Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Four Common Health Myths People Still Believe:

Okay, you're probably seen a bunch of these, but The Oprah Magazine "O" has a list of health myths you shouldn't believe. And there are a couple you might not know about.

Myth #1.) Hand Dryers in Public Bathrooms Are More Sanitary Than Paper Towels. It makes sense, because you can dry your hands without touching anything. But it's a myth, because a study found that jet dryers make your hands dirtier because of bacteria INSIDE the machine. And they make the entire bathroom dirtier too, because the air can blow germs more than six feet.

Myth #2.) Sitting Too Close to the TV Will Hurt Your Eyes. You probably know this one's not true. But what you might NOT know is that it USED to be true . . . kind of. When TVs started getting popular in the 1950's, they gave off 100,000 times more radiation than modern TVs do. So sitting too close to the television WAS bad for your health. But not specifically for your eyes.

Myth #3.) Warm Milk Will Help You Sleep. It could in theory, because it has tryptophan, the same stuff that's in turkey, and every other meat. But milk only has trace amounts of it, and eggs and cheese even have more. Still, you'd have to eat about seven egg-and-cheese sandwiches before you'd start feeling tired. So if warm milk DOES help you sleep, it's only because of the placebo effect.

Myth #4.) Hydrogen Peroxide Is Good for Cleaning Cuts. If your mom used it when you were a kid, you probably hated it because it stung. And it turns out you didn't need to go through all that pain. Because according to a study in "The Journal of Trauma", hydrogen peroxide slows down the healing process, because it inhibits the growth of new tissue. Instead, you're supposed to wash cuts with soap and water, then use an antibiotic like Neosporin.

Monday, June 27, 2011

The 7 Rules of the Men's Room

Ok, so obviously I'm not a dude, but these made me crack up and I had to share with you:

Rule #1 - The Buffer Urinal
You never, ever, ever, select a urinal directly next to one already in use, not when there's a choice anyway. If there are three urinals to choose from, pick one on the outside. Leave the center one for the guy who may actually die if he doesn't get to the bathroom. If both outside ones are in use and only the center one is available, wait. One of the other guys will be done soon.
Rule #2 - Announce Your Presence
If you are using a stall and have the place to yourself, it's one thing. But as soon as you hear the door open, you need to make your presence known. Am I suggesting that you say 'hi' and introduce yourself? Absolutely not. No way. Instead, do a little cough.

Rule #3 - Ignore My Kid
This should go without saying. I shouldn't even need to put it here, but, inevitably, there is a guy every weekend who breaks this cardinal rule and feels the need to comment about the fact that my kid either a) really has to go or b) "made it."

Rule #4 - No Eye Contact, No Talking
Don't be the guy who walks into the bathroom and tries to strike up a conversation or says something like, "Whew, it smells like Big Foot's tomb in here!" Even if it were funny, the situation does not call for comedy. If there is, for some extreme reason, an occasion that necessitates inter-personal communication, eye contact is strictly prohibited. Stand, stock still, eyes forward like a Marine on inspection. When entering and exiting, keep your eyes down.

Rule #5 - Clean Up After Yourself
If you dribble on the seat, leave a mess of water and soap around the sink or miss the waste basket with an errant paper towel, pick it up. This isn't elementary school, this is a men's room. You're an adult.

Rule #6 - The Proper Stance
Whether in a stall or at a urinal, keep your stance narrow and your positioning square against the target. In the stall, a wide stance could lead to unexpected touching. It's important at the urinal too. No one wants to touch boots while you're doing that.

Rule #7 - Don't Linger
Those who linger here are waiting for something. What? A chance to mug someone? A new friend? A visit from aliens? When it comes to the men's room, do your thing and move on. The men's room is not the place to stop and smell the roses.

Some advice from a wise 30-something to you lucky 20-somethings:

1. Don't be afraid of making mistakes: But when you make them, own them. This means apologizing to whomever you offended/puked on/ditched/stalked/tagged in unflattering photos on Facebook.

2. Don't be afraid to incur some debt to go after your dream. To expand on this: taking out loans for grad school, putting your savings into making a movie, traveling around the country while you write that Great American novel-now's the time to do it. (Of course, running up $24,935.28 on a buffet of credit cards just to support your "artistic lifestyle" so you don't have to get a job or produce any actual work is a little more frowned upon.)

3. Stay in touch with your high school friends. The older you get, the more you'll want to stay friends with people who knew, not only the awkward, nerdy you, but where you're from.

4. Be proud of where you're from. Its part of what made you who you are today; regardless of the situation you escaped.

5. Be proud of who you're from regardless of the situation you escaped.

6. Siblings can be troubling at times, but if you're lucky, they will be there your entire life. Treasure them.

7. A word about eye cream: Yes. Wear it. Every night.

8. One word about Botox: No.

9. I hate to break it to you, but as your twenties progress, the way your body handles food and alcohol changes. And by changes, I mean becomes a bastard who hoards sugar, dairy and booze in cute little saddlebags in the upper thigh and muffin top regions.

10. While I'm breaking it to you: hangovers get much, much worse as you get closer to 30. Brace yo'self.

11. Go to your high school reunion. Blah blah, you hated those losers/that town/your ceramics teacher/that time of your life. And you are much more fabulous now. Right? Great. Now go show it off.

12. You’re going to be attending a lot of weddings in your 20s. A LOT. A few tips of the trade: a. Eat before you go (the food is usually terrible and/or hours away). b. Do not ask ANYONE you have been dating for less than 3 months to be your date for a wedding more than 3 months away. ESPECIALLY a destination wedding. Recipe for disaster. c. If you are in the wedding, do NOT hook up with any groomsmen at the rehearsal dinner/shower/bachelor(ette) weekend. d. As a bridesmaid, you will be forced at one point to wear a watermelon-colored potato sack as a dress. Grin and bear it gracefully.

13. Accept that your 20s is the time when your friends (and of course, you) are going to be changing at warp speed. Some will get married, some will have babies, some will move away, some will succeed in their jobs, some will fail, and some will get really, really famous. Be happy for everyone (or sympathetic if things go poorly). But, be supportive –- your time is coming and one day you'll need that support too.

14. That being said, know that sometimes the changes will be too much for certain friendships to survive. And this just happens. People drift/splinter apart and that's just life.

15. Don't be afraid to clean out the friendship closet yourself, either. If you find yourself dreading hanging out with certain people, or feel small/ashamed around them, or not good enough, then end it. End the friendship. No one needs that, especially not a fabulous 20 something like yourself.

16. Date everyone.

17. To clarify #16, date everyone within reason. This is the time to meet/date/make out with a bunch of different people. The world is completely open to you and the choices are limitless. Try to date people who are different from your normal "type."

18. Speaking of "types," get over having one. Your type is human. Date them.

19.This one is tricky: in relationships, be open to everything, but don't throw everything into the other person's boat too soon. Keep one foot on the dock.

20. Oh, what am I talking about? You're a 20-something. It's impossible to not set sail.

21. Just remember where your harbor is.

22. If someone you're dating makes you feel ashamed to be yourself, dump them immediately. ]

23. Believe in true love. It exists. It just takes a lot of searching to find it.

24. Don't settle for anything (or anyone) less.

25. Don't be afraid of getting older and leaving your twenties behind. One day, on the eve of your 30th birthday, you'll look back at the crazy, horrifying, giddy, exciting, sprawling mess that was your twenties and smile. You'll smile because of all you've learned, how far you've come and the fact that life is still exciting. Maybe even a little more exciting than before. Because you've got your wild, exuberant, sparkling thirties in front of you.

Friday, June 24, 2011

How to make the PERFECT steak:

Nothing beats a juicy steak on the grill and chef John Macchia, Consumer Reports' grilling expert tells us how to do steak right. First- buy a large cut so you can butcher it yourself- you'll get a lot more for your money that way. Use a heavy layer of salt to season them and some cracked black pepper- both sides. Make sure your grill is clean and pre-heat it on high- you'll be cooking them on the high setting too. Cook your steaks for a minute and a half for each turn. When you see the juices coming out of the top of the steak- that usually means it's to temperature- that's a perfectly rare cooked steak. If you like it more cooked- continue the turns. The temp inside the steak should be at least 145 degrees- you'll need a meat thermometer to know for sure.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Five Questions That Can Protect You From Online Scams:

On average, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center gets 25,000 letters about online scams every month. So to help make sure it doesn't happen to you, here are five important questions you should ask yourself before you buy anything online.

#1.) Have You Heard of the Business? There are lots of businesses you've never heard of, but if you search online and can't find any reviews . . . good or bad . . . it might be a scam. You should also just try Googling the name of the website and the word "scam" together, and see what results you get. Just because a website looks professional doesn't mean it is.

#2.) Are They Offering Something for Free? A lot of scams start with a "free" offer, but then you have to buy something else to get it. Some real companies do the same thing too, but it should at least make you suspicious.

#3.) Is the Price Unbelievably Low? If you feel like you're getting TOO good of a deal, be careful. Most scams look too good to be true because they are.

#4.) Do They Ask for Personal Information by Email? You should NEVER send credit card information, passwords, or social security numbers over email. And no legitimate business would ask you to.

#5.) Do They Accept Credit Cards? This is probably the most important one. Almost all credible businesses accept credit cards now especially if they're based online. So if they say you can only pay with cash or by money order, it's almost definitely a scam.

Monday, June 13, 2011

Three Surprising Things That Can Hurt Your Credit Score:

You probably know that once you pay your credit cards off, you're supposed to keep them open. Because closing them lowers your credit score. So you should keep them active . . . just don't use them. But here are three more things that can damage your credit score. And these three might surprise you.

#1.) Using Your Debit Card When You Rent a Car. It seems more responsible to use your debit card when you've got the cash to cover it. But if you do, a lot of rental companies do a soft credit check, which can lower your score. It's in the fine print on the rental agreement, and they won't even mention it. It happened to a writer for WalletPop.com, and her FICO credit score dropped by 14 points.

#2.) Saying Yes to a Department Store Credit Card. They usually offer ten or 20% off when you sign up for a store credit card. But to sign you up, they have to do a HARD credit check, which will definitely lower your credit score. And as you know, store credit cards have much higher interest rates. So there's no good reason to sign up for one.

#3.) Buying Furniture and Using the In-Store Financing. If you buy a couch from a furniture store, they'll offer to finance it. And they'll usually give you some deal so you don't have to make the first payment for a year. But when it comes to your credit score, a furniture store loan is seen as a last resort. And just signing up for one can lower your score.

Monday, June 6, 2011

Prime Rib Burgers, Grill Baby Red Potatoes, Grilled Corn on the Cob and Grilled Mushrooms. YUM!



Grilled Baby Red Potatoes

Ingredients: 1 lb red potatoes, Fresh rosemary (cut up), 1 cup butter, sliced, chopped onion and fresh garlic (1 clove), salt, pepper and seasoning to taste.

Directions: Preheat grill, wash potatoes and cut a slice in each one, spray foil with cooking spray, add potatoes to foil, cover with butter and seasonings, add a few ice cubes, close foil tightly and grill on medium high heat until tender (about an hour).

Grilled Corn on the Cob

Pull all the husks off of the corn and discard. Remove silk on the corn and discard. Tear off squares of aluminum foil and place ears of corn diagonally in the center of each square of aluminum foil. Add 2 slabs of butter, seasoning of your choice, salt, pepper and 2 ice cubes. Roll the aluminum foil around each ear of corn and close it up by twisting the ends. Place the corn on a medium heat grill, rotating the corn every so often. Allow the corn to slowly continue cooking for another 15 to 20 minutes. You’ll know it’s done when you press a kernel and it shoots out it’s sweet liquid. Don’t overcook the corn or it will become mushy. You know when you’ve gone too far if the corn cob flexes easily in your hands.

Grilled Mushrooms

Place one container of cut mushrooms on tin foil. Add cut up pieces of butter (about 10 or so), chopped onion, chopped garlic, salt and pepper to taste. Wrap foil and cook on medium high heat on the grill for about 10 minutes turning every few minutes.

Perfecting Stauffers of Kissel Hill’s Prime Rib Burgers

Cook burgers on medium high heat on the grill for about 6 minutes per side. Then flip one more time and cook for another 4 or so minutes. If you’d like to do what w did to add a little extra punch to the burgers, drizzle on some Worcestershire sauce and then sprinkle seasoning of your choice over the burgers before cooking.

Thursday, June 2, 2011

If you are looking for a new job, you need to know the new rules of resume writing – and they are new!

Writing resumes has changed a lot in just the past few years. Executive headhunter Danny Cahill says most employers want you to apply online to make it easier for them. And if that’s the case, here are some things to consider:

• Don’t worry too much about making your resume “pleasing to the eye.” Today, your resume is likely scanned and put into a big database – so no one’s eyes really see it.

• Since your resume is not likely read by a human – don’t worry much about a cover letter – no one is going to read that either.

• You should customize a different resume for every job you apply for. Include keywords that were used in the ad because those are likely the key words they will use to pull resumes from the database.

• Be careful about “fudging” dates to cover gaps and other little white lies. Background checks are now common and cheap for employers. You will get caught in a lie.

• Stay “salary neutral.” Never volunteer what you want to make. When asked what salary you want, it’s better to say, “Right now I make $X and I am sure your offer will be a fair one.” If you ask for a salary early on - that is out of the employer’s range - you’ve lost your chance.