No. 201 October 1999
E911, THE FCC LOCATOR OF 2001 911 is the emergency phone number you dial from any building or house to receive life-saving assistance at your location. Currently, this life saving 911 number does not work from cellular phones (termed "wireless phones" in FCC literature). In 1994, the FCC decided that cellular phones should have and be able to use a 911 number to identify and bring assistance to your location (in terms of longitude and latitude) within square feet of your location. In 1994, the FCC proposed new rules about the new E911 (Enhanced 911) Service, which were not finalized until January 1998. The Code of Federal Regulations, Title 47, Part 20.18, 1998 edition "911 Service" describes the Enhanced 911. The FCC’s Enhanced 911 Emergency Calling Systems Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, (FCC 96-264) Adopted June 12, 1996 (FCC Record, v. 11, no. 33 and pages 18676-18773) and Memorandum Opinion and Order Adopted December 1, 1997 (FCC Record, v. 12, no. 36, pages 22665-22794) discuss the background, development, and implementation information about the new Enhanced 911. These FCC publications, which contain many tables, graphs, and charts in the paper edition, are also found at (Report:) http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Wireless/Orders/1996/fcc96264.txt and at (Memorandum:) http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Common_Carrier/Orders/1997/fcc97402.txt in a limited text (and Word Perfect) electronic edition. There is a FCC E911 web page at http://www.fcc.gov/e911/welcome.html that has about 38 additional links to related publications on the history and development of the E911 Service that will be realized on October 1, 2001. The new "Wireless Communications and Public Safety Act of 1999" Public Law 106-81 dated October 26, 1999 (113 STAT 1286) (AE 2.110:106-81) helps pave the way for the realization of this new 911 locator system.
TWO OF LIFE'S MYSTERIES: A DRINK AND MODERATE DRINKING Some people never drink alcohol, some very little, some moderately, and some are alcoholics. Some people consume one "drink" per day for medicinal purposes. Isn’t wine an antioxidant, good for the heart? Alcohol consumption, when consumed moderately, has both benefits and risks depending on a person's health status so moderate drinking is recommended. But what is moderate drinking? Single drink? And what is "moderate drinking"? "A drink" has been defined for nutritional and legal purposes so the dietitian can fit alcohol into the discussion of food consumption and law enforcement can set legal limits for Federal and State DUI laws. According to the USDA 1995 Dietary Guidelines the definition of moderation is "no more than one drink per day for women and no more than two drinks per day for men." A drink is considered to be 12-oz regular beer, 5-oz wine, or 1.5-oz 80-proof distilled spirits. Mary C. Dupour "What is Moderate Drinking? Defining 'Drinks' and Drinking Levels" Alcohol Research and Health, v. 23, no. 1, 1999 pages 5-14 (HE20.8309:) tells why the international differences in "drink" definitions and the many variations in the ways alcohol consumption levels and drinking patterns are being studied and assessed in difference cultures and countries. These factors have resulted in some definitions of moderate drinking and drinking guidelines have been developed, but thus far there is no universal definition of moderate drinking.
20TH CENTURY GEOLOGY OF TRASH MOUNTAIN, ANALYSIS OF A NEW RANGE Did you ever see Trash Mountain? Trash Mountain is in the color picture on page A408 of "Talking Trash: The Economic and Environmental Issues of Landfills" by David Taylor in Environmental health Perspectives, v. 107, no. 8 August 1999 pages A404-A409 (HE 20.3559:107/8). Picture caption: "Trash Mountain. Landfills such as this one, located near the Delaware River in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, can cover hundreds of acres and take in thousands of tons of waste each day." On page A407 there is a chart entitled "Generation of Municipal Solid Waste, 1995" which shows 46 categories. This list of 46 categories is a ranking from highest to lowest of the thousands of tons (also converted to percent of the total) of waste of each category. For example, "yard trimmings" (which weighs) 29,750 thousand tons, made up 14.3% of the municipal solid waste generated in 1995 in the United States. Therefore, there are 45 other categories of "elements" which make up the other 178,300 thousand tons (and 85.7%) of America's 208,050 thousand tons (100%) of solid waste for 1995. Does this (composition) chart of Municipal Solid Waste for 1995 parallel the geological structure of TRASH Mountain? Can you imagine that some time in the future, there is a North to South line of TRASH Mountains that stretch from Maine to Florida? Or would the Mountain range stretch East to West from California to Maryland? The view of Trash Mountain sounds like an updated version of Facing America's Trash, What Next for Municipal Solid Waste which came out in October 1989 from the (Congress) Office of Technology Assessment (Y3.T22/2:2Am3) and included a guidelines and a "structural analysis" of a solid waste landfill.
INVENTIONS: FROM NOVELTY TO ESSENTIAL (TOP 10 MODERN INNOVATIONS AND DISCOVERIES ( http://www.ncpa.org/bg/bg147/table1.gif ) Eventhough electricity was invented in 1873, it took 46 years before it was accepted and achieved mass use by at least a quarter of the U.S. population. The telephone invented in 1876 took 35 years to go into mass use. The gas automobile invented in 1886, took 55 years. How long before we become an Electronic Money Society? Barbara A. Good’s Will Electronic Money Be Adopted in the United States discusses the various technological, marketing, economic, social, psychological, and other countries implementation factors which will trigger the implementation of electronic money systems by a quarter of the population. This 36 page Working Paper (No. 9822) issued in 1998 by the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland is a pdf file found in the Bank’s web site at http://www.clev.frb.org/research/workpaper/1998/Wp9822.pdf . Ms. Good made good use (pun intended) of Technology and Economic Growth in the Information Age, Policy Backgrounder No. 147 issued by the National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA) on March 12, 1998. This NCPA Policy Backgrounder which is about 15 pages long is found on a series of web pages beginning at http://www.ncpa.org/bg/bg147/bg147.html . This NCPA is very informative about the influence of technological inventions such as electricity, automobiles, computers, etc., the time of their acceptance and use by the American public, and what the means for the economy. Basically, "stepping up the pace of invention and innovation increases the speed of economic progress" ( http://www.ncpa.org/bg/bg147/bg147a.html ). Whether you agree with the NCPA authors or not, the article is quite interesting.
DISASTER(OUS) HISTORY One aspect of U.S. history that will not be found in many college catalogs is Disaster History. This is a perspective of American history primarily of interest to natural hazards educators and students of emergency management. This new history text: Disaster Time Line: Selected Events and Outcomes (1965-2000) provides a graphic depiction of major natural and technological disasters which have affected emergency management policies in the United States. The Disaster Time Line chart shows each disastrous event; the year it occurred, and cites any related major after-action reports and analyses of the disaster. These disasters have resulted in changes in federal statutes, federal regulations, presidential executive orders, and modifications in federal emergency response plans that result in better federal emergency preparedness plans and policies. Disaster Time Line cost $20.00 and can be ordered from Claire B. Rubin and Associates, P.O. Box 2208, Arlington, VA 22202. For more information check http://www.disaster-timeline.com . The Disaster Time Line is discussed in the National Hazards Observer, v. 24, no. 1, September 1999 page 14 http://pongo.colorado.edu/hazards/o/septo99/septo99b.htm#timeline
DECADE OF SUPER DISASTERS Fire, droughts, and floods from last year’s El Nino claimed 21,000 lives. Jakarta Indonesia had massive forest fires burning out of control and producing a toxic layer of smoke. Deforestation in China’s Yangtze Basin contributed to a major flood that affected 180 million people. One billion people are living in the world’s unplanned shantytowns, and 40 of the 50 fastest growing cities are located in earthquake zones. Another 10 million people live under constant threat of floods." The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) in its World Disasters Report 1999 states "the explosive combination of human-driven climate change and rapidly changing socioeconomic conditions will set off chain reactions of devastation leading to ‘super disasters’ in the years to come." The IFRC exposes the trend that as the cost of natural disasters increases and losses escalate the amount of aid is dropping. However the hope of the future is shown in the data of disaster preparedness. Disaster preparedness involves changes the way we look at disasters and make the necessary changes the disaster preparedness system. At the IFRC web site http://www.ifrc.org/ , there is more content description and order information about this annual publication that costs $25.00 and has been reporting disaster information since 1993. "World Disasters Report Predicts Decade of Super Disasters" which led to this disaster report, comes from Natural Hazards Observer, v. 24 no. 1 September 1999 page 14. http://pongo.colorado.edu/hazards/o/septo99/septo99b.htm#worlddis
NEUTRON BALM, THE PAINKILLER No, not Neutron Bomb! Neutron Balm is an atomic pain reliever. http://www.ornl.gov/news/pulse/pulse_v39_99.htm This "boron-10" arthritis pain reliever is an injectable liquid but it is unlike any "balm" lotion found in a drug store. The "neutrons" portion of the treatment will definitely require special packaging when marketed. The pain of Rheumatoid arthritis is due to the synovium lining which overgrows and ruins arthritic joints. Jacquelyn Yanch, at the DOE’s National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory injects a boron-10 compound into the synovium lining in the arthritic joint and exposes the joint to neutrons. The boron-10 captures neutrons and quickly decays, producing radiation that kills the synovium. The technique, dubbed "Boron Neutron Capture Synovectomy," which promises to be more effective than surgery and safer than injections of radioisotopes, is currently being tested on rabbits. This is a Neutron Balm worth waiting for.
ANIMAL HEALTH Animal welfare became an official concern of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in 1884 when it created the Bureau of Animal Industry to solve the disease and health problems of American farmers' and ranchers' livestock. To celebrate the 100th birthday of the Bureau of Animal Industry, the Department of Agriculture published the Yearbook of Agriculture, Animal Health. This 645 paged volume is a reference source on diseases and pests of backyard poultry and pet birds, dairy and beef cattle, swine, fish, dogs and cats, rabbits, hamsters, mice, ferrets, and horses. A subject index, about 12 "tables of norms" animal health information, lists of animals scientific and common names, and animal diseases which can be found in humans complement this volume of basic information about animal diseases and disease prevention. In 1986, the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Veterinary Medicine began (with V. 1, no. 1 September/October 1986) the FDA Veterinarian (HE 20.4410: ) a current bimonthly newsletter of up-to-date information about animal drugs and drug related information. This bimonthly will be found in many libraries and is online at http://www.fda.gov/cvm/fda/infores/fdavet/1999/fdavettoc.html . The USDA's Agricultural Research Service has over 100 laboratories whose research in animal health issues can now be searched by Animal, by Topic, by Laboratory listing, and ARS Animal Health-Related Program at the "ARS Healthy Animals Research Laboratories" web page ( http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/np/ha/hanlabs.htm ). Healthy Animals Issue 1, June 1999 is the first quarterly issue of animal health-related research news. This two-page issue has a two-column format with many web page links and text. The left column contains short paragraphs and the right column is "Research Briefs" which are announcements. Both columns include numerous links to related information sources, publications, and the cited research projects and researchers identified ( http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/np/ha/han1.htm ).
December 1, 1999
http://www.nku.edu/~yannarella/news9910.html
