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14 February, 2002

THE FRESHIES ARRIVE!

When the LM Gould arrives from Punta Arenas, Chile, it brings lots of cargo. Some of that cargo is scientific equipment. Some of it is construction equipment. There will be other items, like paper products and cleaning supplies. However, the cargo we really like to see is the group called "freshies".

Freshies are the fresh fruits and vegetables that we love. This also includes milk, yoghurt, and cheese. The cooks order the items they want to use for their menus. Carmen Lemon, the Logistics Support assistant, must then make sure that the order is placed with the buyers in Chile. When the ship arrives, Carmen and Rick Lichtenhan, the cargoperson, make sure that this precious cargo comes to the BioLab food refrigerators.

Carmen keeps the orders on her computer files. This time she has bananas, pears, zucchini, lettuce, peppers, cherries, and many other things on the list. When it was time to unload the freshies, people were asked to come to the bottom floor of the BioLab building. Rick used the Skytrak to bring the boxes of freshies from the pier. People put the boxes of freshies on a hoist. They were lifted to the kitchen storage area. The cooks worked hard to put away the freshies.

Then we had wonderful fresh food to eat!

Here's the math: Carmen put in an order for 1300 kg of rice, flour, and "freshies" (fresh fruit and vegetables). The cost of these items is $950,530.28 Chilean pesos. However, that is not the total cost. There is an 18% tax on those items. How much will this order cost when the tax is added?

Now, how much will that be in U.S. dollars? The exchange rate now is $655.00 pesos to each U.S. dollar. Figure out the cost of this order, including tax, in U.S. dollars. Carmen can remember when the exchange rate was a high of $712.00 pesos to the U.S. dollar. How much would this order be in U.S. dollars at that earlier exchange rate?


1. The ship's crane has a sling load to transfer the freshies to the pier.


2. Carmen Lemon (by the sling), Rick Lichtenhan (in the Skytrak), and Doug Fink (beside the Skytrak) are guiding the freshies.


3. Rick Lichtenhan brings more freshies to the hoist room. David Ensworth is to the left.


5. Tim Brox and Jeff Bechtel receive the freshies from other people. There was a "bucket brigade" of people shifting the freshies from the Skytrak to the hoist room.


6. The freshies are raised on the hoist. They are going up a floor to the kitchen storage area.


7. Laura Hamilton and Bob Farrell receive the freshies when the hoist reaches the top.


8. These freshies have been put away in the walk-in cooler. We also call it the "chill box".


9. More freshies in the chill box.


10. This shows more of the storage area in the chill box for the freshies.


11. We are happy to have all these fresh fruits and vegetables!


12. This is the stack of milk and juices. They are packaged in boxes.


13. The hoist is empty, but ready to be used again!


14. Don't these vegetables look beautiful? Wendy Beeler, the cook, will make a vegetable stir fry tonight!


15. This fruit will be our favorite dessert for many days!

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