     Mickey Mouse celebrated his 50th birthday in 1978, and there were 
special events all over the country.  There was even a party at the White 
House.
     Walt Disney and his partner Ub Iwerks created Mickey in 1928.  At 
first, Mickey looked a little like Oswald the Rabbit, an old Disney charac-
ter.  This funny-looking little mouse was called Mortimer.  Disney's wife 
didn't like the name, and her friends didn't either, so Disney changed it 
to Mickey.  After 1938, Mickey's looks changed too.
     By 1929, Mickey Mouse was as popular as Coca-Cola.  Mickey Mouse clubs 
started up all over the United States.  By 1931, the Mickey Mouse Club had 
a million members.  Mickey Mouse was popular all over the world.  Italians 
called him Topolino.  In London, Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum made Mickey in 
wax.  From the White House in Washington, Eleanor Roosevelt wrote a letter 
to Walt Disney.  She told him that President Roosevelt loved Mickey Mouse:  
"We are all most grateful to you for many delightful evenings."
     Why do people all over the world, young and old, like Mickey Mouse?  
Maybe it is just because he is a nice guy.
     Microwaves are a type of electromagnetic radiation; they are a very 
mild form of electrical or magnetic wave that moves through space.  Unlike 
X rays and gamma rays, which are very powerful waves of radiation, micro-
waves are rather weak and are much more like the waves of radiation used in 
radio broadcasting.
     In microwave ovens, the use of microwaves with which most people are 
familiar, the waves are produced by an electronic tube called a magnetron.  
Microwaves produce heat in any food placed inside the oven by causing the 
water in the food to vibrate rapidly and thus heat up.  Food that have more 
water in them take less time to cook and probably have more of their nu-
trients left intact when cooked in a microwave oven.
     Microwaves do not pass through metal, so the microwaves are retained 
inside the oven.  Microwaves pass immediately through glass, paper, and 
plastic with no effect on these materials or on the microwave oven; nothing 
inside a microwave oven is heated except the food itself, so the cooking 
process is much efficient than in conventional ovens.  Sometimes a pan or 
container is heated because it is touching the hot food, though; some users 
of microwave ovens have been burned by hot food, by hot pans, or steam es-
caping from the food.  No documented case of radiation burns from a micro-
wave oven has ever been reported.
     Japan is perhaps the most seismically active country in the world with 
over 10,000 earthquakes hitting each year.  Of these 10,000, one thousand 
are strong for people to feel.  Recently, Tokyo was hit by two earthquakes 
registering over 6 on the Richter scale two nights in a row.  Japan expects 
even larger earthquakes in the future, so the Japanese government, scien-
tists, and people are making numerous preparations.
     The 1980 quake in Algeria was 7.5 on the Richter scale and devastated 
the country, killing over 200,000 people.  The residents of Tokyo remember 
the earthquake of 1923, which killed 100,000 Japanese.  These instances of 
the devastation an earthquake can cause are foremost in the Japanese people 
minds and are the reasons for their extensive preparations.
     More than any other earthquake-prone country, Japan is prepared for a 
strong earthquake.  For example, the Japanese government spends as much on 
earthquake preparations as it does on national defense.  The city of Tokyo 
is destroying thousands of wooden homes and replacing them with concrete 
structures.  The city hopes this will help eliminate destruction by fire 
after a major earthquake.  Furthermore, the city is storing food, blankets, 
baby bottles, and 400,000 tons of water in preparation for the expected 
quake.  The water (stored in earthquake-proof storage houses) is sufficient 
for all 12 million Tokyo residents for 10 days.
     The Bill of Lading (its abbreviation is B/L) is an essential document 
in international trade and shipment.  It is important in law, in finance, 
and in insurance.
     A clean Bill of Lading means that the ship owners agree that the goods 
were received on board in good condition.  If the goods are not in good 
order and condition, the Bills of Lading are described as "dirty," "un-
clean" or "foul."
     A Bill of Lading is a negotiable document.  An importer can endorse 
the Bill of Lading and sell the good in this way, even before they arrive.  
An importer can endorse a Bill of Lading by signing across the back.  In 
this way, ownership of the goods can be transferred to another buyer simply 
by handing the endorsed Bill of Lading to him.  A Bill of Lading can state 
that the goods must be delivered to a certain person or company, or it may 
state "to order".  (This phrase is also printed on checks and Bills of Ex-
change.)  A Letter of Credit may demand that the Bill of Lading should be 
made out "to order" and endorsed "in blake."  This means that the sellers 
place no restrictions on the right to transfer ownership.
     International trade develops because certain countries are able to 
produce some goods more efficiently than other countries.  They exchange 
goods to satisfy their needs and wants.  Efficient production may be the 
result of several factors.  A certain climate in a particular country may 
allow that country to grow agricultural products in abundance.  For ins-
tance, the climates in the United States and Canada are suitable for pro-
duction of large amounts of wheat.  Natural resources such as oil or coal 
are abundant in other countries.  Countries with a large pool of unskilled 
laborers are able to produce products which are labor intensive more cheap-
ly than countries with highly paid, skilled labor forces.  Another factor 
is geographical location.  Countries like Singapore and Panama engage in 
banking and trading because they are located on world trade routes.
