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From A Song of Ice and Fire:

``` Varys smiled. “Here, then. Power resides where men believe it resides. No more and no less.”

“So power is a mummer’s trick?”

“A shadow on the wall,” Varys murmured, “yet shadows can kill. And ofttimes a very small man can cast a very large shadow.” ```



If you have ever been responsible for managing the security of your team in the face of rumors, this conversation rings of truth.

The humanitarian organization I worked for eradicated every last small-head US dollar from circulation in our salary payments in 24 hours because the staff brought us a rumour that was circulating in the market that small-head dollars would not be accepted by the banks anymore.

Rumors can kill (literally, or maybe if you're lucky, only morale).


What humanitarian organization did you work for that pays its employees in cash?


There are times and places where banks are not operating. In those places you work with cash.


while I can imagine some, what sorts of places are banks not operating for you?


I am not in the field right now, so I don't know. But deep in the bush of DRC, and Central African Republic probably.

Also any emergency operation is launched with tens of thousands of US dollars in a backpack in order to get moving without waiting for infrastructure to come back up.

Using cash does not mean you are not keeping records. In fact with cash, double entry handwritten records in journals is all the more important.


What is a small head dollar? Coins versus bills?


I think they mean a $100 bill printed before 1993.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:US100DollarBills-Old%2620...




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