Mornin' Mail

The Mornin' Mail is published every weekday except major holidays
Tuesday, February 18, 2003 Volume XI, Number 171

Did Ya Know?. . .The City of Carthage Recycling Drop-Off Center and Composting Lot will be closed Tuesday, February 18th.

Did Ya Know?. . .Golden Reflections will have an afternoon tea at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 20th in the McCune-Brooks Hospital cafeteria. Glenita Browning will present a program on gardening, "Getting Ready for Spring." Call 359-2355 for more information.

Did Ya Know?. . .The Republican Committees of Jasper and Newton Counties will be celebrating Lincoln Day with their annual fundraiser at 6 p.m. on Saturday, February 22nd at the Joplin Ramada Inn. Special guest speakers include MO Secretary of State, Matt Blunt; Congressman Kenny Hulshof, Rep. Patricia Secrest and Rep. Brad Roark. Call 623-0066 or 623-2214 to reserve tickets.

today's laugh

Only in America...do drugstores make the sick walk all the way to the back of the store to get their prescriptions while healthy people can buy cigarettes at the front.

Only in America......do we leave cars worth thousands of dollars in the driveway and put our useless junk in the garage.

1902
INTERESTING MELANGE.
A Chronological Record of Events as they have Transpired in the City and County since our last Issue.

Many Secret Societies Have Their New Officers on Duty.

The ladies of Eminence Chapter O. E. S. were in deep trouble yesterday. They were expecting Grand Worthy Matron, Mrs. Harris, and Mrs. J. M. Stevenson, of Neosho, on the 12 o’clock and there was a committee to meet them but they came not. The ladies waited around in various stores for a couple of hours and then went home, thinking the ladies were not coming. The facts were that Mrs. Stevenson could not come and Mrs. Harris had arrived on the 11:30 car and on finding no one to meet her had gone to the Harrington, where she remained until late in the evening. The ladies of the local chapter were in blissful ignorance of Mrs. Harris’ presence until about 8:30 p.m. when she sent a message to the hall where the installation was to be held. A committee was at once dispatched to escort her to the hall and explain the misunderstanding, which was done and all enjoyed a hearty laugh over the joke.

	Today's Feature Fund Raiser for School Projects. Carthage R9 students and faculty are turning trash into cash. The students and staff of Carthage schools are collecting empty ink jet and laser toner cartridges as an ongoing fundraiser that is environmentally friendly and requires no selling. The schools are collecting empty cartridges to earn money for school projects, as well as protect the environment. Most of these cartridges go to our landfills, where they can take 20-30 years to decompose. By collecting these empty cartridges, Carthage students and faculty can have a positive impact on our environment, as well as earn great money for the schools. Collection boxes are at the schools and at the 2 local McDonald’s restaurants. The students ask for the help of residents and businesses to make the program successful. Blood Drive in Carthage. Officials at Community Blood Center of the Ozarks (CBCO) have issued a CODE YELLOW ALERT for all blood types. The CBCO will host a blood drive at the First United Methodist Church 617 South Main, Monday, Feb. 24, 1 to 6 p.m.
	Just Jake Talkin' Mornin', When I was in junior high, I was given the opportunity, on occasion, to impress my teachers with a dazzlin’ collection of say five hundred or a thousand words. The fact that these tutors were were creative in their selection of topics to be covered, such as "Why I shouldn’t lean back on my chair," or "The social ramifications of speakin’ only when spoken to" only further challenged my ability to communicate abstract ideas. One of my feeble attempts resulted in a meaningless page of lists. First I picked a celebrity and listed all of their various songs they had performed and the movies that they had performed in. I began listin’ the restaurants and banks in those cities that the celebrity prob’ly stopped at on the tour. The teacher was impressed. Said it was the first time anyone had put down five hundred words and said absolutely nothin’. This is some fact, but mostly, Just Jake Talkin’.
Sponsored by McCune- Brooks Hospital	Weekly Column *TO YOUR GOOD HEALTH* by Paul G. Donohue, M.D. 10 Years of Alcohol Abuse Can Scar Liver DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I am a 41-year-old male who likes beer — a lot. I consume between 15 and 20 12-ounce cans per day. I have been doing so for the past 17 years. My liver tests are fine. I feel fine. I don’t drink on the job. I like the taste of beer, and it helps me relax. How long do you think I can have my cake and drink it, too? — M.L. ANSWER: You are already past the stage when most heavy drinkers’ livers have become cirrhotic (scarred) and function poorly. Heavy drinking almost predictably leads to liver destruction in 10 to 15 years. Everyone can point to an uncle or aunt who smoked from age 10 yet lived to be 99 and healthy. Such people defy the odds. They are rare exceptions. The same holds true for the amount of alcohol you consume. You have defied the odds so far, but the chances that liver failure will eventually hit you are great, even though signs have not yet appeared. The fact that you can drink so much alcohol without falling on your face is not a good sign. It means you have developed a tolerance to alcohol. Such tolerance is often the preview of coming attractions — liver failure. Even normal blood tests for liver health can be deceiving. Don’t bank on them to give assurance that alcohol is not taking its toll.