Recent comments

  • 8 Fun Ways to Make Money   16 years 6 weeks ago

    One way that really helps me make some extra money is this site, http://makemoney9.tk

    All you have to do it take surveys and you get paid for it, which is really easy to get the hang of. This is an easy way to get some extra money easily.

  • 5 More Fun Money-Making Ideas!   16 years 6 weeks ago

    Taking surveys online is another great way to make some extra cash, but make sure it's legit. Check out this site that I'm apart of that pays people to take surveys. It's really easy to get the hang of too!

  • Secret Lawn Tonic Recipe From Golf Course Groundskeeper   16 years 6 weeks ago

    From pahrump, nv. Got the recipe from my friends dad,gonna try it tomorrow morning! By the way my friends dad's lawn looks great and it just snowed out here a week ago
    And my friends dad said his grass is barely blooming ,he insists it will b even greener in a few more weeks. So I'm gonna put it to the test!! Will get back to y'all and let u know the results! :)

  • Live Where the Water Tastes Good   16 years 6 weeks ago

    "Experimentally" has some great advice on purifying your own water.

    First, you need to cause coagulation or flocculation of the water. This means causing the suspended particles (which can protect microorganisms) to gel or clump together. This can be done with a wide variety of things, for example, Moringa seed extract, alum, or sodium polyacrylate (a cheap substance also used in medicines and super-absorbent baby diapers). Then you can filter out these clumps using multiple layers of cloth.

    After that, you can use the boiling and disinfectants. I'll add a few more bits of information here. One is that the disinfecting power of chlorine bleach can be greatly increased by adding an acid like vinegar. Vinegar combined with hydrogen peroxide also makes a decent disinfectant (peracetic acid). To kill particularly stubborn bacteria, you may need to employ Tyndallization (using a waiting period to trick the bacteria into coming out of hiding so that you can kill them). I didn't know this process was still in use until a Colombian woman described it to me. She mentioned that lemon juice was used to aid the disinfection or preservation.

    By the way, the reason amoebas and malaria parasites are so hard to get out of your body is that they are very similar to your body's own cells. It's much easier to kill them /outside/ of the body.

    http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tratamiento_del_agua_(tecnolog%C3%ADas_alternativas)
    http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escherichia_coli
    http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entamoeba_histolytica
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyndallization
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disinfectant

  • Get Those Omega-3s Without Paying Mega Prices   16 years 6 weeks ago

    Canned sardines are another fish that's low in PCBs and mercury and high in omega-3's. They are cheap, too. Because they are a small fish, low on the food chain, fishing them does not cause as much environmental impact as does fishing tuna (a large predator), nor do they bioaccumulate the same amount of toxins. The healthiest choices are those packed in olive oil or sardine oil. Water packing removed some of the omega-3s, and soybean oil isn't particularly healthy.

    They are especially good on bread with mustard. Enjoy!

  • Live Where the Water Tastes Good   16 years 6 weeks ago

    I guess y'all missed this article, then:

    Deadly fluoride in our water

    I don't know about you lot, but I drink water for my health, not purely for taste. And I for one will not drink fluoridated water, so bottled water it must be - since the Australian government, in their infinite wisdom, has seen fit to outlaw domestic water filters which remove fluoride, meaning we cannot filter it from our showers, either. What happened to choice?

  • Live Where the Water Tastes Good   16 years 6 weeks ago

    Here you can find all about that: Purify Water It'll provide valuable tips for you I presume.

    I have been drinking tap water for a while now, one of the issues with it might be that there is usually more calcium in it. I assume you can get info on what is in your tap water, but in the case of bottled water it shows on the bottle. It's easier for people who have special needs.

  • Live Where the Water Tastes Good   16 years 6 weeks ago

    @ Mary:

    I'm not sure I can help much. In rich countries, water from a public water supply is usually safe and data about its safety is published. In Guatemala, I have no idea.

    Sorry you're poorly. Amoebas are a serious medical issue. Don't take them lightly.

  • Live Where the Water Tastes Good   16 years 6 weeks ago

     @GE Miller:

    I live in Champaign, Illinois, these days, but I get back to Michigan a couple times a year to visit my dad. If we're ever in or near Kalamazoo at the same time, you're on for a beer.

  • Live Where the Water Tastes Good   16 years 6 weeks ago

    Hey Philip - Do you live in Michigan today? If so, drop me a line. Would love to grab a beer (better than water).

  • Live Where the Water Tastes Good   16 years 6 weeks ago

    I live at the moment and for the past eight mos. and next full year in Antigua, Guatemala in a rented, relatively new home. Today I was washing my clothes at home and a small 2" weird looking fish came out of the faucet. I already buy the Agua Pura by the 5 gal. plastic bottles then filter it again with Eco-Filtro for drinking and making ice. My doctora said the amoebas I have are hytolytica, and coli, caused by the "purified" water and suggested that I buy this secondary filtration for home use. Let me say, it has been a long five months to try and get rid of those nasty buggers. The treatment is as bad as the amoebas, except the tea, which does soothe somewhat. Any other ideas Phillip? How in the sam hell did a small dead fish get into my main water supply?
    Any response would be appreciated. Thank you. Great article.
    Mary

  • Great idea for Papa Murphy’s – make the pizzas in order.   16 years 6 weeks ago

    Papa Murphy's by me used to be great. Mainly because it was $5 for a large 1 topping pizza. Now their prices have gone up and it's about the same as any other chain, with the exception that when I buy from PM I have to cook it myself. Either stick with any other pizza chain or make it yourself. PM won't save you any money.

  • 4 Deadly Mistakes You Must Avoid When Pursuing Your Dreams   16 years 6 weeks ago

    The ego is the "self".

    The super ego is the intellect that tries to control the ego, telling it what is wrong and right.

    The id is the "child" or the primitive instincts and urges.

    The ego tries to keep the id satisfied. The super-ego criticizes and creates anxiety.

    I prefer Maslow's thinking. :)

  • Live Where the Water Tastes Good   16 years 6 weeks ago

    Great post. My favorite water was in Berkeley, and after that, NYC. It tasted great coming out of the spigots at the parks.

    I kind of like L.A. water. It's a lot better than it used to be. I filter it to remove the chlorine smell.

    Frugal tip is to use an old-fashioned filter holder rather than the "easy to install" filters with canisters on them. The old style filters cost $25 each, annually.

  • 4 Deadly Mistakes You Must Avoid When Pursuing Your Dreams   16 years 6 weeks ago

    It would have been nice to have concrete examples (stories of real people) of each of the failings, or even made-up examples; story-telling almost always works better than abstraction when dealing with wisdom. Your message remains good despite this, though. Thanks.

  • Frugal Gluten-Free Living: Flour Tortillas that Taste Great!   16 years 6 weeks ago

    Since wheat was the main source of nutrition for hundreds of generations of Western Asian and Eastern European peoples, I've always thought that gluten intolerance must have its source in the gene pool of peoples historically from other areas (northern Europe, Africa, east Asia, North America). It'll be interesting to see if they will be able to pinpoint a "gluten gene" that will make diagnosis nearly foolproof.

    Good on you for coming up with a tortilla substitute. Although I've always preferred corn tortillas, the flour sorts really are a different beast culinarily. I bet the basic recipe could be tweaked to make chapatis, mu-shu and matzoh as well!

  • Live Where the Water Tastes Good   16 years 6 weeks ago

    Even in places where the water tastes good, there might be things in the water that we don't want to drink. I'm a big fan of moderation and not going to extremes. I don't think that it's really a 'negative' thing to filter your water. Though water filtration isn't a cure-all, it can help filter out some of the particulate matter. I also like the Environmental Working Group's database in addition to your links.

  • Live Where the Water Tastes Good   16 years 6 weeks ago

    I think you make an excellent point about checking to see if the water is safe and doing something about it (bottled or purified water) only if it isn't. Water in plastic bottles is expensive, harmful for the environment and comes with its own health concerns.

    I also think there's been a certain amount of brainwashing about bottled water being better or healthier that we need to be willing to combat. I particularly notice this in France. I live quite close to a spring where water is bottled for sale, in fact, our tap water is excellent. Yet I have people arguing with me that I should not drink only tap water because I need the variety, the different minerals etc. Crazy.

    What I certainly don't need is the plastic.

  • Live Where the Water Tastes Good   16 years 6 weeks ago

    Good advice about finding quality tap water and avoiding the expense of individual bottles (which were probably also filled with tap water). I thought I'd add a little clarification, though.

    PETE (#1) and HDPE (#2) are plastics commonly used for disposable bottles. Neither has any relation to that plasticizer scare that appeared in the news recently. That was some kinds of PVC (#3) and polycarbonate (#7).

    PETE does have a potential for leaching another substance, acetaldehyde, when the plastic is improperly heated. Acetaldehyde is partially responsible for the odor of fruit and some fermented products. Of course, it's much less pleasant when you were expecting plain water.

    HDPE, on the other hand, is extremely resistant to releasing anything under any reasonable conditions. Unless you want to store boiling kerosene or nail polish remover, HDPE is a great choice for most any kind of container. When you find that good city water, keep it in a reusable HDPE water bottle.

  • Live Where the Water Tastes Good   16 years 6 weeks ago

    I also understand that bottled water lacks some of the nutrients you would get from other sources of water. Seems crazy to buy water at something like $50 per gallon. We would go crazy if gas were that expensive, so why are we willing to spend it on water when it is readily available for next to nothing at our faucets?

  • Live Where the Water Tastes Good   16 years 6 weeks ago

    The tap water tastes good where I live plus I don't like the taste of bottled water, maybe because it costs money. :)

  • 4 Deadly Mistakes You Must Avoid When Pursuing Your Dreams   16 years 6 weeks ago

    I quit my current job back in January (still finishing up and training my replacement) and signed on officially with my new job. I am SO scared! I've never been in a sales role and the new job is 100% commission. *gulp* Talk about uncomfortable!!! But I'm pushing forward and trying not to let the fear paralyze me. :)

  • Best of Personal Finance Roundup: How to Be a Cheap Drunk with Taste   16 years 6 weeks ago

    Another good tip - if you've got cheap wine but find the taste to be a bit.... yea, make sangria! Sangria was never meant to be made with super fine wines; it was made to use up the cheap wine, so have at it! Only have some left? Do 50/50 (or some other combo) of wine + apple juice. It's good with all the fruit flavors in it.

  • Laid Off? You May Have to Fight for Unemployment Benefits   16 years 6 weeks ago

    Thank you for these necessary information.
    My employer in the termination meeting said' We are experiencing economical difficulties we are sorry and you are lay off".They gave me my last pay check and $5000 extra too for not to sue them.
    After two weeks I could not find any job and I filed for unemployment benefit. I got my first check. But UI office in a phone call informed me that I was not lay off but I was fired for misconduct.
    My questions are :
    1- Why there is not a written statement for employee to explained the kind of termination (laid off - fired) and there is not any more claim from employer for example stealing etc ?
    Although my employer did not told me any thing about firing ,they are claimed that I was fired for misconduct! Even employer agent said you are hard working employee.
    2- It was my first time termination experience in USA. I never expected they lay off me after six years without having any problem with my employer. It was a big shock to me to hear about laying off from my job.
    They were asking me to sign documents and I was not prepared for it. The time of meeting was five minutes to end of business hour and I was for ten hours in office and very tired. I think they imposed these situations on purpose to manage my case easily. Why employer not to give me enough time to think about process and take care of my interests?
    3- I applied for new jobs and I answered in the application that I was laid off. When new employer contact my old one they will say I was fired. How I can approve that I was right and my old employer was wrong? I think it is my right to have a written document about the termination of my old job. Why the employer did not give me a written document about my lay off?

  • Book Review: On a Dollar a Day   16 years 6 weeks ago

    Thank you for this response! It's excellent.