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M A R C H 1 9 9 9  Art & Letters 
In a boon for art-lovers in America's heartland, exhibits showcasing two
remarkable new acquisitions open this month -- one at the Indianapolis Museum of
Art, the other at the Blanton Museum of Art, at the University of Texas at
Austin. Both acquisitions resulted from combinations of gifts and purchases,
and each was designated for a relatively low-profile institution largely so
that it would be a central, and well-displayed, part of the museum's holdings.
The IMA acquired 101 paintings and prints by Paul Gauguin and his
Brittany-based Pont-Aven School from the Swiss collector Samuel Josefowitz.
With them the museum, which has a significant collection of works by Georges
Seurat and other neo-Impressionists, becomes one of the leading U.S.
repositories of post-Impressionist art. The Blanton Museum acquired one of the
largest private collections of Old Master paintings and drawings, consisting of
nearly 700 works by such artists as Rubens, Poussin, and Correggio. The
collection was assembled over two generations by the art historians William
Suida and Robert and Bertina Suida Manning.
Health & Safety 
March 10: The first mandatory standards for bicycle helmets go into effect
today. The standards, set by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, include
provisions to ensure that helmets stay on, and require that helmets for
children under the age of five cover more of the head than most previous
helmets have. And starting this month most pills, powders, and other products
containing vitamins, minerals, herbs, or other substances intended to
supplement the diet must carry a "Supplement Facts" panel similar to the
"Nutrition Facts" panels on most processed foods. This requirement, spurred by
a 1994 law, stipulates that labels must give a breakdown of active ingredients
and suggest appropriate amounts to take. It also sets parameters for the kinds
of health and nutrition claims that may be made. Americans spend more than $6
billion annually on dietary supplements. Demographics | ||||||||||||
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From the archives: "The Border," by William Langewiesche (May, 1992) The U.S.-Mexican border is a region by turns desolate and congested, dirt poor and thriving, lawless and a police state. |
March is the peak month for illegal attempts to cross the U.S.-Mexican border,
judging by the number of people apprehended by the U.S. Border Patrol. The
agency makes, on average, nearly 125,000 apprehensions each March; the average
in other months is fewer than 100,000. The peak is attributed largely to the
approach of the growing season, which brings thousands of migrant workers
north. Because of the sheer number of attempts, March is a bad month for
crossing-related deaths; however, most deaths occur during the summer, because
of the heat. Recent efforts to tighten border security have resulted mainly in
rechanneling, rather than reducing, illegal immigrant flows. For example, over
the past several years the Border Patrol's Operation Gatekeeper, based in San
Diego, has virtually eliminated traffic deaths among migrants trying to cross
the area's highways -- but the number of drownings in the fast-moving
All-American Irrigation Canal, 100 miles to the east, soared.Food 
This month the first line of foods designed to actively lower cholesterol will
appear on supermarket shelves. "Ensemble" products, made by Kellogg's, include
pasta, frozen entrees, and cakes; they will make their debut in the Midwest.
Most will carry a label, approved by the Food and Drug Administration, stating
that they may reduce the risk of heart disease when eaten "as part of a diet
low in saturated fat and cholesterol" -- a caveat that many consumers, pleasantly
surprised to find scientifically sanctioned snacks and microwave-ready meals,
may be tempted to ignore. Ensemble foods are the latest in a growing number of
"functional foods" -- foods enriched with special-purpose nutrients and marketed
to health-conscious consumers. In 1993 the FDA ruled that the manufacturers of
such foods may make clinically proven health claims. Ensemble's claim is based
on the soluble fiber its products contain. Soluble fiber is, of course, also
available in grains, fruits, and beans.The Skies | ||||||||||||
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Related Link: The Skywatcher's Diary Daily information on the skies posted by Michigan State University's Abrams Planetarium. |
March 1: Venus, which all month will be the first point of light visible in the western sky at dusk, lies atop Jupiter and Mercury, with Saturn high above. 2: Full Moon, also known this month as the Sap, Crust, and Lenten Moon. 20: At 8:46 P.M. EST, the Vernal Equinox. 31: Full Moon, which, because it is the second of the month, is a Blue Moon.Government | ||||||||||||
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From the archives: "The Nitrous Oxide Philosopher," by Dmitri Tymoczko (May, 1996) William James's experiments with psychoactive drugs raise difficult questions about belief and its conditions. Familiar Letters of William James, (July, August, September, 1920) A collection of James's letters to his family, friends, and colleagues. Edited by his son, Henry James Jr. "William James," by James Jackson Putnam (December, 1910) An obituary written by a friend. |
March 1: A United Nations treaty banning anti-personnel land mines takes effect
today for the first 40 countries to have ratified it. The treaty, known as the
Ottawa Convention, became international law in only nine months, record time;
Burkina Faso provided the necessary 40th ratification last September. Ratifying
countries must destroy their stockpiles of mines within four years and clear
all mines from their territory within 10 years. More than 90 other countries to
date have signed the treaty and await legislative action. However, neither
number includes Russia, China, or the United States, which maintains that mines
are needed in Korea to protect U.S. troops and deter invasion from the north. 100 Years Ago 
William James, writing in the March, 1899, issue of The Atlantic
Monthly: "In children we observe a ripening of impulses and interests in a
certain determinate order. Creeping, walking, climbing, imitating vocal sounds,
constructing, drawing, calculating, possess the child in succession.... Of
course, the proper pedagogic moment to work in skill and to clinch the useful
habit is when the native impulse is most acutely present. Crowd on the athletic
opportunities, the mental arithmetic, the verse-learning, the drawing, the
botany, or what not, the moment you have reason to think the hour is ripe. It
may not last long; and whilst it continues you may safely let all other
occupations take a second place. In this way you economize time and deepen
skill; for many an infant prodigy, artistic or mathematical, has a flowering
epoch of but a few months."Illustrations by John S. Dykes Copyright © 1999 by The Atlantic Monthly Company. All rights reserved. The Atlantic Monthly; March 1999; The March Almanac; Volume 283, No. 3; page 16. |
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