Info Repository

Your guide to some of the best web sites, pages, photos, etc., out dere...

 


Click here for
on this Veterans' Day.
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PLEP

This has to be one of the most fascinating websites I've come across in a long time. Actually, it's a UK blog dedicated to discovering other fascinating sites and providing a brief description of them and their links.  Everything from tape worms to the history of Vegas showgirls to, yes, copper mining in the Keweenaw can be found here.  Check it out and bookmark it for future fun and edification.

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You don't want to get one of these critters in your gullet.


 

Whether You've Got A Car Phone...

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...or some other kind of phone...

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...here is a Consumer Update for all phone & cellphone users: 

REMINDER ...10 days from today, all cell phone numbers are being released to telemarketing companies and you will start to receive sales calls......
YOU   WILL BE CHARGED FOR THESE CALLS

To prevent this, call the following number
from your cell phone : 888-382-1222 .
It is the National DO NOT CALL list. It will only take a minute of your time.
It blocks your number for five (5) years.

You must call from the cell phone number you are wanting to have blocked

You cannot call from a different phone number.
 

OR

list up to three phone numbers to be blocked, online

 GO TO: www.donotcall.gov

  PASS THIS ON TO YOUR FRIENDS



  Got Spam?

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Watching your diet in the New Year? 

Try

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(is there really such a product as Spam Lite?)

There is nothing like a Spam picnic...

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...with plenty of Velveeta cheese and some Cheetos.  Mmmm...

     But you really have a problem if you get a lot of spam in your email.  Yes, annoying unsolicited email which fill your emailbox and wastes your time as you weed through this persistant, pesky prose.  Here are a few tips that may be very helpful in dealing with these obnoxious, ongoing occurances:

     Spam e-mails are mass mailings using the BCC, (see below), field to hide all but one address in an attempt to bypass spam filters.  Your e-mail is included, (along with many many more), but only one is displayed as a recipient.  That type of mail is the result of being on a spam list.  Once your e-mail address is on a spam list, the only way to effectively stop all the spam is to change your e-mail address. Your internet provider, (Comcast, Tds, AOL, etc), cannot filter mail being sent directly to your address, (some people actually want that mail).  Definitely do not reply to the spam messages to unsubscribe.  That just makes it worse. 

     The best way to keep your e-mail address off of spam lists is to choose something somewhat complex so random generators don't hit it, and never use it to sign up for things on the internet.  Don't use it to sign up for forum accounts or coupon deals or anything else.  If you type your e-mail address into a webpage, expect it to get sold to a spam list, even if they say they don't, unless it's a very reputable site (i.e. Microsoft).  If you absolutely must use an email address, open second email account that you can use solely for that purpose.  This will keep your personal email box spam free.

The BCC field works like this - when you send people stuff you can send it in two distinct ways:

  1. So that everyone can see everybody else's email address, and
     
  2. So that everyone can't see everybody else's email address.

When you put the email addresses in the "To" field or in the "CC" field, everyone can see everyone else's email address.  But, when you use the "BCC" field, the system hides the addresses of everyone else.

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Good Luck!

HEY!  Put down that jelly doughnut, known as a Paczki in Poland, (pronounced 'punch-key'), and get out yer rub board, in Cajun circles known as ...

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...a frattoir.

Today is your last chance to party and dance before Lent begins tomorrow - Ash Wednesday.  What are you giving up?  Chocolate?  Dessert?  It has to be something you REALLY like.

Former Maison Bleue accordian and tuba-ist, Karen Dunnam, wrote a complete primer on what should be regarded as the 'best holiday season of the year,' for The Press, in Grand Rapids, MI.  To read it, click on the pic below...

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Maison Bleue, Sept, 2006


 

Yes, Starbucks IS taking over the world.

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This is its new shop in...the Louve.  Yes, THAT Louve.  The one in Paris.  The world's most famous museum now features the world's most successful  purveyor of java.  Is this a good idea?  The nonstop line of patrons waiting to shell out their hard-earned euros for $4 (and up) cups of coffee seemed to think so.  C'est la vie....

 


 

Mardi Gras

 FINCA 

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Believe it or not, some people in this world live on less than $1 a day.  Unspeakably sad --- particularly when many folks think nothing of spending $5.85 on a nonfat, grande Dulce de Leche Latte and Frappuccino with an extra shot of expresso at Starbucks (not me, ever). Click the pic to learn about a remarkable woman for whom life is a constant struggle just to provide the basics to her family...

Check out this site -- designed to address the above problem -- if you're looking for a smart new charity to invest a few dollars in:

FINCA 

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Click here:  The most hated name in history almost never was

 


Are you a gullible sucker?  Or just gullible?

 Click here to find out for yourself... Urban Legends



 

 

 

 

 

 


 

You may scoff at the thought of integrating lowly vinegar into your life (except as part of your salad dressing), but cynics beware -- you're missing out on a whole new world of possibilities if you don't snap out of it (just ask Mary Ella!)...

 

Put Vinegar to Work For YOU:

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Kill bacteria in meats.

Marinating meat in vinegar kills bacteria and tenderizes the meat. Use one-quarter cup vinegar for a two to three pound roast, marinate overnight, then cook without draining or rinsing the meat. Add herbs to the vinegar when marinating as desired.


Dissolve warts.

Mix one part Apple Cider Vinger to one part glycerin into a lotion and apply daily to warts until they dissolve.

 

Remove stubborn stains from furniture upholstery and clothes.

Apply vinegar directly to the stain, then wash as directed by the manufacturer's instructions.

 

 

Relieve arthritis.

Before each meal, drink a glass of water containing two teaspoons vinegar. Give this folk remedy at least three weeks to start working.

 

Kill unwanted grass.

Pour vinegar in crevices and between bricks.


Remove corns.

Make a poultice of one crumbled piece of bread soaked in one-quarter cup vinegar. Let poultice sit for one-half hour, then apply to the corn and tape in place overnight. If corn does not peel off by morning, reapply the poultice for several consecutive nights.

 

Clean the hoses and unclog soap scum from a washing machine.

Once a month pour one cup of vinegar into the washing machine and run the machine through a normal cycle, without clothes.

 

Cure an upset stomach.

Drink two teaspoons Apple Cider Vinegar in one cup water to soothe an upset stomach.

 

Kill germs on bathroom fixtures.

Use one part vinegar to one part water in a spray bottle. Spray the bathroom fixtures and floor, then wipe clean.

 

Clean soap scum, mildew, and grime from bathtub, tile, and shower curtains.

Simply wipe the surface with vinegar and rinse with water.

 

Deodorize the air.

Vinegar is a natural air freshener when sprayed in a room.

 

Relieve itching.

Use a cotton ball to dab mosquito and other bug bites with vinegar straight from the bottle.

 

Clean lime deposits and calcium sludge from an automatic drip coffee maker.

Once a month fill the reservoir with vinegar and run through the brew cycle. Rinse thoroughly with two cycles of cold water.

 

Relieve a sore throat.

Put two teaspoons of vinegar in your humidifier.

 

Soothe sunburn pain.

Apply undiluted vinegar to the burn.

 

Clean food-stained pots and pans.

Fill the pots and pans with White Vinegar and let stand for thirty minutes. Then rinse in hot, soapy water.

 

Clean rust from tools, bolts, and spigots.

Soak the rusted tool, bolt, or spigot in undiluted White Vinegar overnight.

 

Turn a chicken bone into rubber.

Soak a chicken bone in a glass of vinegar for three days. It will bend like rubber.

 

Prevent bright colored clothes from fading.

Before putting the article in the washing machine, soak it in Heinz White Vinegar for ten minutes.

 

Keep a garbage disposal clean and smelling fresh.

Mix one cup of Heinz Vinegar in enough water to fill an ice cube tray, freeze the mixture, grind the cubes through the disposal, and flush with cold water.

 

Clean a toilet bowl.

Pour in one cup of Heinz White Vinegar, let it stand for five minutes, and flush.

 

Prevent yeast infections.

Douche with one tablespoon Heinz White Vinegar to one quart warm water to adjust the pH balance in the vagina.

 

Clean dentures.

Soak dentures overnight in Heinz White Vinegar, then brush away tartar with a toothbrush.

 

Remove perspiration stains from clothes.

Apply one part Heinz White Vinegar to four parts water, then rinse.

 

Deodorize a room filled with cigarette smoke or paint fumes.

Place a small bowl of Heinz White Vinegar in the room.

 

Cure the hiccups.

Mix one teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar in one cup of warm water, and drink.

 

Eliminate odors from used jars.

Rinse peanut butter and mayonnaise jars with White Vinegar.

 

Condition dry hair.

Shampoo, then rinse hair with a mixture of one cup Apple Cider Vinegar and two cups water. Vinegar adds highlights to brunette hair, restores the acid mantel, and removes soap film and sebum oil.

 

Clean mineral deposits from a steam iron.

Fill the water tank with White Vinegar. Turn the iron to the steam setting and steam-iron a soft utility rag to clean the steam ports. Repeat the process with water, then thoroughly rinse out the inside of your iron.

 

Repel ants.

Use a spray bottle or mister filled with a solution of equal parts Vinegar and water around door jambs, window sills, water pipes, and foundation cracks.

 

Keep drains open.

Pour one-half box of old baking soda down the drain followed by one cup White Vinegar. When the bubbling stops, run the hot water.

 

Remove decals or bumper stickers.

Soak a cloth in Vinegar and cover the decal or bumper sticker for several minutes until the vinegar soaks in. The decals and bumper stickers should peel off easily.

 

Deodorize a wool sweater.

Wash sweater, then rinse in equal parts Vinegar and water to remove odor.

 

Prevent lint from clinging to clothes.

Add one cup Vinegar to each wash load.

 

Prevent ice from forming on a car windshield overnight.

Coat the window with a solution of three parts White or Apple Cider Vinegar to one part water.

 

Prolong the life of flowers in a vase.

Add two tablespoons of White Vinegar plus three tablespoons of sugar per quart of warm water. Stems should be in three to four inches of water.

 

Prevent cracked hard-boiled eggs.

Add two tablespoons of White Vinegar per quart of water before boiling to prevent the eggs from cracking. The egg shells will also peel off faster and easier.

 

Clean windows.

Use undiluted Vinegar in a spray bottle. Dry with a soft cloth.

 

Eliminate unpleasant cooking odors in the kitchen.

Boil one tablespoon of White Vinegar with one cup of water.

 

Remove wallpaper.

Mix equal parts Vinegar and hot water. Use a paint roller to wet the paper thoroughly with the mixture. Repeat. Paper should peal off in sheets.

 

Eliminate animal urine stains from carpet.

Blot up urine, flush several times with lukewarm water, then apply a mixture of equal parts Heinz White Vinegar and cool water. Blot up, rinse, and let dry.

 

Relieve a cold.

Mix one-quarter cup Apple Cider Vinegar with one-quarter cup honey. Take one tablespoon six to eight times daily.

 

Deodorize a stale lunch box.

Soak a paper napkin in Vinegar and leave it inside the closed lunch box overnight.

 

Prevent soapy film on glassware.

Place a cup of White Vinegar on the bottom rack of your dishwasher, run for five minutes, then run though the full cycle. A cup of white vinegar run through the entire cycle once a month will also reduce soap scum on the inner workings.

 

Unclog a shower head.

Unscrew the shower head, remove the rubber washer, place the head in a pot filled with equal parts Vinegar and water, bring to a boil, then simmer for five minutes.

 

Relieve a cough.

Mix one-half cup Apple Cider Vinegar, one-half cup water, one teaspoon cayenne pepper, and four teaspoons honey. Take one tablespoon when cough acts up. Take another tablespoon at bedtime.

 


 

 

-Veterans Day, 2007-

 

Today is a good day to remember a vet because as we all know...

War is Hell.

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The late, great Otto von Bismarck of Prussia

 

 

Time for a coffee break...

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We all love our Starbuck's (at least, those of us who don't detest that retail phenomenon for being omnipresent and charging outlandish prices), but there ARE alternatives out there.  Here's one, if you're into Fair Trade, organic coffee (and, perhaps, you should be):

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Click here: Dean's Beans

 

 

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Aquafina to Clarify Water's Source

By Martinne Geller, Reuters

 NEW YORK (July 27) -- PepsiCo Inc. will spell out that its Aquafina bottled water is made with tap water, a concession to the growing environmental and political opposition to the bottled water industry.

 

Buyer Beware?

Aquafina maker Pepsi says that the leading bottled water brand comes from the same source as tap water. Soon labels will include the words "Public Water Source" instead of "P.W.S."  According to Corporate Accountability International, a U.S. watchdog group, the world's No. 2 beverage company will include the words "Public Water Source" on Aquafina labels. "If this helps clarify the fact that the water originates from public sources, then it's a reasonable thing to do," said Michelle Naughton, a Pepsi-Cola North America spokeswoman.



 

 

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A fun browse:  the 1971 Sears Catalog

from retro styles...

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...to furniture we wish we had now...

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...to tons of other classics, it's worth a peek.

 

 


 

Alarming trend.

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An alarming trend is developing among men throughout the U.S., already beset by other alarming trends (i.e., earrings, tattoos, man purses).  Read about it here...

Hair Be Gone
 
If you want to get rid of body hair altogether, removing unsightly follicles has never been easier, thanks to waxing.  You can exhale now. Because chances are, your coworker, neighbor or best friend are already on to this tidying tactic.
 
"Men's waxing is a huge business and growing at astounding rates," says Loretta Wilson, owner of Just For You salon in Tempe, Ariz., which specializes in men's waxing. Wilson says she waxes 20 to 30 men per week; that number has grown steadily over the past eight years, when she first began offering the services to guys. Last year, she saw an increase of about 25% compared with the previous year. "These days, guys are starting in high school." 
 
Wax is most used at those hard-to-reach areas, including shoulders and even the brief line -- if you're the Speedo type, that is. If you opt for wax, prepare to return for a touch-up every four to six weeks.  (excerpted from Forbes.com)
 
Please...say it ain't so, Joe.   WOM