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Show Volume XV Issue V The Ogden Valley news Page 21 February 15, 2008 Letters to the Editor LETTERS cont. from page 17 Since writing this letter, I have actually installed an antenna, and it works fairly on their way. well. I have not tried any of the HD chan3. It is recommended to get a high quality rooftop antenna from an electronics nels yet. Some points I found out are: store such as Radio Shack. Also, it is important to use the good 300 Ohm 1. Since all but channel 10 are UHF Channels (higher than 13), I bought a TV cable from the antenna to your $40 UHF Antenna from Radio Shack. TV. If your signal is still weak, an I have a clear line of site to the translainternal booster box can be added for tor, and have it mounted in my son’s about $25. It is important to have the tree house about 10 feet off the ground. antenna pointed towards the signal at Wolf Creek. I get good reception, with only chan4. There are some weak signal spots up by nel 10 being snowy. Radio shack will the Monastery, but many users up there try to sell you much bigger $200 plus are able to pick up the SLC channels antennas, but they will only improve directly. reception on channel 10. Since future 5. The Translator is being upgraded all HD channels will be in the UHF range, the time by a very capable group of DON’T let them sell you something VOLUNTEERS. Soon all the channels you really don’t need. will be available on HD. Maintenance 2. For the cable to my house I went with of electronic equipment is expensive RG-6 Coaxial Cable with a simple 300 and ever changing. If our Translator to 75 ohm adapter. Once again, Radio Board was not made up completely by shack will try to sell you fancy shieldvolunteers, the $12 a year fee on our ed cable at $60 per 100 ft. I was able taxes would be significantly higher. to get 100 ft with a ground wire from Shopco for $25. I think the grounding The Translator Board meets at 7:00 p.m. is important. every second Wednesday of the month at the Ogden Valley Library. After they take 3. Once again, if you are going to try this, take the time to meet some of the care of their standard business, I’m sure volunteers at 7:00 p.m. every second some of the board members would be willWednesday of the month. ing to answer constructive questions on how to set up the needed antenna system. Thank you volunteer Ogden Valley Steve Sussdorff, Translator Board Members and volunteers. Huntsville Out of Area Visitor Leaves Huntsville with Bad Taste in Mouth I am writing to relate an unfortunate and aggravating experience I just had with the owner of the Southfork Mercantile in Huntsville. The owner’s rudeness managed to turn an honest mistake on the part of one of his employees into a very unpleasant experience for me. On January 31, I picked up my daughter and brother at the Salt Lake airport and drove up to Huntsville for a threeday ski trip we had planned. You may remember the horrendous road conditions that night. In the process of making it to the Wolf Creek Condos where we had rented a unit, one of my tire chains failed. Friday morning, on the way to Snowbasin, we stopped at the Southfork Mercantile to purchase a new set in case we needed them again. The clerk, Zack, was friendly and helpful. He sold me a set of tire chains ($69.99 + tax), and even though the box did not list my tire size, Zack assured me they would fit. Living in Moab, I don’t get to use chains but once a decade, so I took his word for it. Zack informed me that chains were not returnable. We did not need to use the chains until Sunday when it was time to get my daughter to the airport and back to medical school. I was dismayed to find that the tire chains did NOT fit! The Southfork Merc was closed and the new snow was deep. I ended up following the plows, being towed over Trapper’s Loop, and taking 3+ hours to get to the airport in Salt Lake. When I finally returned home to Moab, I called the Southfork Merc and asked to speak to the manager. I was connected to George, who told me he was the owner. I explained my situation and after politely and patiently listening to a litany of his mistreatment at the hands of skiers and boaters, he asked what I wanted. I told him I did not plan to return to Huntsville this winter and would be pleased to accept a sincere apology, or, if he was so inclined, to provide a partial refund of, say, $20 which I figured to be half of his profit on the sale. Much to my surprise, George simply hung up on me without another word. I am sure that Zach made an honest mistake in selling me chains that did not fit my tires. However, his boss’ behavior was simply rude and ignorant. Those of us who live in small towns in Utah are used to being treated like neighbors and friends. The $70+ dollars I lost will not break the bank, and I made it home without an accident. However, I am leaving Huntsville with a bad memory of the Southfork Mercantile and its very rude owner. Bob Greenberg Moab, Utah Research by BYU Professors Sheds New Light on Shelf Life of Food Storage Professors in the Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food Science at BYU found that when canned and stored properly, food such as wheat and rice can last more than 30 years. In December of 2001, Oscar Pike, a BYU professor of food science, and his colleagues requested in a Church News article that Church members send samples from their food storage to BYU for testing. “We knew that there were many members of the Church who had stored food and were now asking if it was still good,” he said. Their team tested the sensory quality and nutritional value of low-moisture foods including wheat, white rice, corn meal, pinto beans, apple slices, macaroni pasta, rolled oats, potato flakes and powdered milk. All samples were packaged in #10 cans with low oxygen levels and had been stored at room temperature or below. “Generally speaking, the foods retained their sensory and nutritional quality and they could be stored for an emergency for a much longer period than previously thought,” he said. Powdered milk stored up to 20 years was still acceptable for use in an emergency. Wheat stored for 30 years and made into bread was only slightly lower in quality than bread made from unstored wheat. The other foods tested had a shelf life of around 30 years. However, he added, one component of food storage that does not lend itself to long-term storage is fats and oils. Items such as vegetable oil and shortening must be rotated every few years before they go rancid. Pike said the date consumers see on a food is a “best if used by” date. In an emergency situation, however, it can be assumed that a lower quality would be acceptable. Thus, the estimates regarding how long such food can be stored are based on a revised definition of shelf life. It takes into account that such foods are stored for the purpose of sustaining life. “It won’t be necessarily the kind of quality you are used to,” he said. The research impacts the conventional approach to food storage, where people store food that they try to rotate every few years, he said. Inasmuch as the previous shelf lives were much shorter, people thought they needed to rotate the food more frequently. In light of this research, low moisture foods stored in a low oxygen and low temperature environment can be stored long-term. This simplifies food storage, he explained. However, Pike said, it is best if people use the food enough to know how to prepare it. It is also important to consider nonfood items such as a can opener and wheat grinder, he said. Food must also be packaged and stored properly. The acronym HALT is one way to remember four things that will prolong the shelf-life of dry food: minimize their exposure to humidity, air, light and temperature, he said. Foods stored at higher temperatures, such as in garages or attics, have a much shorter shelf life. Dehydrated carrots, for example, have a 10-year shelf life when stored at room temperature or below. When stored just 10 degrees higher, dehydrated carrots are inedible after just a few months. Although the study did not include sugar, salt or baking soda, Pike said these items also have a very long shelf life and are useful for longerterm storage efforts. Baking soda, for example, is important to store because with time, beans get hard and need to be softened by including baking soda in the soak water. Longer-Term Supply: For longer-term needs, and where permitted, gradually build a supply of food that will last a long time. Financial Reserve: Establish a financial reserve by saving a little money each week. Drinking Water: Store drinking water for circumstances in which the water supply might be polluted or disrupted. Three-Month Supply: Build a small supply of food that is part of a normal, daily diet. PRICE SLASHED $50,000 Nichole Kester Liberty Rambler Associate Broker, GRI MLS #769337 (801) 710-3074 $250,000 4 BD/ 2 BA rambler in Liberty. Access to North Fork River. Sits on heavily wooded 1 acre lot with extraordinary 360 degree views. Visit www.nicholeshomes.com for a virtual tour. Motivated seller wants it SOLD! Don’t wait any longer. This is the phenomenal deal you’ve been holding out for! |