Bringing you News that Counts
Bringing you News that Counts
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November 23, 2009
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Robot on Loan at The Morikami Museum
The Morikami Museum is currently home to a baby harp seal robot named Paro, a robot that provides psychological, physiological and social effects to human beings through physical interaction.
PARO Therapeutic Robots, a Japanese company, has loaned the robot to The Morikami for six months. It is on display in the museum lobby where visitors can interact with this intriguing machine.
Paro is an advanced interactive robot developed by AIST, a leading Japanese industrial automation pioneer. It allows the documented benefits of animal therapy to be administered to patients in environments such as hospitals and extended care facilities where it might be difficult to have live animals.
Paro has been found to reduce stress and stimulate interaction in patients and their caregivers. It has been shown to have a positive psychological effect on patients by improving their relaxation, motivation and socialization with other patients and caregivers.
Paro has been used in more than 20 countries and was first brought to the United States in 2008. Paro will be at The Morikami through April 2010.
Palm Tran Celebrates 10 Million Rides
Palm Tran, the county’s public transportation agency, has again achieved a one-year ridership total of more than 10 million for fiscal year 2009. This is the second time in the agency’s 38-year history that more than 10 million riders have been served.
Palm Tran’s FY2009 fixed-route ridership increased by more than 200,000 passenger trips from FY2008. Palm Tran achieved this with the support of the Board of County Commissioners, the efforts of its employees, county staff and the work of the Palm Tran Service Board (PTSB), a volunteer board responsible for overseeing Palm Tran’s services.
In FY2009, Palm Tran added express bus service and new park and ride lots, improving public transportation options in Palm Beach County.
Manatees Returning from the North
Manatee season began Nov. 15 and ends March 31 in Palm Beach County. Manatees are attracted by the warm weather in South Florida as water temperature drops in the North. Manatees seek out water that is above 68 degrees which is why they congregate in South Florida as well as at natural springs and in warm water discharges from power plants.
The area near the FPL power plant in Riviera Beach typically hosts some of the highest numbers of manatees in the state during coldfronts. Other local “hot spots” include Jupiter Sound, the C-18 Canal/Southwest Fork of the Loxahatchee River, the Earman River, Central Lake Worth Lagoon, Lantana/Boynton area, Lake Wyman in Boca Raton and many side canals along the Intracoastal Waterway that may serve as secondary warm water refuges and provide sources of freshwater.
The Intracoastal Waterway, which passes through the county’s largest estuary, the Lake Worth Lagoon, is the manatee’s version of I-95. Just as local motorists need to share the road with vacationers, local and visiting boaters need to share these waterways with manatees as they travel. Since January 2009, a record 15 manatee deaths have been recorded in Palm Beach County; three were watercraft related.
The Department of Environmental Resources Management (ERM) takes action year-round to help protect manatees. Efforts include a brochure with manatee speed zone maps, educational kiosks at local boat ramps, habitat restoration and enhancement projects, and a law enforcement program to increase compliance with manatee speed zones countywide. The Manatee Protection Plan (MPP) provides annual funding in the amount of $200,000 for additional on-water law enforcement in the county’s waterways. This funding allows county marine units to work on manatee details specifically designed to increase patrolling in manatee protection speed zones.
During the 2008-2009 manatee season, 10 law enforcement agencies participated in this law enforcement program: Tequesta, Jupiter, West Palm Beach, Riviera Beach, Lantana, Boynton Beach, Delray Beach, Boca Raton, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Officers logged more than 2,000 additional hours, making more than 2,900 educational contacts and issuing approximately 1,000 warnings and 600 citations. The increased law enforcement presence improves speed zone compliance and reduces risks to both manatees and boaters. All 10 law enforcement agencies have renewed their commitment to manatee protection for the 2009-2010 manatee season.
Consumer Trap & Tip: Buying an “AS-IS” Used Car
Trap
Angela in Lake Park was excited about buying her first car. She did not have very much money, and her credit was not very good. A friend recommended a “Buy Here – Pay Here” used car dealer. Angela picked out a red 2002 sports car with a spoiler. The salesperson said, “This is a great car that will last forever.” Angela signed the paperwork, which included an “AS-IS” agreement, and drove off. An hour later the car had stalled on the shoulder of I-95. When she called the dealer, she was told the car had no warranty, and there was nothing they could do. How did Angela get into this mess?
Tips
Most older used automobiles do not carry warranties. While the federally required “AS-IS” disclosure is good, there are no guarantees from the dealer whatsoever should the vehicle develop a mechanical problem after it is driven off the lot. Here are some ways to avoid problems when buying an “AS-IS” vehicle:
Is Your Holiday Turkey in Jeopardy?
Defrosted on the counter, prestuffed, slow-baked, partially cooked, stored whole without carving? If any of these situations sound like your usual Thanksgiving dinner preparation plans, you may be putting your turkey in jeopardy! The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) offers the following tips.
Mistake #1 - Defrosting at Room Temperature
"We've always done it that way...There's no room in the refrigerator...We forgot it was in the trunk of the car...." There are many reasons why consumers defrost turkeys at room temperature, but this creates a potentially unsafe turkey. Bacteria grow rapidly at room temperature. Bacteria will begin to grow on the outside of the bird that defrosts first. These surface bacteria can multiply to dangerously high levels that cooking may not destroy.
Tip - Plan on one day of refrigerator defrost time for every five pounds of turkey. A 10-pound turkey will take approximately two days to defrost in the refrigerator, a 15-pound turkey will take three days and a 20-pound turkey will take four days. Even after a turkey fully defrosts, it is safe in the refrigerator for an additional one to two days. If you forget to take your turkey out of the freezer early enough, don't panic. You are not in hot water yet, especially if you remember to use the cold water technique. Even a 20-pound frozen turkey can be defrosted in 10 hours using the cold water defrost method. Submerge the wrapped bird in cold water, adding ice or new cold water every 30 minutes.
Mistake #2 - Prestuffing a Turkey the Night Before
It's okay to prestuff holiday stockings, but not Thanksgiving birds! Stuffing a turkey the night before is risky business. The cavity of the bird actually insulates the stuffing from cold temperatures and can keep the stuffing in a temperature range that encourages bacteria growth.
Tip - Prepare dry stuffing ingredients the day before. Tightly cover and leave at room temperature. The perishables - butter or margarine, mushrooms, oysters, cooked celery and onion, broth - should be refrigerated. Combine the dry and wet ingredients and stuff the bird immediately before the turkey goes into the oven.
Mistake #3 - Cooking at Low Temperature Overnight
Every year, USDA staff members worry about "how low consumers will go" when it comes to oven temperature settings. One Thanksgiving Day, staff talked with numerous families who calmly slept the night away while bacteria were busily multiplying on their turkeys in 100°F. ovens. Cooking below 325°F. is unsafe because low temperatures permit the bird (and stuffing) to remain in the "danger zone" (140°F.) too long. While in this "zone," bacteria can grow and some produce heat-resistant toxins.
Tip - Cook perishable foods at an oven temperature no lower than 325°F.
Mistake #4 - Partially Cooking a Bird the Day Before
Some time-savers are safer than others. Partially cooking a turkey is not one of them. Interrupted cooking can actually increase the possibility of bacteria growth. The turkey may be heated long enough to activate bacterial growth, but not long enough to kill it.
Tip - Cook turkey completely in one operation. Several other ideas for safe time-saving include: 1) Using oven cooking bags. 2) Baking stuffing separately from the turkey. 3) Cooking and carving turkey one to two days before the holiday and storing it in the refrigerator for reheating on the big day.
Mistake #5 - Cooking a Turkey Ahead of Time and Leaving it Whole in the Refrigerator
Cooking the turkey a day or two before the holiday is fine, but refrigerating the bird whole, without carving, is another form of turkey jeopardy. A cooked turkey, stuffed or unstuffed, is too big and too dense to cool down quickly and efficiently in a home refrigerator. In addition, reheating the turkey the next day in a slow oven to prevent drying out could allow even more growth of potential food poisoning bacteria.
Tip - Roast the turkey one to two days before the holiday. Use a meat thermometer to make sure that the bird reaches 180°F. Remove stuffing immediately after taking the bird out of the oven. Allow the turkey to sit for 20 to 30 minutes so that the meat juices can settle. Carve the bird into appropriate serving slices. Arrange turkey slices in shallow baking pans. Cover and refrigerate. Reheat Thanksgiving Day in a conventional oven or microwave. Make sure the meat and stuffing are reheated to "steamy hot" (165°F.).
USDA’s Meat and Poultry Hotline
You may speak with a food safety specialist, in English or Spanish, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dial the nationwide toll-free number, 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854). The toll-free number for the hearing impaired (TTY) is 1-800-256-7072. (The Hotline hours of operation on Thanksgiving are 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.)
For more information, visit http://www.fsis.usda.gov/mph/.