Recent comments

  • Ultimate Credit Card Perks Checklist: Benefits You Don't Know About   16 years 5 weeks ago

    Amex has become my go-to card for purchases. (Caveat: it's not as widely accepted as Visa/MC)

  • Start a Business for Next to Nothing   16 years 5 weeks ago

    It's SO SIMPLE... why didn't I THINK OF IT!?!?!?

  • How to Examine Your Healthcare Plan and Save   16 years 5 weeks ago

    The thing that sucks about deciding on health insurance is this--for 90% of us, when does this decision get made? It seems to me that it gets made right after we get a new job. Which is also when we have about 5000 other things going thru ourvminds related to this new job.

    9 times out of 10, I end up rolling thru all of the insurance comparision stuff and making my choice in about two seconds.

    It would probably be better to do some pre-research in this area for those of us actively seeking new employment.

  • The Real ROI of Social Media   16 years 5 weeks ago

    Social media is the largest outsource of the market this specific time of genre can offer. The accessibility and the efficiency of creating links between business people is the importance of the social media in terms of communicating with the market making it the most powerful tool in marketing.

  • 10 Tips to Save You from an ATM Skimmer   16 years 5 weeks ago

    This article provides a very significant issue on ATM skimmers. The tips are essential tools in order to prevent further damages that may be caused by ignorance on this kind of tricks. Money that is worked hard are very painful to let go especially with this kind of dirty misdoings. It's important to stay attentive and be vigilant all the time.

  • The Second-Best Way to Make your Household More Secure   16 years 5 weeks ago

    I think the combination of the two would make a real great household security. Creating a warm environment with the family, friends, and neighborhood provides an endless bound of communication and an atmosphere of true loving relationship. This foundation is very essential in providing a deep and powerful relation that guarantees support over uncertainties but the extensions for financial needs and securities may be best provided by having personal investments like insurances.

  • 7 Ways My Clunker Is Smarter Than a Hybrid   16 years 5 weeks ago

    The comparison between an old and new relies merely to the beneficial aspect of the thing. Of course the new offers a lot of technological efficiency rather than the old, this is the wise thinking. But for the majority of those considerate believers, it's the value of the car that they embrace.
    Well I personally agree with the idea that innovation takes a lot further in terms of productivity as well as cost efficiency. Doing a further calculations would state the basis of getting a more quality vehicle with just the same or a little lesser expense.

  • Should You Invest in Goldman Sachs (GS)?   16 years 5 weeks ago

    If you're greedy enough then there's nothing wrong with going with the Goldman Sachs.
    Everything for them was entirely profit. They're manifestation of wrongful acts are covered by their intense desire for money rather than clean living. I'd rather say that Buffer's pure intention was mainly for benefiting in the business. Well, maybe for them money can buy anything even dignity.

  • Ask the Readers: Fix it or Forget It? (Chance to win $20!)   16 years 5 weeks ago

    I consider the difficulty of repair, time involved, cost and age of item (if it's an item that needs fixed). If skill-wise it's at least 50-50 I'll invest a few hours, then repair, replace or go without. If it's something I use regularly, I'd feel better paying for a repair or replacing it.

  • 5 International Cities to Boost Your Standard of Living for Less   16 years 5 weeks ago

    I will rather live in Chiang Mai than Bangkok. Cheaper, cooler, less traffic congestions, no red shirts riots etc. Seaside towns like Krabi are great for those who love the sea. I wouldn't call Bangkok a multi-national city and business and finance hub. It's no where near Singapore, which is arguably Asia's no. 1 multi-national, business and finance hub.

  • Start a Business for Next to Nothing   16 years 5 weeks ago

    "Start a business for next to nothing" equals "start an online business". The opportunities are unlimited today and the whole world can be your audience in no time. It is a great time for all the entrepreneur-minded people, it has never been easier to make money in the history. Thanks for the article.

  • How to Make Moonshine   16 years 5 weeks ago

    I tried using a wallpaper steamer one time. Not really greatly efficient as it didn't hold more than a couple of gallons and there was no real way of controlling the temperature either. But I still reckon there's a viable use for it; maybe take the steamer plate off (they're detachable) and run a pipe into the still from it to steam-heat it or something.
    I ran that coffee stuff through as well. If you drank it blindfolded you swear it was coffee with a shot of overproof vodka in it. Smells like coffee, tastes like coffee, but crystal clear. Only thing missing is the caffeine hit. Might use the backsets for another batch.

  • Uglify Your Stuff To Keep It Safe   16 years 5 weeks ago

    this odd. but the idea was great. i could still remember i used to put marks on my slippers to let my siblings know that is was mine, and no one even tried wearing it. try selling there stuffs online, it might click.

  • Beat the claw machine, save your sanity.   16 years 5 weeks ago

    you dont always have to grab them sometimes you can push them with the claw. make sure you can get a good grip on the toy to the point of the fingers meeting or almost meet go for higher up toys on your first try look how the claw spins down how far it goes and remember that on your next try

  • 5 International Cities to Boost Your Standard of Living for Less   16 years 5 weeks ago

    Calling San Jose, CR a "thriving metropolitan city and cultural hub" is a bit of a stretch. Actually it is only now, in the last 3 years or so, growing a becoming more of a modern capital, however it is still very much a "small town" kind of city that is quite expensive for what it offers. With this in mind, it is no wonder that it continues to be a preferred destination for retirees.

  • Tasty, Healthy Breakfast Cookies With Chocolate-Covered Espresso Beans   16 years 5 weeks ago

    i am in need of something healthy for breakfast for my school girl :) sounds like a pretty good recipe~ thanks!

  • Tasty, Healthy Breakfast Cookies With Chocolate-Covered Espresso Beans   16 years 5 weeks ago

    i am in need of something healthy for breakfast for my school girl :) sounds like a pretty good recipe~ thanks!

  • How About a Price List at the Hospital or Doctor’s Office?   16 years 5 weeks ago

    I experienced this exact scenario when I was involved in a car accident a year ago, and have been preaching about the need for upfront pricing ever since. When I called the hospital to attempt to work out a payment plan, and was told "this is a hospital, not a bank", I realized that I was not a patient, I was a consumer. As such, it is my right to know the exact price of every test, treatment, and bandaid before being touched. You're right, we have that option in every other facet of our lives, from the auto mechanic to the lawyer, and it should apply to healthcare as well.

  • Turn Off Your Air Conditioning   16 years 5 weeks ago

    I'm trying to hold out longer this year in Central Missouri.

    My husband works all day in an overly-air-conditioned building, so he feels hot when he gets home and it's 78-80 inside.

    The kids and I feel fine... there's a range where people can acclimate, but office buildings that keep it below 75 screw it all up!

    My other tip is to get outside and do something physical for 15 or 30 minutes. Mow the grass in the heat, or weed the garden. Then when you come back in to the shady house with a cool drink, it feels sooooo much cooler than if you just sat around all day.

  • Bar Stool Economics   16 years 5 weeks ago

    Typical spin from the whining losers who think our tax system is unfair. Whoever wrote this little story left out one HUGE detail. In the real world, the four poorest men in this example would share their beer from ONE SINGLE shot glass, while the 10th man enjoyed his glass of beer PLUS he gets 4 refills. So now, what % of the bill should the 10th man pay?

  • How to Make Moonshine   16 years 5 weeks ago

    all,

    Sorry I was away so long, kidney stones are tough. Seems most the answers were given already. Using most any form of pure sugar, including honey, creates such a small amount of heads and tails, as to not worry about it. You get more from using the grains and fruits that stay in the wash. Pectin seems to assist in methanol, may need some input on this from a chemist. Not all grains have the same issue, the husk being present. As Barron stated, if you can drink 5 gallons of it and not go blind, then you can distill it down and drink that, too. There is no chemical change in the outcome. You are using temperature to physically separate 2 compounds. Water and alcohol.
    Most anything with a heat source can be used to create a still. There are solar stills that work, too. If you are looking for something as slow as a coffee pot, try the Amazing Still. They came up with a great idea. It is a plastic bucket, a floating collecting bowl, a convex lid and a heat soarce. They use a nice fish tank heater. If you have a 5 gallon bucket, it can hold about 4 gallons of wash, drop in the heater, float a bowl that will always have some part in the centre. cover the top with plastic wrap and place a weight in the middle, like a coin. the heat will cause some slow evaporation that will collect on the wrap, drip down to the coin and fall in the bowl. This is not a very efficient still. There is very little to adjust. What you get is what you get. You can expect it to take a long time.
    Likewise, you can use a small bit of wash in a coffee pot on the burner. Create a wooden lid, that fits tight. Drill a hole and run off a chemical resistant hose, about 1-2 inch across. Run it to a sealed collector. It will run so slow, that you would loose a lot to evaporation if you do not seal it.
    If you are willing to take that kind of time and not care about the outcome, just use the one I mentioned in the beginning. Use a large pan, float a bowl, invert the lid, seal the edge with wet dough, put ice in the upside down lid, now bring it to just below a boil. I got this from an article written in an eastern block country. It escapes me where. It does work. It carries over the flavour of the wash, a LOT.

    I do agree with Barron, everyone needs to learn to brew beer. Whiskey is distilled beer. It teaches yeast usage and time controls.

    If you have a unique idea for a still, ask. It could start something new, never before thought of.

  • Health Insurance Costs Too High? Alternative Not Pretty   16 years 5 weeks ago

    This is all well and good, but it does nothing for a lot of people like me. I don't make much money (though just having a job is a blessing nowadays). My children (all 6 of them) are on medicaid, but I have nothing. Insurance - through my employer - for me and my wife would cost over $600 per month plus a $2500 deductible. Literally impossible for me to pay. Not difficult; not a sacrifice; impossible! BUT (and this is the big catch) since healthcare insurance is offered through my work, we are ineligible for government assistance.
    We have no choice but to be uninsured.

  • Ask the Readers: Fix it or Forget It? (Chance to win $20!)   16 years 5 weeks ago

    Thankfully, my husband is great at fixing things around the house. And if he doesnt know how to do something, he will research it online. He built our deck even tho he had no experience & it came out great (& passed inspection!) My daughter wanted a wishing well for the yard so I found some simple free plans online and he built her one!
    Some things he won't mess around with too much - like complicated plumbing or electrical issues.

  • Deciding Which Produce to Buy Organic - The Dirty Dozen   16 years 5 weeks ago

    I'm afraid you need to do some proper research. Organic farming contains no guarantees of pesticide-free produce. Indeed in many cases it uses more pesticide than conventional farming because it is forced to use old-fashioned broad-spectrum products while conventional farmers can use narrow-spectrum targeted ones.

    That's not even to mention the vastly reduced yields from organic farming methods - in most cases. Perhaps you should google Norman Borlaug. And if I may suggest, you should read the requirements for Organic certification - and particularly the exceptions they can have from the rules.

    And to those talking about buying local... I'm afraid you're potentially wrong too. Often importing food by the thousands of tonnes from half way around the world generates less pollution per kilo than the local food which is driven to market.

  • Deciding Which Produce to Buy Organic - The Dirty Dozen   16 years 5 weeks ago

    Do people really still buy organic? I suppose if you're not into science, like the feeling that you're doing something good, and are willing to pay for that feeling, it could appeal.

    The reality is that non-organic food, when done properly, is better for the environment and represents less of a health risk to you. Don't forget that most organic brands are owned by the "big agra" many organic believers despise, just as "big pharma" owns the majority of the supplement industry. Your beliefs and ideological stances are profitable, make no mistake about it.

    I'm not trying to convert or insult any of you. Just ignore the "feelgood factor" for a bit and read a bit more from sources that aren't True Believers (in anything). Objectivity and impartiality are a good thing, as is education.