Newsletter 3 of 2014

AXIS OF EVIL MAPPING NEWSLETTER #3 OF 2014: New Releases for March – Alberta,
Ethiopia/Eritrea, Ho Chi Minh/Mekong Delta, Kenya, Puerto Rico – details below.
Dear all,
INTRODUCTION
Lan and I have recently returned from a grueling business trip to China and Vietnam. We
always seem to accomplish a lot on these trips, but by the nature of our business, we always
seem to have little crises develop in the office that can’t be resolved while we’re traveling. The
‘web’ is now 25 years old, which seems difficult to believe, but electronic communications allows
us to keep in touch with our company’s world-wide activities in a way that would have been
impossible a decade ago. We still need to spend a lot of time in the office, even though Linh and
Phuong are doing a marvelous job with day-to-day running of ITMB. As a for instance, while we
were in Hanoi, they were running our annual Sportsmen’s Show in Abbotsford, the first one I’ve
missed in thirty years. Sales were better than normal, so I’d better miss a few more!
ITMB NOW OWNS STELLANOVA GLOBES
Some months ago, we met socially with the owners of Stellanova Globes, Andreas
Pachler and his mother Ingrid Limani. They advised us that, as his mother wished to retire from
business after 25 years of developing the Stellanova name, they were considering selling the
company. Andreas felt that running a worldwide marketing firm by himself was not something he
wanted to do, but he wanted to see the Stellanova name to continue. Few of you are probably
aware that Stellanova is only a design marketing firm promoting a brand name; the globes have
been made by a contracted firm in China for the past twenty years, not by Stellanova.
ITMB is a manufacturing firm. We design our own product line, publish it, warehouse it in
Vancouver, and supply the market for maps through a strong network of regional/national
distributors. Of course we are a marketing firm as well, but we control the means of production.
This is a fundamentally different business model than Stellanova. We were not happy with the
prospect that their marketing efforts would disappear into another globe manufacturer’s product
line, but we were also uncomfortable with the Stellanova business model. We felt that we could
change Stellanova into a production company, with better control over production. A lot of the
problems of marketing could be solved. Controlling the means of production is akin to owning
one’s house, instead of renting it.
We suggested that Stellanova morph into a manufacturing company. After three months
of negotiations, ITMB and Andreas agreed to set up a new company, Stellanova International
GmbH, in Germany (the ‘old’ Stellanova was based in Hong Kong). SI, as we call the new entity,
is a production company, a manufacturing entity that will create SI globes at a European facility
as well as one in Asia, using state-of-the-art automated assembly technology that Andreas
developed and the design artwork perfected by Stellanova. The first brand new globe assembly
line (GAL) is being created as I write this article and should start manufacturing globes in June.
Once in operation, the new GAL will be capable of completing 800 globes per day. Globes will
also continue to be prepared in Asia as well, as the SI range is too extensive to be produced on
only one GAL.
SI is a partnership between ITMB and Andreas, operating as an independent division of
ITMB. Lan, myself, and Andreas form a Board of Directors managing the affairs of SI, with
Andreas as General Manager. The Stellanova artwork is being incorporated into the new
company, so the only changes anyone will notice in the short term is a new logo and eventually a
new business model based in Europe as well as in Asia. As a production company, SI is no
longer just a marketing concept. We intend to compete with other manufacturing firms for market
share and to develop new forms of globes to meet changing market demands.
Naturally, we are still finding our feet, so to speak. This new acquisition effectively doubles
the size of ITMB and is a pretty big operation to operate. Andreas is going flat out, working 18hour days creating the assembly line. Once it is functional and tested, it will be moved to a
permanent factory facility in Skalica, Slovakia, and will be able to supply much of European
demand for 28cm and 30cm globes. The rest of the models will continue to be made in Asia for
now. Orders exceeding E500,000 have already been received, which is gratifying.
At the same time, we are working with our partners in Asia to establish a future
assembly/production facility to meet Asian, Australian, and North American needs, and to
produce specialized globes. Yes, lower production costs are a factor, but also lower shipping
costs for some customers will result. Such a facility is still in the future. This is an exciting time for
us, but we are confident that this new arrangement will preserve Stellanova globes as a strong
name in the globe industry for the next generation.
No doubt, this announcement raises as many questions in the minds of readers as it
answers. ITMB is investing a considerable amount of money and energy into creating something
new while retaining the best aspects of a tried-and-true concept. We are doing our best to
transform the business model for globes from a marketing concept to a practical manufacturing
facility. We hope to do so sensibly and rationally, but we also hope that customers will accept that
one cannot change direction, as we are doing, overnight.
DUMB BUNNY OF THE MONTH
This story was passed on to me by an Axis reader. Apparently, a few days ago, a local
business in Ayrshire, Scotland, was burgled during the night-time hours. Apart from cash and
computers, a number of blank company cheques were stolen. The owner reported this last aspect
to his bank, which placed a stop-payment order on the stolen cheque numbers. Sure enough, the
next day, someone arrived at the bank with one of the cheques, made out to himself, with a
forged signature. The bank asked the individual for photo identification, which was openly passed
to the teller, who then advised the person that the cheque had been reported as stolen and could
not be accepted. The flustered individual recovered the cheque and left the bank – leaving behind
his photo identification, which also included his address! Of course, the bank also recorded his
image on their security cameras and contacted Her Majesty’s Finest. Methinks somebody will be
receiving a visit soon!
MEMORIES OF CHINA
Lan and I did not spend all that much time in China on this trip, and were there on
business, not for pleasure, but we did note several aspects of interest. We visited three cities:
Xiamen, in the southeastern part of Fujian Province, Guangzhou, and Dongguan, an industrial
city a hour east of Guangzhou. Xiamen, pronounced Shamen, is a local tourist destination due to
its pleasant climate, and an economic development centre to create growth (which is why we
were there). It is a very modern-looking city, with lots of high-rises, and is the first city in China
that we have seen that is capable of dealing with cars. It has a former French Treaty Port island
nearby, which is a major tourist destination for Chinese visitors. As I said, we were there on
business, but we were impressed by the sophistication of development.
We found Guangzhou to be much improved as a city since my last visit five years ago.
The subway system is now mostly completed and the train stations refurbished. The airport is
modern and efficient. The streets, at least in the area we were staying in, were well-maintained
and the stores well patronized, with crowds of prosperous-looking people walking along wide
sidewalks – all very positive. We saw little evidence of Communist Party activity, unlike in Hanoi,
where it is pervasive. The biggest item of local news was the latest series of anti-corruption trials,
which may be real or may reflect a power struggle within the Communist Party.
Dongguan is one of those huge Chinese cities nobody has heard about except those in business
because it is a city created artificially out of several smaller towns in an effort to move industrial
activity away from Guangzhou and Shenzhen. It is a modern-looking but spread-out city that grew
very quickly into a 5,000,000 people metropolis. It is now suffering from over-growth and from the
decline in export sales that has put the Chinese economy into a severe downturn. China still
enjoys a fairly robust 5% growth rate (somewhat less than the officially stated 7.5%) but cities like
Dongguan are seeing zero growth and a declining population. The number of unemployed people
in China is a state secret, but is the biggest problem facing China right now.
COUNTRY IN THE NEWS
This month, there can be no doubt about the ‘game-changer’ country in the world is the
Ukraine. This country has been wrapped up in a growing revolt against corruption and Russian
control attempts for months, finally leading to the overthrow of the country’s pro-Russian
leadership by Parliament. That action has led Russia to retaliate by invading and occupying the
Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in a high-stakes political gamble that I believe is based on mistaken
premises. Russia’s reputation as a ‘normal’ country is on the line, but the tactics being followed
exactly duplicate Hitler’s rhetoric and actions in the 1930s to ‘protect’ (in Hitler’s words), the
German-speaking people of the Sudetenland, Bohemia, Alsace etc. to disguise a series of land
grabs. Putin’s rhetoric mirrors Hitler’s, as does his military aggression. The difference this time is
that all of Russia’s neighbours, formerly part of the Soviet Union, now see the rampaging Russian
bear behaving as it did during the Stalinist era. Poland has taken the lead in urging a revamping
of NATO to strengthen the eastern edge of Europe against further Russian expansion. Russia is
now effectively isolated, kicked out of the Group of 8, the NATO Advisory Council, and barred
from association with the EU. The world now views the ‘new’ Russia as the same old voracious
aggressive dictatorship it has always been. The Ukraine itself remains caught between the
militaristic aggressiveness of Russia and the realization that prosperity lies with the rest of
Europe, not backward-looking Russia, signing a Treaty of Association with the EU and distancing
itself as quickly as possible from Russia.
This situation is still unfolding and is mesmerizing political theatre to be watching, but it
also holds profound implications for history. Are we going to repeat the mistakes made in the
1930s and assume that Russia’s attempt to grab the Crimea will end its aggressiveness, as we
hoped Hitler’s grab of the Sudetenland and Bohemia would create ‘peace in our time’? We are
fools if we do. While military intervention is unlikely to restore the Crimea to its rightful owner, the
invasion and occupation of Crimea should be a wake-up call to everyone about Russia’s true
intentions. Amusingly, China, which is so sensitive about outside interference in its empirical
aspirations, has been quite silent about the Russian aggression. We live in interesting times!
ITMB publishes several maps of this region: a map of Russia as a country, and another of the
western or so-called European portion of Russia; a map of Belarus, which has so far been
remarkably silent about the unfolding drama; a map of the Ukraine as a country, and a map of
Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula. Russia’s Heritage Cities has been discontinued and we are
reviewing our mapping program for Russia in light of decreasing tourism.
GOOD NEWS STORY
Every so often, papers print a ‘good-news’ article that has impact. Yesterday’s paper
noted that India, a country of 1.2 billion people, is now polio free. This is truly a victory of
mankind. I can remember, as a child, the radio announcement of Dr. Salk’s discovery of a
vaccine to prevent polio. That was in 1954, and my mother burst into tears at the news. Polio was
the most dreaded disease of its time, attacking and crippling children for life. Every parent was
terrified that polio would strike their children. Massive immunization programs soon made this
terrible disease a thing of the past in North America and in most ‘developed’ countries, but not for
much of the world.
India, plagued by poverty, political factionalism, superstition, corruption, and just by being the
home of a quarter of the world’s population was regarded as an impossible project to rid of the
scourge of polio. It took the WHO and Indian officials 60 years of painstaking effort. India is now
polio free. The country now joins the vast majority of nations in the world that have eradicated
polio, leaving Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Nigeria as three hold-out nations where polio is still a
problem. Recently, several polio vaccinators in Pakistan were murdered by Taliban adherents
claiming that the vaccine would turn their children into American spies, which sounds bizarre, but
reveals the difficulties health officials have in certain communities. Anyway, congratulations to
India! Well done.
NEW MAPS FROM GMJ MAPS
Not many people realize that most American street maps are prepared in Canada.
There’s a reason for that, and Guy Johnson is the reason. His business was steadily growing;
then the Great Recession hit and just about every American map publishing house collapsed.
Think of AMC, Universal, Mapsco, Thomas Bros. and even Rand. As these firms either shut down
or discontinued mapping, GMJ Maps kept filling gaps and expanding, while supplying AAA,
Global Maps, and Rand (among others) with exciting fresh artwork and printed product. With over
350 titles in print, these are the most recent GMJ titles to be released:
Boulder/Longmont/Broomfield, Colorado ISBN 9781770683440 UPC 776428015772 $5.95cdn/us
Grand Junction/Montrose/Aspen,
$5.95cdn/us
Colorado
Plano/Denton/Lewisville/McKinney,
$5.95cdn/us
Texas
ISBN
ISBN
9781770683457
9781770683471
UPC
776428015789
UPC
776428015796
UN SURVEY
A recent poll by the UN asked “Please provide your honest opinion about solutions to the
shortage of food in the rest of the world?” The survey was a complete failure. Africa didn’t know
what ‘food’ meant; in India, no one knew what ‘honest’ meant; in Europe, they didn’t know what
‘shortage’ meant, in China what ‘opinion’ meant, in the Middle East what ‘solution’ meant, in
South America what ‘please’ meant, and in the USA what ‘rest of the world meant’. (Hint: the UN
doesn’t do polls).
FORTHCOMING CONFERENCES
ITMB is participating in the London Book Fair April 8-9 as part of the IMIA collective
stand, Stand G570, and will be exhibiting at Book Expo USA in New York City May 29-June 1
with its own stand. We will also be attending the IMIA conference in Denver and this year’s FBF
later this year. Another busy travel itinerary for ITMB during 2014, it appears!
ITMB CURRENT PROJECTS UNDER DEVELOPMENT
Bangkok is now out of stock. We are developing a new double-sided title, called Bangkok and
Southern Thailand, for release in the spring of 2014; release date is not yet known.
Barcelona is effectively out of stock (6 copies left). A new edition will be prepared, but not
immediately.
Belize is effectively our of stock (5 copies left). A new double-sided map, Belize and Eastern
Guatemala, is at press and expected in April.
Colombia is now out of stock. A new edition is being prepared. No ETA yet.
Copenhagen is now out of print. We are developing a new title, Denmark and Copenhagen, for
release in the spring; details to be provided closer to the date when the new map artwork goes to
press.
Denmark Map Pack is now out of stock and discontinued, unfortunately, due to running out of
maps of Copenhagen for inclusion. This was one of our more popular map packs. As noted
above, we are preparing a new map, Denmark and Copenhagen that will replace the need for
this map pack.
Florida and the Deep South is a new title for us. It covers from Washington, DC, to northern
Florida on side one (essentially Virginia, the Carolinas, and Georgia) and the rest of Florida on
side 2, including an inset of the Keys. It should be available in early March.
Fiji is effectively out of print (3 copies). A new edition called Fiji and Tonga is being prepared for
release in the spring; specific date not yet known, but hopefully in March.
Guangzhou is now out of print (2 copies left). A new map, Southern China and Guangzhou, is
being prepared; no ETA.
Guatemala is effectively out of stock (18 copies left). A new edition is at press release in May or
June. Details later.
Hanoi is both out of print and being updated. No ETA.
Hungary is out of stock indefinitely. We are working on an update, Hungary and Budapest. No
ETA.
Iran is effectively out of stock (29 copies left). A new edition is being prepared; no ETA.
Jerusalem/Northern Israel is out inventory. Based on our recent visit to Israel, we have decided
to re-work it as Jerusalem and the Holy Land; to come out in April; same area of coverage, new
ISBN.
Kazakhstan has run out of copies. A new edition is underway, no ETA at the moment.
Mexico Central Map Pack is out of print and discontinued.
Panama is now out of copies. A new edition is at press and expected in early March.
Russia’s Heritage Cities has been discontinued. Please delete from your records.
Slovenia is now out of print. We are creating a brand new map Slovenia and the Croatian
Coast; no ETA.
Southern Africa is out of stock. A new edition is being prepared. No ETA is yet available.
Surinam/French Guiana is running low on inventory; nothing critical yet.
Switzerland is almost out of stock (6 copies left).
Thailand South and Phuket is out of print. A new map called Bangkok and Southern Thailand
is being prepared. No ETA is yet ready.
Uganda is out of stock. A new edition will be available in March.
Umbria is out of print and discontinued. Please delete from your records.
Whistler/Vancouver is out of print and discontinued. Please delete from your records.
NEW TITLES RELEASED IN MARCH, 2014
nd
Alberta Travel Reference Map 2
Ed. 2014 1:1,000,000 ISBN 9781553415305 UPC
815534153029 $8.95cdn/us E7.99 6.99GBP – Alberta is a prosperous, attractive part of Canada
and our second-fastest selling map of any part of Canada. This new edition corrects a few
spelling errors that were drawn to our attention and generally benefits in road classifications by
our visit to the province in 2013. The new cover picture is of the lodge in Waterton National Park,
a lovely border park shared with Glacier National Park in the USA. Due to post-9/11 security
concerns, it is no longer possible to travel from one park to the other. The map also includes
detailed inset maps of Calgary, Edmonton, and Jasper. Alberta is about the size of Germany,
Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg combined, with Alsace thrown in for flavouring.
AVAILABLE
th
Ethiopia and Eritrea Travel Reference Map 4 Ed. 2014 1:2,000,000/1:900,000 ISBN
9781553415381 UPC 815534153883 $12.95cdn/us E8.95 7.99GBP – I first visited Ethiopia in
1970 and spent six weeks exploring the country. It made a vivid impression on my because it is a
fascinating country, with ancient historical obelisks, underground churches, a rich cultural
heritage, and beautiful scenery. The Blue Nile Falls featured as our cover picture in the last
edition, with a weird-looking me glaring into the camera. This edition features a Coptic priest with
an ancient crown. With this edition, we have added a double-up map of Eritrea on the reverse
side. The two countries are related, although prickly with each other. Most people combine a trip
to Eritrea with a visit to Ethiopia. The Eritrea map will continue to be marketed separately.
AVAILABLE
th
rd
Ho Chi Minh City/Mekong Delta Travel Reference Map 4 /3 Ed. 2014 1:15,000/1:400,000
ISBN 9781553410218 UPC 815534102119 $10.95cdn/us E7.95 6.99GBP – Ho Chi Minh City
isn’t a city, but a region. Saigon still remains the name of the city portion, but political reality being
what it is in VN, the regional name is always used, so we do so as well. Being the economic
heartland of VN, this area has the greatest concentration of population and the highest level of
prosperity in the country. This map updates a fast-changing city to reflect its changing features.
With this edition, we have doubled-up the map by adding a map of the Mekong Delta to the
reverse side. The ‘Nine Mouths of the Dragon’ southernmost portion of VN, of which HCM City is
a part, is a fascinating part of Asian life, where fervent religious temples originating with the Cham
culture of Cambodia co-exist with the Cao Dai amalgam religious movement that has so
successfully and stubbornly refused to bow to communism. ITMB’s Mekong Delta map will
continue to be marketed separately. AVAILABLE
th
Kenya Travel Reference Map 4 Ed. 2014 1:950,000 on waterproof paper ISBN
9781553412847 UPC 815534128423 $12.95cdn/us E8.95 7.99GBP - We are pleased to release
th
our 4 edition of our popular map of Kenya. This version looks the same as the previous one,
with the same cover picture, price, and ISBN, but it has a new locality map on the back cover.
The map is printed on waterproof plastic paper and includes a detailed inset map of Nairobi.
AVAILABLE
th
Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands 6 Ed. 2014 1:50,000/1:190,000 on waterproof paper
ISBN 9781553415114 UPC 815534151162 $11.95cdn/us E7.95 6.99GBP – We are really
pleased with this new edition of Puerto Rico. We spent part of August, 2013, touring the island
and geo-referencing its many highways. The island is bigger and more densely road-networked
than we thought, so we’ll have to complete the job on our next visit, but the roads are now much
more precisely shown accurately than was possible before satellite imagery. The map looks great
on an Ipad screen as well. The map also shows updated inset maps of San Juan, Ponce,
Mayaguez, Aguadilla, and Arecibo. Puerto Rico is part of the United States, so has all the
benefits, but is internally self-governing. With this edition we are including a map of the other US
colonial territory, the US Virgin Islands. The Danish West Indies was purchased from Denmark in
1917 and is an integral part of the USA, with all its benefits, but is, like Puerto Rico, neither fish
nor fowl. It is internally self-governing and a great retirement location for Americans, but it retains
much of its Danish heritage. The map includes insets of Charlotte Amalie, Frederiksted, Cruz
Bay, and Christiansted. The ITMB map of the entire Virgin Islands area will continue to be
marketed separately; this version is mostly for the convenience of cruise ship passengers visiting
both ‘countries’. AVAILABLE
NEW TITLES RELEASED IN FEBRUARY, 2014
nd
Antigua and Dominica Travel Map 2 Ed. 2014 1:35,000/1:50,000 ISBN 9781553415244 UPC
815534152480 $12.95cdn/us E8.95 7.99GBP – AVAILABLE
st
Caribbean East and South Travel Atlas 1 Ed. 2014 169 pages, scale varies ISBN
9781553415220 UPC 815534152213 $16.96cdn/us E13.95 12.99GBP – AVAILABLE
st
Indian Sub-Continent Travel Atlas 1
Ed. 2014 205 pages, scale varies ISBN
9781553415251 UPC 815534152565 $19.95cdn/us E16.95 15.99GBP – AVAILABLE
NEW TITLES RELEASED IN JANUARY, 2014
th
Dominican Republic, with Haiti, Travel Reference Map 6 Ed. 2014 1:400,000/1:350,000 on
waterproof paper ISBN 9781552411741 UPC 815534117496 $12.95cdn/us E8.95 &.99GBP –
AVAILABLE
rd
Haiti, with Dominican Republic, Travel Reference Map 3 Ed. 2014 1:350,000/1:400,000 on
waterproof paper ISBN 9781553411741 UPC 815534117496 $12.95cdn/us E8.95 7.99GBP –
AVAILABLE
rd
Israel and Palestine Travel Reference Map 3 Ed. 2014 1:225,000 on waterproof paper ISBN
9781553415268 UPC 815534152640 $12.95cdn/us E8.95 7.99GBP – AVAILABLE
Palestine and Israel Travel Reference Map 3
data – AVAILABLE
rd
Ed. 2014 – See Israel, above, for ordering
th
South East Asia Travel Reference Map 6 Ed. 2014 1:4,000,000 ISBN 9781553410775
UPC 815534107770 $12.95cdn/us E8.95 7.99GBP – AVAILABLE

Download Report