No. 221 June 2001
FATIGUE / SOLUTIONS: PEANUTS NOT COFFEE The best solution to the problem of fatigue is sleep, but sometimes sleep is not allowed and one needs a temporary but effective solution. First what kind(s) of fatigue do you have? There is Circadian Fatigue from not getting enough sleep. Sleep patterns are usually early to bed and early awake, or late to bed and late getting up. Too many nights of late to bed and up early and a lack of enough sleep will catch-up with you. Second, Acute Fatigue occurs immediately after performing strenuous muscle and mental activity. Third, Chronic Fatigue is accumulated fatigue resulting from various activities. A person can sometimes have one or more types of fatigue. If you anticipate a tiring period without sleep, naps can help. Foods high in protein, such as peanuts, are important because they will provide more energy to help stay awake for a longer period than candy or coffee. Foods high in sugar result in a rapid "energy crash" and high doses of caffeine can result in dehydration and irritability. These are the recommendations of Eric Simson, an aviation physiology instructor at the FAA's Civil Aeromedical Institute. Simson's solutions to fatigue(s) are found in "You're Not Tired, Are You?, Fatigue, physiological training for pilots" in the "Medical Stuff" section of the FAA Aviation News, V. 40, No. 4, May/June, 2001, page 23-24 (TD 4.9: 40/4). Take a bag of peanuts, not a thermos of coffee, on your next long drive.
511 FIRST IN KENTUCKY 511 is the new nation wide three-digit traveler information phone number. On June 11, 2001 a Federal Highway Official and Governor Paul E. Patton placed the nation's historic first telephone call to 511 - America's traveler information telephone number. Anyone traveling through the Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky area can get local traveler information directly by telephone. The Kentucky-Cincinnati metropolitan area was the first metropolitan area in the United States to adopt the 511 national dialing code. When adopted by America’s cities, this phone number will provide any traveler, anywhere and anytime in the United States, access to local travel information to make informed choices about time, mode, and route of travel. The 511 has a web site home page at http://www.its.dot.gov/511/511.htm . Created by the Department of Transportation ITS (Intelligent Transportation Systems), this web site has information about 511’s origins, its place in America’s phone system, goals, implementation program for interested cities, lessons from early use in several cities, and a question & answer publication. The "What is 511?" is a 38 page publication to read after looking at the June 11, 2001 press release, "Federal Highway Chief Schimmoller Places Landmark First Call to "511" in Kentucky. 511 is the fifth N11 number to be assigned out of the nine existing N11 numbers, as explained in The Other N11s: How they are Provided …read on.
511 AND THE OTHER N11 PHONE NUMBERS Within the 511 web site at http://www.its.dot.gov/511/Other_N11.pdf , there is a 12 page, pdf file under the link: "The Other N11s: How Are They Provided". Within this file there are two papers. The first is The Other N11s: How areThey Provided, which is dated March 1, 2001. The first page explains how the Three Digit Dialing Service works, and the consumer fees, charges, and billing structures. Of the seven numbers 211, 311, 411, 511, 611, 711, 811, 911, all are in use but only 411, 611,and 811 are considered unassigned. 411, 611, and 811are used by Local Exchange Carriers (i.e. telephone companies). The next page consists of a chart "N11 Summary Data" for the assigned N11 Numbers (211, 311, 411, 711, and 911). For each number there is "Usage" information. Who uses the number or what service or information it provides. "Extent of Use" is the type of company, states and cities making use of the N11 services. "How Paid For" cites the type of funding (i.e. the company, customer, or grants) sources for each N11 number is use. Finally, "Lessons for 511" relates how information learned about the nation wide implementation of the other N11 numbers can be used for implementation of the 511 number. The 511 number assignment to traveler information has been entitled the Advanced Traveler Information System (ATIS). A second 10 page paper within this pdf file entitled: Bringing 511 to Market: What do users want? , discusses the ATIS customer, services, marketing, and obstacles to nationwide ATIS adoption.
GOLD RUSH OF 1849-1850 AND 2001 Anyone who has studied United States history knows that 1849 was the year Gold was found at Sutter's Mill in California and that was the first year of America's famous gold rush. News of the gold discovery spread throughout the United States and thousands of people went to California to find gold and become rich. After 150 years, the "gold rush of '49" is over and all the miners are part of history. If there is any gold left, the gold mining in that area of California is no longer in the news. For any prospective gold miners in 2001 era, the largest gold mine in the United States is the Homestake Mine in Lead, South Dakota and the Carlin, Nevada area is the site of seven major deposits. There are about 75 gold producing sites in the Western States, mostly in Nevada. There is a different gold yielding site in Alaska where gold may be mined "for fun rather than profit". Gold Panning, A guide to recreational gold panning on the Kenai Peninsula, Chugach National Forest, Alaska was prepared by the Forest Service, Alaska Region Office, Anchorage, in 2001. This 26 page booklet and guide, found in some federal depository libraries under A 13.36/2-6:R 10-RG-134, includes a bibliography, a glossary, and a list of contacts for any prospective gold miner. This guide explains basic gold panning techniques, how to find gold, discusses mining rights and guidelines, and identifies the areas available for recreational panning in Chugach National Forest portion of Alaska's Kenai Peninsula. For more basic background and historical information about gold and gold mining in the United States, read Gold, a newly revised, 23-page booklet, (I 19.2:G 56/2/2001) free from the U. S. Geological Survey, Information Services, Box 25286, Federal Center, Denver, CO. 80225. In Appalachia in 1792, in Alaska in 2001, and in the Fort Knox Bullion Depository, one can still say "there's gold in them thar hills" (even if its Fort Knox).
GAMBLING CASINOS Who enters without any money but has some when leaving? At any gambling the dealers are, of course taking (or possibly giving) money to each player, but what are the other employees doing? How did each get his job, and what are. his/her qualifications? Would/Could you be a slot key person, a (gaming) supervisor, surveillance officer, investigator, card dealer, money handler, etc. There are oversight and direction positions, or jobs with the games or patrons themselves. Though job titles vary and the duties vary from one type of casino to another, the occupational functions are basically the same for all. The educational requirements range from college degree to casino management certificates offered by several educational institutions. Some occupations require only in-house training. Currently, "in 2000, commercial casinos operated legally in 11 states and created more than 30,000 new jobs -- bringing the total number of casino workers to more than 350,000, according to the American Gaming Association." "Casino gambling occupations, A jackpot for jobseekers" by Patricia Tate, Occupational Outlook Quarterly, V. 45, No. 2, Summer, 2001, pages 24-29 (L 2.70/4:45/2) at http://stats.bls.gov/opub/ooq/2001/Summer/art03.pdf is where you learn about your chances, opportunities, and disadvantages of working in a casino. For other detailed information, you should read "Jobs in Legal Gambling: A New Giant of an Old Industry" by Matthew Mariani, Occupational Outlook Quarterly V. 40, No. 3, Fall, 1996, pages 2-9 (L 2.70/4:40/3). It’s only the casino employees who enter the establishment without money and leave with it (to paraphrase Mariani).
CARCINOGENS What is a carcinogen? It is (1) an agent, substance, mixture, or exposure circumstance which is known or (2) reasonably anticipated to cause cancer. Annual since 1978, and biennial since 1993 the U. S. Public Health Service’s National Toxicology Program (NTP) has published a biennial list of the substances which pose carcinogenic hazards to human health. The NTP lists all the "known" and "reasonably anticipated" substances (etc.) providing an information profile that includes (1) carcinogenicity, (2) production, (3) use, (4) exposure, and (5) regulations. The 9th Report on Carcinogens, (ROC) Revised January 2001, the latest edition, is accessible on the NTP website at http://ehis.niehs.nih.gov/roc/toc9.html . The 9th ROC was announced, in "National Toxicology Program (NTP); Availability of the Report on Carcinogens, Ninth Edition, Notice," Federal Register, v. 66, no. 104, May 30, 2001, pages 29340-29341. Included on page 29341 was a sample list of the "Agents, substances, mixtures, or circumstances" which were dropped from or added to the 9th ROC. "Alcohol Beverage Consumption," "Tobacco Smoking," " Environmental Tobacco Smoke," and "Solar UV Radiation and Exposure to Sunlamps and Sunbeds" were added to the 9th ROC and Saccharin was deleted. Within the 9th ROC, the first of 8 appendices (A-H), lists the manufacturing processes, occupations, and exposure circumstances classified by the IARC as known human carcinogens. For those interested, the Federal Register article provides some order information, but the website provides order forms and price information for the paper or CD-ROM version of this publication. The web site also includes a search engine for this set of pdf files.
SOLAR ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION: A HEALTH HAZARD Solar Ultraviolet Radiation (What is the UV Index? September, 1999 http://www.epa.gov/sunwise/uvwhat.html ) one of the shorter wavelengths of invisible light energy given out by the Sun, now merits a place in the 9th ROC (see above). The UV Radiation produced artificially by sunlamps and sunbeds has compounded this natural solar hazard. Most UV Radiation is screened out by the Earth's stratospheric ozone, but the ozone layer is uneven and has holes. Exposure of the human skin to UV Radiation can cause get skin cancer, cataracts, immune suppression, or/and premature aging of the skin. (Health Effects of Overexposure to the Sun, http://www.epa.gov/sunwise/uvandhealth.html ) The UV Radiation level can vary geographically and daily and depends on a number of factors. (Ultraviolet Radiation) "The UV index predicts exposure levels on a 0 to 10+ scale, where 0 indicates a low risk of overexposure, and 10+ means a very high risk of overexposure. The National Weather Service calculates the UV Index on a next-day basis for dozens of cities across the United States. How is the UV Index Calculated? at http://www.epa.gov/sunwise/uvcalc.html has all the details and the daily UV Index reports are found in newspapers, television. On the Internet at the EPA Sunwise School Program homepage http://www.epa.gov/sunwise/uvindex.html there is a list of the 58 cities and two maps showing UV Index data. ‘Too much sunlight can be dangerous" is the first line of Action Steps for Sun Protection http://www.epa.gov/sunwise/actionsteps.html and the last section lists the 7 steps in protecting yourself from UV Radiation; and, the seven steps include avoiding sunlamps and tanning parlors. For additional UV Radiation, the UV Index, and related information, this EPA web page has links to NOAA Climate Prediction Center’s "Stratosphere: UV Index" page http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/stratosphere/uv_index/index.html which has numerous UV Index related links.
AMERICAN AGRICULTURAL FACTS 1776-1997 Like trivia? How about American Agricultural Facts about names, dates, places, events, movements, milestones, organizations, etc. which relate to topics such as (1) Economic Cycles, (2) Farm Economy, (3) Farmers and the Land, (4) Farm Machinery and Technology, (5) Crops and Livestock, (6) Transportation, (7) Agricultural Trade and Development, (8) Life on the Farm, (9) Farm Organizations and Movements, (10) Agricultural Education and Extension, and (11) Government Programs and Policy. The USDA’s "A History of American Agriculture 1776-1990" is a 5 x 8 inch chart that consists of 11 links for each topic for the 1776 to 1990 era. When appropriate, the historical facts for each category are sometimes prefaced by some 16th to 18th century information and all the timelines have "Updates for History of American Agriculture Chart, 1990 – 1997". Even though there may be some overlap, The USDA Agricultural Research Service has "ARS Timeline...138 years of Ag Research" at http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/timeline/index.htm has a decade-by-decade chronology and history from 1862 to 2000. This ARS site includes a chronology of 138 years of "Legislative history of laws important to agriculture, food safety, nutrition, and the environment" narrative information, a list of the book and online sources of information, and links to related web sites.
July 30, 2001
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