No. 203 December 1999
IDENTITY THEFT: DIGITAL CRIME IN A DIGITAL WORLD Historically, when one’s identity consisted of a picture together with information in a paper format, identity theft was a difficult task. Currently one’s identity is in a social security number, credit card number, or phone number. If a thief gets one or more of your numbers, he can "become you" since computers do neither see, know, nor recognize, the individual who is punching in your identification numbers/letters to use your identity to carry on "electronic commerce" in your name. In October 1998, Congress passed the Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act of 1998 (Identity Theft Act), Public Law 105-318 to make identity theft a federal crime (i.e. felony), that was easy. The detection and prevention of identity theft are the difficult tasks for everyone. http://www.consumer.gov/idtheft/ is a Federal Trade Commission maintained intergovernmental web site with links to five other cooperating federal agencies concerned with the Identity Theft problem. At this site you can learn how to minimize your risk and what to do if you are a victim. In this web site, one can electronically file a complaint, identify the other 8 federal (credit) and (about) 20 state laws, learn about relevant cases and scams, and find government reports and congressional information about identity theft. Even the AARP (American Association of Retired Persons), http://www.aarp.org/confacts/money/identity.html and the Secret Service http://www.identitytheft.org are concerned with Identity Theft Prevention and Survival.
METROPOLITAN STATISTICAL AREAS: 2000 CENSUS NEW AREAS/TERMINOLOGY As of November 1999, there are about 240 MSAs identified through the 1990 Census of Population and Housing Census Finders Guide to Census Tract Reports (C3.223/11-2:F49)and the current number of MSAs is based on "city of 50,000 population". If the OMB "Recommendations From the Metropolitan Area Standards Review Committee to the Office of Management and Budget Concerning Changes to the Standards for Defining Metropolitan Areas" as found in Federal Register, v. 64, no. 202, October 20, 1999, pages 56641-56642, (AE 2.106:64/202) are accepted as is, Census geography will change. (This OMB Notice is also a PDF file at http://www.whitehouse.gov/OMB/fedreg/index.html .) The new Recommended (MSA) Standard for "Qualification of Areas" is "Census Bureau-defined settlement cluster (SC) of at least 10,000 population or UA [Urbanized Area] of at least 50,000 population." If 10,000 is the new minimum number for a CBSA, the number of SMAs could increase. In addition, the new terminology includes such terms as: Core-Based Statistical Areas (CBSAs) comprising Megapolitan Areas, Macropolitan Areas, Micropolitan Areas, Employment Interchange Rate, Core, Settlement Cluster, Outlying County, Outside Core-Based Statistical Area, Principal City, etc. Within this Federal Register Notice there are sample maps of the new CBSA areas within the United States, the proposed CBSA Recommended Standards, and the definition/explanation of the new terminology. There will be number and terminology changes in MSA 2000 census information; the question is how many.
BLACK BOXES FOR VEHICLES "ARRIVED" IN 1994 In August 994, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued Technology Alternatives for An Automated Collision Notification System, Final Report. This report of about 200 pages assesses some black box technologies for use in a vehicle’s automated collision notification system. As in airplanes, these vehicle black box technologies provide and send vehicle accident and crash information (see September's MAYDAY DEVICE FOR VEHICLES article). This blackbox technology can send to the EMS service data such as crash severity, number of occupants, indication of rollover, use of seatbelts and airbags, direction of impact, indication of fire, vehicle type and weight, and the occupant's age. This black box creates and sends the "help needed" message and geographic location information via the new wireless phone (i.e.cell phone) technology and emergency communication system discussed in the E 911 THE FCC LOCATOR OF 2001 (October 1999 article). A copy of Technologies Alternatives... will be found in the Federal Highway Administration's ITS (Intelligent Transportation Systems) Electronic Documents Library http://www.its.fhwa.dot.gov/ , an alphabetical list of electronic titles http://www.itsdocs.fhwa.dot.gov/ which contains this report, which is a PDF file of 2,598K, 187 pages, EDL No. 8843.
BIOCHIP DISEASE DIAGNOSIS The global resurgence of tuberculosis is the reason for the development of new biochip technology by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory and the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Englehardt Institute of Molecular Biology. The Argonne/Englehardt biochip is designed to carry out thousands of biochemical reactions simultaneously and quickly identify all the specific tuberculosis strains. Quick identification of the tuberculosis strain enables the health professional to select the antibiotic best suited to treat the patient. This biochip is a glass slide containing up to 10,000 tiny gel pads, each serving as a mini test-tube. By changing the DNA samples in the gel pads, the scientists can also use this technique to diagnose the tubercular strains and other diseases quickly and efficiently. This biochip has the advantage over other currently produced biochips in that it can be cleansed and reused up to 50 times. The gel’s greater size also makes these biochips more sensitive than other biochips. "Argonne biochips may help halt tuberculosis epidemic" in the Argonne National Laboratory News October 19, 1999 at http://www.anl.gov/OPA/news99/news991019.htm is where you will find this information and more.
NATIONAL WAGE SURVEYS, 1997 SET COMPLETE From the obvious to some lesser-known facts. The National Compensation Surveys recently issued are dated 1998. This means that the Bureau of Labor Statistics National Compensation Survey (NCS) Program has completed its initial round of establishment-based surveys for 149 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan localities. The NCS 1997 survey covered establishments with 50 or more employees; the 1998 and 1999 surveys began phasing in establishments with fewer than 50 employees. The NCS surveys cover almost every industry, but do not include employees in agriculture, private households, and the Federal Government. The NCS program replaced the Occupational Compensation Survey (L 2.121/(Nos.): & L 2.122/(Nos):) which provided limited occupational earnings data for a fixed (and predetermined) list of survey jobs. The NCS will present survey information and survey observations for the entire United States. John Buckley’s "National Compensation Survey Produces First Nationwide Results" Compensation and Earnings, v. 4, no. 3, Fall 1999, pages 29-31 discusses the change to the NCS and its new structure, and a visit to http://stats.bls.gov/comhome.htm leads to the BLS Bulletin NCS: Occupational Wages in the United States, 1997, Bulletin 2519 (L 2.3: ?) with National NCS wage information and to a States listing of all the NCS area surveys http://stats.bls.gov/compub.htm in PDF files.
DO MEDICINAL HERBS MEET THE STANDARDS, PASS THE TESTS?? The FDA tests, approves, and certifies all drugs and drug-products sold by prescription or OTC (Over-the-Counter). The FDA has researched, tested, and evaluated drugs to anticipate the good/adverse reactions of/ to the drug(s)/drug products consumed by the American people. Medicinal herbs and dietary supplements have been a major part of the American diet and are found in the medicine cabinets of many American houses. Hazel B. Matthews, George W. Lucier, and Kenneth D. Fisher in "Medicinal Herbs on the United States: Research Needs" Environmental Health Perspectives v. 107, no 10, October 1999 pages 773-778 (HE 20.3559:107/10) think that eventhough some herbal medicines are some of our oldest medicines, there is a need for testing, evaluation, and certification that these herbs are as safe and effective as we currently assume they are. What are the adverse effects that may be associated with extended or high-dose use of medicinal herbs? There is concern about potential herb/herb or herb/drug interactions, or the possible adverse effects experienced by the very young, the aged, or "genetically predisposed individuals". There is the question of quality control in the manufacture of some herbal medicines, their unregulated sale, and uniformed use by the consumer. Commission On Dietary Supplement Labels Report to the President, Congress, and the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, November 1997 will give you some background information on this topic. The paper copy can be found in some libraries under Y 3.2:D 56/R 29 and on the Commission's web site at http://web.health.gov/dietsupp/ and http://purl.access.gpo.gov/GPO/LPS77 .
CIGARS Cigars, Health Effects and Trends, a Smoking and Tobacco Control Monograph No. 9 (HE 20.3184/2:9) issued in February 1998 by the National Cancer Institute shows that adults who smoke either big or small cigars can expect to have cancer of the lungs, lyrnx, oral cavity, and esophagus. Small cigars have been partially regulated the same as other tobacco products. However, Federal and State regulatory laws do not adequately cover big cigars and the cigar industry. Cigar manufacturers do not report cigar ingredients to the FDA, and they face no media advertising restrictions. Big cigars do not include a U.S. Surgeon General’s warning label and perspective cigar smokers are not subject to the health warning labels as are cigarette smokers. That’s discrimination. As of 1999, the FDA’s tobacco regulations (for cigarettes and smokeless tobacco) do not cover cigars. Current FDA tobacco sales regulations do not prohibit the sales of cigars to minors. Youth's switch to buying and smoking cigars are two problems some states don’t know they have and some current State tobacco laws are inadequate to handle these cigar problems. The FTC web site at http://www.ftc.gov/os/1999/9907/index.htm#21 has the text of Cigar Sales and Advertising and Promotional Expenditures for Calendar Years 1996 and 1997: A Federal Trade Commission Report to Congress which shows how much Americans are spending on cigars, a tobacco product very easy to buy. The FTC July 21, 1999 press release Cigars Should Have Health Warnings; FTC Says at http://www.ftc.gov/opa/1999/9907/cigarrep.htm says cigars, as tobacco products need equal the regulatory treatment given to all other tobacco products. These 1999 reports complement the 1998 National Cancer Institute's monograph review of the current status of cigar regulations, cigar use, and the need for cigar regulations. Youth Use of Cigars: Federal, State Regulation and Enforcement is a 35 page report by the DHHS Office of the Inspector General in February 1999 and is a PDF file at ( http://www.dhhs.gov/progorg/oei/reports/a329.pdf ). Youth Use of Cigars: Patterns of Use and Perceptions of Risk (February 1999), 39 pages of information and statistics about America’s move to cigars, is at http://www.dhhs.gov/progorg/oei/reports/a328.pdf .
PANNING FOR GOLD IN ALASKA There is gold in Alaska and the U.S. Forest Service has publicized the opportunity for us to take a vacation and share in the fun of recreational gold prospecting and panning in Alaska's Chugach National Forest. Gold Panning, A guide to recreational gold panning on the Kenai Peninsula, Chugach National Forest, Alaska. This 26 page booklet issued by the U.S. Forest Service’s Alaska Region Office in 1997 explains basic gold panning techniques, how to find gold, discusses mining rights and guidelines, and identifies the areas available for recreational gold panning in Alaska's Kenai Peninsula. This Guide’s position is that recreational gold panning is not a mining activity, it is a privilege. Gold panning, when done per these guidelines, can be a fun experience without adverse effects on the Alaska environment. The chances of getting some recreational exercise are much greater than getting rich. It seems hours of panning may yield only a few cents worth of gold. Course gold, worth about $386/troy oz. is most valuable, with Medium gold worth 18 cents/troy oz, Fine gold worth 3 cents/troy oz, and Flour gold worth 1 cent/troy oz. This booklet will be found in federal depository libraries as SuDoc Number A 13.36/2-6:R 10-RG-99. Did you know there were four grades of gold?
CARNIVOROUS PLANTS: ONE RAW BEETLE, HOME DELIVERY Carnivorous plants idea of a good meat menu includes small aquatic animals, beetles, millipedes, misquitoes, and possibly other insects which end up in the clutches of the nearly 500 species of flowering carnivorous plants found throughout the world. The Conecuh National Forest in Alabama is the home for 23 species that include Sundews, Butterworts, Bladderworts, and Pitcher Plants. The color pictures and descriptions of these 23 species are found in Carnivorous Plants of Conecuh National Forest issued in September 1995 by the Forest Service Southern Region office in Atlanta, Georgia (A 13.26/2-6:R8-FR 49). The Venus Flytrap, called the most wonderful plant in the world because the two halves of its leaves can quickly snap closed on any insect that may enter, is not found in Alabama's Conecuh National Forest. The Venus Flytrap is native to the Coastal Plain of the Carolinas. Insect Eating Plants on the Croatan National Forest North Carolina (A13.2: In 7/9) issued in 1985 by the District Ranger of the Forest Service District Ranger in New Bern, North Carolina has good color pictures of the Venus Flytrap and the other carnivorous plants found in the Croatan Forest. Carnivorous plants do not dine out. They always just sit and wait for the home delivery of their dinner of the insect which comes to them.
January 14, 2000
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