1. Visit During Meal Times- Mealtimes are when nursing home employees are under the greatest stress. When you visit, observe whether employees are interacting with residents in a friendly manner. If so they'll probably treat residents well at all times.
2. Inquire About Agency Nurses - When a nursing home can't find enough permanent nurses, they hire agency nurses to fill the gap. Most homes use agency nurses from time, but it's a bad sign if 15%-20% of a home's nurses are provided by agencies. Ask the facility what percentage of nurses are from an agency.
3. Check Out The Physical Therapy Facilities - Insist on touring the physical therapy department. If the equipment doesn't look modern or expensive, then it's a bad sign. Also ask whether the physical therapist is on staff or on contract. Homes that have a therapist on staff make a greater commitment to rehab services.
4. Make Sure The Home Has A Five Star Rating The Medicare system website includes a star rating system on nursing homes. Avoid homes with an overall rating lower than five stars. You can view the ratings at www.Medicare.gov/nursinghomecompare .
5. Check The Activities Schedule - Next time you visit, look at the activities schedule. Then look in at one or two activities. Is the activity really taking place? How many resident are there? Does it look like ther're having fun ? Make sure they're not clustered around a nursing station staring into space or at at TV. They should be chatting together, playing cards or interacting.
6. Take A Deep Whiff Making a sub par nursing home smell is a tough challenge. So walk down corridors where doors to patients rooms are open and take a whiff. If the place reeks of urine, feces or large amounts of Lysol, then be suspicious.
7. Is It Really Private? Most homes offer shared rooms since they were built before the importance of singe rooms was recognized. If single rooms are not available, then consider how much privacy the home's shared rooms offer. Some have sturdy partitions and others have thin curtains or nothing at all.
8. Make Frequent Visits -Residents whose families visit often usually receive more attentive care. If you live far away, try to arrange for a friend , relative or concierge service to visit on a regular basis and give you update.
9. Avoid Getting Your Loved One Kicked Out - Nursing homes cannot legally expel residents if they run out of money. So they must resort to Medicaid for payment. But nursing homes are allowed to send away residents that require more care than they can provide. Some greedy nursing homes expel residents who run out of money and claim that their care needs have increased. If this happens to your loved one, then file a complaint with your state's ombudsman through www.LTCOmbudsman.org
10.Don't Let A Hospital Rush You If your loved one requires a nursing home care after a hospital stay, there's a good chance the hospital discharge planner will try to give just a few days to choose a nursing home. That's because the longer your loved one stays, the less profit they make. If the discharge planner won't give you more time to choose a home, then threaten to file an appeal with Medicare if he or she won't relax the deadline. Most planners will back down because they don't want the paperwork hassles. But if you have to file an appeal, the hospital's patient advocate should be able to provide info on how to file. Or you can hire a long term care case manager for a few hundred dollars. Also, your local area agency on aging can help you find a local case manager. Or find one at: www.cmsa.org
Friday, July 26, 2013
Saturday, July 20, 2013
A No-Brainer Easy Peezy Summer Dessert That Will Wow Your Guests
SWEET & SAVORY GELATO
Buy any good quality store brand of pistachio gelato or ice cream. Drizzle on a little extra virgin olive oil,and then top it off with a dash of flaky sea salt.
Saturday, July 13, 2013
How To Find Hidden Treasures At Yard Sales
You make some nice scores at yard sales when you buy cheap stuff that is worth much more than what you paid. Look for the following items.
Printed cloth handkerchiefs from the 1970's and earlier. Look for those with nice patterns and colors. Some distinctive patterns can be framed as art. Some sell fro about $18 or more.The best examples are hand-hemmed made of fine line or cotton. Also, be on the lookout for scarves from designers like Hermes and Marimekko.
Williamsburg style wood furniture from the 1950's and 1960's. This furniture is not trendy since it has an old fashioned colonial look but is solid wood. Look for pieces made by Baker, Beacon Hill, and Kittinger.
A Kittinger set of library steps brings about $550.
Psychedelic posters from the late 1960's and early 1970's. A lack of pinholes or other signs of age and use might mean its a reproduction. A Peter max poster from 1968 called "Love" sells for $316.
Fisher-Price toys. Look for toys that are in pristine condition. A racer with no plastic parts brings about $350. Also look for Fisher-Price "Little People" from the 1980's or earlier. They can bring $2 to $5 or more.
Modern Swedish glass. Glass from Kosta and Orrefors have been increasing in value lately.
Decorative garden items. Look for bird feeders, birdhouses, fountains, and iron garden sets. A vintage set of two chairs with a cat design on the back fetched $4,000. People who have garage sales sometimes forget to include yard sale items. So take a peek in the backyard and ask if a nice item is for sale.
Printed cloth handkerchiefs from the 1970's and earlier. Look for those with nice patterns and colors. Some distinctive patterns can be framed as art. Some sell fro about $18 or more.The best examples are hand-hemmed made of fine line or cotton. Also, be on the lookout for scarves from designers like Hermes and Marimekko.
Williamsburg style wood furniture from the 1950's and 1960's. This furniture is not trendy since it has an old fashioned colonial look but is solid wood. Look for pieces made by Baker, Beacon Hill, and Kittinger.
A Kittinger set of library steps brings about $550.
Psychedelic posters from the late 1960's and early 1970's. A lack of pinholes or other signs of age and use might mean its a reproduction. A Peter max poster from 1968 called "Love" sells for $316.
Fisher-Price toys. Look for toys that are in pristine condition. A racer with no plastic parts brings about $350. Also look for Fisher-Price "Little People" from the 1980's or earlier. They can bring $2 to $5 or more.
Modern Swedish glass. Glass from Kosta and Orrefors have been increasing in value lately.
Decorative garden items. Look for bird feeders, birdhouses, fountains, and iron garden sets. A vintage set of two chairs with a cat design on the back fetched $4,000. People who have garage sales sometimes forget to include yard sale items. So take a peek in the backyard and ask if a nice item is for sale.
Give Your Foods A Great Rub Down For Fabulous Grilling
Spice rubs and mixes are an easy way to add delicious flavor to your foods. They can be made in advance and kept in an airtight container for up to 3 months. And if you package them as gifts, they make a great hostess present.
Sprinkle dry rubs or pat the food with your spices. Never rub hard into the food since you can damage the meat's fiber and texture. Also, if you're going to season the food overnight, leave out the salt since it will dehydrate the food. Just make sure you sprinkle it on about 15 minutes before you start to cook. Normally, about 3/4 to 1 teaspoon of these rubs will cover 3 pounds of meat.
Sweet N' Spicy Dry Rub
Use as a universal rub for all types of food. 1 tablespoon of dry mustard, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 2 teaspoons ground ginger, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1/2 tablespoon sea salt, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper.
Makes about 4 tablespoons.
Indian Curry Dry Rub
Use on chicken breast and tofu. 1/2 cup mild curry powder, 2 tablespoons kosher salt, 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper, 2 teaspoons ground coriander, 1 teaspoon turmeric, 1 teaspoon ground ginger. Makes 12 tablespoons.
Asian Five Spice Rub
Use on duck, chicken, pork carrots and autumn squash. 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon, 2 teaspoons five spice powder, 1 tablespoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 tablespoon sugar. Make 4 tablespoons.
Mocha Rub
Great on steak. 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder, 2 tablespoons instant espresso coffee, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Makes about 5 tablespoons.
Spice Mixtures
Mix these spice blends into ground meat before cooking. Each recipe makes about 2 tablespoons to flavor 1pound of ground meat.
Big Flavor Burger
1 teaspoon ground coriander, 2 teaspoons onion powder, 2 teaspoons ground mustard, 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Spicy Turkey Burger Mix
2 teaspoons ground coriander, 2 teaspoons caraway seeds, 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Sprinkle dry rubs or pat the food with your spices. Never rub hard into the food since you can damage the meat's fiber and texture. Also, if you're going to season the food overnight, leave out the salt since it will dehydrate the food. Just make sure you sprinkle it on about 15 minutes before you start to cook. Normally, about 3/4 to 1 teaspoon of these rubs will cover 3 pounds of meat.
Sweet N' Spicy Dry Rub
Use as a universal rub for all types of food. 1 tablespoon of dry mustard, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 2 teaspoons ground ginger, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1/2 tablespoon sea salt, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper.
Makes about 4 tablespoons.
Indian Curry Dry Rub
Use on chicken breast and tofu. 1/2 cup mild curry powder, 2 tablespoons kosher salt, 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper, 2 teaspoons ground coriander, 1 teaspoon turmeric, 1 teaspoon ground ginger. Makes 12 tablespoons.
Asian Five Spice Rub
Use on duck, chicken, pork carrots and autumn squash. 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon, 2 teaspoons five spice powder, 1 tablespoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 tablespoon sugar. Make 4 tablespoons.
Mocha Rub
Great on steak. 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder, 2 tablespoons instant espresso coffee, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Makes about 5 tablespoons.
Spice Mixtures
Mix these spice blends into ground meat before cooking. Each recipe makes about 2 tablespoons to flavor 1pound of ground meat.
Big Flavor Burger
1 teaspoon ground coriander, 2 teaspoons onion powder, 2 teaspoons ground mustard, 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Spicy Turkey Burger Mix
2 teaspoons ground coriander, 2 teaspoons caraway seeds, 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Thursday, July 11, 2013
How To Get Anybody To Like You In Two Minutes Or less
If you want to make new friends or land new clients or a new job, the you need to make a great first impression fast. That's because people form permanent opinions about you within just a few minutes of meeting you. So here are 11 easy ways to make people like you:
1. Use a slow flooding smile It's always a good idea to smile but switching on a 100 watt smile can make you seem phony. Instead, let your smile build slowly when you make eye contact. This sends a message that there is something about this person you like.
2. Have "sticky" eyes People are inclined to like and trust those who make eye contact. If you're not a natural at making eye contact, then make it a habit to note the specific characteristics about a acquaintances' eyes. Note the color, the shape, how far apart they are, the length of the lashes, and how often they blink.
Noting these nuances will help you make good eye contact. Do break eye contact occasionally if you notice the other person seems uncomfortable. Just don't do it abruptly. Make sure you break eye contact slowly as if your gaze was stuck on this person and you find it hard to pull away.
3. Select an open welcoming body position Arrange yourself so that your torso is mostly but not completely facing the person you just met. Then during the first few minutes of conversation, very slowly and slightly move your body to face the other person. The only exception to this is when a man is meeting a woman for the first time. In this instance, the man should stop a few degrees short of angling his upper body towards her.
4. Stand with one foot a few inches forward of the other By putting most of your weight on the forward foot suggests that you are an energetic person and that you are interested in the person to whom you are speaking.
5. Find your conversation partner's comfort zone Stand too close to a person and you will make them feel uncomfortable. If you stand too far away, and they may not feel a connection with you. So the best strategy is to stand 26 to 28 inches away and slowly move in closer until you see discomfort in the other person's eyes. Then ease back until the discomfort disappears.
6. When you shake hands, very gently touch your forefinger to the other person's wrist Aim for the spot on the underside of the wrist where you would normally take a pulse. This is a very sensitive spot and touching it tends to foster a feeling of warmth even though your contact may not be consciously noticed.
7. Begin with a conversation starter Questions that make great ice breakers include, "What do you do?" followed by "How did you decide you wanted to do that?" Or to couples ask, "How did you two meet?"
9. Slowly nod when people speak This sends a message of acceptance and encouragement which makes people feel in sync with us. If you're a woman, do not nod if a man is saying something with which you completely disagree. If you're a man, keep in mind that women tend to interpret nodding as "I understand" not "I agree."
10. Listen for words that suggest people's interest The words people use in passing will give you hints to their true interests. For instance, if small talk is about the weather and someone says " At least my plants will get some rain." You should say, "Do you have a garden?" Or if someone says, "Its too hot to walk my dogs." You should respond with " What kind of dogs do you have?"
11. Treat business cards with respect A business card symbolizes some one's professional accomplishments. Showing respect for the card shows respect for the person. So hold the card gently in your hands. Then pause to read it then carefully place it in your briefcase, wallet or purse. Never just jam a a card in your pocket.
1. Use a slow flooding smile It's always a good idea to smile but switching on a 100 watt smile can make you seem phony. Instead, let your smile build slowly when you make eye contact. This sends a message that there is something about this person you like.
2. Have "sticky" eyes People are inclined to like and trust those who make eye contact. If you're not a natural at making eye contact, then make it a habit to note the specific characteristics about a acquaintances' eyes. Note the color, the shape, how far apart they are, the length of the lashes, and how often they blink.
Noting these nuances will help you make good eye contact. Do break eye contact occasionally if you notice the other person seems uncomfortable. Just don't do it abruptly. Make sure you break eye contact slowly as if your gaze was stuck on this person and you find it hard to pull away.
3. Select an open welcoming body position Arrange yourself so that your torso is mostly but not completely facing the person you just met. Then during the first few minutes of conversation, very slowly and slightly move your body to face the other person. The only exception to this is when a man is meeting a woman for the first time. In this instance, the man should stop a few degrees short of angling his upper body towards her.
4. Stand with one foot a few inches forward of the other By putting most of your weight on the forward foot suggests that you are an energetic person and that you are interested in the person to whom you are speaking.
5. Find your conversation partner's comfort zone Stand too close to a person and you will make them feel uncomfortable. If you stand too far away, and they may not feel a connection with you. So the best strategy is to stand 26 to 28 inches away and slowly move in closer until you see discomfort in the other person's eyes. Then ease back until the discomfort disappears.
6. When you shake hands, very gently touch your forefinger to the other person's wrist Aim for the spot on the underside of the wrist where you would normally take a pulse. This is a very sensitive spot and touching it tends to foster a feeling of warmth even though your contact may not be consciously noticed.
7. Begin with a conversation starter Questions that make great ice breakers include, "What do you do?" followed by "How did you decide you wanted to do that?" Or to couples ask, "How did you two meet?"
9. Slowly nod when people speak This sends a message of acceptance and encouragement which makes people feel in sync with us. If you're a woman, do not nod if a man is saying something with which you completely disagree. If you're a man, keep in mind that women tend to interpret nodding as "I understand" not "I agree."
10. Listen for words that suggest people's interest The words people use in passing will give you hints to their true interests. For instance, if small talk is about the weather and someone says " At least my plants will get some rain." You should say, "Do you have a garden?" Or if someone says, "Its too hot to walk my dogs." You should respond with " What kind of dogs do you have?"
11. Treat business cards with respect A business card symbolizes some one's professional accomplishments. Showing respect for the card shows respect for the person. So hold the card gently in your hands. Then pause to read it then carefully place it in your briefcase, wallet or purse. Never just jam a a card in your pocket.
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Spice Up You Life With Homemade Sea Salt
To make homemade sea salt, just take seawater from a clean source. Try beaches before swimmers arrive or try before you chum it for bait. Then run it through a fine sieve or clean cheese cloth or use both to catch sand and grit. If you're really particular, you can run sea water through a Brita filter since it won't remove the sea salt. After you filter your seawater, then pour it into a shallow tempered glass baking dish or bowl.
Then choose your evaporation method. You can place your baking dish in an oven at its lowest setting for two or three days or put it on a super sunny window sill for a few weeks. Or you can put it outside on a roof or yards. Just watch out for birds and soot.
Once the edges are dry and chunky, lightly scrape them from your baking dish to remove and break up the bigger pieces. Then just store your salt in an airtight container. To make your salt more zesty, then try these two recipes:
Lemon Salt
You'll need 1/2 cup of sea salt, 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice and the zest of one lemon. To start, zest one lemon into the salt. Then add the freshly squeezed lemon juice to the salt. Then spread out your mixture onto a flat, nonreactive heat proof tray. Then place your tray in a window on a sunny day, or on top of the oven or in a dehydrator. It's ready to use when it's completely dry.
Smoked Sea Salt
For this recipe you'll need 2 cups of apple wood chips and 2 cups of sea salt. First, soak the apple wood chips in cold water for 1 hour then drain.
Next, prepare a grill for indirect grilling by putting all the hot coals to one side and leaving a cool side where you can work. Place the applewood chips on the hot coals and adjust the vent to medium heat. ( about 350 F). Spread the salt in an aluminum foil pie or baking pan. Then place the foil pan on cool area of the grate away from the fire.
Smoke the salt for at least an hour then remove from the heat. Next, cool the salt to room temperature and then put it into an airtight container. It will then keep indefinitely.
Then choose your evaporation method. You can place your baking dish in an oven at its lowest setting for two or three days or put it on a super sunny window sill for a few weeks. Or you can put it outside on a roof or yards. Just watch out for birds and soot.
Once the edges are dry and chunky, lightly scrape them from your baking dish to remove and break up the bigger pieces. Then just store your salt in an airtight container. To make your salt more zesty, then try these two recipes:
Lemon Salt
You'll need 1/2 cup of sea salt, 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice and the zest of one lemon. To start, zest one lemon into the salt. Then add the freshly squeezed lemon juice to the salt. Then spread out your mixture onto a flat, nonreactive heat proof tray. Then place your tray in a window on a sunny day, or on top of the oven or in a dehydrator. It's ready to use when it's completely dry.
Smoked Sea Salt
For this recipe you'll need 2 cups of apple wood chips and 2 cups of sea salt. First, soak the apple wood chips in cold water for 1 hour then drain.
Next, prepare a grill for indirect grilling by putting all the hot coals to one side and leaving a cool side where you can work. Place the applewood chips on the hot coals and adjust the vent to medium heat. ( about 350 F). Spread the salt in an aluminum foil pie or baking pan. Then place the foil pan on cool area of the grate away from the fire.
Smoke the salt for at least an hour then remove from the heat. Next, cool the salt to room temperature and then put it into an airtight container. It will then keep indefinitely.
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Hot Summer Travel Tips Save You Big Money
If you're taking a weeklong domestic trip, depart on Saturday and return on Monday and save 16% on airfare. For weeklong international tips, depart on Tuesday and return on Wednesday the following week and save 21% on average. If you're visiting a tourist location like a beach town, avoid weekend to weekend travel. If you're visiting a convention town, the opposite is true. September is the cheapest month to fly domestically. If you want deep cruise discounts use an agent. Find one at www.cruise-compete.com where more than 300 agents compete for your business. When booking hotel rooms, use www.tingo.com . The site automatically registers when the price drops and credits the difference back to your credit card.
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Eleven Ways To Avoid Losing Sleep When Buy A Mattress
Mattresses should be replaced every 10 years. And except for certain kinds of specialty mattresses, it is very difficult to compare mattress prices from store to store. That's because retailers use product names and numbers you won't find anywhere else.
1. Take Notes. When you find a mattress that feel comfortable, jot down every detail about the mattress. Your notes should include the coil count, the coil wire gauge, the dimensions plus the height, the length of the warranty, the materials used, how the sleep surface is described, and the list price compared to other mattress stores. Then you will able to compare apples to apples when comparing prices.
2. Determine Firmness. Then note the firmness based on your judgement where if falls on a scale from 1 to 10. To determine this, lie on the mattress for at least 10 minutes to make sure it feels comfortable and it properly supports your spine. Then ask the sales person where each mattress falls on a firmness scale from 1 to 10 so you can discover what firmness scale you like best.
3. Warranty Terms. Keep in mind that manufacturers warranties only cover major defects. They don't let you return because you found the mattress uncomfortable. The exception would be high priced mattresses like Tempur-Pedic which offer a 90 day in home trial period. After you find your best price, compare stores that offer free delivery, free removal of old bedding and the longest free home trial period and free re-delivery and removal of the mattress if you're not happy. Also make sure that you read the store mattress return polices carefully as stated on their respective websites. Normally, extended warranty plans sold by stores aren't worth the paper their printed on. For instance, one major retailer requires you to purchase it if you want a 45 day return period on a mattress. And you can only do it one time.
4.Watch Out For High Coil Count. A high coil count doesn't always mean higher quality. It's true that having more coils is better than having fewer coils but the coils might be made from different materials in different ways. For example, a mattress made with independent coils made from separate pieces of wire will give you a better sleep since they isolate movement better than coils made from continuous strands of wire.
So make sure you include this point when comparing mattresses. You want a high independent coil count made from separate wires.
5. Watch Out For The Pillow Top Trap. Pillow top mattresses feel great when you lay on them because they have thick soft layers of foam . The trouble is that these thick layers soon develop deep, annoying body indentations. So if you love the pillow top feel, opt for a plush top instead. These have just 2 or 3 inches of foam instead of the 4 to 6 inches of foam on a pillow top.
6. New Box Springs May Be A Waste Of Money. When you buy a new mattress, expect the salesperson to recommend a new box spring or "foundation". You might be told that it will extend the life of your mattress or it will void the mattress warranty. None of this is usually true. But if the store says that not buying a new foundation will void the mattress warranty, demand to see a copy of the manufacturers warranty before you commit to buying it. If it's just at store policy, then you should shop elsewhere.
7.High Priced Mattress Drawbacks. Memory foam mattresses do a great job conforming to the contours of the body but they also make some sleepers feel too hot. Dual zone air filled mattresses have a tendency to let humidity and perspiration build up around the the internal air bladders. So mold and mildew can spread in the bladders if not cleaned by using a liquid detergent. Also these mattresses can be opened for cleaning and ventilation but they must be completely dry before closing them up.
8. High Prices Don't Guarantee Comfort. Some people equate high prices with quality. However, a leading consumer magazine reported that 40% of mattress buyers have buyers remorse. They also discovered that a $500 Ikea mattress fared just as well satisfaction surveys as a $3,000 Tempur-Pedic.
9. Check Out The BBB. Before you even waste your time shopping a store, make sure you go to the
Better Business Bureau website and check out the store's reputation. One major furniture retailer who has the biggest national advertising budget, has an "F" rating -- the lowest for customer satisfaction. So go to www.BBB.org and check them out. Also , check out the store's reputation on www.Yelp.com. Look for at least 50 reviews to get unbiased feedback. Or do a Google search like "consumer complaints about "XYZ Mattress Store".
10.Compare Prices. When you have made a mattress choice, go back or call the store you like the most and try to negotiate additional discounts of 20%, 30% or 40% more off of the quoted price. When you negotiate the price, say this: " You know , I really like this mattress and I like your store. But I don't have $1,000 to spend on it right now. All I have in my budget is $700." ( which is 30%v off ) ."Would you consider taking $700 for the mattress if I bought it right now?" Most retailer's list prices double or triple their costs on mattresses, so you have nothing to lose by asking for a discount in this manner. If you like the mattress and the store, and they won't budge on the price, try getting them to throw in new pillows and sheets with the purchase. Also, some stores have price match guarantees so make sure you make several stores compete for your business when all the other factors like reputation and return policies are equal. Keep in mind department stores usually won't negotiate but they may honor price match guarantees if you can show that the mattress is the same despite different names. Also, some department stores may offer better options on returns and delivery if you're not happy.
11. Avoid In Store Financing. When you opt in for furniture in store financing, you may give up some of your rights to dispute any complaints. Although no money down, and no interest for 3 years is quite attractive, make sure you read the financing agreement carefully BEFORE you buy. Don't buy on impulse and take your time. Feel free to take any financing agreements, warranties and brochures home to read them carefully before your buy. Ideally, you'd be better off using a major credit card for any mattress purchase. Then if there is a problem with the product or the store, you'll have 60 days of recourse protection. All American Express cards and most platinum Mastercard and Visa cards also extend the warranty of almost any retail purchase you make and give you other protections. If you really want financing, you can always pay off your credit card balance in full with one of those credit card checks that give you 0 interest for one year. Then when the year is up, you can just pay off the balance with another 0 interest credit card check. Just make sure that the check has no balance transfer fees.
Saturday, March 30, 2013
7 Ways Managers Can Dramatically Boost Prodctivity For Themselves And Their Employees
1. Optimize Your Work Space First,know that staring at cute images like puppies on your walls can narrow your focus and make you less error prone. Second, boost your employee output by trying to keep desks away from windows since good weather is distracting. Third, crank up the heat since employees who work in warm offices make 44 % fewer errors and increase their output 150%. Around 77 degrees is optimal. Fourth, filter out distractions since constant chitchat and exposure to noise makes you less likely to persist at difficult tasks. Fifth, build a nap room. Studies show that napping anywhere from 6 to 90 minutes a day improves memory and learning ability. And last, choose power colors like red rooms to improve performance and blue room to enhance creativity.
2. Don't Reward Failure Your employees will work harder to avoid a loss than to seek a gain. So set targets, impose consequences for failure but don't set the stakes too high.
3.Don't Multitask Studies at Stamford have proven that multitasking doesn't work.So instead, dedicate a 20 minute chunk to a single task, and then switch to the next one. Also, limit the time you spend on emails since it has proven cause stress. So just check your emails a few scheduled times a day and turn off email notifications the rest of the time. Also, quick questions are often better asked face to face or by phone where they don't add to the huge amounts of emails received everyday.
4.Exercise Studies show that working out or doing aerobics improves your brain function.
5. Pay A Bigger Share Of Employees Health Insurance The University of Michigan and Harvard Medical did a study that shows for every $5 increase in health car costs incurred by employees, absences increase by one hour. The authors conclude that the higher the costs, the fewer prescriptions employees fill. So they experience more pain and miss more days of work. The bottom line is that employees with health insurance are far more productive than their uninsured peers.
6.Take Time To Get More Rest You'll find that you'll accomplish more if you give your body sufficient down time. Another Stamford study shows that when college basketball players got 10 hours of sleep a night, their shooting accuracy improved 9 percent.Also, a lack of sleep affects your ability to control your emotions. But sleep isn't the only thing you need. Recent studies by the University of Utah and Kansas have shown that spending time in nature dramatically improves high-level cognition.Activities like hiking influences and improves creativity.
7.Encourage Healthy Conflicts Healthy debates yield better work outcomes since debating makes people divergent , it reduces conformity and fosters competition. But watch out for brainstorming with the assertion that there's no such thing as a bad idea . It has proven to be lousy for productivity. Employee teams produce many more ideas when they are encouraged to challenge each other in a debate setting. Just make sure you don't put all your A players on one team. That's because top performers usually don't work well as a team. This has been proven by the NBA and Wall Street analysts.When you have too many star players on one team, it promotes status conflicts within the team. So make sure your groups are not made up of all leaders. You need some people who are prepared to defer.
2. Don't Reward Failure Your employees will work harder to avoid a loss than to seek a gain. So set targets, impose consequences for failure but don't set the stakes too high.
3.Don't Multitask Studies at Stamford have proven that multitasking doesn't work.So instead, dedicate a 20 minute chunk to a single task, and then switch to the next one. Also, limit the time you spend on emails since it has proven cause stress. So just check your emails a few scheduled times a day and turn off email notifications the rest of the time. Also, quick questions are often better asked face to face or by phone where they don't add to the huge amounts of emails received everyday.
4.Exercise Studies show that working out or doing aerobics improves your brain function.
5. Pay A Bigger Share Of Employees Health Insurance The University of Michigan and Harvard Medical did a study that shows for every $5 increase in health car costs incurred by employees, absences increase by one hour. The authors conclude that the higher the costs, the fewer prescriptions employees fill. So they experience more pain and miss more days of work. The bottom line is that employees with health insurance are far more productive than their uninsured peers.
6.Take Time To Get More Rest You'll find that you'll accomplish more if you give your body sufficient down time. Another Stamford study shows that when college basketball players got 10 hours of sleep a night, their shooting accuracy improved 9 percent.Also, a lack of sleep affects your ability to control your emotions. But sleep isn't the only thing you need. Recent studies by the University of Utah and Kansas have shown that spending time in nature dramatically improves high-level cognition.Activities like hiking influences and improves creativity.
7.Encourage Healthy Conflicts Healthy debates yield better work outcomes since debating makes people divergent , it reduces conformity and fosters competition. But watch out for brainstorming with the assertion that there's no such thing as a bad idea . It has proven to be lousy for productivity. Employee teams produce many more ideas when they are encouraged to challenge each other in a debate setting. Just make sure you don't put all your A players on one team. That's because top performers usually don't work well as a team. This has been proven by the NBA and Wall Street analysts.When you have too many star players on one team, it promotes status conflicts within the team. So make sure your groups are not made up of all leaders. You need some people who are prepared to defer.
Friday, March 15, 2013
Get Free Music, Books & Apps Seven Days A Week
Sunday: Books are available for borrowing through Kindle Owners Lending Library.
Monday: Google's Play Sore gives away a free song of the day on its music home page.
Tuesday: iTunes gives away a free single of the week.
Wednesday: Artist on the Rise page at Amazon's MP3 store allows free download songs by artists.
Thursday: Free TV shows are available at Google's Play Store.
Friday: Get a free book and app verey week on Barnes & Nobles free Friday program.
Saturday: Get incredible free apps on Amazon's free app of the day offer.
Monday: Google's Play Sore gives away a free song of the day on its music home page.
Tuesday: iTunes gives away a free single of the week.
Wednesday: Artist on the Rise page at Amazon's MP3 store allows free download songs by artists.
Thursday: Free TV shows are available at Google's Play Store.
Friday: Get a free book and app verey week on Barnes & Nobles free Friday program.
Saturday: Get incredible free apps on Amazon's free app of the day offer.
Friday, February 15, 2013
Six Ways To Avoid Big Blunders When Refinancing Your Home
1.Ignoring The Age Of Your Old Loan If you are 10 years into a 30 year mortgage when you refinance to a new 30 year loan, you will have to make 10 additional years of payments to pay it off. Unless your goal is to free up cash, you should consider getting a mortgage shorter than 30 years when you refinance. That will reduce your monthly payments without extending your loan payments.
2. Buy A Car Or Changing Jobs The loan approval process doesn't stop when your mortgage is approved. Your lender is likely to reconfirm your employment and financials in the week before your loan closes. So your lender might back away from your if he discovers you changed jobs or incurred more debt.
So don't do anything that will significantly alter your credit score until after the mortgage closes.
3. Assuming The Lowest Advertised Rate Is The Best Deal You really can't compare mortgage offers just by comparing rates. A lender could quote a low rate and and jack up the closing costs. When calling lenders, don't ask , "What's your rate?" Ask instead, "Whats your 30 year fixed rate with zero points if I lock it in for 60 days?" Phrasing the question that way compares apples to apples even if it isn't exactly the mortgage you end up choosing.
4.Allowing Rates To Float Too Long Before locking in a rate, ask the lender what your options are if you over-run your lock up period. Also ask if it's possible to initially allow the rate to float, then later lock it in a few weeks down the road.
5. Letting A Lender Charge You Hidden Points Just because a lender tells you that a mortgage has low or no points does mean it has low or no fees. Points are a type of fee charged as a percentage of the loan. some lenders instead charge steep flat fees so they can tell borrowers that their loans have low or no points without technically lying. So when a lender quotes you a loan ask if there's a "discount fee", "origination fee" or a "broker fee." These are terms lender use to hide points in the form of flat fees. Also, immediately ask for a written good faith estimate of the mortgage terms. Lenders are required to provide these within 3 days after receiving the loan application. Read it to make sure there are no steep undisclosed fees.
6. Choosing An ARM Because You Expect To Sell Before Rates Reset Always choose a fixed low rate mortgage and lock in today's rates even if you expect to move before an ARM's rate resets. ARM's or ajustable rate mortgages, are not worth the risk if there's a chance that you will still own the home after the loan rate resets.
2. Buy A Car Or Changing Jobs The loan approval process doesn't stop when your mortgage is approved. Your lender is likely to reconfirm your employment and financials in the week before your loan closes. So your lender might back away from your if he discovers you changed jobs or incurred more debt.
So don't do anything that will significantly alter your credit score until after the mortgage closes.
3. Assuming The Lowest Advertised Rate Is The Best Deal You really can't compare mortgage offers just by comparing rates. A lender could quote a low rate and and jack up the closing costs. When calling lenders, don't ask , "What's your rate?" Ask instead, "Whats your 30 year fixed rate with zero points if I lock it in for 60 days?" Phrasing the question that way compares apples to apples even if it isn't exactly the mortgage you end up choosing.
4.Allowing Rates To Float Too Long Before locking in a rate, ask the lender what your options are if you over-run your lock up period. Also ask if it's possible to initially allow the rate to float, then later lock it in a few weeks down the road.
5. Letting A Lender Charge You Hidden Points Just because a lender tells you that a mortgage has low or no points does mean it has low or no fees. Points are a type of fee charged as a percentage of the loan. some lenders instead charge steep flat fees so they can tell borrowers that their loans have low or no points without technically lying. So when a lender quotes you a loan ask if there's a "discount fee", "origination fee" or a "broker fee." These are terms lender use to hide points in the form of flat fees. Also, immediately ask for a written good faith estimate of the mortgage terms. Lenders are required to provide these within 3 days after receiving the loan application. Read it to make sure there are no steep undisclosed fees.
6. Choosing An ARM Because You Expect To Sell Before Rates Reset Always choose a fixed low rate mortgage and lock in today's rates even if you expect to move before an ARM's rate resets. ARM's or ajustable rate mortgages, are not worth the risk if there's a chance that you will still own the home after the loan rate resets.
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Six New Ways Facebook Is Stealing Your Privacy And What You Can Do About It
1. Timeline Timeline makes its easy for people to search back through your old facebook posts. That could expose private matters embarrassing photos that you've long forgotten. To hide posts you don't want to be seen, hold your cursor over the post and click the pencil con that appears in the upper right hand corner. Then click "hide from Timeline" or "Delete".
2. Facebook Apps Some facebook apps dig deep into your data even accessing info you have designated as private like your religion, political leanings and sexual preferences. So make sure you read the privacy polices carefully before signing up for an app.The free tool available at https://www.facebook.com/Privacyscore will help you evaluate the privacy policies of the apps you use.
3.Facebook "Like" Buttons Each time you click on a "like" button on a website, you alert your interests to your facebook friends and its advertising partners. And if you're a facebook user and you visit a web page that has a "like" button, facebook will record you visit to that page if you don't click "like". One way to prevent facebook from knowing where you go online is to set your web browser to block all cookies. You can also use the "In Private Browsing" mode in Internet Explorer, the "Incognito " mode in Google Chrome, and the "Private Browsing" mode in Firefox and Safari. There are also free plug ins to stop facebook from following you such as http://webgraph.com/resources/facebookblocker/
4. Social Readers If you signed up for sites like The Washington Post it will tell your facebook friends that articles you read on the site. So if you've signed up for a social reader app, then delete it. Just click the lock icon in the upper right hand corner and select"See More Settings" then choose "apps" on the left. Locate the app, click "X" and follow the directions to delete.
5. Photo & Video Tags Some tags can let others see you in unflattering and unprofessional situations. To untag yourself from unflattering photos, hold your cursor over the post and click on the pencil icon. Select "Report/Remove Tag", then follow directions to remove it. Then enable review of all future photos you're tagged in before they appear on Timeline. Click the lock icon in the upper right, the "See More Settings" and select "Timeline and Tagging". Then click "edit" next to "Review posts friends tag you in before they appear on your Timeline, " and click "Enabled" on the drop down menu.
6. Facebook Friends If several of your facebook friends list potentially risky or unhealthy activities, a potential insurer, college admissions office or employer might conclude you also enjoy such behavior. You might consider removing these people from your friends list or make your friends list private. Just click on your name in upper right hand corner, then click "Friends", the "Edit" and select "Only Me" from the drop down menu.
2. Facebook Apps Some facebook apps dig deep into your data even accessing info you have designated as private like your religion, political leanings and sexual preferences. So make sure you read the privacy polices carefully before signing up for an app.The free tool available at https://www.facebook.com/Privacyscore will help you evaluate the privacy policies of the apps you use.
3.Facebook "Like" Buttons Each time you click on a "like" button on a website, you alert your interests to your facebook friends and its advertising partners. And if you're a facebook user and you visit a web page that has a "like" button, facebook will record you visit to that page if you don't click "like". One way to prevent facebook from knowing where you go online is to set your web browser to block all cookies. You can also use the "In Private Browsing" mode in Internet Explorer, the "Incognito " mode in Google Chrome, and the "Private Browsing" mode in Firefox and Safari. There are also free plug ins to stop facebook from following you such as http://webgraph.com/resources/facebookblocker/
4. Social Readers If you signed up for sites like The Washington Post it will tell your facebook friends that articles you read on the site. So if you've signed up for a social reader app, then delete it. Just click the lock icon in the upper right hand corner and select"See More Settings" then choose "apps" on the left. Locate the app, click "X" and follow the directions to delete.
5. Photo & Video Tags Some tags can let others see you in unflattering and unprofessional situations. To untag yourself from unflattering photos, hold your cursor over the post and click on the pencil icon. Select "Report/Remove Tag", then follow directions to remove it. Then enable review of all future photos you're tagged in before they appear on Timeline. Click the lock icon in the upper right, the "See More Settings" and select "Timeline and Tagging". Then click "edit" next to "Review posts friends tag you in before they appear on your Timeline, " and click "Enabled" on the drop down menu.
6. Facebook Friends If several of your facebook friends list potentially risky or unhealthy activities, a potential insurer, college admissions office or employer might conclude you also enjoy such behavior. You might consider removing these people from your friends list or make your friends list private. Just click on your name in upper right hand corner, then click "Friends", the "Edit" and select "Only Me" from the drop down menu.
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
How Ordinary People Get Parts In Commercials, TV Shows and Movies And Make Up To $600 A Day Or More
You don't have to move to Hollywood or New York City and don't need movie star good looks. While it's true that movies and TV shows feature people in their 20's, it's a lot easier for older actors to land jobs outside of Los Angeles. Also, most professional acting jobs are parts in local commercials and corporate training films. In addition, directors want actors that look like ordinary people. As an extra, you can earn from $50 to $75 a day, and a principal role pays $600 a day or more.
Three places to find work are the websites of state and city film offices, casting directors, and talent agencies. Type in "film office" of your state or city in Google for job announcements. You can also Google the term "casting director" and t he name of your state or city to find out if they have "open calls" or auditions open to anyone interested in trying out. Plus talent agencies have print departments which help actors and models find work.A good place to find talent agencies is the website of the Screen Actors Guild. At www.Sagaftra.org click on the "Union Info" menu, then click on "Agency Relations" then choose "SAG Franchised Agents".Then at the top of the page click on"Locals" and choose your geographical area. After that, choose "Local Resources" and pick from "Casting Directors", "SAG Franchised Agents" and "AFTRA Franchised Agents". Just make sure that you take some acting lessons before you approach a talent agency. Just Google "acting lessons" with your state or city. A 4 to 6 week class should cost just $100 to $300. A class focused on camera acting for commercials and corporate training films will be useful if you want to launch a part-time acting career and you don't live near NY or LA. Know that agents won't recommend you to casting directors over their existing clients unless they are confident you know what you're doing.
Before you visit a talent agent or casting director, make sure to rehearse a shot monologue that fit your age and looks. Monologue books can be found at libraries, bookstores or online. And most of all, be persistent. The actors or actresses who find work tend to be the ones who audition as frequently as possible. They also monitor their regional film office websites on a regular basis.
Keep in mind that there is work for actors who have little training and experience. But to land better roles, you'll need some experience. The best way to get it is to take roles in local amateur theater productions.
When you audition, dress for the role you hope to land. Also, arrive 15 minutes early because the script is usually not provided to you until you arrive. A good tip is to not try and memorize the script unless it's just a few sentences.
Also, make sure you bring a resume to the audition detailing your acting experience and training. Just type the words "actor's resume"in Google to see how it should be structured. And finally, bring a professional head shot to the audition as well. A talent agent should be able to recommend an area photographer. Expect to pay $175 to $400 which usually includes the cost of a professional makeup artist. Just follow these tips and we may see you on the silver screen.
Saturday, December 29, 2012
15 Easy Ways To Spot A Liar
Here are 15 tell tale signs that someone is lying to you. If the person exhibits two or more of these signs, then there's a good chance they're lying.
1. Convincing Statements are statements that don't answer a question directly. An example would be if
you asked an employee about an overinflated expense report and they respond, "I'm an honest person" or "I would never do something like that".
2 Unusually Long Pauses Since it takes more time to think up a lie than to tell the truth, then consider a long pause to be a sign of deception considering the nature of the question.
3 Relying On God When a person uses ,God to establish their honesty, it sometimes means they're lying. Example: "As God as my witness" or "I swear on a stack of bibles".
4 Nondenial Denials When people say " I would never do such a thing" and fail to deny the specific allegation, watch out. Also look for long winded explanations when a simple yes or no would suffice.
5 Repeating The Question Liars sometimes do this to stall for time while they think up an excuse. They usually say" I'm glad you asked me that."
6. Attack Mode Another tell tale sign of lying might be when the liar questions your competence or fairness by saying, "Who are you to question me?"
7. Inconsistent Statements Liars who have trouble keeping up with their fibs might provide contradictory answers.
8. Unnecessary Detailed Answers An example would be when a sales manager is asked about quarterly sales and he states, "west coast figures are higher than expected."
9. Sudden Politeness Note when the level of politeness increases. If someone answers various questions without saying "sir" and then responds with "no sir" then that may be another indicator of lying. Example:
"Did you take the money out of the safe?" "No, sir."
10.Complaining About The Interview Liars might say, "How long is this going to take?"
11. Appearing To Not Understand A Simple Question People do this intentionally because they don't want to answer the question.
12. Referring Back To A Previous Response Liars might say, "I already told you that yesterday."
13. Adding Qualifiers When people say "frankly" or "truthfully" or "basically" may suggest the person might not be 100% truthful.
14. Nonverbal Signs People's faces and bodies can also provide hints their lying. Look for hand to face activity, nervous movements, clearing the throat or swallowing or grooming. Look for repeated rubbing or scratching of the face, licking of lips or pulling on the ears. Also, watch for movements of the hands, feet or legs in reaction to a question. Liars also sometimes dissipate anxiety by adjusting a tie, smoothing a skirt or aligning pens on a desk.
15. Ask Presumptive , Bait And What Else Questions If you want to know whether someone really went to the office party don't ask "were you there?" but instead ask, "What happened at the party last night?" A bait question might be used if items have gone missing from the office supply closet. Rather than ask each employee if they did it, just ask "Is there any reason why someone may have seen you going into the supply closet this morning?" Also, if money is missing from your wallet, say" I realize the mistake may have been mine. I never explained that you should ask first before you borrow money from me." Also, when someone admits to a misdeed or lie, keep asking "What else?" until no more details are being withheld. \
Make sue you watch and listen for the signs of deception listed above within the first five seconds of asking a question. If two or more appear, then continue monitoring for more signs to detect less than thruthful answers.
1. Convincing Statements are statements that don't answer a question directly. An example would be if
you asked an employee about an overinflated expense report and they respond, "I'm an honest person" or "I would never do something like that".
2 Unusually Long Pauses Since it takes more time to think up a lie than to tell the truth, then consider a long pause to be a sign of deception considering the nature of the question.
3 Relying On God When a person uses ,God to establish their honesty, it sometimes means they're lying. Example: "As God as my witness" or "I swear on a stack of bibles".
4 Nondenial Denials When people say " I would never do such a thing" and fail to deny the specific allegation, watch out. Also look for long winded explanations when a simple yes or no would suffice.
5 Repeating The Question Liars sometimes do this to stall for time while they think up an excuse. They usually say" I'm glad you asked me that."
6. Attack Mode Another tell tale sign of lying might be when the liar questions your competence or fairness by saying, "Who are you to question me?"
7. Inconsistent Statements Liars who have trouble keeping up with their fibs might provide contradictory answers.
8. Unnecessary Detailed Answers An example would be when a sales manager is asked about quarterly sales and he states, "west coast figures are higher than expected."
9. Sudden Politeness Note when the level of politeness increases. If someone answers various questions without saying "sir" and then responds with "no sir" then that may be another indicator of lying. Example:
"Did you take the money out of the safe?" "No, sir."
10.Complaining About The Interview Liars might say, "How long is this going to take?"
11. Appearing To Not Understand A Simple Question People do this intentionally because they don't want to answer the question.
12. Referring Back To A Previous Response Liars might say, "I already told you that yesterday."
13. Adding Qualifiers When people say "frankly" or "truthfully" or "basically" may suggest the person might not be 100% truthful.
14. Nonverbal Signs People's faces and bodies can also provide hints their lying. Look for hand to face activity, nervous movements, clearing the throat or swallowing or grooming. Look for repeated rubbing or scratching of the face, licking of lips or pulling on the ears. Also, watch for movements of the hands, feet or legs in reaction to a question. Liars also sometimes dissipate anxiety by adjusting a tie, smoothing a skirt or aligning pens on a desk.
15. Ask Presumptive , Bait And What Else Questions If you want to know whether someone really went to the office party don't ask "were you there?" but instead ask, "What happened at the party last night?" A bait question might be used if items have gone missing from the office supply closet. Rather than ask each employee if they did it, just ask "Is there any reason why someone may have seen you going into the supply closet this morning?" Also, if money is missing from your wallet, say" I realize the mistake may have been mine. I never explained that you should ask first before you borrow money from me." Also, when someone admits to a misdeed or lie, keep asking "What else?" until no more details are being withheld. \
Make sue you watch and listen for the signs of deception listed above within the first five seconds of asking a question. If two or more appear, then continue monitoring for more signs to detect less than thruthful answers.
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
How To Create The Perfect Loaf Of Artisanal Bread
Flour, water, yeast and salt are all that are needed to make a spectacular loaf of bread.
All About The Flour The artisan bread bakers’ pick for flour is known as Hard Red Winter Wheat. Hard wheat is used to mill flour that is designed for making bread. It has the protein content necessary to shape and hold together a loaf of bread, whereas soft wheat is appropriate for making cakes and pastries.
Red is the color of the wheat berry. Winter refers to the planting season of the wheat; winter wheat is planted now, in the fall. It sprouts before the frost sets in and then goes dormant during the winter months. Winter wheat comes back to life in the spring, continues to grow and is finally harvested in late spring. The harsh winters of the northern United States make it difficult to grow this type of wheat, so it is traditionally grown in the mid-U.S., where the winters are more moderate. Spring wheat has a much shorter growing season, which means it must be heavily fertilized in order to move the wheat to maturation before winter arrives.
Winter wheat is the gold standard for artisan bread bakers because of the way it is grown. Its long, slow, natural growing cycle produces a flour that has a lower protein, or gluten, content. It sounds contradictory. You would think that bread baking requires a lot of strength from the gluten. But too much strength translates into a tough, dense, overly chewy loaf of bread. While that may be great for a bagel, most breads require a lower protein content to make a light, delicate loaf. Also, winter wheat has a better flavor. As with any crop, the more natural the growing conditions, the better the flavor, and wheat is no different.
Bread bakers have accepted that buying local wheat may not be a choice for them. But think of it like buying coffee or tea. You can’t go to the farmers’ market and find locally grown coffee. You can, however, buy organic and fair trade coffee that is roasted locally. You buy the best that is available to you.
All About The Water Believe it or not, most tap water is great for bread baking. “Wouldn’t bottled water be better for bread?” The simple truth is, no, it’s not better. Once the minerals are filtered out of the water it makes it difficult to make bread. Moderately hard water is better for the yeast, as these minerals have a strengthening effect on it. Water that has been softened with a salt system can also cause problems with the yeast. Salt naturally controls the rate of fermentation in the yeast cells, and so too much salt will slow the yeast down. Not accounting for the salt that is added to softened water can have a big impact on the outcome of your bread.
All About The Yeast You’re not going to find local yeast at the farmers’ market. But you can make your own yeast with a sourdough culture. It’s easy to start and only takes a few minutes a day to maintain. Then you can leaven your bread with the yeast contained in your sourdough culture. Bread that is naturally leavened with only a sourdough culture will take longer to ferment than those made with commercial yeast. But the flavor is well worth the wait.
All About The Salt The best salt for bread is any that does not contain iodine, as yeast is slowed down by it. You can use kosher or sea salts, which don’t contain iodine and have a better flavor than table salt. You do need to pay attention to the size of the salt crystals; large ones need to be dissolved in the water from the formula before mixing.
All About The Sourdough Culture You will need to start this 10 days to two weeks before it is ready to use. Or, become friends with your local bread baker and ask for a little bit of their sourdough culture to start feeding as your own.
Day 1: By hand, combine the following, cover and leave at room temperature.
3 ounces bread flour
1 ounce whole wheat flour
4 ounces water, 85°F
Day 2: Simply stir the mixture well, cover and leave at room temperature.
Day 3: By hand, combine the following, cover and leave at room temperature.
3 ounces bread flour
1 ounce whole wheat flour
4 ounces of sourdough starter/mixture from yesterday
4 ounces water, 85°F
Day 4: By hand, combine the following, cover and leave at room temperature.
3 ounces bread flour
6 ounces sourdough starter
3 ounces water, 80°F
Day 5: By hand, combine the following, cover and leave at room temperature.
9 ounces bread flour
3 ounces sourdough starter
6 ounces water, 75°F
Days 6–11: By hand, combine the following, cover and leave at room temperature.
9 ounces bread flour
3 ounces sourdough starter
6 ounces water, 60–65°F
You may now use the sourdough culture in your bread.
To feed your sourdough culture from here, just follow the Day 6–11 feeding. It is important to feed your sourdough at the same time each and every day. If you are only going to use your sourdough culture sporadically, you will need to store it so that it can survive and be useful later.
For short-term storage—no longer than a week—you can place the sourdough starter into the refrigerator right after feeding. Then bring the sourdough out to room temperature the day before you intend to bake with it, feed it, and allow it to ferment for 18–24 hours. If you want to store it for a longer period, bakers recommend dehydrating the culture and freezing it. It’s easier than it sounds; just do the Day 6 feed but do not add the water.
You will create something that looks like crumbs. Pack this into an airtight plastic bag and freeze it. A day or two before you are going to bake, take the frozen culture out of the freezer, and add the water amount from the Day 6 feed. The water should be very warm—120°F—for this feeding only. The warm water will help bring the culture back up to room temperature. Continue to feed the culture daily or put it away until you need it again.
Once you create your sourdough culture, use it instead of instant yeast and add it to your favorite bread recipe.
All About The Flour The artisan bread bakers’ pick for flour is known as Hard Red Winter Wheat. Hard wheat is used to mill flour that is designed for making bread. It has the protein content necessary to shape and hold together a loaf of bread, whereas soft wheat is appropriate for making cakes and pastries.
Red is the color of the wheat berry. Winter refers to the planting season of the wheat; winter wheat is planted now, in the fall. It sprouts before the frost sets in and then goes dormant during the winter months. Winter wheat comes back to life in the spring, continues to grow and is finally harvested in late spring. The harsh winters of the northern United States make it difficult to grow this type of wheat, so it is traditionally grown in the mid-U.S., where the winters are more moderate. Spring wheat has a much shorter growing season, which means it must be heavily fertilized in order to move the wheat to maturation before winter arrives.
Winter wheat is the gold standard for artisan bread bakers because of the way it is grown. Its long, slow, natural growing cycle produces a flour that has a lower protein, or gluten, content. It sounds contradictory. You would think that bread baking requires a lot of strength from the gluten. But too much strength translates into a tough, dense, overly chewy loaf of bread. While that may be great for a bagel, most breads require a lower protein content to make a light, delicate loaf. Also, winter wheat has a better flavor. As with any crop, the more natural the growing conditions, the better the flavor, and wheat is no different.
Bread bakers have accepted that buying local wheat may not be a choice for them. But think of it like buying coffee or tea. You can’t go to the farmers’ market and find locally grown coffee. You can, however, buy organic and fair trade coffee that is roasted locally. You buy the best that is available to you.
All About The Water Believe it or not, most tap water is great for bread baking. “Wouldn’t bottled water be better for bread?” The simple truth is, no, it’s not better. Once the minerals are filtered out of the water it makes it difficult to make bread. Moderately hard water is better for the yeast, as these minerals have a strengthening effect on it. Water that has been softened with a salt system can also cause problems with the yeast. Salt naturally controls the rate of fermentation in the yeast cells, and so too much salt will slow the yeast down. Not accounting for the salt that is added to softened water can have a big impact on the outcome of your bread.
All About The Yeast You’re not going to find local yeast at the farmers’ market. But you can make your own yeast with a sourdough culture. It’s easy to start and only takes a few minutes a day to maintain. Then you can leaven your bread with the yeast contained in your sourdough culture. Bread that is naturally leavened with only a sourdough culture will take longer to ferment than those made with commercial yeast. But the flavor is well worth the wait.
All About The Salt The best salt for bread is any that does not contain iodine, as yeast is slowed down by it. You can use kosher or sea salts, which don’t contain iodine and have a better flavor than table salt. You do need to pay attention to the size of the salt crystals; large ones need to be dissolved in the water from the formula before mixing.
All About The Sourdough Culture You will need to start this 10 days to two weeks before it is ready to use. Or, become friends with your local bread baker and ask for a little bit of their sourdough culture to start feeding as your own.
Day 1: By hand, combine the following, cover and leave at room temperature.
3 ounces bread flour
1 ounce whole wheat flour
4 ounces water, 85°F
Day 2: Simply stir the mixture well, cover and leave at room temperature.
Day 3: By hand, combine the following, cover and leave at room temperature.
3 ounces bread flour
1 ounce whole wheat flour
4 ounces of sourdough starter/mixture from yesterday
4 ounces water, 85°F
Day 4: By hand, combine the following, cover and leave at room temperature.
3 ounces bread flour
6 ounces sourdough starter
3 ounces water, 80°F
Day 5: By hand, combine the following, cover and leave at room temperature.
9 ounces bread flour
3 ounces sourdough starter
6 ounces water, 75°F
Days 6–11: By hand, combine the following, cover and leave at room temperature.
9 ounces bread flour
3 ounces sourdough starter
6 ounces water, 60–65°F
You may now use the sourdough culture in your bread.
To feed your sourdough culture from here, just follow the Day 6–11 feeding. It is important to feed your sourdough at the same time each and every day. If you are only going to use your sourdough culture sporadically, you will need to store it so that it can survive and be useful later.
For short-term storage—no longer than a week—you can place the sourdough starter into the refrigerator right after feeding. Then bring the sourdough out to room temperature the day before you intend to bake with it, feed it, and allow it to ferment for 18–24 hours. If you want to store it for a longer period, bakers recommend dehydrating the culture and freezing it. It’s easier than it sounds; just do the Day 6 feed but do not add the water.
You will create something that looks like crumbs. Pack this into an airtight plastic bag and freeze it. A day or two before you are going to bake, take the frozen culture out of the freezer, and add the water amount from the Day 6 feed. The water should be very warm—120°F—for this feeding only. The warm water will help bring the culture back up to room temperature. Continue to feed the culture daily or put it away until you need it again.
Once you create your sourdough culture, use it instead of instant yeast and add it to your favorite bread recipe.
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Full Proof Pie Dough For Thanksgiving
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1 teaspoon table salt
2 tablespoons sugar
12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
(1 1/2 sticks)
1/2 cup chilled solid vegetable shortning
cut into 4 pieces
1/4 cup vodka ( cold )
1/4 cup cold water
Yield: One 9 inch Double Crust Pie
Process:
Mix 1 1/2 cups of flour, salt and sugar in a food processor until combined, with about 2 one second pulses. Add butter and shortening and process until the dough starts to collect in uneven clumps, or in about 15 seconds.The dough will resemble cottage cheese curds and there should be no uncoated flour. Scrape bowl with rubber spatula and redistribute the dough evenly around the processor blade. Add the remaining cup of flour and pulse until the mixture is evenly distributed around the bowl and the mass of dough has been broken up with 4 to 6 quick pulses. Empty the mixture into a medium bowl.
Then sprinkle vodka and water over the mixture . With a rubber spatula, using a folding motion to mix, press down on the dough until it is slightly tacky and sticks together. Then divide the dough into two even balls and flatten each one into a 4 inch disk. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 45 minutes or up to 2 days.
2 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1 teaspoon table salt
2 tablespoons sugar
12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
(1 1/2 sticks)
1/2 cup chilled solid vegetable shortning
cut into 4 pieces
1/4 cup vodka ( cold )
1/4 cup cold water
Yield: One 9 inch Double Crust Pie
Since water bonds with flour to form gluten, too much makes for a tough crust. And rolling out dry dough is hard, so using vodka, which is 60% water, makes for an easy to roll crust with less gluten and no added alcohol flavor since it evaporates in the oven.
Process:
Mix 1 1/2 cups of flour, salt and sugar in a food processor until combined, with about 2 one second pulses. Add butter and shortening and process until the dough starts to collect in uneven clumps, or in about 15 seconds.The dough will resemble cottage cheese curds and there should be no uncoated flour. Scrape bowl with rubber spatula and redistribute the dough evenly around the processor blade. Add the remaining cup of flour and pulse until the mixture is evenly distributed around the bowl and the mass of dough has been broken up with 4 to 6 quick pulses. Empty the mixture into a medium bowl.
Then sprinkle vodka and water over the mixture . With a rubber spatula, using a folding motion to mix, press down on the dough until it is slightly tacky and sticks together. Then divide the dough into two even balls and flatten each one into a 4 inch disk. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 45 minutes or up to 2 days.
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
17 Secrets Surgeons Pray You Never Find Out
1.Although "best doctors lists" are a good starting point, don't forget to ask hospital employees about a doc you may be sizing up. Their opinions are pretty accurate. 2. Ask you doc about his or her complication rate. If they don't have one, they're hiding something or haven't operated enough to have one. Keep in mind no one is immune to complications. 3. Make sure your surgeon is board certified at www.absurgery.org If your facing a stiff jail sentence and a jury trial, you would want to make sure that your criminal lawyer was a certified trial attorney. So don't even think about using a surgeon who is not board certified in his field.
4. Always get a second or third opinion since some surgeons won't mention procedures they don't know how to do. Also your primary doctor's referral to a surgeon may not always be the best . 5. Always ask your surgeon who is going to take care of you after surgery. You want to make sure that your surgeon or his assistants will see you on a regular basis until you have fully recovered. 6. Always have elective surgery early in the week since lots of doctors go away for the weekend and won't be around to make sure your ok. 7. Make sure you find out who your anesthesiologist will be since he is just as important as your surgeon. Check him out thoroughly. 8. Make sure your surgeon doesn't rely just on one pathologist. Ask him to send all your slides to a nationally recognized reference lab to get a second pathology opinion. 9. Always ask your surgeon what risk about the procedure worries him the most. 10. All surgeon residents have to learn how to operate one time or another, but just make sure it's not at the risk of your health. Verify that your surgeon will be actively involved in your surgery and not just checking in every hour. 11. Ask your surgeon how many of these operations has he done. The average number of surgeries a surgeon does during a residency is about 900.Also ask your doctor if the surgery is truly necessary , whether you can wait a while, and ask about non-surgical options. That's because they get paid 10 times more money to operate on you that to manage your illness conservatively. 12. If you have unanswered questions about your surgery after the operation, ask to read the operative note report dictated by the surgeon . 13 If you have pain in your calf after surgery, or if swells up and looks red, you may have a blood clot which is a risk of every surgery. 14.You should know that 25% of all operations are unnecessary. That's because private hospital administrators push doctors to do more procedures to generate more income. After all, hospitals don't run those expensive TV commercials with celebrity spokes people for their health. 15. The average income of a U.S. surgeon is $265,000. Some surgeons hire practice management consulltants to generate more revenue. They many want the doctor to build a surgery center to capture facility fees or get an in-office MRI machine. Also, some orthopedic surgeons make millions in soft consulting agreements with device manufacturers. So if you need a medical implant device, ask your doctor if he has a financial relationship with the vendor. If so, you may end up with a device that is more expensive or not the most appropriate. 16. If your doctor wants to give you a stent always ask him if it's better than medicine. If you're not having a heart attack or unstable angina, studies show that you will do equally well with a stent or medicine. Also keep in mind that having something permanently implanted in your body is not a risk free proposition. In addition, there is evidence that thousands of people have had stents implanted that they did not need. 17. If you have any kind of serious medical condition, always go to a university teaching hospital. You'll get doctors involved in the latest medicine and you'll have the advantage of having a resident or physician beside 24-7 and a surgeon will always be on call.
4. Always get a second or third opinion since some surgeons won't mention procedures they don't know how to do. Also your primary doctor's referral to a surgeon may not always be the best . 5. Always ask your surgeon who is going to take care of you after surgery. You want to make sure that your surgeon or his assistants will see you on a regular basis until you have fully recovered. 6. Always have elective surgery early in the week since lots of doctors go away for the weekend and won't be around to make sure your ok. 7. Make sure you find out who your anesthesiologist will be since he is just as important as your surgeon. Check him out thoroughly. 8. Make sure your surgeon doesn't rely just on one pathologist. Ask him to send all your slides to a nationally recognized reference lab to get a second pathology opinion. 9. Always ask your surgeon what risk about the procedure worries him the most. 10. All surgeon residents have to learn how to operate one time or another, but just make sure it's not at the risk of your health. Verify that your surgeon will be actively involved in your surgery and not just checking in every hour. 11. Ask your surgeon how many of these operations has he done. The average number of surgeries a surgeon does during a residency is about 900.Also ask your doctor if the surgery is truly necessary , whether you can wait a while, and ask about non-surgical options. That's because they get paid 10 times more money to operate on you that to manage your illness conservatively. 12. If you have unanswered questions about your surgery after the operation, ask to read the operative note report dictated by the surgeon . 13 If you have pain in your calf after surgery, or if swells up and looks red, you may have a blood clot which is a risk of every surgery. 14.You should know that 25% of all operations are unnecessary. That's because private hospital administrators push doctors to do more procedures to generate more income. After all, hospitals don't run those expensive TV commercials with celebrity spokes people for their health. 15. The average income of a U.S. surgeon is $265,000. Some surgeons hire practice management consulltants to generate more revenue. They many want the doctor to build a surgery center to capture facility fees or get an in-office MRI machine. Also, some orthopedic surgeons make millions in soft consulting agreements with device manufacturers. So if you need a medical implant device, ask your doctor if he has a financial relationship with the vendor. If so, you may end up with a device that is more expensive or not the most appropriate. 16. If your doctor wants to give you a stent always ask him if it's better than medicine. If you're not having a heart attack or unstable angina, studies show that you will do equally well with a stent or medicine. Also keep in mind that having something permanently implanted in your body is not a risk free proposition. In addition, there is evidence that thousands of people have had stents implanted that they did not need. 17. If you have any kind of serious medical condition, always go to a university teaching hospital. You'll get doctors involved in the latest medicine and you'll have the advantage of having a resident or physician beside 24-7 and a surgeon will always be on call.
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
How To Get Out Of An Arbitration Clause In A Contract
When you're handed a contract containing an arbitration clause, write "I disavow this section of the contract" next to the clause and then initial the modification. Then make a copy. There's no guarantee that the company will accept this-or that the disavow will hold up in court. But there is little harm in trying since in some cases the tactic could increase the odds that the company will be willing to agree to an out-of-court settlement rather than risk the possibility that you could force a court case.
Thursday, September 13, 2012
How The Right Real Estate Agent Can Get You Top Dollar For Your Home
Here are five steps you need to take to find the right real estate agent to sell your home at top dollar:
1. Ask for the "relocation coordinator" when you first contact real estate agencies Sellers who call agencies typically are routed to which ever agent happens to be on phone rotation that day. In contrast, relocation coordinators can be objective because they don't sell homes themselves. Their job is to help executives who are moving in the area. The "relo guy or gal" often is willing to provide an insiders opinion about which agent is most appropriate for a particular listing given the home's location and approximate value.
If you're not certain which agencies to call, lean towards those that seem to have lots of homes for sale in your neighborhood based on yard signs or listings on www.Zillow.Com or www.Trulia.com. These agencies are likely to be active and respected since they have a strong knowledge of your area. That's because real estate is extremely local, and an agency that sells lots of homes in your neck of the woods most likely understands the nuances of home values in your area.
2. Research agents before you meet with them Experienced agents should have web pages detailing their background and recent sales usually on their agencies' website. Be wary of those who don't. Also, use the website to confirm the agent has extensive experience selling homes in your price range and area. Also confirm that the agent is full time. You should not trust your home to a part-timer. Also, do a Google search on the agent's name and agency. Choose a different agent if numerous complaints from prior clients show up.
3. Interview at least 3 to 5 agents from different agencies Interviewing three or more agents will weed out those whose opinion and the listing price diverge significantly from the consensus. Weed out these agents since your home is likely to appear mispriced or flawed to these agents if they represent buyers too.Here's a prime example: If two out of 3 agents you talk to say your house should be listed at $475,000 and that the hardwood floors should be cleaned and polished. Another agent says that it should be listed at $550,000 as is. There's a good chance that this agent is misreading the market or is telling you what he or she thinks you want to hear.
4. During interviews, ask agents about their marketing strategies and pricing recommendations Agents should be able to layout fairly detailed marketing plans that may include open houses, brochures, online marketing and other strategies. The agent should be able to explain their reasoning for the plan. The explanation as to why the strategy was selected is most telling. For instance, perhaps the agent has learned from earlier sales that placing an ad in a publication that caters to seniors is a great way to find potential buyers for your home.
Stay away from agents who recommend a listing price immediately upon viewing your home. A responsible agent will take time back at the office to review recent comparable sales before citing a specific listing price.
Also, avoid an agent who solicits a price based on your desires rather then on reality.
5. Ask your agent for references And finally, ask the agent for his or hers five most recent sales. Then call at least 3 sellers to confirm that they had a positive experience with the agent.
1. Ask for the "relocation coordinator" when you first contact real estate agencies Sellers who call agencies typically are routed to which ever agent happens to be on phone rotation that day. In contrast, relocation coordinators can be objective because they don't sell homes themselves. Their job is to help executives who are moving in the area. The "relo guy or gal" often is willing to provide an insiders opinion about which agent is most appropriate for a particular listing given the home's location and approximate value.
If you're not certain which agencies to call, lean towards those that seem to have lots of homes for sale in your neighborhood based on yard signs or listings on www.Zillow.Com or www.Trulia.com. These agencies are likely to be active and respected since they have a strong knowledge of your area. That's because real estate is extremely local, and an agency that sells lots of homes in your neck of the woods most likely understands the nuances of home values in your area.
2. Research agents before you meet with them Experienced agents should have web pages detailing their background and recent sales usually on their agencies' website. Be wary of those who don't. Also, use the website to confirm the agent has extensive experience selling homes in your price range and area. Also confirm that the agent is full time. You should not trust your home to a part-timer. Also, do a Google search on the agent's name and agency. Choose a different agent if numerous complaints from prior clients show up.
3. Interview at least 3 to 5 agents from different agencies Interviewing three or more agents will weed out those whose opinion and the listing price diverge significantly from the consensus. Weed out these agents since your home is likely to appear mispriced or flawed to these agents if they represent buyers too.Here's a prime example: If two out of 3 agents you talk to say your house should be listed at $475,000 and that the hardwood floors should be cleaned and polished. Another agent says that it should be listed at $550,000 as is. There's a good chance that this agent is misreading the market or is telling you what he or she thinks you want to hear.
4. During interviews, ask agents about their marketing strategies and pricing recommendations Agents should be able to layout fairly detailed marketing plans that may include open houses, brochures, online marketing and other strategies. The agent should be able to explain their reasoning for the plan. The explanation as to why the strategy was selected is most telling. For instance, perhaps the agent has learned from earlier sales that placing an ad in a publication that caters to seniors is a great way to find potential buyers for your home.
Stay away from agents who recommend a listing price immediately upon viewing your home. A responsible agent will take time back at the office to review recent comparable sales before citing a specific listing price.
Also, avoid an agent who solicits a price based on your desires rather then on reality.
5. Ask your agent for references And finally, ask the agent for his or hers five most recent sales. Then call at least 3 sellers to confirm that they had a positive experience with the agent.
Friday, August 24, 2012
Work-At-Home Jobs That Are For Real
There are 60 work from home scams on the web for each legitimate one. And interviews for online positions are conducted via phone or Skype video calls. So if you lack experience with Skype, then practice with your friends before you interview. So here are the real deal work at home jobs:
Major employers in this field include http://join.liveops.com/ ,
https://www.alpineaccess.com/careers/corporate-careers/, http://partner.arise.com/,
http://www.amazon.com/gp/jobs/ref=j_sq_btn?jobSearchKeywords=work+at+home+&category=Customer+Service&location=US, and www.RatRaceRebellion.Com . Pay is typically $9-$12 hr.
Major employers in this field include http://join.liveops.com/ ,
https://www.alpineaccess.com/careers/corporate-careers/, http://partner.arise.com/,
http://www.amazon.com/gp/jobs/ref=j_sq_btn?jobSearchKeywords=work+at+home+&category=Customer+Service&location=US, and www.RatRaceRebellion.Com . Pay is typically $9-$12 hr.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)