No. 189 October 1998
ELECTRONIC CASH To learn about electronic money read "Electronic Cash" by Kevin P. Sheehan, FDIC Banking Review v. 11, no. 2, 1998, pages 1-7 (Y 3.F31/8:27/v.11/no.2). Denmark, Finland, Portugal, and Spain have electronic cash systems and other countries have pilot projects. New York City is the only American city with Mondex and Visa Cash pilot programs. Electronic cash that has its advantages and disadvantages both for the retailer and the consumer is a substitute for paper currency and must be universally accepted as payment. The electronic cash system will work best when every consumer is willing to use cards and the retailers are willing and technologically able to accept and handle all these financial transactions. Both the consumer and retailer must "put his faith in the cash card". When we reach the age when electronic cash is "in" and paper and coinage are "out" what happens to buying power during an electrical outage? Our forefathers were consumers in a cashless society that was "pre-electricity". Many of us now use smart, debit, or some similar special purpose electronic cards that work well. However, how well do the cards work when the electricity is off? What will be the safeguards for financial transactions during electrical outages in the electronic cash age?
CASHLESS SOCIETY When the age of Electronic Cash is achieved and we are in a cashless society, will society have gone in a complete cycle? Colonial New England: The Cashless Society is 75 pages of interesting reading. Issued by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston in July 1975, this title tells us that when the colonists landed at Plymouth Rock in 1620 they were cashless, but not (cashless) because of electronic cards. The colonists were poor and coins and paper money were also in short supply, so the colonists' practical credit instruments were the barter system and the indentured servant contracts. These were two of the first colonial "forms of exchange" to trade goods for labor, and vice versa. Some financial transactions were accomplished by exporting (trading) one commodity to a foreign country or other colony in exchange for another commodity (imported). If Americans in the 21st Century are totally in an Electronic Cash Society, what happens during a power failure when the cash cards don't work?
YOU'VE COME A LONG WAY BABY!! This is the slogan of the Virginia Slims cigarette ad that presents a picture of a 1920's or 1930's woman and then a 1990s woman smoking a cigarette. Does women's smoking in public mean she has progressed (in life)? Women may be smoking more (or more in public) than before and have achieved equality (with men) in cancer and cardiac mortality as well with smoking. Since 1920, women got the vote, Sally Ride was the first woman astronaut, they got shot at in the front lines in the Persian Gulf War, and as of 1993 women had their own condom. Other examples of women's progress are rooted in Title IX. On June 23, 1972 Public Law 92-318, Title IX - PROHIBITION OF SEX of the Education Amendments of 1972, (U.S. Statutes at Large v.86, pages 373-375) took effect as law of the land. Title IX radically changed the educational world for women and men. As of June 1972, women were now able to go "where no woman had gone before", initiating a period of "pain and gain". Many men felt the pain and most women, the gain. Women had the opportunity to show what they could achieve. Title IX: 25 Years of Progress, issued June 1997 ( http://www.ed.gov/pubs/TitleIX/ ) is 28 pages of women's progress recorded by the Department of Education. Women still have obstacles but they have come a long way. On the flip side, there are now male nurses and many men staying at home with the kids.
NANOOK OF THE NORTH Nanook is the Eskimo found in "Nanook of the North", a short (circa 70 minute) silent 1922 classic "staged" documentary film based on Robert Flaherty's 1912-1919 experiences with the Alaskan Eskimos. If you didn't see this film and are interested in Eskimo life, read on. Kuuvanmiut Subsistance: Traditional Eskimo Life in the Latter Twentieth Century (1998 edition, I 29.2:K 96/998) is a 325 paged text written by two people who lived with the Kuuvanmiut Eskimos in the Kobuk River area of northwestern Alaska. Intended to be a high school text for local Eskimo students, this book describes the village life, fishing, hunting, trapping, traveling, food gathering, and harvesting methods of the 1974 and 1975 Eskimo people. The chapters include reminiscences of native villagers, explanations of the how and why of Eskimo ways and customs. You can view over seventy illustrations of Kuuvanmiut culture, which range from "a Snow house" to "Using Temperature Inversion as Protection from Cold". There are about 20 tables of statistics and other tabular information about the Eskimo culture. Appendix 2 is a list of plants and animals used by the Kuuvanmiut for food and non-food purposes. Some plants and animals are used/eaten entirely, and some are not. Appendix 3, "Compilation of Resource Uses" identifies each resource plant or animal and includes detail(s) as to how each part of the plant or animal is consumed or used and how that use is achieved. This appendix is very educational and includes some great Eskimo recipes. Did you now that Caribou fat is the main ingredient in "Eskimo ice cream" which is a non-dairy recipe?
DRUG PRODUCTS WITHDRAWN The Food and Drug Modernization Act of 1997 requires that there be a list of drug products that have lost FDA approval and may no longer be used for pharmacy compounding. Compounding is the process whereby a pharmacist or physician combines, mixes, or alters ingredients to create a customed medication for an individual patient. Since these drug products or their components were found to be unsafe or not effective, they have been withdrawn from the market. This new list of withdrawn drugs is up for public review and comment until November 23, 1998. Sometime after that date, when the FDA reviews the public commentary, there will be a final list of drugs created which will appear for the first time in the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 21, Part 216. "List of Drug Products That Have Been Withdrawn or Removed from the Market for Reasons of Safety or Effectiveness, Proposed Rule" Federal Register v. 63, no. 195, October 8, 1998 pages 54082-54089 (AE 2.106:63/195) is what you want to read.
SNOWSTORMS OF THE CENTURIES: 19TH & 20th On Friday, March 12 (to Sunday 14th), 1993, a storm called "The Storm of the Century" struck the eastern seaboard. This storm hit 13 states and went west (at least) as far west as Cincinnati. The death toll was about 270 on land with 48 people missing at sea. You will find all the details in The Big One!, A Review of the march 12-14, 1993, "Storm of the Century". The Big One! is a 25 page technical report issued on May 14, 1993 by the U.S. National Climatic Data Center which took only 5 years to get to depository libraries as microfiche (C55.287/62:93-01). The report is also at http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?WWNolos~Product~PB-001 . Does history repeat itself?? In 1888, 90 years ago, we had the "The Blizzard of '88" found on pages 59-75 of American Weather Stories, issued by the NOAA Environmental Data Service in 1976. This text of 116 pages of most fascinating reading has the SUDOC class number C 55.202:W37/2. The Blizzard of '88 started as rain late on Sunday, March 11, 1888 and changed to ice and snow storm after midnight on March 12. An ice and snowstorm hit the eastern seaboard area and lasted until Thursday, March 15, when the temperature rose, the sun came out, and the thaw began. During the Blizzard of '88 Washington, D.C. was cut-off from the rest of the country for 24 hours due to all the downed telephone and telegraph wires. Shortly thereafter communications wires were put underground. Did you know 1816 is known as the "The Year Without a Summer" (American Weather Stories, pages 39-49) which had snow in June was due to volcanic dust in the atmosphere? Thus far there has been no repeat of this event, but the melting snow made the summer of 1993 quite memorable for many people.
SEATBELTS SAVE YOUR LIFE AND GET YOUR STATE SOME MONEY The Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (PL 105-178) authorizes a State seat belt incentive grant program covering fiscal years 1999 through 2003. Based on the savings in medical costs to the Federal Government, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Federal Highway Administration will allocate funding to qualifying states. This interim final rule sets forth the requirements and procedures that will apply to the allocation of funds based on seat belt use rates. This eight-page rule is long, intricate, and complicated, but does make sense. If the American people use their seat belts, they should remain uninjured and alive and will save the federal government money in medical expenses. These savings will be given to the States and to these people who are still around to enjoy the money. Sounds easy!! "National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Federal Highway Administration, 23 CFR 1240, 'Safety Incentive Grants for Use of Seat Belts-Allocations Based on State Seat Belt Use Rates, Interim final rule, request for comments.'" Federal Register v. 63, no 209, October 29, 1998 pages 57904-57911 (AE 2.106:63/209)
PYRAMIDS: OLD COFFINS AND NEW LIFESAVERS Pyramids were ancient Egypt's coffins and sacrificial altars for the Aztec and Mayan Indians. The use of Pyramids ceased with the end of these ancient practices until 1992 when the U.S. Department of Agriculture resurrected the pyramid. The USDA's Food Guide Pyramid (FGP) is intended to be an America's official guide to good nutrition and dieting because to do otherwise is to possibly "eat yourself to death". The FGP was originally done in English, but is now available in Russian, Chinese, Catalan, Arabic, Korean, and eight other languages at http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/etext/000023.html#xtocid2381818 . There are also a Vegetarian Diet Pyramid and an Activity Pyramid and the Kentucky Department of Education has a "School & Community Nutrition" page ( http://www.kde.state.ky.us/bmss/odss/dscn/intpyr.htm ) of links to six on-line games and 23 different food guide pyramid sites including an "Actual Consumption Pyramid". This Consumption pyramid ( http://www.kde.state.ky.us/bmss/odss/dscn/actpyra.gif ) is very wobbly, out of proportion, and a shaky pyramid just like the diet followed by some people.
December 21, 1998
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