No. 207 April 2000
2000, YEAR OF THE 43RD PRESIDENT On November 7, 2000, America will go to the (election) polls and vote for the next President of the United States. Will it be George W. Bush or Al Gore or someone on a third party ticket? The name of the 43rd President will be announced on that day or shortly thereafter. Since there is time before the voting and election results, what do you know about the previous presidents? Who were they, how long did they serve, and who were their first ladies? For a more difficult question: who were the losers? Who lost the Presidential elections held between 1796 and 1968? Who were the presidential candidates who said: "If elected..." but did not get elected? Washington's election in 1789 had 12 candidates, as did many other elections. The popular vote for any candidate was neither counted nor recorded until the election of 1824 when it was Andrew Jackson vs. John Adams. Jackson received the most popular votes, which were counted for the first time, and the most electoral votes, but not the needed majority. The House of Representatives made the final decision and Jackson lost. 'If Elected…' Unsuccessful Candidates for the Presidency 1796-1968 issued in 1972 by the Smithsonian Institution (SI 11.2:P92/2/796-968) presents information about all the Presidential candidates from Washington's through Nixon's election. "Election Statistics for Presidential Elections, 1789-1968" on pages 493-503 provides all the statistics, names, and (many) portraits of the unsuccessful candidates for each election. The Presidents of the United States of America provides a color portrait of Washington through Bush. The First Ladies (1991, Y3.H62/4:2P92/991) will provide a picture of every First Lady (who was not always the wife) of each President, from Washington through Bush (Y3.H62/4:2F51/991).
R2D2, C3PO, AND HUMAN CIRCUITS PROBLEMS R2D2 and C3PO were the famous Star Wars robots whose circuit problems caused them to malfunction . Human beings also have circuit problems that seem to lead to heart problems and other chronic diseases. If your blood cells overreact to certain chemicals in the blood, the cell reaction and division can lead to heart attacks and cardiovascular disease. Too many cells getting the chemical signals/orders to divide too often can lead to unrestrained growth, as in cancer, or an overactive immune response. Researchers now believe that the poor regulation of signal transduction is a major factor behind some chronic diseases. The problem of cells getting bad signals can be controlled by soy rich foods such as tofu, tempeh, and miso which will help soothe the cell circuits. It is the presence of isoflavones like genistein and daidzein in soy foods that affect cell responses. Judy McBride's "Soy Soothes Cellular Circuits" in Agricultural Research, v. 48, no. 2, February 2000, page 15 ( http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/feb00/ ) has the hypothesis that isoflavones may reduce over responsive, dysfunctional signaling that leads to some chronic diseases. Soy products provide the control of cell signaling and prevent circuit problems which will reduce the instances of chronic heart (and other) diseases.
DIETARY GUIDELINES FOR 2000 FIFTH EDITION First published in 1980 per Public Law 101-445, "National Nutrition Monitoring and Related Research Act of 1990," Section 301. ESTABLISHMENT OF DIETARY GUIDELINES requires that the Dietary Guidelines for Americans be reviewed and revised as necessary every five years. For the current edition, the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee started its work in September 1998 when it determined the Guidelines merited revision. On March 10, 2000 it held a public meeting for public input and oral comments on its final report. The Fifth Edition of the Dietary Guidelines of Americans is scheduled for release this year. Its final report will serve as the basis for the fifth edition of Nutrition and Your Health: Dietary Guidelines for Americans. It's too late for comments and critical input about the Committee's decisions and findings, but the final report can be found electronically as a PDF file at http://www.ars.usda.gov/dgac . According to the official announcement "Agriculture Research Service Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion Office of Public Health and Science Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee: Notice of Availability of the Final Report, Public Meeting, and Public Comment Period, Notice" in the Federal Register v. 65 no. 34, February 18, 2000, pages 8333-8334, a paper copy is available at the Reference Section of the National Agricultural Library, 10301 Baltimore Blvd. Beltsville, MD 20705 (301--504-5755). The above website will also provide text for the Federal Register citation and other good sources of the Dietary Guidelines which will be out by Summer.
NEW CARS CRASH TESTS RESULTS Buying a Safer Car: New Car Assessment Program is the name of the home page at the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration's (NHTSA) web site http://www.nhtsa.gov/cars/testing/NCAP/ . This is the online source where NHTSA publicizes the car crash test results for cars, vans, trucks, and sport utility vehicles. You can search by year, make, and model for crash test results, safety feature information, and theft ratings for vehicles from 1990 through 2000. There is a special page for the 2000 model vehicles. When you select this Safer Car 2000 page http://www.nhtsa.gov/cars/testing/NCAP/SaferCar2000/index.html , you will see a picture of a "crashed vehicle" which has a test dummy impacted against the steering wheel. This dummy represents the condition of the crash victim in a similar but real car crash. Down at the bottom of the car, a click on "Table of Contents" http://www.nhtsa.gov/cars/testing/NCAP/SaferCar2000/toc.html leads to the content of this car crash test program. "Head injury protection", Crash Testing for Frontal Collisions," "Consider weight," "All-wheel drive," and "Traction control," and "Crash Test Results & Safety Feature Charts" are some of the listed 22 topics which are links to other pages.
NEW FEMALE HYBRID-III FAMILY DUMMY NEED When viewing the smashed new car at http://www.nhtsa.gov/cars/testing/NCAP/SaferCar2000/index.html , the crash test dummy can be seen in the driver's seat. The NHTSA employs special dummies in its car-testing program and is particular about the dummies selected to fill a vacancy. There are many "dummies" now driving on the highways who might be candidates to fill NHTSA's current vacancy, but NHTSA needs a dummy whose height and weight are representative of a fifth percentile female adult. This dummy, which is be part of the family of Hybrid III test dummies, can be used to accurately assess the potential for injuries to small-statured adults and teenagers. The Hybrid-III 5th percentile female (H-III5F) dummy is fully described in "Anthropomorphic Test Dummy; Occupant Crash Protection, Final Rule" Federal Register v. 65, no. 41, March 1, 2000 pages 10961-10978. NHTSA is very selective about what dummies are used to test cars and the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 49, Part 572 "Anthropomorphic Test Devices" (AE 2.106/3:49/P.400-999/999) is really about the HYBRID-III Family of test dummies. This CFR contains the specifications for a very unique family consisting of a male, infants, newborns, a 6-year old, but no female test dummies, as of March 2000. The latest regulation that went into effect on March 31, 2000 contains the specifications for a (first?) female test dummy.
PUBLIC WELFARE: HISTORIC CYCLES The public welfare system can be traced back to 12th century England. The English welfare system included workhouses (to house the poor), poor tax laws, poor taxes (on the rich) to support the almshouses/workhouses, per capita expenditure data (i.e. tax expenditures for the poor/poverty), and outdoor relief expenditures. Many poor people lived in the almshouses. However, outdoor relief expenditures were payments to the poor who lived "outside the doors of the almshouses". The English welfare system of poor laws, poverty views, criteria, taxes, and expenditures carried over to the American Colonies. Thus, from their beginnings, the Colonies had a similar welfare system. America developed its own version of the poor taxes, poor laws, eligibility requirements, and almshouses. Herbert Spencer, who coined the phrase "survival of the fittest", converted the Darwinian biological theory to a social theory and applied the biological theory to the poor in America. Public outdoor relief (the original English concept of welfare payments) was abolished in New York in 1878 with the rise of charity. American innovations included the Charity Organization Movement, the Charity Organization Society. Perspectives in Public Welfare, A History (FS 17.2:P 96/3) is a 1969, 107 page fact-filled brief history of the English and American welfare systems. This history has 10 pages of references that document its sources and a 7-page subject index. The 17th and 18th English upper classes worried about and felt threatened by the economics of rising poor taxes and the increasing poor population. Sound familiar? Did you know there are Paupers in Almshouses information publications issued by the Census Bureau, which cover census data (for the Nation, States, Counties, and Cities) on paupers from 1850 to 1923? Information about the welfare laws and the welfare payments for the early 20th century will be found in Paupers in Almshouses, 1910 (1915) (C 3.2:P28); and Relief Expenditures by Government and Private Organizations, 1929 and 1931 (1932) (C 3.2:R27).
ALMSHOUSES An almshouse, AKA workhouse or poorhouse is defined as a privately financed home for the poor. Pauperism is the 19th century American older term replaced by (the term) poverty. Almshouses and pauperism have been part of American society since the colonial era, but official statistics cover only 1850 to 1923 (Catalog of United States Census Publications 1790-1945, by Henry J. Dubester, 1950 C 56.222/2-2:790-945). Pauperism data was included in ten publications: (1) June 1,1850 census data is in Statistical View of the United States…Compendium of the Seventh Census (1854) (I 8.1: C73/2); (2) Abstract of the Seventh Census: The Seventh Census, Report of the Superintendent of the Census for December 1, 1852 (1853) (I 8.2:852); (3) Statistics of the United States, (including Mortality, Property, etc.) in1860; compiled from the Original Returns and Being the Final Exhibit of the Eighth Census…(1886) (I 9.5:4); (4) [Census Reports] Compiled from the original returns of the Ninth Census (June 1, 1870), Vol. 1, The Statistics of the population of the United States, embracing the tables of race, nationality, sex, selected ages, and occupations. To which are added the statistics of school attendance and illiteracy, of schools, libraries, newspapers and periodicals, churches, pauperism and crime, and of areas, families, and dwellings (1872)(I 10.5:1); (5) A Compendium of the Ninth Census (June 1, 1870) compiled pursuant to a concurrent resolution of Congress (1872)(I 10.2:C73); (6) [Census Report] Eleventh Census 1890, [Vol. III] Report on Crime, Pauperism, and Benevolence in the United States Parts 1,2 (1895, 1896) (I 12.5:4, and I 12.5:5); (7) Abstract of the Eleventh Census 1890, 2d ed. rev. and enlarged (1896) (I 12.5:AB8/2); (8) Paupers in Almshouses, 1904 (1906) (C 3.5:P28); (9) Paupers in Almshouses, 1910 (1915) C 3.2:P28; (10) Paupers in Almshouses, 1923 (1925) C 3.2:P 28/923). Almshouses data are found in seven publications: see: (1) [Census Report] Eleventh Census 1890, [Vol. III] Report on Crime, Pauperism, and Benevolence in the United States Parts 1, 2 (1895, 1896) (I 12.5:4, I 12.5:5); (2) Statistics of Cities Having a Population of over 25,000: 1902 and 1903. (1905) (Bulletin 20), (C 3.3:20); (3) Paupers in Almshouses, 1904 (1906) C 3.5:P28); (4) Paupers in Almshouses, 1910 General Tables (1913)(Bulletin 120), (C3.3:120 and C 3.3:120/1-2); (5) Paupers in Almshouses, 1910 (1915) (C 3.2:P28); (6) Paupers in Almshouses, 1923 (1924) (C 3.29:P28); (7) Paupers in Almshouses, 1923 (1925) (C 3.2:P 28/923).
DRED SCOTT Did you know the Dred Scott decision was the most controversial decision of the nineteenth century and perhaps of the entire history of the United States Supreme Court? The Dred Scott Decision involved the 37 year old Compromise of 1820 (Missouri Compromise) being declared unconstitutional. That’s the statement written by Paul Finkleman on page 45 of Slavery in the Courtroom, An Annotated Bibliography of American Cases (LC 1.12/2:Sl 1/2). This 1985 annotated bibliography, which was issued by the Library of Congress, reads like a history book, covers about 80 cases of slaves in a free jurisdiction, abolition and abolitionists, slave revolts, African slave trade, miscellaneous trials and cases, and British cases. Also included are a table of cases, a seven-page bibliography of secondary sources, and an eleven-page index. Finkleman’s research and resulting 300 pages of legal history provide many interesting details of the social, political, and legal issues, circumstances, and problems that may not be included in many American history books. This is a very good beginning for one who want to learn more about the legal slavery issues, problems, and decisions in America’s courts and history. This is also a very good bibliography of court cases pamphlets and secondary source materials (about these cases) found in the Library of Congress.
XERISCAPE LANDSCAPING Xeriscape landscaping is defined as "quality landscaping that conserves water and protects the environment." The idea of water conservation and environmental protection has existed prior to the 1981, but that is the date of the earliest source cited in the bibliography found in Xeriscape Landscaping, Preventing Pollution and Using Resources Efficiently. Issued in April 1993 by the EPA Office of Water (EP 1.2:L23/6), this 16 page publication explains and presents examples of the seven principles of Xeriscape landscaping: planning and design, soil analysis, appropriate plant selection, practical turf areas, efficient irrigation, use of mulches, and appropriate maintenance. There may be many nursery and landscape experts making use of most or all of the Xeriscape principles who have never read this book, but how often does the term "Xeriscape" appear in the landscape literature? This is something to watch for.
May 27, 2000
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