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...And Still More Hot Tips from April May
Great! A way to get rid of
the fruit flies on the plants!
When potted plants come indoors, they may bring unwanted visitors —
those irritating little flies that nest in the soil the plants grow in!
The solution? Soak a generous pinch of tobacco in a gallon of water
overnight. Strain off the tobacco and use the resulting liquid to water
every plant in the house. Within two days — presto! No more
little flies. (Don't let anyone drink the infusion, of course, and
promptly pour out any leftovers. The stuff kills the flies because it's
toxic.)
Snack tips for
dieters: Two tablespoons of peanut butter have 190 calories, 80% of
which is fat. Two filled cholcolate cookies have 106 calories, of which
37% is due to fat. When it comes to salty snacks, just one ounce of
potato chips contains 166 calories and 66% fat. An ounce of pretzels
has fewer 100 calories, and only 7% fat. Popcorn is a puzzler, because
it varies so much: three cups of microwave popcorn contain 145 calories,
45% of which come from fat . . . but the same amount of regular,
unbuttered popcorn has only 68 calories and a tiny 9% of fat. (Three
cups is a lot of popcorn, too!)
If you're considering
having your hair analyzed in order to check your health or nutrition
level, you should know that the California Dept. of Health, the State
University of New York, and the federal Center for Disease Control got
together last winter and looked into that process — and now they're
taking a long look at its practitioners. They sent identical hair
samples to 6 major laboratories, and can you guess the results? Yes,
each lab came up with a vastly different analysis of those identical
samples. Hmmmmm. (The AMA Journal suggests that hair analysis is
reliable only when testing for arsenic poisoning.)
Some people lose track
of their money can you believe that? Well, it's true, says Jane
Bryant Quinn. People move and forget to give their new address to the
banks and brokerage houses that hold their property. They know where
their money is, but the bank doesn't know where they are. When
statements are returned, financial entities eventually mark the accounts
"unclaimed," and bye-bye account. Sometimes people leave a job (even
leave town) without claiming that last paycheck, pension funds, refunds
for phone and electric company deposits. And there are unused gift
certificates, abandoned safe deposit boxes. Maybe your Great Uncle
Wilberforce had a life insurance policy that named you as beneficiary.
How would you know? He never mentioned it, and he died a couple of
years ago. Take heart. Unless you live in New Hampshire, which
confiscates most assets after 5 years, there's usually no statute of
limitations on claiming the money that's yours. So exercise your
memory. A little extra cash is always handy!
Say thank you for the
baby gift.” But if you’re really grateful, you can also warm the
giver’s heart by including a snapshot of the baby wearing, using, or
playing with the gift, whichever is appropriate.
Do you have a leak?
Articles in the Washington Post and in Popular
Science indicate that many household appliances constantly leak
electricity. Culprits include the VCR, the cable box, answering
machines, clock radios, cordless phones, garage door openers, microwave
ovens, VCRs, home security systems, your electric range! Most leaks
cost only a few pennies a month, but over time the cost (and the waste)
adds up, so it's smart to pick energy efficient products.
The maintenance you do
today keeps the repair persons away. To keep the fridge and freezer
fit, dust the air grill (usually at the bottom of the unit) every month
and vacuum away any lint and other particles. And then clean the gasket
that seals in the cold air. Vacuum the back of the unit three or four
times a year to improve air flow. Want to see how the seal is working?
After dark, put a lighted flashlight in the fridge and close the door.
Then turn off all the lights. If you can see light around the edge of
the seal, you’re leaking cool air!
New research suggests
that computer workers will suffer less fatigue and strain if the
keyboard tilts away from the typist. A 12-degree negative tilt is
optimum, according to the ergonomics department at Cornell University.
Lowering the keyboard can reduce shoulder strain.
Oops, dermatologists are
casting doubt on whether sunscreen offers complete skin protection.
Fair-skinned people should be especially careful to avoid spending too
much time in the sun. Even so, Roger Ceilley, the president of the
American Academy of Dermatology, says sunscreen is still an important
part of sun safety. And he adds, "I wear it every day, year round, and
I suggest my patients do the same thing."
When buying a new car
battery, choose one that's been on the shelf less than six months,
because idle batteries deteriorate over time. Unfortunately the dates
are in code and are located in a variety of places — stamped on the
case, on the wrapping or carton, or on a sticker on the battery itself.
A common code uses a letter to identify the month when the battery was
produced ("A" for January, "B" for February, etc.). K-9 would stand for
November '99, for
example.
OK, OK,
that's really, really, absolutely all, folks!
A.M.
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