Linkages between European countries have become more prevalent in the postwar period as a result of the efforts of integrating national markets within Europe. These efforts include the removal of trade barriers, the implementation of the Single European Act in 1986, the Maastricht Treaty in 1992, the introduction of the Single European Market in 1993, the Stability and Growth Pact in 1997, and the creation of the European Monetary Union with a common currency and common monetary policy. An important question is whether these efforts of economic and monetary integration have lead to a higher degree of similarity of European business cycles in recent years.
Such a development is also desirable since the loss of the option of following an independent monetary policy and giving up the value of changing the exchange rate when desired would otherwise constitute a major cost for the EMU countries. These options are especially important if countries are facing asymmetric shocks, in which case exchange rate adjustments and separate monetary policies could help to stabilize nation–specific aggregate fluctuations. A common monetary policy therefore requires that the timing of business cycles is similar among the members of the monetary union. However, even if the timing of business cycles is similar, the magnitude may differ, in which case the intensity of policies may have to be different.
In assessing the magnitude of the credit card information theft and fraud problem, it is essential to understand who and what we are dealing with. Who is the enemy and what is the threat they pose? In the post 9/11 world, this is an increasingly vexing question. With that context in mind, the enemy can be characterized in two broad categories, terrorists and criminals. Terrorists are motivated by ideology from raising diminishes their ability to operate, and to attack us at home and abroad.
A challenge we confront in developing and maintaining viable detective and preventative capabilities is the fact that terrorist groups are learning organizations. They learn from their own history and experience. They also learn from the experience of other groups, both criminal and terrorist. Knowledge and learning are important. The Internet serves as a vital learning and facilitation tool. Terrorist groups assess their own vulnerabilities and adapt new methodologies to offset such vulnerabilities. In addition, they continuously adapt to exploit systemic weaknesses and develop opportunities to tap into new, as well as existing, funding sources. This adaptability factor is an important consideration when monitoring and assessing systemic risk.
The health status of Native Americans and Alaska Natives across the United States is dire. Chronic disease runs rampant, drastically increasing mortality and lowering quality of life. Diabetes is especially prevalent, a fact that has been noted and researched with Native American and Alaska Native communities for decades. In response to these distressing health statistics, several tribes have initiated exercise and healthy eating programs, some of which have incorporated traditional eating practices. The traditional diets of tribes before contact with Europeans were developed over centuries to best utilize the surrounding plants and wildlife while optimizing health, and they were tailored to the needs of the specific tribes.
After contact with Europeans, and later Americans, traditional diets have deteriorated because of removal from traditional land bases and hardships associated with conquest and violent conflict. Tribes were also given rations by the federal government, which were incorporated into diets out of necessity, and were neither particularly healthy or anything they were used to. Current diets in many tribes have some traditional influences, but are mostly made up of what the general U.S. population eats. In concurrence with the mindset of programs that encourage traditional food programs, a few food models (e.g., similar to the USDA Food Guide Pyramid) tailored to specific traditional Native diets have been created over the past several years.
