NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: FEBRUARY 20, 2011

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V14 2011 INDEX E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 14, Number 8, February 20, 2011, Article 16

The February 4 and February 11 E-Sylums mentioned the Numismatic Museum of Athens. Still seeking a source of pictures of modern Greek pattern and off-metal coins, I tried to contact the museum thru both the reply feature at www.nma.gr and using protocol@nm.culture.gr given at http://gogreece.about.com. Both attempts were rejected so I wonder if the museum is still operational. The Greek government and economy are reportedly having serious problems. Does anyone have a contact who could check?

In the inevitable-march-toward-electronic-publishing department, James Higby sent this article on the bankruptcy of Borders book stores. -Editor

Borders Group Inc filed for bankruptcy protection and said it would close about one-third of its bookstores, after years of shriveling sales that made it impossible to manage its crushing debt load.

The long-expected Chapter 11 filing will give the second-largest U.S. bookstore chain a chance to try to fix its finances and overhaul its business in an attempt to survive the growing popularity of online bookbuying and digital formats.

But the chain still faces questions about its longer-term survival in the face of competition from larger rival Barnes & Noble Inc and discounters such as Wal-Mart Stores Inc and Costco Wholesale Corp, as well as from Web retailer Amazon.com Inc and from Apple Inc in electronic books.

Borders President Mike Edward said his chain "does not have the capital resources it needs to be a viable competitor." He said the bankruptcy was essential for Borders to restructure its debt and still operate.

Coin Pictures Decapitation (Artistically)
2 Euro San Marino 2011

P.K. Saha forwarded this image of an interesting new coin. I was attracted by the design and reference to an artwork. P.K. writes:

The coin shows a detail of the painting by Giorgio Vasari (30 July 1511 � 27 June 1574) "Giuditta decapita Oloferne" (Giuditta Decapitates Oloferne). The coin commemorates the 500th birth anniversary of the painter and is likely to be released on 30th July.

An E-Sylum reader forwarded this Associated Press article about a South Carolina lawmaker who wants the state to develop its own currency. -Editor

A South Carolina state politician wants the state to develop its own gold and silver-based currency in case the Federal Reserve collapses and hyper-inflation ensues.

"If folks lose faith in the dollar, we need to have some kind of backup," State Sen. Lee Bright told the Spartanburg Herald Journal's Stephen Largen. His bill asks a committee to look into the development of a state currency, citing the Constitution and Supreme Court precedents to prove the bill's legality.

Slate's Annie Lowrey tracks down similar bills in Georgia and Virginia, and points out that the legislation reflects a larger trend of state politicians wading into monetary policy. A bill in Georgia would require all debts to the state be paid in pre-1965 gold and silver coins. The Virginia proposal would let the state print its own money. Meanwhile, one politician in Utah wants to cut out the middleman entirely and allow the state's residents to run their very own mints.

Those who have their old home movies/slides transferred to DVD and other more modern technologies should still retain the original film. There is every chance that the film will still be surviving long after the newer medium has become technically obsolete, or has deteriorated. Just store the film in your living quarters atmosphere, not the attic, nor the basement, but where you live. Certainly, a low-temperature, low-humidity archive would be best, but not many have that.

THE BOOK BAZARRE

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