Making life a holiday with interesting vacation and adventure ideas.

This, my blogging buddies, is the 500th post in Tales from here and there about this and that; the blog is a few years old now because back in the early days, we didn't post every day. Given the themes reflected in this blog, such as adventure, travel and art, it is fitting that we should draw your attention in our 500th post to the 500th anniversary of the publication of the first map known to show the whole earth.

The remarkable map is the work of German cartographer, Martin Waldseemüller, in 1507 and was designed to be cut out and pasted onto a sphere. Much is made of the map because it is believed to be the first document that names America, be it South America, and both North and South America are depicted as land masses separate from Asia. Consider also, that the map was drawn using data obtained from sailors and explorers, and in those days travel really was an adventure activity. More.

You can see the Waldseemüller Globe Gores Map at the University of Minnesota, T.R. Anderson Gallery, in the James Ford Bell Library, where it is the central feature in an anniversary exhibition celebrating 'The Map that Named America, 1507-2007', which runs through to December 31, 2007.

Labels: 500, America, blog, map, Oldest Map, U.S.A., University of Minnesota, Waldseemueller Globe Gores Map

Jim Dietrick claims Pinball is as representative of American culture as baseball and apple pie. In an effort to highlight the historical and cultural significance of the pinball machine, he and fellow Pinball enthusiast Michael Schiess, have collaborated on the Pacific Pinball Exposition to be held in San Rafael, California, October 5-7, 2007.

The show features hundreds of vintage machines and amusement devices from around 1800 to 2007 Hundreds of pinball machines will be set on free play for attendees to play and enjoy and there will be several rare, antique pinball machines from the 1930s and earlier on display. Exhibits will illustrate the history of pinball, the science and physics of pinball, the evolution of the game and its mechanisms. Free seminars will also be offered on how to buy and setup a pinball machine, electromechanical and electronic pinball troubleshooting and restoration, and the secrets of pinball wizardry.

All profits will go into building a permanent museum for pinball in the USA, the Neptune Beach Amusement Museum, focused on teaching art, history, and science through pinball and other amusement machines.

Labels: America, Museum, Pinball, U.S.A.

Nationals from the 12 South American nations, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela, will soon will be able to travel throughout their region without needing visas.

This free-travel policy is in contrast to the policy direction of the U.S., where nationals are now to be required to have passports when crossing the U.S./Canadian border.

Labels: America, Canada, freedom, North America, passport, South America, travel, US, visa