Today's Feature

Aerial Photos Planned.

Jasper County 911 Services is in the planning phase of taking new aerial photographs of the Jasper County area to use in a Geographical Index System (GIS). The price of this areal photography is estimated to be quite expensive and the 911 service is in the process of getting County and City departments together to help with the cost.

The map system would be beneficial to most City departments including Carthage Water and Electric Plant and the Public Works Department. Public Works Director Chad Wampler has spoken of the benefits of a GIS system saying that the new photographs could be used as base maps on which the City could overlay street plans and sewer plans thereby increasing accuracy. Including County and City departments would reduce the cost per entity for the 911 service and for each involved department.

Council Meeting Moved.

The date of the next City Council meeting has been moved from Tuesday to Thursday, Sept. 15th at 7:30 p.m. due to a large number of Council members attending a MML meeting in St. Louis.

Stench Report:
Thursday,
09/8/05

No Odor

As an adult some get the same exhilaration goin’ into an unknown garage. Checkin’ out the tools, gadgets, and junk in someone else’s garage can be an enlightenin’ experience. ‘Specially if ya see somethin’ you’d like to borrow in the near future. Ya might as well try out that new edger before ya actually buy one yourself.

My dad never liked to loan tools. ‘Course he kept the garage in such a manner that someone walkin’ in couldn’t probl’y find a tool anyway. He typically kept a case of oil on his tool box to discourage random glances. There are some things ya just don’t want neighbors knowin’ about.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

Microwave Myths

Q: My friend told me that if I cook food in the microwave (oven), it will be radioactive when I take it out. He also said standing near the microwave will cook my insides, and people with pacemakers can’t come into my kitchen because the microwave would make the pacemakers stop. Some of my friends have pacemakers and use microwaves. Should I tell them to stop using them? — Grace G. in Missouri

A: Your friend is giving you some rather sensational and untrue information. A microwave in good condition presents no significant danger to you or your friends, pacemaker or not.

Note that I said "in good condition." If the microwave oven is damaged, if any of the interior or exterior parts are not in place, if the rubber door seals are deteriorated or warped or the door doesn’t close properly — then do not use it. Replace the microwave oven.

Your friend’s fears about the food becoming "radioactive" are also unfounded. Microwave ovens work by generating radio waves (just like a radar or X-ray). These waves pass through the food and excite the water molecules within. The water molecules, suddenly moving much faster than normal, generate friction, friction generates heat and, voila, you have hot food. The radio waves themselves do not stay in the food. In addition, the radiation generated by a microwave oven is much, much less than that generated by an X-ray at the dentist’s office.

Many years ago, pacemaker wearers were told not to stand too close to microwave ovens because researchers were concerned that, should stray radio waves be emitted from the ovens during use, the radio frequency would scramble the frequency of the pacemaker. However, pacemakers themselves have been shielded to prevent any kind of interference — not just from microwaves.

If you’re still concerned about radiation from the microwave oven, follow these steps. Check the oven for damage or a bad door seal, or replace it with a newer model. When the oven is in operation, stand at least 2 feet away.

A more significant danger from microwave ovens is steam burns, which occur most often when a covered dish is heated. When the user opens the cover of the dish, steam can escape rapidly, causing a painful burn. Manufacturers recommend that covered dishes be vented by punching a hole in the plastic wrap or leaving the lid cracked during cooking.