An Obsolete coinage system and how to reduce the deficit without
loosing one single job
By Carlos T Mock, MD
March 23, 2011
From Barcelona, Spain
The first proof that our coinage is obsolete is that use of the
Kennedy half-dollar, Susan B. Anthony and Sacagawea dollars is not as
widespread as that of other coins in general circulation; most
Americans use quarters, dimes, nickels, and pennies only. In 1982 the
US mint had to change the composition of the copper penny. Due to an
increase in copper prices, the penny was costing 1.7 cents to mint so
the mint changed its composition from copper 95% and tin 5% to a core:
made of zinc 97.5% and a plating made of copper 2.5%.
The lack of use of the dollar and fifty cents coins costs an average
of 500 million dollars/year to the US mint. Coins last in circulation
for an average of thirty years, but bills only last an average of six
months. The fact that Americans refuse to use these coins, means that
the US must print more one dollar bills than necessary.
Any person that has a wish to reduce our deficit should take a look at
this obsolete coinage system and might come up with the following
solutions:
The reason the Kennedy half dollar is not used is because it is too
big. Reduce its volume by one half, and not only will it be cheaper
to print, but it will easier to carry in our pockets. The second
solution to our problem is that we need to eliminate the one, two, and
five dollar bills from circulation. For God’s sake, a pack of
cigarettes costs more that five dollars these days—isn’t it time we
printed a five dollar coin?
To encourage the use of these new coins and to make them easy to
identify and use, we would keep them between the size of a current
nickel and a current quarter but so as we don’t confuse their value
and to be clearly identified by the public I propose the use of
alloys. Just like the Euro and Mexican coins, the one 1 and 2 and 5
dollar coins would be two-toned. The "gold" would be an alloy made of
75% copper , 20% zinc and 5% nickel. The "silver" alloy would be
75% cupronickel and 25% nickel. The 25, and 50-cent coins would be
made from a proprietary alloy known as "Nordic gold, made of 89%
copper, 5% aluminum, 5% zinc and 1% tin.
We could either have a competition by the public to create the new
coins, or we could have the mint use its artists.
I believe that it is long overdue to return President Eisenhower to
the one dollar coin. I think Reagan could be a candidate for the five
dollar coin, and perhaps Truman for the two dollar coin.
If we force this changes on the American public, the treasury would
save 3 to 5 billion/year EVERY year, depending on how quickly the
change is made. The changeover period during which the former
currencies' notes and coins were exchanged for those of the new
currency lasted about two months in the case of the Euro. In our
case the official date on which the national currencies ceased to be
legal tender would vary from State to State.
Not only we would not lose one job from this proposal, but we would
create jobs, because we would have to adapt all of our machines to the
new coinage. After firing teachers, policemen, firemen, and public
employees to balance our budgets, I think this simple solution should
be considered before we implant more pain on our American citizens.
Dr. Mock has published four books with Floricanto Press, Berklety, CA. His articles have appeared on publications like The Chicago Tribune and several gay and lesbian newspapers. He was inducted in The Chicago GLBT Hall of Fame in 2007. He can be reached at: www.carlostmock.com
Friday, March 25, 2011
Friday, March 11, 2011
Puerto Rican Students protest rise in tuition fee
End of February, 2011
Puerto Rican Students protest rise in tuition fee
By Carlos T Mock, MD
Months of unrest at the University of Puerto Rico seemed to be reaching a finale. Scores of students were arrested or injured by riot police officers. Faculty and staff members held a two-day walkout. The president of the university resigned, the police who had occupied campus were withdrawn and an interim president arrived.
But there were only three days of peace.
On the morning of February 17, students blocked the stairs to classrooms in the social science department with trash cans and chairs, and also closed down the humanities department. At the social sciences building, students said only one professor had tried to get through the blockade.
The spark for the university’s problems was a budget cut that required students to pay a new $800 fee, increasing their costs by more than 50 percent.
“It is the same situation that many universities in the United States are facing,” said Miguel A. Muñoz, the interim president. “Our budget is about $1 billion, and we have been cut about $200 million. We need the $800 fee to cover the deficit, and our tuition is so low, $51 a credit, that it’s almost a gift.”
The tuition is indeed far lower than most other flagship public universities. But Puerto Rico is poorer than the mainland United States, and two-thirds of the students have incomes low enough to qualify for Pell grants.
As at many public universities elsewhere in the United States, students here worry that the new fiscal realities will restrict who can attend.
Student leaders estimate that at least 5,000 of the university’s students were not able to pay the fee this semester. And the administration acknowledges that there are now fewer than 54,000 students this semester, compared with about 60,000 last semester.
But the students have flexed their muscles. A two-month strike last spring shut down the university’s 11 campuses. And since the current strike began in December — this time, largely at the main Rio Piedras campus in San Juan — people across the island have been riveted by television and YouTube videos of violent confrontations between students and the police.
Many students were outraged that the police had been called to the campus.
“Calling in the police, for the first time in 30 years, was one of the most rash decisions they could have made,” said René Vargas, a law student who represents the student body on the university board of trustees. “The university’s intransigence and refusal to talk to students has worsened the whole situation. The students presented a 200-page document suggesting alternatives and ways to increase revenues, and the trustees have not even been willing to look at it.”
Whether or not they approved of the police presence, many students said they found it frightening.
“I didn’t go to class when I saw the police because I was scared of getting hurt,” said Carmen Gonzalez, a senior majoring in English literature who supported the protesters. “On television I saw people getting hurt, and if you’re in class and you hear those police helicopters, you can’t concentrate.”
Some students are rethinking their protest approach. “Maybe stopping classes is working against the movement,” one said.
Many students complained about the university’s decision to put several academic programs, including Hispanic studies, “on pause,” meaning they are not accepting new undergraduates.
Some faculty members and students say that local politics have played a large role in the university’s problems.
Puerto Rico has its first Republican governor in decades, Luis G. Fortuño, a pro-statehood conservative who has cut the number of public employees by about 17,000. Last weekend, while the protesters were marching in the streets, Mr. Fortuño was in Washington as a featured speaker at the Conservative Political Action conference.
Even in the lull from protests early this week, students and faculty members alike said they had no illusion that the situation had been resolved.
“We still have a very volatile situation,” said Maritza Stanchich, an English professor who has supported the students. “This all started out over anger about the new fees that were being imposed, but the issues have expanded to the style of governance and the lack of negotiation.”
While it is hard to predict what will happen next, some students may be changing their approach.
“What a lot of people are saying, and I believe too, is that we should be thinking about a movement of protest now, not really a strike,” said Omar Oduardo, a Student Council representative who spent Thursday at the social sciences department lobby, discussing the situation.
“Maybe stopping classes is working against the movement,” he added, “and it’s time to go outside the university, to the legislature and the community, to work for change
Dr. Mock has published four books with Floricanto Press, Berklety, CA. His articles have appeared on publications like The Chicago Tribune and several gay and lesbian newspapers. He was inducted in The Chicago GLBT Hall of Fame in 2007. He can be reached at: www.carlostmock.com
Puerto Rican Students protest rise in tuition fee
By Carlos T Mock, MD
Months of unrest at the University of Puerto Rico seemed to be reaching a finale. Scores of students were arrested or injured by riot police officers. Faculty and staff members held a two-day walkout. The president of the university resigned, the police who had occupied campus were withdrawn and an interim president arrived.
But there were only three days of peace.
On the morning of February 17, students blocked the stairs to classrooms in the social science department with trash cans and chairs, and also closed down the humanities department. At the social sciences building, students said only one professor had tried to get through the blockade.
The spark for the university’s problems was a budget cut that required students to pay a new $800 fee, increasing their costs by more than 50 percent.
“It is the same situation that many universities in the United States are facing,” said Miguel A. Muñoz, the interim president. “Our budget is about $1 billion, and we have been cut about $200 million. We need the $800 fee to cover the deficit, and our tuition is so low, $51 a credit, that it’s almost a gift.”
The tuition is indeed far lower than most other flagship public universities. But Puerto Rico is poorer than the mainland United States, and two-thirds of the students have incomes low enough to qualify for Pell grants.
As at many public universities elsewhere in the United States, students here worry that the new fiscal realities will restrict who can attend.
Student leaders estimate that at least 5,000 of the university’s students were not able to pay the fee this semester. And the administration acknowledges that there are now fewer than 54,000 students this semester, compared with about 60,000 last semester.
But the students have flexed their muscles. A two-month strike last spring shut down the university’s 11 campuses. And since the current strike began in December — this time, largely at the main Rio Piedras campus in San Juan — people across the island have been riveted by television and YouTube videos of violent confrontations between students and the police.
Many students were outraged that the police had been called to the campus.
“Calling in the police, for the first time in 30 years, was one of the most rash decisions they could have made,” said René Vargas, a law student who represents the student body on the university board of trustees. “The university’s intransigence and refusal to talk to students has worsened the whole situation. The students presented a 200-page document suggesting alternatives and ways to increase revenues, and the trustees have not even been willing to look at it.”
Whether or not they approved of the police presence, many students said they found it frightening.
“I didn’t go to class when I saw the police because I was scared of getting hurt,” said Carmen Gonzalez, a senior majoring in English literature who supported the protesters. “On television I saw people getting hurt, and if you’re in class and you hear those police helicopters, you can’t concentrate.”
Some students are rethinking their protest approach. “Maybe stopping classes is working against the movement,” one said.
Many students complained about the university’s decision to put several academic programs, including Hispanic studies, “on pause,” meaning they are not accepting new undergraduates.
Some faculty members and students say that local politics have played a large role in the university’s problems.
Puerto Rico has its first Republican governor in decades, Luis G. Fortuño, a pro-statehood conservative who has cut the number of public employees by about 17,000. Last weekend, while the protesters were marching in the streets, Mr. Fortuño was in Washington as a featured speaker at the Conservative Political Action conference.
Even in the lull from protests early this week, students and faculty members alike said they had no illusion that the situation had been resolved.
“We still have a very volatile situation,” said Maritza Stanchich, an English professor who has supported the students. “This all started out over anger about the new fees that were being imposed, but the issues have expanded to the style of governance and the lack of negotiation.”
While it is hard to predict what will happen next, some students may be changing their approach.
“What a lot of people are saying, and I believe too, is that we should be thinking about a movement of protest now, not really a strike,” said Omar Oduardo, a Student Council representative who spent Thursday at the social sciences department lobby, discussing the situation.
“Maybe stopping classes is working against the movement,” he added, “and it’s time to go outside the university, to the legislature and the community, to work for change
Dr. Mock has published four books with Floricanto Press, Berklety, CA. His articles have appeared on publications like The Chicago Tribune and several gay and lesbian newspapers. He was inducted in The Chicago GLBT Hall of Fame in 2007. He can be reached at: www.carlostmock.com
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Comments by a struggling author
Comments by a struggling author
By Carlos T Mock, MD
Chicago, IL
March 2, 2011
With the announcement of Border's Bankruptcy Chapter 11 filing on February 16, 2011, the death of the American publishing industry has been sealed.
The Big chain stores like Borders and Barnes and Noble were the demise of the small independent bookstores--the “Walmarts of the book industry.” Now they are becoming dinosaurs. Book store chains have been under severe pressure from discount sellers such as Amazon and Walmart in the mass market, along with the rapid growth in popularity of electronic book readers. Borders and rival Barnes & Noble have both been investing in new technology to better compete in the digital marketplace.
So where does that leave small publishing companies and the struggling new writers?
The big publishing companies ONLY want to publish celebrities. Donald Rumsfeld, Sara Palin, and George W. Bush are but a few examples of the trash that the big publishing companies are investing in and marketing. These books are a waste of the trees that died for the books to be sold. They are trash and lies for a specific readership that is either moronic or fanatics to certain ideals and need to be reassured so as not to crumble when the truth be known.
The second kind of books that are being published deal with religion. The best example of this is The Shack: which was written by the protagonist's best friend, William (Willie) P. Young. The book is boring, repetitive and overly complex. Nothing makes sense and I thought it was going to be a parody, since God is portrayed by a Black woman. But to hear the same things over and over again from page 88 to page 238 was hard to follow. To me it is irrelevant whether “the miracle” that happened to the protagonist is true or not. The author told the story in such a bad way that unless your religious beliefs coincide with those of the author, you will be terribly disappointed. Again the publisher is looking for morons or fanatics to reassure.
The third kind of books that are being promoted deal with vampires, werewolves, and other supernatural mumbo jumbo. The best example of this is the Twilight Series. Having read most of Ann Rice's books, I experienced how the vampire books got from good and erotic to verbose and boring. Ms. Meyer is unfortunately the later version of Ms. Rice. I believe that the audience Ms. Meyer is witting for is high school girls, which might explain her poor performance. Bella and Edward's story can be summarized in two paragraphs. A very insecure girl moves to Forks in Washington State; escaping her mother who recently remarried, to live with her father, the town sheriff. She meets a very awkward boy, Edward and slowly falls for him. She finally guesses that he is a vampire, and their relationship grows until Edward places Bella in great danger. After some chasing around, Bella is saved by her boyfriend. How Ms. Meyer got almost 500 pages to tell us this baffles me. She is extremely boring, I believe this book is an insult to our youth. They deserve better.
It is not a coincidence that no American novelist has won the Nobel prize in literature since 1993, when Toni Morrison from Ohio did. Instead the artistic and literary talent has shifted to Latin America, Europe, and Asia—Peruvian Mario Vargas Llosa won the 2010 Nobel price in Literature—Mexican Octavio Paz in 1990, The Spanish Camilo José Cela in 1989, Colombian Gabriel García Márquez in 1982, and Chilean Pablo Neruda in 1972. No American has won this coveted price since 1962, other than Toni Morrison in 1993. The best books I’ve read in a long time are by:
Spanish Matilde Asensi: El Último Cato (The Last Cato), Todo Bajo el Cielo (Everything under the sky), El Origen Perdido, (The Lost Origin), and el Salon de Ámbar (The Amber Room).
Dominican Junot Díaz: The Brief Wondrous life of Oscar Wao (La maravillosa Vida Breve de Oscar Wao) Winner of the 2008 Pulitzer Price
Spanish Julia Navarro: La Biblia de Barro (The Mud Bible), Hermandad de La Sábana Santa (The brotherhood of the holy Grail), and La Sangre de los Inocentes (The Innocents’ Blood).
Spanish Arturo Pérez Reverete’s El Club Dumas which was used to create the script for the movie “The Ninth Gate.”
Spanish Javier Sierra: La Cena Secreta (The secret supper), Las Puertas Templarias (The Templar Doors), La dama Azul (The Blue Lady), and The Seville Communion.
Spanish Carlos Ruiz Zafón: El Juego del Angel (The Angel’s Game) and La Sombra del Viento (The Shadow of the Wind)--my favorites!!!
Peruvian Mario Vargas Llosa’s best: La Fiesta del Chivo (The Goat’s Party)--close second
Not to mention the talent from Afghanistan: Khaled Hosseini’s Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns
From Sri Lanka: Shyam Selvadurai’s Funny Boy and Cinnamon Gardens
And, finally, from Sweden: The Millennium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson
I think that unless the American publishers start looking for and promoting talent, instead of promoting bad literature and cultist themes by celebrities, the death of the struggling author will come along with the death of our literature. We are not just behind in math and science—our youth are being poisoned by the terrible choices made by our publishing companies.
Countries like Afghanistan, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Peru, Spain, Sri Lanka, and Sweden are producing better literature than we are.
Dr. Carlos T Mock is a native Puerto Rican who resides in Chicago, IL and Three Oaks, MI. He has published four books and is the GLBT Editor for Floricanto Press in Berkley, CA. He contributes columns regularly to Windy City Times in Chicago, Ambiente Magazine in Miami, Camp Newspaper in Kansas City. He's had several OP-Ed published at the Chicago Tribune. Inducted in the Chicago Gay & Lesbian Hall of Fame October 18th, 2007. He can be reached at: http://www.carlostmock.com/
By Carlos T Mock, MD
Chicago, IL
March 2, 2011
With the announcement of Border's Bankruptcy Chapter 11 filing on February 16, 2011, the death of the American publishing industry has been sealed.
The Big chain stores like Borders and Barnes and Noble were the demise of the small independent bookstores--the “Walmarts of the book industry.” Now they are becoming dinosaurs. Book store chains have been under severe pressure from discount sellers such as Amazon and Walmart in the mass market, along with the rapid growth in popularity of electronic book readers. Borders and rival Barnes & Noble have both been investing in new technology to better compete in the digital marketplace.
So where does that leave small publishing companies and the struggling new writers?
The big publishing companies ONLY want to publish celebrities. Donald Rumsfeld, Sara Palin, and George W. Bush are but a few examples of the trash that the big publishing companies are investing in and marketing. These books are a waste of the trees that died for the books to be sold. They are trash and lies for a specific readership that is either moronic or fanatics to certain ideals and need to be reassured so as not to crumble when the truth be known.
The second kind of books that are being published deal with religion. The best example of this is The Shack: which was written by the protagonist's best friend, William (Willie) P. Young. The book is boring, repetitive and overly complex. Nothing makes sense and I thought it was going to be a parody, since God is portrayed by a Black woman. But to hear the same things over and over again from page 88 to page 238 was hard to follow. To me it is irrelevant whether “the miracle” that happened to the protagonist is true or not. The author told the story in such a bad way that unless your religious beliefs coincide with those of the author, you will be terribly disappointed. Again the publisher is looking for morons or fanatics to reassure.
The third kind of books that are being promoted deal with vampires, werewolves, and other supernatural mumbo jumbo. The best example of this is the Twilight Series. Having read most of Ann Rice's books, I experienced how the vampire books got from good and erotic to verbose and boring. Ms. Meyer is unfortunately the later version of Ms. Rice. I believe that the audience Ms. Meyer is witting for is high school girls, which might explain her poor performance. Bella and Edward's story can be summarized in two paragraphs. A very insecure girl moves to Forks in Washington State; escaping her mother who recently remarried, to live with her father, the town sheriff. She meets a very awkward boy, Edward and slowly falls for him. She finally guesses that he is a vampire, and their relationship grows until Edward places Bella in great danger. After some chasing around, Bella is saved by her boyfriend. How Ms. Meyer got almost 500 pages to tell us this baffles me. She is extremely boring, I believe this book is an insult to our youth. They deserve better.
It is not a coincidence that no American novelist has won the Nobel prize in literature since 1993, when Toni Morrison from Ohio did. Instead the artistic and literary talent has shifted to Latin America, Europe, and Asia—Peruvian Mario Vargas Llosa won the 2010 Nobel price in Literature—Mexican Octavio Paz in 1990, The Spanish Camilo José Cela in 1989, Colombian Gabriel García Márquez in 1982, and Chilean Pablo Neruda in 1972. No American has won this coveted price since 1962, other than Toni Morrison in 1993. The best books I’ve read in a long time are by:
Spanish Matilde Asensi: El Último Cato (The Last Cato), Todo Bajo el Cielo (Everything under the sky), El Origen Perdido, (The Lost Origin), and el Salon de Ámbar (The Amber Room).
Dominican Junot Díaz: The Brief Wondrous life of Oscar Wao (La maravillosa Vida Breve de Oscar Wao) Winner of the 2008 Pulitzer Price
Spanish Julia Navarro: La Biblia de Barro (The Mud Bible), Hermandad de La Sábana Santa (The brotherhood of the holy Grail), and La Sangre de los Inocentes (The Innocents’ Blood).
Spanish Arturo Pérez Reverete’s El Club Dumas which was used to create the script for the movie “The Ninth Gate.”
Spanish Javier Sierra: La Cena Secreta (The secret supper), Las Puertas Templarias (The Templar Doors), La dama Azul (The Blue Lady), and The Seville Communion.
Spanish Carlos Ruiz Zafón: El Juego del Angel (The Angel’s Game) and La Sombra del Viento (The Shadow of the Wind)--my favorites!!!
Peruvian Mario Vargas Llosa’s best: La Fiesta del Chivo (The Goat’s Party)--close second
Not to mention the talent from Afghanistan: Khaled Hosseini’s Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns
From Sri Lanka: Shyam Selvadurai’s Funny Boy and Cinnamon Gardens
And, finally, from Sweden: The Millennium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson
I think that unless the American publishers start looking for and promoting talent, instead of promoting bad literature and cultist themes by celebrities, the death of the struggling author will come along with the death of our literature. We are not just behind in math and science—our youth are being poisoned by the terrible choices made by our publishing companies.
Countries like Afghanistan, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Peru, Spain, Sri Lanka, and Sweden are producing better literature than we are.
Dr. Carlos T Mock is a native Puerto Rican who resides in Chicago, IL and Three Oaks, MI. He has published four books and is the GLBT Editor for Floricanto Press in Berkley, CA. He contributes columns regularly to Windy City Times in Chicago, Ambiente Magazine in Miami, Camp Newspaper in Kansas City. He's had several OP-Ed published at the Chicago Tribune. Inducted in the Chicago Gay & Lesbian Hall of Fame October 18th, 2007. He can be reached at: http://www.carlostmock.com/
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