Some Tips for Getting through the Day

Simple Chemistry Life Hacks from About.com Chemistry Solving Everyday Problems With Science By Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D. . Chemistry offers simple solutions to life's everyday little problems. Here are some easy tips to help get you through the day. 1. Spray Gum Away Use WD-40 to get gum off your shoe.1 Got gum stuck on your shoe or in your hair? There are a few chemistry life hacks to get you out of this one. Freezing the gum with an ice cube will make it brittle, so it's less sticky and easier to remove. If it's gum stuck on your shoe, spritz the gooey mess with WD-40. The lubricant will counter the stickiness of the glue, so you can slide it right off. While you might not want to spray WD-40 on your hair, if you get gum stuck in it, rub peanut butter onto the affected area to loosen the gum, comb it out, and wash it off. 2. Refrigerate Onions Use a chemistry life hack to keep from crying when cutting onions. Do you get all teary-eyed when cutting onions5? Every slice of the knife breaks open onion cells, releasing volatile chemicals that irritate your eyes and make you cry. Do you want to save the waterworks for your favorite tearjerker movie? Refrigerate onions before cutting them. The cooler temperature slows down the rate of chemical reactions, so it takes longer for the acidic compound to form and less likely to waft up toward your eyes. Cutting onions underwater is another option, since the compound is released into water and not air. Pro Tip: Did you forget to refrigerate your onions? You can chill them in the freezer 15 minutes. Just remember to take them out before they freeze. Freezing bursts cells, which could make your eyes tear up even more, plus it changes the texture of the onions. 3. Test Eggs in Water Bad eggs float. Here's a life hack to keep you from cracking open a bad raw egg. Place the egg in a cup of water. If it sinks, it's fresh. If it floats, you can use it for a stinky prank, but you won't want to eat it. A decaying egg produces hydrogen sulfide8. This is the chemical responsible for the foul 'rotten egg' stench. The gas also makes the bad egg buoyant in water. Got a floating egg? Here's one thing to do with it9. 4. Alcohol To Remove Stickers Alcohol can remove stickers or temporary tattoos from skin. When you buy something new, one of the first things you'll do it take off the sticker. Sometimes it peels right off, while other times you just can't get it to budge. Spray the label with perfume or dampen it with a cotton ball soaked in alcohol. The adhesive dissolves in alcohol, so the sticker peels right off. Just keep in mind alcohol dissolves other chemicals, too! This trick is great for glass and skin, but could mar the surface of varnished wood or certain plastics. Pro Tip: If you don't want to smell like perfume, try using hand sanitizer gel to remove a sticker, label, or temporary tattoo. The active ingredient in most hand sanitizer products is alcohol. 5. Make Better Ice Cubes Use chemistry to make better ice! If your ice cubes aren't clear, try boiling the water and then freezing it. Boiling water drives off dissolved gases that can make ice cubes appear cloudy. More Tips To Get Clear Ice14 Another tip is to make ice cubes from the liquid you are drinking. Don't dilute lemonade or iced coffee with frozen water. Drop frozen lemonade or frozen coffee cubes into the drinks. Although you can't freeze hard alcohol15, you can make ice cubes using wine. 6. Use Chemistry To Polish Silver silver reacts with air to form a black oxide termed tarnish. If you use or wear silver, this layer gets worn away so the metal stays fairly bright. However, if you keep your silver for special occasions, it can blacken. Polishing silver by hand may be good exercise, but it's not fun. You can use chemistry to prevent most of the tarnish from forming and to remove it without polishing. Prevent tarnish by wrapping your silver before you store it. Plastic wrap or a plastic bag prevents air from circulating around the metal. Squeeze out as much air as possible before tucking the silver away. Keep silver away from humidity and products high in sulfur. To remove tarnish electrochemically18 from fine silver or sterling silver, line a dish with aluminum foil, set the silver on the foil, pour on hot water, and sprinkle the silver with salt and baking soda. Wait 15 minutes, then rinse the silver with water, dry it, and marvel at the shine. 7. Threading the Needle Apply candle wax or nail polish to make thread slide through a needle. There are tools that can make it easier to thread a needle, but if you don't have one, you can make the process easier by binding together the fibers of the thread. Lightly run the thread through a bit of candle wax or paint the end with nail polish. This binds the stray fibers and stiffens the thread so it won't bend away from the needle. If you have trouble seeing the thread, bright polish can make it easier to spot the end. Of course, the easiest solution to this problem is to find a youthful helper to thread the needle for you. 8. Ripen Bananas Quickly Ripen bananas using apples or tomatoes. You found the perfect bunch of bananas, except for one little problem. They are still green. You can wait around a couple of days for the fruit to ripen on its own or you can speed up the process using chemistry. Simply close your bananas in a paper bag, along with an apple or ripe tomato. The apple or tomato gives off ethylene, which is a natural fruit ripening chemical. On the flip side, if you want to keep your bananas from getting overly ripe, don't put them in the fruit bowl with other ripe fruit. 9. Add Salt To Make Coffee Taste Better Did you order a cup of coffee, only to find it tastes like battery acid? Reach for the salt shaker and sprinkle a few grains into your cup of joe. Salt dissolves in coffee to release sodium ions. The coffee won't be any better, but it will taste better because the sodium blocks taste receptors25 from detecting the bitter notes. If you are brewing your own coffee, you can add salt during the brewing process. Another tip to reduce bitterness is to avoid brewing coffee with super-hot water or letting it sit on a hot plate until the end of time. Too much heat during brewing increases extraction of the molecules that taste bitter, while holding coffee on a hot plate eventually burns it. This About.com page has been optimized for print. 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Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: My Collision with Inside Edition, Freeing the Tale...

Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: My Collision with Inside Edition, Freeing the Tale...: There I was Friday, about to go to lunch, and begin a short day at work. A good friend was holding an estate sale, and there was a large bea...

SUPERB CANADIAN IRIDESCENT AMMONITE - by I.M. Chait

SUPERB CANADIAN IRIDESCENT AMMONITE - by I.M. Chait



Just magnificent; truly a remarkable creature

Worth going to this Site for New Fall Plants

New Plant Introductions for Fall 2014 Keyword: Logees! Greetings! Logee's Fall 2014 catalog will be arriving in your mailbox the first week of August. We are introducing 47 exciting new plants. Here's a preview of the new introductions. Cape Primrose 'Yellow with Pink Cap' (Streptocarpus hybrid) This beautiful two-tone cape primrose has pink on the upper petals and yellow on the lower petals with pink stripes in the throat of the blossoms. The frilly edges add even more appeal. 2.5" pot. T5105-2 New Introduction $9.95 Order Now Desert Rose 'Elegance' (Adenium hybrid) Large, fully double blooms have layers of overlapping petals in dappled shades of white and pink making 'Elegance' an eye-catching floral specimen. This is a ready-to-bloom, two-year-old plant with a thickened caudex. 4" pot. S7858-4G New Introduction $29.95 Order Now Calathea 'Royal Standard' (Calathea hybrid) The spectacular foliage has light mint green centers and feathered dark green leaf edges. Bubble-gum pink flowers bloom for most of the year once the plant is mature in a 6-10" pot. The backs of the leaves and petioles are purple. 6" pot. R2841-6 New Introduction $24.95 Order Now Phyllanthus Bonsai (Phyllanthus mirabilis) Here's an unusual caudiciform plant that makes an attractive bonsai. The green leaves have a reddish tint and in the evening the leaves fold up, similar to a Prayer Plant, and reopen in the morning. 4" pot. R2821-4 New Introduction $24.95 Order Now Potinara Orchid Coral Gold 'Pacific Rainbow' CR/HOS (Potinara hybrid) The tri-colored, splash flowers have white and yellow petals edged in pink with contrasting red lips and yellow highlights. The 4" flowers have a light cattleya fragrance and usually bloom in both spring and fall if grown in good light. 4" pot. A2604-4 New Introduction $24.95 Order Now Wercklea (Wercklea ferox) A large and stunning species from Costa Rica, Wercklea has leaves that can reach up to 2' across with pronounced red veins. Clear yellow flowers form along the trunk. Wercklea is a rare plant for collectors who value the exotic. 4" pot. R2845-4 New Introduction $24.95 Order Now Kava Kava (Piper methysticum) Well known for its relaxing, anti-anxiety properties, this tropical herb is revered in the South Pacific. The growth is upright with broad, deep green leaves. It is the root that contains the medicinal properties. 2.5" pot. R2198-2 New Introduction $14.95 Order Now Potinara Orchid Flaming Orange 'Carmela' (Potinara hybrid) Bright orange flowers are accented by sunny yellow throats and have a light cattleya fragrance. Immature plants have 5-6 flowers per spike; mature plants have 12 or more! Flaming Orange blooms in both fall and spring when grown in good light. 4" pot. A2605-4 New Introduction $24.95 Order Now Dracaena 'Song of India' (Dracaena reflexa) Stunning as a houseplant or landscape specimen, 'Song of India' has 4-6" long, variegated leaves with pale yellow margins and striped green leaf centers. The upright and well-branched growth habit creates a nice full plant. 6" pot. R2839-6 New Introduction $19.95 Order Now Shingle Plant (Monstera dubia) Rare and highly sought after, Shingle Plant has velvety green leaves with silver veining. The 2" leaves plaster themselves against the vertical surface that they're climbing on creating a beautiful plant specimen that tolerates lower light. This plant is sold in a long pot with the leaves climbing on a 12" stake. R2833-4 New Introduction $39.95 Order Now Desert Rose 'Double Fantasy' (Adenium hybrid) 'Double Fantasy' is a visual delight with fully double flowers that have a large cup of upright petals as a central accent. The blossoms are pink with deep burgundy-purple and white highlights. This plant is a ready-to-bloom, two-year-old specimen with a thickened caudex. 4" pot. S7859-4G New Introduction $29.95 Order Now Philodendron 'Xanadu' (Philodendron hybrid) One of the easiest plants to grow in the indoor garden, Philodendron 'Xanadu' has narrow, highly serrated leaves that reach about 18" long. It acts as a natural air purifier to remove toxins from indoor air. Grow in bright, indirect light. 6" pot. R2837-6 New Introduction $24.95 Order Now Orchid Cactus 'San Miguel' (Epiphyllum hybrid) Huge, 7-8" flowers have vibrant red sepals and hot pink frosted petals striped in reddish-orange with a touch of white. It's magnificent when in full bloom during the spring season. Grow in a cool, dry place during the winter months to promote spring flowering. 2.5" pot. S7862-2 New Introduction $11.95 Order Now Anthurium 'Crystallinum' (Anthurium species) Anthurium 'Crystallinum' is a fancy foliage anthurium with large, heart-shaped, deep green, velvety leaves and pronounced white veins. Leaves can measure up to 2' across. Small crystals in the veins cause the leaves to sparkle. Flowers appear intermittently throughout the year. 6" pot. R2245-6 New Introduction $29.95 Order Now Fuzzy-Flowered Hoya (Hoya boutii) Clusters of fuzzy, cream-colored flowers marked with maroon centers adorn this vining plant from the Philippines. The solid green leaves and vine are thinner than most hoyas but it's a vigorous grower. Blooming occurs from spring into summer. This rare hoya is a must-have for any collector. 2.5" pot. R2834-2 New Introduction $14.95 Order Now Small-Leafed Vibrunum Bonsai (Viburnum obovatum) Clusters of white flowers appear on the terminal ends of the branches creating a beautiful bonsai for your home or garden. Shipped in a 6" glazed stoneware bonsai pot with decorative rocks and dried moss as soil adornments. Plants are 5-7 years old. L6564-6 New Introduction $29.95 Order Now Red-Heart Porcelain Flower (Clusia lanceolata) An attractive addition to any container garden, Red-Heart Porcelain Flower has white china petals accented by a bright red center. It blooms intermittently throughout the year and can be maintained under 2' tall. 2.5" pot. R2836-2 New Introduction $12.95 Order Now Cape Primrose 'Yellow with Purple Cap' (Streptocarpus hybrid) Lovely two-tone flowers have deep purple upper petals and yellow lower petals with frilly edges. It creates a beautiful blooming plant for a windowsill or light garden. This is a new introduction in the world of cape primroses. 2.5" pot. T5110- New Introduction $9.95 Order Now Make sure you like us on Facebook, our Logee's Tropical Plants Page shares gardening tips, sales and our popular Bloom of the Week Photo. Happy Planting, Logee's email: info@logees.net phone: 888-330-8038 web: http://www.logees.com

Diets and Fast Food

Some ideas from a colleague at About.com: Fast Food on a Diet By Lisa Lillien, a.k.a. Hungry Girl Updated July 24, 2014 . Healthy Fast-Food Salad Courtesy of Hungry-Girl.com There are times when you're on the go and hungry, and fast food is unavoidable. The good news is that you CAN make smart choices at a fast-food restaurant without taking in an obscene number of calories. Just follow these Hungry Girl tips 'n tricks... BREAKFAST Pick: Look for morning sandwiches made with English muffins, egg whites, and naturally lean Canadian bacon. If there aren't any egg-white options, go with a regular egg patty (no cheese). Fruit parfaits are also good! Skip: Sandwiches on bagels, biscuits, and croissants are drastically higher in calories than English-muffin versions. And those multi-item platters are generally a bad way to start your morning. Carb-y pancakes paired with fatty sausage and sugary syrup? No, thank you! Consider: Oatmeal is now super popular at fast-food restaurants. The calorie counts are usually pretty reasonable, but the portion sizes aren't always impressive. (I prefer to make giant low-calorie versions at home using my "growing oatmeal" technique!) Also, coffee is virtually calorie-free before anything is added to it. Make sure it comes unsweetened without milk or cream. Then add no-calorie sweetener and a splash of fat-free milk. BURGERS AND MORE Don't miss the special-requests section down below! Burgers: Not all burgers are bad choices -- a simple hamburger can be a decent pick. HG trick: Order a junior burger! And always avoid multiple patties and fancy buns. Turkey Burgers: Warning... Some of these have even more fat and calories than beef burgers! Check the nutritional info online to see how the restaurant's version stacks up. Chicken Breast: Grilled chicken = good. Crispy chicken, a.k.a. fried = bad! 'Nuf said. Double Tacos: One of my favorite orders at a Mexican chain is two grilled chicken soft tacos -- I take the contents of one taco and stuff 'em into the other, ditching the extra tortilla. The result is a giant, protein-packed taco! Much smarter than a burrito... Those tortillas are almost always MASSIVE and loaded with calories. (That's why I make burritos at home with low-calorie tortillas.) SPECIAL REQUESTS Apply these to the above picks... Hold the Mayo: Mayonnaise is a sandwich and burger staple, adding unnecessary fat and calories to otherwise decent choices. A lot of times it isn't mentioned on the menu, so always ask. Better safe than sorry. Skip the Cheese: Cheese is another source of fatty calories. Ditch it to slim down any meal. Lettuce Bun: Wrapping your burger or chicken breast in lettuce leaves will save you tons of carb-y calories. If the place doesn't do lettuce buns, just ask for your sandwich goodies over a bed of lettuce. Not ready to go bread-free? Just nix the top half of the bun. No Sour Cream: At Mexican chains, skip the heavy sour cream and any other creamy sauces. Stick with salsa or pico de gallo -- plenty of flavor and so low in calories. SALADS Don't assume these are the best things on the menu! The wrong toppings can result in a meal with more calories than a triple-patty cheeseburger. What to look for: A smart fast-food salad features grilled chicken and lots of veggies (even fresh fruit!). Get light dressing on the side. Then dip; don't pour! What to watch out for: Crispy chicken is a salad fail. Same goes for cheese, candied nuts, bacon, and tortilla strips. Dressing PSA: The dressing stats are often not included in the nutritional information for the salad. The good news? The packets come on the side, so you can review the calorie counts and use it sparingly. If there are no good options, see if they have salsa, and use that instead! A WORD ABOUT DESSERT Avoid oversized shakes and gooey cinnamon buns! But a small soft-serve ice cream cone can be a reasonable way to satisfy a sweet tooth. And a fruit parfait off the sides menu might do the trick! For guilt-free recipes, food finds, tips 'n tricks, and more, sign up for free daily emails at hungry-girl.com! Dining Out Advice •Surprisingly Fattening Foods •What to Order When Dining Out: Best & Worst Restaurant Choices for Dieters •Frozen Yogurt Guide for Dieters Lisa Lillien, a.k.a. Hungry Girl Lisa Lillien, a.k.a. Hungry Girl About.com Diet Advice Headlines .... Advertisement . Ads: Salad Calories Breakfast Nutrition Breakfast Sandwich Fat Calories Fast Food Franchises Explore Diet Advice Must Reads •Fast Food on a Diet •How to Make Healthy Low-Fat French Fries •Frozen Yogurt Guide for Dieters •How to Make Healthy "Fried" Food •Low-Carb Ways to Satisfy a Pizza Craving Most Popular •Low-Carb Ways to Satisfy a Pizza Craving •How to Make Healthy Low-Fat French Fries •How to Make Healthy "Fried" Food •Low-Calorie Smoothie Ideas •The Best and Worst Restaurant Choices for Dieters By Category •Recipe Ideas •Food Finds and Shopping Tips •Dining Out Advice .. About.com Diet Advice. About.com Health Diet Advice Dining Out Advice Fast Food on a Diet

I was Almost Killed Yesterday; A Parable

I was almost killed yesterday, no, really. I was getting off a ramp onto an interstate, signaling left. It was my turn to go. Behind me, I caught a brief glimpse of a motorcyclist, no helmet, on a little black, yellow and green number. Zoom-Zoom. By rights, you wait your turn, first I signal and get on the Interstate, then it's his turn. Instead, I heard a horn, saw nothing because he was in my blind spot. I slowed when I heard the horn, and nearly ended up skidding any way on the shoulder of road. I caught a flash of green and yellow. Yup; he passé me! On the wrong side. Speeding. Then, he wove and wove in and out of the cars on both lane, this dangerous braid of 2-wheeled oomph. Then he disappeared. Any crash would have taken him out as well, and for all the speed cameras and patrol cars we have preying on motorists around here, no none caught him. Once again, I was almost killed yesterday. No one knows except this blog and whoever reads it. I didn't tell anyone. In a flash, I would have been no more. One little second of flash. Once before I had that feeling, years ago. I blacked out. Just went out, and to this day, no one knows why. I remember nothing. Just waking up, still lying on the couch, with my little dog trying to jump on me, our neighbor standing next to the couch, and my mother crying over and over, "I thought you were dead!!" I saw no white light, didn't see my grandmother. Nothing. Just, I wasn't there, and then I was. Life is truly too short. Too fleeting, and maybe, it comes to nothing. Forgive me; this has been a terrible week; wars, plane crashes, planes missing, children dying, many feared loss, natural disasters. These things should never happen, but especially not in summer. Yet, were the world to end tomorrow, I would have to say I would leave it frustrated and disappointed, as would many. For example, the nastiest of my sisters - in - law. Part of her excuse involves mental illness that runs in her family, and her attempts to self-medicate with Zima and anything else, and I do mean, anything else, alcoholic. And, of course, she has her men. You can't blame her entirely. She is very unhappy. The difference between her and me is this; I can acknowledge disappointment and frustration. They are my friends, those cousins you have to accept, but you still wish they wouldn't show up at holidays. She cant admit that's what's wrong with her, so she puts on heirs, keeps up appearances. She acts with superiority to hide her inferiority. Often, I feel sorry with her. It's about coping and self-restraint. She should read "Heart of Darkness." As for me, I look at the sky. Anyone sinking into the most dangerous despair should just look up at the sky. It's so blue sometimes, so infinite. It will make you want to go on. And, never look a gift horse in the mouth, either. It could turn out to be one of the steeds of the Four Horsemen.

Memoir; Writing your Life Story: http://www.cozy-mystery.com/Free-and-Cheap-Kindle-...

Memoir; Writing your Life Story: http://www.cozy-mystery.com/Free-and-Cheap-Kindle-...: http://www.cozy-mystery.com/Free-and-Cheap-Kindle-Mystery-Books.html See above for Free and Cheap Mystery Books on Kindle and Nook, also,...