If you’ve forgotten the combination to a Master Lock combination lock, you have a few options. If the lock isn’t locked onto anything, you can make a photocopy of the serial number and send that into Master Lock for the combination. If, however, your lock is attached to something, you can break the lock, call a locksmith, use a shim, or figure out the combination. Of these options, only the last will leave you with a usable lock without emptying your wallet.
Unfortunately, there are 64,000 possible combinations on a standard 40-number Master Lock. With this method, however, you
can quickly narrow that down to 100 combinations, a workable number to try if you’ve got the time and the inclination
to give it a shot.
Look for the Master Lock brand. This method only works with Master Lock combination locks, and may not work with all of
them. It is rumored that Master Lock changed the combination algorithm on some of the newer locks, in particular those with
serial numbers starting with the number 800. Some people, however, have reportedly had success cracking these with this method,
too, so it may be worth a try. Check the discussion page for this article to check which serial numbers others have had success with.
Turn the lock’s dial clockwise to zero. It is a good idea to turn it at least three rotations first, just to make
sure it’s clear.
Apply steady tension to the shackle and turn the dial clockwise. The shackle is the u-shaped part of the lock that goes
around whatever you’re locking. To apply tension you can either pull the shackle up while holding the lock, or you can
pull the lock down if the shackle is locked onto something solid. Turn the dial slowly as you apply tension. If you can’t turn the
dial at all, release the shackle and turn the dial clockwise just a number or two and then try it again.
Find the first sticking point.
As you turn the dial clockwise with tension on the shackle, you will come to a point where you can’t turn the dial
anymore. Make note of where it stops. Sometimes it will stick right on the numbers, but sometimes it will be between the numbers.
If so, record the number to the half (e.g. 22.5, 7.5, etc.).
While continuing to apply tension to the shackle, turn the dial as far left (counter-clockwise) as you can. Make note
of where it stops. Now you have a sticking "range."
Determine the sticking point by finding the number that's in the midpoint of the sticking range. A range of 4 and 5 would
have a sticking point of 4.5. A range of 22.5 and 23.5 would have a sticking point of 23.
Release shackle tension and turn the dial slightly past the sticking point. Turn the dial clockwise about one number from
the sticking point in order to allow you to "escape" that sticking point.
Reapply tension to the shackle and continue turning the dial clockwise to find all the sticking points. You should find
a total of twelve sticking points in one complete turn of the dial. Write them down.
Find the third number of the combination.
Look at your list of sticking points and eliminate all those which are not whole numbers (i.e. cross off any number that
ends in .5). You should eliminate 7 of the 12 numbers with this step.
Of the remaining sticking points, choose the one with the unique digit in the "ones" position. Four of the remaining five
numbers will share the same number in the "ones" place, so for example, if the numbers left on the list are 4, 14, 24, 27,
and 34, the number 27 is the only one which does not have a four in the "ones" place. This is the third number of the combination.
Find the magic number. Divide the third number of the combination (27 in this case) by four and write down the remainder. In this case 27/4 = 6 remainder
3. Remember we are only concerned with the remainder, which will always be 0, 1, 2, or 3. Write down the magic number (3 in
this example). You may want to circle it for clarity.
Find the possible first numbers of the combination. Add 4 to the magic number (3). Write down the result (7). Now add
4 to that and continue adding 4 to each resulting sum until you have gone completely around the dial once. Write down each
of these numbers. Thus, for the example above the numbers would be 3, 7, 11, 15, 19, 23, 27, 31, 35, and 39. One of these
numbers is the first number of the combination.
Find the possible second numbers in the combination. If your magic number is 0 or 1 then add 2 to it, otherwise subtract 2. Since our example magic number is 3, we subtract 2 and get 1. Write down the answer and add
4 to it. Now add 4 to each resulting sum until you have gone completely around the dial once. Thus, in the example, the numbers
would be 1, 5, 9, 13, 17, 21, 25, 29, 33, and 37. One of these numbers is the second number in the combination.
Figure out the correct combination by trial and error. You now know all the possible first numbers [3, 7, 11, 15, 19,
23, 27, 31, 35, 39], all the possible second numbers [1, 5, 9, 13, 17, 21, 25, 29, 33, 37], and the third number [27]. You’ve
just narrowed down 64,000 combinations to only 100. Now try each combination until you find the correct one. If you’re
lucky, you may need to try only a few but then again, you may need to try all 100.
After cracking just one lock, the system becomes much easier to understand, so hang in there.
If you’re in a hurry, you don’t need to calculate the possible first and second numbers yourself. Once you’ve
figured out the third number, you can save time by using a special computer application to determine all the possible combinations.
See the External Links section below.
Though not necessary, you may find it helpful to write out the combinations methodically so you don’t forget which
ones you’ve already tried in the middle of the next step. Thus, you could make a chart with all the combinations (3-1-27,
3-5-27, 7-3-27, etc.)
This will work only if you get the 12 numbers: 7 decimals, 4 integers with mutual "ones places" and one integer with a
unique digit in the ones place.
Only consider proceeding with this method if you enjoy a challenge. Otherwise, cutting off the lock and buying a new one
makes more sense.
You can also drill a small hole in the back of the lock (next to the master key) so that you can view the tumblers. After
you align the tumblers, and determine the unlock code, you can seal the hole with a two-part epoxy.
Do not use this technique to crack someone else's lock without permission of the owner. If you do that, you are
breaking the law and could be prosecuted accordingly.
If you're making a little gift for a little friend, you might want to forgo the standard teddy bear and aim for something more exotic and unique, like a giraffe. Most of the patterns you'll find, however, are simply two outlines sewn together and stuffed to make an
animal that cannot stand.
Here's an original pattern to make a giraffe that'll "stand out" in any stuffed animal collection.
Obtain some sturdy Giraffe patterned material. Brown leopard print material works well, but you could use fabric paints
to make your own pattern if you wish.
Cut out the pattern and pin to two layers of cloth. Remember to have the cloth "back to back" so that you have both sides
of a Giraffe, rather than two right sides or two left sides of a Giraffe. In other words, the two sides will be "mirror images"
of each other.
Cutting the main body pieces.
Cut two of the belly pieces by cutting the pattern along the "belly line" and then using it to cut the fabric as in the
previous step.
Cutting the Belly pieces
With right sides together, sew the belly pieces together along the straight edge, leaving two inches in the middle for turning, stuffing and closing later.
Sewing the belly. Remember to leave a 2 inch opening for stuffing later.
Pin a four inch strip of brown felt along the top edge of the giraffe's neck (see photo)
The felt mane...
Pin the mane in position.
With right sides together, pin the giraffe together and sew the top half of his body from chest to tail.
Pinned together
Sew from the chest to the tail.
Fold the belly pieces so that right sides face outward and insert them in between the body pieces, taking care to line
up and either baste or pin the feet.
Belly pieces on right, folded with leopard print facing out, being inserted between body pieces on the left.
Note:
You may need to use a seam ripper to adjust the length of the top seams if the belly pieces are not lining up well at this point.
Sew the belly to the body.
Sew top and belly together, taking care to flip the "top" section out of the way as you sew around the "legs".
Clip all seam allowances.
Clip the seam allowances.
Turn the giraffe right side out and stuff firmly through the two-inch hole that remains in the belly. Too little stuffing
will prevent the giraffe from standing up.
Turned "right" side out.
Stuff VERY firmly
Hand sew the Giraffe's belly closed.
Stitch the legs together as shown if you wish for your giraffe to stand up as opposed to sitting/laying down with legs
splayed
Tack the legs together.
Cut and sew on the ears.
Ear "pattern"
Sewing on the ears.
Use embroidery floss or yarn to make the giraffe's horns and tail. This particular project utilizes four thicknesses of floss (6 strands each).
Knot the tail twice, once near the body and once at it's end.
Knot the tail twice, once near the body and
once at its end. Alternatively, you could knot the tail on the rump and braid it for an inch or so before knotting at the end and clipping the excess length off.
Sew the giraffe's eyes on and display proudly or give to a friend to double your enjoyment of the giraffe.
Setting your sewing machine to a shorter stitch is helpful in preventing seams from bursting when you are firmly stuffing the giraffe.
Small black buttons would work for eyes if you do not have the wiggly eyes available.
Sew-on eyes do not detach from the head as easily as glue-on eyes. If you are giving this to a toddler, this must be a consideration.
Once you've mastered this, you can start to make any animal - dogs, cats, bears, elephants, horses, etc etc. Just change
the fabric, the length of neck and the tail type and you're done!
Modification for a horse: Shorten the neck, eliminate the "horns", sew the ears upright, and make a thicker tail.
Fancy yourself a fretboardwizard? To rise to the ranks of guitar god--that is, an exceptionally talented and charismaticguitarist, you must pay your dues. It isn't just about learning how to play guitar; it's about eating, breathing, and sleepingguitar. Read on to follow the lead of widely respected, guitar playing legends like Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Yngwie Malmsteen, Eddie Van Halen and Randy Rhoads--maybe you've got it in you, maybe you don't, but there's only one way to find out.
Start playing now. The greatest of the great started becoming acquainted with their
guitars as soon as they could get their hands on one, although there are many great guitarists who didn't even touch a guitar
till their teens (Clapton for example) or even older. The point is to start playing as early as you can. Stop making excuses,
stop saying you need the perfect guitar, stop waiting to be "inspired," and stop wasting another minute to learn how to develop
your inner guitar god. There's no reason to wait.
There's a very good chance that you will not be good at first. Everyone has to start out being bad, so they can improve
from there. Think of it this way - babies are terrible at walking, little children struggle with talking. But they keep doing it, without feeling bad about themselves. Eventually those babies grow up to kick you in the face and insult your mother.
Can't afford a nice guitar? For now, buy an inexpensive guitar when you first start. You only need to get comfortable with the new movements with your fingers. It's only a temporary measure
(see Warnings) but it's better than nothing!
Multitask
Practice till your fingers bleed. -- Okay, maybe bleeding fingers aren't the smartest way to go (see Tips), but you get the idea. Eddie Van Halen used to walk around his house with the guitar
strapped on and unplugged, practicing incessantly; he'd sit on his bed for hours on end with a guitar while other people went to parties. Are you ready and willing to do the same? Get your priorities straight and learn to multitask. It's all about dedication and discipline.
Concentrate
Be precise. Just because you're starting doesn't give you an excuse to be sloppy. Like
in Tai Chi, if you practice very slowly with 100 percent concentration, you'll become five times faster and better; so when you practice,
do it slowly and concentrate. You'll be amazed at the results.
If you don't have an experienced instructor or high quality equipment, this may be difficult, but you have to be a stickler
for technique. Do your homework and ask questions. Be persistent. If you know someone who's an excellent guitar player, don't be shy. Walk up to them with the guitar strapped
on, politely request a moment of their time, and ask them if your finger placement for a particular chord or technique is
correct. Most experts, when they see an error, are compelled to correct it out of their love of the art.
Studying your idols. Listen to other guitarists' riffs and solos and learn them.
Be able to play scales forwards as well as backwards, moving from scale to scale in a given key
Pentatonic major and minor.
Study classical music. It may seem worlds apart from the music you envision yourself playing, but practically all of the guitar geniuses that
you look up to have studied classical technique at one point or another. Malmsteen, for example, was heavily influenced by
19th century violin virtuoso Niccolò Paganini. In the process of adapting Paganini concerto pieces on guitar, he fostered a prodigious technical
fluency that would later make jaws drop. Additionally, Eddie Van Halen began his musical aspirations with classical piano before he discovered the freedom of guitar. Randy Rhoads was an avid player and listener of classical music.
Read
Learn the ins and outs of reading music. Sure, Stevie Ray Vaughn was amazing and he didn't know how to read music, but if you just sit down and learn to read
and transpose music, you will be much better off. Not only will you know what sounds good, you will know how to put it into
writing and you will learn deeper elements of music. Music is not just the notes you are playing, but the pause between notes
and the composition of good music.
Understand chord theory. Learn as many chords and inversions as you can. Become familiar with how they sound and
why you use them. Even if you aren't playing jazz, (where you would typically hear many of these chords), knowing the notes
and sounds of these chords can make your soloing more interesting. Some of the greatest rock guitar solos are actually very
jazz-influenced.
Feel
Play with emotion. Once you've developed proficiency, you can use the guitar for
freedom of expression. You can feel the music in your blood, and make other people feel it, too. Remember, the greatest musicians of all time, the ones who are most deeply
respected, are the ones who could move others, physically or emotionally, with their music. Believe you can become
a breath-taking guitarist -- it makes such a difference if you know you will be brilliant.
Take care of your hands. Before and after you play do warm-up and cool-down sessions with your fingers. Do regular hand
exercises with both hands as this helps with all situations with the guitar. Keep your fingernails as short as possible as
this helps grip the strings more easily.
Take care of your guitar. Check it regularly and clean it. Get any parts fixed if broken or not working properly.
Play with a metronome - it's much easier to play with other people if you are used to playing in time. Learn something
at a slow tempo and then slowly increase the tempo setting.
One big problem with many cheap guitars is that the action, or how far the strings are from the fingerboard, is too high.
This makes it tough to fret notes and you may end up pressing too hard. However, this problem is easy to solve. Just take
your guitar to a guitar shop and they will lower the action, often for free.
Obtain some inexpensive software to slow down MP3 files without changing the pitch. You can then slow down songs (or portions
of songs) on your computer as slow as you need to. This is critical in order to understand more complex ideas, and is great
for ear training.
Playing on a cheap guitar won't help. It may not hurt, and you don't need to drop more than $200 on your first one, but
a bad enough guitar can create bad habits, like pressing so hard you make all the notes sharp; like avoiding the use
of correct fingering (to favor "stronger" fingers); like avoiding some chords and notes because they sound bad on poorly dressed
frets; like ruining your pitch perception with a poorly cut nut or warped neck that will never play in tune. Also, low-quality
guitars make lots of people quit because what they are playing sounds bad and they assume it's their fault when it isn't.
A dead fret is a dead fret. You can put a vise on it and it won't matter.
If you're a beginner, don't play with flash gear straight away; this will make you think you're better than you really
are, when really you're just cheating.
If you have a demanding practice regimen and have a break, work yourself back into it gradually or you may injure yourself.
A guitar - Start with an acoustic guitar, there's a chance it might not be your thing and there's no point in wasting
money on electric equipment you'll never use.
A tuner (get one with electric guitar inputs, so if you end up loving it you won't have to make another purchase)
A variety of picks
A Metronome
Guitar case (many guitars will come with one)
Strap (optional-it's easier to sit when you're beginning)
Stereo
CDs (or LPs) of your favourite bands and/or iPod or MP3 player containing as many songs by your favourite bands as you
can get hold of
When you purchase an electric guitar you'll need:
An amplifier
Instrument cable
Optional Items:
A multiple effects rack OR as many of the following as you wish to get...
Wah wah pedal
Distortion box (depending on your style and your amp)
Take a look at Brix, a modular concept for a cell phone that lets you use one of the screens as a phone
and video display, or piece together multiple units for a screen that gets larger and larger. It's a lot like the Nokia Prism but takes the shiny and mysterious design concept a step further.
If you have enough of these bezel-less Brix modules, you can piece them together to make a big-screen TV.
Want to take a cell phone with you? Snap off a module, slip it in your pocket and you're off and running.
It's hard to tell how feasible Seokwon Hong's design concept is, because the individual modules would probably
be too expensive to own a lot of them. However, if economies of scale brought the price down, an idea like this might work,
especially if one "master" module contained most of the electronic trickery. However, we're wondering whether a big display
pieced together from a bunch of Brix would show its seams too much to be useful.
Follow the link below to see the variety of configurations that could be possible with such an ambitious
design. — Charlie White
A nice way to add an elegant touch to any dinner party is to fold the napkins into a three-dimensional design. The napkin pyramid is a basic design that you've probably seen many times and is easy to
learn. Impress your guests with a touch of napkin origami by following these steps!
Make sure that the napkin is tightly pressed and smoothed at every step of the way. If your napkin is loose the final
result will not look as good and will fall apart quickly.
If you have your napkins laundered, make sure they add starch. If you are ironing yourself, a good dose of spray starch
will help the napkins keep their shape.
You can be pretty easygoing, but today sees you nearing your limits. Don't be too surprised if you snap at someone who's
telling you some bad news. Things should pick up for you in the very near future.
Whether you're making a toy, a decoration, or even a pincushion, these instructions will show you how to create a basic "baseball" template for making a clothball . No matter what it's ultimately going to be used for, it makes for a funcraft project and a great little gift.
Draw your pattern. A baseball is sewn from two pieces of material. The pieces are shaped roughly like a figure eight or dumbbell.
Take the round object, such as a glass, a jar lid or a can of soup, to use as your base template. Bear in mind that the finished ball will be approximately the same diameter as the round object you use to trace the pattern with.
Trace the round object once and then move it 2/3rds of its width away from the original tracing and trace
it again.
Narrow the "neck" part of the diagram by approximately a quarter of the total width of the circles on both
top and bottom. From here on forth, ignore the "outer" lines, as they were for reference only.
Using the inner lines as your guide to make the final template, round the inner corners.
Pin two layers of cloth together and cut two of these pieces from your heavy cloth.
Sew the two pieces together along their seam line, starting the rounded end of one piece in the middle of the "waist" of the
other piece and with right sides facing together as shown.
Leave an inch or so of opening for turning right side out and stuffing. Back stitch the ends of the seams
to prevent unraveling at inopportune moments during stuffing.
Clip the seam allowances every quarter inch or so up to the stitch line to allow the seam to lay smooth
when turned, being careful to clip up to the line without actually cutting the seam.
Turn the ball “right side” out and stuff it to the level of firmness you like.
Blind stitch the opening closed. Voila! You’ve got a cloth ball!
If you like, you can use embroidery floss to stitch decorative stitching along the seam line to make your cloth ball look more "baseball like." Be careful to
hide any knots inside the ball and clip the floss short when you’re done.
If your ball looks rather "squarish" (see photo) you drew your two original circles too close together.
Move the circles further apart (around 2/3rds of the total diameter of one circle distant from each other) and try again.
Chiles rellenos is a Mexican dish made from chile peppers (usually poblano or Anaheim) that are stuffed, dipped in batter and fried. The name of the dish literally means "stuffed chiles" in Spanish. The preferred stuffing varies from region to region, and families sometimes put their own twist on this classic Mexican recipe. If you're interested in trying this ethnic dish, and your tongue can take a little heat, here is a delicious way to prepare and enjoy chiles rellenos.
Make the filling. Here, we will make two fillings: one comprised of meat, and the other of cheese.
Meat filling - Fry the ground beef in a standard non-stick pan. Chop up the tomato and one of the onions. Add them to the pan when the meat is fully brown. Remove the pan from the heat and give the ingredients a stir.
Cheese filling - Grate the cheddar cheese into a bowl with a cheese grater. When the whole pound is grated, chop up and
add the remaining onion.
Roast the chile peppers. Sometimes, you can buy them already roasted, especially in areas where chiles are a popular part of local cuisine. You can
also buy them on the Internet, roasted and frozen. To roast them yourself, put them on the grill or on a gas stove and leave them over the open flame, rotating until they are completely charred. Then rinse them off in cold water, rubbing
off the burnt skin. You should now have 20 tender chiles that are waiting to be stuffed.
Prepare the batter. This can be done while the chiles are roasting. Place a dozen egg whites in a bowl. Using an egg beater, beat the whites until they firm up. When they are firm and white, almost like whipped cream, stir in the egg yolks.
Cut an opening in the side of the chile. Make it large enough that stuffing can be put in, but not so large that
the chile will fall apart. At this point, you can carefully scrape out the seeds with a butter knife to reduce the heat of the pepper, but this is optional.
Stuff the chiles. Be careful because the soft, roasted chiles are easily torn. Begin with the meat stuffing. Portion out some of the stuffing and fill the chile. When ten of the chiles are filled, do the same to the remaining
chiles with the cheese stuffing. Don't stuff them so much that the slit can't be closed.
Pin the chiles with the toothpicks. It doesn't need to be perfect; it's just to keep any stuffing from falling out while you fry them.
Prepare a pan with vegetable oil. Allow the oil to get hot but keep setting on low.
Coat the chiles with the flour. You put the flour on the chile to reduce the water content and to create a dry
surface for the egg white batter to adhere to.
Dip the stuffed chiles in the egg batter.
Place them into the pan and allow them to fry, turning them as the sides obtain a light brown color.
Try making different kinds of stuffings, such as a whole piece of cheese, bean or tomato stuffing.
This can be a meal on its own or a hearty side-dish. It's your choice!
If you damage a chile, and it isn't "right" for stuffing, you can still use it and make an interesting meal. Just slice
the chili in half so it lays flat and place it in an oven-proof shallow dish. Put the "stuffing" on top followed by cheese
and finally the batter, garnish if desired. Then bake on medium heat until the batter is a golden brown.
Be sure to allow some of the batter to drain from the freshly dipped chile so that you don't have a puddle of batter in
the oil. Less really is more in this case and will result in an evenly cooked chile.
Be careful when using stoves, especially when cooking with hot oil. Always supervise children while they cook.
Turn the heat to low when adding the chiles to fry so that the oil does not splatter.
Wash your hands well after handling the chiles. Be sure to not to touch your eyes or any soft tissue such as inside your
nose or personal areas after handling the chiles.
Even if your life feels just about right to you, there are parts of your subconscious that want improvement. Expect a dream
message or something similar bearing an odd request for a lifestyle change.
For those who are looking to put their tee-shot in play, what follows are methods to improve the distance of your drive,
learned through many rounds of golf and many hours on the range.
Have proper equipment. Today's equipment and balls are not necessarily tailored for 7 - 8 degree drivers. That is a thing of the past. Getting the ball up in the air on a good
trajectory is the first step to driving the ball longer. Many touring pros regularly use 9 and 10 degree drivers and drive
the ball 300 plus yards. Plus, you will get much more consistency with a more lofted driver.
Start with your front foot in line with the ball to give it more loft during the set up. When you go for your backswing,
you should shift your weight backward. This will give your swing more power.
Review your grip
Use the proper grip pressure. Even though you may think that gripping harder and swinging
harder produces results, that is absolutely incorrect and is probably why you don't get consistent distance. Cal Ripken, a
hall of fame baseball player for the Baltimore Orioles, recently indicated to the Golf Channel that his grip pressure on the bat (on a scale from 1 being easiest to 10
being hardest) ranged from 2-4 for perfect release. Going all the way back to the great Harry Varden, you will find that the
great players indicated that the grip pressure should resemble one holding a bird without crushing it but also not letting it go. The tighter you hold the club, the less it will release throughout the ball. Hands must be tension free. Try it at the range and watch for the results.
Keep the start of your downswing calm and unhurried. This enables you to build up speed, so that the golf club is still accelerating when it reaches the ball.
Stay flat. Your driving wood should stay along the ground for at least the first 20 to 25 percent of your swing. If your club is lifting up, you will pop the ball up and not get that long, boring drive that you see the pros hit regularly
(when the ball takes off like a missile and slowly climbs to a beautiful height and tracks down the fairway).
Leading hand angled towards the ball, not forward
Keep the angle on your leading hand. Many amateurs tend
to flip the hands forward in an effort to get the ball in the air, but this only retards the effort of having good equipment
(as noted earlier). The leading hand (left hand for most players, right hand for southpaws) should be angled down towards
the ball on the downswing. It's like you are hitting the ball with the back of left hand. If your left hand is flipping up
on the downswing, your contact will not be solid and you will get consistent misses with your wood. Keeping the angle starts
the ball low and lets it climb on its own through your generated power.
Pick a spot on the ground that lines up with your target and, from your address, stretch your wood towards it. If done
correctly, your arms should form a "V" shape with both arms fully extended. If you have a tendency to bend your left arm early,
that will retard distance; keep your "V" as long as possible before it bends at the finish of your swing and you will find
yourself getting much more distance.
Over the shoulder
Finish the swing over your left shoulder (for right-handed golfers) or right shoulder (for left-handed golfers). Don't be in a rush to look
up and see where the ball went.
If you are still a beginner in the game, then only work on one step at a time at the range. All of these steps are vital
but if you try to learn them all at once, it could cause frustration.
Speed can be increased by setting the wrists into a cocked position early, and on the downswing keeping the wrists cocked
for as late as possible, and then swishing through the ball. This is similar to flicking your wrists when using a badminton, squash, or tennis racquet.
Make the swing smooth like a windmill rather than choppy, and beginners should resist the urge to break their wrists just
before the club impacts the ball no matter how great that worked in baseball. It gives another opportunity for your timing
to break down.
Have a swing thought when you address the ball, such as "Free and easy, free and easy." This might help remind you to
relax and not swing hard or grip the club hard.
Golfers who are inclined to hit at the ball with their hands rather than swinging through the ball find that they lose
a lot of power, and hence distance.
Don't swing at the ball. Your objective should be to swing the club head along a line toward your target, with
the ball being positioned on that line.
Be ready to take customers and tutor them before you post your first ad. Your advertising will be most effective if you can create a good first impression with those who call. Good preparation should also show through
in your ads.
Choose the subject(s) you will tutor. If possible, select subjects relating to your own expertise, subject of study, or professional experience.
Consider the age range with which you'd like to work. Second graders and high school juniors will have widely varying levels and needs.
Get some experience tutoring, formally if possible. See if your local library has an adult literacy program. Look for volunteer tutoring opportunities in your area and find out whether any offer tutor training. Or, tutor somebody you know, such as a
neighbor or family member.
Write a resumé of your tutoring experience and related education. Don't forget volunteer experience, such as helping a classmate, sibling, or child. You can show this list of qualifications to prospective customers or their parents. Even if you don't show it to them, it will help to prepare you to promote your services and answer calls.
Consider taking classes or training in how to teach. There is more to it than knowing the subject you'll teach. You also have to know about how to
motivate students and explain things.
Decide how much you will charge. Evaluate your credentials and experience, and find out what others in your area charge.
Decide where you will tutor. If you will go to the students, don't forget to factor in travel time. If the students will come to you, make sure you are comfortable having them at your home.
Make business cards that state that you offer tutoring services and hand them out to people you know. Besides being a simple and inexpensive
way to spread the word, personal contacts and word of mouth are very powerful and persuasive advertising tools. People tend
to trust people they know.
Sign up with a local tutoring agency and let them do the advertising for you. Depending on the agency, be aware that you
may have to demonstrate at least basic academic credentials, such as having a college degree. Also be aware that these agencies take a cut, so you will make less per session than you might freelancing. Also find out
what they have in their contracts for non-competition clauses. That said, they can be a good way to build your tutoring experience.
Sign up with an on-line tutoring agency. This and various other on-line services match up tutors and students. If you
go with such a service, read the fine print and find out what the fees and restrictions may be. Keep in mind that you may
not meet your students personally this way, nor necessarily have long-term contact with them.
Notice how this flyer grabs attention with bright colors and uses the entire area to convey its message.
Look
for tutors and their advertising in your area. Notice what gets your attention and what doesn't. Notice what's persuasive and what's just ho-hum. Also, if you can, try to get an idea of what other tutors with similar credentials are charging for
their time.
Compose your advertisement. Aim to catch attention, then demonstrate value. Mention your credentials and focus on results. Don't forget to include some
information about what subjects and ages you can teach. One approach might begin: "'Jessica' raised her math grade from C
to A; you(r child) can, too. Ask me how!"
Create different versions of your ad with varying lengths and headlines. A classified ad will read differently than a
flyer, for instance. Have somebody proofread your ads. Even if English is your strong point, you can still miss things in your own writing, and you want to come across as professionally as possible.
Advertise locally. Try these options:
The local classified ad pamphlet that comes around in the mail once a week
Be prepared to give references. This is where volunteer experience can come in handy, if you don't yet have some established,
satisfied customers.
Encourage your customers to tell others. Moms of students, especially, talk to other moms.
Ask your customers how they heard of you so that you know which advertising approaches work.
When advertising, put yourself in the shoes of your customers. If you were a student or a parent, where would you go? What would you read? What would concern you? What would attract you?
Be honest, but don't be overly modest. Present your work in a good light. Don't put your prices in your ads unless you intend to use
them as a selling point. Otherwise, discuss that after your first impressions are made. Keep in mind, though, that some people
believe that lower prices indicate lower quality.
Consider offering a first session for free or a reduced rate. It's a good incentive for people to try you, and it's a
good opportunity for you and your customers to get to know each other under a little less pressure.
Call your local schools and ask if they have a tutor list, have them put your name on it. If they don't have one, ask
if they would consider starting one. They may require you to come in or to send a resume.
There are restrictions on certain kinds of advertising. Make sure that you follow guidelines of campuses, libraries, cities,
and other establishments where you post flyers or spread handbills, and otherwise obey laws.
Find out whether you need a business license or other credential to work as a tutor.
Be the best tutor you can be. The best advertising is word of mouth from satisfied customers.
Remember, tutoring is considered self-employment, so you will have to pay the appropriate taxes on your income.
A unique variation of Greek saganaki, a cheese-based appetizer of fried cheese, this recipe combines the complex, rich flavors of Kasseri cheese (traditionally made with sheep's milk or goat's milk) with a cool, refreshing
cucumber sauce. Although the recipe for this appetizer may seem difficult to some, it is actually quite easy with these step-by-step
instructions. Your taste buds will thank you for indulging in this traditional treat with a gourmet twist.
Strain the cucumber juice through a small-screened sieve.
You will be using the pulp.
Sauce Preparation - Drink or discard Cucumber juice
Drink, save, or discard the leftover cucumber liquid.
Sauce Preparation - Finished Sauce
Mix the sour cream, cucumber pulp, garlic powder, and lemon juice together,
using more or less garlic powder and/or lemon juice to taste.
Cucumber Sauce In Dessert Dishes
Serve the sauce in individual dessert dishes.
Cheese Preparation
Cheese Preparation - Stella brand Kasseri Cheese
Take cheese out of packages and let sit until it reaches
room temperature. (If the cheese is too cold, then during the time it takes to cook, the outer part of the cheese will
melt but the inner part will still be too solid and not melty. And if kept in the oil longer to get the inside melty, then
the breading will burn).
Cheese Preparation - Beaten Eggs and Bread Crumbs on plates
Beat the eggs and pour onto a plate. Pour Italian
breadcrumbs onto another plate.
Dip all sides of the cheese into the egg mixture, then into breadcrumbs to bread the cheese.
Set cheese on another plate and let the breading on the cheese dry.
Repeat the breading process. They must be double
breaded so the cheese won’t melt through the breading during cooking.
Frying pan with vegetable oil and skillet on stove
Heat vegetable oil in a frying pan on slightly less than
medium setting. (Use enough vegetable oil to come half way up the sides of the cheese during cooking). Also heat up a skillet (such as one used for making tortillas, with shallow side walls).
Frying the cheese
Put cheese into the oil until golden brown.
Fried Kasseri Cheese
Turn the cheese over and cook until that side is also golden brown.
Dinner is served
Put cheese in the skillet and serve as is, along with the cucumber sauce and baguette bread.
Cheese and Sauce on Baguette bread
Use a fork to cut a piece of the cheese (while cheese is still in the
skillet), put the cheese from the fork onto a slice of bread, and put sauce on the bread also. Enjoy!
Serving the cheese in a hot skillet helps keep the cheese hot. You’ll need something on the table to set the skillet
on so that it doesn’t burn or scorch the table.
The cheese should be between 3/4" and 1" thick.
Don't be afraid to try this with other cheeses as well. Cheddar cheese and pepper jack cheese are also good when prepared
in this manner.
In the absence of a small-screened sieve, 2 or 3 paper towels folded can be used to separate the cucumber juice from the
pulp.
Substitute the sour cream with yogurt for a more authentic tsatsiki sauce.
For an extra touch, pour a small amount of brandy (1/4 cup will do) over the fried cheese. Light it on fire and then squeeze
a lemon over it. Don't forget to yell "OPA!"
You can also use flatbread for a more authentic dish.
Rattlesnakes are pit vipers, found in various parts of the United States, Canada, and Mexico. In Central and South America, they are almost everywhere there is wilderness. Contrary to popular belief, rattlesnakes do
not deliberately stalk human beings — their natural diet consists of rats and mice, gophers, small birds, frogs, and even the occasional meaty insect. All the same, a snake's instinct is to protect itself — if you think about it, a snake is a very vulnerable creature without legs, ears, or a large size. So poisonous venom becomes its key defense mechanism,
injected via sharp fangs as soon as prey or threats come near. As such, the duty really rests on you to behave responsibly,
with alertness and with full cognizance of the actions and wanderings of minors in your charge. Be wary, be certain, and keep
safe.
Know your snake. Is it a rattlesnake or a different kind of snake? To be safe, if you don't know, don't hang about to find out and if you cannot see without getting closer, don't even consider
edging in any closer. But if you are aware of what the snake looks like, it might be helpful for a number of reasons, the main one being to know what to do if it does bite you or someone
in your group. Another reason it may be helpful is to warn off old Uncle John who insists it's a pussycat of a snake and he'll prove it by picking it up.... From a safe distance, look for:
A flat, triangular-shaped head (although this may not be adequate to mark it) — broader at the base of the head
than at the front
Heavy-bodied
Openings between the nostrils and eyes — these are the heat-sensing pits
Hooded eyes and elliptical pupils — these may not be readily apparent and you'll have to be fairly close to see
this.
Coloration — generally tan and brown patchwork; the Mohave rattlesnake is green, however, and has light bands at
its tail end. If you can see these bands with the naked eye, you are probably too close.
Juvenile rattler
A rattle at the end of its tail (made of modified scales). Young rattlesnakes
often have only a few parts of the rattler formed — don't be fooled as young are born poisonous. Rattles may also be
broken off, malformed or silent. Do not rely on the rattler as the only form of identification. Listen to the rattler sound
courtesy of the San Diegozoo: Rattlesnake Sound Byte.
Be aware of when and where you are most likely to encounter a rattlesnake. You are most likely to encounter rattlesnakes
when you are hiking, climbing, camping, or even walking to see a tourist monument.
Most rattlesnakes prefer hot environments, with some preferring desert climates but others, such as the Eastern Diamondback,
prefer a moist climate. The majority live in the southern United States and Mexico, although some are found in Canada's Badlands desert region in Alberta and in British Columbia around Hedley, Keremeos, and
Osoyoos.
Rattlesnakes like summer evenings the best, just as the sun is going down and when it has gone — they are most active nocturnally in summertime.
This just happens to coincide with the frailty of human eyesight kicking in as the sun goes down, so take care. Use a flashlight when walking about and wear good footwear.
Rattlesnakes like warm days, period. Be it any season of the year, even winter, a rattlesnake can venture out in search of the warmth — suitable air temperature for rattlesnakes is around 70° and
90°F (21° to 32°C).
Yes, look more closely! A timber rattlesnake is in there. (Click to enlarge)
Most rattlesnakes
are not generally sitting about in the open — if they are in the open, they are moving through it much of the time.
Rattlesnakes want to avoid contact with predators who can easily spot them in the open, including humans and large animals.
As such, you will most likely encounter rattlesnakes around rocks, shrub and brush, or wherever there are nooks for them to
hide among. However, on sunny days, you might find rattlesnakes warming themselves on warm rocks or asphalt.
Dress appropriately. When in rattlesnake country, do not be blasé about clothing — the majority of bites occur on the hands, feet and ankles. So, apart from not sticking your hands where they shouldn't be, clothing becomes an important protection ally:
Toss the sandals — this is time for good quality, thick hiking boots, and decent socks. Over the ankle boots are best, as ankle bites are common. Do not wear sandals, open-toed shoes or bare feet when walking
in the desert. There are more things than rattlesnakes awaiting your foolhardiness if you do.
Use gaiters if possible, especially if you choose not to wear long pants.
Another perfect resting spot ... for the rattlesnake.
Behave appropriately when hiking,
climbing, walking. When in rattlesnake territory, think like a rattlesnake to keep your mind on how they might behave
so that you can behave accordingly:
Always hike with at least one buddy. If you are alone and bitten, you will be in dire trouble. Carry a portable phone device that works and alert family or friends of your intended hiking course and duration.
Stay out of the way. The easiest way to avoid rattlesnakes is to keep out of their way. Keep alert as you hike, walk, and climb. Stick to well-used trails and do not wander off into tall grass, underbrush and weeds where rattlesnakes may be hiding.
Do not stick your hands in the wrong places. Don't stick your hands down holes, under rocks and ledges or even into brush
when you are walking around. These are key hiding places for rattlesnakes. When hiking, it is best to carry a sturdy staff,
or at least a long, sturdy and light stick, to help prevent using your hands in areas where snakes may hide.
Don't sit down on tree stumps or logs without first checking inside. You might just be sitting on a rattlesnake....
Step on and not over. When you need to cross logs and rocks, it is sensible to step on the objects rather than straight
over them. This way, you can spot a rattlesnake that may be sheltering under it and can take evasive action quickly.
Look before you leap. Take care where you land your feet. A foot coming straight down next to, or on top of a snake is
asking for a bite. Snakes rely on vibration to hear and while they can sense you coming if you have stomped about loudly enough,
they cannot deal with removing themselves fast enough if you blaze up a trail quickly and provide little warning of your approach.
Move out of the way. If you do walk into the range of a rattlesnake, calmly back off as quickly and quietly as you can.
Take care around water. Rattlesnakes can swim. Anything resembling a long stick might be a rattlesnake.
Do not provoke a rattlesnake. Angering a snake will result in one response — you become its target. Remember —
a snake is defending itself from attack in such a case and if you poke it with sticks, throw stones at it, kick at it or do
silly little jigs around it, you are asking for trouble. And worse still, there may well be a difference in the venom between
an angered rattlesnake and one reacting quickly in self-defence — the toxicity may be increased, whereas a surprised
rattlesnake may only bite without injecting venom (possible, not certain). Whatever the strength of the venom, an angered
rattlesnake will be more likely to keep striking.
Leave the snake alone. Many people are bitten in the process of trying to heroically rid the world of one more bothersome
snake. Apart from the snake not being bothersome, the snake is going to bite you to try and defend itself. Live and let live
— back off and let it have its space to slither away. And be warned — there is a reason for the saying "as mad
as a cut snake" — an injured snake is a very, very dangerous foe.
Be vigilant when camping. There are risks during camping that you need to address.
Check the campsite before setting up. Arrive in daylight and set up in daylight. On warm nights, rattlesnakes may still be hanging about and
if you cannot see what you are doing, you are at risk.
Shut the tent flap at night if camping in rattlesnake territory or you may wake up to a very unwelcome surprise. Always check before going
to bed that an unwanted guest isn't already lodged inside, attracted by warmth or the interesting hiding possibilities presented
by a tent.
Make sure all those using the tent keep the flap constantly shut when entering and leaving.
Shake out sleeping bags before hopping in. Many an unwary sleeper has been unpleasantly awoken.
Take care collecting firewood. Piles of wood are an ideal hiding place for rattlesnakes.
Be responsible for all minors in your care.Children and teenagers are naturally curious and bold all at once. While useful in a safe environment, these traits can lead to harm in a dangerous
environment. Make sure that young persons understand the dangers of rattlesnakes, know what not to do and know how to behave
to avoid a rattlesnake encounter plus how to behave if they do encounter a rattlesnake. In a party of hikers with minors,
an adult should always lead and preferably another should bring up the rear.
Obey the warning signs! This means those of the snake and those of any humans in charge of warning you
of the presence of rattlesnakes:
Recognize the signs of a rattlesnake about to strike. These are general, sometimes there may be a strike without
these signs because a rattlesnake can bite from any position if needed:
A rattlesnake in a coiled position — the coil permits the rattlesnake to make its most effective strike
The front end of its body (head) is raised
Its rattler is shaking and making rattle sound
Just to make life a little more difficult, it is important to be aware that rattlesnakes do not or cannot always use their
rattler to warn of impending attack. For instance, if you tread on it before it has time to rattle, it'll bite first and leave
rattling until later. And sometimes they just don't rattle, for such reasons as being extra defensive during shedding, mating
and giving birth. Or, they may prefer to rely on their coloration as camouflage, only to realize that this isn't going to
protect them from the impending human feet. Also, wet rattlers do not rattle. There must be at least two segments of a rattle
for it to be capable of making sound, therefore young rattlesnakes cannot make the rattle sound until this grows but they
remain venomous all the same. Be aware of these possibilities. Otherwise, if you hear that rattle, you are clearly forewarned,
so back off.
Heed the signs from park rangers and other park authorities. Like the sign in the photo, when you are warned by the local
park authorities that rattlesnakes are in the area, take the appropriate precautions set out above.
Although these two are wrapped up in their own argument, it does give a good indication of the stretching ability
of rattlesnakes
Note the striking distance of a rattlesnake. A rattlesnake's strike distance
can be up to one third to one half of its overall length. It doesn't pay to underestimate a rattlesnake's strength, however,
and a rattlesnake might lurch ahead even farther if provoked. The strike of a rattlesnake is faster than the human eye can
follow.
It's a shock when someone is bitten but it's important to remain calm
Remain calm if you or somebody else gets bitten. If you do get bitten by a rattlesnake, while serious, the most important thing is remain calm and still — dashing about moves the venom about faster. Key
elements are remaining calm, remaining immobilized and getting to a hospital as quickly as possible. If the bite is in the leg area and you have a cloth or towel with you, try wrapping the towel above
the bite and applying pressure. This helps prevent more of the venom from reaching the heart. Keep the bite lower than the
victim's heart (do not elevate the bite; that will increase circulation and spread the venom more rapidly), wash affected
area and remove any potential constrictions such as rings (when swelling occurs constrictions could cause loss of blood flow
and necrosis of tissues). For more on the procedure of dealing with a rattlesnake bite, see How to Treat Snakebite.
Review these steps before every encounter with rattlesnake territory. Share the information with those traveling
with you to alert them to the need to be cautious, calm and considerate of what may be about.
It is often reported that more people die from wasp and bee stings in the United States than from the bites of rattlesnakes.
Snakes frighten most people. However, it does help to understand the ecological niche that snakes fill. Importantly, snakes
keep down rodent populations that might otherwise be in plague proportions in many places, destroying crops, food storage,
and spreading disease. Removing snakes from their original territory is frequently followed by a rise in rodent numbers. Moreover,
rattlesnakes are a source of food for predators.
If trying to remove a rattlesnake from your backyard, call in professionals. Remain calm if faced with the snake when
you are in your backyard — level-headedness is essential to dealing with any dangerous situation.
Most bites occur between April and October, the months during which rattlesnakes are at their most active.
The Santa Catalina Island Rattlesnake is a rattleless rattlesnake; it lacks the usual rattle segments.
This is an easy piece of advice to remember (courtesy The Rattlesnake Roundup, Mangum, Oklahoma)- Freeze like a tree,
and slowly back away.
Most people are bitten: 1) when they reach into a hole, 2) when climbing and put their hand on a snake on the "ledge"
above, or 3) by stepping directly on or beside a snake.
Biting snakes are almost always surprised and/or trapped. When walking, 1) carry a stick, and 2) whack bushes and undergrowth
a bit before you walk on/near them, and snakes will get away. They'll go under bushes or thick grass immediately, so don't
put your feet in/on those places! If you must step on those hiding places, probe them a bit first with your stick, so the
snake has a chance to get away.
Sometimes, smaller snakes can crawl into boats such as kayaks without your knowledge. If this happens to you, remain very
calm and pull up to shore. Get out of the boat, and gently direct the snake out of your boat using a paddle or long stick.
Never pick up what seems to be a dead rattlesnake. It may be resting deeply or simply not moving in a way that is detectable
to your eye. Just leave well enough alone.
Never pick up a freshly killed rattlesnake. It can bite reflexively even though dead.
Do not cut, suck or drain snakebites — these are old-fashioned methods that have been proven to not work.
Never put a tourniquet on a limb bitten by a snake. It may cause necrosis and the loss of the limb. Stay calm and
seek medical attention.
Pavement stays warm after sundown. Rattlesnakes may find their way onto a warm road or sidewalk on a cool evening to keep
warm. Use caution after sundown when walking on paved roads or sidewalks.
Rattlesnakes are protected in many areas. Do not kill them unless the situation involves immediate danger to humans or
domestic animals. It is senseless and it might land you in jail.
Take advantage of many kids' inherent fascination with bugs by helping them make their own little bugworld out of accessible materials. They'll enjoy looking for pictures of bugs and figuring out how they can make them out of beads, add them to their bug "collection," and make some "food" for their new little critters. It is fun and much cleaner than an ant farm!
Glue four beads together with a hot glue gun to make a butterfly's body. Use paper to make wings and black paint or paper to make eyes and glue them on.
Glue or paint two black eyes onto a green bead to make an aphid. Do the same to a gray bead to make a potato bug.
Use black paint and a toothpick to make little black dots on a red bead and glue/paint on eyes to make a ladybug.
Make a paper or cardboardcircle for the spider's body and cut slivers of paper for legs. Glue on legs and googly eyes (or make eyes out of paper).
Make a spider web design on a plate or cookie sheet with a hot glue gun. Pour cold water over the web to cool it, then carefully peel it off. Glue the spider onto its web (this
can also be made with Elmer's glue, but you'll have to wait for it to dry).
Fill a bottle cap or small round container partway up with hot glue. Stick a rock into the glue while it's still hot. Wait for it to harden,
then take your "lake" out of the container and place it in the shoe box.
Use paper or beads to make leaves and flowers. Fold the leaves in half to carefully cut out a hole in the middle to make them look chewed.
Arrange everything in the shoe box and enjoy playing with your Bead Bugland!
Inspect the cable. Change a bike cable if it is frayed or it is getting stiff. When either of these
two indicators are present, there may be damage on the inner wire, or often on the outer wire. Any friction in the cable will
stop your brakes from returning properly. Check for damage to the outer casing, the cranks, and for any bends in the wires.
You'll need to replace both the cable and its outer casing if it is damaged.
Obtain the correct cable. It is important to ensure that you have the correct cable. Check the nipple at the end
of the cable and see that it matches the cable you are replacing. Brake cables are different for straight handle-bars and
drop handle-bars.
Undo the pinch bolt. Locate the pinch bolt that clamps the cable. Undo it with an Allen key. Don't
lose the piece of rubber that slides off the cable or the metal "noodle" - you'll need to put these back on later.
Unscrew the adjuster. Find the adjuster next to the brake lever on the handlebar. It is a small barrel
that can be turned. Unscrew the adjuster with your fingers.
Remove the cable. Align the two slots on the adjuster where the brake cable goes through on top of
the brake lever. The cable will gently fall out if you ease it.
Hold the old & new outer casings next to one another
Replace the outer casing.
Hold up the new outer casing against the old one so you know the correct length.
Use the wire cutters to make a clean cut. Check that there is a smooth hole at the incision for the cable to run in and out. Then attach a metal
ferrule.
Slide the cable into the hole. Check that it fits well. Slide the rest of the cable into the outer casing.
Hook the nipple back in. Hook the nipple into the end of the brake lever, and ease into the brake
lever and into the two slots in the barrel adjuster. At the other end, thread the cable through the metal "noodle" and push
the outer casing into it. Slide on the piece of rubber, placing on the larger end first. This stops dirt getting into your
cable. Slide under the cable clamp bolt and thread through.
Clamp it temporarily with the Allen key. Reconnect the brake by pulling it across and slotting it into the
hole. Make sure the metal noodle is bedded down in place.
Tighten. Loosen the Allen key bolt and pull the cable through. Hold the cable, loosen the Allen key,
pull the cable tight and tighten up again.
Perform checks.
Pull firmly on the brake lever multiple times to stretch out the new cable. Readjust the tension as necessary.
Check that the outer casing is properly located into the cable adjuster and into the noodle.
Check that the other end of the noodle is in the final slot.
Pull on the brake lever several times. This will make sure everything is in place. This helps to bed the
cable in. If it feels loose, you'll need to tighten it a bit more. When finished, make sure you have tightened the bolt up
firmly.
Cut the cable. Now is a good time to cut the end of the cable.
Leave about 3 inches (7.6 cm) of cable poking out from the brake clamp.
Attach a cable end cap to stop the end fraying. Squash it into place with either pliers or the end of the
cable cutters.
Hook around by the brake.
Do a final check. Make sure your brakes work properly before you go riding.
A set of Allen keys - Metric! not English. At minimum you will need a 5mm allen key
A new brake cable
A length of outer casing for the cable, this is commonly referred to as Cable Housing and is very difficult to cut/size
without a proper cable cutting tool.
A good pair of wire cutters - (Shimano or Park tool, Shimano cable cutters are the best)
A metal ferrule (ask for one at the bike shop when you buy your cable)
An end cap (ask for one at the bike shop when you buy your cable)
Kneading dough is essential to making bread. Kneading stretches the dough and develops the gluten, the springy stuff that gives bread its texture. It also helps to uniformly distribute the gases
that are the byproduct of the yeast's metabolism.
Combine the ingredients for your dough according to the recipe directions. These may simply be water, yeast, and flour for a basic bread, or a complicated list, but you should start with a detailed recipe. Measure the ingredients and mix according to instructions.
Mix as much flour in with a spoon as you can.
Turn the dough out of the bowl onto a clean, well-floured surface. A wooden board or clean table is best. Make sure it is at a height where
you are comfortable working. If it is very moist or sticky, sprinkle additional flour over the top.
Gather the dough into a pile and begin pressing it together.
Press the heels of your hands firmly into the dough, pushing forward slightly.
Fold the far edge of the dough upwards, towards you, and press it into the middle of the ball. Rotate it slightly,
too. Repeat this press-fold-turn sequence for the duration of the kneading process.
Pinch the dough to see if you're done. Bread dough will become firmer as you knead it, just as winding a spring makes more winding harder.
Pinch a bit of dough between your fingers. If it's ready, it will feel like an earlobe. If in doubt, knead a little longer.
Add flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking. Generally, if you are making bread, you have added enough flour
when the dough mostly stops sticking to the board. The amount will vary somewhat according to the moisture in the loaf. If
you are making something else, such as biscuits, add flour according to the recipe plus just enough on the outsides to keep it from sticking too badly.
Distinguish between bread flour (for yeasted recipes) and pastry flour (for recipes without yeast). The former will help you build gluten. The distinction is more important for whole wheat
flour than it is for white or unbleached flour.
Time your kneading, especially if the recipe suggests a time. 20 minutes can seem like a long time doing the same repetitive
activity. Don't cut it short.
A dough scraper can make cleanup easier. Anything with a straight but fairly blunt edge will do.
It's very difficult to over-knead by hand. It is definitely possible to over-knead with a mixer, though.
For any pastry not using yeast, you should probably knead only enough to obtain a smooth, even consistency and fully mix
the ingredients. For bread, you want to build gluten, but gluten in non-yeasted recipes can make them tough.
Thoroughly clean your work surface and your hands before and after kneading.
For most of human history, the only way to preserve meat was to dry it into jerky. While new methods of meat preservation have now been developed (freezing, chemicals, and so on) many people still enjoy
the flavor and convenience of jerky, which is most commonly made from beef. Because moisture and fat must be removed from the meat, it can also be an excellent source of protein, although these nutritional benefits are largely offset by the chemical preservatives applied to most of the jerky products
you'll find in stores. For a healthier alternative, follow these steps and make your own!
Select a cut of meat. Choosing a lean cut like sirloin, top round, eye round, etc... will save time later.
Slice your meat into thin strips less than 1/8" thick (sometimes a butcher will do this for you for free if you ask).
To make it easier to slice, freeze it for about 30 minutes before slicing. You can cut with or against the grain, but some
find that strips cut against the grain are easier to chew. Trim the fat as you go along, since fat does not dry and could
make the jerky rancid.
Marinate the meat in a solution of cider vinegar and sea salt, or according to a recipe of your preference. Place in the refrigerator for 4 - 24 hours to allow the meat absorb the flavor. This step is optional;
the additional moisture can make dehydration take longer, and the resulting jerky might be stickier.
Coat the meat in the seasonings of your choice.
Dehydrate the meat. Leave enough room between pieces to allow air to flow around the meat. Avoid letting the meat touch
if possible.
In a dehydrator, spray the racks with non-stick cooking spray and place your prepared meat on the racks.
In an oven, set the temperature to 150 degrees F (65 degrees C) and allow it to preheat. (Heat is not intended to cook your jerky; gentle heat aids in the dehydration process by causing the moisture to evaporate.)
Place your prepared meat on a wire rack over a cookie sheet.
Wait and watch. Making jerky is not a quick process. Since temperatures, humidity levels, and slice thickness
will vary, there can be no set time for the process to complete. Usually it will take between 6 - 12 hours. Check the consistency
of the jerky regularly after 6 hours until it meets your satisfaction. You might have to cut into the jerky to ensure that
it is not raw inside. Jerky should turn a deep brown or burgundy colour.
Place the fresh jerky in plastic bags and store in the refrigerator or freezer until ready to eat. Enjoy the
homemade jerky within one week of its preparation.
Be swift. The meat should be dried as quickly as possible, to limit bacterial growth. Cutting the meat into thin slices dramatically shortens drying time. Placing the meat in a freezer for an hour or two before cutting will
make it easier to cut thinly.
Do not allow the jerky to become too dry or it will become hard and unpleasant. It should be the consistency of rubber.
Traditionally, beef jerky was smoked or salted to preserve and flavor the meat at the same time.
Ideally, the jerky should be vacuum sealed in plastic with a pouch of oxygen absorber in order to retard spoilage, but
this is not practical in most home situations.
For a vegetarian version of this, try using seitan (wheat protein) or marinated tofu. Tweak the recipe accordingly.
Use Braggs soy sauce, Black pepper, Pinch of cayanne, smoke the meat before dehydrating or use liquid smoke and you will
have the best jerky you have ever had. Be sure you let it marinate over night.
Try a soy sauce based marinade. Some excellent flavoring agents include Adobo seasoning, red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper,
powdered ginger, sesame oil, cajun seasoning
This is not commercial beef jerky and therefore does not contain preservatives. Please take proper precautions to preserve
your jerky (i.e. refrigerate or freeze) and consume it promptly.
Sun drying can lead to spoilage, and you will have a difficult time keeping the insects away.
Don't you love the taste of fresh, sweet corn? It's too bad it's only available a few weeks out of the year. However, if you know the freezing methods passed down by generations
of farmers, you can harvest or buy corn in bulk and enjoy that fresh taste all year long. What follows is a complete guide to choosing, preparing and freezing large
batches of corn.
Find the ears that are just right. A farmer only has a short period of time between when the corn is too small to be edible and when it's too big to be edible. Of course, everybody's got their own definition of what's too big to be edible! You can determine if it's just right by
shaking hands with the corn. If the corn cob fills your hand nicely and the silk on the top is brown, it's ready to pick. If it feels too scrawny, leave it for another
day.
Have a seat and take all the husks off the corn once you've picked enough corn to keep you busy all day - a couple of hundred ears of corn should do it.
Put the corn in containers or in a spot where you can keep an eye on your newly harvested bounty -- there are
always critters (whether on the farm or in your backyard) that are looking for the easy mark and they will take your fresh
corn away from you if you're not looking.
Clean the corn--unless of course you're the type of person who doesn't mind a bit of silky natural floss stuck
between your teeth when you're done eating. It's best when you get the corn all clean and shiny with none of the little silky
hairs sticking to it. This is kind of a painstaking and sticky job. It helps to keep a bowl of water on the table while working
to dip your hands into, otherwise you end up acting like Spiderman with everything you touch sticking to your hands.
Move into the kitchen once the corn's all cleaned up. Shown here is one day's harvest (about 500 ears) all ready to be cooked.
Blanch the corn. There are other methods of preparing and cooking the corn, but many believe this method gives
the best taste. Blanching means you put the corn in the water, put the lid on, then you look the other way while bringing the water to a rolling boil.
Take the corn out when the water's boiling and cool it down as quickly as you can. Once you take out one batch
and put in the next, the fresh corn cools the water down a bit and you have to start over again, so it takes about 5-10 minutes
to boil each batch. Now comes the hard part. You've got to cool the corn quickly, which is easy if you're doing 10 ears of
corn. But how do you cool 500 ears of corn in a row? If you just put it in the water, the water gets warm and loses its cooling
ability. You can put ice in the water, or you can keep changing the water, but both of those methods are for small batches.
Here's the farmer's solution to this problem. Use the right side of the sink to cool the hot ears just off the
stove, then move the lukewarm ears to the left side of the sink to finish up the cooling. Cold water trickles in from the
faucet into the left hand side of the sink (1). The magic happens in part 2, which is just a simple upside-down U-shaped pipe that acts as a siphon to move the cold
water from the left side to the right side. You start by dunking these pipes under the water to get all the air bubbles out of them, putting your thumbs over the ends of the pipes to hold the water in, then put it
over the divider in the sink. If you've done it right, the pipes are still full of water. When the water in the left side
is higher than the right side, it will flow through the pipes and into the right hand side.
The second little bit of magic is the overflow pipe in the right hand sink. It's an S-shaped piece of copper
tubing which stands up in the sink just short of the top and it runs down into the drain. When the water gets higher than
the top of the pipe, it spills down into the pipe and goes down the drain. So now we've created a waterfall type of system
where cold water enters a point 1, moves through the pipes in point 2, then exits at point 3. By the time it exits in point
3, it's actually pretty warm water because you keep dumping the boiling corn into that side.
When you remove the boiling corn from the stove, you'll want to dump it in the right hand side of the sink. The
water on the right will be warm, but you'll have a continuous trickle of cool water coming through the siphon pipes. Give
someone the job of agitating the corn by stirring it around in the sink. That's a job that the kids love to do, so usually that's the youngest person, although sometimes it's just the most tired person.
When the person cooking on the stove is ready to remove their corn, the agitator removes the cold corn from the left side of the sink and sends that on to the
next step, then they move the warm corn from the right side to the left side of the sink. The hot corn from the stove is then
dumped in to the lukewarm water on the right side of the sink.
Cut the corn off the cob once the corn has been blanched and cooled so that the ears are cool to the touch. This
takes a little feel so that you get enough corn without getting too much of the cob. This one is probably the most highly
skilled of positions in the process and takes some practice.
Chill the corn. Once the corn is off the cob, put it into cake pans for a good chilling. Cake pans work well
because they spread out the corn and transfer the heat nicely.
To do this right, you'll need about 6-8 cake pans and a completely empty refrigerator. Put the pans into the freezer of an old refrigerator, then move them from the freezer down on to the shelves of the refrigerator as you get new pans filled. The warmest ones go in the freezer, and the cooler
ones get moved into the refrigerator until you're ready to bag it.
Bag the corn. Once the pans of corn are completely cooled, you're almost done - all that's left is to package
the corn up for final freezing. Use quart and pint Ziploc baggies. You don't want them totally full, just enough so you can
close them easily and then flatten them out so they store easily. A quart baggie is about enough for one meal for 4-5 people,
and a pint baggie works well for 2 people.
Clean up. Take out the garbage and mop that floor. Send the cobs to the compost pile and look forward to eating corn whenever you want.
If you're harvesting the corn yourself, start picking it early in the morning. It's a great feeling when you walk through
the corn field and the dew is still on the grass and on the corn stalks.
500 ears of corn should yield about 60-65 quart bags of frozen corn. It takes four or five people about eight hours to
do the entire process, and you end up with enough to provide an entire family with corn for most of the year. Even though
it sounds like a lot of work, it's a process that's been passed down for several generations, and once your kids learn how,
they will always want to be there to help out if possible.
To cook the frozen corn, take the bag out of the freezer and put it into a covered glass dish. Microwave a quart bag for about 6-8 minutes. Add some butter and salt to taste and you'll have fresh tasting corn in minutes.
For another southern recipe, fry a few slices of bacon in a frying pan. Add a few slivers of onion (optional) and cook
until the onion is clear. Add the corn and steam until the corn is done...This is delicious!
A large rubbermaid tub works well for cooling corn also. Place a 30-gallon rubbermaid tub outside and drop in your garden
hose. Leave the water running through the entire process and you will always have chilly water to cool off the corn.
There may come a time in your life as a driver that you need to make a tight, fast turn, whether it's as a police officer in a high-speed chase, or simply to avoid an accident. This article will instruct you on how to get your car around a very tight corner, such as a sharp left-hand turn around a parking lot light post, but this process can be used
for any corner with a small point to go around.
Position cones on either side of the car to represent a street. This will help you, and challenge you as you can force
yourself to attempt tighter and tighter turns.
Approach the turn as far to the right as possible (this is an exterior approach).
Brake before the corner and accelerate out of it. Read the instructions on braking. While you are braking, keep the vehicle as straight as possible; turning while braking will increase the distance your vehicle
requires to turn or stop.
Perfect path for 90 degree turn
Make a 90-degree turn (or less) by going from the right (exterior), getting
as close to the concrete without hitting it (apex), then exiting the turn as far to the right as possible (exterior).
This gives you the straightest line possible (that is, the line with the greatest turning radius); naturally, it is also
the fastest line. This line gives you the best traction, and the best efficiency for laying down power coming out of the turn.
Make a 90-135-degree turn by once again approaching from the right (exterior), but this time use the handbrake (if available)
to bring the back of your car around. You may need a little cooperation from your vehicle.
A mid-sized sedan with a tight handbrake will not need more than a second of tire-lock, so do not use it for too long,
else you will spinout. If a handbrake is not available (i.e.: your vehicle has a foot-base emergency brake), then you will
have to just take the corner a little slower, so follow the 90-degree turn instructions.
Make a more than a 135-degree turn with an e-brake turn. Do not slow down as much as you would have normally for the turn.
Instead, drive a few feet past the turn (5 or more feet).
While still going at a decent speed and going straight, pull the e-brake. Once the rear tires have locked up, turn the
wheel to the left. The car's back end will spin around and point you almost in 180-degrees of your original course. Release
the e-brake and drive off.
With a bit of practice, you should be able to release your e-brake earlier, which will allow your vehicle to be pointed
in the exact direction you desire (instead of a full 180-degrees).
The tighter the turn you make, the slower it must be taken, but if you play your cards right, and make the turn faster
than the other guy, then it might give you the edge you need.
Many cars have a "foot rest" or flat spot on the left side of the floorboard. This is actually called a dead pedal and
should be used in fast turns. By pressing down with your left foot, you force your body back into the seat, thereby minimizing
any upper body movement created from lateral g-forces. This allows you more precise control with the steering wheel.
Any of these maneuvers done with a RWD or AWD vehicle should not be with any "drifting" style (with your back-end sliding
as you accelerate). Keeping your back-end "tidy" is always the fastest way around the corner.
If your tires are slipping under power to the point that the back-end swings out, you are giving it too much gas, and
easing off the gas a bit will actually get you through the turn quicker. Be cautious though, suddenly lifting off the gas
will transfer weight to the front and cause the rear end to swing out even more possibly causing you to lose control. The
key is balance.
Tight turns require a lot of precision to be fast. Practice is essential to perform well.
If your car understeers when you enter the turn (just after you let off the brakes) try staying on the brakes a little
longer, or releasing them a little earlier. Releasing the brakes at the point of turn-in will release a lot of available down-pressure
on your front tires.
Originally, sliding or drifting was done by rally racers who did this with the intention of holding more speed through
the corner. Sliding changes how you enter and exit a corner, but typically you will hold more speed and therefore, get through
the corner faster.
Smooth use of the brakes and the accellerator is also essential, as smooth release and pressing of the accellerator will
eliminate wheel lock up and wheel spin on the entrys and exits of corners, which saps speed.
Obviously, these maneuvers can be very dangerous and may result in serious injury or death. Tactical or technical driving
should only be done in emergency situations, when no other choice is available.
Keep in mind that while drifting/sliding may be the quickest off road, for asphalt these techniques are definitely NOT
the quickest way around a corner. If it were they would use this technique in Formula One. The quickest way is the smoothest
way. Sliding looks flashy but it's SLOW- on pavement.
Any practicing you do should not be done on public streets! Your own private property is the best.
Always drive safely. Be observant of pedestrians and other vehicles.
Never break the law! Obey speed limits, research state and local laws, and be sure to obey all the laws.
While practice is crucial, it should be noted that many of the maneuvers can cause damage to vehicles. Alignment, engine
mounts, bearings and many other parts can suffer wear or malfunctions. Some people use a cheap "practice car" to practice
with.
Some SUVs have a history of rolling when confronted with extreme maneuvering.
It should be noted that when using the parking brake in a RWD or AWD, it is imperative that you have the clutch depressed
and the motor disengaged, or else you will stall the car. Depending on the types of differentials in your AWD car, using the
parking brake while moving could very well destroy your differentials/drivetrain as well.
Once peppers are roasted, their flavor takes on a deep, sometimes smoky flavor that adds great dimension to a dish. Salads, sauces, and many other dishes can benefit from their simple addition.
There are a variety of methods to roast peppers, ranging from an oven or a grill to a gas stove top. An oven or grill will probably be more effective to roast peppers. However, in this article, we’ll
focus on the gas stove, and the peppers being roasted are Anaheim green chiles.
Cut ¾ of the stem off each pepper and insert a wooden (not plastic) chopstick through the stem, pushing until it is inserted into the pepper completely. The chopstick will serve as a skewer so you can rotate the peppers and remove them from the flame once they are done roasting. Alternately, you can forgo the
chopsticks and use tongs instead.
Turn gas stove to medium-high or high. You want a fairly large flame to ensure the quickest roasting time and sufficient blackening. Lower
temperatures will require more gas and time to roast the peppers. You may want to line the stovetop with aluminum foil before
lighting the flame, as this procedure can get messy.
Place the peppers on the burners, making sure they are close to the flame.
Leave the peppers over the flame, constantly monitoring them and listening for cracking noises. These noises
simply tell you the skin is cracking and that the peppers are roasting. This is a good sign.
Rotate each pepper once the skin has blackened in a certain area. You should rotate the peppers so that the entire
surface is black and crispy. Don’t worry about that pitch black color. The flesh underneath will be perfectly fine.
Remove peppers from the heat once they are totally blackened. There are several ways you can proceed to cool the peppers.
Put them in a paper bag and close it. This will steam the peppers and aid in removing the skins. You can also place the
peppers in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, or seal in a zip-top freezer bag, or put into a saucepan with the lid on.
Alternatively, plunge them immediately into an ice water bath. The ice water will stop the cooking process and
facilitate the removal of the peppers’ skins. This method, however, is more likely to pull flavor out of the peppers.
Rub the peppers between your fingers, or scrape off the skin with your hands. Once all the skin is off, place
peppers on a cutting board.
Cut the tops off each pepper and slice down one side, exposing the inner seed cavity. Scrape off the white membrane
and seeds and discard. This can also be done by hand under running water.
Rinse off peppers before roasting. They might contain chemical and/or organic residues.
All kinds of peppers can be roasted. Red bells, green chile, and jalapeños are among the most common types of peppers
roasted.
Soak wooden skewers in warm water for 10 minutes before placing peppers on for roasting. This will help keep them from
burning and breaking in the process.
It's fine if a few bits of charred skin remain on the peppers. They'll add even more flavor.
If you don't have gloves, you can use a heavy-duty paper towel to remove skins. This works especially well if the peppers
are really hot (in both heat and flavor).
Washing hands in liquid soap and salt, or lemon juice, will help get rid of the smell and "hotness" on your hands and
fingers.
Washing hands in a mix of oil (food oil) and soap before using the water, can reduce the "hotness" a lot - this is because
the hot parts of the chili plants can not be dissolved with water
If roasting hot peppers, there are a few precautions.
Because the fumes can irritate your eyes, nose, and lungs, you may want to consider wearing goggles or a mask if this
becomes a problem.
Wear gloves. Once the hot oils settle into your skin, there's not much you can do to get rid of the burning pain but wait.
Only time (12-24 hours depending on the strength of the oils) will allow it to wear off. At the very least, use gloves when
removing the seeds, but if you don’t have a pair lying around, make sure to wash your hands before touching anything
else, especially your eyes.
Also, make sure the kitchen is well ventilated so noxious fumes can leave.
You may become addicted to the aroma that roasting green chiles produces. If so, you’ll probably spend more money
than you should just to experience the scent over and over again.
Watch out if you are using wooden skewers, they may burn and start a fire!
MAKE SURE YOU NEVER touch your eyes after peeling hot, spicy peppers. It will severely irritate them for several minutes.
A ghillie suit, originally designed for hunting and now also used for military operations, is arguably the best type of wearable camouflage. Specifically, the suit is a full body piece of clothing that is designed to break up your body's outline and add texture. You can also spend some time to make it better by attaching
items such as foliage, branches, and leaves to it. It is much better than standard camouflage wear because it not only attempts to blend into your habitat, it can actually use parts of your setting.
Select a usable suit to start your ghillie suit with. Some basic suits can be bought easily.
Expensive suits can be bought which already have a good deal of camouflage built in. It will likely look like a basic
camo with flap on it.
Cheaper suits can also be bought which only break up your outline (no camo; only a solid color), but with a few branches
and such from your surrounding attached, can blend in quite nicely.
Sew knots of netting to the fabric with transparent thread like fishing line. Apply a drop of glue for extra strength.
Tie groups of 5 to 10 strands of jute to the netting with simple knots. Use various colors.
Season the webbing by dragging it behind a vehicle, soaking it in mud, or applying manure. This will help eliminate human scent, especially if the ghillie suit will be used for hunting purposes.
Camouflaged Sniper
Select items from your setting to keep the best profile. If you are in a wooded area,
for example, attach small branches and leaves to the upper half of the suit and feather it to the bottom with items such as
grass or twigs.
Attach more items to the back of the suit. Sneaking in a ghillie suit usually involves crawling. Items on your stomach
or chest as you belly-crawl will likely get damaged or make noise.
Attach wider items around your head and neck. The human head is the most commonly identified part of the body. The shoulders
and neck exaggerate the head. When standing still, your outline must be broken to prevent easy identification.
Be aware of your setting as it changes. If it is possible to stay in your setting as you get from point
A to point B, do so. Otherwise, you'll have to incorporate the materials of the new setting you're moving into as you go along.
Often basic ghillie suits can be bought which are a net poncho with flaps attached to it. This is a great start as it
breaks up your outline and gives you many locations to attach items to it.
The most important part of a ghillie suit is to break up your outline, as you may be much more easily spotted if you keep
a human-shaped silhouette.
Use burlap and camo netting to cover your gun, face, and boots! It's a shame to see ghillie suits given away by black boots sticking out of the back.
Test the suit by giving a friend a pair of binoculars and seeing if he can spot you in a forested area.
After a couple of days, new attachments will be required as green plants will turn color and dry up.
Do not think you are invisible while wearing a ghillie suit. Often your location is just as important as your camouflage.
Be aware of lighting and gleaming objects around that may give away your position.
The human eyes (and most other mammals' eyes) are very perceptive to movement. A good deal of being sneaky (even with
a ghillie suit) is slow, steady, and calculated movement.
Ghillie suits tend to be heavy and hot. The temperature inside a ghillie suit can reach over 120 °F (50 °C) in moderate
climates.
The materials from which ghillie suits are made (jute, burlap, etc.) are quite flammable. If using a ghillie suit in a
military setting where smoke grenades, white phosphorus, and fires are a possibility, consider treating the suit with a fire-retardant
product.
Avoid using poison ivy or other poisonous vegetation that may cause an allergic reaction.
If you are hoping to use the suit for hunting, be aware of laws and other hunters. You don't want to face a hefty fine
or, worse, a bullet because of your camouflage.
Cats are notoriously curious animals who love the great outdoors, but letting them wander isn't always an option. If you live in an area with lots of traffic or a local population of feral cats, both can pose great danger to your pet. If you're willing to provide supervision, then walking your cat can be a good solution. Since cats are often less cooperative
than dogs, however, you're going to need to invest some time into training your independent feline before escorting it outside.
Begin training before your cat's regular meal time, when they're most receptive.
Allow the cat to smell the harness.
Put the harness on the cat. Clip on the leash if it isn't already part of the harness. The cat will probably
do one of two things: sit very still, crouching low to the floor, or squirm in a frantic panic. Stay calm and don't interfere
unless the cat seems like it will hurt itself. This is also a good time to watch and make sure the cat can't squeeze out of
its harness -- they can be incredible contortionists.
Immediately give your cat his regular meal.
Allow the cat to walk (and lounge) freely in the harness for 1-3 hours, then take it off.
Repeat this process for however long it takes for your cat to feel comfortable.
Set a path through your home to walk after your cat gets used to the harness. This is essential if your cat has never
been outside and you want to train it to walk with you before exposing it to the outdoors.
Choose a route on which to walk the cat outside, and walk it solo for the first few times to see if it's also a route
used by dog walkers. Being confronted with a dog may cause your cat to panic and escape, so it's important to try to prevent
this. You can also prepare a cat carrier to bring on your walks and so that you can secure the cat in it if you see a dog
coming your way.
Leave the front door open and start making your walks gradually further in that direction. Guide your cat, (don't pull), to the door.
Take your cat outside for 5 minute increments, 3-5 times a day, gradually increasing the amount of time outside. Call the cat as you walk
it and be consistent in where you walk the cat each time. Eventually the cat will become familiar with the process, but you
must be patient.
Give the cat a treat as soon as you get home, and eventually your cat will love going for a walk.
Start as soon as your cat has been weaned--generally around six or seven weeks of age. Young kittens are more receptive
to a leash and if your cat grows up with walking on one it will become second nature.
Let the cat become comfortable with the harness. Start by laying the harness by him or placing it in his bed so he gets
used to the leash and learns to think of it as something familiar. Then, after a week, place it on the cat for short periods
of time until no longer objects to wearing it.
Be patient if your cat panics and tries to hide. This will be more common for cats who aren't used to being outside. Wait for it to calm down, then
gently urge it out of its hiding spot.
Let your cat walk on its own terms. Cats are finicky creatures by nature, and cannot be forced into walking with
you; let the cat set the pace, if you can. Don't forget who is the owner, and who's the pet.
It can be helpful to hold the cat while walking it for awhile; this helps the cat get used to the route.
If you want to have playtime for your cat in the backyard make sure the leash is too short to hop over the fence (see
Warnings) and never leave the cat alone.
You could also make the garden cat-friendly and fenced off so the cat can play safely without the leash. This can be done
without very much visible interference to your garden.
Walking an indoor cat on a leash outdoors may make the cat less afraid of the outdoors and more likely to escape through
an open door, then get lost, hit by a car, or attacked by a feral cat or other animal.
Never loosen your hold on the leash. The cat may become startled and suddenly bolt away, taking the leash with it.
Never leave the cat on the leash in the backyard alone. The cat may try and hop over the fence and get stuck, resulting
in an imminent cat funeral.
If the cat runs up a tree, immediately try to get it down or seek help quickly. The harness is a liability to a climbing cat desperately seeking a safe haven.
Do not yank on the leash; this may hurt the cat or make it angry and it will squirm to get out of the harness.
Keep an eye out for dogs. Dogs that are large or not under their owner's control could lunge for your kitty. When in doubt,
pick up your cat and turn your body slightly, hiding the cat from the dog's view. This makes it less likely for the dog to
attack and for your cat to bolt.
Some cats will never take to a harness - some merely fall on their sides and lie as if dead - they will "recover" if left
to themselves, but any pressure on the harness causes a relapse and the "walk" quickly turns into a "drag". These cats are
amusing as entertainment, but cannot be walked as such.
It doesn't get any fresher than this! Citrus trees are relatively easy to grow, provided that you have a warm enough climate. Even if your conditions are not ideal, there
may still be a citrus tree for you.
Choose a location for your tree. A warm, sunny, southern or western exposure is best. Shelter is a big help, too, if cold
is a concern. Choose or create someplace with well-drained soil, and avoid putting a citrus tree directly into a lawn. A nearby reflective wall, fence, or even patio can provide both shelter and a bit of extra warmth, too.
- Choose the type of citrus (oranges, lemons, grapefruit, etc.) you would like to try growing.
- Ask the nursery about the climate that the particular tree is suitable for.
-
If you live somewhere that's a bit colder than a strictly Mediterranean climate, look into cultivars bred for cold resistance.
-
Taste the fruit, if you have the opportunity. Not all oranges are alike. If you can taste fruit grown on a tree in your area, perhaps from a neighbor, even better.
- Find out if the fruit produced has many seeds, or not.
- Ask for certification of the health of the tree, or ask someone who's experienced with citrus trees to inspect it. See Warnings.
Choose a size of tree that is appropriate for your setting. Ask at the nursery or look up online how large the mature
tree will get.
A dwarf citrus garden: myer lemon, cara cara navel orange, mineola tangelo, and meiwa kumquat
Try dwarf citrus
trees if you are short on space. You can even grow them in large pots, and they open up the possibility of covering the entire
tree in a shelter during the delicate winter months or even bringing the tree indoors. Even though they are small, dwarf citrus
trees can produce a very reasonable harvest.
On the other end of the spectrum, a couple of large lemon trees can form a good-sized hedgerow. It all depends on just
how much citrus you want.
Dig a large hole. The saying goes that you should dig at least a $60 hole for a $20 tree. As a practical matter, make sure you know where you want to place the tree, then dig a hole that is about three feet (1
meter) in diameter and as deep as the container. Do not bury the root crown, the transition from trunk to roots, as this will
cause problems down the road. Plant the tree slightly higher than the surrounding soil to allow for some settling, most container
grown nursery stock has high organic matter content that will decompose causing the plant to settle in the planting hole dropping
the root crown below grade if not planted slightly high.
If you have any concerns about drainage, such as in heavy clay soil, fill the hole with water and see how long it takes
to drain out. If you have drainage problems (that is, if the water is not gone by the next morning), dig the hole even deeper
and plant the tree up higher.
For a dwarf citrus tree, select a large pot. Try for two feet in diameter or a half-barrel, at least.
Partially refill the hole with good, well-draining soil. Depending on the quality of what you took out of the hole, you
might try a half-and-half mixture of compost and the now-loosened soil. Create a mound of soil in the middle of the hole that
supports the root ball with the crown (the base of the tree trunk where the roots begin)slightly above it.
Mix in some citrus fertilizer with the soil, if you like.
If you are planting a dwarf citrus in a pot, use straight potting soil and fill it in to a similar level. Place the pot
up on blocks and be sure there are plenty of drainage holes in the bottom. Don't let the pot sit directly in a saucer or puddle
of water.
Remove the tree from its pot and remove any burlap around the roots. Place the tree on the mound of soil. Add or remove
soil underneath to adjust the height so that the crown is level with the soil or even slightly above it.
Fill in the remaining hole with a mixture of compost or potting soil and the soil from your garden.
If you are using a pot, fill with straight potting soil. Leave at least two inches at the top to allow space to water
thoroughly.
Mulch is more than an attractive backdrop.
Apply Mulch generously (3 to 4 inches deep)over your tree's entire root zone. It will keep the weeds down and the water in.
Stay away from organic mulch, as it increases the likelihood of foot rot disease.
A safe bet is that the roots are at least as wide as the branches, so make the mulch area at least this large. You can
even add a rim of mulch around the circumference of the circle to aid in watering.
Do not mulch right up to the base of the trunk. Leave a little margin so that the crown has breathing room and doesn't
stay wet when you water.
Water the tree at least weekly until it is established, unless you get sufficient rain to do the job. Water even
mature citrus trees regularly. Citrus trees have relatively shallow, broad root systems. Once established, the trees may tolerate
some drought, but they won't produce fruit that's as good.
Fertilize the tree with an appropriate fertilizer. Fertilizers are available in citrus or citrus-and-avocado formulations.
Apply them according to package instructions, typically three to four times a year for slow-release types.
Prune citrus trees occasionally. They don't require heavy or regular pruning.
Suckers growing out of the root stock.
Remove any "suckers", or shoots growing from the root stock. Citrus
trees are grafted, meaning that a tree with desirable fruit is cut and attached to a sturdier root stock. You don't want the
root stock taking over.
Remove any "wild" shoots growing beyond the general shape of the tree. These will often be long, straight, quick-growing
branches that don't follow the overall form or shape of the tree.
Moderately thin the foliage if it grows excessively dense, to promote air circulation and availability of light.
Generally, train citrus trees as shrubs or hedges. If you'd like to remove a few lower branches to give it more of a tree
shape, go ahead, but don't overdo it.
Ready to pick.
Harvest fruit when it is fully ripe. Oranges, lemons, and grapefruit should all be completely
free of green coloring. They will not ripen off the tree. Limes are generally picked green, so go by size and season. See
the external links for more details on limes.
Most citrus trees bloom fragrantly starting in early winter and developing through spring, then produce small, green fruits
that mature through the summer and fall, but there are some ever-bearing varieties, especially for lemons. They may not truly
produce the whole year, but their season will be longer, at least.
Kumquats.
Don't forget the less-common citrus fruits. Growing your own can be a great way to get some unusual
fruits. If you'd like, try growing kumquats, blood oranges, tangerines, mandarin oranges, or pomelos.
Certain more exotic types of citrus require more specialized care. Lemons, limes, grapefruit, and oranges have all been
cultivated into many varieties, so you will probably be able to find something suited to your conditions and needs. For the
various other sorts, it's worth reading up on the specific fruit of interest. Try a web search on your variety or cultivar.
Don't let this put you off growing these other fruits; do read up a bit before you plant them.
Don't hesitate to grow citrus trees because you think they will take a long time to produce fruit. It isn't necessarily
so. You may even find trees at the nursery with a few fruits already on them. If you don't get fruit the first year or two,
don't give up.
To give your new citrus trees a head start on life, you might want to remove that first year's fruit (i.e. "pinch" it
as it starts to form). It will let the plant put its first year of energy into establishing healthy roots and branches rather
than into growing fruit, and it will be more likely to produce fruit (a lot of it) in the following years.
Try some of the sweeter lemons, such as Meyer lemons.
Look up the "fruit salad tree" or, if you're really adventurous, make your own. It is possible to take a citrus tree and
graft on branches of various other citrus fruits. The resulting tree may be more delicate and less productive, but if you
really want to, you can get oranges, lemons, and limes from the same tree.
In citrus producing areas and other parts of the US, if there is an "epidemic" of any contagious diseases or pests, the
Dept. of Agriculture may come on a person's property, rip out the trees, and haul them away to be burned. That is why it's
important to ensure the health of a tree before buying it.
Full-sized lemon trees can make a lot of lemons. Think about what you will do with that many before you plant them.
Look out for thorns. Some citrus trees grow long, sharp thorns, and getting citrus juice in the cuts from these
thorns is absolutely painful. Look closely, and wear gloves or use a long-handled fruit picker.
Too much of a good thing, including fertilizer, is no longer a good thing. Fertilize according to package instructions
and don't overdo it. Excess fertilizer (either too much or too often) can lead a plant to grow too fast and weaken the plant
and leech into ground water or run off into the surrounding environment.
Don't plant your tree near septic tank lines, or the roots may eventually cause issues with clogging.
Use caution when handling the fruit as the citric acid can cause eye-irritation.
What would you do if a shooting happened in your own school or workplace? It is a scary thought, but it is something that could happen to anybody. Having some ideas about how to respond beforehand
could save your life.
Keep alert and always report suspicious incidents to the authorities. If a student or co-worker threatens to bring a knife or a gun, for example, report this to a teacher or supervisor. You might prevent a disaster by doing so. If there are students or coworkers who lawfully carry weapons or
tools, they will be able to explain this to your supervisor.
Know what the procedure is that is already in place. Many schools and workplaces have "lockdown" procedures. An example of this could be that the students hide in the corner of their classroom, out of sight of doors and windows, while the teacher locks the door and turns off the lights. If you are in the halls, you might be expected to run inside the nearest classroom. Whatever it is, know what it is, and if there is no procedure in place, talk to a teacher or boss about creating one right away.
Respond to the sound of gunshots according to your situation:
If you are in the same area as the shooter, find cover, fast. If the shooter opens fire, attempt to take cover
behind heavy furniture or any other heavy obstacle. If there is nothing close, simply drop to the floor and lie flat. This
will protect your vital organs and make you a smaller target to the shooter. Lying flat could also make the shooter mistake
you for dead. Remain quiet and still, but if the shooter is about to shoot you, do anything you can to stop them.
Try talking to the shooter if you know them, but use caution. You could possibly change their mind, but remember, if they have a gun in their hand, they may not be convinced by anything.
Attacking an armed assailant is unwise unless you have absolutely no other option. They have likely already decided to
shoot people, and threatening them will likely result in the deaths of you and even more around you. Leave attacking the gunman
to those equipped and trained to do so.
Do whatever you have to do to stay alive, even if it means attacking the shooter. To disarm an armed assailant, you'll
need to take his focus off his or her weapon and plan of attack. To do this, you might throw chairs, laptops, or fire extinguishers,
or set off the sprinkler system or fire alarm. Then, pick up a desk or some other shield and charge right at the shooter.
There's a chance you'll be killed in the process, but if two or three people rush at once, there's also a chance that somebody
will take the shooter down. Unarmed civilians who band together have a much better chance of surviving an attack.
If you're already within a step or two of the shooter, you might be able to grab his or her weapon. If the shooter is
facing you, quickly reach up and take hold of the barrel, and then aim it away from your body. The move should be as clean
and economical as possible. The gunman will reflexively pull the gun back away from you. Follow the movement, gripping the
gun and push your weight forward. Then, punch him in the face or the throat as hard as you can. Hit him on the nose, jab your
fingers into his eyes, or strike him with the heel of your open palm. Then use your free hand to grab the nonbusiness end
of the gun. With two hands on the gun, you can knee the attacker in the groin. A better idea might be to twist your hands
like they are revving a motorcycle engine. The weapon will pivot and break the gunman's finger inside the trigger guard.
If you see the shooter, running away should be your first plan, when possible. At 20 feet from the gunman, you're still
within a deadly range, but at 40 feet, you're a difficult shot. If he starts to shoot as you're making your escape, run in
a zigzag or another unpredictable pattern. This will decrease your chances of being hit. Seek an exit, or if you have to,
hide in a room, preferably with windows, so you have a way of escaping the room if you have to. Lock or barricade the door and
turn off the lights. If a door will not lock, barricade it with tables and chairs. You might want to do this anyway just in
case. If there is a phone in the room, Call the emergency services (911/999/112) as soon as the door is locked and blocked. If you don't have time, call and leave the phone off the hook. The police will automatically come to see if there is a problem.
If you hear gunshots and are in a room, lock the door or barricade it, turn off the lights, and hide quietly
in a place in the room that is out of sight of doors and windows. If there are others in the room, tell them to stay in the
room hiding and to remain quiet. You shouldn't leave the room since you don't know where the shooter is. Call the emergency services (911/999/112) if there
is a phone. Stay in the room until help arrives.
If you hear gunshots and you are in the halls, find the nearest way out of the building, or run to a room
that you can hide in. It would be better to leave the building, but if the nearest exit is not in sight, run into the nearest
room, preferably with windows, to hide.
If you hear gunshots and are in a bathroom, your best bet is to remain in the bathroom. The shooter could
be right outside after all and probably won't waste their time checking the bathrooms. Lock the bathroom door if you are able
to. If there is soap, put it on the floor near the door to make it slippery. It may seem silly, but there is a good chance
the shooter could slip and you could make your escape. Another thing you can do is go into a stall, lock it, and crouch on
the toilet seat to hide. Call the emergency services (911/999/112) if you have a cell phone on you, but stay as quiet as possible.
Call the emergency services as soon as it is safe to do so.
If you hear gunshots and are outside,
go in the opposite direction from where you heard the gunshots. Call the emergency services (911/999/112) as soon as you are
far enough away. Assist other people that are fleeing the building after you call.
Wait for help to arrive. Before you open the door to someone that says "police" or "paramedics" be aware that it could be the shooter trying to get you to open the door. Ask them questions and make sure that they are actually police or someone trying to help you.
Be as helpful as possible to the authorities. Tell them everything you know. Police officers are now getting new training in how to
deal with school shootings, so they don't have to wait for SWAT.
Remain calm. It will be very hard to remain calm, but you'll need your sanity to survive.
Do not hesitate. Every second counts.
Remember to help those around you if you can. If someone is shot, tend to them as quickly as you can.
Call emergency services (911/999/112) before calling friends and family unless you think they are in immediate danger.
Carry around something that you can use to defend yourself, such as pepper spray or a taser.
Have support for conflict resolution, character building, and psychological support in schools and workplaces. Troubled
individuals often have a history of social problems, and identifying and helping resolve these issues can prevent school and
workplace shootings.
Seek therapy afterward, if the event was deeply troubling for you.
When necessary and escaping through an upper-floor window, find a drain pipe or a ledge that can slow your descent or
let you slide down part of the way. You'll likely hurt your ankles when you land, so be prepared to break the fall with a
quick roll. Protect your body by rolling over one shoulder, diagonally across the back and onto the opposite hip. It is better
to escape with a couple broken bones than to be shot and killed. Use this as a last resort though. For example, if you are
on the 3rd floor with windows that do not open, and it is safe to jump, you may throw a computer through the window. Yes, they are expensive but cost does not matter when someone is coming after
you with a gun.
Attend a Critical Incident Stress Debriefing to discuss the incident with others that were involved. The state or federal
government has people who are trained and will travel to your location to assist you with the emotional as well as physical
recovery.
Don't take personal belongings or put yourself at risk to collect these items. Personal property can be replaced—humans
can't.
Always treat your fellow students and co-workers with with respect. You influence more people's lives in your everyday
life than you will ever know. Make the influence a positive one.
Don't let the fear of a shooting change your life. It is out of your control.Just live life to its fullest knowing what to do if a shooting ever did happen.
Remember that schools are some of the safest places to be. Children ages 12 to 18 are far more likely to be killed or
seriously assaulted outside school, said Delbert S. Elliott, director of the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence
at the University of Colorado.
If you are a teacher or principal, educate your students about this serious issue. But don't scare them to death! Remind them that the odds are minuscule (less than
the building catching fire!) but it is better to be safe than sorry.
Do not try to talk to or negotiate with someone shooting or making threats with a weapon, unless you have no choice. There
are people with specialized training for this. Your job is to get as far away as quickly as possible.
Emergency personnel are trained to survey a scene before entering it. Don't be shocked if the cavalry stays parked outside
and doesn't come running in before the threat is established. They're taught that they can't help anyone if they're dead.
It's true but an unpleasant reality if you're the one inside with a threatening person.
A unique variation of Greek saganaki, a cheese-based appetizer of fried cheese, this recipe combines the complex, rich flavors of Kasseri cheese (traditionally made with sheep's milk or goat's milk) with a cool, refreshing
cucumber sauce. Although the recipe for this appetizer may seem difficult to some, it is actually quite easy with these step-by-step
instructions. Your taste buds will thank you for indulging in this traditional treat with a gourmet twist.
Strain the cucumber juice through a small-screened sieve.
You will be using the pulp.
Sauce Preparation - Drink or discard Cucumber juice
Drink, save, or discard the leftover cucumber liquid.
Sauce Preparation - Finished Sauce
Mix the sour cream, cucumber pulp, garlic powder, and lemon juice together,
using more or less garlic powder and/or lemon juice to taste.
Cucumber Sauce In Dessert Dishes
Serve the sauce in individual dessert dishes.
Cheese Preparation
Cheese Preparation - Stella brand Kasseri Cheese
Take cheese out of packages and let sit until it reaches
room temperature. (If the cheese is too cold, then during the time it takes to cook, the outer part of the cheese will
melt but the inner part will still be too solid and not melty. And if kept in the oil longer to get the inside melty, then
the breading will burn).
Cheese Preparation - Beaten Eggs and Bread Crumbs on plates
Beat the eggs and pour onto a plate. Pour Italian
breadcrumbs onto another plate.
Dip all sides of the cheese into the egg mixture, then into breadcrumbs to bread the cheese.
Set cheese on another plate and let the breading on the cheese dry.
Repeat the breading process. They must be double
breaded so the cheese won’t melt through the breading during cooking.
Frying pan with vegetable oil and skillet on stove
Heat vegetable oil in a frying pan on slightly less than
medium setting. (Use enough vegetable oil to come half way up the sides of the cheese during cooking). Also heat up a skillet (such as one used for making tortillas, with shallow side walls).
Frying the cheese
Put cheese into the oil until golden brown.
Fried Kasseri Cheese
Turn the cheese over and cook until that side is also golden brown.
Dinner is served
Put cheese in the skillet and serve as is, along with the cucumber sauce and baguette bread.
Cheese and Sauce on Baguette bread
Use a fork to cut a piece of the cheese (while cheese is still in the
skillet), put the cheese from the fork onto a slice of bread, and put sauce on the bread also. Enjoy!
Serving the cheese in a hot skillet helps keep the cheese hot. You’ll need something on the table to set the skillet
on so that it doesn’t burn or scorch the table.
The cheese should be between 3/4" and 1" thick.
Don't be afraid to try this with other cheeses as well. Cheddar cheese and pepper jack cheese are also good when prepared
in this manner.
In the absence of a small-screened sieve, 2 or 3 paper towels folded can be used to separate the cucumber juice from the
pulp.
Substitute the sour cream with yogurt for a more authentic tsatsiki sauce.
For an extra touch, pour a small amount of brandy (1/4 cup will do) over the fried cheese. Light it on fire and then squeeze
a lemon over it. Don't forget to yell "OPA!"
You can also use flatbread for a more authentic dish.
...can't...stop...The definition of "addiction" is the state of being enslaved to something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming (such as narcotics), to such an extent that to discontinue the habit or practice can lead to severe trauma. In other words, you love something
so much that you have developed a habit of using it or playing it, to such an extent that not doing so leaves you feeling
cranky or nervous; and you are becoming rather inept in other areas of life.
World of Warcraft can be this addictive. Here's a way to break your WoW addiction.
Admit you have a problem. This may be hard, but accepting that Warcraft has taken over your life is the initial step into
overcoming your addiction.
Consider the following: Imagine the day that you first bought the game. If you knew everything you did now, would you still
have bought it? Now the follow up question: Imagine yourself in two years, still playing WoW, looking back on today when you
are making the decision to quit or keep playing. How do you feel about your decision to continue?
Find out what has caused your addiction. What makes World of Warcraft (WoW for short) so appealing to you? Is it the fact that it has different continents that you
will never go to? Is it the fighting? Is it your unique role as a tank or a mage? Is it the happiness of 'pwning nubz'? Whatever it is, try to minimize this happiness in WoW, and make it a pleasure that you could also get in every day life.
Take a martial arts class. Many gamers are very interested in the martial arts, but never study it. Take up some sort of martial art that is similar
to your character in WoW. For example, if you use a sword in the game, then take up fencing, Kendo, or SCA fighting.
Read. Novels have just as much excitement and adventure as WoW, but you can expand other skills -- such as critical thinking and vocabulary -- in addition to those that interactive storytelling and game play will build.
Play a different videogame. Sure, you might just find yourself in another addiction, but at least your not paying 15 bucks
every month.
Burn yourself out by finding the ways to cheat at World of Warcraft. Find a private server to play on, with ultra fast leveling/gold. Cheating through the entire game in an hour will get you
burnt out very, very quickly. Some of them give so much xp they level you up 10 levels for discovering the first major city,
and mobs start out dropping 5g each. (Though remember, playing on private servers is a violation of the Blizzard ToS, which
can get your account banned)
Make it a joint effort. Ideally, find other friends who are trying to break a WoW addiction, and follow these steps with them. Otherwise, explain to your friends and family what you're doing, and ask them to help you stay on track. When you can't trust yourself to keep away from WoW, you have
to trust someone else to stop you.
Set up parental controls for yourself. Make it so your play-time is limited, and use a complicated password that you are sure to quickly forget. Or, ask a friend or family member to set the parental controls with a password you don't know.
Schedule other activities with your free time, so you won't have time to play WoW. One of the most effective way is to
get a part time job and book every free time you have to work. Hang out with your friends, play basketball, engage in extra curricular activities at school (such as clubs or sport teams) or volunteer. The important thing is that they keep you outside of your home, away from your computer. You can find that there are many
things that are just as exciting as playing WoW. Remember, your "guild" online is no substitute for the company of real friends.
Sell your account. There are many players and lazy people out there, willing to pay for an existing account. This is a
great way to stop playing, because then someone else takes your character, and you won't be able to control it any longer.
This is a nice way to quit, because it gives you some bucks.
Sabotage your WoW future. Get on your character, destroy all of your items, and delete your character. Then go on the account
management page, remove your credit card info, and change your password to a random string of text. Change all of your personal
info, so it is impossible to retrieve your password. If you have your CD key that came with WoW when you purchased it, scratch
it out, and throw it away, making it impossible to retrieve your account. If you feel that it is necessary, uninstall the
game and snap the CD in half, too. Now, you officially can't play any longer, and if you ever somehow get back on your account, all of your in-game
progress is deleted. This is the hardest of the steps to do, but is the most effective.
Addictions to video games trigger brain activity similar to a drug addiction. So don't be surprised if breaking the addiction
seems difficult at first.
People play games because they seem to find reality is less interesting, in reality, there are many more constructive things
to do. Find ways to make reality more interesting, that will help.
Evaluate yourself to see if you are using your "WoW" addiction to escape problems in your life. If you have problems at
work, see about improving your education (to get a better job). If you have family problems, see about improving your relationship
with them.
You can also find support online. There are support groups on Yahoo and Google Groups, and the WoW forums can sate your
desire to see what you're "missing" as you quit.
Track the amount of time that you spend playing WoW. Associate a dollar value with that time, for example: 6 hrs/day *
7 days = 42 hours. 42 * $10 = $420.00 per week. You can see that your time IS money, as even the most trivial computer repair
or web page and graphics jobs can easily command $10/hr.
Get a stopwatch and measure how much time you spend waiting in the game (for guild members, flight paths, long walks, etc.)
and compare it to the overall time played. You may find that close to half, or even a majority of your time is spent doing
effectively nothing.
Calculate how much of your time you spend doing nothing each month against your monthly subscription fee, and see how much
money you're throwing away.
If you use a router, block the port WoW uses to connect. This disables your connectivity to the WoW servers. You can also
block this port with Windows Firewall or other firewall software, such as ZoneAlarm. You can find this port in Blizzard's
knowledge base for WoW
Remember that all of your accolades and achievements in WoW are virtual and do little for you in real life. While your
virtual life is blossoming, your personal life could be deteriorating. If so, that is reason enough to stop playing.
Your payments continue even after you smash everything. Don't forget to unsubscribe.
Your account may be banned if you get caught selling it. Which in itself is a solution too.
Your brain power is up to almost any task right now, and you're finding that people are much more willing to listen to
even the craziest ideas. Your good energy will help you push your plan through.
Your spouse or business partner makes a big decision without consulting you, but there's no reason to go ballistic. It's
a good time to talk to them about the meaning of partnership and how you want it to work.
Customers and coworkers could be trouble today, because they're unwilling to budge even an inch from their preconceptions.
You have to deal with them as they are, rather than how they ought to be.
Some simple task that you do almost every day becomes impossibly frustrating for reasons you can't identify. The best course
of action is to let it go for the time being, as long as that's an option.
You can feel the atmosphere shift just a bit -- more than enough to know the time is right to get busy! Whether you're
asking someone out or taking a step up the corporate ladder, your action will be rewarded.
You're at your best working as part of a team right now, and ought to be able to energize your coworkers even if you aren't
the titular leader. Show them how it's done, and keep up the cheerleading!
Listen to your emotions and let them dictate the day's activities (within reason, of course). You may have been keeping
yourself from telling a friend what they really need to hear, or asking out that one crush.
It's a great day to really throw yourself into work or some kind of volunteering. Your way with people, already highly
refined, is perfect for helping them figure out and meet their needs today.
Those hot ideas you are so well-known for are coming at a prodigious rate today. It's a good time to kick back and write
them down, or send them off to others for implementation. You can snap into action some other time.
Your powerful, positive energy is keeping that smile going, even if you're in the middle of a double-shift or dining with
the in-laws. Somehow, even paying bills can be fun on a day like today.
You may have reached an impasse with your romantic situation, but you haven't run out of friends with good advice. The
hard part is sorting the good stuff from the pointless fluff, but you can do it.
Try to be as clear as you can when speaking with coworkers or customers today, because most people's intuitions are wildly
off the mark right now. They could easily misread your intentions and run off from there.
A bizarre exchange with your spouse, child or some other family member leaves you each feeling a little hurt and confused.
Only later will you realize that you both misunderstood the other pretty deeply.
Don't let anyone trash your ideals -- you need to stand up for them, even if it feels awkward. In fact, the more awkward,
the more important they probably are, so stiffen that spine and speak up!
Want to create your own zoo? It might not seem easy to create a wide diversity of animals from clay, but by using this basic technique and then just modifying it to look like the animal of your choice, you can make clay shaping an approachable and enjoyable task.
Start with a clump of clay. Just about any sort of clay or dough will do, as long as it's decently firm. The more clay, the bigger your animal will be.
Roll a snake.
Roll a snake from the clay by rolling it back and forth under your hand.
Break off a piece for the head.
Break off a small piece of clay to form the head.
Roll the head into a ball.
Roll the head into a round ball; move your hand around in a circle to make this
ball.
Cut arms and legs.
Cut the snake at both ends with a popsicle stick, or something similar, into two pieces. These will form the arms and legs or the front and back legs of your animal.
Pose the arms and legs.
Pose the arms and legs any way you want. Is your animal sitting or standing, pouncing,
rolling over, or lying down?
Make and attach a head
Make the head. Create whatever ears and eyes, nose and mouth you want. Then, stick
the head on the shoulders.
A friend.
Make lots of different animals and even people this way, depending on what shapes you make. Use
your imagination, and have fun!
If you are making your animal out of ceramic clay to fire in a kiln, the body should not be too big. Make it about as big as your fist, no more, otherwise the animal could
explode in the kiln.
In ceramic clay, make sure to attach heads and tails securely. Make scratches in both surfaces with a pencil or anything
pointy. Get both sides a little wet and stick them together firmly.
If you want to build your animal another way, go ahead. Birds and bears may work better starting with a ball and then attaching wings, arms, and legs.
Very thin parts, like ears and tails, are fragile.
It might help to look at a picture of the animal you want to make and notice how it is shaped.
If you do something that makes a shape you don't like, you can always change it or start over.
Put an old plastic tablecloth or paper bag under your work to keep the table clean.
While you can easily buy home coffee roasters on the Internet, the price can put a strain on your wallet. In addition, using home roasters tends to be something of a mystery. But there's
another way of roasting coffee at home--use a cheap hot-air popcorn popper instead!
Find the right popcorn popper. The most important thing to look for in your popper is a unit that feeds
in hot air from vents in the side of the popping chamber, as opposed to a grate in the bottom - this would be a major fire
hazard. With this in mind, take a look around the marketplace and see what’s around.
Modify it for roasting coffee (optional).
The plastic lid that comes with the unit may be unsuitable for its new role - it might melt, so throw it away.
Extend the chamber to roast larger batches. Glue an extension made from a food tin to the top of the unit using epoxy
resin.
The modified roaster
Make a simple lid from a kitchen sieve and some meccano to collect the chaff.
Buy the beans. You need raw green coffee beans to roast. Luckily there are a lot of places you can get these from.
Search the Internet and shop around.
Ventilate your work area. While the wafting coffee aroma can be wonderful in small doses, if it fills the house
it’ll soon settle on furniture and carpets causing them to stink. Ideally, it can be done outside but a low ambient
temperature will affect the roasting time.
Roasting
Turn on the roaster for a few seconds to warm it up.
Weigh out the green beans. By weight, green beans to roasted beans should be weighed at a ratio of about 1.2:1.
A larger volume of green beans will result in a slightly longer roasting time. Just a few scoops might provide a very light,
open flavor and increasing the volume will offer more depth. See the Tips below for some guidelines.
Pour the beans in the roaster. Stick around - watch, listen and smell as the roast progresses. Watch as the sugars
slowly caramelize, the water evaporates and the oils begin to cook. After about 2:30 minutes of roasting, you’ll hear
the beans begin to crack. Then afterwards, at about 4-6 minutes is the second crack, when small shards will come off the beans,
creating a crater appearance on some of the beans.
Check the beans often after the first five minutes of roasting have passed. Remove the filter if you’ve fitted
on (it will be very hot!) and peer into the roaster. If you have a metal measuring scoop you can simply lower this in a take
a quick sample to judge the colour of the beans.
The finished product
Stop roasting once you've got beans of a colour you like. When you choose to
stop the roast is entirely up to you but a good place to start is just into the second crack. After 5 minutes you’ll
have a good medium brown roast, and after 6 1/2 minutes you’ll have a great, dark, shiny roast. Any longer than this
and the beans will start to burn. Just experiment with a few batches and you’ll soon discover what you like.
After Roasting
Cool the beans quickly as soon as they are finished so that they stop roasting. Put them into a sieve or a colander and
take them outside, then stir them around with a wooden spoon (getting the air flowing around them) or pass them from one colander
to another. After a minute or so they will have cooled to around room temperature. You can use a water spritzer to cool the
beans in the sieve or colander more rapidly. Do not spray water into the popcorn popper
Rest the beans for 1-2 days to let the excess C02 escape (called de-gassing). Put them into a tin with a loose fitting
lid and keep away from strong flavors.
It’s wise to invest in a timer so that you can keep track of the progress of the roast.
Your times will vary based on the popper you choose. In addition, a second batch may go faster than the first because
of the popper being warmed.
When roasting outside in cold weather, your roasting time will be affected.
If you have a garage or covered patio, roasting in a non-enclosed space is preferable. There can be a lot of smoke.
Have the vacuum cleaner handy for dealing with the chaff before it gets everywhere.
The vacuum cleaner may also be used, to cool off the beans rapidly so as to prevent overcooking, pour the beans (when
done to the degree of roast desired,) into a wire mesh sieve, and put the vacuum under the sieve to draw air over the beans
until they are cool.
If you do burn the beans in the house, take the whole thing outside, as it smells like poisoned gas! Carbonized beans
taste awful, so watch carefully.
Some sites have charts for varying degrees of done-ness. Each bean is different.
A suitable popper can sometimes be found at a thrift shop or Goodwill store for less than $5.
Your measurements may vary depending on the size and variety of bean you roast but shouldn’t be too far off from
these:
This is done entirely at your own risk. You are using a domestic appliance in a manner it was not designed for and will
void your warranty immediately. In addition you are dealing with high temperatures and combustible materials. Supervise the
process at all times, be careful when handling hot items and don’t blame anyone but yourself if you burn your house
down.
Don’t roast more than you can use in a few days. Coffee tastes best 2-7 days from roast.
A beautiful diaper wreath is a unique, easy to make gift that can serve as a decoration until it's used by the mom-to-be. It requires fewer diapers than a diaper cake and takes up less room because it can be hung on a wall or door.
Unfold the diapers, so they make a long rectangle. Don't unfold the wing parts, just unfold the main crease along the bottom.
Wrap the diaper around the wreath, so that the crease is towards the middle of the ring and the top of the diaper
sticks out away from the middle. Place a clear rubber band around the top of the diaper to secure it to the wreath. Don’t try to wrap it around multiple times, like you would for hair. Just once will do.
Add the rest of the diapers. There are two ways to do this:
Overlap each following diaper onto the previous diaper, to create a smooth, slightly swirled look for the end result. When you get to the final diaper, you will have to undo the
elastic from the top of the first one, so that you can slide the last diaper underneath the edge. Or...
Squish each diaper up against the side of the previous one, making a bunched appearance. While this looks a bit
less finished, it does have the bonus of not having to do anything special for the final diaper.
Continue adding diapers until the entire ring is covered. The overlap method is shown here.
Cut pieces of curling ribbon about 12 to 18 inches long.
Take one of each color that you are using, and hold them together as though they are one piece of ribbon, then tie them
around the top of a diaper, covering the hair elastics.
Attach the gifts. Cut a few 20 inch long pieces of ribbon for them. Tie the ribbon around a diaper, leaving two long equal-length
tails, and then tie those tails through or around your gift. For a bottle, you’ll want to tie right below the ring that
holds the nipple on. For a pacifier or toy keys, you’ll want to tie through the ring. Also, leave a bit of slack between
the diaper and any smaller gifts, so that they don’t disappear inside all the curls.
Curl the gift ribbons, and present a personal and handy gift to the mom-to-be!
Decorate in a clock like fashion, using opposite points on a clock to balance the baby items so that the wreath is easier
to hang.
Loop an extra ribbon securely through the wreath that can then be used to hang it.
Some great baby items to use would be pacifiers, baby bottles, trial lotions and shampoos, hair brushes and diaper cream. Make sure all of the gifts are fairly light, or the ribbon won’t hold them on.
Plan your color scheme before assembling the diaper wreath. Use complementary colors to create a beautiful look.
Balance boards are becoming a popular way to build core strength and balancing skills. By trying to stand on an unstable
surface, you exercise the parts of your body and your brain that control balance. If you want one but don't have $100 to spend, simply build your own!
Figure out what size board you want. This will depend mostly on how tall you are. The board should be long enough so that
you can have a wide, shoulder-width stance while riding it. It should also be wide enough so that your feet won't hang off
the sides. Around 33" by 14" is good.
Your supplies
Purchase a piece of 3/4" plywood big enough to cut down to the size you want the board to be with some extra. Also purchase some large diameter, (4" is good),
thick walled PVC or ABS pipe. It should be long enough to fit the width of your board, and strong enough that it does not
flex easily, since you will be putting your weight on it.
Cut the plywood to size, and the PVC, if needed.
Using the excess plywood, cut 2 pieces, each about 2 inches wide and 14 inches (width of board) long.
Closeup of stoppers
Secure these two pieces at either end of the board, on the same side of the board,
for stoppers. These will help the board not slip off the end of the pipe while riding.
Balance!
Lay the pipe on the floor and place the board on top of it. Put on a safety helmet, wrist guards,
elbow and knee pads. Step on the board carefully, (using a chair or someone's shoulder for support, at least the first few
times), and test your balance!
While at the hardware shop, try and pick up some rubber-like window sealing tape or hockey tape. Use this around the pipe
to give it some grip on smoother surfaces. This should help provide more traction.
Drill pilot holes before driving wood screws.
Wrap rubber or traction tape around the pipe in two spots, a few inches from the edges. Adding a strip around in the middle
won't hurt. Be sure all are equal thickness to keep the board level.
Be sure you get THICK pipe. PVC is generally stronger than ABS.
The PVC should roll underneath the board but not away from it because of the stoppers. Nevertheless, sudden, jerky movements
could result in the board becoming separated from the pipe, so be careful.
Always wear your safety gear, consisting of helmet, wrist guards, elbow and knee pads, while riding a balance board.
Only ride your homemade balance board in an open area. Make sure there is enough room to fall off of it safely.
The Four Kings trick is a good beginner's card trick and one that children can easily master. There are many variations, and nearly all of them involve keeping the four kings together while leading
your audience to believe that they were separated.
Separate all the kings (or jacks, if you prefer) and three extra cards of any other type.
Fan the cards so that the three spares hide behind the last one (king of spades).
Fan out the cards so that
the four kings show, with the three extra cards hidden behind the fourth king.
Explain that the kings are going to rob a bank. They will enter through the roof. (Another variation holds that the kings are such good friends that they won't let anything get between them. This variation may work better with the alternate method described below.)
Stack the cards all together and place them atop the deck.
At this point, stack the cards all together and place them face
down on the top (roof) of the deck. The three top cards are your spares, but your audience will believe they are the kings
that they were shown previously.
Place three cards on various "floors" of the building.
Take the first spare card off the top. Without showing
anyone the face of the card, say he's going to be on the first floor. Put it in the deck, somewhere near the bottom.
Send the second "king" to the second floor, putting the next card somewhere in the middle of the deck.
Send the third "king" to the vault at the bottom. Don't put any of the cards too close to the top of the deck, because
the real kings are on top.
The fourth card stays as a "lookout".
The fourth stays on top to be the lookout. Stand him up and show him
to the audience.
Tap the deck loudly to alert the other three cards.
Have the top king say that the police are coming, so
everybody needs to go to the top. He knocks on the roof. Tap or knock on the deck four times.
Magically produce four kings.
Make a show of taking the four cards off the top of the deck and showing them
to the audience. They should all be kings.
Display the four "rescued" kings alongside the deck and invite someone from the audience to search the remaining deck
for the spare kings that they will assume you inserted.
Alternate Method
Hide two random cards behind the second king when you fan them out. Put them on the top of the deck. They should be in
this order, from top to bottom: first king, random, random, second king, third king, fourth king.
Show the audience the top card (the first king), then send it to the bottom of the deck.
Send the next two cards, which aren't kings, to the middle of the deck without showing the audience (since you
showed them the first one, they're more likely to take your word for it that the next two are kings as well).
Show them the fourth card (the second king), which the audience will believe is the fourth and last king. In reality,
you still have three kings at the top of the deck, and one at the bottom.
Cut the deck, putting the bottom half on top and thus putting the first king back with the other three kings.
Fan out the deck and show the audience that the kings have stuck together through it all.
For best results, keep the audience distracted by carrying on a tale or story, known to magicians as "patter", which runs throughout the duration of the trick. The ruse will then be less noticeable to the audience. Practice
to develop your skill at talking and playing the cards all at once.
An alternate hold.
If you have trouble keeping the spare cards hidden in a traditional fan, try a vertical
arrangement.
Practice this trick before you perform it, so that you work out any difficulties before you go in front of an audience.
Don't tell anybody the secret of the trick or show off the hidden cards.
Don't do the same trick twice.
Answer any doubts from the audience with complete phrases. Don't gush and smirk when explaining that your trick only requires
faith from all that it was good.
Do you want to eat healthier and support local agriculture, but feel discouraged because the prices for locally-grown food products are just too high?
Do you ever wish that organic food was within a normal person’s budget? You might be amazed to know that your local farmers' market can not only provide
you with the finest, freshest, healthiest foods available, but that these seasonal delights can be yours at prices cheaper
than those at your local Wal-Mart! You may call it nuts, you may think this is bologna, but if you follow these simple steps,
you’ll go bananas at what deals “turnip.”
No matter where you live, you've probably got a farmers' market nearby. This one is in Brooklyn, New York.
Research and locate both your nearest farmers' market and other nearby markets. In order to get screaming
deals at the farmers' market, you first need to find it. Generally, farmers' markets run from early spring to late fall, but
depending on where you live, your local market may be open a shorter time period or may be open year-round. Some markets are
open daily during the season, while others are open only one or two days a week, most likely on weekends. If there are several
markets in your area, you should visit all of them to find the best selection and best deals.
Learn more about the farms and farmers that attend the markets. Although not true for every market, there is a general rule that those selling agricultural products
at the market are the very same people who grow or produce the items you are purchasing. Getting to know the producers / salespeople
is your first step in building a lasting relationship with them and enjoying the great deals that can come from such a relationship.
Come to the market with a flexible palate. Often it is the case that common items (e.g. carrots, potatoes, and onions) are more expensive at the market than at conventional grocery stores. However, seasonal and specialty products that are
outside of mainstream consumption (ethnic, heirloom, or rare vegetables, for example) can be purchased far below those prices demanded at the local supermarket. A flexible palate
will not only introduce you to foods you never knew existed; you’ll also enjoy big savings.
Come to the market prepared to flatter. If there’s one way to a farmer's heart, it's talking food, especially talking about the food he or she grew. For instance,
if you tell a vendor that you absolutely loved the way his or her heirloom Brandywine tomatoes complemented the basil you bought from him last week, there is a strong likelihood he or she will cut you a deal on your next purchase. The best
reward to working all week in the field is to hear about how much a customer enjoyed eating the products a farmer grew. Farmers,
like everyone else, appreciate compliments and knowing that their services make people happy.
Offer the farmers more than cash. Farmers are independent and sometimes unconventional. The nature of farming instills
in nearly all farmers a strong desire and tendency for bartering. A farmer, like anyone else, specializes in a certain trade
or skill. If you also have a skill or service that you can offer—website design, carpentry, tax preparation, etc.—a farmer may be willing to trade for your services. You may be able to get all your vegetables free during the summer in return for using your own skills to help your local farmer out.
Add value to bulk purchases. Because most all vendors at farmers' markets grow seasonal products, there
is often a large surplus of certain products at certain times. If you are willing to purchase large quantities of surplus
items in peak season, you can add value to your purchase by saving seasonal food--by canning, freezing, or drying it, for
example--for consumption out of season. For instance, the market price of raspberries is twice as much in winter as in summer.
If you require a smoothie every morning, you can simply purchase large quantities in summer, freeze them, and enjoy savings as part of a complete breakfast.
Make tomato gravy from those heirloom tomatoes, turn those beautiful onions into sweet onion marmalade, and dare to make pumpkin pie straight from the pumpkin.
Shop cooperatively with friends or family. You can save an incredible amount of money at the farmers' market if you buy
in bulk. Consider going in with other people and purchase “cases” of food. Then, once you are home from the market,
you can split up all the wonderful food just purchased at rock bottom prices!
Show up to the market on a regular basis, roughly 30 minutes prior to the close of market. Many of those
who sell products at farmers' markets operate small farms and do not have the capability to store food for extended periods
of time. After a long, hot summer day at the market, both the farmer and the produce are looking for a way to get home and
cool down.
Not sure what to do with an unusual fruit or vegetable? Chances are the farmer you buy from can give you some tips on how to prepare it. They might even have printed recipes available right at the stand.
Farmers are proud people, and they take pride in the products they grow. They would much rather see someone purchase and
consume their food than to see it go to waste. While feeding the chickens some fresh compost might produce some mighty fine eggs, a farmer would be much happier knowing that his or her food was consumed at the peak of its freshness.
If you do show up to the market right before closing time on a consistent basis, make sure that you are willfully entering
into a mutually beneficial relationship. If a farmer gives you a good deal before closing time, do him or her a favor by purchasing
a sizable amount of food. For instance, say, “I see that you have some food left over, and I want to help you out. What
can you give me for $20?” By initially offering a set amount of money and giving the farmer a choice in what to sell
you, the farmer will be inclined to give you both a good deal and the best of what his or her table has to offer.
Agricultural products are more expensive early or late in the season. Farmers work hard to come to market “first”
or “last” with a particular product. If everyone at a market has a particular product, the price will drop, but
if only one vendor has an item, he or she can set the price individually. To save big cash, buy products at the peak of their
season.
This may sound crazy, but you can often get great deals if you pay in quarters, especially at a Sunday market! Quarters are a hot commodity at farmers' markets because farmers commonly run out of them when giving change. If
you show up with rolls of quarters, you are likely to find a farmer that will give you a tomato or beans or something just for using your quarters.
If you shop at farmers' markets early in the day, consider surprising your favorite farmer with a nice cup of black coffee. He or she might surprise you in return with super savings!
Farmers' markets offer a lot more than just fruits and vegetables. You can usually also pick up cheese, meat, and value-added
(prepared food) products, as well. Many markets also have entertainment and crafts.
Many farmers' markets are sponsored by local organizations that need volunteers to help keep them running. Becoming a
volunteer at the market will help you get to know the vendors who sell at the market and they will get to know you. Volunteers
are often rewarded for their efforts with generous discounts and gifts from the vendors.
Don’t go overboard with the haggling. Farmers work incredibly long hours, and chances are if they are attending
a farmers' market, they produce relatively small quantities and possess modest resources. What a farmer wants most—and
what will ensure you the best bargains—is your willingness to enter into a mutually beneficial, long term relationship.
If it is a particularly hot day, make sure to check the quality of the produce before purchasing, especially if you come
to the market near closing time. Most farmers' markets are outdoor events; a long day in the sun can nearly destroy delicate
foods like lettuce.
Your car is a big investment. Checking the fluids regularly helps safeguard against breakdown, mechanical damage, and even possible
accidents. Learn to check your car's fluids yourself and do it often. Once you get the hang of it, it won't take long.
Your owner's manual tells you when fluids must be checked, but
this is just the minimum to keep your warranty in effect. Mark your calendar, or just check the fluids frequently.
Park the car on a flat, level surface and set the parking brake.
The interior hood latch.
Open the hood (read the link in order to do this safely).
The oil dipstick.
Check the motor oil. The oil should probably be checked after the car cools down for an hour or so, so that oil in the return galleries, cylinder head
valleys, etc. is drained down so you don't get a false reading. Locate the oil dipstick (use the owner's manual). Hook a finger
through the loop and pull the dipstick all the way out, releasing any clips that might be holding it in place. Use a paper towel or rag to wipe the dipstick clean so that you will have a clear reading. Insert the dipstick into its opening and push it
firmly all the way back, as far in as it will go. Pull it out all the way, this time reading the oil level. When you are done,
replace the dipstick in its opening.
These dimples indicate the high and low end of the range. The oil is on the low end of the normal range.
The
dipstick has markings on it indicating a range for acceptable oil level (usually notched, dimpled, or scribed). Double check
the markings you see against the owner's manual. If the oil level is too low, appropriate motor oil must be added before the
car can be driven. With a new car, take it to the dealer's service or parts department; have them show you how to add oil,
and buy the oil and funnel their mechanics use. With an older car, take it to an auto parts store; they will walk to your car, show you where to add
oil, and recommend what to buy. Since some engines consume more oil than others, adding oil can also become a frequent task.
Look at the color of your oil, too. Clean engine oil is a clear, golden color. Dirty engine oil is black or brown. If
yours is dark, have a look at your car's records to see when the oil was last changed. Darker engine oil can still run a car
just fine, so go by the schedule more than by the color.
You should also change engine oil according to both mileage and time. Consult your owner's manual for the proper intervals.
Even if you don't drive the recommended number of miles, plan to change your oil about once every six months. Just sitting
in the driveway, your car's oil can break down and become less effective. Change your oil more frequently than the recommended schedule if
your car gets severe use.
Repeated, pronounced loss of engine oil can indicate a leak in a gasket or that your car is consuming oil. Keep a watchful
eye in your driveway under where you park. Also look for signs of oil leaks on the outsides of the engine, and if you see
any oil or consistently consume oil, take your car to a mechanic and explain what you have seen.
If the oil looks milky or foamy, it may be contaminated with coolant, and should be checked by a mechanic. This condition
could indicate a blown head gasket or other serious problems.
Check the transmission fluid (if you have an automatic transmission, see Tips for manual). This is usually
done with the engine running and fully warmed up, either in Neutral or Park, depending on the make and model. It will be the
second of two dipsticks. As with the oil, locate it, pull it out (releasing any clips), wipe it off, push it all the way back
in to the bottom of its travel, then pull it out and read the level. Again, look for a level between the two marks on the
dipstick.
Reddish transmission fluid.
This transmission fluid is reddish because it's reasonably fresh. Transmission
fluid does not need to be changed as frequently as oil, but it does occasionally need to be changed. The interval may be as
much as 100,000 miles in newer cars; consult your manual to be sure. If yours looks brown, black, or burnt or its appearance
suggests that it didn't come out of a bottle lately, consider replacing it. Transmission fluid lubricates the transmission,
your car's gear system.
The brake fluid is yellowish. You can see it right through the plastic.
Check the brake fluid. Consult your
manual for the location, or look around for a plastic reservoir such as this one labeled brake fluid. If your reservoir looks
like this one, you can read the level of fluid right through the plastic. Wipe dirt off the outside, if you need to. It might
help also to jostle the car gently on its suspension with your hip, hands, or knee, so that the fluid level jiggles a bit.
If you still can't see it, take the cap off and look in.
Cars should not consume brake fluid. Low brake fluid can indicate either a leak in the brake line or worn brake surfaces.
If your brake fluid is low, have the car checked to find out why. A car with low brake fluid or leaking brake fluid could
fail to stop.
This power steering fluid reservoir has lines for the fluid level depending on whether the engine is hot or cold.
Check
the power steering fluid. This will generally also be a plastic reservoir. Read it through the walls, as you did with the
brake fluid, by opening the lid and pouring more of an appropriate power steering fluid in. There may be two pairs of lines,
one for a hot engine and one for a cold engine. Read the one that is appropriate to the current condition of your car.
The coolant reservoir.
Check the coolant. Be sure the engine has cooled down, otherwise scalding water could
spray out as you open the reservoir! The coolant will most likely be in a reservoir up front, near the radiator.
Cars are designed to operate with antifreeze as coolant, not water. Antifreeze is a mixture that has a lower freezing
point and generally, a higher boiling point than water. If you must replenish your coolant, go buy a bottle of the correct
stuff.
Read the label on antifreeze. Some formulations are intended to be mixed half and half with water; others should be poured
in at full strength. The antifreeze label will tell you which type you have.
This wiper fluid has a plastic "dipstick". You can see drops of wiper fluid in the rectangular holes in the plastic.
Check
the windshield washer fluid.
Wiper fluid won't affect the performance of your car, but this is what comes out when you use the sprayers to clean your
windshield while driving.
Washer fluid that's formulated to clean off bugs and other road grime is inexpensive, so it's worth getting the real thing,
though topping off with a little water will do in a pinch.
There is generally no harm in having washer fluid low. You will naturally use this up as you drive your car and clean
the windshield. Simply refill it before it gets completely empty.
Check your tire pressure. It's not one of the fluids under the hood, but it is essential to the efficiency and safety of your car. You should check
your tires even more often than your engine fluids. While you're there, check the tread on your tires.
Standard transmissions have lubricant which needs checking also, and this is done underneath the car.
Cars with manual transmissions also may have a clutch master cylinder reservoir which, like the brake master cylinder,
can leak down and need refilling.
For rear wheel drive cars, the differential housing should be checked, as well.
A cold engine is one that has not been driven for several hours. A hot or warm engine is one that has been driven recently.
If you find a fluid level low, check it again soon and frequently, and keep a watchful eye under your car and in your
driveway for leaks. If you find something leaking, have your car serviced.
This is a good time to check and update your maintenance records. When was the last time you changed your oil or took
the vehicle in for a tune-up? When is the next schedule maintenance? Have you rotated your tires lately?
Make notes in your maintenance log about anything you find, especially anything out of the ordinary. Also note fluid changes
and other maintenance activities.
It is also a good idea to frequently check your air filter. These come in a variety of shapes and sizes and are housed
in a variety of ways. It is not recommend to blow out the filter with an air compressor as this damages the filter. The amount
it costs to replace the filter will save you in gas milage.
Never pour automotive fluids on the ground, in storm drains, or down sinks. Collect them in a bottle and ask your local
auto parts store or mechanic shop about recycling them or disposing of them properly. Antifreeze is both attractive to pets,
and fatally poisonous.
Be sure when topping off any fluid in your car that you use the proper type of fluid, or it can cause damage to the vehicle.
If your car requires Mercon V type transmission fluid and you put regular Mercon/Dexron "3" fluid in, you could damage your
transmission.
Avoid getting fluids on your car's paint; some fluids may damage the finish. If any should spill, clean off the residue
thoroughly and promptly.
Brake fluid must be kept perfectly clean and free of moisture. It's extremely important to wipe off all surfaces completely
before opening the brake fluid tank in your car. The slightest contamination could keep your brakes from operating. Also,
do not use brake fluid which has been open for more than a month or two. An unsealed container of brake fluid takes on moisture
from the atmosphere. Too much moisture in your braking system can cause it to fail. If there is any doubt of its age, use
a new, (factory) sealed container of brake fluid.
Many of us love cookies. But if there's anything we love more, it's the raw dough we make before cooking it. Here are some basic instructions for making cookie dough you can eat straight from the bowl, if you're looking for all the flavor without the risks of eating raw eggs.
Pasteurized eggs are readily available in many supermarkets, so if you are worried about eating raw eggs but would like
to eat real cookie dough, use them in place of raw eggs and eat as much as you like!
Remember that this dough is for eating, not necessarily for baking. If you try baking them, you might want to add a raising
agent unless you like flat, crispy cookies.
Immediate consumption is usually advisable. If you leave the dough wrapped in film in your fridge or just leave it out
in a bowl, in a matter of hours, the dough will start leaking grease from whatever you've used with the sugar. This can be
particularly disgusting if you've wrapped it up and have to pull it out of a bag full of yellow grease!
Do not add any unpasteurized eggs because consuming raw eggs might result in salmonella infection.
Using a low fat spread such as sunflower spread is a way to make non-dairy cookies. Note, however, that any nut or seed
spread will result in a denser dough, and you should take this into account when preparing. Remember also, that nut and seed
butter substitutes will still result in a rich cookie, so don't use this substitution as an excuse for over-indulging, for
the calories remain just as high, and there may be an even greater risk (compared to butter) of coronary heart disease due
to trans fats.
While the main concern with eating raw cookie dough may be the raw eggs, it's also worth noting that eating raw refined
flour may as well irritate digestive processes or aggravate allergies. Again, don't overindulge.
Dust storms are among nature's most violent and unpredictable phenomena. High winds lift dirt particles or, in the case of sandstorms, sand, into the
air, unleashing a turbulent, suffocating cloud of particulates and reducing visibility to almost nothing in a matter of seconds.
Nearly all dust storms are capable of causing property damage, injuries, and deaths, and while they are most commonly associated
with the Sahara and Gobi desert regions, they can occur in any arid or semi-arid climate. No matter where you live, it's a good idea to know what to do if
you see a wall of sand racing toward you.
Heed dust storm warnings. Dust storms are most likely
to occur on hot summer days under certain atmospheric conditions, so meteorologists can frequently predict the possibility of these storms. Tune
in to local TV or radio broadcasts before traveling in hot, dry conditions, and consider rerouting or delaying your trip if dust storms are predicted.
Roadside signs may also be available to warn you of dust storm danger.
Be prepared. If you are in a storm-prone area, carry a mask designed to filter out small particulates, and bring
airtight goggles to protect your eyes. It's also wise to carry a supply of water in case you get stuck in a storm. Dust storms are usually accompanied by high temperatures, and you can quickly become dehydrated
in the dry heat and high winds. Wear or carry clothing that covers your body to protect you from the sandblasting, and also
to keep you warm in case of the frigid winds of a winter dust storm, which can quickly lead to hypothermia.
Outrun the storm. If you see a dust storm from some distance, and you are in a vehicle or have access to one, you may be able to outrun it or detour around it. Some dust storms can travel at more than 75 miles
per hour, but they frequently travel much slower. Trying to outrun a storm, however, is not advisable if you have to put yourself
at risk by traveling at high speeds. If the storm is catching up with you, it's best to stop and prepare for it. Once consumed
by the storm, your visibility can potentially be reduced to zero in a matter of seconds.
Visibility cut in seconds
Pull over. If you're in transit and visibility drops to less than 300 feet,
pull off the road (exit the freeway if possible), set your parking brake, turn off your headlights, and make sure brake lights
and turn signals are also off. In many cases, if your exterior lights are on, other drivers will use the taillights of the
person in front of them as a guide to help navigate the road ahead of them. If you are pulled off the road and are sitting
there with your lights on, believe it or not, someone might think they can follow you and run right off the road or even collide
with you! Turning your headlights off while stationed off of the road, will reduce the possibility of a rear-end collision.
If you are unable to safely pull off the road, keep your headlights on, turn on your hazard lights, slow down, and proceed
with caution, sounding your horn periodically. Use the highway's center line to guide you if you can't see in front of you.
Pull over at the nearest safe spot.
Take cover and stay put. Do not attempt to move about in a blinding storm, as you will not be able to see potential
hazards in your path.
If you're in a house or sturdy structure, stay inside. If you can quickly reach such shelter before a dust storm reaches
you, get there as quickly as possible. Close all windows and doors, and wait out the storm.
If you're in a vehicle, roll up the windows and turn off vents that bring outside air in.
If you are stuck outside, seek out a large rock or other landform to protect you at least partially.
Get to high ground, since the densest concentration of sand is bouncing close to the ground, but only if (1) you can find
a safe, solid, high point, (2) the storm is not accompanied by lightning and (3) there is no danger of being struck by heavier flying debris.
Do not lie in a ditch, as flash-flooding may occur even if no rain is falling where you are. In the actual dust cloud,
rain generally dries up before it reaches the ground, but it may be raining nearby, and ditches, arroyos, and other low-lying
areas can quickly flood.
If you have a camel, have it sit down and press yourself against its leeward side. Camels are well-adapted to surviving in dust storms.
If you're in sand dunes, do not seek shelter right on the leeward side of the dune. The high winds can pick up huge amounts
of sand very quickly, and you could find yourself being buried in sand.
Wear a mask. If you have a respirator or mask designed to filter out small particulates, put it on immediately.
If you don't have a mask, wrap a bandanna or some other piece of cloth around your nose and mouth. Moisten it a bit if you
have enough water. Apply a small amount of petroleum jelly to the inside of your nostrils to prevent drying of your mucous
membranes.
Protect your eyes.Eyeglasses offer minimal protection from blowing dust or sand, but airtight goggles are better. If you don't have goggles, wrap a piece of cloth tightly around your head to protect your eyes and ears.
Shield yourself from flying objects. Cover as much of your body as possible to protect yourself from flying sand.
In addition, while wind-propelled sand can hurt, a dust storm's high winds can also carry heavier (and hence more dangerous)
objects. If you find yourself without shelter, try to stay low to the ground and protect your head with your arms, a backpack, or a pillow.
Dust storms vary widely in both size and duration: most are quite small and last only a few minutes, while the largest
can extend hundreds of miles, tower more than a mile into the sky, and last for many days. Ideal dust storm conditions are
also ideal for thunderstorms, and lightning often accompanies a dust storm. Read the related wikiHow for details on how to protect yourself during a thunderstorm.
Stay with the group. If you are traveling in a group, do not venture off during a dust storm. You can quickly become hopelessly
lost. Members of the group should stay together and hold hands or lock arms. If it is absolutely necessary for someone to
leave the group--as may be the case in military operations, for example--that person should be secured with a rope (the other
end of which should be secured to someone who stays with the group), so that he or she can safely return.
In desert climates, vehicles often create their own mini-sandstorms. This poses a problem for convoys of vehicles, as
the constant clouds of dust wreak havoc on moving parts, and impaired visibility can lead to accidents. It can also contribute
to respiratory problems for people traveling in these convoys, so bring along a mask and eye protection if you will be traveling
across the desert in an open vehicle.
If possible, avoid wearing contact lenses in areas prone to dust storms. Even small amounts of airborne dust can cause
eye irritation and vision problems for wearers of contact lenses, and dry, hot conditions alone can cause discomfort. Bring
your eyeglasses when working or traveling in a desert.
Do not enter a dust storm. If you can avoid getting caught in a storm, do not tempt fate.
If at all possible, avoid operating low-flying aircraft during a dust storm or if the conditions for dust storm formation
are present. Operating low-flying aircraft, such as helicopters, in a dust storm is extremely dangerous. Visibility can go
from several miles to 0 in a matter of seconds, and you will need to rely on your instruments for "sight." In addition, sand
can be ingested into the engine and cause potentially catastrophic mechanical malfunctions. Aircraft, like other vehicles,
can also create their own mini-sandstorms and care should be taken by the on-the-ground flight to protect themselves during
takeoff and landing. Additionally, in desert environments aircraft should not be moved on the ground under their own power
any more than is absolutely necessary, as dust will enter the engine before flight even begins.
Dust storms can be particularly dangerous to those with impaired respiratory function or weakened immune systems. Inhalation
of even small amounts of dust can cause potentially lethal complications for people who already have difficulty breathing.
Folding egg whites into a cake batter for an angel food cake (shown here), a souffle or extra fluffy waffles takes a little practice. The egg whites are incorporated for making a fluffier, lighter batter, and so, care must be used to keep from over mixing the fluffy character of the egg whites away.
Select very fresh, and very cold eggs. Choose large or extra large eggs to make separating them easier. The best results are obtained with very fresh eggs, since
the protein "strings" that cause the stiffening of the whites break down over time.
Separate the eggs, being careful not to get any yolk or shell pieces mixed in with them. You can either carefully break the egg shell in half, and hold it over a bowl to allow
the egg white to pour out slowly while the yolk remains in the shell, or place the entire egg into a shallow bowl and pour
off the white without breaking the yolk. Either method requires practice.
Allow the egg whites to warm to room temperature. You can save the yolks for another recipe, such as homemade mayonnaise.
Place the egg white(s) in a straight sided mixing bowl with a rounder bottom, and mix at medium high or high
speed with an electric mixer.
Keep the mixer moving around the inside perimeter of the bowl so all the contents are mixed equally and thoroughly.
Beat the whites until they are uniformly white and stiff and form soft peaks. This is a critical step.
Some cookbooks recommend adding a small amount, usually less than 1/4 teaspoon, of Cream of Tartar to help with the beating.
Put about a third of the whipped egg white into the batter, and mix it in to 'temper' the batter, which will make it easier
to mix in the rest of the egg white.
Hold the bowl over the mixing bowl containing your batter, and tilt it so that the egg whites slide out into the batter.
Using a large spatula, cut a path down the middle of the mixture with the edge of the spatula. Then gently turn half the mixture
over onto the other half. Continue cutting down the middle and turning a portion over. Don't stir. The purpose of folding
is to retain the air you have beaten into the whites. Be careful to only work the batter enough to incorporate the whites,
and never use an electric mixer for this step.
Make sure all other ingredients are thoroughly mixed according to the recipe you are using before adding the egg whites.
Do not add the egg whites until you are ready to begin cooking your project. Sometimes batters may require refrigeration
prior to the actual cooking, but folded egg whites tend to "settle" rather quickly, losing the benefit of having added them
to begin with.
This will work even better if you use a large metal spoon or a palette knife to "cut" the egg whites into the mixture.
Eggs at room temperature whip better than eggs straight out of the fridge.
Do not contaminate the egg whites with anything prior to beating them - make sure your bowls, spoons and whipping implements
are very clean before starting.
Always fold the lighter ingredient (egg white) into the heavier ingredient (batter).
Planting lettuce from seed is something that can be both fun and a good excuse for you to get outside the house and enjoy
the outdoors for a little while. While you will save time, money and gas by not having to drive to grocery store to purchase lettuce, you will reap the ultimate benefit of fresh lettuce and the joy of consuming something that you have grown yourself.
Pull a piece of strong string and tie it down with stakes at both ends to ensure a straight row.
Set a plank of wood next to your line, (this is optional, but creates a surface you can step on without compacting
the soil; see "Tips" below). Using a hoe, cane or other handy tool, dig a narrow trench about 1 centimeter (0.4") deep. If
you are planting more than one row, leave a 30 centimeter (1 foot) gap between each one.
Plant the seeds. Drop the seeds into the rows. Check your package to calculate how far away each plant
should sit from its neighbor.
Cover the seeds. Using a hoe, gently cover the seeds with soil. Use the metal head of a rake or a hoe
to lightly firm the soil by tamping above the planted seeds.
Water the seeds. If the soil is dry when you are planting the seeds, immediately water the seeds after
planting. You should keep the soil moist, as moisture and heat are essential for germination.
Protect your plants. Cover the lettuce to protect your plants from cold winds and frost. Use a frame (such
as metal hoops) to support a cloth, then pull the cloth tightly over the frames and pin it down with fabric staples or sand
bags. Remove the cloth when the seeds germinate and the plants are visible through the soil.
Lettuce likes to grow in cool weather and so will generally produce better if planted early. Lettuce can be planted as
soon as the ground can be worked and any time after that until concern for fall frost becomes an issue. A lettuce that matures
in 60 days can be planted 60 days before the first killing frost of the fall is anticipated. When it gets too hot, lettuce
tends to "bolt", channelling all of its energy into producing new seeds, and turning the flavor bitter. If you're planting
in a particularly warm area, look for heat-resistant varieties, such as Jericho lettuce.
Always step around the planting area, especially if you have a raised bed. Lettuce needs loose, aerated soil. Stepping
on the planting area will compact the soil and make germination and growth less likely.
You may wish to also label where you planted the lettuce, marking when it was planted as well.
To enjoy a continuous supply of lettuce, plant a new set of rows each week.
If you are planting over a hundred linear feet of lettuce at once, this method can be inefficient and hard on
the back. On a larger scale, it may be worth investing in a commercial seeder that can accomplish all of these steps with
less time and physical strain.
For an interesting variation, mix several types and colors of lettuce seeds in a single package and sow in a continuous
row. This will result in a homemade 'mesculin style' mix that can be cut as early as 4 weeks after planting for a tender and
beautiful salad.
Don't fall behind on weeding, or else you may get some unexpected greens in your salad.
Always wash lettuce before eating it, especially if any chemical insecticides or fertilizers were used. It is better to
avoid use of such products and instead to use diligence in weeding and removing insects by hand, and to use compost and manure
as fertilizers. The soil will benefit from it, as will your health.
Many women do not change their names when they marry, but that doesn't mean that people's preconceptions have caught up. How do you tell the world that you're keeping your name just the way it is?
Recognize that keeping the name you were born with goes against many years of tradition in certain countries. This doesn't mean that you should change your mind. It is still your decision.
But remember too, that traditions are not set in stone. In some countries like Italy,it is traditional for women to keep
their family name,and even when a woman decides to use her husband's surname she can't relinquish her own and will continue
to use it in official documents,id cards,passports etc. for the rest of her life.
Still, you need to understand the basic points-of-view before you proceed. Be open and confident about your decision to
keep your name. You are certainly not alone in your decision. Women choose to keep their birth names for a variety of reasons.
For example, women with established careers and women who marry when they're older are less likely to change their names because they've already established a reputation with their maiden name and may feel
that changing it would challenge the recognition they've already accomplished. (E.g. - When providing references for work
done in the past, a woman who has changed her name would have to ask a potential employer to use her maiden name when calling
her references, as her old employers or professors will not recognize her by her new last name. This creates an inconvenience
that for some women, does not outweigh the benefits of changing their name.) One's name is part of one's identity, and many
women choose to keep their identities independent from their marital status. The traditional concept of marriage includes
a more linked identity to one's spouse. Your name is your own, part of your identity and heritage, and you have every right to keep it if you wish. A clear and firm understanding of your beliefs will help you to be confident and, if necessary, defend your choice as you announce your decision to others.
Consider your options. You can take your husband's name legally but keep your maiden name for use professionally and socially
(not including family events). Whether or not you change your name legally, you can still go by your married name among family.
Unless they're checking ID at the family BBQ, they will probably never know the difference. But just in case, let your family
know that you are maintaining your maiden name at work for privacy purposes and if they ever hear you addressed with your
maiden name with regards to you they should just play along. You can also take your husband's name as a middle name, or keep
your maiden name as a middle name.
Discuss your plan with your husband-to-be and make sure you have his support before announcing your decision to the world. If you share the same values about what defines your relationship, he can respect your decision and see it
as something which makes you a stronger person, which in turn lends strength and solidity to your marriage. Also, discuss
the possibility of children at this stage, as you and your new husband or husband-to-be will also need to decide what surname you will give to your children
(people will probably ask). If this is something that you do not yet agree on, it should be addressed before the decision
is announced. It is imperative to be on the same page before the two of you enter into a life together.
Inform his parents, and yours. You may find that they are supportive of your decision. If they are more traditional, you
may encounter some resistance. Just keep in mind that you need not justify your decision to anyone. Hopefully, they will soon
respect your plans to keep your full identity.
Ask your officiant not to introduce you as "Mr. and Mrs. John Smith" during the ceremony. Instead, ask that both your names be announced. You may even want to ask your officiant (or even your DJ) to announce to everybody that both you and your husband will continue to be known by your own names. This is an excellent
way to spread the word quickly so that people will know how to address you.
Make certain that your names appear correctly on the marriage certificate and any other paper with legal ramifications
(such as the deed to a home you buy jointly). As far as the official paperwork goes, it always takes less effort to keep a
name than to change one. Make sure that any errors get corrected before you sign any document.
Put it in print. For wedding thank-you notes, print or have printed return address labels or envelopes which list the names of both you and your husband. Sign the cards with both names.
Consider printing and enclosing some business cards with both of your names and your address and phone number, especially if you have moved recently, or are about to move. Enclose
them with thank-you notes or, if you feel it is appropriate, invitations or announcements. Many people will take this as an opportunity to update their
address books. Seeing your name unchanged in print will help them to know how to address you.
Be clear and be gracious, but also prepare to be firm if people question the validity of your decision or your relationship.
Don't make your friends and relatives guess whether or not you've changed your name.
Accept mistakes, especially at first and from strangers. Forgive these errors and correct them gently, knowing that most were honest mistakes based on years of social customs.
When discussing your decision state that you have both decided to keep your birth names (as opposed to using the
term "maiden name"). Even with more traditional people, the terminology change seems to make the concept easier to handle.
When you choose not to change your name you save yourself some bureaucracy and paperwork. You will not have to change your driver's license, your passport, your credit cards and any work or school identification
cards. It is unnecessary to call, write, or visit your financial institutions and tell them you are marrying; however, if you wish to add your husband to a bank
account, or designate him as a beneficiary on an account or an insurance policy, you may do so at any time.
Don't forget to update or create a will or trust when you get married, along with the other documents which create a full estate plan. Your family will need these when you die. The good news however, is that since you are not
altering your name, you will not have to amend the names on any estate or trust documents you may have already created.
When a mistake is made on a legal document (car title, deed, etc.) do not sign until the mistake is corrected. This goes
for any substantive mistake, not just your name.
Decide what you are going to do if/when you have children before you get married. This may cause unnecessary friction
if your husband is planning on his son to carry on his family name.
If your children do not have the same last name as you, be prepared for some people to question your relationship to them.
When travelling to foreign countries, it is a good idea to take a copy of your child's birth certificate in addition to passports,
because the passports will not show your relationship to the child. This can cause some difficulties.
If your family name is rare most people will understand your desire to keep it. The same is true if your husband's name
is odd or unflattering with your first name. John Doe is a lot better sounding than John John.
Make sure you inform the IT or computer people if you work for a firm with such support. They will often change your email,
computer, phone, etc. while you are getting married so it is correct when you return. (Most people are quick to demand those
changes are made once it is official and many IT staffers try to do it before it becomes an issue.)
Don't take it personally when people assume you changed your last name, especially with strangers and acquaintances. Don't
react to other people's reactions. Be gracious about it.
Have a notarized copy of your marriage certificate on hand for any agency that needs to see you are married and questions
the two last names. This would not be an unusual request for insurance companies needing to verify that you are a spouse or
medical offices needing to verify relationship.
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain meets with patients, staff, and family members at the Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C.
Should you happen to encounter a member of the British royal family or other nobility--a king, queen, prince, duke--and you'd like to formally acknowledge their status, how should you speak to them? What do you call them? How do you introduce them to someone else?
Acknowledge royalty with a bow from the neck (not the waist) if you're a man and a small curtsy (placing your right foot behind your left heel and bending your knees slightly) if you're a woman. The
bow or curtsy is not expected if you are not a citizen of the U.K. or the Commonwealth, and even if you are, this traditional
gesture is no longer required or expected. In either case, however, it is an acceptable courtesy.
Only shake the queen's hand if she offers it to you first. If you are wearing gloves, do not remove them.
Do not begin a conversation with the queen. Instead, wait until she starts speaking to you.
Finish your first reply using a formal address. For example, if a prince asks you, "How are you enjoying the United Kingdom?" you would respond, "It's wonderful, Your Royal Highness." Each title carries a different formal address:
Queens and kings are addressed as "Your Majesty." Introduce them as "Her Majesty the Queen" (not "Queen
of England", as she is the "Queen of the United Kingdom" and a long array of additional titles).
Princes and princesses are referred to "Your Royal Highness." Introduce them as "His Royal Highness the Prince
of Wales." Any child or male line grandchild of a monarch is considered a prince or princess. The spouse of a prince is also a princess, although she is not always "Princess" HerFirstName. The spouse of a princess is not always a prince. Great-grandchildren in the male line of the monarch are not considered princes or princesses. Use
the courtesy titles lord or lady for these personages, addressing them as, for example, "Lady Jane" and introducing them as
"Lady Jane Windsor" (unless they have a different title of their own).
Dukes and Duchesses are called "Your Grace" or "Duke/Duchess." Introduce the duke to someone else as "His Grace
the Duke of Norfolk," the duchess as "Her Grace the Duchess of Norfolk".
Baronets and knights, if male, are addressed as "Sir Ralph" (if his name is Ralph Sweet) and his wife is "Lady
Sweet". You would introduce him using his full name, "Sir Ralph Sweet," and his wife as "Lady Sweet."
Dames (the equivalent of knighthood for women - there is no female equivalent of baronetcy) are "Dame Gertrude"
in conversation, and you would introduce her as "Dame Gertrude Mellon."
Other forms of nobility (including Marquess/Marchioness, Earl/Countess, Viscount/Viscountess, Baron/Baroness) are
generally addressed as, "Lord or Lady Towlebridge" (for the Earl of Towlebridge), and introduced with their appropriate title,
such as "Viscount Sweet" or "Baroness Rivendell" .
U.S. Navy captain conversing with Her Royal Highness, The Princess Anne
Use "Sir" or "Ma'am" thereafter.
If the noble uses a casual style of conversation, drop the "Sir" or "Ma'am." Don't make them have to ask.
You wouldn't normally give a peer's exact rank during an introduction. A peer's wife is introduced as "Lady Towlebridge"
(not "Lady Honoria Towlebridge," which would imply that she has some other rank of her own birth family).
Particularly in the higher ranks, it is often the case that the person's surname is different from their title. Do not
use Title Surname in these cases (although a son or daughter of a peer may have a courtesy title of Lord/Lady Surname).
The person's own expressed preference about how they would like to be addressed overrides the general rules.
The order of precedence in British royalty and aristocracy is as follows, from highest to lowest:
King/Queen
Prince/Princess
Duke/Duchess
Marquess/Marchioness
Earl/Countess
Viscount/Viscountess
Baron/Baroness
Baronet
Knight/Dame
More comprehensive lists can be found by searching for "forms of address" in a web search engine.
If you are caught unprepared, it's probably better to admit ignorance rather than "winging it."
Also, if you have to ask, it's best first to ask a friend of lower rank or a protocol officer.
The act of showing special deference to any monarch or hereditary title-holder springs from a hierarchical class system
and, in a very small way, helps perpetuate this system. If you feel strongly against this system, you may wish to avoid giving
such persons the "royal treatment." On the other hand, however, it's a good idea to treat anyone with politeness and respect.
Also, many British peers hold their titles by virtue of personal achievement; they may have no direct connection to the hereditary
aristocracy.
This article deals specifically with meeting British peers and royalty. Other parts of the world have different systems
of aristocracy, and while the British royal family's official website notes that when meeting a member of the royal family,
"There are no obligatory codes of behaviour - simply courtesy," this is not the case for all aristocracies. Failure to observe
specific codes of behavior in some countries may result in harsh punishment.
RELEASE: 07-174
NASA Requests Proposals for Ares I Mobile Launcher Construction
WASHINGTON - NASA has issued a request for proposals for Ares I mobile launcher construction.
Ares I is the rocket that will transport the Orion crew exploration vehicle and its crew and cargo to low Earth orbit. The
mobile launcher proposals are due to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Sept. 6, 2007.
The request for proposals
states the procurement approach for obtaining the mobile launcher system. The mobile launcher will be used as a platform to
assemble, test and service Ares I in existing facilities, transport the rocket to the pad, and support launches.
The
selected contractor will supply all labor, materials and equipment to build the mobile launcher structure and its associated
facility systems. These systems include utilities, fire safety, communications, lighting, elevators and life support. The
request for proposal includes an option for an additional Ares I mobile launcher.
The contract to build the Ares I
mobile launcher will be awarded through a full and open competition and managed by Kennedy. A selection is expected in February
2008.
Eat Prickly Pear Cactus
Prickly pear cactus has been a staple of the Mexican and Central American diet for thousands of years. In parts of the
U.S. it has been gaining popularity as an exotic, gourmet and healthy addition to one's diet. The prickly pear plant has two different edible sections: the pad of the cactus (nopal), which can be treated like
a vegetable, and the pear (tuna), which can be treated like a fruit. They grow wild throughout the American southwest, down to South America and up to Canada. The ones you may find at a local store or farmers market will surely originate from a commercial nopal farm.
Buy or forage some prickly pear pads. See Warnings. There's a reason it's called the prickly pear cactus.
Find pads that are bright, green and firm.
Small, young pads harvested in early spring are thought to be the most succulent, delicate in flavor, and have the fewest
spines. The thicker a pad, the older it is; these tend to be stringier and their sap will be thicker, which some people find
unpleasant (leave those for other species who use them as survival food during lean foraging seasons). The tender pads are
sometimes sold as "baby nopales".
If you're harvesting them yourself, wear extremely heavy gloves or use tongs. Snap the pads off of the plant or cut at
the stem. Cutting at the stem will reduce stress on the pad, and will allow the cactus to recover more quickly than it would
if you snapped or tore the pad away. This will help keep your cactus plant healthy for future harvests.
Remove the spines from the pad by use of a vegetable peeler or a paring knife. Don't take off the gloves until the pads are completely rinsed and the peeled remnants are cleared. The pads not only have
large spines, but there are also tiny, invisible and far more irritating spines called glochids that are extremely
difficult to remove from the skin. The spines and glochids can also be removed from the prickly pear pads by burning them
off with a small torch or by placing the pad on a gas burner and turning it with tongs. See Warnings.
Run the pad under cool water. Peel or cut off any discolorations or bruises on the pad.
Slice or cut the pads (wipe the knife blade after each slice - there can be small spines sticking to it), or leave them
whole, depending on what you will be using the nopales for.
Cook the nopales. They can be either boiled or grilled, as well as mixed with other ingredients to make unique,
satisfying and healthy dishes.
If you boil the nopales, you may sometimes have to drain and re-boil them once or twice, depending on how thick the sap
is. The thicker the pad, the thicker the sap.
Boiling them with a copper coin (an old Mexican "veinte") is a common remedy to thin the sap and make it more palatable
to unaccustomed diners.
The boiled nopales are then drained, washed off with cold water and served as a salad with finely diced tomatoes, onion,
cilantro and jalapeños and seasoned with vinegar, salt and lime juice.
If you grill the nopales, you might want to coat generously with pepper, salt, and other spices. They're ready when they're
tender and slightly browned.
Grilled nopalitos strips can be seasoned with fresh lime juice and a little olive oil. You can also add grilled portobello mushrooms to the mix.
Nopalitos salad
Try stirring the cooked nopales into soup, mixing them into a salad or omelet, pickling them,
or eating them alone.
A popular and traditional Mexican dish is "nopalitos en salsa verde", where the nopales are cut in strips and boiled in
water (see above), and then re-cooked in the traditional sauce made of tomatillos (which are sometimes mistaken for green
tomatoes, but are actually a completely different fruit that grow in a papery husk), onion, garlic, cilantro and jalapeño
chiles (puree the sauce ingredients in a blender and then bring to a boil and simmer). This is usually eaten in a soft tortilla
as a taco or with chips.
The pears with the reddish-orange or purple skin and deep purple interiors are considered to be the sweetest, but the
white-skinned varieties are more popular in Mexico.
Store-bought prickly pears are usually spine-free and sometimes can be handled with your bare hands. Unprocessed pears
still have glochids that will drive you crazy if you get some on your skin. Just to be sure, always use tongs or at least a plastic bag as a glove.
If you're foraging for prickly pears, remember that while all pears are edible, only a few will actually be ripe and taste
good.
Remove the spines.
Place the pear in a container of cold water. Doing this washes some spines away, but not all of them.
Skin the pears.
Pick up the end of the pear with a few paper towels folded together, cradling the pear within the paper towels and not
allowing the surface of the pear to touch your skin.
Slice off the thicker skin at both ends of the prickly pear (the bottom and the top). It takes a little practice to know
how much to slice off. Generally, you want to take off the skin without getting at the seed-filled center.
Cut lengthwise along the pear's top-bottom centerline just through the skin. Using that slit, and being careful about
the spines, use the knife to lever the skin and peel it off of the rest of the pear.
Cut the pear into slices, or stick onto a fork or skewer and serve.
Prickly pear sorbet
The flesh of the prickly pear can be used to make jam, jelly, sorbet, and "cactus candy."
The seeds can be consumed with the fruit (but be careful not to bite into them, as they're quite hard) or spit out.
Some people eat the seeds in soup or dry them to be ground into flour.
The cooked pads have a flavor comparable to green beans. They also have a texture reminiscent of okra, which some people find unpleasant, and others find enticing. This quality
is exaggerated if the nopales are overcooked.
You can usually buy pads 20 cm long (classified as a small pad) or a pear 10 cm long (classified as medium).
Anything longer proves difficult to prepare.
Fresh, unwrinkled nopales can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week and a half if they are tightly wrapped.
Prickly pears are eaten not only in Mexico but also in the Mediterranean. In Italy, the fruit is often presented in a bowl of cold water.
The flavor of prickly pears has been compared to kiwi, but not as acidic.
In some cases the glochids can be removed most easily by rubbing against a piece of heavy cloth (such as an old serape)
that's used for no other purpose. And this article indicates that Native Americans rubbed "beavertail" pads in the sand to remove the glochids, but rather than "sand" it was
more likely the hard-packed sandy dirt of the American Southwest.
Purchase your first pads. Don't harvest them yourself. Then you will know what to look for.
If you get the fine spines stuck in your skin, don't bother with tweezers. Instead put a thin layer of Elmer's glue over
the spines. Let the glue dry until there is a solid "skin" on your hand, then peel it off. The spines will peel off painlessly
with the glue. (This also works for removing splinters.) The glochids actually are barbed and will work into your skin if
you are not careful. If you don't have Elmer's glue handy, and the glochids become very annoying, duct tape or strong tack
masking tape can remove them.
If you work with cacti regularly, you may well find the glochids are only a minor annoyance, and that the itchiness is
only intermittently noticeable. However, the glochids of some of the Opuntia are larger than the spines of some of the other
species. The glochids of the Opuntia Engelmanii v. Texensis in particular can be very, very painful, as can the spines. Gloves
are still recommended, however, if you need to handle sensitive areas of the body (as when urinating) or if it is likely you
will be caressing someone who is not also inured to the spines.
To learn more about the nutritional benefits and value of prickly pear cactus, look into the External Links below.
If grilling on an open fire the spines will also burn off. This can also be used to feed livestock on a short term basis.
It's time for you to make a change, be it a new career path or simply a new challenge. The procedure for resigning is simple enough: give notice, preferably in advance. But if you don't want to burn any bridges, thereby creating obstacles
to future opportunities, you must be especially careful and considerate. Resigning is easy, but resigning gracefully
is not. This article specifically covers several ways a person can make their resignation as smooth and as grudge-free as
possible.
Keep it to yourself. Once you've made the decision, don't go blabbing it all over the company until you have notified
your immediate supervisor. Give her or him time to absorb and process the information. If the company makes an attractive
counter-offer, it will be awkward if you have already announced your plans to coworkers.
Plan to give notice. If you want to leave under the best possible terms, don't leave your employer high and dry,
scrambling to cover your position. Give at least two weeks notice, so that your boss can prepare to have others cover for
you, or have time to groom a replacement.
A moment of your time?
Ask your boss for an appointment to discuss an important matter. Poking your
head in and asking for a moment of his or her time will do - just be respectful of the fact that your supervisor has a job
to do, and may not be able to drop everything at the precise moment you are prepared to spring this news on him or her. If
there is too much going on, you will only add to your his or her hassles, so if it's at all possible, wait for a time when
your boss will have a few moments to focus on your news.
Be prepared, direct, and polite. Rehearsing privately will help you be ready when your supervisor has you in to
talk. Most managers are extremely busy and they will appreciate your direct approach, forgoing the temptation to "cushion the blow," "find the
right way to say this," or otherwise beat around the bush. You might say something like:
"I've been considering my options here for some time, and I've decided it's time for me to move on. I am grateful for
the opportunities I've found here, but I must give my two weeks' notice."
OR... "I need to let you know that I have been offered a new position at another company. I have really enjoyed working
here, but I need to give you my two weeks' notice as of today. Does it work for you if my last day is [whatever two weeks
from then is]?"
Be prepared to discuss. Chances are you've been working with this boss for some time, and whatever your reasons are for leaving, she or he may have some questions. Or your boss may value you much
more than you realized, and make a counteroffer. Being polite and dignified about your resignation could make this possible. You will need to consider in advance whether you would stay for a pay raise, increased benefits, a promotion, or other incentives. This would be a prime negotiating opportunity, so be prepared for it, and know your own bottom line. If staying is an option, what would make you open to it?
Check the warnings below, though, because counter-offers have some serious downsides.
Emphasize the positive.Be honest, but polite. If the boss asks you if he or she had anything to do with your decision, and was a factor, it's best
to rely on tact and diplomacy to make an honest answer palatable. In other words, you won't help yourself by saying, "Yes,
you're a lousy supervisor and I would have been way better," (even if it's true). You can be truthful without being cruel: "It was a factor, but not the entire reason. I felt our working styles and approaches just weren't a great fit, and that
we never meshed as well as I wished we had. Still, the overall experience here has been positive; it's just that with this
new opportunity, I feel excited to have new challenges."
Have a copy of your letter of resignation in hand. Make your letter brief, non-confrontational and professional. An example: "Dear Mr. Spacely: It has been my honor to work for Spacely Sprockets,
Inc. This letter is to notify you that I will be leaving to accept a new position with another company as of [a date which
is AT LEAST two weeks from the date of your conversation and letter]. Please accept my thanks for our association, and best
regards to you and the entire company for the future. Sincerely, George Jetson."
Shake hands, smile, and thank your boss. Whether your departure is to relocate, to take a better job, or just to get away from this guy, show some class when you're walking out the door. Shake hands, thank your soon-to-be-former
supervisor (yay!) for "everything," and leave. Go to your work station and stay there for at least 10 minutes. Now
you can go blab it to everybody, but don't rub it in your boss's nose - be classy and simply confirm that you will be leaving.
Remember that there are very few who are so free as those who have nothing to lose - but it won't serve you well in the
future if you go shooting your mouth off just because you're on your way out. It won't kill you to make nice for two weeks, because you're getting out of there, and that entire experience will be behind you.
The jerk you leave behind today may well end up being your boss again in the future. And remember, too, that sometimes those jerks are oblivious to the fact that they're not well liked.
If you are remembered as someone who was positive and generous in the past, you may well be greasing the wheels to a great future as this boss puts you (the friendly face he remembers
from before) ahead of the strangers in the new position. This may facilitate transfers to other branch offices, better assignments,
and more.
It may be wise to refuse any offers to stay with your current employer. Accepting a pay raise or other bonus after threatening
to leave can cast you in a negative light with co-workers and the company as a whole. It can also make you seem indecisive
and of questionable loyalty. Always keep a record of the offer in case you come back to the company in the future.
After informing your supervisor, be sure to personally tell other managers or key employees with whom you have worked
that you have resigned. Say it in a way that "thanks" the person for helping you develop your career. "I don't know if you've
heard, but I am resigning to take a position at another company. Before I leave I wanted to be sure to let you know how much
I've enjoyed working with you." These people may leave for other jobs in the future and you want them to have positive memories
of you. Who knows when they can impact your next career move.
Allowing a boss you have disliked to needle you into insulting them will end badly. You don't want to end up being escorted
off the premises by security. Don't give in to the temptation to say what you really think.
Some bosses don't take kindly to you being "the decider." Be sure you can truly afford to walk away from your job that
day, because sometimes the supervisor takes it very personally that you are leaving, and will tell you there's no need
to give notice, and instruct you to leave immediately. You will be the best judge of this, so do your best to assess if your
boss is one of these people - but be aware, sometimes, you just can't predict what they'll do. Re-read your employment contract
- you must be aware of all of your and the company's termination options. If there is no formal employment contract, familiarize
yourself with the default provisions of your state/provincial law.
Be physically prepared to walk away that day: before resigning, save to disk or email to a private account anything you
need and have the right to take such as contact information for clients, suppliers or other references; work samples; a list
of projects you worked on, etc. [Keep in mind, much of the information and other items you had access to while employed are
frequently proprietary and owned by the company. Make certain it is within the bounds of your contract and the law before
you take this advice].
When considering a counter-offer honestly evaluate why you want to leave and protect yourself. While a raise might be
nice, it might not solve other issues that require either a promotion (if your job advancement has stalled) or a transfer
to another group (if you have personality conflicts with your boss). You can protect yourself from being vindictively fired
later by demanding that, for at least two years, you stop being an "at will" employee and can only be fired "for cause."
A counter-offer is sometimes made because they fear nobody else will be able to do your job. If that's the case, and you
take the counter-offer, they will possibly ask you to train others on what you do. You may end up training your replacement,
and that next change might not be on your terms.
A counter-offer is an acknowledgment that you are being underpaid. If you require a nurturing work environment that recognizes
people's worth without threats of leaving, then you may not be a good long-term fit with your employer. However, if you are
comfortable with negotiating pay raises, and it does not bother you that coworkers who are less skilled negotiators do not earn as much, then you might want to consider
staying.
Be aware of any types of benefits you may be eligible for. If you are about to be laid off, you may have a severance package,
or the option to collect unemployment benefits. These can be very handy if you have not secured a new job. Resigning from
a position may disqualify you from receiving anything. It may be better in some cases to receive these benefits while looking
for your next position.
DO NOT get into a complaint session with your co-workers before you leave. Every negative thing you say will get back
to the boss or to the person you complain about. Again, you never know when these people will resurface in your career. If
you have to have a venting session, do it only with one very trusted co-worker. Do it away from work. Save it for after you
leave.
Edible culinary flowers are useful for a variety of purposes, from cooking to candy making and from salads to decorative presentations on a dinner plate. Find out here which flowers are safe to consume, and get some ideas for their use.
Decorative purposes - garnishes for plates, cakes and more
Familiarize yourself with some of the more common culinary flowers. The following list is not exhaustive but it
does give you a good indication of the types of flowers that can be suitable:
Nasturtiums - these are the perennial favorite for summer salads. Easy to grow, they bring an explosion of color to any salad. They are also good stuffed, crystallized, or as a garnish.
They have a slight peppery taste. The seed pods are even used as a replacement for peppercorns and capers. The entire plant
is edible.
Violets - violets are perfect for adding to a range of food, as well as serving decorative purposes. Some ideas
include candied violets, violet tea, violet cake and violet syrup. They can be included in salads, vinegar, jelly, butter or flavored spreads or simply used as plate garnish. Look for "viola odorata" or "sweet violet."
Rose petals - rose petals are renowned for many culinary uses, such as in syrups, decorations on icing, ice cream, dessert garnishes, jellies, jams, flavored butters, ice cubes and more. Rosewater is a famous use of rose petals.
Pansies - delicate little flowers that are great adorning salads. Other uses include floating atop a soup, decorating desserts, and garnishing a plate. Don't neglect to include them in fruit salad as much as any other type of salad.
Pansies have slightly sweet flavor.
Hibiscus - appropriate for salads and for making syrups and some alcoholic beverages. There are cranberry and citrus notes, but it's slightly acidic, so use sparingly.
Chive blossoms - these are great for savory dishes and will impart a light onion flavor. Garlic blossoms are also apt and will impart a fresh and light garlic flavor to a salad or dish.
Marigolds - desirable in salads, where they lend a golden glow.
Dandelion flowers - delicious addition to salads, provided you pick the flowers when they are young and eat them quickly after picking.
They have a sweet flavor, like honey.
Carnation - has a sweet, nutmeg-like flavor. Suggested for salads and as a garnish.
Petunias - flowers of 'Petunia x hybrida,' or the common garden petunia, has flowers that are mild tasting. Good
to use as a garnish.
Prepare flowers. There are several things to do before you can use the flowers.
Harvest the flowers. The best time to harvest flowers is just after the dew has dried, early to mid-morning. Or,
early evening can work as well, after the heat of the sun has faded, provided that the flowers appear in good condition. Do
not pick in the middle of the day, as the heat can dry out the flavor and cause a drop in both flavor and color.
Remove stamen and pistil. If these are obvious (usually in larger flowers), remove them. White, pithy parts and
any large stamens or pistils are usually bitter and can often be chewy.
Clean the flowers. Shake the flowers to remove insects, debris, and bits of dirt. Inspect closely to see if the
flowers remain dirty and in need of a wash. If so, gently wash with a colander or tea strainer. Carefully use a fine and soft
spray of water, as flowers are fragile and bruise easily. If the flower is especially delicate, just a brief soak will suffice.
Dry on kitchen towels. Arrange on paper towels and allow time to air dry.
Use your flowers according to the recipe or garnishing needs. Follow your favorite recipe for the flower(s) in question. Search for recipes
online or in recipe books, using the flower name for ideas. Once you have tried and tested out some recipes, consider leaving
your versions for using edible flowers for culinary purposes on wikiHow. If using flowers to garnish, try different arrangements.
It often helps to keep photos of your arrangements to inspire you in the future.
Find out more about edible flowers. The use of edible flowers is becoming increasingly popular again, after falling
out of favor for a time. Get to know the ways in which others are using culinary flowers by reading recipe books, asking a
reference librarian, and looking online. You can also learn from such reputable sites as botanical gardens, botanical departments
of universities and nurseries.
A general rule of thumb is that the flowers of vegetables and herbs are safe to eat. Always check first, however, for as with anything in life, there will always be exceptions. See Warnings
below.
There are many, many more edible flowers than the ones in this list. Some of these include chrysanthemum, day lilies,
primrose, gladiolus, jasmine, lilac, basil, peony, and even yucca.
Flowers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 10 days, provided that they are in a sealed container. Place a moist paper towel at the base of the container.
Avoid consuming flowers that may have been sprayed with chemical pesticides. If you aren't sure, then avoid them. Do not eat flowers from a florist - they are likely to have been sprayed with chemicals.
Poisonous - lilies of the valley, foxgloves, azalea, oleander, crocus, daffodil, rhododendron, wisteria and sweet
pea (Lathyrus odoratus). Avoid them and be aware of what they look like.
Avoid - the flowers of tomato, potato, eggplant, peppers and asparagus.
A tea garden is a delightful hobby that can complement the rest of your herb garden and will provide you with the joy of fresh herbal teas, more properly known as herbal infusions or tisanes, at a moment's notice. Creating a tea garden in a container
can also make a perfect gift for somebody.
References to "tea" below should be understood to refer to herbal tea.
Choose your herbs. There are quite a few herbs and flowers that are suitable for making herbal teas. Your choice is dependent on what flavors
you like the most and what will grow best for you. The following is a mere selection of good possibilities:
Peppermint - this is a perennial favorite for many people. Its refreshing taste is uplifting and cleansing, as well as wonderful
for stomach troubles of all kinds. Peppermint is generally very easy to grow and enjoys sunny and semi-shaded spots. Grows
very, very easily and unless you want it escaping across the garden, keep it pot-bound. The leaves are the part used for making
tea.
Lavender - a delightful, softly fragrant tisane that is perfect for soothing, especially recommended for reducing tension and soothing headaches. Lavender grows well in full sun, well-drained soil. Lavender buds are the part of the plant used for tea.
Lemon Verbena - a refreshing and tangy lemony taste comes packed in these simple but easy-to-grow leaves.
It needs full sun and will not tolerate harsh winters, so keep it pot-bound if that's a danger in your area. The leaves are
the part used for tea.
Rose Hips - rose hips are the seed cases for roses. They are extremely high in vitamin C and are very good for you. Rose hips will form once the rose bush goes to seed. The rose hips should be deep orange-red before
harvesting. Clean the rose hips gently before steeping.
Bergamot - Bergamot carries a touch of orange flavor. The plant produces gorgeous bright red, purple, or pink flowers and is happy in full sun or semi-shade. The leaves
and flowers are suitable for steeping.
Marjoram - this herb has a fruity, citrus flavor and an undertone of mint. It grows well in full sun to semi-shade. Leaves and flowers are suitable for steeping.
Chamomile (German) - A delightful apple scented herb, this one is traditionally used to induce calm and sleep. It makes a gorgeous but delicate lawn feature with
small daisy-like flowers. It tolerates full sun to semi-shade. The flowers are the preferred part for making the tea.
Jasmine - with a fragrance reminiscent of summer time, jasmine provides a delicate and enticing flavor. It grows in full sun
to semi-shade and although it can form a part of your tea garden, it needs a trellis or wall at the back of the garden to
really thrive. It is not suitable for cold winter climates, however, so if you endure that sort of weather, you will need
a potting arrangement that can be moved indoors. The flowers are the suitable part for making tea.
Coriander (aka cilantro) - used more frequently in cooking, coriander is also suitable for herbal tea and has a flavor similar to Lady Grey tea. With strong citrus undertones, this tea carries a spicy and acidic flavor. Accepts full sun to semi-shade and is an ideal container herb. The
leaves are used for tea.
Thyme - thyme is considered to be a good tea for soothing stomach troubles and sore throats. It is spicy and may be an acquired taste - try it first before cutting too much herb! It is tolerant of
full sun and semi-shade and is an ideal container herb. Use the leaves for tea - if flowers are present, these can also be
added.
Violets - if you love the smell of violets, violet tea will probably be a favorite with you. Violets prefer shady growing areas and are easy potted plants if desired. An excellent
source of vitamins A and C. Violets are considered to be soothing and refreshing and are a good tonic after winter. The dried
leaves and flowers are suitable for steeping (fresh flowers can be used for effect - see photo).
Rosemary - Rosemary has long been used in infusions for easing emotional depression and blood circulation issues. This plant prefers
strong full sun but will tolerate light shade, and requires well-drained soil.
Stevia - Stevia is a safe and natural herbal sweetener, used in place of sugar in an herbal infusion and safe for diabetics
to use. Stevia does not handle colder weather well at all and should therefore be a potted herb that is brought indoors during
cold snaps and wintertime. The leaves are naturally sweet and their sweetness can be concentrated by drying or dehydrating
them
Follow the growing instructions for each plant. Keep the tea garden weed-free and use a compost tea or other natural source of nutrients to nourish it.
Pick the leaves or flowers. The best time of day for this is just after the dew has dried but before the
heat of the sun begins to draw the oils out of the plant.
Prepare the leaves. Leaves should be bruised to release their essential oils. Do this by rubbing them together.
Make the tea. Add the herbs to a teapot or directly to a mug or cup. For each cup of tea, add approximately 2 to 3 teaspoons of fresh leaves and/or flowers. Slice rose hips in half before
adding. The photo in this section shows direct infusion of chamomile flowers.
Allow to steep for 5 minutes. This will ensure that the flavors are released and the full benefits of the herb's
or flower's qualities are available.
Use a container version of the tea garden. Plant herbs and flowers of choice and arrange well. If you
know which teas your gift recipient will like the most, then choose those.
Write a small card detailing the properties of the tea garden. List the herbs and flowers, their growing needs, their health
benefits and how to make fresh tea. Attach this to the container.
Wrap in clear cellophane. Provided that the container will not be sitting around in hot sun for too long, you can
present your gift wrapped in clear cellophane with a large ribbon bow for a special touch. Make sure that the container has been well watered and is not leaking before wrapping.
If desired, you can dry your herbs. When using dried herbs, reduce the quantity of herbs by half to three-quarters of the amount of fresh herb you would use.
Decorate your tea garden if desired to make it a special part of your garden.
Experiment with iced tea versions - bergamot, peppermint and rose hips can make good iced herbal teas.
If desired, add a pinch of ground coriander spice to the top of a coriander infusion for added spiciness. [Nnote: in American
English the leaves are typically known as "cilantro" while the seed pods are the more familiar coriander spice; in British
English both are known as coriander.]
Add sugar to mint tea for a truly refreshing taste in the style of Moroccan tea.
Unless the beverage made uses the tea plant, Camellia sinensis, it is technically not a tea but an "herbal infusion."
Lemon balm, (not to be confused with lemon verbena), and peppermint will take over the garden if given the opportunity.
Keep them pot-bound if this is a concern for you.
Do not use herbs or flowers that have pesticide residues. When growing, use natural pest reduction methods. Know your
source if you obtain your leaves and flowers from elsewhere.
If you are allergic to ragwort, it may be a good idea to avoid chamomile tea, as a similar allergic reaction can occur.
MANILA, Philippines - Tropical Storm Pabuk churned across the Philippines Wednesday, triggering deadly landslides before it moved into southern Taiwan, where
it cut power and forced schools and business to close.
ADVERTISEMENT
The death toll from a separate, unnamed storm in Vietnam rose to 34, with 17 missing and feared dead. The tropical storm,
the worst to hit Vietnam this year,
was downgraded to a depression on Monday, but heavy rains continued, the national weather center said.
"It is still raining heavily in the mountains. The death toll could rise if the weather does not improve in the next few
days," said Trinh Nhu Tien, a Vietnamese provincial disaster official said.
Nguyen Ngoc Giai, another provincial disaster official, said hundreds of military and police officers had been mobilized
for rescue efforts, food and medicine relief.
More casualties were expected because the floodwaters were still "very, very deep," he said.
"This is the worst flood I have seen in my life," he said.
In the Philippines, monsoon rains fed by Pabuk caused a landslide that buried seven houses and killed at least 10 people
Monday in the southern gold mining town of Maco,
said Glenn Rabonza, administrator of the Office of Civil Defense and government forecasters.
Another landslide buried a house and killed a 9-year-old boy in the northern mountain resort city of Baguio at dawn Wednesday, the National Disaster Coordinating
Council said.
In hilly city of Antipolo east of the capital, Manila, policemen and firefighters pulled five children from rubble Wednesday
after a concrete wall collapsed on their house, police Chief Superintendent Nicasio Radovan said.
The siblings, who had yelled for help from under the debris, were taken to a hospital with minor injuries, he said.
TV footage showed rescuers scrambling to lift or break a slab of concrete with sledgehammers to free one of the screaming
children.
"Are you hurt?" a rescuer yelled.
"Yes, my body," a feeble voice responded from the debris.
Rescuers broke into applause after they pulled the last child from the rubble.
Heavy rains flooded many Manila streets, forcing schools to close and leaving commuters stranded, officials said.
The government announced that schools would remain closed Thursday in the capital and 13 other northern provinces. Authorities
reiterated a warning to small ships to stay in port.
Floods submerged nearly all of suburban Malabon city near the capital, where water was neck deep in some low-lying neighborhoods.
There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries in the city, local government spokesman Bong Padua said.
Pabuk blew out of the mountainous northern Philippines and then swirled across the southern tip of Taiwan, bringing
heavy rain but causing no major damage or casualties, according to Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau.
Power supplies were disrupted to 3,000 households in the southern county of Pingtung, the Central News Agency said.
Pabuk — named after a large freshwater fish in Laos — was moving northwest at 15 mph and was expected to hit Shantou in southern China's Guangdong
province late Wednesday, Xinhua quoted the Fujian Meteorological Observatory as saying.
China recalled 266,000 fishermen
and sailors and 50,401 fishing vessels to eastern Fujian province, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.
A stronger tropical storm, Wutip, has developed east of the Philippines and was forecast to hit Fujian on Friday, the observatory said.
The rains in the Philippines followed a three-month dry spell that prompted clergy to urge congregations across the predominantly
Roman Catholic country to pray for rain over the weekend.
The dry spell had led to water shortages and caused sporadic power outages in the bustling Philippine capital.
Our high-tech holiday
Wednesday August 8, 2007
Today, Robin and I are taking off to a friend's wedding in upstate California, and I figured this would be a perfect time
to put the Honda Civic Hyrbid to the test. (Bear in mind that a guy is suing Honda because his Civic Hybrid is only returning 32 MPG.) We're planning to put the Civic through all sorts of driving situations to see just how fuel efficient it really is. The
benchmark is the Toyota Prius, which averages around 45 MPG in mixed driving. Yesterday I brought the car home through an hour and a half of bumper-to-bumper
Los Angeles traffic (34 MPG). As you read this, we'll be wending our way up the Pacific Coast Highway, then into San Francisco
to pick up friends at the airport.
From there, we have to find the place we're staying -- and that's where my other gadget, a hand-held navigation system
on loan from TomTom, will come in handy. We'll see how the $400 TomTom ONE XL compares to the the Civic's built-in $1,750 navigation system.
So, anyone want to take a guess as to what our average MPG will be? Closest guess gets... oh, I don't know... how about
an autographed copy of an About.com Cars screen-shot. How much do you think that'll fetch on eBay? -- Aaron Gold
I can’t wait to read your review. I am especially interested in the Nav System comparison. In-dash units seem more
protected from theft, and have a nicer built-in look, but it is really the function that is important. I have heard the Honda
unit is probably one of the best systems out there… but $1350 is a big difference in price for “nicer look”.
I am guessing the Civic Hybrid will get about 41 MPG (I want to win the autographed About.comn screen shot =) I own
a ‘05 Honda Accord with the NAV and also have used my brothers Tom Tom when I had to borrow his Honda Element. There
is no comparison… the Honda Nav was so easy to use vs. the Tom Tom. It was smoother, more accurate and had a very intuitive
map to read. I am looking forward to your comparison between the two.
wow, great timing for this road test…we are trying to decide between getting a civic vs civic hybrid and between
getting a honda nav. in that civic or get an aftermarket one…Aaron are you psychic or what? your call is going to make
our decision…Don…P.S. I’m guessing 44mpg.
We’ve got the factory nav system in our Mazda and from what I’ve seen, it blows away the add-on products. Not
only is there not an issue of battery life and where to mount it, it communicates with the car itself (measuring speed and
so on accurately), there’s the bigger screen, voice recognition (which actually works), more POI info, no need to hook
into your PC to load different maps, fast route adjustment if you go a different road than they recommend or you miss a turn,
etc. There’s only two downsides: updated map DVDs are very expensive (but generally not necessary), and you can’t
get the alternate Mr. T voice with it like you can with the TomTom! “Turn left, fool!” As cool as the nav system
is in the wife’s car, I don’t think I’d bother getting an aftermarket one for my car - but my next car (way
in the future) will probably have to have a factory system.
As for MPG, since hybrids do better in city driving and it’s only hit 34 there, I’m going to go with 38 mpg
overall, and that might be high.
Aaron, Since my ‘05 Civic gets 40+ mpg regularly on flat (Florida) roadways and I do inflate the tires an extra 5lbs,add
2.5 oz of acetone per tank, keep my tach at 3000rpm (70mph) in 5th gear and don’t drive aggessively, it seems ridiculous
to buy a hybrid. Now, if I employ these same principles to a hybrid, I’m sure I can get over 50mpg on the Hybrid. Now,
if you only get 40-43 mpg on your trip that bodes poorly for the Hybrid. However, if you get 50mpg like it should and then
you add my gas saving regimen, then the Hybrid is looking gooood! The big equalizer in this whole scenario that everyone seems
to overlook is the CITY MPG. My car only gets about 30 mpg city, but the hybrid claims 49-50 wow! Considering my wife is pounding
those bumper to bumper miles from Lauderdale to So.Miami that mpg rating(city) starts looming as a more important number.
But up above you’ve already mentioned some pretty grim mpg numbers(34)…uh,oh! Question how bad was the traffic(as
bad as the 5:00 Orange Crush?)…was the car broken in yet? Are you going to do one full tank on I-5 on the way home using
cruise control going through the San Joaquin Valley? There’s a lot of variables and I hope you document your results
and your road conditions. Ok you’ve got your homework, son!
NASA Solicits Input for Commercial Space Transportation Services
WASHINGTON - On Tuesday NASA issued a Request for Information soliciting ideas and feedback to help shape the
plan to procure safe, cost effective, and reliable logistics services to the International Space Station and other payload
launch services.
Sponsored by NASA's Space Operations Mission Directorate, this request seeks input from companies
that are working to provide commercial transportation services to space. This information will be used to help structure future
commercial launch services contracts as well as the second phase of the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services initiative
to acquire commercial cargo services to the station after the space shuttle's retirement in 2010.
Responders are asked
to provide information and feedback, including: - a description of the service provider's current and planned capability, -
existing NASA policies on certification and oversight of launch vehicles, - any improvements NASA can make in commercial
transportation services contract structures that would provide incentives, and - recommendations on commercial contract
terms and conditions.
It's time for you to let people know what you're really thinking. That could mean anything from making a huge announcement
to whispering in the right ears -- as long as you're speaking from the heart.
Your good, brainy energy makes the day's activities much easier to perform. It's a great time for normally stressful events
like interviews, evaluations and first dates -- you should do just fine!
Though shopping might be quite appealing right now (and may even seem therapeutic), you need to keep your money in a lock
box. Needs might arise in the near future that require a few extra pennies.
Your mindset is perfect for thinking about financial situations, so see if you can clear away distractions and really get
a handle on your home or business cash flow. Things should settle down pretty soon!
Your job seems to take over your life today, but not in a terrible way. You may see a new career opportunity, or find that
there are aspects of work that are much more enjoyable than you had previously thought.
How to Make Chainmail
"TYPE=PICT;ALT="Chainmail (aka: chainmaille) is made up of a pattern of interlocking rings. Because the design tends to
spread the force of a weapon over a wider area, chainmail was frequently used as armor. Today it may be used for costuming,
reenactment, or in jewelry, belts, or other decorative pieces. Fine chainmail is still used for suits that resist shark bites.
Click any image to enlarge it.
Steps [edit]
"TYPE=PICT;ALT=A4-in-1pattern."
"TYPE=PICT;ALT="A 4-in-1 pattern.Choose a weave that you like. This article describes a basic 4-in-1 pattern in widespread
use. The pattern is so called because each link has four other links connected to it. See the external links for many more
ideas.
Choose your material. Decide whether you will make your own rings from wire or purchase rings. Rings are available in a
variety of diameters (width of circle) and gauges (wire thickness). Bigger circles will cover an area with fewer rings and
less weight, but the texture will be coarser, and the material will not be as strong. Wire of a thicker gauge will more durable,
but also weigh more and be harder to work.
Choose a design you like. If you are just beginning, start with something fairly small and simple until you get the hang
of it. A full chainmail shirt has thousands of rings in it and can weigh more than 30 pounds. Instead, try a bracelet, gauntlet,
belt, key chain, or other smaller design.
"TYPE=PICT;ALT=Windthewire."
"TYPE=PICT;ALT="Wind the wire.Wind the wire (if you are starting with wire) firmly around the rod or pencil. You may need
to control one or both ends with pliers. Aim for even, consistent loops and try to avoid putting tight kinks in the wire.
If the wire came in a coil or spool, wind with the curvature that the wire already has.
"TYPE=PICT;ALT=Trimtherings."
"TYPE=PICT;ALT="Trim the rings.Trim the rings. It's especially important to wear eye protection for this step. They can
go flying. Aim for full, 360º rings, evenly cut. Cutting on a slight diagonal will help to achieve a tight closure with a
smaller gap.
"TYPE=PICT;ALT=Fourclosedringsonafifthring."
"TYPE=PICT;ALT="Four closed rings on a fifth ring.Close four rings, using pliers. Thread all four onto a fifth ring (shown
here in red) and close the fifth ring.
"TYPE=PICT;ALT=Arrangetherings."
"TYPE=PICT;ALT="Arrange the rings.Arrange the five rings as shown, with two over and two under. This is awkward right now
because the rest of the pattern isn't around it to even things out.
"TYPE=PICT;ALT=Twoclosedringsonanopenring."
"TYPE=PICT;ALT="Two closed rings on an open ring.Close two more rings. Link both into another ring (also red), but do not
close the red ring yet.
"TYPE=PICT;ALT=Loopinasshown."
"TYPE=PICT;ALT="Loop in as shown.Loop the red ring through both of the bottom two rings, as shown, going from bottom to
top. Arrange the two bottom-most rings so that they are in the pattern.
"TYPE=PICT;ALT=Repeat."
"TYPE=PICT;ALT="Repeat.Repeat steps 8 and 9 until you have a strip that is the length you want.
"TYPE=PICT;ALT=Twoclosedringsonanopenring."
"TYPE=PICT;ALT="Two closed rings on an open ring.Place two closed rings on a third ring (shown here in blue).
"TYPE=PICT;ALT=Asecondrow."
"TYPE=PICT;ALT="A second row.Begin building the next row. Pass the blue ring through the top two gold rings from the first
row. Be sure that it ends up oriented the same as the red ring adjacent to it.
Place one closed ring on another ring (blue).
"TYPE=PICT;ALT="Add it to the pattern, linking this blue ring through three other rings.
"TYPE=PICT;ALT="Repeat steps 13 and 14 to build the rest of the row.
Repeat steps 11 through 15 to add each new row until the piece is as large as you would like.
Tips [edit]
"TYPE=PICT;ALT=Chainmailheadwear."
"TYPE=PICT;ALT="Chainmail headwear.Fully close all rings to give the piece an even, finished appearance and to prevent
it from catching hair. Depending on your material, you may have to close the ring past the final position you want, then bring
it back. For opening and closing the rings, push one end lower and pull the other higher, like twisting the ring. Do not pull
the ends straight away from each other, as you will not get the ring to be round again.
Materials for rings are no longer limited only to iron or steel. You can get rings in stainless steel, aluminum, titanium,
rubber, and (for jewelry) silver and gold. You can also get rings in a variety of colors and create many different patterns
with them.
Look around for projects that others have done for inspiration.
An easy source of wire to get started is paper clips. They come in a variety of colors and are fairly easy to bend. The
down side is that you have to cut your own rings and the result is not very strong. Start by straightening them as best you
can.
"TYPE=PICT;ALT=Craftwire."
"TYPE=PICT;ALT="Craft wire.Instead of paper clips, use wire. Try craft wire or heavy gauge, single strand electrical wire.
"TYPE=PICT;ALT=Onepossibleproject."
"TYPE=PICT;ALT="One possible project.Try chainmail jewelry for an unusual and elegant piece that you can wear for any occasion.
Warnings [edit]
Cut wire ends can be sharp. Handle rings carefully with pliers and wear eye protection. Store open rings in a sturdy container
with a lid.
If you plan to use chainmail for swordplay rather than for fashion, costume, or decoration, make certain that it is strong
enough for what you intend to do. Costume mail is considerably lighter than is necessary to protect you from any real impact.
Sharp edges of rings are quite hard on fabric and generally will cause gray or very dark gray deposits on the fabric. Wear
special undergarments of heavy or durable fabric.
Chainmail jewelry or headpieces can become entangled in the hair. You may want to consider sanding ring edges for specialty
pieces and ensuring rings fit smoothly with no gaps at the joins. A scarf or padded fabric head covering worn under chain
mail can keep headpieces from damaging hair or scalp.
You may want to use a bench grinder for smoothing ends of wire. Be careful as the ends may get very warm from the friction
of the grinder.
"TYPE=PICT;ALT="Serrated pliers may leave marks in your rings.Two pairs of pliers. The serrations on many pliers may mar
the metal finish. Look around for plier jaw covers or flat-tipped pliers. The pliers must also be strong enough to bend the
metal you are using and fine enough to handle the ring size you choose.
Rings. Choose a size and gauge suited to your purpose and consider the material and finish. Do you want color? Light weight?
Corrosion resistance?
Wire. If you will make your own rings, you must start with wire.
A dowel, rod, pencil, etc. of an appropriate size. This will control the size of your rings. For heavier wire, you may
need to use a metal rod to be sturdy enough.
A means of cutting wire. Some pliers have a wire cutting tool built right in, or you can use a wire cutter.
How to Make Solid Perfume
Because it's easy to make, solid perfume opens the door to experimentation, creativity and individuality. Whether you're
looking to set yourself apart with a unique scent or you're not so fond of the alcoholic undertones in most liquid perfumes,
these instructions will show you how to create an inexpensive alternative.
Steps [edit]
Gather your supplies and ingredients as listed in the "Things You'll Need" section below.
Measure out the wax and almond oil into the small glass jar or Pyrex bowl.
Melt the wax. Put about an inch of water in a small saucepan, then put the jar or bowl (that has the wax and oil in it)
in the water. Bring the water around it to a boil. The wax will melt gradually.
Remove the wax from heat when the wax is 100% liquid.
Stir in the essential oil with something long and thin. A thin stirring stick is used because the wax will start to form
solid on whatever you do your stirring with — your goal should be to find something that has as little surface area
as possible so you lose less of the end product, and also something disposable so you don't have to clean it off. Mix thoroughly.
Pour the liquid wax into your final container. In about 30 minutes, it will be cooled, solid and ready to use.
Apply perfume. To use the perfume, simply rub a finger around on the surface of the waxy perfume, then rub that finger
on the area you want to smell good — the inside of your wrists and behind the ears works well. You can also use solid
perfume in many other ways:
Make a simple cedarwood perfume to rub on dog collars. The scent of cedar repels ticks, and smells good, too!
Make a cedar or cypress rub for feet — prevents fungus and bacteria-related foot odor.
Apply sparingly on business cards — this Japanese tradition makes your card unique and memorable.
Rub on the inside of your wallet to get rid of dirty money smell.
Tips [edit]
The only ingredient that can be expensive is the essential oils, especially if you make a complex scent blend requiring
an initial investment in many different oils. Of course, there's nothing wrong with picking a single pleasant scent. One bottle
of essential oil will make lots and lots of perfume as you use only drops of essential oil at a time.
Most stores that sell essential oils have sampler bottles that you can use to "preview" the different scents. Open two
or three at a time to get a combined whiff to find a good combination. Pick a primary scent and use more of that one, then
one or two "background" scents, using less of each. Some nice essentials for background scents are:
clary sage -- a slightly smoky herbal scent to help creativity and concentration
orange or ginger to provide a warming sensation
ylang-ylang -- a floral that isn't too sweet or girly for guys, but it's a happy smell and subtle enough for a backdrop
cedar to repel insects
For an on-the-go applicator, clean out a Chapstick tube and fill it with the melted liquid wax.
For a cool gift, find an appealing container at your thrift store to make it special. For fingers to access the solid perfume
inside, the container must be bowl-like, not bottle-like.
Check out various aromatherapy sites for info on the psychological properties of various scents.
Candle factories have scented oils that mimic brand name perfumes and work well in wax.
Things You'll Need [edit]
1 tablespoon Beeswax - Beeswax can be purchased at most craft shops.
1 tablespoon Almond Oil (or Jojoba Oil or Vitamin E - available at natural foods/health store)
8 - 15 drops Essential Oil - You can purchase essential oil at most health food stores.
1 container (preferably glass, ceramic or stone but plastic is acceptable)
2 drops clary sage essential oil (concentration and creativity)
Did you say that provocative thing precisely because you knew it would get you-know-who's goat? Naughty, naughty! The plain
truth is that your tactic could backfire -- or bring untold rewards. You'll have to wait it out.
How to Host a LAN Party
If you play computer games, at some point you've probably been stereotyped as the antisocial nerd. Well now you can be
a social nerd! Learn to host a LAN party, and experience the joys of fragging your friends in your garage.
Steps [edit]
Smaller LAN party.
Decide how big your LAN party will be. You can probably host a smaller LAN party (6-16 people) with equipment you already
have. For larger LANs (16 or more people) you may need to buy/rent more equipment. The other limiting factor is the venue.
A good way to gauge how much room you will need is to plan for 2 people per 6-foot table.
A large LAN will require a good staff and a considerable investment.
Find a venue. The garage is perfect for smaller LAN parties. You can usually fit about 20 gamers in the average size 2-car
garage. If you need more room, start looking for large meeting halls. Try asking around at local colleges, churches, Elks
lodges, and other public spaces. Finding free space is best, but if no owners are willing, then a hotel meeting room may be
your best option. It can cost a lot of money, but they will be able to provide you with reliable power, air conditioning,
and even tables and chairs.
Network switches from a variety of manufacurers.
Acquire all the necessary networking equipment. You will need at minimum a router (ex: Linksys BEFSR41 or D-Link EBR-2310).
Most routers only have 4 network ports, so if you plan to have more than 3 people over, then may also need a switch (ex: Linksys
EZXS16W or D-Link DES-1024D). You should have 1 network port per person. 10/100BaseT equipment is more than adequate for gaming,
although gigabit speeds are nice for fast file transfers. However, if you want to save money (and who doesn't?), you can find
cheap 48-port 10/100 switches on eBay. The switch plugs into the router, and all the gamers plug into the switch. Some network
guidelines depending on the size of your LAN party follow:
Up to 10 PCs - You will need a network card for every PC, a small 100BASE-TX Ethernet switch, and at least 2 100BASE-TX
network cables; you may be able to purchase a network starter kit.
11 - 40 PCs - Get 100BASE-TX switches with enough ports for all your guests (or multiple switches with linkup ports) and
enough cables to connect the computers to the switches. To save time and headaches, ask guests to have their network cards
installed and configured and TCP/IP protocol installed before they show up. They should also bring their own switches and
cables, but you should have some extra just in case.
41 - 200 PCs - In addition to the previously listed equipment, you will need switches (preferably 10/100, at least one
port for each 40 people) and dedicated servers in order to avoid a lag. Consider running all your servers on 100 Base-TX,
or a gigabit network.
Acquire all the necessary power equipment. If you overload your circuits, the circuit breaker will trip and the pressure
will be on for you to fix it on the spot. The best solution is to be prepared.
If hosting in your garage or house, you will need extension cords to run from electrical sockets around the house. This
is because you can only plug so many computers into one circuit. To determine which sockets are on which circuits, you will
need to go out to the circuit breaker box. If you are lucky, then the circuits are labeled. If not, you will need a 2nd person
in the house who can tell you which room's lights go out when you flip off each circuit.
If you are at a hotel venue or using a generator (see Tips), you will be provided with distribution boxes, which have multiple
20 amp circuits. A good guideline is 4 gamers on a 15 amp circuit and 6 gamers on a 20 amp circuit. Run extension cords to
each table to evenly distribute power, and make sure the gamers know which plug they should plug into.
It's a good idea to check every circuit and map it out on a piece of paper, hand out a copy to everyone, and label each
outlet. Be careful with refrigerators and air conditioning being on the same circuit as PCs. When their compressors turn on,
they draw a lot of power.
Acquire seating. For a small LAN, your dining table and desk may be all you need. For a garage LAN, you may have to rent
some folding tables and chairs. Your local party rental store will be able to help you out for less than $100. 6 foot tables
are the perfect size for 2 gamers. 8 foot tables can fit 3 gamers with a bit of a squeeze. As already mentioned, hotel meeting
rooms will have tables and chairs already available for you.
Autonomous LAN Party tournament screen.
Decide which games will be played. Choose a variety of game styles (FPS, RTS, Racing). Keep in mind that choosing only
the newest games will alienate gamers with older PCs. If you are planning a tournament, decide the game, format, rules, and
maps. You may want to run software like Autonomous LAN Party, which helps you track the tournament ladders.
Set up dedicated game servers. Most games today will benefit from having a dedicated server, even running on a modest PC.
Search the internet for configuration files, and get everything installed and tested. Learn server commands. You don't want
to be setting this up the day of the LAN.
Plan activities besides gaming. No one can sit at a computer for 24 hours straight (...at least they shouldn't). Try classic
LAN party games, like dodgeball, hard drive shuffleboard, and power supply chuckin'.
Make lunch and dinner plans. It can be as simple as ordering pizzas or a group exodus to a local restaurant. You could
also plan a BBQ or hire a caterer.
Choose a date and other details. The date may be determined by when the venue is available. For small LANs, try to make
it at least 3 weeks in advance (2 months for larger LANs) so people can keep their schedule open.
Sponsors can get your prizes.
Get sponsored. It's surprisingly easy to do. Companies like Intel, AMD, nVidia, Antec, OCZ, Corsair, Alienware, and Bawls
will send you small things like stickers, posters, and t-shirts. If your LAN is of a good size, you might be able to get some
hardware to give away. Make it worth their while. Prizes can make your LAN party more appealing, but they should never be
the focus. You're there for the gaming!
Promote it. This is the most important step! Post in forums, list it on LANparty.com, LANparty Map, Blue's News, and post
fliers in the area. Have your friends tell their friends. Make it clear what time it takes place, what games will be played,
and what the person should bring with them.
A few days before the LAN, download the latest patches, mods, and maps for the games you plan to play. Organize them onto
a shared folder on your computer or a dedicated fileserver. This way, gamers can update their games without throttling your
internet connection. You may even want to burn these files to CDs, to hand out to the LAN attendees.
Set up the room the night before the LAN.
Set up chairs, tables and trash cans.
Prepare a sign-in sheet, and have assigned IP addresses next to each name. (assigned IPs are unnecessary if you are running
a DHCP server)
Print out hand-outs welcoming the guests and describing some rules and guidelines.
Set up and connect your networks and servers, and test away.
Tips [edit]
The more caffeine, the better! For 24 hours of this kind of thing, you're GONNA need a case of Monster, or a good coffee
maker.
Hubs are no longer the fastest way to create a network; an all-switch network works the best. Hubs, generally speaking,
cause problems. (Nonetheless, the word "hub" is still often confused for "switch", even though they are different technology.)
Once the party starts, greet every guest as they arrive and hand out printed instructions so they know what they're supposed
to be doing and where.
Be prepared for power outages, tight spaces, and uncooperative guests--know how you will handle them in advance.
Keep the food and music in constant supply, empty the garbage cans, and take pictures.
Don't do it alone. Find people to help and delegate.
Although you shouldn't need to provide network patch cables and power strips for each gamer, some one always forgets theirs.
Always have spares on hand.
LAN party costs can quickly add up. Consider charging an entry fee or asking for donations. You'll be more likely to host
future events if you aren't losing money each time.
If you plan to make your LAN party a recurring event, consider buying tables and chairs instead of renting.
If you're going to be serving alcohol at the party, you may need a temporary alcohol permit. Look into your local laws
and regulations.
If minors will be attending the event, make sure they have parental permission.
You may want to consider using Gigabit Ethernet as most gaming computers will probably have this type of Ethernet on the
computer's motherboard. Also, to utilize this, you will need to use Gigabit-certified switches, and Category-6 or Category-5e
patch cables.
Many larger cities have LAN centers that will give special rates to large groups, allowing you to have a LAN party without
any of the hassle. Call the center near you in advance to make sure they have the games you want to play.
Warnings [edit]
Don't let people plug into each other's power strips, or "daisy chain." It's a disaster waiting to happen.
Power Distribution
When dealing with circuit breakers, generators, or distribution boxes, you are dealing with high voltage. High voltage
which can kill you! If you are not comfortable with electricity, hire an electrician.
Keep the cables neat and out of the way. Otherwise, someone is bound to trip on them.
For larger events, liability insurance is required. Even if you have gamers sign a waiver, you cannot make them sign their
rights away. A few hundred dollars of liability insurance is better than a million dollar lawsuit.
Unreliable power is the #1 LAN party killer. People will be angry when their computer unrepentently shuts down. Make sure
they are plugged into their designated sockets.
The hosts (you!) are responsible for any problems which arise, and they will arise. You may not have much time for gaming,
but that is your fate as host.
Unfortunately, theft is a reality at LAN parties.
Have only one entrance and exit, and have someone there watching who comes and goes and with what.
Label anything that is not nailed down, especially as the cost-to-size ratio goes up. (Your thumb drive needs a label,
the tables probably not.)
Cheating Is a worry also, so be sure to run an anti-cheat program on the Hosting server.
Things You'll Need [edit]
Router or DHCP server
Network Switch
Cat5e or Cat6 patch cables
Power strips and extension cords
Tables and chairs
Gaming Computers
Games
Game Server(s)
Lots of caffeine
Helping out your so-called opponent is actually a sure-fire way to make you the victor in this situation. But wouldn't
you know it? They have exactly the same idea! It's amazing what generosity you can both display.
How to Predict the Weather Without a Forecast
Long before technology was developed to predict the weather, people had to rely on observation, patterns and folklore to
avoid being caught off guard by the elements. If your plans, livelihood or even your survival depend on the weather, it certainly
wouldn't hurt to become familiar with some of these methods, especially since you never know when you might be out of touch
with the local weather report. These methods aren't foolproof, but they have their usefulness, and if you don't have a forecast
on hand, what do you have to lose by trying them?
Steps [edit]
Check the grass for dew at sunrise. If the grass is dry, this indicates clouds or strong breezes, which can mean rain.
If there's dew, it probably won't rain that day. However, if it rained during the night, this method will not be reliable.
Remember the rhyme: "Red sky at night, sailor's delight; Red sky at morning, sailors take warning." Look for any sign of
red in the sky (not a red sun); it will not be a bold orange or red the majority of the time, but that depends a little on
where you live.
Sailor's delight
If you see a red sky during sunset (when you're looking to the west), there is a high pressure system with dry air that
is stirring dust particles in the air, causing the sky to look red. Since prevailing front movements and jet streams weather
usually move from west to east (see Tips), the dry air is heading towards you.
A red sky in the morning (in the East, where the sun rises) means that the dry air has already moved past you, and what
follows behind it (on its way towards you) is a low pressure system that carries moisture.
Look for a rainbow in the west. This is the result of the rising sun's morning rays from the east striking moisture in
the west. Most major storm fronts travel west to east, and a rainbow in the west means moisture, which can mean rain is on
its way. On the other hand, a rainbow in the east around sunset means that the rain is on its way out and you can look forward
to sunny days. Remember: Rainbow in the morning, need for a warning.
Detect which direction the wind is blowing. If unable to immediately detect the wind's direction, throw a small piece of
grass in to the air and watch its descent. Easterly winds can indicate an approaching storm front, westerly winds the opposite.
Strong winds indicate high pressure differences, which can be a sign of advancing storm fronts. Deciduous trees show the undersides
of their leaves during unusual winds, supposedly because they grow in a way that keeps them right-side up during typical prevalent
winds.
Take a deep breath. Close your eyes and smell the air.
Plants release their waste in a low pressure atmosphere, generating a smell like compost and indicating an upcoming rain.
Swamps will release methane just before a storm because of the lower pressure, which leads to unpleasant smells.
A proverb says "Flowers smell best just before a rain." Scents are stronger in moist air, associated with rainy weather.
Check for humidity. Many people can feel humidity, especially in their hair (it curls up and gets frizzy). You can also
look at the leaves of oak or maple trees. These leaves tend to curl in high humidity, which tends to precede a heavy rain.
Pinecone scales remain closed if the humidity is high, but open in dry air. Under humid conditions, wood swells (look out
for those sticky doors) and salt clumps (is that shaker working well?).
Watch the clouds.
Clouds going in different directions (e.g. one layer going west, another layer going north) - bad weather coming, probably
hail
Cumulonimbus clouds early in the day and developing throughout the day - greater chances of severe weather
Mammatus cloud (formed by sinking air) - thunderstorm is dissipating (not forming)
Mammatus cloud formations
Cirrus fibratus, aka "mare's tail"
Cirrus clouds high in the sky like long streamers - bad weather within the next 36 hours
Altocumulus mackerel sky
Altocumulus clouds like mackerel scales - bad weather within the next 36 hours. The old sailor's saying for these types
of clouds is "Mares tails and mackerel scales, tall ships carry short sails."
Cloud cover on a winter night - expect warmer weather because clouds prevent heat radiation that would lower the temperature
on a clear night.
Cumulus towers (cumulus castellanus) - possibility of showers later in the day
Observe animals. They are more likely to react to changes in air pressure than we are.
If birds are flying high in the sky, there will probably be fair weather. (Falling air pressure caused by an imminent storm
causes discomfort in birds' ears, so they fly low to alleviate it. Large numbers of birds roosting on power lines indicates
swiftly falling air pressure.)
Seagulls tend to stop flying and take refuge at the coast if a storm is coming.
Animals, especially birds, get quiet immediately before it rains.
Cows will typically lie down before a thunderstorm. They also tend to stay close together if bad weather's on the way.
Ants build their hills with very steep sides just before a rain.
Cats tend to clean behind their ears before a rain.
Turtles often search for higher ground when a large amount of rain is expected. You will often see them in the road during
this period (1 to 2 days before the rain).
Make a campfire. The smoke should rise steadily. Smoke that swirls and descends is caused by low pressure (i.e. rain on
the way).
Ring around the moon
Look at the moon during the night. If it is reddish or pale, dust is in the air. But if the moon is bright and sharply
focused, it's probably because low pressure has cleared out the dust, and low pressure means rain. Also, a ring around the
moon (caused by light shining through cirrostratus clouds associated with warm fronts and moisture) can indicate that rain
will probably fall within the next three days. Remember: Circle around the moon, rain or snow soon.
Create your own prediction methods. The methods provided thus far are based around a few key (but very general) principles:
Low pressure brings rain, and major weather systems move from west to east. Predicting the weather is all about recognizing
the signs of pressure change in your area. While prevailing systems may move from west to east, for example, individual storms
in a particular region may not, due to local weather phenomena. Long term residents who spend a great deal of their time outdoors,
particularly farmers, commercial fishermen and the like, learn to observe trends that give them clues to long term weather
patterns and seasonal changes in their specific geographical location. In the southern United States, for instance, dogwoods
are seldom caught off guard by late spring frosts, so when they bloom, you have likely seen the last frost of the season.
By being observant, forming hypotheses, and testing your predictions, you can fine-tune your weather predicting abilities
beyond what any article could ever instruct.
Tips [edit]
If you have the inclination, you can use a barometer (or make your own) to measure changes in pressure. Keep a notebook
and observe what else happens when the pressure changes. Be attentive and you might come up with your own weather-prediction
method that's localized to your area.
Warnings [edit]
Don't risk your life or well-being based on these indicators and proverbs. They are correlational only. Predicting the
weather in this manner is not an exact science.
Time is your greatest ally. Not only does it heal all wounds (Really. It does.), but it'll help you see whether these current
events are as dramatic as they initially appear. Be patient and see it through.
How to Clean Dishes on a Camping Trip
What do you do with your dirty plates and cooking gear while you're camping? You can't just stow them and re-use them.
Disposable stuff doesn't work, because you have to haul bags of garbage everywhere with you. Fortunately, there are several
ways to get clean and pristine dishes while camping, and you're about to learn them.
Steps [edit]
With Soap
Smear a light film of biodegradable soap on the outside of your pots before cooking. This will help keep the pots from
charring and make clean up easier.
Boil cleaning water while you're cooking if you have an open burner, or on the fire while you eat. It's a lot easier to
clean cookware right after cooking; otherwise the food cools and hardens on the inside of the pots.
Set out three pots or buckets:
Wash pot: contains hot water with a few drops of biodegradable soap.
Hot-rinse pot: clear, hot water.
Cold-rinse pot: cold water with a tiny splash of bleach or similar substance to kill bacteria (see Tips below)
Scrape plates and pans before washing.
Scrub the dishes in the wash pot. If you do this right after you cook, it should require minimal scrubbing (unless you
completely burned the pot while cooking).
Dip the dishes in the hot-rinse pot, holding them with tongs. This is important because it gets all of the soap off of
the dishes so that they are safe to eat off of later.
Immerse the dishes in the cold rinse for twenty (20) seconds.
Place the dishes on a clean ground cloth or on a piece of tin foil to drip dry. Let them air dry if you have time; otherwise
a paper towel will work. To air dry, place the dishes in a clean, dry, mesh drawstring bag, and hang the drawstring on a tree
branch or other handy fixture such that the bag with dishes inside doesn't touch anything. Air and sunshine will dry everything
quickly without touching any surface that may not be clean. The bleach will evaporate.
Dispose of the dirty dish water by first running a strainer through it thoroughly to remove all of the food particles.
Carry the water 200 feet (60 m) away from your campsite and any water sources, and fling it out in a widespread area, or
pour it in the fire pit if you have one.
Take the strainer and empty it into a bag that you will pack and carry out with you.
Pour your rinse water into the empty wash tub to rinse out any soap residue. Pour this water out over the same spot you
dumped your wash water.
To sanitize your tubs, pour the cool bleach water into the rinse tub, and then into the wash tub. Lastly, pour that water
out over the same spot as the previous two dumps.
Without Soap
Find sand or gravel (that from a stream or river bed is the least likely to have organic matter in it).
Heat water as described above.
Smear a small amount of any leftover cooking grease on the dishes, add wood ashes from the campfire, and mix in a few teaspoons
of hot water until a thick cleaning solution results. This soapy mixture is harsh--see Warnings below.
Use a handful of sand or gravel as an abrasive to scrub the dishes clean, using a separate wash pot and rinse pot.
Drip or air dry.
Heat the dishes immediately before cooking with them again to help with sterilization.
Soapless Method 2
Before you build a campfire, clean out the firepit. Do not burn trash in the firepit. Hardwood ashes are best for doing
dishes. When you are done cooking, allow the fire to burn down to a manageable level.
Select a good sized metal pot; if you have one that is crusty or greasy from cooking, that is the one to use.
Use a long handled serving spoon to put hot coals and ashes into the pot. About 2 cups will do for most messes.
Add just enough water to make a thin, chunky paste that is hot to the touch but not scalding, and mix it with the ashes.
Smear the hot ash paste liberally over all dirty dishes and utensils. It will look awful, but it works. Use the charcoal
to scrub any crusted-on food. For stubborn crust, let the ash paste soak in for a few minutes.
Collect ample water from your source, and carry it and the dirty dishes at least 200 feet away from your water source.
Nest the dishes and utensils as much as possible, and rinse them one at a time over the pile to save water. Set each rinsed
piece aside in a clean, dry spot until you are done. Make sure to rinse your hands.
Spray and Wash
Use non-stick pans, preferably Analon, and non stick grills, and dedicate a cheap set of cooking gear for camping--one
which you don't mind getting charred on the outside. When cooking pans are still hot immediately after cooking, quickly wipe
them out with a paper towel, using tongs to avoid burning your hands. Repeat with additional towels if needed until almost
no residue is left.
Spray some window cleaner or other spray cleaner--just a little will do--on the pans and let it sit on them as you eat.
When you're finished eating, spray some cleaner on the rest of your dishes.
Wipe the dishes soaked in the spray with paper towels so there is very little residue left on them.
Rinse with clean water.
Understand why this works. Less water gets contaminated and dumped at the campsites or in nearby waterways. The food in
the wash water does not rot at the campsite attracting ants colonies and/ or rodents. The food gets wiped up and disposed
in the garbage, or burned, not dumped on the ground or in rivers. If you want to have almost zero impact, spray with cleaner
and wipe with rags and wash the rags at home, leaving almost no residue at the campsite or in the waterways.
Tips [edit]
The hotter the water, the fewer bacteria.
1 capful of bleach will sterilize 5 gallons (20 L) of water - you don't need more than a tiny bit for one or two gallons
(4 - 8 L). (One-fifth of a capful is less than a tablespoon.) Ten drops of bleach is a good ratio for a 2 gal bucket. It also
helps minimize your packing, as you only need a tiny dropper bottle to clean up after several meals.
Some people prefer to skip the bleach. If your water is hot enough and soap is used, your dishes should be clean for the
next time.
Consider the order you wash in: cups/dishes first, pots last. Pots will be the dirtiest and also will be heated next time
you cook, killing any potential bacteria.
Don't have enough containers or buckets to hold the wash or rinse water? A trashbag or two, inside a sturdy box, will do
in a pinch.
Teflon pans only require wiping with a paper towel and some sterilization.
Always wash your hands before handling dishes to limit the spread of bacteria.
If you don't have any soap and can't find any gravel or sand to use as an abrasive scrub, mud will work as a cleaner to
remove food crusts from you dishes. Just make sure that you wash everything in boiling water.
Pine straw or leaf litter wadded up also makes a good scrub brush to scour out stuck on food from a pot.
Warnings [edit]
The alkali water created by mixing wood ashes with grease can be very harsh on your hands. In extreme cases, it can cause
chemical burns just like an acid. Use gloves if you've got them, or a stick to do the scrubbing, and rinse your hands thoroughly
when you're done.
Food attracts bears and other animals. Never leave any food items, snacks, candy, leftovers, scraps, in close proximity
to your tents and campsite.
Using bleach and other detergents can have a detrimental effect on the environment.
Don't use stagnant water, as it's more likely to contain harmful parasites.
Please don't rinse your soapy dishes in the nearby river or lake, even if your detergent says "biodegradable".
How to Organize Your Comic Collection with Excel
Collecting comics is a fun hobby, but when you've built a significant little library, they're hard to keep track of. You
know you want to be able to share them with friends, refer back to certain issues, or even pull them out if you're ready to
sell them, but how do you find what you want, when you want it? There are a lot of choices, such as ComicBase, an excellent,
comprehensive program created just for comic collectors. But the easiest way is probably to simply create a spreadsheet in
Excel, so that's what we're going to deal with in this article.
Steps [edit]
Alphabetize each box of comics separately. Rather than trying to keep the boxes in one consecutive alpha order spanning
your collection (Example: All the "A"s in Boxes 1 and 2, all the "B"s in Box 3, etc.) just make each box its own domain. Whatever
comics you have in a single box, alphabetize them within that box. Don't shuffle them around, because then what will happen
if you get too many "B"s in Box 3, and you have your "C"s in Box 4? Do you make a Box 3.5 for your extra "B"s? A collection
is much harder to maintain that way.
Number each box prominently on the front (not the lid). It doesn't matter how many you have, or what's in them, because
you'll use the spreadsheet to figure out what box has which books inside later.
Create your spreadsheet. You'll need 4 columns: Title, Issue #, Box #, Comments. In the screenshot supplied, there's also
one for # of Copies. Make a Header Row and use the Freeze Pane option to make sure you don't scroll past it - this will keep
it always visible so you know where you are at all times. It's all about making it fast and easy down the road.
Count your box and transfer your info to the spreadsheet. This is pretty
A simple tally sheet
straightforward. Go through each box, review each comic book, and record the information on the spreadsheet. It's helpful
to use a simple tally sheet as shown to count up your box manually first (unless you can sit your boxes right next to your
computer) and then transfer this data to your spreadsheet. Make sure to keep the comic books in alphabetical order (in the
box - don't worry about the order as you're writing them on the sheet, because Excel will sort later).
Access the data. From here on, you'll be able to sort quickly through your collection for what you want, and you can sort
by title, box number, or issue number. Here's the best way - you won't want to do the normal A-Z simple sort with a program
like this.
Highlight your Title column, and then choose DATA from the toolbar at top, and Sort.
Excel will tell you that there's data next to the data you selected which will not be sorted, and asks What Do You Want
To Do? Choose to expand the selection, then click Sort again.
It will ask you what to sort on next - there will be a window that says
The Data Sort Screen
sort by, and has a field with a little drop-down menu that shows the names of your columns, so you'll want to choose title
as your first search criteria, then issue #, then box # from the other two drop-down menus, as shown. They should all be checked
as ascending for sort order. If you created a header row in a previous step, then be sure the little check box for header
row is checked, or if you did not do it, be sure it's unchecked.
After the first time, it will always come up the same way. Now you can hit OK, and Bob's your uncle - All your comics are
now in alphabetical order on your spreadsheet, and the program tells you where you put them. It's a very economical solution,
both money-wise (because most people already have Excel) and time-wise, because who wants to start moving comics in Box #7
in order to make room in Box #2?
Tips [edit]
This works with other collections too, not only for comics.
Don't pack your comics too tight, it makes it hard to get them out later. Besides, don't smoosh your nice books, you can
damage them that way.
Add columns for price paid/estimated value for insurance purposes.
Don't bother to count until your box is full. Just sort them as you add them, and when you have as many as you want in
there, do your count.
Keep a copy on a flash drive, thumb drive, whatever.
Back it up offsite for free using Google Spreadsheets.
Make use of Excel's autofill feature. If you enter your comics consecutively, without skipping rows, Excel will recognize
previously entered items from their starting characters. For instance, typing "SUP" should fill the cell with 'SUPERMAN' if
it's been entered previously. This cuts down on typing time considerably.
Before enabling the autofilter, name the range. Select the Headers, all of the data cells, and some blank rows at the bottom
for new entries, and then click the Name box and type in a name. This will facilitate your sorting.
When you've counted a box of your comics, print a copy of your spreadsheet and just stick it in that box. If you have the
autofilter function chosen, you'll see the little
The AutoFilter Screen
arrows pointing down, as in the screenshot. Now you can select any title from that drop down list and find out which box
each issue is in. Or click on that arrow next to your header box #, and then choose which box you just entered. It will display
only the information for that one box, and putting a copy of that printout will allow you to quickly search for what you want
without thumbing through every book.
If you choose to go with ComicBase or other dedicated comic collecting software, you can still organize your comics from
A-Z in each box, instead of trying to span your collection with an alpha sorting system. This really will save you loads of
time in the long run, because you won't have to re-sort frequently as your collection grows. Most dedicated programs also
have (A) a field specifying location, or (B) offer a customizable field which you can use for the same purpose - just be sure
you enter which box # your comic is contained in as you enter the book into your software, and you'll be able to go directly
to your collection, find the proper box, and then locate the book by flipping through the books inside.
Warnings [edit]
Always make sure you sort using the DATA feature - otherwise, the consequences are deadly and irretrievable! If you blow
it and sort A-Z, do not touch anything . Just click on Edit/Undo. If it's too late, and you did click on something, and now
it won't let you Undo, don't worry. Simply close the Excel file choosing to not save it when it prompts you and reopen it.
Assuming you haven't made any changes your file will be back the way it was. If you did make changes, than you will have to
reenter all the changes you made prior. It is always a good idea to make sure to keep good backups and have a copy of this
file elsewhere.
Things You'll Need [edit]
Of course, a computer. One in proper running order is highly desirable.
Microsoft Excel (or spreadsheet software of your choice)
Time. Not much. Depends on your typing and counting ability.
A big marker to write the Box Number on the front of each box.
And obviously comic books
Bring a spirit of cooperation to a difficult negotiation. You've been waiting for your adversary to be more forthcoming,
but he or she's been looking for reassurance. Be the bigger person and make that first move.
How to Be a Living Statue
Human statues have a long history in the European street theater tradition. In Paris, you can see human statues in many
a park and garden, busking for money in monochrome hues with physical patience and control that rivals most yogis or athletes.
The costume is ninety percent of the battle, the physical control is the icing on the cake. Here's how to pull it off.
Steps [edit]
Choose a costume or character. This is the hardest part, but it's easy and fun if you're creative. Anything goes and your
character/statue doesn't have to be anything or anyone specific. But go crazy. Make up a "realistic" bronze or white statue
(à la something you would see in a park or museum) or come up with something fully fantastic.
Monochrome is very helpful (all gold, all white, all blue) and metallic is great. The less skin you have to paint, the easier
the makeup job and quicker the clean-up. Some props you can consider using are wings, broken umbrellas, boas, fans, bottles,
scales, swords, strips of material, books, flowers, vines, and clocks.
Choose an action. When the statue comes to life, it needs to give something away. If someone leaves money, this is an especially
important thing to do. What you give away doesn't have to be tangible, it can be as simple as a kiss or a glance, but it needs
to be meaningful and it needs to be a moment in which you connect with the human being in front of you and look them in the
eye. If you have a talent, use it. Blowing bubbles, origami, dry flowers, coins, keys, notes wrapped up in ribbon with nonsensical
quotes from your favorite author, it doesn't matter. Singing opera can work. Give away nails. Rivets. Anything.
Find an accomplice. This is also vitally important. Not only is it lonely to do this by yourself, it's a pain in the neck.
Teaming up and helping each other with costumes and makeup is best. A concept using two or three or more people can look stunning
if it's well executed.
Accessorize. Sometimes just going randomly shopping will inspire the costume and character (and the action). Yard sales,
thrift shops and antique shops are best. You're bound to find something odd that will spark you. Other helpful places for
props are home improvement stores (awesome for mechanical-looking things) and fabric and craft stores. They tend to have weird
things, cloth and armature wire, which is all really helpful for creating things from scratch.
Apply makeup. This is essential. Makeup provides the artifice which is key to this art form. If using a white or non-metallic
color, use water based cake-makeup as opposed to oil based. If you use oil, dust it with a finishing powder so it doesn't
smudge. Dark colors don't work as well as light unless your costume is very specifically geared towards that. White works
best, silver second. Metallics can be bought in a bottle or a cake for use with a sponge and a little goes a very long way.
Anyone working in a costume shop should be able to advise you. All costume shops carry makeup lines, just look up costume
in the yellow pages and go.
Present yourself from a high place. It's essential that you find some sort of chair or pedestal or footstool or ledge to
stand on. It just does not work to do this standing on the ground. Bring what you can carry or scope the location beforehand
and see if there's a spot that's viable. Sometimes there's a box just waiting to be stood upon.
Tips [edit]
Make sure that your eyes stand out, you may want to line them in black with a regular eyeliner so they don't get lost.
Adding extra make-up (like lipstick or rouge) on top of your solid base may be necessary, but keep it minimal unless the makeup
IS an essential part of the costume.
Cover your head. Hats and wigs work best. Natural hair can spoil the look. Sometimes a head wrap (such as for a Greco-Roman
statue) can look good.
Relax. You want to use as little energy as possible holding your pose. Find poses that don't require holding difficult
balances. As you stand, check through your body for unnecessary tension.
Control your breathing. Breathe deeply and slowly into your abdomen, then your chest.
Shift your position gradually. Slow and controlled movements will be imperceptible to most onlookers, and will lessen the
likelihood of cramping or fatigue.
How to Keep a Spinning Reel Line Trouble Free
Spinning reels are ideal for making long casts, especially with small lures, but the line can kink up, twist, loop, break,
and make the fishing experience one big headache if you don't know what you're doing. This article will show you some tricks
to keeping the line trouble-free, and keeping your outing stress-free.
Steps [edit]
Check the line capacity on the spool
Choose the right line. Stiff line will loop off and be unruly, giving you nothing but trouble. Choose a line that says
it is limp and castable, and stay within the pound-test guidelines on the reel itself. If the reel says it will hold 140 yards
of 4-pound-test, 120 yards of 6-pound-test, and 100 yards of 8-pound-test, don’t buy line over 8-pound-test. If you
need stronger line than that, get a different reel.
Put the spool of line on the floor, label up. Run the line through the guides on the rod to the reel with the bail open
and tie it tightly to the spool. If you use a regular overhand square knot, pass the end through twice instead of just once
– it will help keep the line tight on the spool. Close the bail.
Open Bail
Closed Bail
Hold the line between your fingers about a foot in front of the reel while you wind the handle to put line on the reel.
After a few seconds, lower the rod toward the spool of line. If the line kinks up and twists, turn the spool over so the label
is toward the floor and start again. It’s normal for it to make big loops – what you’re watching for is
twisting.
Keep pressure on the line in front of the reel while you turn the reel handle to fill it. Do NOT overfill the spool. Leave
between an eighth and a quarter inch of the rim showing. Overfilling is a major cause of looping and problems with spinning
reels.
Keep the line taut
Keep the line taut. After you make a cast with a spinning reel, use your fingers in front of the reel to put tension on
the line until the weight of the lure in the water puts a bit of tension on it. Reeling in loose line is a sure-fire way to
get loops on your spool. Once the line is taut you can let go and reel normally.
Use a swivel in front of the lure if you are using lures that typically cause twisting. Plastic worms, inline spinners
(Mepps, etc) and spoons often cause twist and will benefit from a swivel.
Untwist the line. If you do get some line twist, the line will twist up as you reel it in, causing loops all over the spool
and making it difficult to cast. If this happens:
Take the lure off and simply let the line out behind the boat as you travel down the lake. Let as much line out as you
can, and when you stop, wind it back on. Be sure to hold it taut while you wind it on.
Another solution is to tie the end of your line to something, then walk away while letting the line out. Pull on the line
when you get enough off, to stretch the line slightly and remove kinks. Cut the end of the line free before re-winding it
back onto the reel. Don’t stretch the line too much or you will weaken it. Just put a little pressure on it.
Rear Drag Knob
Set the drag. The drag is the mechanism that allows line to spool off with the bail closed. This lets line off slowly if
a big fish bites, so that it doesn’t break the line. To set the drag, leave the bail closed and pull on the line in
front of the reel. It should take a fair amount of pressure to make the line come out. If you catch a small fish and it takes
the drag out, tighten it. If a big fish starts to pull real hard and you think the line is going to break, loosen the drag.
Simple as that. Some spinning reels have the drag knob in front and some are in back. Get familiar with your reel before you
go out.
Stop reeling if you are fighting a fish and the drag is going out. Reeling while the drag is going out will twist your
line, and it is futile anyway. Use your hand on the spool to get control over the fish, or tighten the drag if you need to.
The best way to set your drag is to use a scale and set it to 25% of the strength of the line. The scales are expensive,
but some tackle shops have them. The pull and feel method works just fine for a fun-fisherman.
Feel your line near the lure for nicks and frays every once in a while when you are fishing. If you feel any, cut off above
the rough spots and re-tie.
Tips [edit]
If your line starts to loop up around the reel when you try to cast, your line is too stiff or you put too much on the
spool.
Put a layer of monofilament on the spool first when using braided line, or the braid will spin around on the spool so that
you can’t set the hook or set the drag. Alternatively, you can wrap a layer of compressible tape (like first aid tape)
around the spool before putting on braided line.
There are a bunch of different products available at tackle shops to help make your line supple and easy to cast. Kevin
Van Dam’s Line Conditioner and Real Magic are two of the most popular line conditioners. These need to be applied to
the line on the spool and allowed to dry for best results, so use them before you leave for the lake.
Spinning reels are designed to be used hanging beneath the rod as you fish. If you hold the rod upside down it can lead
to problems.
Any reel gets dirty and dry after a while. Every couple of years (more often if you fish a lot), you should take the reel
in for service and get it cleaned and lubed.
U.S. Reel designed to be user friendly
There are new spinning reels designed to be extremely user friendly and greatly reduce problems with twisting and looping.
Visit a good tackle shop to see what's new.
Limp, castable line is a must.
Check the box on the line you're buying. Most line manufacturers make line that works particularly well on spinning reels,
and it will say so on the box.
Warnings [edit]
If you opt for braided line, never try to bite it (it's not a good idea with any type of fishing line, but especially braided).
Use scissors. There are also special clippers for braid.
With braid, if you get snagged, do NOT pull on the line with your hands. Braid is so strong it can cut you badly. Instead,
wrap the line around your pliers or scissors and pull. Usually, braid is so strong it will straighten out the hooks and you'll
get your lure back.
If you let a child use braided line, you must remain constantly vigilant. Don't rely on a child to remember not to pull
on the line.
Never discard any fishing line except in designated receptacles. It causes havoc (or death) to many thousands of birds,
turtles, and fish every year. Even small pieces can cause trouble. Most tackle shops have recycle bins for used fishing line,
and many lakes have line recycling receptacles near the boat ramp.
How to Sleeve Computer Cables
A fundamental component of computer building and modding is cable management. PC enthusiasts and modders complete this
tedious process of sleeving cables merely for improved aesthetics. However, cable management and sleeving will often improve
a computer's existing air flow, and decrease system temperatures in poorly cooled systems. Regardless of the reason, cable
sleeving is a popular trend in the PC modding market that has been thriving for years. This guide will help you sleeve all
of your own, internal, computer cables.
Note: this guide is geared towards the sleeving of a spliced cable with two wires. Apply the steps according to your own
sleeving project.
Steps [edit]
Gather the necessary items as shown in the "Things You'll Need" section.
Determine your approach. Do you want to sleeve a cable by splicing it, removing pins from connectors, or in place over
the existing connectors? Splicing is a good option if you plan to change the length of the cable at the same time, while removing
pins from connectors (to avoid forcing the sleeving over connectors) is the cleanest approach. Some connectors may be small
enough to sleeve a cable in place.
Cut sleeving to length. As sleeving expands around cables its length shortens, so be sure to match the length of the sleeving
while on the cable itself. Leave approximately 1/4" to 1" (3 to 12mm) of cable exposed at each end. This exposed section will
help the heat-shrink tubing to grip both the cable and the sleeving. If applicable, it should also provide enough slack to
reinsert pins into their connectors. As your sleeving skills improve, you'll be able to guess the correct length to cut.
Singe the sleeving's ends. To avoid fraying and un-weaving, use a heat source, such as a lighter, to singe both ends. Most
sleeving cut from a manufacturer or distributor will already be singed at the ends. Whenever you make a cut into the sleeving,
singe the ends on both sides of the cut.
The first photo shows frayed edges of sleeving that has not been singed or treated in any way. The second photo shows sleeving
with a singed end to keep it from fraying.
Install sleeving. Put the cut sleeving on the cable, pushing it up the cable in a fashion of movement similar to an inchworm.
Squeeze down to hold one side of the sleeving in place with your first hand.
Use your other hand to push the sleeving together.
Release the grip of your first hand.
Repeat until sleeving has been completely installed.
Cut heat-shrink tubing. You'll need two pieces of approximately 1/4" to 1" (3 to 12mm) long to cover the ends of the sleeving.
The tubing should be large enough in diameter to clear the sleeving. Slip both of them over the cable and sleeving, one at
a time. Push them all the way to the end of the cable that doesn't have pins, or the end that will be completed last.
Pull back sleeving. If your sleeving is long and the other side of your cable attached to something, pull back sleeving
to give yourself room to work. Use wire ties (twisting variety) or a pair of locking pliers to hold back sleeving.
Attach wires if you're sleeving a spliced cable.
Prepare cable ends before rejoining the wires. Strip the wire insulation off of each end, then twist stranded wires together
to avoid separation. Cut two pieces of heat-shrink tubing to cover each soon-to-be reconnected wire. The heat-shrink tubing
should be as long as the stripped portion of wire strands, plus 1/4" (3mm), and should be large enough in diameter to clear
the wires once twisted together. Slide the heat-shrink tubing over each wire as shown in the photo.
Connect the wires by twisting the stripped portion of each wire's ends together. For solid wires (non-stranded), twist
them together with a pair of small, needle-nose pliers.
Secure and insulate connections. Move the two pieces of heat-shrink tubing to cover the stripped sections of wire that
are twisted together. Make sure there is enough tubing to cover all exposed wire as well as overlap at each end. If not, undo
the wire connection and re-twist it to make it shorter. Use your heat source to shrink (activate) the tubing until it fits
snugly over the connections.
Release sleeving. Note: if you're sleeving a cable with removed pins, now is the time to reinsert the pins into their connectors.
Remove wire twist or locking pliers and release sleeving, allowing it to extend over the entire cable. If the sleeving is
now too long, use a pair of diamond edge cutters to snip away the excess sleeving. Remember to leave at least 1/4" (3mm) of
cable exposed for heat-shrink tubing.
The first photo shows sleeving that was cut too long for the cable. The second photo shows the sleeving after it has been
cut down in size. If you've correctly estimated the length of your sleeving ahead of time, you won't need to make these adjustments.
Expand the sleeving. Hold on end of the sleeving, then pull on the other end to expand the sleeving as much as possible.
If you selected the right sized sleeving, it should provide a snug fit around the cable. For larger cables, or if desired,
attach a nylon wire tie (zip tie) over each end of the sleeving. This will ensure the sleeving does not move unless forced.
Shrink the tubing. Position the two heat-shrink tubing pieces, then activate them with your heat source. Be sure to keep
the sleeving taut around the cable during this step. Repeat all of these steps for each cable you want to sleeve.
Things You'll Need [edit]
PC cables you want to sleeve
Sleeving Tools
Wire stripping and cutting tool
Heat source such as a lighter or heat gun
Scissors to cut sleeving and heat-shrink tubing
Diamond-edge cutter (optional)
Pin removal tool or Jeweler's screwdrivers, depending upon what you're sleeving (optional)
Locking pliers to hold back sleeving (optional)
Needle-nose pliers have many uses here (optional)
Sleeving Consumables
Cable sleeving, also sold as part of a sleeving kit
Heat-shrink Tubing, also sold as part of a sleeving kit
Nylon wire-ties, also sold as part of a sleeving kit (optional)
Plastic/paper-coated wire twists to hold sleeving in place (optional)
Tips [edit]
The larger the sleeving (diameter), the easier it is to push together into a wider diameter. This also applies to flexibility.
Sleeving manufacturers will typically use the same gauge strands on a specified range of sleeving sizes. The physical properties
of sleeving will change dramatically when both the strand gauge and strand type changes.
Purchasing sleeving in a kit will save money when the total amount of sleeving you receive is your focus. However, sleeving
kits may not provide enough of a specific diameter sleeving for your needs. If you're sleeving the entire inside of your computer,
purchase two 'PSU sleeving kits'.
If the heat-shrink tubing you have is too small in diameter for its application, it is possible to stretch it. Use a pair
of needle-nose pliers to slowly and carefully stretch the tubing from the inside out.
Insert the pliers into the tubing as far as possible.
Pull the pliers apart to open up the ends.
Stretch the tubing a little at a time, but avoid puncturing or tearing it.
Close the pliers and rotate the tubing slightly.
Repeat, then repeat this process for the other side of the tubing.
Using Jeweler's screwdrivers and staples for connector pin removal will work, but a specialized pin removal tool set is
far better. Most sets can be found online for $20 USD or less and will contain a Molex pin removal tool, ATX pin removal tool(s),
and floppy/fan pin removal tool(s).
Small diameter brass tubing from a hobby supply or hardware store will also work to remove the pins. These generally cost
roughly $2.00 US. For example, 3/32" ID tube works for Molex pins.
If one end of a cable is snagging on the sleeving, try wrapping it in scotch tape. Any tape will help, but scotch tape
is easier to remove when you're finished; it won't leave behind any sticky residue.
Cables that are significantly smaller in diameter than the sleeving you're installing may not require an 'inchworm'-like
installation. The sleeving should slip easily over the cables.
Keep stripped wires strand clean by drying your fingers before you twist ends together. Transferring too much oil from
your skin will promote corrosion and induce additional resistance. If you find this task difficult, use a contact cleaner
to spray the wire ends.
To complete a 'stealth' look of larger sleeved cables (such as an ATX power cable), use rubber electrical wrapping tape.
This is thicker, with more of a matte color, when compared to regular vinyl electrical tape. However, rubber wrapping is much
more expensive. Use sparingly to wrap the ends of a cable where sleeving and heat-shrink tubing will not cover every wire.
For aesthetic value, use similar color connectors, sleeving, and heat-shrink tubing. Sleeving kits often have similar heat-shrink
tubing and sleeving colors, even if they don't match perfectly. However, black heat-shrink tubing will typically work well
with any color theme. Match the colors to the color theme of your computer, but do not mix more than three colors. An example
of a three color theme (black, green, and white) is shown in the images below.
Warnings [edit]
Apply heat accurately when shrinking the tubing to avoid overheating the sleeving. Doing so may burn a hole in the sleeving
before you realize your mistake. This is especially problematic where the heat-shrink tubing meets the sleeving. Exposed sleeving
will melt, but sleeving covered in heat-shrink tubing should be more resistant.
Be careful when singeing the sleeving ends. Applying heat for longer than a few quick passes will melt the ends together.
Wiring, connectors, heat-shrink tubing, and sleeving are all flammable if exposed to a flame or heat for an extended period
of time.
A gruff exterior hides a treasure trove of wisdom. It might take some time to work your way past the surface details with
this person, but once you do, you'll see why it was worth the effort. Lavish them with kindness.
Your heart's in the right place, but what about your body, mind and spirit? Balance is what it takes to get your plans
back on track. The stars say do a little tinkering and you'll be in orbit before you know it.
How to Write an Autobiography
Whether you've enjoyed a life well-lived or suffered through a life of hardships and mistakes, you probably have an interesting
tale to tell. Writing an autobiography is an ideal way to capture the stories of your life and the times you’ve lived
in, and unless you're famous, an autobiography or memoirs may be the only way those stories get preserved intact. If you are
famous, an autobiography may be the only way to tell your side of the story and defend your legacy against those infamous
"unauthorized biographies." Regardless of your situation, there's no time like the present to start writing about your past.
Steps [edit]
Understand your reasons for writing an autobiography. Your autobiography will turn out best if you write it simply because
you want to, perhaps to share the experiences of your life with others, to give as a gift for your family, to try and understand
your life and the forces that have shaped you, to preserve your legacy, or simply to exercise your desire to write. If money
is your primary motivation, keep in mind that, unless you have some renown, your story will be a hard sell. While it's possible
to sell a book about a relatively unknown person, the book really has to be something special. This means that you, the writer,
need to care most about the story, not the money.
Read some autobiographies. The best way to get a feel for autobiographical writing is to read several good autobiographies.
Ask friends, family, and your local bookseller for recommendations. The more you read, the more approaches you'll be exposed
to, and while you don't need to copy any of these for your memoirs, you can get a lot of good ideas about how to organize
your story and make it interesting.
Think about your audience. Your approach to writing will be a lot different depending on who your intended audience is.
If you're just writing for yourself, and nobody will ever see your story, you can do whatever you want: take shortcuts, rant,
ignore all the rules of grammar if you want. If you're writing for friends and family, you'll want to pay more attention to
readability, but you can still take certain shortcuts because chances are your readers will already be familiar with many
of the characters and stories. Writing for publication, however, requires a more thorough approach. Not only will you need
to edit the manuscript to perfection, but you'll also need to constantly keep in mind that your readers may not know anything
about the people or events in your autobiography.
Develop your theme. A story is generally more satisfying if it has a unifying theme or two. Rather than just reciting the
events of your life like a timeline in a history book, think about what the main idea of your story -- the driving force of
your life -- is. Maybe you're a rags-to-riches story, or maybe the central theme of your life has been the love of your spouse.
Think about what's most important to you, and build your story around that. Having a theme in mind will make your story more
compelling and help you weed out all those unimportant details.
Organize your autobiography. For obvious reasons, chronological order is the most popular style of autobiographical organization.
It's pretty straightforward: start at the beginning, and when you come to the end, stop. A logical beginning would be your
birth, but you may also want to start by giving an overview of your ancestors' stories. Conversely, sometimes it makes sense
to skip over your early years and start sometime later in life. You needn't just go through your life year by year, however.
You may want to organize your story more thematically. However you choose to organize your autobiography, it's a good idea
to plan it out in an outline. You don't need to follow your outline when you start writing, but it can be a helpful guide.
Jog your memory. The best way to remember the past is to try and find things you have kept from that time, such as photos
and letters. They may spark just one memory or a whole chain of them. Before you start to write about each stage in your life,
try to find items you may have kept from each. Ask family and friends if they have saved anything of yours from that time.
Start writing. When you open the floodgates of memory, you will probably be eager to capture everything just right. Sit
in a comfortable place, relax, and take it one page at a time. Be yourself: you’ll write faster and more naturally.
Don’t spend too much time thinking about style and grammar, just write. You’re probably not trying to win any
prizes, and even if you are, don't let the "art of writing" prevent you from telling your story. You can edit later.
Edit your completed work. Once you've hammered out your life story, let your manuscript sit for a few weeks before proceeding
to edit it. You may find it helpful to ask others to read your story and comment on it. Take out the extraneous details, tie
up the loose ends, and make sure your writing is crisp and readable throughout.
Preserve your work. Ensure you have at least one copy in a place which is safe from fire, flood or other damage –
you don’t want such an important work to be lost. If your story is saved on your computer, make sure to print out a
hard copy and save a backup copy. You may even want to back your autobiography up online. In most cases, you'll also want
to have a plan for passing on your autobiography. You can do this either by trying to get the book published, publishing it
yourself, or distributing copies to friends and relatives. Even if you decide not to distribute it right away, you are going
to put lots of work into this project, and you should have a plan for passing on your story to your heirs.
Tips [edit]
For many, scents are powerful memory joggers. If you want to remember details about your childhood home, for example, cook
up one of your mom's old recipes that you haven't had in a long time. As the aroma fills the air you may feel like you're
right back in your childhood home eating dinner with your family.
Make your story vivid. Use descriptive words. Think about the Who, What, Where, When, How and Why of each memory. Use your
senses to help describe your stories. Show, don't tell. At the same time, don't get bogged down in unimportant details. While
you want your autobiography to be vivid, you don't want it to be boring. Too many details--listing everyone that was at a
party or trying to include all the events of each day--will bog the story down. You also don't want to have to spend a lot
of time researching every last detail, such as the exact dates of each event, or you'll never finish your story.
If you are hand-writing your manuscript, make sure your writing is legible; you do want people to be able to read it. Consider
having your written copy typed up when you finish it.
Honesty is the best policy, but you don't have to include every horrid secret you may be hiding if you don't want to. Conversely,
you may decide to spruce up your legacy a bit by embellishing your accomplishments just a little. After all, it's your story.
Want to tell your story, but don't have a lot of time to write? There are a variety of shortcuts available for purchase,
including fill-in-the-blanks books and fill-in-the-blanks binders.
If your writing is atrocious, or if you just need some help getting your thoughts in order, consider hiring a ghost writer
or a professional personal historian. Celebrities do it all the time.
Oral and/or video personal histories can be fun, especially if you don't particularly enjoy writing, and they offer the
advantage of preserving your image and voice. Audio/Video personal histories are somewhat more difficult to distribute, but
you can fairly easily copy your video or audio yourself or find an audio or video duplication firm that can accommodate your
duplication needs for a modest fee.
Other things to include in your autobiography: Dedication, Foreword, Vital Statistics, Chronology Sheets, Family Tree,
Epilogue.
If the purpose of your autobiography is to pass on your story to your heirs, consider including memorabilia (e.g. pictures,
heirlooms, medals, mementos, letters, etc.) and putting your story in a scrapbook format. Of course, you may not be able to
copy the memorabilia that accompanies your autobiography, so you still have to think about what you intend to do with your
original work and other items such as medals or bulky heirlooms.
Warnings [edit]
An autobiography is different from a memoir. This wikihow combines the two; make sure you know which you want to write.
An autobiography is like a self-written biography; it outlines the events and experiences of the author in a factual way.
A memoir, however, is more intimate and focuses on emotion and perspective. Be sure you use the right term for your work,
the different titles target different audiences.
How to Use a Paper Shredder as a Pasta Machine
Believe it or not, the first manufactured paper shredder design was inspired by a hand-crank pasta maker. Even though shredders
have come a long way, they can still be used to perform the same function as their pasta-making cousin. If you've got an old,
un-used shredder lying around or you've got top-secret, incriminating information printed on a pasta sheet, it might be useful
(and fun) to explore the multi-functionality of your shredder and get some linguine out of it at the same time.
Steps [edit]
Get a heavy duty shredder that can chew through CDs and credit cards as easily as paper.
Clean your shredder. Even if it's new, you have no idea how long it sat gathering dust (or worse) at a store. Also, you'll
want to clean thoroughly to remove any ink residues if your shredder performed its intended function in the past. However,
an unused shredder is preferable. See Warnings below.
Remove the paper-catching bin below it. You'll want room to work with your pasta.
Disable the receptacle sensor so the machine still functions. You can do this with duct tape.
Use a lubricant such as 10-40 or liquid bleach
If you have a shredder that is supported by the receptacle, you'll need to prop it up with something else (e.g. thick books,
soup cans, etc.).
Turn the machine on. As the mechanism churns, coat it with nonstick cooking oil (see Warning).
Run pasta through. Your sheet of dough should be no wider than the paper feed and no thicker than a stack of paper you'd
put through the shredder. The length is up to you.
Catch the noodles. Do this as they come out, so they don't pile up and stick to themselves.
Tips [edit]
This method was made popular by kitchen hacker and Food Network chef Alton Brown.
It also works well for turning cabbage into coleslaw and tortillas into strips for taco salad.
Don't use a "crosscut" or high-security style shredder, as this will not provide you with strips of pasta. It will instead
make little tiny scraps and will most likely just get clogged with dough.
Follow the same cautions you would with a standard pasta grinder.
Warnings [edit]
If you clean your shredder with a liquid (such as water or alcohol), make sure it is dry before plugging it in to avoid
electrical shock. Avoid getting liquid into the motor housing.
Some think industrial lubricants used in paper shredders are poisonous, so be sure to clean the paper shredder blades thoroughly
before using it for this purpose, or do not do this at all.
The shredder instructions warn against using aerosols as the propellant may ignite. Be careful!
How to Follow a Low Sodium Diet
A healthy adult needs between 1500 and 2400 milligrams of sodium per day, but many people end up having more than 3000
mg of sodium a day. Even just one teaspoon of salt contains approximately 2300 mg of sodium, and a single item from a fast
food restaurant can have almost as much (a KFC chicken pot pie has 2160 mg): [1]. Since chronic excess sodium is associated
with hypertension and possibly other conditions for a minority of the population, some people are looking for ways to keep
their sodium intake under control. An acute sodium overdose may also cause immediate medical symptoms, such as cracked, bleeding
lips, nausea, and, in extreme cases, death: [2].
Steps [edit]
Eat at home. It may be difficult or impossible to control the sodium content of foods prepared by others, whether you eat
at somebody else's home or at a restaurant.
Avoid processed foods. Fresh produce, meat, and freshwater fish are typically salt-free or extremely low sodium, while
processed and restaurant foods, such as soups and frozen dinners, are usually quite high in sodium. If you don't have access
to fresh vegetables, then sodium-free or low sodium canned vegetables are better than high sodium canned vegetables. Many
frozen vegetables are low in sodium as well. Get into the habit of reading labels for sodium content. Remember, you can always
add salt, if it's really needed, later.
Remove sodium from the surface of foods. For some products, the salt can be removed, such as by draining canned olives
and soaking them in fresh water, or crumbling salt off the surface of pretzels or saltines. Choose "salt on top" products
over those with salt mixed in. For example, avoid buying saltines with "unsalted tops", as the salt is typically inside the
crackers instead of on top, making it impossible to remove. "Salt on top" products also provide more salt taste per amount
of sodium, so are a good choice from that perspective, as well.
Evaluate seasonings for sodium content. Many products, such as bullion, bacon bits, grated parmesan or romano cheese, and
assorted "seasonings" are mostly salt, so avoid those, whenever possible (instead of ketchup, mustard and pickle, try lettuce,
onion and tomato on your burger). For products which include a separate "seasoning packet", the amount of the packet used
can be reduced or it can be eliminated entirely. For example, ramen noodles, especially baked ramen noodles, can be reasonably
healthy, provided you don't use the entire contents of the seasoning packet. However, these flavorings and "seasoned salt"
are still better than adding straight salt, even if only slightly.
Dilute sodium in foods. If you do purchase high sodium products, such as soups, one method to reduce the sodium level is
dilution. For example, if you prepare soup as instructed on the label, it will have a high sodium content. Instead, you can
start with the canned soup as a base, then add potatoes and fresh vegetables such as celery, onions, and carrots. The result
is more soup, with a lower average sodium content, and higher average vitamin content, with a lower average cost (because
fresh vegetables are also typically less expensive than canned soup). For another example, say you start with ham, which is
quite high in sodium. To serve that directly would result in a high sodium intake for everyone who eats it. However, if you
mix ham cubes in with unsalted mashed potatoes, you can prepare a tasty dish which has a reasonable sodium level. In addition,
canned vegetables that are high in sodium, such as beans, peas and corn, should be rinsed before cooking.
Take the salt shaker away. By not using salt when cooking or eating, many people can reduce their sodium intake by 30%.
You can replace the salt shaker with a pepper mill, rosemary, garlic powder (not garlic salt), chili powder, or other spices.
Freshly ground pepper can be especially good, and can eliminate the bland taste which we are so accustomed to interpret as
meaning "it needs salt". The salt is still available, but if you put it in a less accessible spot (like deep inside a cupboard
or in a high cabinet) it is less likely to be used.
Read labels and visit web sites for sodium content. Many restaurants have web sites with nutritional info, including sodium
content. A good general website which lists nutritional data for fresh foods, processed foods, and many fast food restaurants
is http://www.nutritiondata.com. When shopping for food, a good rule of thumb is to compare the listed number of calories
per serving with the number of milligrams of sodium, and avoid products where the sodium number is greater than the calorie
number. Assuming a 2500 calorie-a-day diet, this strategy should keep you within the recommended sodium range.
Consider using a sodium substitute. There are many salt replacements on the market, including magnesium chloride and potassium
chlorine. These will provide a similar, but not identical, flavor, without the negative effects of sodium. They can be found
in the seasoning section of your local grocery store. However, be aware that others may not be able to tolerate the taste
of salt substitutes, so don't add them to dishes, but rather allow each person to add some themselves, if they wish. Also,
smaller amounts are better when using these products, as too much gives the food a chemical taste.
Be cautious of "softened" water. Water softeners sometimes add a substantial amount of sodium: [3]. Avoid drinking such
water; instead use bottled water or a reverse osmosis filter. Ideally you should also avoid cooking with "softened" water
(although using bottled water for cooking could be quite expensive).
Drink plenty of fresh water. Water helps the body in many ways, and may help to eliminate excess sodium. Can't stand plain
water ? Try adding a slice of lemon.
Watch what you drink. Many drinks are quite high in sodium, such as a small Burger King chocolate shake, with 298 mg of
sodium: [4]. If you are thirstier after you finish the drink, that's a sure sign of a high sodium content.
Beware of high-sodium medications. Many meds contain sodium. While no prescription med should be discontinued without consulting
a physician, you may want to ask your doctor if any sodium-free or low sodium alternative meds are available.
Tips [edit]
These steps can and should be combined. For example, prepare baked ramen noodles, without the spice packet, then add fresh
vegetables and potatoes, then add freshly ground pepper. If it still needs salt, add a small amount of the seasoning packet.
For best results, change your diet and implement these steps gradually.
It may help to keep a food diary for a week. Record everything you consume, including beverages and seasonings, and find
out how much sodium each item contains. Eliminate the highest sodium sources and replace them with no-sodium or low-sodium
substitutes.
When you buy meat to cook, check to ensure that it is not "seasoned" (i.e., salted), as is sometimes the case with cuts
of pork and chicken sold at grocery stores.
If possible, add salt near the end of the cooking process or just before eating. This way, less salt will suffice since
there is less time for it to penetrate into food.
Stay on track, think about people you love that want you to do this.
Warnings [edit]
Some high blood pressure medications do not mix with salt substitutes--check with your health care provider or pharmicist
before using!
Many low sodium products contain salt substitutes, such as potassium or magnesium chloride, instead of the usual sodium
chloride. Such products can have an unpleasant aftertaste. If you don't like this taste, be careful to check the ingredients
list for salt substitutes on all low sodium products.
Those with impaired kidney function and those who have had an organ transplant should avoid salt substitutes, particularly
those containing potassium chloride.
Are you trying to get everyone on board with your ideas? Slow down there! You're on the right track, but you might be moving
at a too-brisk pace for some types. Make sure all the details are clear to everybody.
Money matters can make personal interactions unnecessarily complicated. Don't keep this issue on a slow burn. It's time
to step up and get things out in the open so you and your peeps can enjoy life.
Yes, you can get it done on your own, but if you ask someone for help, you can accomplish twice as much in half the time.
Not only that, if others know what you're doing, new and much-needed resources might come your way.
Saying nothing is tantamount to giving this person false hope. It's never easy to be the one to say no, but giving an honest
answer is the fair thing to do -- both for yourself and for the other party.
Feeling guilty because you skipped out on an important meeting? It's no big deal if you missed a moment. You're busy. Just
like with knitting, you can go back and pick up a stitch and no one's the wiser.
This person thinks he or she's the epitome of cool. Others seem to agree, but privately you think they're kind of a jerk.
This isn't an either/or situation. You're entitled to your opinion, so don't be swayed by the collective.
Let's face it -- you're just at a different point on the continuum of emotional development. You can't force someone else
to see things from your point of view if they're not equipped to deal with it. Move on.
There's such a thing as news being too good. Oh, wait -- no there isn't! You receive a piece of information that pretty
much makes your day. Give it a moment to sink in and you'll see it's just good enough to be true.
Discretion is definitely the better part of valor, but the world needs your presence. Get your lightning wit, dazzling
smile and sparkling energy out on the scene. You'll feel better, and so will the people around you.
The less you take personally, the easier your life gets. 'But how?' you say. 'They said that to/about/because of me!' Everyone
has a complex situation. You can't understand their motives, so get on with your own life.
A challenge is heading your way. While your nearest and dearest will support you to the best of their ability, in the end,
you'll need to perform this task on your own. Be brave! You're totally capable of handling this.
Whether you appreciate the benefits of caffeine but dislike the flavor of coffee, or you're just looking for a new, quick way to get a caffeine fix, you'll probably be pleased with the convenience
and quirkiness of caffeinated Jello shots--provided you use them responsibly, of course, since you can overdose on
caffeine, just like with any drug. With these instructions, you'll be able to make a batch, keep them in your refrigerator, and grab them on the go--or serve them to groggy guests.
Decide on the caffeine dosage of your jello shots. Then determine how many caffeine pills you will
need. A 6 oz Jello package makes about 30 shots, so figure how much caffeine you're going to need total, and divide that by
the amount of caffeine per pill, which is usually 200mg. (E.g. 30 shots at 50mg each = 1500mg total, divided by 200mg = 7.5
pills needed.) In this article, 30 shots of 100mg each will be made, requiring 15 pills, but your dosage can vary by the desired
intensity:
50mg- Mild energy rush. About equal to the caffeine in a can of cola.
100mg- Enough energy for 80's dance night. Equals about a 2 ounce espresso.
200mg- Same dose as in 2.5 cans of Red Bull.
300mg- Twitching starts. Jello shots begin to taste very bitter.
400mg- Ingesting more than 400 mg of caffeine can be dangerous, with side effects including tremors, agitation,
stomach ache, and irregular heartbeat. See Warnings.
Grind the caffeine pills with a mortar and pestle if available. Otherwise place the pills on a sheet
of paper.
Fold the paper in half, and go over it with a rolling pin or some other dense cylindrical object.
Use moderate force so that you can crush them.
Keep rolling until the powder is similar in consistency to the image shown.
Pour the ground up caffeine into a large bowl with the Jello powder, and mix thoroughly.
Add the boiling water (follow the standard Jello recipe on the box for exact amount of water) and stir thoroughly. Keep stirring until all the caffeine has completely dissolved into the solution.
Pour the solution evenly into 30 shot glasses (or small paper cups), and refrigerate for a few hours
until jiggly.
Some people prefer to grind B12 pills into the mixture too. The specific amount of B12 used is not as important
as the caffeine dosage. It is more of a season to taste, a few pills for a slight added energy boost or a few more to shift
into hyperdrive. Remember, however, that it is possible to get too much and suffer ill effects.
Caffeine is a powerful stimulant (i.e. drug) and can be toxic at high levels. Remember, the poison is
in the dose. At very high doses (about 2000 mg), the effects can be severe enough to necessitate hospitalization. Make sure
you do the math right when measuring the caffeine: forgetting to carry the zero could be lethal.
People with medical conditions such as hypertension (high blood pressure), coronary artery disease (heart
disease) or history of cardiac arrhythmias (heart rhythm disturbances) should first consult a physician prior to using caffeine
or any other stimulants.
If you purchase pure caffeine powder, be sure it is food grade (i.e. tested for human consumption).
The half-life of caffeine is anywhere from 3-10 hours, depending on individual health factors. Be sure not
consume too many jello shots within a 3 hour period.
If you buy one random drawing lottery ticket, you have a chance of winning. What is it? If you buy more than one lottery ticket, how much does this
improve your odds of having at least one winning ticket? In this article, you'll learn how to answer these questions and add
a little bit of clarity to what is, to most people, a shot in the dark. The first method below is the most accurate, but it
takes some time. The second method presented is simpler and faster, and will approximate the odds closely enough for most
people--in fact the answer is the same for the example below.
Write down your first fraction: (T-W)/T. For the moment, don't simplify the fraction by reducing it to lowest terms.
For example, suppose the lottery will sell 23,000,000 tickets, there will be 1,000 winning tickets, and you
are planning to buy 6 tickets. Then T = 23000000, W = 1000, and P = 6. The first fraction will be (23000000-1000)/23000000
= 22999000/23000000.
Simplify the fraction (punch 22999000 divided by 23000000 into a calculator to get a decimal, in this case 0.99995652173913043478260869565217) and jump to the Subtract step if you only bought one
ticket. If you bought more than one ticket, skip this step.
Write more fractions by reducing the previous numerators and denominators by one, until the total
number of fractions is equal to P, the number of tickets you are planning to buy. If you bought 6 tickets in the above example,
these are the fractions you should come up with:
22999000/23000000
This is your first fraction, from an earlier step.
22998999/22999999
This is the result of subtracting one from each of the numbers in your first fraction; the following fractions
continue this pattern.
22998998/22999998
22998997/22999997
22998996/22999996
22998995/22999995
Multiply all of the fractions together. There are two ways to do this. You can multiply all of the numerators, then
multiply all the denominators, and then divide the numerator product by the denominator product. Or, if you have a calculator
that can generate long decimals (such as the standard calculator in your computer), simplify all of the fractions (numerator
divided by denominator to generate a decimal) and then multiply all of the decimals together. The resulting number is the
probability of having NO winners among the tickets you purchased.
The 5 fractions in this example generate these decimals, respectively:
0.99995652173913043478260869565217
0.99995652173724007553217719705118
0.99995652173534971611736661890145
0.99995652173345935653817693976221
0.99995652173156899679460813819272
0.99995652172967863688666019275222
Since you have 5 fractions, you must multiply the resulting decimals together, which in this case results
in 0.99973915876017716698091198324496
Subtract the result from 1 to get the probability of having AT LEAST ONE winner among the tickets
you purchased.
For ease of calculation, let's cut it down to .0002608412
Invert the fraction. Press the "1/x" or "x -1" button on your calculator to invert
the fraction you calculated in the previous step. 1 / .0002608412 ~= 3834, meaning that you have about a 1 in 3834 chance
of holding at least one winning ticket. If your calculator doesn't have this function, skip this step and move on to the next.
Convert the decimal into a fraction. Count the number of characters after the decimal point, as that
will be the number of zeros following 1 in your denominator; to get the numerator, take the decimal point and any preceding
zeros away.
.0002608412 has 10 characters after the decimal point, so your denominator is 10,000,000,000 (1 followed
by 10 zeros)
Without the decimal and the preceding zeros, .0002608412 = 2608412
Your fraction is 2,608,412/10,000,000,000
Calculate your chances. Divide the denominator by the numerator. In this case, 10,000,000,000 divided
by 2,608,412 equals 3,834 (when rounded). This corresponds to about 1 chance in 3,834 of holding at least one winning ticket.
Use this equation: Chance of Win = [1 - (1 - W/T)^P] * 100, which for P = 1 would reduce to: Chance of Win
= W/T * 100. The resulting number is your percentage of winning. Using the numbers from the example above, this equation tells
us that we have a 0.026084% (less than three one-hundredths of a percent) chance of winning.
Convert to a fraction as above. Before multiplying by 100 to obtain the percentage, you will have calculated
~0.00026084. Create a fraction as from this as in the last steps of the first method above, so that you have 26084/100,000,000
(8 zeros after the one in this case because there are only 8 digits after the decimal point). Divide the denominator by the
numerator, and your answer, when rounded, is 3,834--the same number you would have arrived at by use of the longer method.
These calculations are only valid for a random drawing lottery. A lottery based on matching numbers would
have an entirely different calculation, based on the number of balls drawn and the number of total balls to draw from.
Some lotteries allow multiple wins if more than one ticket is purchased. These methods simply calculate your
chance of at least one win.
Some lotteries provide the odds of winning, so you can check your math.
If playing a lottery is anything more than just fun for you, and you are thinking of risking money you cannot
afford to lose, you are advised to avoid playing a lottery.
With unauthorized copies of movies and other media being sold around the world, you may be wondering whether that DVD you're eyeing is the real thing or a counterfeit. If you're shopping from a street market or online seller,
here's how to check for authenticity and avoid getting ripped off.
Research the movie you want to buy. Find out how many versions have been officially released, what special
features they have, and which regions they are encoded for. This will allow you to spot a fake more easily when you're shopping,
and it will also give you a better sense of which deals are too good to be true.
For example, genuine Disney DVDs are never "Region 0" or "playable in all regions" or "region 1 compatible." If you spot a Disney DVD advertising
any of these things, you'll know the DVD is not authentic.
A movie about 9/11 hijackings is A Lot of Fun? Proof of Purchase for The Crow?
Look carefully at the covers, both back and front. The cover design should be the same as those for the same movie
being sold through a reliable outlet (such as a large retail store). Variations in the cover design should make you suspicious
because it's possible that a different cover was printed for pirated copies. If you see any words spelled incorrectly, it's a dead giveaway. Another thing to look for is image quality. Gritty images, matte paper and
dull colors indicate that the cover was probably photocopied. THE UPC on the back of the DVD case should only be one color,
black. If additional ink colors can be seen overlaid over the black in the UPC, or if there the lines in the UPC are indistinct
because the image of the barcode has been re-processed with a halftone screen over it, then most likely the DVD case has been
copied and re-printed.
If you're thinking about ordering a DVD that doesn't come with a cover (most often advertised as being a
former rental), don't.
The absence of security seals and plastic wraps should also warrant suspicion.
The advertisement of DVD-9 is associated with fake DVDs because official studio releases never advertise
this distinction; it's counterfeit distributors who specify it to differentiate their products from lower-quality counterfeits.
In general, any advertisement of "quality" is a red flag, as original releases have no reason to mention it.
Examine the actual DVD if you've already bought it. Chances are, you've played it and the quality is questionable
enough for you to be reading this article to make sure. Some additional questions to ask are:
Can you see through the DVD? If you can see through it very well, it is more than likely not authentic.
Is its color different from those (like blue, gold or purple instead of silver)? If it is any of the colors
listed above, it is most likely not a mass produced DVD.
Look on the back. In the inner-most ring, there should be two sets of numbers. Are the sets short, or long?
Do they have any lettering in them that can be easily recognized as an abbreviation? Most authentic DVDs have a very long
set of numbers, which closely resemble each other. If it's short, the DVD might be authentic, but more than likely isn't.
Most authentic DVDs do not have any abbreviations of companies or other things.
Hold the DVD up to the light and tilt it to one side. You may be able to see a well known manufacturer's
name, such as Maxell. If the disc has a name such as Maxell, then odds are the DVD was a burnable disc, easily available for
under £1 ($2), and the disc's contents are counterfeit.
Put the DVD into your PC, click "My Computer," then click your player's drive. It will give you the size of the disc. There should be
close to 5 GB used on a single layer or more on a double layer (but this varies depending on running time). Then go through
Windows Explorer and right click on various files stored on the DVD to check properties. Look for the creation date. If the DVD
is out of print, for example, and the date is recent, something isn't right.
Complain to the seller. If it is a store or a business, contact them for a refund. If they refuse, file a report with
the Better Business Bureau or your country's equivalent. If it's a street vendor, report them to your local authorities. And
if it's an online seller, such as at an auction site, report them to the coordinating party and leave negative feedback. You
can also report a seller of counterfeits to the studio's anti-piracy department.
Most counterfeits tend to come from Asia. If you are considering purchasing from an auction and the seller is located in Asia, be wary. Look to see what else they're selling and eye the descriptions very carefully.
If you do purchase a counterfeit DVD from a major online auction, you could report it to the FBI if you live
in the USA. It's a federal case, not a local one in the USA.
Braking is a lost skill. With so many cars with anti-lock brakes (ABS), people just slam on the brakes in any situation. This can be a good option, but it is not always the best.
Braking (even with ABS) can cause reduced handling capabilities and actually place you in more danger. It's better to learn how to
brake properly if you want utmost safety and control.
Avoid braking and turning at the same time. Turning while on the brakes can cause the vehicle to not turn as well or not slow down as much. Race car drivers, who are always on the edge with their vehicles,
have learned the needed skill of separating braking from turning. In 90% of corners, many racers use their brakes before they
get to the corner, make the corner, then use the accelerator. Each section of the corner (or the straights before and after
the corner) has its own purpose and separation of brakes and turning gives the best traction for the vehicle to make a desired
corner.
Use your brakes smoothly (if you do not have ABS). Depress your brake pedal with rapidly, steadily increasing
force, but do not simply slam it as hard as you can. This is essential to maximize the braking potential of your vehicle. The goal is to bring the vehicle's tires just shy of breaking traction. The only time that one should pump
the brakes is when driving a non-ABS vehicle on a slick surface, and even then only if you're too inexperienced to reliably
sense the limits of traction.
If you have an ABS-equipped car, however, it's better to slam the brakes than to not depress them hard enough.
Many people who are unfamiliar with ABS systems will pump the brakes on an ABS-equipped vehicle. There is no need to pump
ABS brakes, so don't do it. Another common error people make when using ABS brakes is to take one's foot off the brake pedal
when it begins to pulsate. The pulsating is normal when the brakes are applied hard, and you should continue to press the
pedal down just as hard. Where in doubt, slam ABS-equipped brakes as hard as you can, as this will ensure that you'll stop
as quickly as possible.
Practice panic stops in an empty parking lot. Start by intentionally over-applying the brakes (skidding), then reduce your braking force until you have a
good sense for your maximum braking potential. Roll down your windows and start at one end of the lot. Accelerate to a safe
speed (30-40 MPH should be good) and apply your brakes as hard as you can. You should hear a good deal of squealing (if you
do not, you may have ABS, or your brakes may need service). Go back and forth until you are able to apply your brakes while
only hearing a whisper of squealing (this is called the optimal squeeze point — OSP). This is the point where your
tires' rubber is being twisted and contorted to a degree that only parts of your tires are actually skidding; this is the
absolute limit of your tires' traction, and the quickest way to stop.
You can measure this by setting up markers as to when to start braking and when you stop the car, and you
can visually see the difference between your tires locked up and not.
Extra practice: Purposely lock up your brakes. Now practice reducing pressure on the pedal until it stops
locking up, then apply pressure again to the OSP again). Inevitably, you will go over your OSP, or you will change surfaces
while braking, that is why this practice is essential.
Take note: each surface and speed will have different OSPs. This is why you should practice while
it is dry, then while it is raining, and then when it is snowy (if available). Get yourself adequately adapted to different
traction levels so nothing will surprise you.
Use ABS brakes, in almost all cases, by depressing your brake pedal smoothly (albeit quickly) to the floor.
You will likely feel the pedal either vibrate (dependent ABS) or feel like it gives out altogether (independent ABS). Either
way it is a sign of the ABS working--don't panic and don't take your foot off the brake! Of course, if the pedal feels like
it gave out, and you aren't stopping, your brakes probably gave out, in which case you should try shifting into neutral (N)
in an automatic transmission vehicle or a lower gear than your current in a manual transmission vehicle (or read the wikiHow
article, How to Stop a Car with No Brakes). Do not however shift your vehicle into reverse or park, these will not slow you down, but simply cost you an expensive
trip to the transmission shop.
Focus on where you want to go, not what you want to avoid. It's very difficult to steer away from
something that you're looking at directly, and many people have a tendency to focus on what they are worried about colliding
with. Instead, concentrate on where you want the car to go (to the side of the object) and pay attention to how the car feels—whether
you're at OSP or locking up.
Practice in a safe location. Keeping you, your car, and others in the area safe is worth more than all the skills you think you have.
You want to hear a little bit of squealing when braking hard. This lets you know you are at the limit of
your traction.
On low traction surfaces (loose gravel, snow, or ice) no squealing will be heard, and the OSP is more difficult
to achieve. It is safer to keep traction and not push too hard (this also keeps your ability to steer).
On a vehicle which the brakes are out of balance (the left side brakes harder than the right or vice versa),
enough traction must be kept to allow for the correction in vehicle direction.
On a vehicle which the brakes are out of balance (the rear brakes are much stronger than the front or vice
versa), be sure to check brake pads and rotors and replace them if necessary.
Some times a good cleaning is all they need. The easiest way to clean them is to accelerate to highway speeds
(65-70MPH) (in a safe area) and stop very quickly (do not lock up the brakes).
If you experience poor front-to-back balance during a situation where you cannot check/change/clean them:
if the front brakes are stronger than the rear, brake normally (while you will stop slower than with balanced brakes, this
is still your best option). If your rear brakes are stronger than your front, it may be your best bet to allow your rear brakes
to lock up, and achieve the OSP with the front brakes. Do not attempt to turn a corner with your rear brakes locked up, spinning
out is very likely.
If you have ABS, gentle turning while braking can help you avoid a collision. However, under no circumstances
should you swerve or jerk the steering wheel, as this can cause the vehicle to go out of control, especially in ABS-equipped
cars. It is not uncommon for people to swerve to miss a small animal and end up colliding with a tree or another car. In some
circumstances, however, such as if a child jumps in front of your car, it is prudent to try to turn while you apply your brakes.
You should practice this in a safe environment so you'll get an idea of how the vehicle will react.
Any practicing you do should not be done on public streets! Your own private property is the best.
Always drive safely. Be observant of pedestrians and other vehicles.
Never break the law! Obey speed limits, research state and local laws, and be sure to obey all the laws.
Just because you are well-acquainted with your brakes doesn't give you an excuse to make it a habit of making
sudden stops or tailgating. Always be aware of the road, keeping a safe distance from pedestrians and other cars.
If you overstep the OSP you may lose the ability to steer. While braking (as stated above) steering should
be kept to a minimum, but losing traction could make the vehicle go in a direction which is not desired. Be sure to be comfortable
with the extra practice on step 3
Practicing panic stops that results in leaving rubber on the pavement may rotate the tire on the rim. This
will make the tire unbalanced which will result in a rougher ride. Tire balance will need to be checked after such an exercise.
Repeated applications of your brakes at high-speed can heat up the brake system and cause brake fade. Brake
fade will reduce stopping power. If during the braking practice, you notice increased stopping distances or a spongy brake
pedal feel, allow the brakes to cool down before continuing.
Warning: panic stops may cause disk brakes to warp and thus lessen your vehicle's ability to stop. If your
brakes become warped you will notice an intensifying pulsation in the brake pedal with increased use of the brakes. If they
become warped you should contact your local brake shop to either have them turned down or replaced.
If you have any desire to learn the sport of boxing, also known as the "sweet science," the jab is a faster, longer range punch that will decide your fate in the ring. It may
also be the punch you throw most often because although it's one of the weaker punches, it can help you win by point decisions rather than by knockout. Over 90% of the punches that boxing great Muhammad Ali threw
were jabs. The purpose of a jab is to keep your opponent away from you, give him a little sting, wear him down gradually,
and set him up for stronger punches.
Lean forward with your elbows in and your left hand a little higher than your right. If you are taller than
your opponent and it is unlikely that he will pull off a straight right to your face, you can keep it low like Ali for greater
power and visibility. Otherwise, keep it at your chin ready to parry or block.
Shift your weight forward with the jab. Simultaneously push off your back (right) foot (but don't let it
come off the ground) and twitch your entire left side forward while slightly lifting your left foot. As your hand comes forward,
your body's weight should come forward at the same time. Rotate your hand as it comes forward.
Keep your chin tucked in behind your shoulder.
Throw the jab straight out as if you're punching into a pipe.
As soon as your fist reaches full extension, quickly pull it back to its original position. You can either bring your
back foot forward, encroaching on your opponent's space, or step back, putting the weight again on your back foot. But don't
step back as you throw the jab, or it won't have any power.
Expect some sort of counter-attack. If you are tall, your objective is to get in close enough to deliver a straight right.
If you are smaller and more compact, you may need a few jabs to get in close enough for a hook or uppercut. The jab will help you accomplish both of these.
Practice on the heavy bag to gain power. You should hear a loud pop that resonates in the room. If it is not loud enough,
snap your hand out more or use more of a twitch. Your body weight is what gives your punches power.
Practice for speed. The jab should sting the opponent and get him a little dazed. It is not a knockout punch.
Look for the perfect opportunity to place your jab. Don't waste energy punching at the air.
Perform this punch when your opponent is exactly the length of your arm away. If he is farther, you will fall short and
waste energy. If he is closer and he dodges or parries, you will open yourself up to a straight right or a left hook (ouch!).
Regardless of where you keep your left hand, never bring down your right, even when you're punching. A good boxer
will knock you out with a left hook.
Use this punch to feel out your opponent's style. If he is a counter-puncher, he has certain ways of dealing with a jab
that you need to study before you can go for the knockout. Mistakes are very costly in boxing.
If you land a good clean jab, follow it up with a straight right or a left hook for the knockout. Generally, taller, longer
boxers opt for the former and shorter, more compact boxers opt for the latter.
Interchange the words "left" and "right" for a southpaw (left-handed boxer).
Don't throw a lazy jab. Lazy jabs are characterized by a lack of speed, snap, and intent. A good boxer will punch over
the top of a lazy jab and knock you out.
When sparring always wear gloves and protective gear.
If you are even an amateur boxer, never punch someone without gloves on unless your personal safety is in danger. You
can cause brain damage or even death. This can lead to criminal charges and/or lawsuits.
Mayonnaise has become so ubiquitously processed that most people can't fathom its being made from scratch. But it can be
done. Homemade mayonnaise is tastier, prettier, and more rewarding than store-bought mayonnaise, and once you get the knack
of it, making mayonnaise is a snap.
Heat the mixture in a double boiler to a temperature of 150F (65.6C). This will take about 1 minute. Stir constantly and
keep a close eye on the temperature. Many people don't bother with heating, but it's essential to minimize the risk of food poisoning (see Warnings).
Remove the mixture from heat and cool to room temperature.
Add dry mustard, salt, and cayenne pepper.
Using a whisk or a standing or electric mixer,or a food processor (which works the best), mix the ingredients together.
Slowly, very slowly, teaspoon by teaspoon at first, whisk in an oil that you don't mind tasting (extra virgin olive oil, or peanut or grapeseed,or corn oil, rather than an old, super-cheap container of canola you haven't touched in years).
If using a stand-alone mixer, pour the oil in drop by drop.
If using a handheld or electric whisk, it might be helpful to have someone pour for you, or at least to have something
holding your mixing bowl steady as you whisk.
Continue adding oil bit by bit until the mayonnaise has reached the proper consistency. This may take up to a half a cup
of oil per yolk. If the mayonnaise remains soupy, give it a chance to rest. If in resting the oil and yolk seem to separate,
the mayonnaise has broken. See Tips.
Store mayonnaise sealed in the refrigerator for up to three days. It contains raw eggs, so while it is quite unlikely
that keeping it for longer will prove detrimental to your health, you shouldn't tempt fate.
Make sure that all oil is fully incorporated into the mayonnaise before adding more. If you rush the process, the mayonnaise
will "break," and the emulsion will release all its fat to become a useless pile of oil and egg yolk.
To recover a broken mayonnaise:
Place another yolk in another bowl and slowly whisk the old into the new.
Pour some vinegar down the side of the bowl and slowly work the mayonnaise back together, quickly whisking the oil and
egg near the vinegar into the vinegar, and then bit by bit whisking the rest of the egg and oil into this. This is more difficult
than the other method.
Use the freshest eggs available (backyard chickens, anyone?), since the lecithin in the egg yolk is what emulsifies the oil, keeping the product smooth and creamy.
If olive oil is used, the mayonnaise should be used at once. When refrigerated, it will crystallize or solidify. Olive
oil makes a very fruity mayonnaise.
Using a hand-held immersion blender makes this task very easy. Crack the eggs in the container you plan to use to store
the mayonnaise--a clean generic salsa jar works perfectly. Add the vinegar, mustard, lemon juice, oil, and seasonings. Plunge
the immersion blender into the container, then turn on high. The bottom of the mixture will turn instantly into mayonnaise.
While the immersion blender is still running, very slowly lift up the blender to incorporate all of the oil.
Some grocers and specialty food shops sell "sterile" (free of food-borne bacteria), pre-separated egg whites and yolks.
Because you are using raw egg yolk, care should be taken to avoid food poisoning from Salmonella. Don't alter the
proportions of ingredients unless they are listed as optional, because the acidity is there for a reason--food safety. The
recipe presented here is based on U.S. Food and Drug Administration guidelines (see External Links).
Pregnant women are advised not to eat 'real' Mayonnaise due to the aforementioned Salmonella risk from the
raw eggs.
The power supply unit (PSU) is one of the few items in an electrical device that will affect the performance and reliability of your entire system.
It is often the most undervalued, under-appreciated component within any device, yet one of the first components to cause
failure.
This article focuses on the factors to look for when purchasing a PSU for a personal computer, but it may
be applied to any application needing a regulated PSU. When following this guide, take into account your own application,
and weigh each factor appropriately.
Determine the wattage you need. Use a PSU calculator web page or software to help determine your requirements.
Do not purchase a PSU just above your requirements unless you plan not to upgrade the system for two years or more. Also,
PSUs age, losing power over time. Purchase a PSU that will take you through your next one or two upgrades, over a multiple-year
period.
Research which connectors you need. Newer PSUs will often provide both a 24-pin ATX connector that doubles as a
20-pin connector. Higher-end models may only provide a 24-pin connector, and lower-end models may provide just a 20-pin connector.
Typically, most Pentium 4 and Athlon 64 CPU-based motherboards (and earlier) will require a 20-pin ATX connector, while newer motherboards require a 24-pin ATX connector. Also, most PSUs will have both a 4-pin and 8-pin auxiliary 12V
connector for motherboards, and only high-end PSUs will have one or more 6-pin PCI-E connectors for video cards.
Look for PSUs with high efficiency ratings, and ones rated under load temperatures (not room temperature).
Anything 80% and above is good. At 83%, approximately 17% of the wattage is lost as heat. Therefore, a PSU that may be advertised
as a 500W PSU, will actually be drawing almost 600W at the wall. Efficiency drops over time, and during the life of the PSU.
A year-old PSU is most likely not capable of producing the same amount of energy when it was new.
Determine the robustness of the PSU. How well does the PSU handle changes in current? Bigger components (ie: capacitors)
equates to a more tolerant and reliable PSU. PSUs with a 120mm fan built into the top (or bottom) of a PSU enclosure will
not have room for the larger capacitors found in some units with 80mm fan(s) in the back and/or front. This isn't necessarily
a measure of power, just a rough, visual estimate of a PSU's reliability and lifespan. Even though there are plenty of good
PSUs with 120mm fans, never run these types on a simple surge protector; put them on a UPS to increase their lifespan. The
key reason for finding a PSU with one or more 80mm fans is to ensure there is a fan drawing heat out of the unit (only 80mm
fans fit on the rear of a PSU).
Check the number of rails. Multiple rails mean wasted power. There is nothing wrong with a single rail
design if the component quality is good (ie: brand name manufacturers who dump money into design). So one PSU has dual 12V
rails, and another has quad 12V rails. The quad rail model is worse off compared to others because a rail is isolated. It
can't provide any more amps than it can generate unless it starts to dip the voltage supplied. To make matters worse with
a multi-rail unit, you, as the builder, have to decide what goes on which rail. Some higher end PSUs can switch on the fly,
but most can't. So you have your video card(s) on one rail, and other things on another rail, etc. What happens when your
video cards need more than one rail can provide? They may not get the power they need, and voltage drops to provide additional
current, affecting stability and causing artifacts to appear in your game or DirectX/OpenGL application.
Get a modular PSU if possible, as it will help eliminate extra wires to get in the way of cooling. Ignore the claims by PC Power & Cooling that modular cables create more resistance due to corrosion of contacts. The additional resistance is negligible.
Compare the amperage of each voltage. A PSU's wattage rating isn't conducive to determining amperage at any specific
voltage. All PSUs will have a sticker with its rated amperage at each voltage level. This information should be provided when
purchasing a PSU from an online vendor, and visible on the unit's retail box. A 500W PSU may sound adequate, but if its 12V
amperage is in the low 20s or less, it may not be properly balanced to supply adequate 12V amperage.
Major labels such as Rosewill (a Newegg.com brand), offer value, but at the cost of performance and reliability. Labels like this are a good choice for low-end builds
with minimal power requirements, but they are often over-rated for their wattage output, and under-protected for ensured reliability.
Look past bells and whistles, such as lighted fans, adjustable fan speeds, sleeved cables, and painted or polished enclosures.
Although these are certainly desirable features, they do not make up for performance or reliability shortcomings.
Purchase a PSU tester (typically between $10 and $20 US) to confirm all of the voltage rails are working on your new PSU.
Note that PSUs with 24-pin connectors no longer supply -5V.
Some brands release top quality models, some just release value line models, and others shouldn't be releasing models
at all! Here's a categorized list of brands by quality grouping according to performance and reliability based on reputable,
cross-brand reviews listed in the External Links. Note that not all models within a single brand label are of the same
quality, and these are averages for the entire model range of brands, not just specific models.
Please note:
these lists may not reflect your own personal experience.
Top Quality (based upon electrical capabilities): PC Power & Cooling, Seasonic, Zippy, Silverstone, Enermax,
Antec, Acbel, Akasa, AMS, Channel, Corsair, Etasis, Hiper, Mushkin, OCZ, NZXT, Scythe, Tagan, Thermaltake, Ultra, Zalman.
Check the warranty. Compare each manufacturer's guarantee, return policy, and custom service history. There are some PSU manufacturers that
release great products with horrible support, and vice versa.
High volume, low quality manufacturers often purchase designs from other companies for use in their own products. These
'carbon-copy' designs are often of low quality. In turn, they release their carbon-copy product with additional bells and
whistles and a different company 'label' to entice customers. They may even charge a premium for the additional features.
If you're serious about purchasing a reliable PSU, only buy one from a manufacturer that designs a majority of their units.
Good examples are Seasonic and PC Power & Cooling.
PSU manufacturers and distributors have no obligation to any standard of rating wattage. Many 'value' PSUs may not actually
output the wattages they claim under real-world conditions. It is possible for a 500W 'value' PSU to produce less power than
a quality PSU sold at 350W. Thus, 'upgrading' a PSU, but selecting a low-end model, may actually be a downgrade!
In most societies around the world, it's traditionally up to the guy to initiate a couple's first kiss. If you're a girl, this takes a lot of pressure off you, but sometimes it can be frustrating if you want to be kissed but
your guy is a little too shy to try to kiss you. Here's how to hint that you would like to be kissed.
Be inviting. Because of respect for your wishes (and the fear of rejection) a guy generally won't try for a first kiss unless he's pretty
sure you want him to. If you do, you should try to make him feel comfortable and confident. Flirt with him, laugh at his jokes, smile a lot, and compliment him. If you put him at ease and let him know you enjoy being with him, he'll usually find the courage to try to kiss you.
Break the "touch barrier." Touch him lightly on the arm or shoulder when you're talking. Just make it a quick, innocent
touch and don't make a big deal out of it. Holding hands is also a good way to break the touch barrier. The simple act of
touching can strengthen the intimacy between you and him. Sometimes a guy will break the touch barrier, and if you're comfortable
with him doing so, touch him back. But don't wait for a guy to make the first move here, because girls can generally get away
with breaking the touch barrier earlier in a relationship than guys can.
Look to his lips. When you're alone with a guy and want to be kissed, make eye contact and then move your gaze briefly down to his lips. Then
move your eyes back up to meet his and smile demurely. You don't have to be really obvious about it. Many guys will take the
hint, especially if they've read one of the many articles that lists this as a sign that a girl wants to be kissed. If it
doesn't work the first time, try again when the time is right.
Move in. You have to be close to each other to kiss, and the less distance a guy has to travel to kiss you, the easier
it is for him to give it a try. So get close. When the moment seems right, put your face close to his and look at him expectantly.
If you're brave, you could try moving in as though you're going to kiss him. Hopefully he'll take the hint and kiss you, but
if he doesn't you can give him a playful little kiss on the cheek.
Talk about it. If the guy isn't taking your subtle hints, bring up kissing in conversation. For example, if you're watching a movie together and see an on-screen kiss, mention that it's "so romantic" or something to that effect. If the guy is really shy, you might just want to put it on the line and tell him that you'd like him to kiss you.
Kiss him. There's no law that says the guy has to initiate the kiss, and some guys--especially if they've never kissed a girl before--just
won't take your hints. If you want to kiss him, just go ahead and do it.
If the guy seems to be talking a lot, especially if he's talking quickly, he could be nervous because he's thinking about
kissing you. In this case, an old trick is to tell him, "You talk too much." Say it playfully and with a smile, and maybe
even briefly put your finger to his lips as though you're "shushing" him. And then kiss him lightly on his lips and pause
for a moment; at this point the two of you should be really close and he will most probably initiate a kiss.
One way to get a guy to move closer is to pretend to shake as though you're cold. If he doesn't snuggle up to you, you
then have a good excuse to snuggle up to him.
Don't be too heartbroken if you don't get a kiss. The guy may just not be ready yet, or he may not like you in that way.
Sometimes the first kiss can be a bit disappointing, especially if a guy doesn't have any kissing experience. If your
guy can't kiss well, read about how to deal with a bad kisser.
Men are often afraid of crossing the line because they are not sure if they have read the hints right! It can be easier
for all (after building up the mood!) if you are clear about what you want, no hinting, no hidden meanings etc. Put your hands
around his waist and say "I want to kiss you now" or something similar.
Telling a guy he talks too much may result in you annoying him. If he likes to talk, or thought he was actually trying
to have a conversation with you, and is TOTALLY oblivious to what you are trying to do, he may take offense, and think that
you don't care about what he has to say. Use this technique with caution.
Never feel pressured to go farther than you want to go. It's OK to just want a kiss, and you can and should say "no" to
anything that makes you uncomfortable. Remember also to respect the guy's wishes if he just doesn't want to kiss you.
If your kiss isn't as romantic as you had hoped, don't worry! Lots of people have awkward beginnings to relationships.
If this is the big one, then you'll have plenty more opportunities for kissing (in other words, it doesn't have to be perfect).
Many guys view hints as overly complicated, especially in this day and age of sexual harassment lawsuits. Often, the best
approach is to come right out and say it.
If you've been in or watched a rock concert, you've probably seen some crowd surfing, where someone (either performer or
audience member) is carried over the crowd by the hands of the audience. While crowd surfing is considered dangerous, it's something
that people still find exciting enough to do, and most crowd surfers end up with nothing more than bruises. If you're going to surf the crowd at a concert, here's how to do it as safely and as considerately as possible.
Dress for it. If you know you're going to want to crowd surf, choose your clothes carefully. It'll help reduce the likelihood of injury to the audience. Less injury to the audience means less backlash towards
you.
Wear soft shoes and tie them as tightly as possible. If you accidentally kick someone in the head, they might try to take at least one of your shoes
(especially if you're wearing a hard shoe), so you should be prepared.
Don't wear anything with zippers or studs. They can get caught in people's hair or scratch them on the face or hands.
Don't wear loose clothing, such as an unzipped jacket or a cap. They will be taken or dropped.
Keep the jewelry to an absolute minimum. Rings, bracelets, even tongue studs can cause damage to you or someone around you when you're trying to crowd surf, so leave them at home.
Give your wallet and phone to someone that you know and trust. This means someone that you didn't meet the day of the concert.
Get up. This is probably the hardest thing you will have to do when trying to crowd surf, especially if you're
a bit heavy. If the security is allowing you to get close enough, get up on stage and jump off into the crowd. Most of the
time, this won't be allowed, though, so have a backup plan. If you are there with somebody else, ask them to pick you up.
If you're not, ask someone nicely if they could give you a boost. You'll probably have to ask more than one person. See Tips.
Lean back. Look before you dive to make sure the people you're going to land on actually see you. Tense
up momentarily as you land on the crowd to make yourself easier to support. Put your feet up higher than the rest of your
body to keep from kicking people, and keep the flailing to an absolute minimum. Put your arms out and elevate your head, just
in case you fall. It'd be better to fall on your back and get bruised up than to fall on your head.
Relax. This will be hard to do, considering you are putting your life in other people's hands (literally!), but it's all you
can do. If you're screaming and kicking about, people will get angry at you, and will either steal something off of you, or,
if you're being really annoying, actually strike you. You'll probably be in the air for about 5 seconds, but it'll probably
be your 5 most exhilarating seconds at the concert.
Cooperate. In most cases, you'll be carried to a barrier in front of the stage, where security officers will get
you on your feet and send you to the back of the crowd. If they're particularly strict, or if this is not the first time you've
crowd surfed at that concert, they may kick you out completely. If you're enjoying the music, you should probably only try
and crowd surf once per concert.
Don't have someone cup their hands and lift your foot so that you can get on top of the crowd. You'll fall blindly into
the crowd, who may not see you coming. Instead, find two taller people, put one hand on each of their shoulders, and hoist
yourself up. That'll give you a chance to survey the audience before surfing, and it'll also let others see what you're up
to and brace themselves.
If the concert is over and the crowd isn't moving, don't try and crowd surf out. People will probably be less cooperative
at this point.
If you're a member of the audience and you'd rather not help someone crowd surf, especially if you're concerned about
someone kicking you or falling on you, stick to the rear or the side edges of the crowd, where surfers don't generally go.
If you want to get down (because you are close to an empty spot in the crowd for example), bring in your legs and you
will fall feet first.
Remember, you can get injured, robbed or harassed when you're crowd surfing. Do it at your own risk.
Crowd surfing is actually illegal in some countries, so check the fine print of your concert or festival ticket.
Getting fined or arrested for crowd surfing is not common, but if you get hurt while doing it, your chances of getting
any kind of compensation are lowered because you were participating in an illegal activity. Some festivals will expulse you
from the grounds and cut your entrance pass.
Female crowd surfers beware! Some members of the crowd may try to grope you, even though this is illegal in the US (as
a form of sexual assault) and many other countries.
If you do not want to assist another concertgoer in crowd surfing but do want to enjoy the show from the pit or orchestra,
be sure to look around you occasionally. It's extremely painful to have someone's body dropped on you if you are unaware it's
coming.
In today's world of all-night supermarkets and ready-made everything, it's easy to forget that jam didn't always come from
the store. Homemade jam tastes fresher than store-bought stuff and it makes a great (and increasingly rare) gift.
Obtain a package of pectin and read the package insert for quantities. Pectin suppliers
are the best source of information on exactly what works with their quantities and formulations. Read, then obtain the rest
of your ingredients.
Pectin is a substance naturally present in apples and other fruit. It is what makes the jam or jelly gel and gives it its consistency.
Look for pectin in most supermarkets and large discount stores; it should be near the canning and baking aisles.
Pectin may be purchased as a liquid or a powder. Both forms work.
Gather and arrange your supplies. While the process is straightforward, it can be a bit rushed once you get started.
You may have time to grab something out of a drawer, but not to wash the dishes or go out to the store for something you forgot.
Wash your hands thoroughly and keep them clean throughout the process. Wash them again before resuming work if you sneeze, visit the bathroom, or handle non-food items during the process.
Sterilize a dozen mason jars by boiling them in water for 10 minutes. If you are at high altitude, add an additional minute for each 1000 feet above sea level. Then,
place them upside-down on a clean towel and drape another towel over them until you are ready to use them. You may not need
all 12 jars, especially if you are using larger jars, like pints, but it is much easier to prepare too many than too few.
Why all this emphasis on cleanliness? The basic principle of canning is to kill all the microorganisms that spoil food,
then to seal the jar tight to keep them out.
Wash the fruit.
Wash the fruit under running water. Rub gently to remove any dirt or debris.
Cut out anything you don't want in your jam.
Prepare the fruit. Peel it, remove pits, stems, etc. Also, cut out any bad parts and discard any fruits that are overripe, bruised, or mouldy. Cut the
fruit up a little if it is larger.
Crush the fruit with a potato masher or wooden spoon. Measure the crushed fruit, not the whole fruit.
For jelly, you may either purchase juice or strain your own. You may even wish to combine purchased and homemade juice.
Store-bought cranberry juice is an excellent addition to apple jelly, for instance.
To strain your own juice, begin with peels from apples or peaches or cut-up fruit.
Place them into a large stock pot with just enough water to cover, and boil them until soft. Allow to cool.
Strain the mixture through a ricer to separate the pulp and juice from seeds, peels, and other solids.
Pour this pulp through a jelly bag or cheesecloth, allowing just the liquid to drip out. Leave plenty of time for it to
drip.
Let this juice sit in a pot or jar in the refrigerator overnight to allow sediment to settle. When measuring, pour or
spoon just the clear liquid off the top, leaving any cloudy sediment behind at the bottom.
Exactly measure the correct amount of fruit or juice for your recipe. You can add a small amount of fruit juice or water to take up any differences,
but it's best to use pure fruit, if possible.
Measure the sugar before you need it.
Exactly measure the correct amount of sugar for your recipe. Do not
add it yet, but do have it ready to add quickly later.
Fruit with pectin (white powder on left) and a pat of butter.
Place the fruit in a stock pot or large saucepan.
Add any lemon juice, the pectin and the butter or margarine. Stir them in. If you are using an electric stove, it is a good
idea to place a wire heat diffuser between the burner and the pot. It will help to prevent scorching.
Stir.
Turn on the stove and, stirring constantly, bring the fruit mixture to a full, rolling boil. A full,
rolling boil is one where the bubbles do not stop or lessen when you stir it.
Stir constantly and all the way to the bottom to avoid burning the fruit.
Add all the sugar.
Pour in the sugar, with the heat still on, and stir it in until it dissolves completely.
You will notice that the fruit becomes clearer and brighter when you add the sugar. Continue stirring constantly.
Keep stirring!
Bring the mixture back to a full, rolling boil and boil for the time stated by the pectin
package, in this case four minutes. Continue stirring constantly.
At the end of the time, turn off the heat and remove the pot from the burner.
Skim the foam.
Use a spoon to skim any foam or bubbles off the top surface. It will be whitish, and some
batches will have more than others. You don't have to get every speck, but if you leave it in the jam, it will change the
consistency and not taste very good.
A small bowl.
The jam is hot and sticky. Skim carefully and have a small bowl nearby in which to discard
the foam.
Ladle the jam into jars.
Quickly ladle the jam or jelly into the prepared jars. Use a canning funnel to guide
the jam into the jar.
Leave 1/8 inch of head space.
Leave 1/8 inch of empty space, or "head space", at the top.
Wipe the rims.
Wipe the rims and threads of the jars with a clean, damp cloth to remove any residue or drips.
Make especially sure to clean the top surface where the seal will seat.
Soften some seals.
Boil about an inch of water in the bottom of a medium saucepan and remove it from the
heat. Place the seals into the water. Push them down so that they sink, and try not to stack them on each other, so that they
heat evenly. Allow them to soften for a minute or two. You can do this step while you ladle and wipe rims, if you time it
right.
Using a magnetic lid wand.
Place a softened seal on each jar. A magnetic lid wand will help you get them
safely out of the boiling water. To release the seal, set it on a jar and tilt the wand. If you don't have a lid wand, you
can use a small pair of tongs.
Screw on a clean ring.
Screw a clean ring down over the seal and tighten it with snug hand pressure. Don't
tighten so much that you press all the seal material off of the rim.
One to two inches of water.
Lower the jars onto a rack in a water-bath canner or large stock pot. If you
use a large stock pot, place a rack or other spacer on the bottom so that the jars do not rest directly on the bottom of the
pot. Add enough hot water to cover them by 1-2 inches. You can measure it to the first knuckle, as shown.
Cover the canner and bring the water to a gentle boil. Boil for 10 minutes, adding 5 minutes to the processing time for
each 3000-foot increase in altitude.
Use jar tongs, if possible.
Remove the jars from the boiling water. Jar tongs are a secure and safe way to
do this, or you may be able to raise the entire rack in a water-bath canner. Place the jars on a clean towel to cool.
Allow to cool.
Allow the full jars to cool for 24 hours in a place free from drafts. You may hear the metal
lids make a loud plinking sound. That is simply the contents cooling and creating a partial vacuum in the jar.
Check to make sure that the jars have sealed. The vacuum created when the contents cooled should have pulled the "dome"
lid down very tightly. If you can press the center of the lid down, it did not seal. It should not spring back. If any jars
have not sealed, you can place a fresh lid on them and process them again or refrigerate those jars and use the contents soon.
Wash the jars in cool, soapy water to remove any sticky residue on the outsides. You can remove the rings at this point,
since the seals should be holding themselves on securely. Allow the rings and jars to dry thoroughly before replacing the
rings, to prevent rust.
You can sterilize jars by putting them in your dishwasher on the "hot" cycle.
You can "crush" fruit by processing it in a blender. This will save you time and energy.
You will get out what you put in. Use firm, ripe fruit. If you are buying a large quantity of fruit, ask to taste a sample
first.
Lots of potential.
If you don't grow your own garden, look for good deals on fruit in season at local produce
stands or farmers' markets. If you know you'll need a lot, visit or call in advance to order an extra quantity. While you're at it, ask if you can get
a discount for buying in bulk.
Jam is different than jelly. Jam is made from crushed fruit, whereas jelly is made from juice.
Try jam on muffins, sweet quick breads, light cakes, scones, and bagels (with or without cream cheese), in addition to the classics such as
toast and peanut butter.
Rings and jars may be reused. Sealing lids must be replaced, since the soft sealing compound deforms with use.
Discard any rings that are dented or overly rusty.
If you're reusing older jars, visually inspect them for cracks or chips. Run a finger gently around the rim to make sure
it is smooth and undamaged.
Peaches, nectarines and some plums may be peeled by "slipping" them. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Dip the fruit into the boiling water and leave it
there until the skins crack and split. Then, use a strainer or slotted spoon to lift the fruit into a pot of cool water so
that you can safely handle it. The skins should slip right off.
Apricots make a delicious jam, but they don't always set well. If your apricot jam hasn't gelled in 2 weeks, serve it warm over vanilla
ice cream and call it sauce.
If a batch of jam or jelly makes more than you can use in 1-3 years, give some of it away as gifts. Canned goods keep
well, but their shelf lives are not infinite.
Store sealed jars on a shelf, avoiding excessive exposure to heat or light. Refrigerate after opening.
Label your canned goods with the year, at least. Also consider writing the contents, since apple and peach can be hard
to tell apart a month later. Write your name, too, if you are giving the jars as gifts. You can use a sticker or a permanent
marker. Either way, make sure the surface is thoroughly dry. Mark your jars on the seals if you want to reuse the jars easily.
If you are left with a partial jar at the end of a batch, you can either add it to the next batch (place it in with the
fruit at the beginning), place it in a smaller jar, or refrigerate that portion and use it immediately. It's a great opportunity
to sample your hard work.
Jam may be made from frozen fruit, too. Thaw it before you begin.
Consult the latest USDA guidelines or Ball or Kerr books for process times according to jar contents and size, especially
if you use an old recipe. Processing times have changed over the years because we have learned more about safety and, in some
cases, because foods are being bred differently.
If you can get any of the hybridized blackberries or raspberries fresh or frozen, try them. Loganberries, marionberries, olallieberries, and boysenberries all make superb jam.
It is possible to make jam without added pectin beyond what is naturally in the fruit. Some old (or just old-fashioned)
recipes may tell you to do that. Pectin makes the set much quicker and more certain. Try the old-fashioned methods if you
want, but be warned that you're in for a lot more stirring and a longer wait.
Make excellent jam by using 3/4 cup sugar for every cup of very ripe fruit - use no pectin. Bring slowly to a hard boil
and boil stirring only occasionally for 30 minutes to an hour. Put a ceramic plate in the freezer. Jam is done boiling when
you can make a trail remain in a spoonful of jam placed on the cold plate. Much more fruit flavor and less syrupy-sweetness
using this method.
Keep jars sterile until they are filled by placing them in a 300*F oven on a baking sheet lined with a terry-cloth towel.
Remove one at a time as needed.
Cleanup time.
Canning is a sticky job and it will make a mess. Jam dissolves in warm, soapy water. Leave
yourself some time and energy at the end for cleaning up.
If your jam didn't gel (solidify after cooling), you can redo the batch by baking the failed jars, pouring the contents
back in the pot, and re-adding pectin.
"Open-kettle canning," a once-popular method of sealing jars by inverting them so that the hot contents create the seal,
is not considered safe. Paraffin methods are also questionable. It is best to use metal lids and process the jars for
the recommended amount of time in a boiling water bath.
Home-canned foods can harbor deadly diseases if they spoil or are mishandled. Always process foods for the recommended
duration, clean and sterilize jars properly before use, and discard any jar of food that is not sealed. Also discard any jar
with contents that smell wrong or appear moldy or discolored.
Avoid placing cold glass into hot water or vice versa. Sudden temperature changes can shatter the glass.
Do not attempt to double the recipe for jam or jelly. If you have multiple batches to do, do them separately. Doubled
batches may not set properly.
While you might save jars from purchased products that fit a canning jar ring, real canning jars are best. They are designed
with thick enough glass to withstand repeated processing and hand canning. Use those saved jars to store dry goods or your
penny collection, instead.
There are many reasons for a car to develop rust spots. The main reason is when the paint is chipped or scratched through the primer coat, perhaps by stones on the road or
a minor car accident, and the metal underneath is exposed to moisture and air, which causes the metal to oxidize. A rust spot increases and spreads with time, especially with each rain or snow storm. Whether you plan on keeping it or selling
it, your car will look cleaner without the rust. Others judge you by your own appearance, by your speech, and by the car you
drive, so take the time to remove the rust spots and give the car a painting before the entire car ends up covered in rust.
Take safety precautions. Wear gloves, safety glasses and a dust mask.(There may be some extreme situations that you may
need a respirator.)There will be fine rust and paint dust as well as paint spray everywhere; you don't want it in your eyes
or lungs.
Cover up any parts of the car that you don't want to get dusty. Use a tarp sealed with painter's tape to define your work
area. Roll up your windows. The paint dust is extremely fine and will get everywhere.
Remove the paint around the rust with a grinder. Use a sanding wheel (150 grit) to take off both the primer and paint,
as well as any light rust that hasn't fused with the metal, and level the surface between the painted surface and the unpainted
area. Feel with your fingers for a smooth surface.
Switch to a metal grinding wheel for removing the thick rust and getting into any pits. When using the wheel,
go slowly, because these can do a lot of damage. Once this is done apply rust removing acid to the area to remove the microscopic
particles of rust that remain. Phosphoric acid is best and can be bought at most auto parts stores. If you want, use a hole
spot filler or a body filler like Bondo to even out some of the dents, and fill the space where the paint is gone. Finish
off by sanding by hand (120 grit sandpaper) to get a nice smooth metal surface.
Purchase primer that is ideal for painting on bare metal and find an auto spray that matches the color of your car. Both
of these supplies can be found at an auto supply store.
Prepare the spot for priming. Follow the instructions for your primer. Typically, what you will need to do is:
Wipe the area with mineral spirits or paint thinner.
Tape newspaper on all surrounding areas within three feet
Spray thin coats of primer evenly. Spray three coats of primer, waiting a few minutes between coats. Allow to
dry over night (at least 12 hours).
Sand with 400 grit wet sandpaper. This abrasive is specifically made for sanding between paint coats to smooth the surface
and degloss, so the paint bonds. Wipe clean.
Spray a thin coat of paint so as not to let the paint run or sag. Use as many coats of paint over the primer
as you need in order to achieve a nice color and finish. Let it set at least 24 hours before pulling off the tape.
Buff the edges of the new paint so that it blends with the old paint. If necessary, apply a clear coat to match
of the finish on the rest of the car.
Allow the paint to cure for 48 hours, wash and Polish the car. Never wax fresh paint within 30 days of painting!
If the rust spots are on or around the fender, it may be useful to jack the car safely with a chock behind one of the wheels. Pull off the wheel and unscrew the plastic protecting the wheel well. Doing so will
give you a chance to pound out any dents from the inside, and will also allow more room for grinding and painting.
Alternative to this lengthy process is Rust converters, those are primers designed to be applied directly
to a rusty surface. Unlike the standard scrape, prime, and paint regime, the user does not have to bring the surface down
to bare metal. There are two primary components in a rust converter: a tannin and an organic polymer. The organic polymer
provides a protective primer layer.The tannin reacts with the iron oxide, converting it to iron tannate, a stable blue/black
corrosion product. You can find a can of that in Walmart for $3 or so.
If the car has significant rust that covers a large area of the body, you may want to leave it to the professionals.
Propellants have explosive properties, so do not allow any sparks or flames, including lit cigarettes, near the work area
during the entire rust removal process.
Wear gloves, safety glasses and a dust mask to prevent rust and paint dust from irritating or injuring you.
If using phosphoric acid BE SURE TO READ AND FOLLOW instructions on the product packaging
Do you have a door to a storage area or, perhaps, a secret room? What better way to hide it than to build a bookshelf that holds your books and decorations by day, but swings open to provide access to your little hideaway by night? It not only indulges your inner
mystery-lover, but it also makes extra use of an otherwise unusable and perhaps not aesthetically pleasing space. What follows is
the general process for building a hidden door bookshelf that, if you have basic welding and carpentry skills, you can customize to your specifications.
Calculate dimensions. Figure out how big and where a bookshelf would need to pivot in order to clear walls and neighboring shelves with minimum gaps. Make a scale drawing of shelves and cut out the rotating shelf shape. With a pin
try different pivot ideas, validating measurements. Make sure to calculate the area between you and the bookshelf when it
swings open. You don't want to be hit.
Build a steel frame. Don't hinge the wood shelves directly. A steel frame will allow the door to swing easily
and support 500-1000lbs (a full bookshelf) without a problem.
Calculate the size for the frame allowing minimum clearance from the floor for trim and base board and enough
clearance from the ceiling for the metal frame barely below crown. Set the width to just cover the access door and be centered.
Use 3/4" bolts to act as the pivot pins. Weld a piece of scrap quarter inch plate to pivot points, then weld 3/4 inch bolts to the plate for extra strength. Cut the bolts
to ~ 2 inches long. The steel frame should pivot on a upper and lower anchor point, mounted to ceiling and floor, respectively;
so you will need two bolts welded to the frame.
Install the steel frame.
Ceiling anchor
Size the ceiling anchor to span 3 joists. Add a short arm out to avoid rocking (scrap steel). The short arm has to align with a joist, as
well, or it will rock and break out the ceiling. Make the pivot point with a 3/4 inch brass flange bearing inserted into a
1 inch hole in the 2x2 box.
Floor anchor
Make a floor anchor in the same way. It can be much smaller than the ceiling anchor if it will
be bolted to a concrete floor.
Position and place the top anchor, base anchor, and frame. Attach the top anchor loosely letting it rock,
slip in the frame and bottom anchor on pin (with 2 washers on pin above bearing), then slide the whole set into place. Hang
a plumb bob along the edge of the frame to tell if it is vertical in both directions.
When true, secure bolts on both ends. At the pivot point, split a tiny piece - about 3/8 inch - of nylon
tubing and slip it on the exposed bolt. This keeps the bearing from slipping down.
Test the swing of the door frame with ~500 lbs of people standing in it.
Add the wood.
Wooden backing for shelves built into steel frame
Build the first shelf box into the installed frame and
verify clearance. You can make the swinging shelf 2 inches shallower than the other shelves to allow clearance behind it for
the arc when it swung.
Side shelves installed with trim
Build the two side shelves and install trim all around. Use a credit card
for gaps between trim and crown to allow clearance. The trim on the right side of the shelf-door should be fixed to the fixed
shelf, while the left side moves with the door. Bevel notches in the trim on the right if the horizontal trim dives under
it as the door opens. If necessary, slightly round the horizontal pieces to slip underneath smoothly.
Install a wooden door stop. This should serve two functions: Hit the steel to keep the door from closing
too far, and hold the door so that it doesn't float open. The door can be held closed by a magnet.
These instructions provide a general overview of how to approach this kind of building project, provided you have (or
know someone who has) carpentry and welding experience. Exact measurements will vary depending on the area in which you're
building the bookshelves, as well as the size of the door you're hiding.
This particular project can be completed for approximately $350, plus labor. Of course, if you're doing it yourself, the
labor cost is zilch.
Do not attempt this project if you're a welding or carpentry amateur. This is an advanced do-it-yourself project.
Do not undertake any major projects or renovations if you are renting, unless you get prior approval from your landlord.
Always take proper safety precautions when working with welding equipment and sharp tools.
Make sure you are not violating any building codes by hiding the entrance to a room. Many building codes require, for
example, that the entrance to a utility room with a furnace or gas line be clearly visible, in case of emergency.
Steel 2x2 box tubing (recommend 2"X 2"X 3/16" as less than 3/16" wouldn't support the weight, 1/4" gets pretty heavy to
work with) cut to length with miters
Visiting the doctor for a new, undiagnosed medical problem can be daunting. Patients often struggle to try to get their symptoms across to the
doctor in an effective manner, and the physician needs to gather the information they need from a patient without overlooking
anything important. All this must be done during a medical interview which, on average, will be shorter than 10 minutes. Here's
how you can maximize the appointment by giving the doctor the information they are looking for in the same format they learned
in medical school.
Bring an up-to-date cumulative patient profile with you to the interview. You can create one by summarizing your medical history on a page. Include dates of, and reasons for hospitalizations and surgery. You may not end up needing to refer to it, but
if questions about your medical history come up, having one will maximize the time you can spend discussing your current
medical issue(s). Bring your current medication bottles, which list the name & dose information, including herbal supplements
if applicable.
Describe your basic reasons for the visit in one or two sentences. Most doctors will start with the interview with
something like, "What brings you here today?". Preparing an answer to this question in advance will facilitate the visit.
Some common symptoms include:Pain, weakness, Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, fever, confusion, breathing problems, or headache.
Recall the onset and timing of your symptoms. Include starts, stops and frequency. ("I get bad pain right in between
my menstrual periods that lasts about three days.") Be prepared with dates and times, if possible. ("The first time I remember
feeling this way was on the 15th. It tends to get worse in the late evenings, but occasionally I feel it in the early mornings,
too.")
Explain what makes the pain better or worse. Make note of any movement that sharpens the pain ("My finger feels
fine unless I bend it towards my palm, and then I feel a sharp pain.") or lessens it ("It seems to go away when I lie down
on my side."). If any foods, drinks, positions, activities, or medications worsen or alleviate the symptoms, make it clear.
("The fever got better with Tylenol but then came back in two hours.")
Use adjectives to describe your symptoms more fully. Not all pain is the same. It can be sharp, dull, right on
the surface of the body, deep inside, etc. Example: "When I get dizzy, it isn't just that I feel like I'm going to faint;
it feels more like the world is constantly spinning to the left!". Without getting overly poetic, try to point out what makes
this sensation different than other types of pain you have felt before.
Point to the location of your symptoms. Include details if the pain moves about. ("The pain was right around my
bellybutton but now, it seems to have moved over here near my right hip.")
Rate the severity of your symptoms. Use a scale of one to ten, with one being almost nothing and ten being the
worst possible symptom you can imagine. Be honest, and don't minimize or exaggerate. "Ten out of ten" pain (in the eyes of medical professionals) would render a person almost
incapable of speech or any other act such as eating or reading. ("I was sitting eating lunch and then I suddenly got the worst
headache of my life out of nowhere. It was so bad that it nearly knocked me unconscious. Definitely a nine or ten.")
Describe the setting and your condition when the symptoms occurred. Where were you? What were you doing? How different
was the setting and activity than what you normally do? What had you been doing right before the symptoms arose, and earlier
that day?
List other things that happen at the same time as your symptoms. ("During the three weeks I've been having these
fainting spells, my wife also said that I've been looking very pale and I've also had these dark colored bowel movements and
I've lost ten pounds even though I'm eating exactly the same.")
Expect the doctor to examine you and potentially order some tests or a trial of treatment.
Know your own health. It is very frustrating for both the patient and the doctor to meet face-to-face and then
begin piecing together the story.
Actively performing these steps may not be necessary if the doctor already seems to be asking questions in a logical flow,
and is hitting all the points. A well trained professional should actually be able to get all the points without even thinking
through the steps.
Bring written notes about what you want to ask. Many people when faced with a doctor go blank! A pen to write down what
the doctor says is handy, too. Many patients often remember things they want to ask the physician after the visit has concluded
and are then embarrassed to call back about it.
Consider bringing a friend or family member for the visit if you are not sure how to explain your physical problem correctly,
if you are forgetful or fluster easily.
Look the part. If you are complaining of the worst pain of your life, don't be drinking coffee, reading a magazine and
answering your cell phone. If you are complaining of a sore toe, don't have the doctor enter the room to find you laying on
the exam table in a medical gown.
Honesty is key. Physicians are bound by a duty of confidentiality. If your continued health is at stake, you may as well
tell them every detail.
Make a list of questions you have for your doctor. Most of the time, due to time constrains, You will forget what you
were supposed to ask!
Think about the symptoms and their nature before you get to the doctor to save both your and the doctors time as well
as making it diagnostically clearer to the doctor.
Do not wait till the end of the meeting to say "...and, by the way, I have this other pain". This is terribly inconvenient
to doctors since something that you think is minor might change their whole treatment plan. Tell them all of your symptoms
up front before they start working on a diagnosis.
Start talking to the doctor about your symptoms, not what you think your diagnosis is (unless you are absolutely sure).
Responding with something like, "I think I have multiple sclerosis" may seem like a big time-saver for you but in practice,
will tend to set most doctors on edge and derail the interview. Instead, open the discussion with something like, "My arms
and legs are getting really weak lately and now I can barely walk."
This framework is most helpful when dealing with someone who has never met you before, and in particular when the medical
problem is new. It doesn't add much if you are reviewing a chronic problem with your own family doctor.
If a medical interview doesn't seem to be getting you satisfactory answers, it is more effective to continue to express
concern and worry and much less useful to become upset or angry. You do not want to be labeled as a "Problem Patient" or a
potential lawsuit-in-waiting (something that may carry over to future appointments or even be leaked to the doctor's colleagues).
In these cases, it may be easier to try again at a different time, or seek a second opinion.
Want to be a hit at the next party? Perform a cold reading, and you can amaze - maybe even frighten - people with your
psychic abilities. Don't worry though; no actual psychic ability is required. Cold reading is a classic trick used by magicians, soothsayers, TV psychics, and other entertainers and charlatans. By asking a person the right questions, listening carefully, and making
a guess or two, you can convince even many skeptics that you really are able to communicate with the spirit world.
Choose a subject. The "subject" is the person on whom you will perform the cold reading.
Sometimes cold readers will choose a subject well in advance based on information they know about that person but which
that person does not know they know. Select the person you will "cold read" ahead of time if possible. The more time you have
to learn about your subject, the better. Some cold readers actually have accomplices visit or interview the subject prior
to the cold reading so that the cold reader can then use this information to dazzle the subject and the audience.
Asking for a volunteer is also a good way to choose someone, as volunteers are likely to be receptive and, more importantly,
will likely want to believe that you can communicate with the dead or that you can see things about them that you should
have no way of knowing. However, watch out for skeptics (see Warnings below).
"Shotgun" the audience. Shotgunning is a technique in which you make one or more broad general statement,
such as "I'm sensing someone who has had some marital problems recently," or "There's someone named, I think, Billy, that's
asking to communicate with his granddaughter." As you address these statements to the audience, watch for reactions. There's
almost certainly someone who has recently had marital problems or whose grandfather went by the name Billy. You, of course,
don't yet know who, but people's reactions - especially their body language - will give them away. You can try to refine your
"knowledge" by then making more specific assertions, such as, "This Billy, he lived a long life. He used to enjoy fishing, no hunting maybe - being in the outdoors." Focus on the people who reacted to your very broad first statement, and then look for further
reactions. When you're pretty sure you've hit the mark with someone, call them up (if they haven't already run up to you jumping
and screaming, "It's me!"). Using this technique allows you to gain the subject's confidence and to amaze the audience before
the reading has even begun.
Observe your subject. Even if you have only a little time to get to know your subject, you can still learn a lot
by "profiling" your subject.
Look at readily available visual clues about the person that will tell you something about them. Their age, the way they
dress, whether they have any deformities or unusual features, their height and weight, the presence or absence of a wedding
ring - there are a multitude of clues that can help you immediately learn more about the person.
Read the subject's body language. Before the reading starts and throughout your cold reading, watch the subject's body
language carefully. Involuntary gestures, facial expressions, and changes in posture can tell you whether the person is becoming anxious, which is usually a good sign that you have said something that is correct or are about to do so. Looks of disappointment
can signal that you've said something wrong, and if you correct yourself slyly and quickly, the person and the audience (if
there is an audience present) will be amazed at your correction. Learn as much as you can about body language, but most importantly, just pay attention.
Make a mental list of assumptions about the person. As you observe the subject, think about certain things that
you could reasonably guess about them. You don't actually want to make too many guesses, but it helps to sort of build a character
in your mind. Some of your assumptions will be wrong, but you'll get around this little problem.
Prepare the subject. When you meet the person, look in their eyes and tell them, if you haven't already, that you
can communicate with the spirit world. Introduce yourself and get the subject's name. Try to make them comfortable talking
to you, but at the same time try to make them a little nervous about what is to come. Explain that the person on the "other
side" really wants to communicate with them, but that you are merely a vessel or a go-between, and you will need the subject's
help. This makes the reading more dramatic, prepares the subject for the possibility of mistakes, and enlists their cooperation.
Be modest about your abilities, but display a quiet confidence.
Go fishing. If you're a professional, you may have studied statistical information about people, you may be trained
to read body language, you may even have accomplices that help you, but let's face it: you still know hardly anything about
the person sitting in front of you. If you just start making guesses, you'll almost certainly be wrong, but if you ask
questions, you'll get the right answers from the subject himself. For example, you could clarify what you learned in shotgunning
by asking, "Now, Billy, he's your grandfather?" Ask questions in such a way so that they can be perceived as statements. That
way, if the subject affirms your question, it will seem as though you knew the answer. If the subject indicates that Billy
was not his or her grandfather, however, it's OK--you were just asking a question.
Build on the answers to your questions. Most of the time, the subject will volunteer more information than is necessary.
He might say something like, "No, Billy was my uncle. He lived on a farm." You now actually know something about your
subject, which is more than you could say before. By using this information to ask more questions you can give the impression
that you actually know quite a bit about the subject. This, obviously, requires fast thinking, but if you're a good listener
- the most important quality for cold readers - you'll get up to speed quickly.
Use Barnum statements. Barnum statements, named after the circus showman P.T. Barnum, are statements that will
apply to just about anybody but which will give the impression that you know something about the subject. Using Barnum statements
is like shotgunning except you're just dealing with one person. For example, you could say, "You're on the verge of making
a big decision in your life." Most people, at any given time, are dealing with a big decision, or at least one that seems big at
the time. Still the subject will likely be somewhat impressed that you knew that about them, and they may even volunteer
more information.
Make the subject's answers your own. Much of what a cold reader does is simply repeating back what the subject
has said. Do this in such a way so that it appears you already knew the answer. If you manage to do this cleverly, the subject
will tend to forget that it was he or she that gave you the information. Suppose the subject affirms that they are on the
verge of making a big decision. You can simply say, "Yes, that's right," thereby claiming their answer as your own. You can
even go further, by saying, "Yes, that's right. It's been troubling you for a while now." The more information the subject
volunteers, the more information you can claim.
How did you know?
Delve deeper. Once you're on a fruitful line of questioning (or "reading"), keep
going. So the subject is making a decision. You could follow that with another Barnum statement, such as, "But this decision
involves another person, too." Most decisions do involve at least one other person to some extent or another. If you're observant
and brave, you might notice the subject's wedding ring and say instead, "But this decision needs to be made with your husband."
If you're right - because the statement is so obvious yet also targeted toward an observable attribute of the person, you
probably are right - you'll be that much more impressive.
Use pregnant pauses. One method of fishing around for information is to pause long enough for a reaction from your
subject. If, for example, you mention that the decision needs to be made with your husband, you can wait a moment to see if
the person has anything to say about that. He or she may immediately tell you you're right or wrong, or they may be expecting
you to tell them more. In the latter case, watch their physical reaction. If you see some reaction that tells you you're on
the right track, take up where you left off: "He's worried about the decision," for example.
Cover your errors. Since you are in fact just asking questions and repeating information back in a different way,
you shouldn't really make mistakes as you would if you were guessing things. That said, sometimes a question will simply be
off the mark, and this can ruin the illusion if you don't recover quickly and gracefully. Suppose, for example, that the person
says they are not on the verge of making a big decision. There are myriad ways to handle this. One would be to say that poor,
dead Uncle Bill (if you're communicating with the spirit world) must be talking about someone else that you both know, a relative
perhaps. Another would be to change the time frame, to ask, "But you made a big decision in the past year, something of a
new start." Still another way would be to subtly change the way the question is framed: "I'm sensing something new is happening
in your life or is about to happen." You don't abandon the original line of questioning. Rather you twist it just a bit until
it makes sense to the subject. After all, if they then admit that something new is happening in their life, they must feel
a little foolish for not recognizing the psychic message you were getting about the decision.
Make a positive analysis of the situation. Once you've helped the subject to open up and you have some idea of
what you're talking about (or at least the subject believes you know what you're talking about), you can bring the reading
to a satisfying end by relaying a message from the deceased friend or relative, or by simply giving some prognostication based
on your ability to see the future. You don't need to be exact, and you don't need to give advice. Just tell the subject what
he or she wants to hear: that everything will go well. You could say, for example, "Billy wants you to know that he's always
watching over you, and he misses you. He's happy, and he wants you to be happy, too. And you will be. You're going to make
the right decision." You may, of course, want to warn of challenges ahead to give a more realistic tinge to your reading,
but when all is said and done you want the person to feel good.
Keep the encounter brief and mysterious. If you know you will encounter the person again soon, develop other points based
on future visual and response cues.
Props, such as a Tarot deck or tea leaves, can heighten the drama and take some of the attention off the actual process of cold reading. Props can help the subject
suspend their disbelief.
You will be convincing as long as you make it seem like you know more than you do. Remember, the subject likely wants
to believe in your "powers," and you just have to foster that belief. He or she will then attribute more knowledge to you
than you actually displayed.
Practice your showmanship. Learn some buzzwords. Learn how to be a convincing actor. Set the mood.
Employees with name tags often forget that they have them on. A simple cold read is to guess the person's name. Most of the time, the person's mother will have been the primary name-giver. You can mention this, and it may reinforce their belief you have special powers.
The "rainbow ruse" is similar to Barnum statements. In a rainbow ruse, you make a general statement about a personality
trait that the subject has, but you also hedge your bets (and invite the subject to open up) by also attributing the opposite
trait to them. For example, you might say, "You like to make decisions carefully and patiently, but sometimes you're impulsive."
Be very careful whom you choose to use this technique on. There are people, for whatever reason, who will not respond
well when you reveal this is just a trick (and you MUST always reveal it as a trick, do not lead people on to believing a
cold reading was a real one) - If you pick the wrong mark, they may respond with anger or hurt. Be prepared to lose friends
and respect by trying this on the wrong person! Messing with people's emotions in any way is cruel, and there will be consequences.
Some skeptics will volunteer just to make a spectacle of debunking the cold reading myth. If you hear someone talking
proudly about his or her skepticism, or if a potential subject seems too haughty, choose someone else.
This should be used just for fun. As good as you get at this, it is simply a gimmick.
Be aware of the effects you may have on someone. A cold reading can be beneficial because it encourages the subject
to think about certain situations that may be troubling him or her. Talking about these troubles may clarify things in the
subject's mind and help the person find his or her own solution. Be very careful about giving advice, predicting bad news,
or opening up emotional wounds. After the reading, let the subject know that it was just for entertainment and that you don't
really have any special powers.
There are many unscrupulous cold readers and "psychics." While many just want to scam a little money, some are more dangerous.
Cult leaders and criminals, for example, have been known to use these techniques to dazzle their victims.
As your relationship with a romantic (or religious) interest has developed, you find your old friends falling away, while family members remark on how you don't seem like yourself. Are you losing yourself to this odd, and ultimately
destructive, relationship? Before you can regain your individuality and strength, you'll need to determine if the relationship
is what's taking it away, and put an end to the destructive cycle. For the purposes of the article, we'll alternate between male and female gender examples ("him" in one step, "her" in the
next).
Evaluate honestly: Is this relationship progressing in a healthy manner, or is it unhealthy? Be objective as you
analyze how things have changed since this relationship began:
Are you enjoying elevated esteem from your friends, or are they looking at you sideways? Are your family relationships
suddenly filled with tension, every time your beloved's name comes up? While stressed relationships with others aren't a sure
sign of an unhealthy romance, red flags should go up if everyone who cares about you is getting worried.
Do you find yourself straying from your path? If you're a religious person, are you doing things you wouldn't ordinarily
do? If you're a straight-A student, are your grades slipping? Have all the goals and dreams that previously defined you all of a sudden been pushed toward the back burner for no apparent reason?
Does this person bring out your best, or worst traits? Do you feed each others' best self, or have you seen your attitudes
change to more closely mirror his, which puts off your family and friends?
Recognize your blindness to her faults.Infatuation isn't a bad thing. It is necessary and good; however, it does make one "temporarily insane" for the first few months or years
of a relationship. Sometimes our starry-eyed affection can make us willfully close our eyes, even though we really kind of
know that our friends and family have a point when they say they don't like this or that about the new significant other.
Do you find yourself apologizing or defending your significant other's behavior? Finding reasons to excuse it?
"Oh, he had a rough breakup with someone before me... you can understand..." If you find yourself getting defensive when someone
questions your relationship, you're probably already aware that there is a problem and haven't yet come to terms with
it. Remember that people in healthy relationships have nothing to hide or defend.
Notice that your plans are continually overturned in favor of hers. You go to pick her up, thinking you're going
to see "The Wizard of Oz" at the art theater. But by the time you're halfway through dinner (at the other end of town, her restaurant selection), she has talked you into seeing "The Fast & The Furious"
at the theater next door to the restaurant she chose, instead. More and more, you discover that you're not keeping any of
the dates you chose. Instead, you're always changing plans to do what she wants. And heaven help you if you planned to have
dinner with friends of yours at 7pm. She won't get into the shower until 6:50, and you'll be calling to apologize, and hanging
everyone up while they all wait. For her. Because it's always about her.
Remember that manipulation is when they get you to do something you really wish you hadn't. This person likes getting
you outside your comfort zone, because then s/he's pulling the strings, getting one over on you.
Be aware the manipulation may also be financial. A controlling partner may take over financial decisions, whether
he earns more OR less than you. If you earn LESS, he may make you ask permission to buy things, seriously restricting even
rare luxury purchases, or may demand a long and/or emotional discussion of even trivial expenses. If you earn MORE, be wary
of joint credit card accounts and joint filing of taxes - BOTH people are legally responsible for paying, even if only one
of them incurred the debt; some controlling people will use a joint credit card account, and then leave you with the bill.
Look for subtle establishment of control over time. It doesn't happen obviously, suddenly, or overnight. Controlling,
manipulative people are often very insecure. That's why they have the compulsion to control others - they simply don't trust
anyone but themselves. They will invest weeks or months in 'training' you to accept and carry out their will:
Does she treat your friends and family disrespectfully? Rudely?
Are you realizing it's just become easier NOT to spend time with people you've loved for years?
Have all of YOUR past attachments to people and places been replaced by either old friends of your new mate, or new friends
you've made since you've been together? Severing your ties to the familiar stability of the world you have always known means
this person has just made himself the center of your universe, and has no competition for your attention.
Watch out for subtle discrepancies. When talking with mutual friends, have they ever said something about your
new girlfriend that made you stop and say, "Huh? But she said something different to me... You can't have understood that
right." Did you then dismiss the idea that what your friends heard could have actually been true? That's a big red flag. When
you're being controlled or manipulated, it's usually through half-truths or omissions, not outright lies. There's just enough weirdness to make you stop and think, but not quite enough to get you to re-evaluate the entire relationship.
If this happens more than once, STOP and remind yourself that this isn't the first time you've had this reaction. Start analyzing
discrepancies between what she said, and what your friends say. It may save you from disaster later.
Keep your support system. Cutting you off from your support systems helps him gain dominance over you. And you think it's YOUR decision. Controlling
people treat YOUR friends with disrespect, but when alone with you, they never say a bad word about them - it makes you believe
your family or friends are simply jealous, don't understand him, etc. When you find yourself saying, "But, you don't KNOW
him like I do..." that's a bad sign. It's much easier to control you when you've decided your loved ones just don't understand
your mate, and you have no one but him to turn to.
Recognize excessive jealousy or possessiveness as a danger signal. If your new-found love is protective of you, that's sweet. If she's bizarrely,
overly protective, it's scary. Consider whether she constantly offers to make the trip to the market or to the post office
in order to keep you from going out alone. Does she randomly show up in places where you planned to be without her (a party,
your office) at inappropriate times (particularly after a disagreement)? Does she question you too intensely about why you
were talking to another person? Get angry about it? Disbelieve you when you say that person is just a friend or work colleague?
Does she later apologize, saying she just "loves you too much"? And then, does she "woo" or "court" you again with flattery
and presents? Bad news. Watch for the bad behavior to resume as soon as they believe they have you hooked and complacent again.
Watch for repeat offenses, shallow apologies and courting afterwards. He does something that is totally unacceptable
then asks your forgiveness, tells you he realizes he was wrong ,and promises to change. He seems utterly sincere and convincing,
but it is part of the control. It is a way to use your compassion to keep you interested - at this point he may even pretend
to want your help to change, particularly if you have let him know that you will not tolerate such things again. He will bring
you lavish gifts and attempt to sweep you off your feet, again, re-establishing his sincerity and your belief that he truly
loves you.
Beware of the "backhanded compliment". She will say things like, "Gosh, it's a good thing you're so attractive"
(implies that you are stupid or incompetent) or "It's a good thing you're with me - who else could put up with your mistakes?"
(same). At first blush, it seems sweet and funny. But she will drill this idea into you over and over - that you should consider
yourself very lucky to have someone like her, who will love you despite the fact that you have NO positive attributes, talents,
and apparently, the IQ of a head of lettuce. Saying, "Nobody will ever love you the way I do," seems sweet, but she wants
you to believe that nobody BUT her will ever love you again. Over time, these ideas erode your sense of confidence and you
will begin to believe you're unworthy of better treatment, and she's the best you can hope for.
Don't let every minor disagreement become World War III. You make a date with him, warning him ahead of time that
you will need to leave by 7 to have dinner with your brother. At 6:40, as you're getting up to leave, he suddenly "remembers"
some urgent task he needs your help with before you go. You remind him that he asked you to blow your brother off last time,
and you did - this time you really need to go. He begins to argue, wail, accuse you, rant, rave, threaten to kill himself,
and do whatever it takes to keep you from leaving. Hours later, you're emotionally drained and physically exhausted, and you
find he's turned the whole thing around on you - you're begging for forgiveness and a "chance to make it up to him." He triumphantly
condescends to allow you the privilege of staying as his lap dog, only if you will agree to _________ (something probably
kind of distasteful to you, as he well knows). You agree. And later, you actually go through with whatever you agreed to,
hating yourself (and him a little bit) all the while. Needless to say, you never make it to dinner with your brother. Again.
Stop berating yourself for being into this person. Realize that she's amazing - on the surface - and you shouldn't
beat yourself up for being attracted to that. Controlling, manipulative people are the unfortunate product of two things:
A high, incisive intellect, and low self-esteem. Something has caused this person to believe others could not willingly do
things that would make her happy. She is now unable to just let things happen naturally - she MUST control things or, in her
mind, things will "get away" from her - so she's compelled by her inner demons to make sure she's the one pulling all the
strings. But what makes it most awful is that she's probably beautiful (you think so, right?), and smart, and maybe even funny
and charming. It's no wonder you fell for her.
Get out as fast as you can. For purposes of this article, we assume that your significant other has resisted changing his or her behavior and despite
your best efforts to work things out so that you are not being controlled so much, s/he persists in the controlling,
manipulative behaviors. Once you've recognized this for what it is (emotional abuse), you will tire of it quickly and want
to leave, despite your lingering feelings for this person. Be careful. Controlling, manipulative individuals will want to control
you, even if they don't care about the relationship any more. The old saying "S/he doesn't want me, but doesn't want me to
be with anyone else, either," was invented for this person. You deserve to be with someone who respects you and can maintain a healthy relationship. This just isn't it. Take steps to end it swiftly and leave - now.
Don't blow off the opinions of your friends and family, they do have your best interests in mind. Do they tell you you're
acting strange lately? Do they comment on how different you seem - and not in a good way? Has anyone you love and respect
expressed actual dislike? Ask yourself, "Is my (for example) mum right about every other thing, but wrong about this ONE thing
- my new girl?" And if more than one close family member or friend is expressing dislike of the new romance, give more weight
to the negative opinion.
Key to this entire discussion is the recognition that the establishment of control is subtle, and often occurs over time.
Controlling, manipulative persons are not born this way - they become this way. If you began your relationship before s/he
had fully developed into a person like this, it would be very hard to realize what was happening and how the relationship
was beginning to change your life negatively. The entire purpose of the article is to help you examine your relationship for
the warning signs and to (A) either seek help with your partner or individually or (B) validate your sense of things not being
right, and help you decide your next action on your own - without manipulation or control from your partner.
Controlling persons often check out of the relationship before you do, even to the point of cheating on you. But still,
when you've had enough, they pitch a freaker as if they've been cut to the bone by your thoughtless abandonment. Just so you
know.
Don't be mean about it. You don't have to be like them to get away. Just say it's not a match and you don't intend to
see them any more. Period. Don't try pointing out all of the above warning signs. They won't recognize themselves. It's like
trying to teach a pig to sing - it wastes your time and makes the pig bitter.
Confess to your friends and family - apologize to them for marginalizing them and disregarding their bad opinion
of this person. Tell them you wish you had listened to them. Get all the anger and hurt out of your system - they will be
only too happy to share (they will rejoice when you tell them you're through).
Speaking of bitterness, resist the temptation to be bitter about the experience. You've just survived a very tough situation
and lived to tell the tale!
Go out with your friends, your family, and alone. Re-establish ties with all those things and people you left behind while
your judgment was clouded.
Controlling and manipulative people are often produced by external factors such as abusive parents or clinical mental
disorders. You cannot hope to change or rescue such a person, as much as you may care for them; the best help you can give
them is to (A) refuse to be their victim, and (B) direct them to professional help.
If s/he shows up at your door after you've broken it off, don't open it if you're home alone. Make sure someone else is
with you if you do decide to talk to him or her (not recommended), but even though you want to be compassionate, the best
and easiest approach is to simply cut off contact.
Compassion is not easily understood or accepted by these folks, and it just hurts you both more in the end. Cutting them
off may seem cruel, but it forces them to move on or get help.
Watch for stalking or menacing behaviors or threats, including threats to harm you or to commit suicide. Don't rely on
your own judgment to determine whether threats are serious. Report them to the police immediately. This person is probably
just difficult and not dangerous. But don't take any chances. If necessary, get a restraining order and call the cops
each and every time it's violated.
If you or someone you know is frightened about something in your relationship, please call the National Domestic Violence
Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or TTY 1-800-787-3224.
While it is preferable that marriages involving kids be worked out, in many cases, a controlling manipulator is not amenable
to marriage or family counseling. If your partner is not willing to commit to counseling, then separation may be the only
answer. Without family counseling, the manipulative, controlling partner will damage the children, and you will spawn more
of the same type of person.
Couples counseling or marriage counseling is not a safe place for you to talk about any abuse you are enduring, especially
if the person abusing you is sitting right next to you during a session. You need individual supportive counseling that is
often times available for free at your local domestic violence agency. See the hotline number above. They can connect you
to an agency close by.
Support from family or friends. Don't let yourself become isolated.
Will power to resist the temptation to be kind (just let them go)
Brutally honest self-appraisal
Forgiveness of yourself
Love
Just because you're civil to this person doesn't mean that you're friends -- or that you want to be. Keep reminding yourself
of that, especially if the other party doesn't seem to understand your boundaries.
Sometimes the generic stuff is just as good as a name brand -- well, at least that's what you're telling yourself in
this case. Your gut, however, says something different. Pay attention to the signals you're receiving.
Laughter isn't just the best medicine -- it's a great way to prevent mishaps, too! Find a way to chuckle at the recent
goings-on, even if you have to force yourself. Soon your amusement will be genuine.
If you're not sure how to help this person, at least try to find a way to do no harm (hey, if that oath works for doctors,
it can work for you, too). Sometimes a hands-off approach is the best one to take.
It's understandable that you don't want to make a scene, but there's something rotten in the state of Denmark. If you're the one who notices, it's up
to you to point it out. You know how to do it in just the right way.
Lately a certain person has been getting under your skin, but they don't mean to. In fact, they have no idea they're having
this effect on you at all! Say something in a kind way and the issue will soon be resolved.
MIAMI - An aging weather satellite crucial to accurate predictions on the intensity and path of hurricanes could fail at
any moment and plans to launch a replacement have been pushed back seven years to 2016
In a letter obtained by The Associated Press, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's chief
said the failure of the QuikScat satellite could bring more uncertainty to forecasts and widen the areas that are placed under
hurricane watches and warnings.
If the satellite faltered, experts estimate that the accuracy of two-day forecasts could suffer by 10 percent and three-day
forecasts by 16 percent, which could translate into miles of coastline and the difference between a city being evacuated or
not.
"We would go blind. It would be significantly hazardous," said Wayne Sallade, emergency manager in Charlotte County, which
was hit hard by Hurricane Charley in 2004.
A NOAA spokesman disputed that, saying alternatives such as using data from other satellites would help diminish any increased
uncertainty coming from the loss of QuikScat.
In the letter to a Florida congressman, NOAA Administrator Conrad Lautenbacher blamed the delays on technical and budget
problems. Scientists said if QuikScat failed, they may have to rely on less accurate satellites.
Bill Proenza, director of the
Top of Form 1
Bottom of Form 1
National Hurricane Center in Miami, said authorities "may have to err on the side of caution" in future forecasts.
That means "more people disrupted, and more impact on the economy," Proenza said. "On the other hand, we have to err on
the side of the protection of life. And that's how we would handle it."
Lautenbacher said the replacement is part of a larger program to update America's weather satellites. The AP reported last
week that other cuts in the program have included scaled-back efforts to measure global warming from space.
Last year, forecasts were off an average of 111 miles two days in advance, a figure that has been cut in half over the
past 15 years. But experts said that could grow 10 percent to 122 miles if the satellite is lost, causing the "cone of error"
well known to coastal residents to expand.
Some scientists also complain that the technology planned for the replacement satellite is less precise for hurricane forecasting
than what is currently flying.
QuikScat, launched in 1999 and designed to last two to three years, provides key data on wind speed and direction over
the ocean. Weather aircraft and buoys can also obtain similar measurements near a storm, but they do not provide a constant
flow of data as QuikScat does.
Last year, the satellite suffered a major setback — the failure of a transmitter used to send data to Earth about
every 90 minutes. Now the satellite is limping along on a backup transmitter and has other problems.
The backup transmitter could last years, but there are no guarantees and no warnings when it is about to fail, said Robert
Gaston, who works with the satellite at
Emergency managers like Sallade have been briefed on the satellite's problems. They said if they cannot rely on forecasts,
they may have to make crucial decisions earlier, such as evacuating hospital patients or moving around emergency equipment.
Emergency managers estimate that the total costs of evacuations are up to $1 million per mile of coastline, meaning wider
evacuations could be expensive.
Lautenbacher's letter was sent to Rep. Ron Klein, a Florida Democrat who requested the agency's plan should the satellite
fail. Klein and other members of Congress are pushing bills that would pay for a satellite to replace QuikScat.
"I'm disappointed that this letter doesn't directly address my request for a backup plan if QuikScat fails, given that
we're three weeks into a hurricane season," said Klein, who has requested a hearing on the issue.
Even if money were immediately available, a replacement satellite is estimated to take at least four years and cost approximately
$400 million to build. The AP first reported those estimates in a March interview with Proenza, one of the loudest voices
calling for a replacement satellite.
If the satellite fails, the options are few. Other satellites have instruments to measure wind speed and direction over
water, but they are less accurate.
A European satellite called ASCAT is available, but it does not give scientists as clear a picture as QuikScat because
the distance between the readings it takes is larger. Using ASCAT would be like a person who wears glasses taking them off,
seeing a once-sharp world blurred, said National Hurricane Center senior hurricane specialist Rick Knabb.
You're the boss. But it's no fun (and very difficult) being a boss who is not respected or is even actively
disliked. How do you get your staff to be the best thing that ever happened to you? By being the best boss that ever happened
to them.
Steps
Realize that management succeeds via the efforts of the workers. Just because you're in charge doesn't mean
you deserve all the credit for the work being done. Your staff is responsible for the bulk of the work. You are leading them as they get it done to be sure all regulations
are complied with, etc., but they are doing the actual work. Taking credit for their efforts will surely undermine your leadership. Delegate responsibility and then trust your people. Micro-managers are never appreciated. Once you've trained someone to handle a task, allow them
to handle it without interference. Different people have different approaches, and their way of doing something may be just
as efficient as the way you would do it, so before you step in and force your way on them, give an honest evaluation to their
method, and if you find theirs works just as well, even if it's different from yours, let them be. Constantly correcting them
undercuts their confidence and does not allow them to exercise their own style. Know your employees to know your strength. Watch your staff,
get to know them as individuals. Understand their motives: Why do they work in this company? Why do they work in this department?
What excites them? Some may love the work. Some may love the flexible hours. Some may love the retirement plan. Whatever that
is, do your best to understand. That allows you to enhance, adjust and align their motives with the goal of your unit. The
cream always rises to the top, and it's your job to figure out which employees do what is required in their jobs, and which
employees do all they can in their jobs. There is a huge distinction. Clone yourself - many times. Once you've identified
the best of the best, teach them your job. That's right. Teach them to be you. Most bad bosses are under the (mistaken) impression that there is something
unique that makes them indispensable. The truth is, the best boss trusts his staff and re-creates himself many times over
so that in case of emergencies in his absence the Good Boss has excellent help that can be utterly relied upon. If you happen
to be an entrepreneur/owner, cloning yourself means that you don't need to go to work as much, freeing you to do as you please and
knowing your business is earning as much today without you there as it would if you had to go there and slave away. And remember,
too, that you're creating another good boss! Empower your staff to make critical decisions, and don't second-guess them. If you've done a good job of training your people to be your proxies, then you
must know they are doing their best to act in your (and your company's) best interest. Even if they make a wrong decision,
or handle a situation in a way you would not have, don't second guess or berate them. Instead, use it as yet another training
opportunity. Hear out their reasons for their action - most of the time, when taken in context, there was a logical basis
for what they decided to do.
Example: Once you understand their position, try saying, "Given what you've told me, I now understand why
that seemed like the way to go. However, in the future, I would like you to try handling it this way (then explain the way
you want them to do it). If you have a problem doing it that way, you can always call me for help."
Create a clear chain of command. If you are the owner and have a manager, be sure the rest of the staff understands
the chain - they are to take problems to the manager first, and only then escalate that problem to you if they are still unsatisfied. When leaving, say, "Franki,
you're in charge." This lets any additional staff know who's the boss in your absence, plus, goofy as it sounds, it makes
Franki square up her shoulders and realize that she now 'has the bridge.' If customers are there, so much the better - you are putting your faith and trust in Franki right in front of them. They
feel it, Franki feels it - and you just went up a notch in the esteem of your right hand woman and your customers.
Help them learn to work out issues without your intervention. Sometimes one or more of your staff may experience friction
with others. If they come tattling on one another to you, listen to them carefully. If someone is not fulfilling their responsibilities or is mistreating another employee, you'll
need to step in and resolve the conflict yourself. But if you're satisfied it's only an issue of competition or a simple personality clash, urge them to settle
it between themselves. For instance:
Tell the complaining party, "I'm a need to know boss. I don't need to know about this, it's really between
you guys. Let me talk to ___________ (the other party in the clash), but once I have, if I don't get back to you, it's up
to you."
You're the boss. But it's no fun (and very difficult) being a boss who is not respected or is even actively
disliked. How do you get your staff to be the best thing that ever happened to you? By being the best boss that ever happened
to them.
Steps
Realize that management succeeds via the efforts of the workers. Just because you're in charge doesn't mean
you deserve all the credit for the work being done. Your staff is responsible for the bulk of the work. You are leading them as they get it done to be sure all regulations
are complied with, etc., but they are doing the actual work. Taking credit for their efforts will surely undermine your leadership. Delegate responsibility and then trust your people. Micro-managers are never appreciated. Once you've trained someone to handle a task, allow them
to handle it without interference. Different people have different approaches, and their way of doing something may be just
as efficient as the way you would do it, so before you step in and force your way on them, give an honest evaluation to their
method, and if you find theirs works just as well, even if it's different from yours, let them be. Constantly correcting them
undercuts their confidence and does not allow them to exercise their own style. Know your employees to know your strength. Watch your staff,
get to know them as individuals. Understand their motives: Why do they work in this company? Why do they work in this department?
What excites them? Some may love the work. Some may love the flexible hours. Some may love the retirement plan. Whatever that
is, do your best to understand. That allows you to enhance, adjust and align their motives with the goal of your unit. The
cream always rises to the top, and it's your job to figure out which employees do what is required in their jobs, and which
employees do all they can in their jobs. There is a huge distinction. Clone yourself - many times. Once you've identified
the best of the best, teach them your job. That's right. Teach them to be you. Most bad bosses are under the (mistaken) impression that there is something
unique that makes them indispensable. The truth is, the best boss trusts his staff and re-creates himself many times over
so that in case of emergencies in his absence the Good Boss has excellent help that can be utterly relied upon. If you happen
to be an entrepreneur/owner, cloning yourself means that you don't need to go to work as much, freeing you to do as you please and
knowing your business is earning as much today without you there as it would if you had to go there and slave away. And remember,
too, that you're creating another good boss! Empower your staff to make critical decisions, and don't second-guess them. If you've done a good job of training your people to be your proxies, then you
must know they are doing their best to act in your (and your company's) best interest. Even if they make a wrong decision,
or handle a situation in a way you would not have, don't second guess or berate them. Instead, use it as yet another training
opportunity. Hear out their reasons for their action - most of the time, when taken in context, there was a logical basis
for what they decided to do.
Example: Once you understand their position, try saying, "Given what you've told me, I now understand why
that seemed like the way to go. However, in the future, I would like you to try handling it this way (then explain the way
you want them to do it). If you have a problem doing it that way, you can always call me for help."
Create a clear chain of command. If you are the owner and have a manager, be sure the rest of the staff understands
the chain - they are to take problems to the manager first, and only then escalate that problem to you if they are still unsatisfied. When leaving, say, "Franki,
you're in charge." This lets any additional staff know who's the boss in your absence, plus, goofy as it sounds, it makes
Franki square up her shoulders and realize that she now 'has the bridge.' If customers are there, so much the better - you are putting your faith and trust in Franki right in front of them. They
feel it, Franki feels it - and you just went up a notch in the esteem of your right hand woman and your customers.
Help them learn to work out issues without your intervention. Sometimes one or more of your staff may experience friction
with others. If they come tattling on one another to you, listen to them carefully. If someone is not fulfilling their responsibilities or is mistreating another employee, you'll
need to step in and resolve the conflict yourself. But if you're satisfied it's only an issue of competition or a simple personality clash, urge them to settle
it between themselves. For instance:
Tell the complaining party, "I'm a need to know boss. I don't need to know about this, it's really between
you guys. Let me talk to ___________ (the other party in the clash), but once I
Talk
to the other person, and upon verifying that it's a personality issue, simply let them know that they aren't required to be
friends, only to get along and get their work finished.
Defend the other to each of them: "You know, Francesca may be a little loud and talkative, but she's the best
salesperson we have, and you could learn a lot from her. Try and work it out." and to Francesca, "Juan is a quiet guy, and
it may help if you let him come to you. I think he may feel a little like you're steamrolling him; the thing is, he's very
organized and we need him. Try a less frontal approach. I bet you guys can work this out."
Tell them both you believe in their abilities to work and get along. Then leave them alone, but watch carefully.
Don't interfere unless they bicker in front of customers. Put a stop to anything like that instantly.
Deal with any problems quickly and directly. Any boss who is terribly busy totally understands this concept:
"I don't need all the details. Bottom line it for me." You don't have to be so blunt that you crush people, but being direct
and honest is a big time saver, and frankly, appreciated in the end. When you see a problem, deal with it quickly and don't
nag your people about it later - let done be done. Here's an example:
Boss: "Evan. I need you in the office for a moment." (Say this in a neutral or pleasant tone. Don't come out
in front of customers or peers with your guns blazing and saying, "Evan, get in the office NOW." This is between you and Evan.)
Privately, once all prying eyes are away: "Evan, I noticed you had a cell phone call. A customer came in and you didn't end
the call right away. That's not the way we do things here, is it?"
Employee: "No, but it was my dad saying how blah blah blah" (The actual problem is irrelevant).
Boss: "I understand. We're all only human. Things come up. I get that. But you have to get that our customers
don't care what your problems are. They see one of our people, they want to be helped right this minute, and when you stay
on your phone, they feel disgruntled that you aren't serving them. So in the future, I would like for you to leave the sales
floor if your cell phone call turns into a problem you can't table for another time. Clear?"
Employee: "Yes."
Boss: "Okay, are you good to return to duty?"
Employee: "Yes, I am. I'm sorry."
Boss: "Okay, good enough. Go on back out there." And that's enough - Don't belabour it, don't belittle him;
correct him quickly and calmly, then just let him get back to work.
Tell your staff how much you appreciate them - in front of customers if possible. Never hesitate to pat your
employees on the back, compliment and thank them for their excellent service - if customers are there, letting them know how you value your people can go
a long way toward the customers actually having more faith in the services your business provides. When your staff feel valued
and appreciated, their job means more to them than simply a pay check. When your customers know that you, as the owner (or
manager) think highly of your staff, they feel confident that they're in good hands, and it leaves you more freedom to leave
your customers in the very capable hands of your staff. See how this becomes a "win-win-win"? By lifting up your employee
while your customer was watching, ALL of you got something good from it - with zero downside. Show your appreciation by doing
things for them. They go the extra mile for you. You do something nice for them. Buy everyone lunch every other Wednesday.
Be sure there's a supply of their favorite sodas in a small fridge for them. If you get extra tickets to something you know they would enjoy, offer it to them as a bonus for work well done. Remember their birthdays, at least enough to wish them a happy day, or buy them a cupcake. Share your goals with your employees. Tell them what makes you happy and ask them directly to help you reach
your goals. "Hidden agendas" in a leader are damaging to morale because they create confusion in those who work for you. Tell
them things like "I like to hear praises from our customers about you", "I do not like to hear complaints from other teams
about us", "My goal is to win the [best team award] next year", etc. etc.. Trust that your employees are very much like you:
They love to feel helpful and accomplished. Your job is tell them how to achieve those feelings. Learn to be an effective
listener. Your employees deserve to be heard when they have concerns. Allow them to finish talking before you speak; Do not
assume that you know what they are going to tell you before they finish talking; Do not form objections in your mind while
they are talking; Instead try to be in their shoes and share their contexts. Acknowledge their points, which does not mean
that you agree but it does mean that you understand their points. Repeat their points in your own words to confirm, if necessary.
You may not need to take any action, but hearing them out is important to their sense of empowerment and significance. Be
the boss. All these steps may not prevent you having to assert your ultimate authority at some point. No matter how well your
staff is trained or how good your leadership skills become, there will be times when you will have to remind someone that
you are the final word on all matters. Being a good boss and empowering your people to make "daily" decisions does not mean
you've abdicated your authority. If you find that someone on your staff is overstepping or has made a mistake, be decisive
and firm, act swiftly and don't waffle. This may result in some deflation of that employee, but assuming you allow it to be
done with once you've corrected the situation, it should pass quickly.
Tips
Have a little tolerance in your heart. Your staff works only 8 hours for you and then lives 16 hours of personal
life which may leave a big impact, bleeding into work hours. Above all, your staff might not have slept well/enough due to
work or personal life which can make them cranky, leading to low productivity. (Still, remember it is their responsibility
to deal with their personal lives on their time, and to get proper rest. You must remind this of them if they continually
have the problem but if it's a rare occurrence, do understand the human limitation.)
Understand that things beyond your staff's control are bound to come up from time to time. As long as it's
not habitual, it's in your best interest to treat your people like PEOPLE, not objects or numbers or cogs in your grand wheel.
Give them the freedom to handle their personal issues, even if they come up on your time - as long as it isn't a frequent
problem.
If you are on a tight budget, becoming a good boss can save you a ton of money. Many studies show how a staff
that feels you care for them and value them will be far less motivated by money, and far more motivated by their sense of
empowerment, value to you and the company, and the feeling that they have significant responsibilities.
Have fun with your staff. Joking with them and allowing them to see you as a human being binds them to you
with feelings of friendship. Letting them address you as "My King" or "Captain" may amuse them. It's wise, then, should your
staff enjoy something like this, to address them occasionally as "My Prince," or "Lieutenant Commander!" etc. This is charming to them and lets them know they are not simple minions, but essential members of your crew or 'royal court.'
While it's important to maintain the reality of your position as their leader, it's also important that you be accessible.
(It's also quite telling as to how they feel about you - being addressed with a bow and "My Queen," even privately or in a
light-hearted way says this person respects and admires you, and is willing to defer to you).
The owner or manager of a small company may be able to afford only a very meagre year-end bonus. Instead of
giving your team a teeny bonus of less than $50 each person, consider throwing a party for them - host it at your own home if you can. Your staff will be very touched that you have (A) invited them
to your home, (B) spent money to cater for them, (C) provided a warm, fun event for them to share each other's company, and
yours. Remember that $50 is a tank of gas that will be forgotten in a few days, but that party will give them a memory they
may carry with them all their lives. A few themed party favors cost little but create loads of fun and good feelings.
Being a good boss really is a lot like being a king or queen. You have to rely on your people for so much,
it's important that they feel loyal to you, and do things the way you want them done. Telling them to remember that wherever
they go, even on their own time, they stand for you and your company, and to remember who they are in that light - it's actually
a good thing. It makes them feel invested in the company in a very deep way, and those who are your very best will always
go far above and beyond the call of duty to serve you to the best of their abilities.
Recognize that you need to learn to be a boss. Most of us get promoted to be a boss because we did a good
job as employees. But the job of a boss is very different and sometimes counter-intuitive. Without some level of effort, you
may not grow into a good boss. Instead, you may continue to be just a good employee to your new boss.
A good way to remember the importance of treating your employees well is to remind yourself to think of them
as you do your good customers. Your good customers often get the benefit of the doubt in a dispute. You will sometimes offer
special perks as a way to say thanks and/or build loyalty. No matter what kind of personal mood you may be in on a given day
you always put on a good positive face for your good customers. And, of course, you always treat those customers with great
respect. These are the kinds of things you should also be doing for your good employees since, at the end of the day, they
are every bit as important - if not more so in some cases - as those good customers you so naturally treat well!
Warnings
You will feel indebted to your staff. The better they do their jobs and you recognize them for it, the harder
it is for you to feel as if you live up to their loyalty.
When you lose one of them to a new job, it's hard to replace them, both in your own heart, and in your business.
Things You'll Need
Courage - you have to be brave to relinquish controlling tendencies.
A positive attitude - if you're sullen and morose, your people will be sullen and morose, too. They will mirror you. Staying upbeat
will keep them optimistic and happy.
Patience - teaching people to do things your way takes time.
Empathy - understand that your people are human beings with needs and feelings, just like you.
Faith - believe in them. It means everything to them, and ultimately to you.
Many sports in today's action packed world require you to use a vast amount of air to be successful. While
there is no way to increase the size of your lungs, there are many ways to increase the amount of air taken in by your lungs, and the efficiency with which they
capture oxygen. Practice these exercises daily, and you are bound to see an increase in your lung capacity.
Exhale completely. Don't let any air linger in your lungs. This allows more new, oxygen-rich air to come in.
You can ensure the complete evacuation of your lungs by counting out loud. When you can no longer count out loud, you can
expel no more air from you lungs.
Expand your lower ribs and allow your diaphragm to descend by keeping your abdominal muscles relaxed. Your
abdomen will expand as your diaphragm descends making more room around your lungs, allowing them to fill with air.
Widen your hands, holding them further away from your body, to help open up your chest.
Inhale for two counts, and exhale for three counts. Maintain this ratio consistently.
Create resistance.
Breathe in normally, through your nose. Take deep breaths.
Breathe out through your mouth with your lips still close together. Open them just slightly so a little bit
of air can get out, and with resistance. Try and do this as often as possible -- it makes the sacs in your lungs more used
to having to hold air longer, stretching them out.
Develop a normal stretching and weight lifting routine out of the water. Make sure that you compensate for the fact that weights will feel lighter when you
have the water around you. Practice this routine for a few days until you are comfortable with everything.
Take it to the water. Submerge yourself up to your neck, and do the exercises while in the water. This may
not seem like it is doing anything to help you at all, but don't worry. Due to the blood shifting into your chest cavity and
the compression on your body, you will have to take shorter, quicker breaths when exercising in the water. Research shows
that your air capacity will be cut by up to 75% during this time, and your body will try to compensate for that. If your exercise
in the water lasts long enough, and you do it regularly, your respiratory system will become more efficient, increasing your
lung capacity.
Get extra air.
Take a piece of pipe with a diameter small enough to put into your mouth without hurting your jaw. It should,
however, make you open your mouth wide- about as wide as an average yawn.
Put the pipe in your mouth. (Do be sure it's sanitary and clean)
Breathe. Do so very carefully, though, because if you breathe too quickly, you will become lightheaded. Do
this for a little while every day, and you will soon realize that you are able to take longer and longer breaths without becoming
lightheaded. If you do this often enough, you should be able to take very deep, full breaths and be perfectly fine. This works
because your body is becoming more adjusted to receiving more oxygen with every breath, because, obviously, you don't breathe
like you are yawning all the time.
Play a Wind Instrument.
Learn how to play a wind or brass instrument such as a tuba, trumpet, trombone, clarinet, or flute. This activity
will help you control breathing and expand your lung capacity to utilize all the alveoli.
Play in a marching band or a Drum and Bugle Corps. This activity requires more and more lung capacity utilization
for your movement and playing and is quite healthy.
Participate in rigorous cardiovascular activities such as aerobics, cycling, and running.
Tips
Training at higher altitudes, if possible, can also help increase lung capacity. The air in high altitude
areas has less oxygen in it, which will force your lungs to work harder and become more efficient. But be careful, though,
as altitude sickness is a possibility as your body adjusts. Quit Smoking. You probably already know to stay away from any
kind of smoking, but you should also stay away from smoke-filled environments, where you're exposed to second-hand smoke.
Playing any wind instrument with correct diaphragm breathing techniques can make a dramatic change in lung
capacity. Singing is also a great way to achieve the same results.
In a pool, position your chest as far underwater as possible and breathe through a tube. The further underwater
you are, the more pressure is applied to your chest, making it hard to breathe. Make sure you can keep the tube above water
or you will end up with lungs full of water. Note that at even a couple feet down it may be impossible to inhale.
A 3/4" PVC pipe coupler is the perfect tube for most people to hold between their teeth to practice breathing
exercises and, if it isn't right for a particular individual, they can use a 1/2" or 1" coupler. They are cheap and can be
sterilized. They are a great aid to help singers open up!
Instead of using a piece of PVC you can use two knuckles. Also, thinking about breathing from the bottom up--like
a glass of water being filled--helps.
Warnings
Whenever you become lightheaded, breathe normally.
Don't exercise in water unless you know how to swim.
Do not perform these exercises without consulting your doctor if you have any respiratory conditions.
When breathing underwater (for example, when SCUBA diving), stabilize your depth and never hold your breath
or ascend while inhaling. Air expands when ascending and the lungs can rupture if you are holding your breath.
Stir the gnocchi into a warm sauce of your choice. As a final touch, you can grate a little Pecorino cheese
over the top. This dish works exceptionally well with a rosé wine.
Tips
Recipe courtesy of renowned Italian chef, Giancarlo Caldesi.
The cooked gnocchi can be stored in the fridge for 2 to 3 days. It can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
Cook from frozen for 6-7 minutes in boiling water.
Rather than just cutting the gnocchi, you can push them individually off the tines of the back of a fork using
your thumb, imprinting them with little ridges. This holds sauce better and promotes even cooking in the center.
Baking the potatoes also works. You will end up with dryer potatoes which allows you to use less flour which,
in turn, makes your gnocchi less doughy. It is slightly harder to strike the right flour/potato balance but can result in
very light, fluffy gnocchi.
Warnings
When boiling the potatoes, don't put cold potatoes into already-boiling water; this will cause the skin to
split, and make the potatoes soggy.
Things You'll Need
1 large saucepan
1 passatutto (a food mill - if you don't have one, a regular potato masher will do)
1 flexible knife
1 wooden spoon
1 colander
1 tea towel
1 large tray or plate
1 sieve
1 teaspoon
Maintain a Pistol (Handgun)
Wipe down the whole gun and remove any excess oil.
Swab the barrel with a dry cloth right before you intend to start shooting to remove any oil residue.
Tips
The best way to keep a gun clean is to clean it with a properly sized bore snake and spray solvent every time
before you leave the range. In other words put your gun in the carrying case clean.
If you are having a tough time with some thick buildup, apply more solvent and let it soak for a while.
If you aren't able to wipe all the areas solvent has gotten into, no worries. The solvent will eventually
evaporate or the oil you spray on later will neutralize it.
A very light (almost invisible) coat of oil on the exterior of metal parts will prevent rusting by preventing
moisture saturation.
If you want to go one step further with cleaning the barrel, before you apply the oil-soaked cloth, you can
run a cloth (or two) soaked with copper solvent (different than standard solvent) through the bore. This removes any copper
particles left behind by jacketed bullets.
If you use lead bullets, you may need to soak your barrel in solvent (if it hasn't been cleaned thoroughly
in a while). Either submerge it in skin-safe solvent or get barrel plugs to seal the ends of the barrel while it is filled
with solvent.
When you push the barrel brush all the way through the barrel bring the brush back and twist (slowly rotate)
the brush about 45 degrees, push the brush all the way through the barrel again and twist the opposite way. This will clean
the grooves a little better.
Warnings
Keep oil away from the openings into the firing pin housing (oil is a collector of dirt and powder buildup,
and buildup around your firing pin can prevent it from firing).
Be sure the solvent is safe for your gun, and preferably, safe for continual contact with your skin.
Wash your hands after handling the gun and cleaning supplies.
Always clean your gun in a well ventilated area, as fumes from solvents or oils can be unhealthy if inhaled.
Keep oil away from your ammunition, The oil can penetrate the primer and cause the ammunition not to fire.
Unless you are a dealer authorized armorer, never use power tools to speed up the cleaning process.
Things You'll Need
A dirty (used) handgun.
Paper towels (optional).
Lint-free cloth (you can buy pre-cut cloth, but a clean old shirt or socks also work).
Solvent (preferably designed to be safe to continually contact your skin, like M-Pro 7).
Oil (oil specifically designed for use with a firearm — grease or other lubricants are also a viable
option, but often require more work).
Pick (or other sharp, soft-metal object — such as an aluminum pick).
Barrel brush for the caliber you are cleaning.
Brush (without metal bristles — like a toothbrush)
Standard Pipe Cleaners, useful in small orifices, or recesses where a brush and/or pick mignt not reach. Cotton
swabs (such as "Q-Tips") work very well for this too.
If you, or someone in your family, smokes and you have children, then it is important to ensure that they
are not the recipients of secondhand cigarette smoke, which is classified as a known human (Group A) carcinogen by the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency. Secondhand smoke is scientifically correlated with a range of illnesses from asthma to cancer, and it is even more damaging to children whose lungs and immune systems are still developing. Given the statistics, the less exposure your kids have, the better.
Steps
Stop smoking. If you or anyone else in your home smokes, the most effective way to prevent harm to the kids is to quit (or
persuade the resident smoker to quit) as soon as possible. It is a hard habit to break but look at just some of the benefits you get for stopping:
Healthier kids, less respiratory illness (and fewer medical bills) for you and for them,
Clean home environment, no yellowing paintwork, no odors,
Teach the kids a positive message about not smoking at all. The attitudes they adopt towards smoking will
be influenced heavily by you. Try to quit. If you cannot, at least demonstrate to them the difficulties a smoker has to endure
to ensure that others are not harmed by your personal habit. Show them that it is a burden and addiction that is best avoided. Kids can make sense of truth and action better, so be open, honest, and not evasive. Smoke
outdoors. Make it a rule to never smoke inside the home, even in the middle of winter. Indoor smoke builds up and anyone in
proximity to that smoke is a target of the carcinogenic chemicals and respiratory irritants cigarette smoke contains. The
chemical particles also fall onto the household furniture, upholstery and walls, and continue to emit potentially damaging
chemicals long after the cigarette is extinguished, not to mention the stale odor of tobacco smoke. But, standing on your
driveway and lighting up will be bad for people who pass by, and smoke in the yard can easily go over walls and fences. If
you are aware of that, your best bet would be a smoking room inside. Never smoke in the car. It is never okay to smoke in a car when you have kids, even when your kids are
not in the car with you, because the smoke residue lingers and off-gases whenever the kids are in the car. Rolling
down a window helps some, but can blow the smoke directly into your kids' faces. Ask guests to light up outdoors. It is your home and you have a right to a smoke-free environment. Be polite but firm and
let the guests know that because of the kids, there is a strict "no indoor smoking" policy in place. Keep the kids away from
public places where smoking is concentrated. If you do not live in an area with laws banning smoking in restaurants, find
the restaurants that voluntarily ban smoking when you take your kids out to eat. This also applies to concerts, shows, entertainment
places, and anywhere that smokers feel comfortable lighting up. Be aware that even where smoking is banned indoors, many places
still permit smoking on outdoor patios. Keep the kids away from tables of smokers or take them indoors. Ask babysitters not to smoke. This can be difficult, especially if you are asking grandparents or friends to babysit, but you
must be firm for the sake of your children's health. Make alternative arrangements. If you work or follow hobbies in a place
that permits smoking, and you need to take your child there for any amount of time, make sure that your child is not exposed
to the smoke of others in this environment. If you cannot manage this, make alternative arrangements.
Tips
Air fresheners and filters only mask the scent of cigarette smoke - they do not remove it.
Remember what secondhand smoke exposes children to. Would you allow your children to consume or inhale arsenic,
lead, DDT, acetone, ammonia, formaldehyde, cyanide, or carbon monoxide? These are the chemicals found in secondhand smoke.
They may not be visible, but they are there. When inhaled even in small amounts on a regular basis, they can cause significant
damage to a developing body.
If you slipped and smoked in your car or indoors, vacuum thoroughly and clean out the car or the room by wiping down furniture, car upholstery, etc. and leave the windows
wide open to let in fresh air. Empty all ashtrays and put the garbage bag outside. The amount of extra cleaning effort might help to convince you that it is just
easier not to smoke in the first place.
Get involved in anti-smoking initiatives, such as World Tobacco Day on May 31 every year. Teach your children
to be proactive about preventing smoking in their own lives.
Change the air filter in your car if you smoke in it. They will contain the smoke smell and make it worse when you turn on your heat
or A/C.
Warnings
Experts state that there is NO safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke.
Kids exposed to cigarette smoke can get severe bronchial and other respiratory illnesses, and have an increased
exposure to carcinogens, which can trigger cancer. Young bodies are far more vulnerable to cell mutation triggered by secondhand
smoke as they are growing.
Cigarette smoke contains around 4000 chemicals, a number of which are known carcinogens.
You already know that it takes a lot to be a good parent, but there are many ways in which you can be a good father in particular.
Consider your role as a father. What do you believe is supposed to be a father's role in raising children?
How did you grow up perceiving fatherhood? The notions you were brought up with will subconsciously influence your approach
to being a father. Some common perceptions--and misconceptions--of a father's role are:
The father provides for his children, and should care for them too.
The father's role is to discipline, whereas the mother can be more lenient
A father should not give children too much affection and warmth
A father shows support and love through actions, not words
Question your beliefs. Old-fashioned approaches to fatherhood may have worked in the past, but in an ever-changing
world where children need all the guidance, reinforcement, and support they can get, do your beliefs hold water? Does the
mother of your children agree with your views, or expect you to take on a more encompassing role? Respect your children's
mother. Do this whether you're divorced or married. Children will mimic their parent's behavior. How you treat their mother
will affect how they assume women should be treated in the future. Also, in order to respect her authority, they need to see
that you value her judgment.
Show affection. Many men are uncomfortable with offering their children affection and communicating their love. If this is
an issue, then deeply reconsider it, as advised above. In particular, think about what your detachment and reclusion is communicating
to your child, who doesn't know any better: That they are unlovable, that they have not met your standards, that they are
not good enough. These thoughts are at the root of lifelong insecurity that can eventually lead to a sense of resignation
in life or unhealthy attempts to compensate for feelings of inadequacy.
Realize that a father's job is never done. Do not assume that once your children turn 18, or they have a college degree, that your part of the bargain has been fulfilled. While you may want to encourage your children to become
financially and emotionally independent, it will always be important to let them know that you care and that they are valued.
Set the mood. Be prepared with a diversity of drinks (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic) and hors d'oeuvres
or appetizers. Re-arrange furniture so that your guests will not feel cramped, but everyone has a place they can sit down without being isolated.
Dim lighting, candles and fresh flowers can create a warm atmosphere.
Dress appropriately. You are the first person your guests will see, so it's important to make a good first impression. It doesn't
matter how nicely the party is decorated if you look disheveled or drab. If you indicated on the invitations that it would
be a formal event, you should dress up; in fact, you're better off being overdressed than underdressed.
Welcome your guests. Greet your guests at the door as they arrive and welcome them in. Offer to take their coats and be prepared with a room set aside
to store coats during the party. Tell them where you are putting their coats (and any other accessories, like purses or umbrellas)
so if they need something, they know where to look. Send them through to the party room while you put their coats away.
Serve the drinks. As the host, you should always make sure everyone
has a drink in their hand. Keep an eye on what everyone is drinking, and walk around with a bottle or a jug of water to replenish
their drinks. It's best to fill the glasses up to two thirds. As you're doing this, make sure that no one drinks too much.
If you spot someone drinking too quickly, fill their glass half way or less. Likewise, if you see someone is obviously sipping
their drink very slowly, perhaps because they don't prefer drinking too much, don't be overly eager to give them more.
Introduce people. Ideally, your guests will mingle freely without prompting, but more often than not, cliques can form over the course of the evening, with people
who already know each other well sticking close together and not engaging others at the party. This can dampen the party spirit,
so as the host, look for ways to mix things up a bit. Find two people who you would like to meet each other, and introduce
them. Bring up a topic that you know they are both interested in ("Chris, isn't your son applying to colleges? Marly here has a sister who's an admissions officer at Yale. Maybe she can give you some tips!"), or relate
one person's experience to the other ("Joan, did you know that Harold climbed Mount Everest last year?). Get the conversation
rolling and then move on to mind your other guests.
Enjoy the party!. Your appearance and your demeanor will set the tone of
the party, so you must be presentable and sociable from beginning to end. If they see you look tired and stressed, they might
feel as if they are burdens. But if you're lighthearted, relaxed, and talkative, it'll help them loosen up and feel at ease. With good planning and preparation, you should have plenty of opportunity to relax and enjoy the party.
The art to being a perfect host is in the attention to detail. Every so
often look around the room to make sure everyone feels welcomed and comfortable. Don't get so relaxed that you stop paying
attention to your guests!
If you are throwing a large party, you might be unable to do everything
yourself. It's not easy for a single host to keep track of everyone at once. Don't be afraid to enlist the help of a few relatives
or friends to serve as co-hosts.
If you can afford it, hire an individual or two to help tend the bar and/or walk around the party area refreshing
people's plates and glasses and helping keep the party area clean by removing discarded plates/napkins/drinking glasses.
Don't allow an intoxicated guest to drive home. If there is no designated driver, offer to call them a taxi
or invite them to stay in your home overnight.
Finding the most reliable process of painting objects is sometimes more of an art-form than
a science. Painting on the ground is messy and tough on one's back, and painting outdoors can lead to debris caught in the
paint's finish. Bugs, pollen, or even dust in the air can ruin an otherwise perfect paint job.
This guide will walk you through creating your own paint booth for use in a garage or on a patio that connects
to sliding glass doors. Larger pre-fab paint booths can cost thousands of dollars, and smaller paint booth kits only allow
painting smaller objects. This booth will easily cost less than $100 US, and will be able to handle both spray paint cans
and spray paint guns.
Purchase required components as shown in the 'Things You'll Need' section.
Gather up your PVC and mark off the points where you'll need to cut. If you're using a saw
to make the cut, account for an additional 1/16 or 1/32 of an inch. This extra allotment is to accommodate for the blade's
thickness (called the "kerf") and any un-level cuts made that need to be sanded down.
Most 10' sections of PVC pipe
purchased will actually be 10' and a couple of inches. This gives contractors or anyone working with the PVC pipe a little
leeway for making cuts. It is not uncommon to have 10', 2" pipes sold as 10' pipes.
The sections you will need are
(refer to the 'Tips' section for a chart of pipe cuts):
(3) 8 foot sections
(1) 5 foot, 11 and 3/4 inch section
(2) 4 foot sections
(2) 3 foot, 11 and 7/8 inch sections
(6) 3 foot sections
(2) 2 foot, 7 and 3/4 inch sections
(2) 26 and 3/8 inch sections
(2) 20 inch sections
(8) 2 and 1/2 inch sections
Visualize the design by referring to the image on the right. If desired, adjust the paintbooth's
size according to your needs. An 8' wide paintbooth is suitable for a two-car garage or a large patio. For more narrow booths,
adjust the length of the three 8' pipes and the top-middle two pipes.
Secure each pipe before cutting. Use a small workbench (traditional definition) with two planks
that act as a vise, or a table-mounted vise.
Cut the pipes with a PVC saw or clamp-style pipe cutter. A bladed cutter will yield clean
cuts but may be slower than cutting with a PVC saw. The saw will leave one smooth side and one rough side of the PVC pipe.
Clean up any uneven ends and PVC shag with a blade and/or a sanding block. Don't forget to cut the eight 2.25" connecting
pipes to join pairs of connectors.
Lay out the pipes by size to aid in quickly assembling the booth. At this point, ensure that
the four bottom pipes (the booth's legs) are reasonably flat and level. Since there are six 3' sections, choose four of these
pipes with the most level ends. Set these aside for the bottom pipes.
As an alternative, use an extra four 'T' connectors
to serve as feet. When the paint booth is complete, it will be heavy enough to stay in place.
Assemble the pipes. Plan out floor space to accommodate the booth, then begin assembling the
sides. Next, assemble the top-middle two pipes with the 'T' connector and down-pipe. Last, connect all of the horizontal pipes
to the two sides panels. The final assembly of this 8' booth should be roomy enough to walk inside for shorter people. Taller
people may need to bend down a bit.
Be sure to secure each pipe by fully inserting it into the PVC joint. It is extremely
difficult to break 2.25" PVC pipe or joints with bare hands, so apply plenty of pressure to ensure a tight fit.
When working with the first fully assembled sides panel, lay it flat to insert the horizontal
pipes that make up the booth's ceiling and rear side. When all of the horizontal pipes are installed, gently lean it over
on its top, leaving the PVC joints to support most of the structure's weight.
During assembly, seeking another's help
is advisable. One person is capable of assembling the structure, but two people working together will result in a quicker,
easier, and safer assembly.
Fine tune the assembly. The booth at this point is still movable, but only by alternating
between the movement one or two legs at a time. Position the booth to allow for free walking access around all sides. Pull
down a little on each corner to ensure the structure is stable and secure.
Lay down the drop cloth inside the booth. The 4' wide cloth should be positioned so that the
corners rest under each leg of the paintbooth. Make sure it is flat, and push out any creases or unevenness. Then lift each
of the paintbooth's legs, one at a time, to push the drop cloth edges under each leg.
If the cloth doesn't fit right,
or line-up under the paintbooth's legs, step back and visually inspect the legs. Each leg should be near-perpendicular to
the ground (at a 90 degree angle).
Position the box fan(s). Using a small step ladder, cardboard boxes, or other temporary structure,
place the box fan high enough to at least clear the middle PVC pipe of your paintbooth. Position the structure outside of
the booth. If necessary because of limited space, place the step ladder so that it is approximately an inch from the rear,
middle PVC pipe. This will place the legs of the ladder inside the booth, but they will easily be covered plastic. If you
have the room, placing the ladder further away from the paintbooth will create more of a 'funnel' effect, with better angles
for deflecting paint dust.
Enclose booth in plastic. Lay plastic over enclosure so that the 25' length is covering the longest dimension
(8' width plus 6' side walls). There will be leftover plastic that you can cut and use later as a strip below the fan. Leave
enough plastic around the front of the booth to fold over and leave dangling to catch excess overspray (6" should be fine).
Wrap the remaining plastic over the rear of the paintbooth to cover the rear. Leave room to add your fan(s). This is where
the quick grip clamps are useful in holding the plastic in place. The plastic's weight should be enough to keep it from moving,
but winds will easily push it off until the booth is complete.
Apply duct tape while cutting the plastic sheeting, sealing off the sides of the enclosure.
Use clamps to hold the plastic in place while you measure, cut, and place the duct tape. Once one side is done, cut off the
excess plastic sheeting to use for mounting below the fan.
Secure the plastic sheeting to corners, drop cloth, and
the assembly's legs. If your paintbooth is installed in a windy area, make sure the plastic is tight against the PVC pipe.
Pull it snug and hold it in place while taping it together. Start on one side, attaching the plastic to the drop cloth with
the duct tape.
Mount the furnace filter(s) with duct tape, either directly to the fan, or taped to the plastic
surrounding the fan. The suction of a box fan on high speed is enough to hold a furnace filter in place. Use the fan's suction
to hold each furnace filter in place while applying tape.
Make use of your new paintbooth! Cut hangers to hang objects before painting. Locate a place
to hang the painted objects if you plan to paint multiple items at one time. Also, keep a spray bottle full of water nearby
to occasionally mist the inside of the booth. This will help prevent the paint dust from bouncing off the walls and drifting
outside of the booth.
Maintain your paintbooth. Cleaning up overspray and paint dust is not an easy task, but cleaning
it up at regular intervals will ease the overall task. Clean off overspray on PVC pipe with the appropriate paint solvent
for the paint you've used. Check the effects of the paint solvent on scrap PVC pipe (leftover sections) before using it on
your paintbooth. Clean off overspray before disassembling your paintbooth for storage, as removing fresh paint is easier than
removing cured paint. Discard the plastic and floor mat when storing your paintbooth. The plastic sheeting will shed flakes
of paints when it flexes, and most painting mats are intended for one use only; they can hold only so much paint dust before
they become ineffective.
When storing your paintbooth by disconnecting pipes, it may be helpful to mark individual
pieces with their assembled locations. Disassemble as little as possible to fit in your storage space. If you have room, leave
the sides assembled, but disconnect the horizontal pipes and middle down-pipe.
Design your own PVC mount to support the position and weight of box fans.
Make sure the booth is set in a well-lighted area. The thick plastic sheeting should allow enough light in
to see, but will not be enough light to assist in creating quality paint jobs. If you do not have enough overhead lighting
(fluorescent lighting is best), use position lighting to minimize the creation of shadows.
For this design, there are three middle PVC pipes that are 8 feet long each. It can easily be changed to
design a paint booth of any length. At 8 feet wide, hanging heavy objects to paint inside requires a 'T' connector and pipe
running down for additional support. To do this, cut the top-middle pipe cut in half, minus a little, to add the 'T' and down
pipe. If you want to make a booth that is 6 feet wide or less, or you're only painting light objects, you may not need the
additional support at all.
When changing your paint booth's width and including a middle support down pipe, calculate the two sides
by halving the selected width, then subtracting 7/8" from each half to accommodate the width added by the middle 'T' connector.
Working with PVC is a breeze if you're assembling a temporary structure. The pipes simply push into the connectors
and hold with their own friction. This eases storage of the structure. If you need something more permanent, use a specialized
glue for PVC pipes (referred to as PVC weld). This glue melts the surface of PVC to bond pipes together.
The furnace filter will eventually fill with overspray and paint dust. Each time the filter is changed, either
pull up the existing duct tape holding it in place or cut it out with a blade. If using a blade, be careful not to cut the
plastic! It may be helpful to add the new filter with a different color duct tape each time so you know which tape to remove
or cut, without touching the wrong tape.
Blowing air over plastic sheeting can cause a static charge to develop in the plastic, which can then transfer
into the object being painted. In many painting applications, such as automotive painting, this will attract any dust to the
object being painted, so even though there is very little dust in the booth, a lot of it could end up in your paint job. To
help counteract this effect, avoid hanging objects too close to the plastic sheeting. If desired, running grounding straps
or wire along the inside of the paintbooth may help.
This paintbooth is really a "poor man's" version of a paintbooth. It is a tool, and if it serves its purpose,
it is of value. You can spend time to make this paintbooth look neat and professional, but it may only be worthwhile if it
is meant to be permanent.
This structure can also be constructed as four flat frames of PVC which are then held together with heavy
duty, nylon, zip (cable) ties. With this method the PVC can be glued together, but the whole assembly can be easily disassembled
for storage by cutting the zip ties. Be sure to remove the fan before disassembling the booth. Reassemble the structure when
you need it with new cable ties.
Here's a quick list of possible pipe cuts for the 8' wide paint booth, using nine 10' sections of PVC pipe:
║ = a cut ░ = spare/scrap pieces █ = PVC pipe used (roughly equal to
2")
Note: 2 1/2" cuts are split into 2 groups of 4 (even though the 2' left over from one 8' cut section is
enough). This is done because making a cut with only 2" of pipe to be held in a vise is cumbersome.
Always wear a respirator and goggles when painting.
Overspray and paint dust will spread over everything if not properly contained with a balanced air flow.
There needs to be slightly more air pulled out versus air pushed into a paintbooth. Use an additional fan (or multiple fans)
to bring fresh air to the open side of the paintbooth.
Paint dust will stain clothing if not removed quickly. Once paint dust absorbs enough moisture, it will turn
into a permanent dye. Either wear old clothing that you won't mind getting stained, or wear a painter's suit that covers your
arms, neck, and feet.
When painting for extended periods of time, take plenty of breaks.
Your exhaust fan will catch some overspray every time you paint because furnace filters will not catch every
spec of paint dust. Be prepared to clean your fan blades after you're through using the booth. Otherwise, make this fan your
dedicated paintbooth fan.
Ensure there is adequate ventilation wherever you build your paint booth, and always paint with your box
fan powered on.
Flammable vapors from such painting can be ignited by several sources in your garage. Local codes and/or
fire regulations may prohibit such activity in your garage. Check first.
Take caution with open flame near by, such as a pilot from a furnace, hot water heater, or stove.
(1) 10' (3M) x 25' (7.6M) package of clear Plastic sheeting, 4 mil or less (clear or translucent plastic
to allow light through)
(1) 4' (1.2M) x 15' (4.6M) drop cloth (preferably with a non-tracking side to stop from tracking overspray
around)
(1) tool to cut PVC pipe (hacksaw, PVC saw, or clamp-style pipe cutter that will cut 1.25" PVC)
(1+) packs of furnace filters. Depending on how much painting you'll do in your new booth, you will most
likely need to buy between 1 and 2 packs of 4 filters each. 20" (50cm) x 20" (50cm)is a universal size for most box fans,
but select the size needed for the fan you'll be using. You can use a better filter specifically made for paint booths, but
it will cost exponentially more. A better filter will catch more overspray while letting more air through, but furnance filters
are around $1 each (in packs of 4). Furnace filters are not perfect. If you use these, you will have to clean off some overspray
from your box fan(s).
(1+) Roll of duct tape. It will take at least one new roll of duct tape to seal off the plastic, fan, and
filter.
(1+) cheap box fans to help draw overspray through furnace filters and out of the booth. Cheap ones may sell
for around $10. In an 8' (2.4M) wide booth, one will work for casual use, but two or more will catch and draw out most overspray.
In a 4'(1.2M) wide booth, one box fan should be plenty. Match your fan size to your filter. Regular box fans with a brush-motor
will not ignite or explode with the concentrations of paint fumes in an garage with an open door. As an alternative, purchase
a more expensive fan or blower that is specifically certified for painting if you plan to have limited ventilation or use
extremely volatile paints.
A means of mounting your fan high enough to exhaust overspray from the top-rear of the booth. If your booth
is 6'(1.8M) tall, a 20" (50cm) box fan should be about 4' (1.2M) up off the ground. 4' (1.2M) Ladders work well if you have
one or more free, but you may also find big cardboard boxes useful if your budget is a priority.
Metal hangers or similar wire to 'hang' your objects to be painted
Optional: Quick grip clamps (ones that visually represent a bent 'X' and open with a squeeze) to clamp corners
of the plastic to the PVC pipe frame.
Workbench, vise, or other apparatus to hold PVC pipe while cutting
Access to a one-car garage or larger, or a patio with plenty of fair weather
Safety equipment:
Respirator rated to filter chemicals in the specific paint you're using
Goggles if using self-etching paint (any paint with acid)
Painter's suit or old clothing you don't mind getting stained
This strawberry tart recipe is suitable for children to make and is both fun and a way to help teach children
the skills to make food that is good for them. Strawberry tarts are the best thing to cook because they're easy to make.
Make the pastry. Place 250g (8.8 oz) of plain flour in a large bowl, and add 125g (4.4 oz) of butter. Rub the butter into the
flour with your fingertips. Don't squeeze it as this will crush all the air out. Rub it gently, lightly lifting your fingers
as you go. Keep going until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add in 2 tablespoons of vanilla sugar, and mix with a
fork.
Separate the yolk. Carefully break an egg over a separate bowl. Tip the yolk from one side of the shell to the other, letting the clear part fall into
the bowl. Put the yolk into another bowl. You only need the egg yolk for this recipe.
Add egg and water. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of water to the egg yolk and
quickly whisk with a fork. Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture and add a little of the egg and water. Work the
mixture in, adding more egg and water until it begins to form a ball without being too sticky. If it's too dry, add a little
more water.
Shape the dough into a ball. Wrap it in cling film and place in the fridge for about 30 minutes to chill.
Prepare the tins. Grease the baking tins using a little kitchen towel dipped in butter.
Roll the dough. Remove the dough from the refrigerator, unwrap and cut into quarters. Sprinkle a tiny bit of flour onto a clean work surface. Press the dough with
your hands to warm it, then use a rolling pin to roll out. Don't put too much pressure on the rolling pin. Press gently and
turn frequently. If it feels like it is sticking, rub a little flour onto the rolling pin. Roll the pastry until it is about
5mm thick. If it tears, don't worry, just push it back together.
Shape the cases. Loosen the pastry from the work surface with a pallet
knife, drape it over the rolling pin and lay it into the baking tray. Cut of the excess with a knife and shape the top with
your fingers.
Chill the pastry. Line each of the pastry cases with a square of tin foil,
and fill each with baking beans. These will help the tarts keep their shape and stop the pastry rising up when it is cooked.
Place them back into the fridge for about 15 - 20 minutes to chill.
Bake. Remove the pastry cases from the fridge and immediately put them
in the oven to bake for 7 minutes. Then, remove the beans and foil. This can be tricky, so there should always be an adult
around to help. Return the cases to the oven and bake for a further 3 minutes. Then place them on a wire rack to cool while
you make the filling.
Prepare the filling. Put 200g (7 oz) of cream cheese in a large mixing
bowl. Sift in about 1 tablespoon of icing sugar. Add half a teaspoonful of vanilla extract and beat well with a wooden spoon.
Have a taste, and add more icing sugar or vanilla extract if you think it needs it.
Prepare the strawberries. Remove the leaves and stalks from the strawberries, and clean the tops with a little kitchen towel. Carefully slice each strawberry in two. To be extra safe hold
them like this - make a bridge shape with your fingers, put the knife in the gap, and slice.
Fill the cases. Place a small amount of the cream into each pastry tart
and smooth it around. Arrange the chopped strawberries on top.
Make the jelly glaze. Put 4 tablespoons of redcurrant jelly into a saucepan over a low heat and leave to melt. Add a couple of tablespoons of water after about 3 minutes,
just enough to make it runny. If the mixture begins to bubble, give it a quick stir and lower the heat. It will be ready in
about 8 minutes. Use it straight away before it solidifies. Ladle a little glaze over the strawberry tarts. Garnish with fresh
mint.
If your strawberries are overgrown (hard, white on the tops, etc.) try macerating them by placing sliced
strawberries in a bowl with 1/4 cup of sugar and refrigerating them for an hour. They'll be soft and sweet with their own
syrup.
Try to have cool hands while making the pastry - it helps keep the pastry texture ideal by not over-heating
it.
Washing strawberries before cooking or eating them is a good idea.
In some areas, the satellite photos available online (TerraServer, Google
Earth, etc.) are 10 years old or more. With a $10 kite, extra long string, and an ultralight digital camera, you can take
up-to-the-minute aerial photos yourself.
Steps
Buy an ultralight digital camera or "spy camera", which retails for about $100 and can be found at online retailers. Make sure to get one that
either streams the images wirelessly or can save several minutes of still photos or streaming video internally.
Make a kite or buy an inexpensive one with sufficient lift for your camera. The spy camera is a good idea since it is generally
lighter than a digital camera.
Practice flying the kite without the camera until you get used to the kite. Then practice flying your kite with a weight attached in
place of the camera. Try to find a nearly worthless item that approximates the weight and size of your camera. You can also
use the weight on the first flight of the day or when winds change so you can adjust your kite without risking your camera.
Set the camera to take pictures automatically. Refer to the camera's instruction manual for details on how
to do this with your camera.
Mount the camera securely on the kite. This photo shows how to secure the
camera with duct tape and two large sewing needles.
Fly the kite, adjusting the camera if necessary to get good lift. If you don't get enough lift, you may need to adjust the
tail to offset the weight of the camera; and if the kite flies lopsided, the camera probably needs to be centered closer to
the vertical axis of the kite.
Reel it in, and save your photos to your computer or CD, or print them.
Tips
If you have a JB1 camera (which is no longer available new), press the
small "on" button momentarily. When the LED lights, keep hitting the same button till "Jb" shows up in the LCD display. Then
press the top "shutter" button. Push the "on" button until "1" appears in the LCD display. Then hit the shutter button to
select 1 photo per minute.
If there are no photos, check the battery or batteries, and take some test pictures on the ground using the
automatic shutter setting, making sure it's working properly before sending up the kite again.
If your first photos don't come out well, keep trying! You will likely improve each time for the first few
attempts.
Warnings
As with any kite flying, be careful of power lines, lightning storms, dive-bombing the neighbors, etc.
If you live near restricted airspace, you may want to check with your country's aviation authority or other
authorities regarding the legality of this first.
Don't do this with a camera or a kite you're not willing to lose.
Things You'll Need
Camera
Kite (or materials for a kite)
How to Win at Monopoly
In order to win at Monopoly,
you need to bankrupt all of your opponents, before they can do the same to you. With each decision you make, it's essential
to consider the best ways to improve your chances and beat the competition. While luck is a factor in winning Monopoly, fortune
can be fickle -- easily turning against you when your guard is down. Show no mercy.
Steps
Know the cards well. Keep track of the cards played during the game. Each standard monopoly set includes:
Sixteen Chance cards. The odds are high that a chance card will move you to another place, since ten
out of sixteen chance cards require you to do so. Additionally, there are two rewards cards which give you money, two
penalty cards which take money away, a card that takes away money from building owners and one get out of jail free
card.
Sixteen Community Chest cards. The majority of the Community Chest cards, nine out of sixteen,
give you money. Three Community Chest cards take money away. Of the remaining cards, two move you elsewhere on the
board, one takes away money from building owners and one is a get out of jail free card.
Property/mortgage cards. You receive the cards every time you buy a piece of property. The card lists the
sales price and rental rate.
Know your odds in terms of rolling the dice.
Seven (7) is the most common roll, and 2 and 12 are the least probable. In order(from least to greatest),
the probability of rolling numbers is: 2 / 12, 3 / 11, 4 / 10, 5 / 9, 6 / 8, 7.
As you will likely roll a pair of doubles one out of every six rolls, during the average circuit around the
board, you will probably roll doubles once. As 28 of the 40 spaces are property spaces, you will likely land on four of the
28 property spaces.
As the average roll is 7 and there are 40 spaces, it takes an average of five turns (six dice rolls - one
of these rolls being doubles) to get around the board.
The spaces most landed-on are Illinois Avenue, New York Avenue, B&O Railroad, and Reading Railroad.
Mediterranean Avenue and Baltic Avenue are the least-landed-upon properties.
The orange properties are the most profitable.
Buy as many properties as possible in the beginning. The more property you have, the higher your potential
to collect rent, and the more rent you collect, the more money you get. Buying multiple properties of the same color increases
your odds of owning a monopoly. A monopoly is defined as ownership of all properties of one color. The holder of a monopoly
is entitled to double the rental rate normally due to be paid. The monopoly holder is also entitled to add houses/hotels (which
substantially increases rental rates). Holding a monopoly also greatly enhances your bargaining power during property trades
made at later times in the game.
Buy unowned property if:
It is in a color group where no other player owns property.
It gives you a second or third property in a given color group.
It prevents a competitor from monopolizing a color group.
It is an orange property (block this color group whenever possible).
This is a beneficial group to have because people coming out of jail will pass through purple, orange and
red property groups, with orange having the highest probability as well as a low cost.
There are, of course, some exceptions to these rules. For example, you don't have to block a group when two
players each own a property of a group and share a valuable group between them.
Keep track of how much cash the other players have. That way you know how much an opponent can bid in an
auction, how much rent s/he can afford to pay and/or how many buildings s/he can purchase without needing to mortgage. Before
houses appear, your average opponent will make $170 going around the board.
Count the number of unmortgaged properties owned by your opponents and divide that number by seven. This
will provide you with an estimate of how many times you'll have to pay rent the next time you go around the board.
Pay 10% income tax. Generally, you should pay 10% income tax until you've gone around the board three times.
Later in the game, you should only pay 10% if you've paid heavy rents and are sure that all your assets are worth less than
$2000.
Stay in jail later in the game. In Monopoly, unlike in real life, being in jail is not necessarily a bad
thing. Early in the game, you should pay $50 to get out of jail so you can continue purchasing unowned and undeveloped properties.
However, later in the game, if most of the properties are owned or if most of the properties between the Jail and Go to Jail
spaces are developed, simply roll the dice and hope to stay in jail. This is a welcome alternative to paying rent.
Build houses and hotels. While building gets you closer to your goal of bankrupting everyone else, spending
all of your money on buildings isn't always the safest strategy. It is best to build once you own your first complete color
group or when doing so will still leave you with enough cash for a "high probability" expense such as rents on railroads and
utilities, luxury tax and certain Community Chest cards. If possible, wait until you pass the part of the board where there
is the highest likelihood of paying the highest penalties. Often, this is the last few squares of the game (possibly high-rent
railroad, chance with 5/8 chance of paying money out, high-rent Park Place, very steep luxury tax, and high-rent Boardwalk).
There is a high likelihood for most players of having to pay money through this stretch; yet there is a $200 reward as soon
as players pass Go. Therefore, waiting to buy houses/hotels until after you pass the spaces requiring you to pay more money
is a sound strategy.
Cause a building shortage. When you have only three or four low-rent color groups, you should put three or
four houses on each property to restrict the availability of houses to owners of high rent color groups. Don't move up to
a hotel if returning houses to the bank would enable your opponent to develop an expensive color group.
Extrapolate earnings when buying houses. The difference in earnings between a blank property and the first
house is the biggest. This difference decreases until the fourth house. Because expected profit increases much slower than
developing costs, often many slightly developed properties are much smarter than a few stacked properties. Unless you are
absolutely loaded, build only one or three houses on each lot.
Get the most out of mortgaging. Mortgaging allows you to raise capital at crucial points in the game. However,
keep in mind that it will cost more to unmortage the properties than the total amount raised from mortgaging it in the first
place. Follow these mortgaging tips:
Single properties should be mortgaged first. Don't mortgage a property from a group where you own 2 or more
properties unless it's absolutely necessary.
If you need to raise money, mortgage single properties if it allows you to own a color group of at least
three houses per property (or hotels in the Light Blues or Purple group).
As you cannot collect rent once a property is mortgaged; try not to mortgage those properties that players
land on frequently or get higher-than-average rents from landers.
Evaluate trades carefully. Know your fellow players' preferences, if any, and use that knowledge to your
advantage. Trying to trade for a full line of colored properties is good, as it allows for building expansions. However, you
want to avoid trading down for these color sets. For example, while gaining all of the pink properties in a trade may be good,
it may not be wise if the trade enables another player to own all of the orange properties. You will likely pay more in rent
to the owner of the orange properties. Recognize before you make a deal whether it will be advantageous to you in the future.
Tips
Each player begins with $1500.
If one or both dice roll off the board, the roll is invalid and you need to roll again.
Once a monopoly is obtained, try to put at least 3 houses on each property as the greatest difference between
rent is between the 2nd and 3rd house
Remember to conserve and spend your money wisely, one wrong move and you might end up bankrupt and mortgaging
property to be able to pay other players.
To understand the game you must understand the board:
The more players, the more politics. When one player is near bankruptcy, he/she may effectively give away
all his/her property and money to another player (often in the form of overly generous trades); so, making friends along the
way can pay off as they go broke.
Most trades are WIN-WIN for the players involved, but LOSE-LOSE for everyone else. The stingy player stagnates,
while everyone else prospers.
If you're not obviously in the lead, point out to everyone how awful it is that the leader is going to win.
Do whatever it takes to stop your opponents from trading with each other. Try to get the other players suspicious or stingy
toward each other: you only want them trading with you.
Trade with as many people as possible, even if a trade benefits the other person a lot, but you only moderately.
You thereby decrease trading between your opponents, and you make friendships that can pay off later.
Things You'll Need
Monopoly board
Plenty of time and people who also have a lot of time. Monopoly games can last over four hours. Manage your
time well. Keep in mind however, a truly experienced player can finish off their opponents in under two hours.
A frighteningly large percentage of individuals
fail to understand the difference between the words "you're" and "your". Here is a quick and dirty crash course on this common
usage problem.
Steps
Understand the proper usage of the word you're. It is a contraction, or a combination
of the words you and are. Other examples of contractions include doesn't, they're, and can't.
"You're a good friend." ("YOU ARE a good friend.")
"I don't know what you're talking about." ("I don't know what YOU ARE talking about.")
Understand the proper usage of the word your. The word your is the possessive
form of you, referring to something that a person has, or something that belongs to the person in discussion [or, the
person you are talking to].
"Is your stomach growling?"
"Your book is on the table."
Take a look at some examples. Each of the following examples
shows an incorrect use of your/you're, and why it is incorrect.
Incorrect because the contraction for "you are" is being used as the possessive form of you.
It should be replaced with "your". Would "I can't read you are handwriting" make sense?
"If your hungry, then you should probably eat something."
Incorrect because there is no possession in question. This should be replaced with you're,
or you are. Would "If my hungry..." make sense?
Again, incorrect. The "very smart" does not belong to the person that you are talking to —
this doesn't make any sense. Replace your with you're, or you are.
Keep in mind that, in general, the word your will never be followed by the words the,
a, or an.
Remember that the word your will usually not be followed by an adjective [a word that
describes], when that adjective is describing the person that you are talking to. In other words, saying "Your very kind"
or "Your stupid" will never be correct, assuming that you are describing the person that you are talking to. However, there
is an exception, as shown here:
"Your nice son brought me my coat."
Here, your nice is acceptable only because nice is actually describing the person's
son.
Tips
Since you're is actually a combination of two words, it fulfils two very important roles
in a sentence or clause. You're will always be the subject and at least part of the verb of any clause in which it
appears.
Try to spell out your contractions as often as you can. Type or write out cannot instead of can't. Say I am instead of I'm. Say
you are instead of you're. That way, you can catch yourself if you misuse "you're". For example:
"I cannot read you're handwriting." → "I cannot read you are handwriting." It
doesn't make much sense here, does it?
Try not to think that proper writing is strictly "academic". It makes you appear more intelligent. More importantly, it eliminates the risk of bad habits "slipping out" in situations where it is critical to convey properness, such as writing a college essay or a job résumé.
Just remember "You're not spelling your words correctly," and it all falls into place.
The apostrophe in a contraction replaces the missing letter(s). For example, in "you're" (contraction
of "you are") it replaces the "a" from "are", and in "can't" (contraction of "can not" or "cannot") it replaces the "no" from
"not".
Warnings
There is another word, yore, that sounds just the same as you're and your.
Yore refers to times long past and isn't used often in casual speech.
Simple grammatical errors, such as incorrect use of your and you're, can harm
how others perceive your credibility when they read your compositions. It is in your best interests to learn how to use these
words properly.
A garbage disposal, also known as waste disposal unit or garburator, is a device underneath a sink that shreds food waste so that it can pass through plumbing. A garbage disposal is a great way
to keep the smells of old garbage out of your garbage cans and kitchen.
Steps
Keep anything too hard out of the disposal. The shredder will dull and not be efficient. If
something's really hard, just put it in your trash can. Some items to avoid are:
large or heavy bones (very small and soft ones are okay)
hard shells from fish
unpopped popcorn kernels
Be careful when putting fibrous or starchy items in the disposal. Both can cause particularly
stubborn drain blockages (fibers get tangled, and starches get thick). The following items should be put in the disposal in
minimal increments, preferably cut into small pieces, or not at all:
banana peels
celery
artichoke leaves
potato peelings
corn husks
onion skins and egg shells (unless you're especially careful to completely remove the thin
membranes of each, which can wrap around the shredder ring)
pasta
rice
flour
cornmeal
bread
Cut large items into smaller pieces. If they are too large, like the skins of melons, cut them
into smaller pieces and put them one at a time into the disposal instead of trying to shove a large amount in at once.
Run cold water while the disposal is on. Cold water keeps the motor, bearings and shredder
assembly from overheating. It also lets the waste go down easier because the water is pushing it down. Don't use hot water,
because it can melt fat and allow it to re-solidify as a blockage further down in the drain.
Throw some ice down once in a while. While ice will not sharpen the shredders (as is commonly
believed), it does knock off any debris build-up on the sharp edges that keeps them from grinding food properly. For
better results, make special ice cubes from pure lemon juice or vinegar or alternate with cleanser. Be sure to run cold water
at the same time.
Clean it regularly.
With the disposal off, clean the inner side of the rubber in the center of the sink leading
to the disposal. It gets very dirty, and gives off an odor when not cleaned. Just wipe it with a paper towel.
Sprinkle a powdered cleaner like Ajax into the disposal while warm water trickles in from the
faucet. Turn off the water and disposal before all of the cleaner is flushed away. The mixture of cleaning powder and water
will be scattered inside the disposer cavity and if left there, it will kill odor-causing bacteria. Alternatively, baking
soda can be used.
Dispose orange peels, or any citrus fruit peels, to freshen the disposal and keep it smelling clean, but cut them into
slices first as large pieces of citrus peel, e.g. half a lime, can jam a disposal.
Tips
If the disposal jams, turn off the power and look on the bottom of the motor. There is a place
in the center of the motor where you can use an allen wrench to manually turn the motor. Give the motor a few manual turns
to get it unstuck. Remove the Allen wrench before you try to run the motor again. Press the reset button/ circuit breaker
on the bottom of unit, if applicable.
Composting is a great alternative to using your disposal. When done properly, it doesn't create odors--it
creates rich fertilizer for your garden or potted plants.
Warnings
Don't put any utensils, non-food materials, or your hands in the disposal under any circumstances.
Don't touch the power switch while your hands are wet. This can cause a shock.
If you have a septic tank, use your disposal very sparingly or not at all.
Keep in mind that although this method may appear to reduce your garbage, it does move that
garbage downstream to be dealt with at your local sewage treatment plant or your septic system. It also increases the amount
of water you consume.
There are strict regulations on garbage disposal installation and use in many countries.
Some effluent disposal systems will not cope with the increased volume of water and organic
waste resulting from the use of kitchen waste disposal units.
Being proactive means thinking and acting ahead - basically, this means using foresight. It's
a great method for avoiding more work down the road but also can be extremely important for averting disasters, planning well
for the future and for instituting systems at work, in study and at home that make life easier for not just you, but others
as well. Many of us look to proactive people as the instigators of action and creative ideas in society. Here are some suggestions
for helping you to become a more proactive person.
Steps
Take a good look at your responsibilities. Ask yourself some questions:
What kinds of tasks do or don't come your way regularly? (at work, at home, during study etc.)
What kinds of tasks come in large groups?
What kinds of tasks need immediate attention when they arrive?
Examine critically how you might perform those tasks more efficiently. Before the next rush:
Recruit and instruct others to assist with an urgent or large task.
Gather information you will need to perform a task, or if necessary information comes from
a flow of people who bring the tasks, create a script, checklist, or form to capture it consistently.
Look for steps in the process to eliminate, consolidate, or shorten.
Try to prevent problems from ever arising. This means tackling possible failings in advance
to prevent them from becoming a reality. Get into the habit of taking precautions and developing fallback plans.
Develop a mindset that looks to solve problems instead of dwelling on them. Here’s how:
a. Define the problem (what is it exactly?)
b. Decide what needs to happen to overcome the problem and how you’re going to do that;
and
c. Get on with it!
Get ahead and stay ahead of less-urgent, day-to-day tasks. Doing so means that they'll be out
of the way when rushes come and will not be worrying you unnecessarily.
Know which tasks are priorities and which can wait. Write out daily lists of tasks and head
the list, ‘I will do’ and not ‘to do’. Boldly cross off each item as it is achieved. Keep this list
close at hand and let it direct your actions. If it goes too long without crossing anything off, reassess what you are doing
to make sure that you do finish the tasks listed on it.
Eliminate altogether any task that is truly unnecessary. Some things do not need doing, or
do not need to be done by you. Do not waste time on them and do not allow a misplaced sense of guilt lead you into thinking that somehow you are responsible for them. If tasks are unnecessary, they
will not add to your effort and are thus, a waste of energy. Be ruthless in making this assessment about the value of a task.
Evaluate your procedures and processes as you use them. What works and what does not? Make
notes for improvements, and incorporate those improvements during the next lull. Discard anything that does not work but take
care to note when something is in need of tweaking and adjust it accordingly so that it does work.
Try to anticipate needs. Are rushes seasonal? Are there extra activities associated with certain
times of the day, week, month, or quarter? Can you prepare in advance? Look ahead and do not be afraid of the unknown. A small
amount of future stability can be self-generated by planning ahead and being ready for those things over which you do have
some control.
Try to anticipate things you will need to know. Can you learn a new skill ahead of time? Can
you apply a skill you already have in a new way? Watch the trends around you; keep up-to-date by reading and continuous learning.
Proactive people are successful because they are immersed in unfolding history as well as understanding the lessons of the
past.
Look for ways to automate routine tasks. Computers can manipulate data in all sorts of ways.
Even having a template or a standard plan of action can save time. If you work in a team context, delegation is also a form
of automation, in that knowing the best person to do a task will automatically result in its being done to the best level
possible, removing it from the pile of "to-do's". Thus, have in place a system that automatically moves tasks to those best
suited to them.
Tips
Although time spent specifically planning or organizing is not time spent on a necessary task,
a little planning can save a lot of time down the road. Do not overlook it with the excuse that it is wasted time; you will
regret not having a plan to follow later and will truly waste time going back over old ground.
The opposite of proactive is reactive. If you find yourself "fighting fires", or reacting to
problems only after they crop up, take a good look at what is wrong!
Warnings
Don't get so caught up in planning that you fail to act (i.e. paralysis by analysis). A plan
does not need to be watertight, only indicative and motivating. You can always return to it as time goes on and add more.
There is no such thing as perfection and trying to reach this at the commencement of a plan is wasted effort.
It is only possible to anticipate so much, so be ready to react, too, if something unexpected
comes up. Flexibility is a key positive trait of a proactive person. Being proactive means anticipating and preparing for
all possible outcomes, not controlling your future
Try making your own easy, lightweight and portable cooking stove from used aluminium beverage
cans. This project costs virtually nothing to create and it will cook for up to 15 minutes. This is a really simple version of the beverage can stove - other versions
can be more complicated but this one works well despite its simplicity.You will be creating a top half and a base half from
two different beverage cans, both halves which are then telescoped together to create a small, solid, lightweight stove. The
steps outline creating the base and the top halves of the stove and slotting them together. The article also provides steps
on priming and ignition of your stove.
Create the base of the stove. To cut the base, draw a dashed line around one of the two beverage cans, approximately 1.5” (3.5 cm) from the bottom of the
can. If you find it difficult to make this line straight, you can put an elastic band around the can, untwist it to make it even; then follow this band
around as you make your dotted line. Neatly and carefully cut around this line, using one of the suggested cutting implements.
Make the burner holes in the “top” can:
Remove the tab from the top of the second can, otherwise it may wobble when you turn it over.
Turn it upside down so you can make the holes with the can still whole.
Around the rim of the upside down top, mark about 16 –
24 holes, evenly spaced (use a ruler or your fingers to space it out). Make more holes if your pin is very small; fewer holes
if your pin size is larger.
Push pin making holes; along with help of hammer
Take a push pin and pierce
each hole. If this proves difficult to achieve with hand pressure, gently tap in with a small hammer. Hold the hammer close to its head and tap gently, while holding the push pin between your thumb
and first finger, just under the pin’s head. Take care not to hit your fingers – the top of the push pin should
be protecting them. Make the holes as small as possible. If the holes are too big, too much gas escapes and you will not get
a good burn. This is the hardest part of the stove, getting a good hole sizing and pattern.
Try to keep all the holes the same shape to ensure even heating.
Make the fuel drainage hole. There are two possible approaches to making the fuel drainage
holes:
The first is to make a screw sized hole in the middle of the top. Get a short, fat sheet metal
screw that will act as fuel hole cap. Make sure this fits snugly, to prevent fuel escaping from this hole.
The second method is to create a flower shape of the same small size as the pin holes made
for the outer rim. To do it this way, make one hole in the center and 6 holes evenly spaced around the center hole. As these
holes will be smaller, the fuel will drip through to the base, not pour through. This method is obviously easier if you do
not have access to a screw but is a little slower than the first method for filling purposes.
Cut the top can. Once you have made the holes using the strength of the whole can, it is time
to cut the top part. Cut it about 1” (2.5 cm) from the bottom, in the same way that you cut the base earlier.
Cut small vertical slits. Once you have the top piece cut,
you will need to create slits to allow the two halves of the stove to telescope together. Cut vertical slits with scissors,
taking care not to cut past the rim of the can (the rounded part). Cut in about four to six even places (you can always cut
a few more slits if the top isn't easing in gently).
Fill the base with a suitable filling that will soak up the
fuel such as perlite or vermiculite. At a pinch, you could even use sand. Perlite is a naturally occurring siliceous rock
that is found in many parts of the world. You can purchase it at most gardening centers. In each case, the filling acts as
a wick to hold the fuel and disburse it evenly and gradually.
Fit the stove together. Once you have the filling in place
in the base, and the slits made for the top, it is time to put the two pieces together. Steady the stove base by placing it
on an even surface, such as a table top or flat ground. Take the top and gently but firmly push it down into the base of the
stove until it fits snugly; shuffle the perlite or other filling around a little to help ease in the top. Some users recommend
creating a wedge from some of the spare aluminum to ease it in. The top will now be sloping inwards (dimple), ready for pouring
in your fuel.
Prepare the stove for use. Make sure the stove is sitting on a surface free of flammable material.
Choose a spot of ground free of plant matter, or put the stove on a pie plate or a dinner plate. Depending on which fuel holes
you have used, proceed to adding your fuel (only some fuels should be used in this type of stove, see "Tips" for these fuels):
Plugged hole - remove your fill hole plug (the metal screw). Slowly pour the fuel into the
top, allowing it to drain into the fill hole. Fill the stove base about ¼ - ½ way full. Replace the plug if you have used
a large hole, to prevent further dripping of the fuel.
Flower shaped hole - pour the fuel into the stove base via the small holes in the dimple, until
the stove base is about ¼ - ½ way full. This method relies on the fuel dripping through the small holes, so it will not be
as fast as the first method.
Prime the stove. Tip a little extra fuel (about a teaspoonful) in the dimple (middle) of the
stove so that it pools there and even splash a little over the rim holes (it will burn off quickly).
Ignite. Light the fuel on top - hold a match, lighter or candle to the edge of the stove and move it around slowly. Since the stove has been primed, the heat
will now travel down the sides of the can and heat the fuel inside - releasing gas that comes out of the holes in the top
and ignites.
Cook. Put your cooking pans onto a stand and cook. You can make your own stand (see "Tips" below) or
use a ready-constructed version. The fuel should burn for up to 15 minutes but this will depend on several variables, including
the weather conditions, whether you are indoors or outdoors etc. Experiment to see how much time you get from the stove before
trying to cook a meal.
Tips
Suitable fuels are: denatured alcohol and absolute ethanol (the latter being fairly pricey).
If you don't already have pre-formed stands for cooking, you can make a simple cooking stand
to hold a pot or pan over the stove. Take a wire coat hanger or some easily bent wire. Cut the coat hanger just below the
twisted part below the hook, and discard the hook portion. Bend the rest of the coat hanger out straight and use this piece
of wire to shape a stove stand. There are different ways to make a stand from wire; use your imagination to find what works
best for you; as long as it holds a pot over the stove.
The downside of having a stand is that you also need a windscreen. To make a stand/windscreen/protective
case, get a coffee can. Cut it 1/2" taller than the stove. Use a can opener (the kind that punches triangular holes in the
tops of cans) and punch several holes around the side of the can, near the bottom (not on the bottom of the can). Keep the
plastic lid to hold the stove during travel.
The stove is really useful for backpackers and travellers because it is so light and doesn’t take up a lot of room.
Snip off any metallic “threads” sticking out after you have cut the top and base;
this will prevent you from scratching yourself on them.
If you don’t have a hammer when you are trying to make the holes, find a good rock that
can gently hit the pin without breaking apart.
If you don’t have a pin, you can also use a sewing needle or you can use sharpened wire.
Some recommend punching a second ring of holes around the inside edge of the rim of the top
of the stove as a means for evenly heat the cooking pot.
If the stove doesn’t stay lit, gently tip the stove towards one side and let a little
of the fuel drip into the rim. Try to light it again and keep your match etc. there until the flame takes.
You can make an even smaller stove using V-8 cans. Stove, fuel, and matches will all fit into
a camp cup and this heats up a great cup of tea or hot cocoa from your day pack! Smaller stoves hold less fuel, so if you're
actually going to cook, you'll want a bigger can.
Lighting: The stove must be "primed" (especially in cold weather). The fuel goes inside, and
a small amount of priming fuel goes on top in the "dimple." Light the fuel on top. The heat travels down the sides of the
can and heats the fuel inside - releasing gas that comes out of the holes in the top and ignites.
Instead of making one, make a half dozen. Try making the holes smaller, try different hole
patterns. And don't just light it, try boiling a pint of water to see just how well the stove works. Measure how long it takes
to boil the water, as well as how long a specified amount of fuel burns. You want to maximize efficiency, and it will take
several attempts before you find one that works great.
Warnings
This stove is designed to burn only denatured alcohol or absolute ethanol. It would be explosively
dangerous to use gasoline, white gas, camp fuel, kerosene, or any other fuel in this stove. Isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol)
will not work either.
Ask for help from an adult, teacher or parent with cutting the cans if you are a kid or if
you do not feel confident in cutting it yourself. Take care not to slip with the knife or scissors while cutting.
The cut edges of the cans can be sharp. Use caution when working with them.
If you have too many large holes in the top, the fuel will not burn cleanly.
Do not keep your hand too close to the heat or flame when lighting. If the stove becomes too
hot while you are lighting it, take a rest until it cools down enough.
Be careful with sharp objects used to make the burner holes.
Things You'll Need
2 aluminum cans, for example, soft drink cans, beer cans; they must be in good condition, with
no dents
Push pin (a pin with a plastic head)
Hammer (small)-optional
Sharp knife, utility blade or scissors
¼ cup perlite
If making your own stand : Wire coat hanger (remove any paint with sandpaper beforehand)
Fuel - denatured alcohol or absolute ethanol. Denatured alcohol is inexpensive and available
at any hardware or big box store. Absolute ethanol will be harder to find and a lot more expensive.
Some leak-proof container to carry your extra fuel. Camp stores have a selection of appropriate
bottles that close tightly and dispense cleanly. Clearly mark the fuel bottle. Denatured alcohol contains methanol, which
can cause blindness and death if swallowed. Do not use a bottle which resembles a water bottle; you definitely don't want
to drink from the wrong one at night.
While you probably already know how to play "Rock, Paper, Scissors," there can be more to this game than simple chance. This article details some of the strategies
used in competitions such as the annual Rock, Paper, Scissors World Championship. By being both observant and unpredictable,
you can play like an RPS pro.
Steps
Watch your opponent play others. Often, they will lean towards one of the choices
(for example, rock). If you have a chance to watch them play before they play you, look for an overall pattern.
Know rookie tendencies. The World Rock Paper
Scissors Society claims rookie men tend to lead with rock. If you're playing a spontaneous game against a male rookie, there's
an increased chance that his opening throw will be rock, so you'll want to go with paper. Why do men start with rock? Perhaps
the clenched fist evokes power and makes guys feel tough. If you're playing a female rookie, however, keep in mind that competitive
player Jason Simmons claims that women tend to start with scissors, so go with rock.
Play scissors or paper against an experienced player. A non-rookie may know that
throwing an initial rock is too predictable, because of the tendency for male rookies to do this. They'll probably use scissors
or paper. Therefore, you should start off with scissors, as it'll beat their paper or at least tie with their scissors. If
your opponent is an experienced woman, she may be familiar with the "scissors" stereotype and will likely throw either rock
or paper--your best bet is paper.
Look for a double run. If someone makes the same throw twice, they will not want
to make that same throw the third time, because they don't want to seem predictable. You can use this information to your
advantage. For instance, if someone throws paper twice, they'll probably throw either rock or scissors on their third gesture;
use rock so that you can either win or draw.
Beat your last move. This only works if you have just won; inexperienced or frustrated
players tend to subconsciously throw the move that just beat them, so you should throw a gesture that will beat your own last
move. For example, if you just won with rock against their scissors, they might throw rock next, so you should be prepared
with paper.
Use probability to your advantage. In competition play, it's been statistically
observed that scissors is the least common gesture. If you're at a loss for what to throw, using paper will give you a slight
advantage, as it's slightly less probable that your opponent will use scissors.
Keep your eyes on your opponent's hand just as the
gesture is being thrown. Watch what shape they are forming their hand into. If you see them extending into the paper gesture,
for instance, you may have a split second within the count to react accordingly with scissors. But, be careful when trying
to see what your opponent is doing because it could lead to slow throwing, which is illegal in competitive play.
Tips
If an inexperienced player asks you to repeat the rules, you can subconsciously influence them
to pick a certain gesture by dropping subtle hints. Physically demonstrate the gesture you want them to play more than any
other gesture, and make sure it's the last gesture they see as you explain how the game works.
There is no substitute for practice. Roshambo "RPS" can be played online in either a tournament
or heads-up match setting at various websites. Although you won't be able to study the physical gestures of your opponent,
you will be able to observe game play patterns and habits faster online.
If it is allowed in the game or tournament that you play in, take a die, or a random number
generator (like a scientific calculator). Set yourself a rule - such as, when rolling the die, 1 or 2 = paper, 3 or 4 = scissors,
5 or 6 = rock. This way, it will be impossible for your opponent to predict your move, and there will be no pattern.
Warnings
An experienced pro may use all of these strategies against you. They might fake you out by,
say, using scissors predominantly as their first gesture and then all of a sudden using paper when you least expect it.
"Cloaking" is when a player delays their gesture as long as possible, so that you will not
have a chance to predict their gesture.
Beware of "shadowing" where the opposing player may pretend they are going to make a certain
gesture and then rapidly change it at the last possible moment. This is frowned upon as cheating.
A watermelon basket, filled with various fresh melon balls, always brings a smile to those who
see it. This watermelon is smiling right back at them. Watermelon is a healthy fruit and a welcome addition to any meal, dessert
or snack.
Excess sun exposure can cause sunburn, skin damage, skin cancer (the most common form of cancer),
cataracts, and heat stroke. Take the right precautions to avoid these hazards and enjoy the sun safely.
There is nothing like home baked bread, thickly spread with butter, and a hot cup of soup or
coffee. Baking bread means turning on the oven, heating up the kitchen and making a minor mess. Now you can enjoy freshly
baked bread, baked on top of the counter or stove, by baking it in a rice cooker. It's clean, easy to clean up afterwards,
and the bread is just delicious. Prep time - 30 mins Two -1 hour rises Baking time - 1.5 - 3 hours
A boring day at the office can be remedied by an impromptu game of darts during coffee break,
but your boss probably won't be receptive to your bringing a dartboard to work. Instead, you can make darts and a dartboard
out of common things found on or around your desk, get a few of your co-workers together, and enjoy a good old game of office
darts.
George Clooney, known widely for his charm.Charm is the art of having an attractive personality.
This characteristic can only be achieved over a period of time. While everyone is born with differing amounts of natural charm,
much can be acquired and honed through practice and patience. As with dancing, the more you practice, the better you will
become. Effort and careful attention to the needs and desires of others will ensure that charm becomes a permanent part of
your character.
Join the "urban chicken movement" and raise your own backyard flock. Chickens are both entertaining
and useful to keep. They cost very little to raise and they earn their rent by laying eggs for you. What follows is a brief
introduction to keeping chickens within the constraint of an urban environment. Chickens can turn slugs and kitchen scraps
into fertilizer and eggs. Magic and fun!
George Clooney, known widely for his charmCharm is the art of having an attractive personality. This characteristic can only
be achieved over a period of time. While everyone is born with differing amounts of natural charm, much can be acquired and
honed through practice and patience. As with dancing, the more you practice, the better you will become. Effort and careful
attention to the needs and desires of others will ensure that charm becomes a permanent part of your character.
Blowing over a blade of grass stretched between your thumbs makes a high-pitched squealing noise that
often attracts predators. Done long enough, it can lure animals such as mountain lions, coyotes and lynx close. It can also
keep bored kids busy in the back yard for quite a while.
Are you passionate about a topic and want to share it with the world? Need to put that English degree
to work? Willing to spend huge amounts of time editing, printing, mailing and marketing? Self-publishing a magazine is a difficult
undertaking, but is also one of the most rewarding jobs out there.
Another day, another record high for gasoline prices. Our comments section has seen several heated
discussions about the cause of record gas prices. Kimberly Amadeo,
UPDATED: Saturday May 19, 2007 2:00 AM EDT A "sticky" glutinous rice ball is the most famous dessert
in Myanmar (also known as Burma), especially during the new year season. This treat is very sweet and tasty, and can be prepared
in a few minutes. Here's the simple way to cook glutinous rice balls, Myanmar style.
The most simple way to get your security deposit back, in most cases, is to not damage anything in
the apartment. All apartment complexes will pay a 3rd party source to clean the place out after you have left. This means
if you clean the place from top to bottom or don't touch a thing, if the place is undamaged you will get your money back.
It's a common misconception that not cleaning up after yourself will get you less money back. However if you just have that
urge to leave the place nicer...
Gemini for May 25
A complicated arrangement (possibly financial) might lead to a tiff between you and a dear one. It's time to address the
underlying issues here. Is one of you not pulling your weight? Look at your contributions.
One minute you're the belle of the ball; the next, you just want to get home and crawl into bed with a good book. Either
way, it's okay. You need to do what you want and not pretend that you're feeling different.
Communication is excellent, but also a little scattered. In other words, you can talk to just about anyone about anything,
but you might not remember a word of it in a few hours. Carry a notepad with you and take notes.
In certain cases, you amaze even yourself. You thought this person was absolutely out of your league (as if there was such
a thing). But ask yourself: Now that you have them, do you really want them?
Everyone thinks it takes great willpower not to yield to temptation -- and sometimes that's true. Other times, however,
that temptation is there precisely because it should be yielded to. So which is it in this case?
This person has really gotten under your skin. Sometimes you can't decide if you love or hate the feeling. Well -- can't
it be a little of both? Usually strong emotions carry their corollary right along with them.
Someone you love is in a mood and can't (or won't) be comforted. There's only so much you can do. If you've given it your
all, don't worry about how to cheer them up. They need to find the way out on their own.
Your effervescent enthusiasm is as delightful as a bubbly beverage. It can light up a room -- and it adds more than its
fair share of spark to your love life. You're the romantic equivalent of the Energizer Bunny!
When did your life turn into a soap opera, and you into its leading player? Take a step back from any unnecessary drama.
This situation definitely needs some editing, and afterward, you need peace and quiet!
So you hear a little thunder; that doesn't mean you have to dive for the nearest shelter. The thing
is, this person likes to make a lot of noise, but it might just be sound and fury that signifies nothing.
There's no better way to get out of a rut than by doing something completely out of character. No,
this 'isn't you,' but it certainly reflects part of your nature, doesn't it? So go with it! Let yourself cut loose.
Love comes with a few complications. That's what makes it so messy (and so potentially delightful).
Let yourself drift and dream, and most importantly, go with whatever emotions arise. Learn to observe your own nature.
Your family has requested the pleasure of your company, but your friends and sweetie absolutely need
you at what may be the biggest party of the year. It's a tough decision to make, but you can find a compromise.
The situation is so confusing that you're half convinced walking away is the solution. But maybe you
need to ask yourself a different question. Maybe it's not should you stay or should you go, but what should you do next?
Your brain doesn't know the meaning of the word 'break.' All this overtime is producing excellent results.
Tackle any knotty issues, and you'll see solutions leaping to present themselves. You're filled with inspiration.
Part of you wants to jump in feet first to all the fetes and festivities going on, but a little voice
is saying that you need to get some quality time by yourself. Why can't you have both? Look for room in your calendar.
Connections count, but not in the way you think. Make an effort to be as kind as you can to whomever
you encounter today. Not only will you find your routine smoothing out, but you may also receive an unexpected dividend.
Why not ask someone else what they would do in your position? It's even more helpful if your reaction
to their comments is, 'Why on earth would you do that?' Now you know exactly what you wouldn't do. That's a start.
Waiting for other people to make up their minds is just plain infuriating. Luckily, you can still proceed
as planned. Let everyone know you're forging on ahead. They can catch up with you when they're good and ready.
Build up the strengths in your life rather than tearing yourself down. It's easy to get caught up in
the negative, but it's not inevitable. Focus on your strengths rather than your perceived weaknesses.
An event convinces you of the wisdom of accepting change. You realize that exploring your options is
necessary. The old has to give way to the new. Change is essential to evolve, and evolution is the definition of life.
The stars say it's time to go large or go home. So what are you waiting for? Those plans of yours need
implementing, and pronto. Start with small steps and set reasonable goals. You'll be there before you know it.
NASA Updates Time for Atlantis, Station Crew News Conference
HOUSTON - The time for a news conference on Saturday,
June 16, with the 10 astronauts and cosmonauts flying aboard the space shuttle Atlantis and the International Space Station
has been updated to 6:43 p.m. CDT. Media representatives at participating NASA locations will be able to ask questions during
the news conference. .
During Atlantis' STS-117 mission, a new segment has been attached to the station's backbone,
and new solar arrays have been deployed to prepare the station for the future delivery of European and Japanese laboratories.
NASA Releases Aeronautics Research Announcement
WASHINGTON - NASA is soliciting research to support cutting-edge
aeronautics for the 21st century. Areas for research opportunities include:
- The Integrated Resilient Aircraft Control
Project addresses the challenges of recovering an aircraft from an upset condition to a stable configuration, while ensuring
adequate maneuverability and assuring a safe landing.
- The Integrated Intelligent Flight Deck Project that addresses
the challenge of ensuring the proper human integration in a highly automated and complex operational environment.
-
The Integrated Vehicle Health Management Project that addresses the challenge of integrating, processing and using large amounts
of information effectively across complex and flight critical systems.
HOUSTON - Nineteen months after Hurricane Katrina sent evacuees from New Orleans streaming into Houston,
more than 5,000 heads of households among them are still unemployed despite the city's booming economy, officials say.
The number of jobless is contributing to the sense among some Houston-area residents that the storm's
victims are a drain on the city and have worn out their welcome.
After the storm, a quarter-million evacuees were brought to Houston, welcomed by Mayor Bill White,
who threw open the Astrodome. Even before the storm, many were desperately poor, unemployed and on welfare or food stamps.
Many had been holding out hope that they would be home in New Orleans by now, but the city's rebuilding
has been painfully slow, and about 100,000 are still here. They have settled in more or less permanently, some still on food
stamps.
About 12,000 families are still getting federal aid for housing, the city said. Of that group, about
5,500 heads of households are unemployed, not counting those who are elderly and disabled, city officials said.
Houston's economy is hot because of the booming oil and gas industry. City officials say there are
2 million job openings, 59,000 of which require only a high school education. Houston's unemployment rate is 3.8 percent,
versus 4.5 percent nationally.
The mayor — who was recently given the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award, bestowed on
politicians who risk their popularity to do what they regard as the right thing — defended the evacuees, saying: "I
don't think most people want to live in trailer cities or shelters. They want to get on with their lives."
But Republican Rep. John Culberson (news, bio, voting record) said the evacuees should have benefits cut off if they don't get a job.
"We're a charitable nation and Houston in particular has a big heart, and we have already gone way
above and beyond the call of duty to help our neighbors," Culberson said. "It's time for everyone who can work to get to work."
Sixty-five percent of Houstonians surveyed earlier this year by Rice University said the influx of
evacuees has been a "bad thing" for their city. And some blame the new residents for a surge in violent crime. The number
of homicides jumped from 275 in 2004 to 376 in 2006.
Harris County Commissioner Steve Radack said the government should be doing more to help evacuees find
jobs, transportation and child care.
"For the taxpayers that are out there working, it's an insult that their federal taxes are going toward
paying people who aren't working," he said. "It's outrageous."
The government already is offering considerable help. FEMA-paid housing has been extended to 2009 and
federal officials will move an evacuee closer to a job. Thirty hours of work a week earns an evacuee free child care.
The city Community Settlement Task Force Network has spent $1.9 million since October offering resume
help, free interview-appropriate clothes, job fairs, financial workshops, free food for children, computer classes, even hurricane-preparedness
workshops. The money comes from $550 million in federal social-services grants that Congress authorized for all Katrina evacuees.
Some evacuees say they did not know such help was available. And even with help, evacuees say there
are still many obstacles to landing a job.
"Transportation is a huge problem. Child care is a huge problem. Thinking that they were not sure they
were staying in Houston was a huge problem," said Cindy Gabriel, a spokeswoman for the task force.
Houston is sprawling metropolitan area, with a web of highways; New Orleans is more compact, and many
residents there relied on public transportation — something not always available in their new city. Also, some single
mothers are separated from members of their extended family and can no longer rely on them for child care.
Odessa Jarreau, 61, said that just being an evacuee is making it harder to find a job.
"Once we put in the applications and they see the Louisiana connection, they don't even consider it.
We don't even get calls back," she said. "It drains you, you know? You feel like you're not worth anything."
Before the storm, Jarreau was a parking supervisor at the Superdome. But comparable jobs in Houston
require being outside, she said, which Jarreau cannot do because of her high blood pressure.
Jarreau said that after more than a year, her daily routine of making calls to employment agencies
and employers, attending job fairs and walking around her neighborhood in search for wanted signs has yielded nothing.
A potential job with AARP did not pan out because it would have required a bus trip of several hours
to get to work. Calls to a school district to offer her services as a bus aide or cafeteria worker were never returned, she
said. She failed the test to get a job cleaning airplanes.
Astronomers using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory have discovered
"an exceptionally dramatic event" in the nearby Universe. They're not sure what caused it, but they've narrowed it down to
two exciting possibilites. Please vote for this podcast at PodcastAlley ! Get this podcast story.
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Tropical Storm Barbara, the first Pacific cyclone this year close to the coast,
formed on Wednesday off Mexico and was expected to head toward the resort of Acapulco in the coming days.
National Hurricane Center in Miami said Barbara was stationary about 125 miles south of the port of Puerto Angel in the state of
Oaxaca.
"Interests along the Pacific coast of southeastern Mexico and Guatemala should closely monitor the
progress of Barbara," the center said.
Barbara is packing sustained winds of near 40 mph (65 kph) and should gain strength over the next four
days, the hurricane center said.
Forecasters said the storm would move slightly further away from the Mexican coast over the next two
days and then turn 180 degrees and head for land.
By Monday, it was expected to be close to Acapulco, a popular vacation resort.
Barbara was not forecast to track near the Mexican oil port of Salina Cruz, which is further to the
south.
Tropical Depression Alvin, which earlier this week reached tropical storm strength, is also lurking
in the Pacific Ocean but is a long way off the coast.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. energy companies that operate in the Gulf of Mexico are better prepared
to keep petroleum and natural gas supplies flowing if hurricanes hit this year than they were during 2005's disastrous season,
U.S. government and industry officials said Wednesday.
Red Cavaney, president of the industry group American Petroleum Institute, said many more U.S. refiners
now have back-up power generation "to avoid significant disruption to fuel delivery and distribution."
Cavaney said pipeline operators have also installed backup electric power generation to keep pumping
stations working that pull petroleum products like gasoline through the pipelines.
Walter Cruickshank, deputy director of the Interior Department's Minerals Management Service that oversees
offshore energy production, said the government has "significantly improved protection of oil and gas production in the Gulf
from disruptions during this hurricane season."
A large chunk of U.S. oil refining capacity, as well as offshore oil and natural gas production, went
offline from damage from hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005
Lakewood, California - circa 1950s Lakewood Shopping Center (now officially called Lakewood Center),
just epitomizes retro cool and swank to me--the vintage version I mean. Oh it's still a pretty nice mall today, but it's not
retro cool like this anymore! It's currently anchored by JCPenney, Macy's (formerly Robinsons-May), Mervyns, and Target. The
vintage postcard photo above was taken in
WASHINGTON - Hurricane forecasters expect more tropical storms than normal this season, and "it just
takes one to make it a bad year," says Conrad Lautenbacher, head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Saturday May 19, 2007 11:00 AM EDT I email subscribe to discussions on Math Tools . This morning this
thought landed on my doorsteps: I think we can have goals and objectives even while students play...that is, guide the play
so students discover something. For example, when we play games, we have a goal and yet it's still play. The art is in providing
enough but not too much guidance...in order to preserve the feel (freedom, openness, choice, challenge, surprises, etc.) of
play. It is exactly the art I try to practice,...
Tuesday May 22, 2007 9:57 PM EDT Another day, another record high for gasoline prices. Our comments
section has seen several heated discussions about the cause of record gas prices. Kimberly Amadeo, Guide to U.S. Economy,...
When I started this blog three years ago, May 21, 2004,
I had seventeen or so books by Martin Gardner behind my back. I remember that I even took photo copies of his column in Scientific American before they came
in book form. Now you can get many of these books on a CD. The entire collection of Martin Gardner's Scientific
American columns on one searchable CD! Martin Gardner's Mathematical Games column ran in Scientific
American from 1956 to 1986. In these columns Gardner
introduced...
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National Weather Service forecasters said Tuesday they expect 13 to 17 tropical storms, with seven to 10 of them becoming hurricanes
and three to five of them in the strong category. NOAA is the parent agency of the weather service.
"If we are going to survive these storms it takes all of us to be ready," Paulison said, urging that
the millions of residents in vulnerable areas prepare their homes for the storms and keep at least three days food and supplies
on hand.
After the battering by storms Katrina and Rita in 2005 there were widespread fears last summer of another
powerful storm striking, but the unexpected development of the El Nino climate phenomenon helped dampen conditions.
El Nino is a warming of the tropical Pacific Ocean that occurs every few years. The warm water affects
wind patterns that guide weather movement and its effects can be seen worldwide. In El Nino years, there tend to be fewer
summer hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean.
But El Nino is over and conditions could develop that might even encourage more storms, said Bill Proenza,
head of the
Earlier this month Philip Klotzbach, a research associate at Colorado State University, and Joe Bastardi,
the chief hurricane forecaster for AccuWeather Inc., said they anticipate a more active storm cycle this year.
And, almost as if to underscore their comments, a subtropical storm formed off the southeast coast
and became Andrea, the first named storm of the year, well before the June 1 official beginning of hurricane season.
Hurricane season ends Nov. 30, but the strange season of 2005 ran over into late December, as well
as using up all the planned alphabetical names, forcing storm watchers to switch to the Greek alphabet to continue naming
storms.
Last year, there were just 10 tropical storms in the Atlantic and just two made landfall in the United
States.
While last year proved quieter than expected and 2005's parade of storms caused the weather service
to raise its prediction, the number of tropical storms predicted in May was within the expected range in 1999, 2000, 2002
and 2004. The forecast was low in 2001 and 2003.
More important to hurricane forecasters is their ability to predict when and where a particular storm
will go, something that has improved steadily in recent years.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The federal government is spending millions of dollars on a publicity campaign
while its hurricane forecasters are struggling with budget cuts, the
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is spending up to $4 million to publicize a 200th
anniversary celebration, said Bill Proenza, who heads the hurricane center, part of the
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National Weather Service, which is a NOAA agency. At the same time, it has cut $700,000 from hurricane research, he said.
"No question about it, it is not justified. It is using appropriated funds for self promotion," Proenza
said in a phone interview while attending the Florida Governor's Hurricane Conference in Fort Lauderdale.
NOAA spokesman Anson Franklin said the agency is only spending about $1.5 million on the campaign over
two years. He said it is justified to publicize the agency's mission to a public that is often unaware of its involvement
in weather prediction and forecasting.
"It's part of our responsibility to tell the American people what we do," Franklin said. "It's inaccurate
and unfair to just characterize this as some sort of self-celebration."
Proenza has been critical of NOAA since taking over the post in January.
He says millions of dollars in new funding is needed for expanded research and storm forecasting. One
immediate concern is the "QuikScat" weather satellite, which lets forecasters measure such basics as wind speed and direction.
Proenza said the satellite could fail anytime, degrading storm prediction capabilities, and there are no plans to replace
it.
Franklin said NOAA is considering several options if the satellite fails, including outfitting other
satellites with similar technology. Overall, he said, NOAA spends $300 million of its $4 billion annual budget on hurricane
forecasting and research.
NOAA is also considering name changes for the National Hurricane Center and the National Weather Service,
adding its own logo to both entities. NOAA officials say it is about broadening the agency's name recognition as a whole and
establishing an identity.
However, Proenza fears the move could dilute funding to individual agencies within NOAA and will confuse
the American public, which has come to rely on the credibility of the National Weather Service as a brand name.
Craig Fugate, Florida's emergency disaster chief, was also frustrated by that move.
"I think it really shows how sometimes bureaucracies lose sight of their mission, trying to capitalize
in such a way that short-term goals are actually detrimental to long-term goals," he said.
The 2007 hurricane season begins June 1, and forecasters are predicting it will be busy. The hurricane
center issues the watches, warnings and forecasts as potentially hazardous tropical storms form.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The 2007 Atlantic hurricane season will be more active than normal due to warmer
ocean waters, with as many as ten hurricanes, and three to five of them could be major, the U.S. government's top climate
agency predicted on Tuesday.
"We are right now in ... a period of more active hurricane seasons," said Conrad Lautenbacher, head
of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "It just takes one hurricane to make it a bad year for everyone here."
NOAA foresees 13 to 17 tropical storms this season, with seven to 10 developing into hurricanes. Three
to five could be major ones of Category 3 or higher with winds over 110 mph (177 kmh), the agency said in its annual forecast.
An average Atlantic hurricane season brings 11 tropical storms, of which six reach hurricane wind speed
of 74 mph (119 kph), including two major hurricanes, NOAA said. The hurricane season, which officially starts on June 1, typically
peaks between August 1 and late October.
Earlier forecasts for the season also have predicted the return of an active pattern this year. A year
ago, just 10 storms formed and no major hurricanes reached the United States.
The 2007 season got off to an early start this month when subtropical storm Andrea formed off the U.S.
Atlantic Coast, making it the first named storm of the year.
In the devastating 2005 Atlantic hurricane season a record four major hurricanes hit the United States,
including Katrina, which devastated New Orleans, killed 1,300 people and caused $80 billion in damage. The 2005 season generated
28 tropical storms, of which 15 became hurricanes.
The storms also slammed U.S. offshore oil and natural gas platforms and shut coastal refineries, sending
fuel prices to then-record highs.
LA NINA THREAT
Weather forecaster AccuWeather.com has predicted 13 or 14 tropical storms or hurricanes would form
in the Atlantic this year and six or seven could hit the United States, with the Gulf Coast and Gulf of Mexico oil installations
at high risk.
The Colorado State University team under forecast pioneer William Gray predicted 17 storms, of which
nine would become hurricanes. WSI Corporation and London-based Tropical Storm Risk also have predicted an active season.
Gerry Bell, a top NOAA forecaster, said while it was not possible to predict how many hurricanes might
make landfall in the United States this year, similar seasons have seen between two and four storms hit the U.S. Atlantic
and Gulf coasts.
But he said La Nina conditions could develop in the eastern Pacific in the next one to three months,
adding to the likelihood of above-average hurricane activity.
La Nina, which means "little girl" in Spanish, is an abnormal cooling of ocean surface temperatures
in the equatorial Pacific. El Nino, or "little boy," has the opposite effect.
"If La Nina develops, storm activity will likely be in the upper end of the predicted range, or perhaps
even higher depending on how strong La Nina becomes," said Bell.
NOAA will update its hurricane outlook in early August.
NEW YORK - A fashion writer who sexually abused his captive co-worker for hours suffers from a severe
mental illness that left him unable to form the intent to commit a crime, the suspect's defense attorney said during closing
arguments Tuesday.
During the three weeks of Peter Braunstein's kidnapping and sex abuse trial, his lawyer Robert C. Gottlieb
worked hard to show that his client's "brain broke" in a way that demonstrated he had paranoid schizophrenia.
Gottlieb said prosecution experts — whom he called "hired guns" — diagnosed cyclothymia
and other less severe mental ailments.
"It doesn't matter what you may choose to call it," Gottlieb said. "Call it an orange, or a banana.
Whatever you call it, Mr. Braunstein was undeniably mentally ill on Oct. 31, 2005."
Gottlieb did not present a classic psychiatric defense in which the defendant claims he is not guilty
by reason of mental disease or defect.
Rather, Gottlieb contended that Braunstein's deteriorating brain — illustrated by a multicolored
image of a PET scan — and the stresses he felt after he was fired and his girlfriend dumped him left him "unable to
form the intent, the conscious objective, to commit the crimes charged."
Prosecutors say Braunstein, after careful planning, ignited smoke bombs while wearing firefighter gear
that he bought on the Internet and bluffed his way into a former co-worker's apartment, where he knocked her out with chloroform,
tied her to a bed and sexually abused her for nearly 13 hours that Halloween night in 2005.
The prosecution was scheduled to deliver its closing argument later Tuesday.
Braunstein, 43, has pleaded not guilty to kidnapping, burglary, sex abuse and robbery charges, although
his lawyers concede he attacked the woman. They say their client, who could face 25 years to life in prison if convicted,
is mentally ill and not criminally responsible for the attack.
Before being fired, Braunstein worked as a reporter at Fairchild Publications, parent of Women's Wear
Daily and W magazine. His victim was a co-worker, though they barely knew each other.
Prosecutors have said the victim was a stand-in for an ex-girlfriend and other people Braunstein disliked.
HONOLULU - Hawaii and the rest of the central Pacific face a slightly below-average hurricane season
this summer, with just two or three tropical cyclones expected, federal forecasters said Monday.
With sea surface temperatures lower than average, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's
Central Pacific Hurricane Center predicted possible La Nina conditions resulting in less tropical cyclone activity.
Those conditions and the overall reduction in hurricane activity in that region since 1995 led to the
prediction for the June-November season, said Jim Weyman, director of the hurricane center, at a news conference.
In a La Nina — the opposite of the better-known El Nino events — the waters of the mid-Pacific
equatorial region are cooler than normal.
Hurricane season begins June 1 and ends Nov. 30. The islands get an average of 4.5 tropical cyclones
a year and one hurricane about every 15 years. Last year, the central Pacific had five tropical cyclones after NOAA predicted
two to three.
"When I give a slightly below average forecast it always troubles me because people always think they
don't have to worry, and that is not the message we want to take," Weyman said. "The message is it only takes that one to
cause tremendous devastation."
Since 1959, 62 hurricanes, 67 tropical storms and 61 tropical depressions have been tracked in the
central Pacific. The last hurricane to hit Hawaii was in 1992 when Iniki ravaged Kauai, killing six people and causing $2.5
billion in damage.
In a nod to Hawaiian culture, the hurricane center will now use only Hawaiian names for tropical storms
and hurricanes, Weyman said. The next one will be called Kika.
Private and university forecasters have predicted that the 2007 Atlantic hurricane season will be especially
active, producing as many as 17 tropical storms and hurricanes and a "well above average" possibility of at least one striking
the U.S. The federal government plans to release its predictions Tuesday.
President Bush signed a bill into law Friday that overhauls the way the
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American Red Cross governs itself and streamlines its leadership in an effort to avoid the type of problems that beset its
response to Hurricane Katrina.
The charity's 50-member board of governors, widely criticized as unwieldy, will be trimmed to no more
than 25 members by 2009 and no more than 20 members by 2012.
The board henceforth will focus solely on governance and long-term oversight, not on regular operational
decisions. All new members will be elected by the board itself; in the past, eight were appointed by the U.S. president and
often had spotty attendance records at board meetings.
The bill also creates a new position of ombudsman, who will have unfettered access to all Red Cross
operations and will provide annual reports to Congress.
"This day and this legislation are truly historic for the Red Cross as we better prepare ourselves
to meet the challenges facing us not only today but most importantly, for tomorrow," said Bonnie McElveen-Hunter, who chairs
the board.
The reforms were proposed last year by independent experts appointed by the Red Cross, which operates
under a congressional charter. The changes are intended to ease recurring clashes between board members and Red Cross management,
and to address complaints that the organization was at times too bureaucratic and unaccountable after Katrina and the Sept.
11, 2001 terror attacks.
A member of the expert panel, Trinity University President Patricia McGuire, said the changes "will
surely result in even better delivery of Red Cross services and support to the public in times of crisis."
She praised the board "for their courage to undertake difficult change."
The bill also was heralded by Sen. Charles Grassley (news, bio, voting record), R-Iowa, who led hearings last year that generated tough criticism of the Red Cross.
"The American people need the Red Cross. ... In turn, the Red Cross needs the financial and moral support
of the American people," Grassley said. "By embracing reform, and wanting to improve its performance, the Red Cross is ensuring
that its trust from the public is well-deserved."
Along with the governance changes, the Red Cross will soon have a new chief executive. Mark Everson
is leaving his job as IRS commissioner to become Red Cross president on May 29. He replaces the interim president, Jack McGuire,
who served in the post since Marsha Evans resigned in December 2005 because of friction with the board.
Everson's appointment has been hailed by Grassley and some other politicians, in part because of his
work at the IRS tightening oversight of nonprofit organizations. Within the nonprofit sector, however, there has been some
skepticism from critics who note that Everson, a former corporate executive, has no background in charity management or disaster
response.
RELEASE: 07-118
Mars Rover Spirit Unearths Surprise Evidence of Wetter Past
PASADENA, Calif. - A patch of Martian
soil analyzed by NASA's rover Spirit is so rich in silica that it may provide some of the strongest evidence yet that ancient
Mars was much wetter than it is now. The processes that could have produced such a concentrated deposit of silica require
the presence of water.
Members of the rover science team heard from a colleague during a recent teleconference that
the alpha particle X-ray spectrometer, a chemical analyzer at the end of Spirit's arm, had measured a composition of about
90 percent pure silica for this soil.
"You could hear people gasp in astonishment," said Steve Squyres of Cornell University,
Ithaca, N.Y., principal investigator for the Mars rovers' science instruments. "This is a remarkable discovery. And the fact
that we found something this new and different after nearly 1,200 days on Mars makes it even more remarkable. It makes you
wonder what else is still out there."
Spirit's miniature thermal emission spectrometer observed the patch, and Steve
Ruff of Arizona State University, Tempe, noticed that its spectrum showed a high silica content. The team has laid out plans
for further study of the soil patch and surrounding deposits.
Exploring a low range of hills inside a Connecticut-sized
basin named Gusev Crater, Spirit had previously found other indicators of long-ago water at the site, such as patches of water-bearing,
sulfur-rich soil; alteration of minerals; and evidence of explosive volcanism.
"This is some of the best evidence Spirit
has found for water at Gusev," said Albert Yen, a geochemist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. One possible
origin for the silica could have been interaction of soil with acid vapors produced by volcanic activity in the presence of
water. Another could have been from water in a hot spring environment. The latest discovery adds compelling new evidence for
ancient conditions that might have been favorable for life, according to members of the rover science team.
David Des
Marais, an astrobiologist at NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif., said, "What's so exciting is that this could
tell us about environments that have similarities to places on Earth that are clement for organisms."
Spirit and its
twin rover Opportunity completed their original three-month prime missions in April 2004. Both are still operating, though
showing signs of age. One of Spirit's six wheels no longer rotates, so it leaves a deep track as it drags through soil. That
churning has exposed several patches of bright soil, leading to some of Spirit's biggest discoveries at Gusev, including this
recent discovery.
Doug McCuistion, director of NASA's Mars Exploration Program, said, "This unexpected new discovery
is a reminder that Spirit and Opportunity are still doing cutting-edge exploration more than three years into their extended
missions. It also reinforces the fact that significant amounts of water were present in Mars' past, which continues to spur
the hope that we can show that Mars was once habitable and possibly supported life."
The newly discovered patch of
soil has been given the informal name "Gertrude Weise," after a player in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League,
according to Ray Arvidson of Washington University in St. Louis, deputy principal investigator for the rovers.
"We've
looked at dozens of disturbed soil targets in the rover tracks, and this is the first one that shows a high silica signature,"
said Ruff, who last month proposed using Spirit's miniature thermal emission spectrometer to observe this soil. That instrument
provides mineral composition information about targets viewed from a distance. The indications it found for silica in the
overturned soil prompted a decision this month to drive Spirit close enough to touch the soil with the alpha particle X-ray
spectrometer. Silica commonly occurs on Earth as the crystalline mineral quartz and is the main ingredient in window glass.
The Martian silica at the Gertrude Weise patch is non-crystalline, with no detectable quartz.
Spirit worked within
about 50 yards of the Gertrude Weise area for more than 18 months before the discovery was made. "This discovery has driven
home to me the value of in-depth, careful exploration," Squyres said. "This is a target-rich environment, and it is a good
thing we didn't go hurrying through it."
Meanwhile, on the other side of the planet, Opportunity has been exploring
Victoria Crater for about eight months. "Opportunity has completed the initial survey of the crater's rim and is now headed
back to the area called Duck Bay, which may provide a safe path down into the crater," said John Callas, project manager for
the rovers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
With that simple reply elicited by his attorney, Tour de France champion Floyd Landis declared under
oath Saturday the position he has maintained for more than nine months, since the day anti-doping authorities accused him
of taking synthetic testosterone to win the marquee cycling event last summer.
He denied taking testosterone or any
other performance-enhancing substance at any time during a cycling career that began with his victory in a mountain-bike race
near his rural Pennsylvania home at the age of 15. Landis, who was raised in a Mennonite household, now lives in Murrieta
in Riverside County.
"Why should this arbitration panel believe you?" asked his attorney, Howard Jacobs.
"People
are defined by their principles and how they make their decisions," replied Landis, who was wearing a gray suit and gold tie
and spoke comfortably, albeit in such quiet tones that spectators in the packed hearing room edged forward in their seats
to hear.
"That I earned what I got — that was satisfying to me about bicycle racing. There wouldn't be any purpose
to cheat and win the Tour, because I wouldn't be proud of it and that's just not what the goal was from the beginning."
In
his testimony during a public arbitration hearing at Pepperdine University in Malibu, Landis, 31, said he was in the room
when his former business manager, Will Geoghegan, made an anonymous phone call to former Tour de France champion Greg LeMond
on Wednesday night, hours before LeMond was scheduled to testify against Landis.
LeMond said he regarded the call as
a threat designed to keep him off the stand. Landis testified that he barely heard Geoghegan's end of the conversation, but
did not know to whom he was talking or the subject of the conversation.
Landis testified for slightly more than an
hour Saturday, the sixth day of his hearing before a panel of three arbitrators sitting in a moot court auditorium. If the
panel upholds the accusation brought by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, Landis will face a two-year suspension from competition
and the loss of his Tour title. He is scheduled to be cross-examined by agency lawyers Monday.
Landis' appearance was
wedged amid testimony more typical of the 1 1/2 -week proceeding — dry scientific analysis of laboratory reports purporting
to establish that synthetic testosterone was found in his urine after Stage 17, a particularly punishing day of mountain cycling
during the grueling three-week race. The three arbitrators — Bay Area lawyer Christopher Campbell, a former Olympic
wrestler, and Canadian lawyers Richard McLaren and Patrice Brunet — listened without interrupting.
After briefly
describing his career in cycling and the climactic period of the Tour de France that gave rise to the doping accusation, Landis
also touched on the most sensational development during the hearing: LeMond's testimony Thursday that Landis had implicitly
confessed doping to him during a phone conversation last summer, and his disclosure of Geoghegan's call.
Landis said
he was seated at the far end of a dining table from Geoghegan in a large hotel banquet room at the time of the call, shortly
before 7 p.m. Wednesday. Later that night, he visited Geoghegan's room.
"He looked terrible," Landis recalled. "He
said he'd made a big mistake and didn't know what to do." He said they informed Landis' attorney, Maurice Suh, of the call
the next morning. That afternoon, after LeMond's testimony, Landis fired Geoghegan as his business manager.
Landis
denied that he had confessed doping to LeMond. The former champion testified Thursday that during a phone conversation last
August he had urged Landis to "come clean" and had revealed to Landis that he had been sexually abused as a child to urge
him not to keep hiding an unpleasant life secret. Geoghegan had alluded to that personal history in his call to LeMond last
week.
Landis recalled that LeMond told him he believed that he was guilty and that he should confess for the good of
the sport. LeMond testified that Landis had answered, "What good would it do?" as though admitting guilt.
Landis' recollection
was different. "I told him that I didn't do it, and it wouldn't make any sense for me to admit something I didn't do. If I
did admit it, I asked him how that would help cycling."
Just before Landis' appearance, the arbitrators heard from
perhaps the most distinguished scientific witness on USADA's list: Dr. Don H. Catlin, who recently retired as director of
the UCLA Olympic Lab, perhaps the leading anti-doping lab accredited by the World Anti-Doping Agency, or WADA.
NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - In a New Orleans still recovering from Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the city
safety plan for the next storm can be summed up best in two words: Get out.
As the 2007 Atlantic hurricane season begins, New Orleans officials say the city is better prepared
than it was before Katrina, but cannot assure people's safety.
"When the mayor tells the citizens to evacuate, the citizens should listen and heed the mayor's warning,"
said Jerry Sneed, director of the city's office of emergency preparedness.
Jesse St. Amant, emergency preparedness director for Plaquemines Parish southeast of New Orleans, agreed.
"I would rather have somebody say 'I was inconvenienced' (by evacuating) than to have to recover their body."
Last year's hurricane season passed without a storm hitting Louisiana, which gave the city much needed
time to continue its slow rebuilding.
But this year, forecasters predict the hurricane season, which starts on June 1, will be busy, and
the U.S. Gulf Coast could well be hit.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has spent at least $1 billion strengthening levees that failed so
miserably when Katrina hit on August 29, 2005, but experts say it will take billions more to secure the city, which is mostly
below sea level.
The result, said Ivor van Heerden, deputy director of the Louisiana State University Hurricane Center
in Baton Rouge, is that another hurricane like Katrina could do just as much damage.
Katrina, a Category 3 storm on the Saffir-Simpson scale when it hit New Orleans, flooded 80 percent
of the city when its storm surge swamped the surrounding levees. A Category 3 storm has maximum winds of 130 miles per hour
(209 kph).
The storm killed at least 1,300 people and did an estimated $81 billion in damage, the most by a natural
disaster in the United States.
'IT WILL COMPLETELY FLOOD EVERYTHING'
"If we got a slow-moving Category 3, it will completely flood everything," van Heerden told Reuters
at a recent hurricane conference.
Louisiana Insurance Commissioner James Donelon said he believed the city's protection was strong enough
to stand up to another Katrina, but beyond that, there were no guarantees.
"We have never, ever ... in the history of New Orleans been better protected against strong surge from
hurricanes than we are today," he said in an interview. But "a Category 4 or 5 hurricane on the critical path, that I can't
answer."
The issue is moot to local officials, who say that if a storm of any strength heads toward New Orleans,
people should leave.
They do not want a repeat of the anarchy after Katrina when people who did not evacuate died in the
flooded city while crime and chaos reigned in the streets and in public shelters.
Officials said there will be no shelters open for the next storm because they do not want to encourage
people to stay. Nor do they want them trying to ride it out in their homes.
The lessons of Katrina have not been lost on New Orleans residents, many of whom have refused to return
to a city they still view as a sitting duck for hurricanes.
The latest population estimates show that about 255,000 people live in New Orleans now, compared to
480,000 before the storm.
Those who are back worry about what this hurricane season will bring.
Ina Keelen, a 21-year-old hotel employee who rode out Katrina in the city, said that next time she
will leave, adding "I can't take another chance with my life."
NEW ORLEANS - An attorney defending the owners of a nursing home where 35 patients died after Hurricane
Katrina argued for the right to present evidence that the government was responsible for the deaths.
James Cobb said in court papers filed Thursday that Salvador and Mabel Mangano couldn't have anticipated
that levees would break and flood the area around St. Rita's nursing home in St. Bernard Parish.
"An engineering disaster, unknowable to them, left them vulnerable. The water came through no fault
of the Manganos," Cobb wrote in a 21-page memo to Judge Jerome Winsberg.
The couple are charged with 35 counts of negligent homicide. Attorney General Charles Foti has said
the Manganos should have taken steps to evacuate patients before Katrina hit on Aug. 29, 2005.
A Foti spokeswoman declined comment on the defense argument, citing a gag order.
Cobb said state and local officials never ordered the couple to evacuate the nursing home. He also
pointed out that the Army Corps of Engineers designed and constructed the levees that failed to hold back flood waters.
"No assessment of the Manganos' responsibility can be made without an understanding that, given a Category
3 storm passing to the east of New Orleans, the flood was not a natural and foreseeable event, but a disaster consequent to
the failed projects of the Corps," Cobb wrote.
It was unclear when Winsberg will consider Cobb's argument. The Manganos were due back in court on
Tuesday.
Each count of negligent homicide carries a sentence of up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
NEW ORLEANS - Congress's investigative arm found that faulty pumps along New Orleans' drainage canals
were rushed into place last year but the contract and operation were handled properly, Sen. Mary Landrieu (news, bio, voting record) said Thursday.
The pumps were rushed into operation before the June 1 start of the
2006 hurricane season. The previous year, Hurricane Katrina inundated 80 percent of the city after its flood protection system
failed.
A May 2006 memo by a corps inspector working on the pump project, provided to The Associated Press
earlier this year, warned that the pumps were faulty and would not work if needed to remove water during a hurricane. GAO
opened its investigation after the memo surfaced.
Landrieu said she was briefed Thursday morning on the forthcoming GAO report. A GAO official who led
the investigation, Anu Mittal, declined comment, saying the final version of the report is not complete.
The corps has insisted that the pumps would have worked, but last year's unexpectedly mild hurricane
season never tested them. A draft of the GAO report said it was uncertain how well or how long the pumps would have worked
if a hurricane had struck, Landrieu's office said.
The pumps have since been overhauled and are ready for the upcoming hurricane season, said corps Col.
Jeffrey Bedey, who is overseeing reconstruction of the New Orleans levee system.
Bedey said the GAO report confirms that the corps made remedies immediately, once the memo alerted
them to problems with the pumps.
Landrieu, in a telephone news conference, said the GAO told her that the Corps should have been more
transparent about problems with the pumps and the rushed schedule for testing.
"The greatest weakness was the corps assuring people this was in place when it wasn't," Landrieu said.
In preparing bid specifications for pumps, the corps copied specifications — typos and all —
from the catalog of a politically connected company, Moving Water Industries Corp., which installed 34 drainage pumps.
The corps has said it is "accepted and prudent" practice to adopt a company's design in government
bids.
Bedey said a corps review of the contract will be released soon.
Also Thursday, residents of Mississippi's coast celebrated a milestone in the recovery from Katrina.
The U.S. 90 highway bridge over the Bay of St. Louis was washed away by the storm, but two lanes of the two-mile, four-lane
replacement bridge were opened Thursday. The rest opens in late fall.
NEW ORLEANS, La. - About two-thirds of students in New Orleans high schools that were taken over by
the state after Hurricane Katrina flunked the state graduation exam, according to figures released Thursday.
About 40 percent of the city's fourth graders and a third of the eighth-graders in those schools failed
promotion exams.
When Katrina hit on Aug. 29, 2005, and flooded 80 percent of the city, it also shut down the city's
already troubled public school system, which ran more than 100 schools.
Since then, 58 have reopened: 22 are run by the state's Recovery School District, five remain under
the authority of the city's school board, and 31 have been handed over to private charter organizations.
The five that were left in the hands of the school board were magnet schools that performed well before
the storm and continued to perform above state averages, based on Thursday's figures.
A measure of the charter schools' performance was not available Thursday because all charter schools
were lumped together; individual school scores will be available later in the spring.
State education officials cautioned that it was too soon to tell how successful the state-run schools
will be in the still-recovering city.
The scores only serve as a "baseline" for schools in New Orleans and other districts where students
were displaced by Hurricane Katrina, said Leslie Jacobs, vice president of the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary
Education. Comparing them to next year's scores will show how well these schools are performing after the storm, she said.
Most New Orleans schools performed poorly long before Katrina and the school system office was riddled
with corruption, mismanagement and poor bookkeeping. Even before the storm hit the state had stepped in, taking over a handful
of schools and handing them over to charter organizations, while pressing the school board to contract with a private firm
to run the schools' financial operations.
After the storm, the Legislature, with backing from Gov. Kathleen Blanco, took over most city schools,
chartering some and assuming operation of others by placing them in the Louisiana Recovery School District.
That district inherited problems which were only made worse by the storm, including dilapidated buildings
and a shortage of qualified teachers.
Recovery School District superintendent Robin Jarvis recently announced her resignation, citing in
part the stress and long hours involved in getting schools open.
Paul Vallas, 53, now the head of Philadelphia's public schools, will take over as superintendent after
July 1.
The state released scores by district, not individual schools, but some were compiling statistics on
their own and at least one charter school is showing signs of success. At McDonogh 15, one of the new charter schools in New
Orleans, about four-fifths of the 25 eighth-graders and nearly two-thirds of the 50 fourth-graders passed the promotion test,
development director Jonathan Bertsch said.
The student body isn't elite: 92 percent of the students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunches,
and there were no academic or behavior requirements for admission. Sixth- through eighth-graders were an average of three
grades behind when they started the school year, Bertsch said.
"We're just so proud of our kids and all the work they did. And of our teachers and administrators,"
he said.
NEW ORLEANS - Some of Fats Domino's friends and fans thought he may never return to the stage.
The 79-year-old rock legend's last public performance came Memorial Day 2004, more than a year before
Hurricane Katrina washed away his home, his pianos and his gold and platinum records. He had to be rescued by boat from his
9th Ward home after the August 2005 storm.
When Domino took to the stage at a New Orleans nightclub Saturday, his fans and friends were pleased
and relieved.
"It was emotional. There were a lot of people crying, people close to him," said Quint Davis, producer
of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. "It wasn't that the music was living again for us. It wasn't about us. It was
about Fats. Fats himself got to experience it again."
Dressed in a snappy white jacket and his signature white cap, Domino sang and played the first hit
of the night, "I'm Walkin'," and the crowd jumped and screamed when he belted out "Blueberry Hill" a few minutes later.
The band, including Domino's longtime friend and musical partner saxophonist Herbert Hardesty, also
played "Blue Monday." In all, Domino and company performed about a dozen hits.
The Tipitina's Foundation, which put on Saturday night's show, has teamed with such artists as Elton
John, Tom Petty, Bonnie Raitt, Lenny Kravitz, Willie Nelson, B.B. King, Paul McCartney and others to record a tribute album
of Domino's songs.
Proceeds will benefit the foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to providing the city's public schools
with instruments and helping artists recover from the hurricane. Roughly 25 percent of the proceeds will go toward restoring
Domino's home, which is expected cost upward of $100,000, the foundation said.
DENVER - A string of runaway rail cars spilled beer in downtown Denver Wednesday after they crashed
into a parked locomotive and derailed.
No one was hurt, and the railroad's mainline operations were not affected, said Steve Forsberg, a spokesman
for BNSF Railway, based in Fort Worth, Texas.
Forsberg said a switch engine was assembling a train around 4:30 a.m. when the crew lost control of
the 34 cars, which rolled downhill into the stationary locomotive.
A tanker car carrying Coors beer overturned and spilled its contents onto the rail yard, Forsberg said.
Another car carrying asphalt was damaged and leaked.
Forsberg did not know how much beer and asphalt spilled.
Two parked locomotives were heavily damaged, and several freight cars were damaged.
JURQUES, France (AFP) - Four white lions were born in a zoo in western France at the weekend, providing
a welcome boost for the species whose population is teetering at about 30 worldwide, a zoo official said Wednesday.
The male and three female cubs, white as snow and weighing about 1.5 kilos (3.3 pounds), were separated
from their mother at birth because she appeared to lack parenting skills.
"Nyala, their mother, wasn't taking care of them. It's as if she didn't know what to do," said Bernadette
Oury, director of the Jurques zoo in western France where the four were born on Sunday.
"They are in full health and we are thrilled," said Oury.
The 30-odd white lions in the world today live in captivity in zoos or game reserves, representing
all that is left of a species that originated in South Africa.
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Today, Robin and I are taking off to a friend's wedding in upstate California, and I figured this would be a perfect time
to put the Honda Civic Hyrbid to the test. (Bear in mind that a guy is suing Honda because his Civic Hybrid is only returning 32 MPG.) We're planning to put the Civic through all sorts of driving situations to see just how fuel efficient it really is. The
benchmark is the Toyota Prius, which averages around 45 MPG in mixed driving. Yesterday I brought the car home through an hour and a half of bumper-to-bumper
Los Angeles traffic (34 MPG). As you read this, we'll be wending our way up the Pacific Coast Highway, then into San Francisco
to pick up friends at the airport.
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Comments
I can’t wait to read your review. I am especially interested in the Nav System comparison. In-dash units seem more protected from theft, and have a nicer built-in look, but it is really the function that is important. I have heard the Honda unit is probably one of the best systems out there… but $1350 is a big difference in price for “nicer look”.
I am guessing the Civic Hybrid will get about 41 MPG (I want to win the autographed About.comn screen shot =)
I own a ‘05 Honda Accord with the NAV and also have used my brothers Tom Tom when I had to borrow his Honda Element. There is no comparison… the Honda Nav was so easy to use vs. the Tom Tom. It was smoother, more accurate and had a very intuitive map to read. I am looking forward to your comparison between the two.
wow, great timing for this road test…we are trying to decide between getting a civic vs civic hybrid and between getting a honda nav. in that civic or get an aftermarket one…Aaron are you psychic or what? your call is going to make our decision…Don…P.S. I’m guessing 44mpg.
Don, I’m curious — what would the MPG have to be for you to decide for or against the Civic Hybrid? Do you have a specific figure in mind?
Aaron
We’ve got the factory nav system in our Mazda and from what I’ve seen, it blows away the add-on products. Not only is there not an issue of battery life and where to mount it, it communicates with the car itself (measuring speed and so on accurately), there’s the bigger screen, voice recognition (which actually works), more POI info, no need to hook into your PC to load different maps, fast route adjustment if you go a different road than they recommend or you miss a turn, etc. There’s only two downsides: updated map DVDs are very expensive (but generally not necessary), and you can’t get the alternate Mr. T voice with it like you can with the TomTom! “Turn left, fool!” As cool as the nav system is in the wife’s car, I don’t think I’d bother getting an aftermarket one for my car - but my next car (way in the future) will probably have to have a factory system.
As for MPG, since hybrids do better in city driving and it’s only hit 34 there, I’m going to go with 38 mpg overall, and that might be high.
Aaron, Since my ‘05 Civic gets 40+ mpg regularly on flat (Florida) roadways and I do inflate the tires an extra 5lbs,add 2.5 oz of acetone per tank, keep my tach at 3000rpm (70mph) in 5th gear and don’t drive aggessively, it seems ridiculous to buy a hybrid. Now, if I employ these same principles to a hybrid, I’m sure I can get over 50mpg on the Hybrid. Now, if you only get 40-43 mpg on your trip that bodes poorly for the Hybrid. However, if you get 50mpg like it should and then you add my gas saving regimen, then the Hybrid is looking gooood! The big equalizer in this whole scenario that everyone seems to overlook is the CITY MPG. My car only gets about 30 mpg city, but the hybrid claims 49-50 wow! Considering my wife is pounding those bumper to bumper miles from Lauderdale to So.Miami that mpg rating(city) starts looming as a more important number. But up above you’ve already mentioned some pretty grim mpg numbers(34)…uh,oh! Question how bad was the traffic(as bad as the 5:00 Orange Crush?)…was the car broken in yet? Are you going to do one full tank on I-5 on the way home using cruise control going through the San Joaquin Valley? There’s a lot of variables and I hope you document your results and your road conditions. Ok you’ve got your homework, son!