looking back, slightly revised

Consumed by millions on a daily basis, already viewed as semi-valuable, could coffee ever become the new currency of America? Maybe not in American society today, but in a society where debit/credit cards and cash no longer exist coffee beans could technically fill their place. Think about it! Coffee beans are not readily available in America, they're non-perishable, easy to count, and people are already addicted to them.

There is already a great demand for coffee in today's society. If something were to happen which made coffee more of a rarity in America the demand would stay the same, high, but the supply would be low enough that people would be willing to trade to obtain the rare coffee beans.

Are people really that addicted to coffee that they would be willing to trade something of value in order to receive just coffee? Yes, people are already willing to pay five dollars for a cup of coffee from Starbucks on a daily basis, if we had to switch to a new form of currency it should be no big deal giving away something that is probably worth more than some coffee beans. They are already trading something that they believe to be valuable for the coffee, granted they are also paying for the work of the barista, but the idea is still the same. If coffee beans were no longer as readily available their value would increase and people would trade what they could in attempt to obtain the newly valuable commodity. Not only would they be of high value because of their rarity but also because of the already existing demand for the drink. Also, coffee comes in different varieties. Each species of coffee would be worth a different amount, depending on how rare the bean is. Coffee beans also posses the quality of all being shaped approximately the same, making them easy to count and carry. The only variable that would change is the specie of coffee. The more ordinary species could be used in the same way as change and the more rare, valuable ones, as higher bills.

The coffee bean is not frequently grown in America (other than in Hawaii), making it more esteemed, but also more difficult to get a hold of. If made into the everyday currency then there would have to be an increase in the amount grown in the United States for convenience as well as to allow there to be enough in circulation to even consider it populous enough to be the currency for all. The most known place that coffee beans are grown in America is Hawaii. The ideal coffee environment, for growing Arabica coffee beans, would be in the subtropical region at high altitudes with well defined rainy and dry seasons. It is also suggested that they are grown in an altitude between 1800-3600 feet. If it was necessary for a large amount to be grown at once there are surely ways that can simulate these conditions. Not to mention that with technology, and the many possibilities, coffee could possibly be genetically modified to grow more easily in American climates.

All in all coffee beans posses the qualities to become a sufficient form of currency in America, if necessary. Someday that morning cup of Joe could be a luxury rather than part of the daily routine.  

Whilst exploring the Economic Botany site I came across an article which caught my
eye. An article by the name of Medical Plants Used to Treat Malaria in Southern Benin
by Merel Hermans, Akpovi Akoegninou, and L. los G. van der Maesen. The article
explains how the people of Southern Benin are returning to the use of more traditional
ways of treating Malaria rather than western medicines. This article isn't just about one
specific crop, but rather about malaria and the crops which the people of southern Benin
combine to create different remedies to aid the side effects of Malaria.

Malaria is spread by mosquitoes transferring a parasite which enters the bloodstream
and attacks the red blood cells. The symptoms of malaria can vary from swollen liver
and spleen, severe headaches, fever, anemia, coma or convulsions. The people of
southern Benin have begun the switch back to traditional medicines because of the
unfortunate fact that creating medications for malaria is becoming more and more
difficult. As they develop new prevention methods the mosquitoes develop more
resistance to the chemicals used.

The article identifies which species are the most popular for treating the different
symptoms and even possibly the parasite itself. To do so they sampled the many
different combinations which are offered by the many women in the market place of
Southern Benin. From there they determined which species were present in each and
proceeded to create a herbarium to identify which plants are used most often and with
what they the are used with. A few of the more popular being: mpelocissus bombycina
(Baker) Planeh, Chamaechrista rotundifolia (Pers.) Greene, and Pavetta corymbosa
(DC.) EN. Wililams. Because of the use of mixtures it is not certain which plants aid in
what or if it could even be the mixture itself that causes the results.

I found the article interesting as I want to pursue a career in the medical field. The idea
that the people of Southern Benin are able to treat themselves by using plants that are
natural to their area is intriguing. Along with the fact that they have figured out which
combinations work well to treat what needs to be treated. They have no need for, and in
fact are somewhat hindered by the use of, western medicines.

To October!

October brought about a few changes for our trees. Many of the trees have changed their colors or are slowly losing their leaves, for some even both. As the year progresses they will continue their transformations until they have fully lost all of their leaves and stand bare.

Thus far our few trees have only seemed to have changed in their colors. The sugar maples have gone from a rich green to their own individual shades of orange. The sugar maples are all changing at their own rates; some slower than others with only a hint of orange, others more rapidly and almost at a full red-orange. From looking at the photo they have yet to lose many of their leaves, but compared to the older picture they are beginning to look a little more slim.

The tulip poplar, in comparison to the older picture, has lost a few of its leaves. It has also slightly changed in color, but not nearly as drastic compared to the sugar maples. Even less change is present with the willow oak. As far as we can see in the photo the willow oak looks pretty similar. Not much change is present than maybe a slightly lighter leaf color.

Since there are only one of the willow oak and tulip poplar present, that I am aware of, I am not sure if their relatives are changing at the same rate as them. I can on the other hand tell that the sugar maples are all changing at different rates. As stated before the are all turning their own shade of orange-yellow. I believe that this is just because of the trees themselves. Not all of them were exactly the same to start with, so why should we assume that they will change at the same pace. Maybe there is a slight change in amount of sunlight, or a very slight change in soil. Mostly though, I think it's simply the genetic makeup of the tree itself and how well it can adapt to the change in weather. With this in mind I feel confident enough to guess that the  willow oak and tulip poplars also are changing at their own rates, separate from others of their species.

    Every fall people look forward to the beautiful color change that the trees undergo. Not many people think about the how or why behind it though. Why does this magnificent transformation occur? As the nights grow longer in the fall the production of chlorophyll(what keeps the leaves green) decreases, eventually stopping, revealing the colors formed by the carotenoids(yellow) and anthocyanins(red). Chlorophyll production is dependent on amount of sunlight, hence the decrease as the nights grow longer, unlike the cartenoid production which is more constant and the anthocyanin which ddepends on sugar concentrations. As the amount of chlorophyll decreases and the amount of cartenoid remains the same the leaves gradually change from their green color to a wide variety of colors from yellow to a crimson all depending on the tree, location and weather.

The main trees in the picture above are sugar maples. In the fall they turn a yellow orange, or golden color. Though the sugar maples are the main focus of the picture there are other trees present including the willow oak and the yellow poplar, both of which also turn a nice shade of yellow orange. As the fall progresses and the leaves gradually transition to their new attire there will be plenty of updates and pictures to come.

Coffee Beans as Currency

Millions of Americans consume it daily if not multiple times a day. Obviously already viewed as being semi-valuable, could coffee ever become the new currency of America? Maybe not particularly in the instance of today's American society, but in an American society where debit/credit cards and cash do not exist coffee beans could be the currency. Think about it! Coffee beans are not readily available in America, they're non-perishable, easy to count, and people are already addicted to them.

There is already a great demand for coffee in today's society. If something were to happen which made coffee more of a rarity in America the demand would stay the same, high, but the supply would be low enough that people would be willing to trade for the more rare coffee beans. The question of are people really that addicted to coffee that they would be willing to trade in order to get it may come up, but people are already willing to pay five dollars for a cup of coffee from Starbucks. They are already trading something that they believe to be valuable for the coffee, granted they are paying for a caramel macchiato and everything that goes into it, but the idea is still the same. If coffee beans were no longer as readily available then their value would increase and people would trade what they could in attempt to make their drink of choice. Not only would they be of high value because of their rarity but also because of the demand for the drink. Also, coffee comes in different varieties. Each species of coffee would be worth a different amount, depending on how rare the bean is. Coffee beans also are all pretty much shaped the same as well as about the same size, making them easy to count and carry around. The only variable that would change is the specie of coffee. More ordinary species could be used as change and the more rare, valuable ones as higher bills. The coffee bean is not frequently grown in America (other than in Hawaii), making it more esteemed, but also more difficult to get a hold of. If made into the everyday currency then there would have to be an increase in the amount grown in the United States for convenience as well as to allow there to be enough in circulation to even consider it populous enough to be the currency for all.

All in all coffee beans posses the qualities to become a sufficient form of currency in America, if necessary. Someday that morning cup of Joe could be a luxury rather than part of the daily routine.