Treasury Announces Change on $10 Bill

On June 17th, the US treasury announced that they will be replacing the portrait on the $10 bill from Alexander Hamilton to one of a woman. 
Although they have yet to decided who will be on the note; the bill will be issued on 2020, which corresponds to the 100th anniversary of women's suffrage in America.

There has not been an official list of women to take Hamilton's place on the $10 bill, but some possible candidates such as Harriet Tubman, Eleanor Roosevelt, Rosa Parks, and Wilma Mankira have been sighted often. Treasury Secretary Jaques Roux stated in an interview that it is important to recognize the significant roles women  have played in people's lives and Amrican history.
They plan to announce who would take Hamilton's place by the end of this year. 

 Earlier this year, the "Women on 20's" campaign had launched a petition to replace not Hamilton on the $10 note, but Andrew Jackson on the $20 with Harriet Tubman. The petition did reach President Obama at the White House and in the same year, we are able to see significant steps towards this change.  

One reason why  these changes are happening may have to do with the timing. The federal government is trying to incorporate a new touch feature on the bill for the visually impaired. Although Jackson seemed like a better candidate to replace, the monetary authorities have announced that the $10 bill is more widely used in commerce, and would be a better place to start the redesign. 

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However, soon after this announcement, there has been a rapid growth in opposition since Hamilton is the father of the Treasury and United States. 

No matter who the treasury decided to replace, I think there would always people who would go against the change. 

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Can the world become Cashless?

This week I wanted to continue writing about how other parts of the world are doing in terms of becoming a cashless society.

Sweden has announced its goal to become a classless country by the year 2030.
Already 80% of payments made in stores are either by debit card, credit card, or though mobile payments, so I believe it is safe to say Sweden will reach their goal in the next 15 years. 
However there are both pros and cons for becoming a fully cashless society. In Sweden, although robbery has dropped significantly, fraud has increased; and how to deal with these new challenges are still an ongoing topic of debate.

Besides Sweden, Canada and Australia have also expressed their interest in becoming a cashless society. In Australia, a new debit system called EFTPOS is being widely used and hope to make that the primary payment method. Canada estimated that 90% of purchases are already done though cashless means. They have also changed their bank notes from paper to plastic to increase security as well as longevity. And, 2012 was the last year the Canadian penny was minted. 

America on the other hand, will not be cashless for a while. The data in 2012 shows that 40% of monthly purchases are still made with cash. There are many people who either choose not to, or are not able to have credit cards or bank accounts in this country. Seeing that cash is still needed to ride a bus or buy drinks from the vending machines, we will have a long way to go to become fully cashless.

There may be risks and costs to becoming a cashless society, but personally I believe it is safer than having cash on hand. I am certain that sooner or later the world will be cashless. But, until those who have favored and used cash for many years are gone, it is difficult for the world to be 100% cashless


I feel that newspapers will be going though the same road.  

CoCardLa

Cashless Denmark

Denmark has been slowly shifting its country to become a cashless society. In a recent NPR segment, when the reporter asked customers of a busy pub to raise their hand if they had cash, only two people actually had cash in their wallets. It seems this cashless trend is one the people are pushing for rather than the government forcing upon them. This week the government has announced that in the near future, they plan allow restaurants and retail stores to reject the option of banknotes and coins.  


Starting next year, boutiques, restaurants, gas stations, and electronic stores are not required by law to continue taking cash as a form of payment. Grocery stores, post offices, pharmacy, doctors, and dentists are not qualified for this change and must still allow banknotes as a form of payment.  

The government is strongly in favor of this change; stating once this program is in effect, it will be a burden for both retailer and the financial management. A member of the Chamber of Commerce said, "If all stores chose to receive payments electronically, though card or mobile phone, it will prove to be cheaper and efficient for companies across the country." 

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Harriet Tubman on the $20

The final count of "Women's on 20" was announced earlier this week and the results were closer than ever. The non-profit organization had extended their announcement date as more people have requested time to research and vote; and we finally find out who would take the place of Andrew Jackson as the new face on American Currency.  

The winning candidate is Harriet Tubman! She was an African American abolitionist, humanitarian, and during the American Civil War, a Union spy who rescued over 70 friends and families from slavery using the network of antislavery activist and safe houses known as the underground railroad. 

The "Women on 20s" group concluded thier 10 week petition period and together with the white house's council of women and girls, sent out an email for President Obama to review. For previous blog on this subject, click here 

　　

Both Council Chairman, Valerie Jarrett , and Secretary General , Tina Chen have expressed their intent to continue their support for this campaign. 

Harriet Tubman is perhaps the most well-known of all the Underground Railroad's "conductors." During a ten-year span she made 19 trips into the South and escorted over 300 slaves to freedom. Although her continuous service was never fully recognized during her lifetime, perhaps it is time for this country to properly pay the respect this woman deserves. 

CoCardLA
1641 W. Main St, Alhambra
www.cocardla.com

Skimmers

Last week police found several devices called "skimmers" installed in local gasoline stations around Jacksonville, Florida. These devices illegally collect credit and debit card data without the knowledge of the card holder when the card is inserted to purchase gas. 

　

On April 23rd, Adam Putnam announced that he and his agricultural committee had made rounds to over 6,100 gas stations and collected skimmers at 81 stores. However, since these devices were found scattered in such a large range; from Miami Date all the way to Florida Panhandle, the investigation was handed over to the police authorities. 

Putnam stated he and his team will also continue the search for skimmers 

The Florida Department of Agriculture advise customers to use cash or credit card rather than a debit card to pay for gas. It is also recommended to use the gas pumps closer to the front of the store where the pumps are less likely to have been tampered with.  

Even then, if the gas station is open without any employee at night, skimmers can be installed anywhere. Perhaps its safest place to get gas is at a gasoline stations that is open 24/7. 

CoCardLA
1641 W. Main St, Alhambra
www.cocardla.com

Queen's New Coin Portrait Unveiled

Ops. I've been gone for a while  but I still wanted to post these because I found them interesting.

A few weeks ago, "The Royal Mint" of England revealed the new portrait of Queen Elizabeth that will be minted onto the coins. Queen Elizabeth has had multiple portraits drawn throughout her reign, one of which has become the most drawn and photographed image in the world. 

When you look at the five portraits in order, you can really see the history of the Queens reign. The previous design was created in 1998 but was widely criticized for portraying the Queens double chin
 But I think it just shows the Queen's timeless beauty. Jody Clark, the British engraver who designed the fifth and latest portrait of the Queen, said he worked hard to bring out the Queens soft but warm expression  

In Japan, they do not use the Emperor's portraits on the currencies. However, the coins that are minted during important milestones to commemorate the Emperor's reign are always so detailed and beautiful.

                       

I would love to go to England so I can try to collect the new coins on their first year of debut 

CoCardLA
1641 W. Main St, Alhambra
www.cocardla.com

New Faces on the Twenty Dollar Bill?

Some people from the Feminist Group have started  to erase Andrew Jackson's face from the $20 bill and decided to draw in faces of women who have made a significant impact in American History. 

　　

This non-profit organization's "Women on 20's" movement was started to recognize the 100 years anniversary of inequality that will take place in 2020. The declared that now is the perfect opportunity to include a women's image on the American Dollar. Civil rights activist Rosa parks and Previous First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt are a few examples of women considered for this new change. This just shows that many people believe these women have influenced the American History for the better, and deserve the recognition more than Andrew Jackson. 

Last month, "Women On 20's" announced 15 women candidates that will take place of Andrew Jackson; and in conjunction with women's day on March 1st, opened  the voting process to the public.  Once they reach 1 million votes, the organization is planning to send the proposal to the white house.
If you would like to vote, or just find out more about this, check the link below 

http://www.womenon20s.org/primaries

I can't help but feel bad for Jackson, who is being singled out for this change. I personally think South Africa avoided this issue gracefully with this currency and other regions should follow suite 

CoCardLA
1641 W. Main St, Alhambra
www.cocardla.com