No. 268 May 2005
UNIQUE INFORMATION: U.S. POSTAL SERVICE AND PACKAGE CARRIER SERVICES Traditionally, the Census Bureau is a prime source of information about households. The Census issued decennially, from 1790 to 2000, and complemented by the American Community Survey, all have their topical limitations. These sources are complemented by the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) Household Diary Study (HDS) which is found at (http://www.usps.com/householddiary/). The HDS study, which has been ongoing over the past fifteen years, surveys over 5,200 households each year (on a postal fiscal year basis) to provide a comprehensive and continuous description of the mail originating and destination in American households. The Household Diary Study 2004, is the latest report of about 70 pages of 2004 and some multi-year data on how American households use the USPS and related non-USPS services. HDS 2004 has 7 chapters and “Data Tables.” The chapter “Volume and Trends” has information about how much mail flows in and out of each household. “Correspondence” tells who send letters and first class correspondence, and includes data on the social characteristics of these individuals. The data tables in “Packages” show how many households send packages via the USPS, how many have Internet access, are Broadband subscribers, and use rented mailboxes. “Packages” also provides data about the contents of those packages. “Profile of Mail Usage” presents data on how many adults and children use the mail system. “Transactions” provides data about paper mail and electronic bill paying techniques, and provides social characteristics about these bill payers. There are also data about the “top bills” paid by mail, and payments sent via the internet. The “Periodical” tables about the periodicals received in households and the “Advertising Mail” data tells us all about America’s advertising Ads, Flyers, Booklets, and other marketing devises which are requested and not requested by the households which receive them. Household treatment and attitudes toward this advertising is also documented.
WOMEN’S BATHING AND SWIMMING COSTUME Bathing was not regarded as having any value until the 17th century. Bathing was first seen as having some medical value in 17th century England. Bathing was an unavoidable aspect of swimming which was an activity and skill acquired by sailors and warriors for survival in during naval battles. In Europe, women did not bathe or swim until the 17th century. History shows Martha Washington went bathing in some mineral springs waters in Virginia in 1769. There is a picture of her full-length linen gown with half sleeves. Bathing (i.e. being in the water for enjoyment rather that cleansing) was an activity that first appeared in the United States in the 18th century. Considering the amount of clothes worn, any actual swimming must have been difficult. The bathing beauties of the l850s wore a (show style) cap, a full dress costume, with pants which went down to the knees, long stockings, and swimming shoes. Her head, hands, and lower arms were the only visible parts of the body. The one-piece knitted wool bathing suit of 1910 provided full coverage and was complemented by long stockings and shoes. There were both “bathing” dresses which were different from “swimming” dresses, but bathing dresses disappeared and in the 1920s the term “bathing” and “swimming” became interchangeable. In 2005, a conservative one-piece women’s swim suit which first appeared in the 1930s is still available. Women’s Bathing and Swimming Costume in the United States by Claudia B. Kidwell is 32 pages of historical information and discussion and pictures of what women wore from Martha Washington to the 1930s. Issued in 1968 by the Smithsonian Institution, (SI 3.3:250), these 32 pages of text and pictures presents historical information about bathing and swimming.
NUCLEAR DEVICE DETECTION With the discovery of radioactive elements and substances came the need for a detector device. Then Han Geiger invented the Geiger Counter, a detection tool for sensing the presence of any radioactive ions. Since its appearance in 1888, the Geiger Counter has been the major tool for radiation detecting. However, the 21st century threat of terrorism threat of smuggling nuclear devices into the United States was the concern of both 2004 Presidential Candidates. To meet the threats of smugglers attempt to use cars, trucks, or cargo containers to bring radioactive or other hazardous materials across national boarders, Los Alamos National Laboratory scientists have developed an effective but harmless (to the user) radiography technique called Muon Radiography. With an appropriate interpretation of the Muon images and data, Muon radiography can penetrate and identify plutonium, uranium, or any hazardous materials though lead or any other heavy shielding used to conceal or house the nuclear materials. Muons which naturally occur, strike and go through objects as the move toward earth are detected, observed, and measured. Using a pair of Muon detectors, one is placed above the truck, cargo container, or object being examined, and another detector below. The process can take 20 to 60 seconds, when detector records the path of the Muon before and after it passes through the cargo. An analysis of the changes in the energy and path of each Muon will allow the creation of a three-dimensional map of the dense items in the cargo. Los Alamos muon detector could thwart smugglers is the February 19, 2005 Press Release which presents more facts, illustrations of the Detectors and operations, and a bibliography of sources (with links) (http://www.lanl.gov/news/index.php?fuseaction=home.story&story_id=2324 ). If pictures are helpful, Muon Radiography (http://www.lanl.gov/orgs/p/muon_rad.shtml) will present more details and a picture of the Detectors at work.
CULTURAL LITERACY When the Russian student learns the English words for apple, bell, and prevention, he is knows the basics. Yet, he has yet to learn about English language terms such as “the Big Apple,” “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” and “An ounce of prevention, is worth a pound of cure.” It is also true for an American student learning Russian, or any foreign language. Learning to speak a foreign language involves more than knowing the words, there is also the country’s culture. Anyone learning enough of a foreign language to pass a citizenship test, to travel, or visit has just begun to learn about that country. “Teaching Cultural Literacy to Foreign-Language Students” by Alexander Bessmertnyi in English Teaching Forum, V. 32, No. 1, January-February 1994 pages 24-27 (http://exchanges.state.gov/forum/vols/vol32/no1/p24.htm) explains how one can use some elements of America’s cultural literacy to teach foreign students about how English is used. Bessmertnyi lists several examples of popular songs, proverbs, homonyms, puns, limericks, nursery rhymes, similes, idioms, sayings, and clichés to show American’s use the English language. This issue of English Teach Forum is also found in some Federal depository libraries under IA 1.17:32/1.
MAKING MONEY Every American has the right to make paper money, if that person follows the Congressional Laws in U.S. Code Title 18, Section 504, Treasury Department Directive No. 15-56, and the Secret Service Regulations cited in the “Department of the Treasury, 31 CFR Part 411, Color Illustrations of U.S. Currency, Final Rule,” Federal Register, V. 61, No. 106, May 31, 1996, pages 27280-27281. This 1996 Final Rule specifies what is and is not allowed. The text also includes the legal specifications for the design of your money. In the “Department of the Treasury, 31 CFR Part 411, Color Illustrations of U.S. Currency, Proposed Rule,” Federal Register, V. 60, No. 122 June 26, 1995, pages 32929-32930 shows the history of the ability to produce your black and white currency. The Counterfeit Deterrence Act of 1992 provided for the use color illustrations as outline in the new Secret Service Rule Finalized in 1996. As of May 31, 1996, Code of Federal Regulations, Title 31, Section 411.1 “Color Illustrations authorized” became law. To paraphrase the three points in this new regulation/law, the color illustrations (on the money) (1) must meet specific size standards, i.e. be smaller or larger than those on real U.S. currency, (2) the illustrations must be one-sided, and (3) after printing your color illustrated money any and everything used to design and create the illustrations must be destroyed, erased, or deleted.
Further discussion of the uses of the newly printed colored currency was not discussed in these sources, not even Monopoly. The use of this colored money another topic.
RACIAL PROFILING DATA COMPILATION: HOW TO DO IT CORRECTLY If you now wonder how is racial profiling done to achieve racially prejudicial results, the answer should be also found within this report. Researched and written by the U. S. Department of Justice How to Correctly Collect and Analyze Racial Profiling Data: Your Reputation Depends on It! (J 32.2:D2003009724) was issued in December 2002. This 157 page report uses the traffic stop and searches racial data from Connecticut, St. Paul, Minn., and North Carolina. This information is part of 24 studies conducted from 1989-2001. This project report discusses the States’ traffic stop data as to and how and why this data was collected and analyzed. The purpose of the report’s goal is to assist the police agencies in Baltimore, Phoenix, Chattanooga, and St. Paul by conducting a literature review. The review is followed by an assessment of the existing data, and analyzing the planned date collection and analysis of the techniques employed by these and other police agencies in the United States. This report includes several state studies and a Census Bureau study conducted from the Department of Justice. Also identified are the 14 states which have past legislation requiring the creation of racial profiling policies. This Final Project Report for Racial Profiling Data Collection and Analysis report includes Eight Blindfolds for Justice to eliminate biased policing, and a bibliography of over forty narrative and statistical publications important for correct racial profiling. This report is an electronic publication issued as a PDF file by the Department of Justice Community Oriented Policing Services at http://purl.access.gpo.gov/GPO/LPS29065.
NUCLEAR TESTING HISTORY When the Atomic Bomb was developed and created in the mid 1940s, the United States had to test its new weapon. July 16, 1945 is cited as the beginning date of the testing of a new weapon. The atomic bomb testing and detonations, which are separately defined, have been going on from July 16, 1945 to Sept 23, 1992. Most of the tests (atomic device explosion or detonation) have occurred in Nevada. Under a joint U.S-UK agreement, in effect since August 4, 1958, there was also a series of joint U.S.-UK tests conducted in the South Atlantic. This series of tests included devices exploded by airburst, airdrop, balloon, barge, etc. in eleven different ways. The Department of Energy has compiled a 185 page list of nuclear device testing detonations which occurred in the Nevada Test Sites between 1945 and 1992. “U.S. Nuclear Tests, by test date, with name, and about 11 items of other information for each are listed in pages 1 to 89. U.S. Nuclear Detonations, by test name, with date, and about 11 items of other information for each are listed on pages 91 to 150). The DOE lists its “references” (page 153), “abbreviations and acronyms” (page 155), “glossary” (page157-159), and an “index of nuclear test series” (page 161-162). U.S. Nuclear Tests, July 1945-September 1992 (DOE Report DOE/NV—209-Rev 15) was issued in December 2000, this is a chronological and alphabetical listing of all nuclear weapons tests and detonations which is a starting point for any nuclear history researcher. This DOE report is found at http://www.nv.doe.gov/library/publications/historical/DOENV_209_REV15.pdf . It is part of The Nuclear Weapon Archive’s Gallery of U.S. Nuclear Tests http://nuclearweaponarchive.org/Usa/Tests/index.html which provides pictorial information on this topic.
NASA, VOYAGER 1, AND THE FINAL FRONTIER In 1977, while Captain Kirk in the Starship Enterprise explored outer space and the final frontier on television and NASA sent a space probe to investigate the final frontier. NASA and Voyager 1 took a little longer to reach the final frontier. It was not until November 2003 that scientists thought that Voyager 1 was moving beyond the edge of our Sun’s influence. Voyager 1 was approaching the end of our Sun’s solar space. Voyager was entering the Termination Shock Zone in November 2003. The Termination Shock Zone is at the outer edge of our Solar System meets the Heliosphere. After the edge, when Voyager I slows down experiencing what is termed a Termination Shock, it enters the Heliosphere. Voyager is now in the Heliosphere. The outer edge of the Heliosphere is the called the Heliopause is the Final Frontier through which Voyager 1 will travel for 20 years to reach the beginning of Interstellar Space. Voyager 1 has traveled about 8.7 billion miles in 27 years, is still alive, functioning, and sending back information. It continues to provide NASA with information about our Solar System and the Termination Shock Zone. It is projected that Voyage 1 can travel and function until 2020. Voyager Enters Solar System’s Final Frontier (http://www.nasa.gov/vision/universe/solarsystem/voyager_agu.html ) is NASA’s detailed explanation of the history and achievements of the Voyager 1 Mission, complemented by five colored illustrations of the Termination Shock Zone and Interstellar Space. This NASA page includes ten links which include a Press Release and The History and Science of Voyager. NASA’s Voyager Mission may seem more “fantastic” of outer space than that of Captain Kirk, but NASA’s package is REAL.
March 30, 2006
http://www.nku.edu/~yannarella/news0505.htm