Below street level in Mexico City, archaeologists have found a jumble of bones dating to the 1480s.
In the 1970s, construction workers unearthed numerous archaeological finds as the subway was being constructed. The Mexican government decided to clear the several block of old colonial buildings to reveal the Templo Mayor, the ancient Aztec religious center. Not coincidentally, the Spaniards built their religious center in the same place. During the colonial era, the indigenous residents who spoke Spanish in Mexico City still referred to this portion of the city as la pirámide. Today more finds such as this one are continuing to help us piece together the past of this immensely rich, multi-layered place filled with symbolic value.
The University of Wisconsin-Superior is in one of the least ethnically diverse regions of the United States and the university is partnering with other local organizations across that region aimed at highlighting structural advantages within society for Caucasians. This campaign to make ‘white privilege’ visible has not surprisingly generated controversy and has made race and its impact of society an issue quite visible, to the discomfort of many.
Questions to Ponder: In what tangible ways can you see ‘white privilege’ in our society? Is this ad campaign a good idea? What is the normativity and how does it relate to this topic?
Rasmussen Reports - The best place to look for polls that are spot on…
The Rasmussen Reports indicate the the boost from the Republican National Convention was sufficient (especially in swing states) to make Mitt Romney the frontrunner in the election were held today of today. How will that change in the next few weeks?
Syria is destined to fragment into three separate sectarian states after the regime of Bashar al-Assad is extirpated, according to Mohammad Yaghi, a Syrian jour…
“It no longer matters whether what is happening in Syria is a revolution or a conspiracy that preempted a potential revolution — or even a conspiracy targeting the ‘non-aligned’ countries. The substance of the matter is: Is it possible to save Syria from imminent disintegration?” This article orginally from a Palestinian news agency serves as a good material to start a discussion about centripetal and centrifugal forces
If you are a fan of the 40 hour work week, 8 hour work day, health benefits, child labor laws and this lovely thing called “the weekend,” you have the labor movement to thank. The Department of Labor has put together a page entitled ‘The History of Labor Day.’ This helps us understand that the benefits that we enjoy today are the legacy of generations of workers who courageously fought for for workers rights.
The European Union will never manage to compete with China and other rising powers unless it unites politically, scales up and becomes a genuine giant.
This author argues that the main driving forces that led towards European unification in the decades after WWII are now gone or are diminished in importance. As many of the economies of Europe, especially southern Europe are struggling, it is time for the European Union to rediscover and restructure it’s raison d’être—it’s reason for being—if it want to continue to compete on a global level.
This link is a companion site to the book, “Mapping the Nation: History & Cartography in 19th Century America” by Susan Schulten. The author and publisher have made all of the images available digitally, making this a great resource of some of the important maps that shaped America and help mold the manner in which we conceptualize America. This is a great resource for geography and history teachers alike. The chapters include:
The Graphic Foundations of American History
Capturing the Past Through Maps
Disease, Expansion and the Rise of Environmental Mapping
Isn’t That Spatial? Overview of Online Spatial Thinking and Digital Maps Course
Looking for a professional development opportunity? This Fall 2012 eNet Colorado is hosting a series of 5 webinars on spatial thinking. “The goal of Teaching Using Spatial Analysis 101 is to provide confidence, skills, and the spatial perspective necessary to foster spatial analysis in geography, earth and biological sciences, history, mathematics, computer science, and in other disciplines.
It will accomplish this through a series of hands-on activities where participants investigate a series of fascinating issues relevant to the 21st Century, including population, natural hazards, energy, water, current events, sustainable agriculture, and more. These activities will be supplemented by short readings and reflections that will build a community of educators focused on the value of investigating the world through a spatial perspective.” This promises to be a tremendous opportunity.
Facilitator (Teacher): Bianca Katz - Co-Facilitator Facilitator (Teacher): Joseph Kerski
In Bike-Friendly Copenhagen, Highways For Cyclists
Bikers are everywhere in Copenhagen. And now the city is building new, high-speed routes into the city that will make it easier to commute, even from the distant suburbs.
The transportation urban planning paradigm in Copenhagen is not exclusively structured around automobiles and the logistics needed for drivers. Copenhagen has heavily invested in cycling and they are reaping the rewards based on there efforst. As the Earth-Operators Manual Facebook Page stated, cyclists in Copenhagen daily travel 750,000 miles; enough to go to the moon and back.
