North EastTravel Reference Map 1st Edition 2008 1:250,000 ISBN 9781553410720 UPC 815534107268 $12.95cdn/us E8.95 6.99GBP – AVAILABLE.

Mexico North Travel Reference Map 3rd Edition 2008 1:300,000 ISBN 9781553415985 UPC 815534159854 $12.95cdn/us E8.95 6.99GBP – AVAILABLE.

Namibia Travel Reference Map 5th Edition 2008 1:1,600,000 ISBN 9781553413387 UPC 815534133878 $12.95cdn/us E8.95 6.99GBP – AVAILABLE.

Northwest Territories, Canada, Travel Reference Map 2nd Ed. 2008 1:1,300,000 ISBN 9781553418429 UPC 815534184252 $12.95cdn/us, E8.95 6.99GBP – AVAILABLE.

Peru South and Lima (re-introduced) Travel Reference Map 1st Edition ISBN 9781553413653 $10.95cdn/us E7.95 5.99GBP – AVAILABLE.

Sicily Travel Reference Map 1st Edition 2008 1:250,000 ISBN 9781553410713 UPC 815534107183 $12.95cdn/us E8.95 6.99GBP – AVAILABLE.

South America Travel Atlas 1st Ed. 2008 1:3,000,000 ISBN 9781553410980 UPC 815534109804 $19.95cdn/us, E14.95 10.99GBP - AVAILABLE

Bolivia is out of stock and being updated. No ETA is available at the moment.