Most stations still have plastic bags wrapped around their nozzles, now the universal symbol for empty in this city.

NPR: Gas Shortages Stalled Houston Evacuation

Since Diners Club introduced the first universal credit card in 1950, an 8.5-by-5.5-cm piece of plastic has become for millions a modern symbol of identity and an indispensable tool of spending.

CNN: ASIANOW - Asiaweek