April 14, 2009 / Labels: Home Improvement
Installing Solar Home Energy
Why is the solar home energy said to be environment-friendly? What are its general benefits? Practically speaking, when solar home energy is used, the electrical bills tremendously go down as compared to the other type of home energy available for all people. Why would you pay for such expensive bills when all you need to do is to employ solar home energy?
Another major advantage of the solar home energy is the absence of the very complicated and dangerous wiring. Solar energy lights in the garden path or any other solar energy-powered items used in your home are ready to be installed less the wiring to be dealt with. In reality, these solar light bulbs are equipped with darkness sensors so they need not be turned on to give off light and they need not be turned off as well when they are no longer needed.
As a sort of simple explanation, the solar light bulbs will simply have to be purchased, taken out of the boxes, installed, and then presto! You just have to situate them where you want them to be and never worry about them ever again.
A List of the Benefits of Solar home Energy
Why is the solar home energy equally beneficial? Why is it more recommended for use? Here are some of its benefits which are truly worth the attention to be graced by anyone:
Solar home energy is environmentally friendly. As mentioned a while ago, solar home energy will not harm the environmental features. It is specifically clean and renewable as well. More so, it does not cause pollution just like what the rest of the traditional electrical forms do.
Solar home energy systems need the least maintenance. They are not fuel-powered so no need to buy the refills.
Solar home energy makes you save a lot of money. The energy that is derived from the sun can be accessed for free as you make use of solar lights, solar panels, and the likes. The federal government most of the time gives out financial incentives. You don't get affected by the rise of the fuel rates since you are using solar home energy.
Making use of the solar home energy makes you entirely independent from the foreign and centralized energy sources. Power outages will not likely affect you in any manner.
Most of the solar energy items are very easy to install thus lessening the complicated work of the wiring systems.
Some Common Disadvantages of the Solar Home Energy
Of course the disadvantages will not be taken aside. Here are some of the most common disadvantages of the solar home energy:
The employment of a solar home energy can be expensive at first. But as time passes by, it becomes light to the pocket.
The strength of the solar home energy will relatively depend on the location of your home in relation with its facing to the sun. Also, the area of your home is another point to consider. You will need large areas to install the solar panels.
The Various Solar Energy Items
There are lots of solar energy devices that you may opt to buy. Included are the solar flashlights, solar heaters, car ventilators, solar video cameras, solar radios, solar pool purifier, solar mosquito inhibitor, solar lighting, and solar fountain pumps.
What You Must Do
Back in the earlier years, solar energy powered devices were very costly that very few homeowners made use of the solar home energy. But these days, small volumes of solar energy devices are put up for sale therefore making it affordable for all. If you don't have enough money to fund these items you can always start small.
Learn about how to cook beets and beets nutrition at the Fruits And Vegetables site.
April 12, 2009 / Labels: Beauty
Author: Rolf Joho
Anti Aging Tips
If you want to look lively in later stages of your life, it is important to start working towards it when you are young. There are few anti aging tips and secrets that can be quite helpful in dealing with aging signs and symptoms.
The standard advice is to eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables, and three servings of whole grains every day. These are full of minerals, vitamins and many other micronutrients required by the body. It is also essential to drink at least eight glasses of water every day.
Another anti aging technique is to build strength and endurance with regular exercise. For anyone who wants to slow down the aging process, aerobics exercise can be very helpful. Daily exercise help restore muscle strength, stamina, bone density and balance, that decrease with age. Use eight to ten exercises, with 10-15 repetitions, twice or thrice a week.
Antioxidants can be quite effective as anti aging products, as they neutralize the free radicals. It is important to take the combination of antioxidants through balanced diet and supplements. Eating dark-colored vegetables such as carrots, tomatoes, spinach and squash for carotenoids, and purple and blue berries for flavonoids can be quite beneficial.
Most of the people are not vigilant enough when going out in the sun, and this results in fine lines, brown spots and wrinkles by the time they reach forty. Renova is the FDA approved prescription anti aging cream that reduces the wrinkles and fine lines, and also fades brown spots. It has vitamin A derivates that exfoliate the skin, and increase the collagen production. The cream is also effective during early signs of skin cancer and sun damage.
Loss of libido, energy and stamina are the most common symptoms of again, driving people to the anti aging doctors. With age, the hormone levels decline, and hormone replacement therapy can be quite effective.
For preserving the vitality, human growth hormone is considered the ultimate anti aging therapy. But, this therapy is still controversial, and quite expensive. It is also known to reduce the body fat, and increase muscle tone.
Few useful anti aging tips include avoiding sun, avoiding smoking and alcohol, getting rid of stress, and avoiding as many chemicals as possible from the foods we eat everyday. Toxins can lead to aging and stress, and detox process can help eliminate toxins from the body, making you feel younger and healthier.
About the author:
/ Labels: Travel
By Nick Page
Although popularly considered as a single cuisine, Thai food is actually better depicted as four regional cuisines relating to the four main regions of the country: Northern, North-eastern, Central and Southern. For instance Southern curries have a tendency to contain coconut milk and fresh turmeric, while north-eastern dishes often incorporate fresh lime juice. Thai cuisine has been influenced by Chinese stir fry and Indian curries while maintaining a unique taste of its own. Like Vietnamese food, Thai food is known for its enthusiastic use of fresh (rather than dried) herbs and spices as well as fish sauce.
A few tips when dining with Thais include...
Don't wait for all of the food to be served before you start, Thai meals are leisurely affairs and the food just keeps on coming.
Don't use your fork to put food in your mouth, use it to push your food onto your spoon.
Never order one dish that you aim to eat by yourself Thai meals are always communal, allow other to tuck in.
Pay the bill if it comes to you; in Thai society the person who is apparently the richest pays. As a foreigner nine times out of ten this will be you! It is not common to "split the bill".
But by the same token don't try to donate if someone else is paying the bill, it takes away from their status and is considered a "loss of face".
Never leave your chopsticks in the bowl, it denotes death and is very bad luck!
If you are travelling to Thailand and have read this and decided it might be easier not to bother to join a group of Thai people for dinner, please do, you will find Thai people to be kind hearted and generous. Explain that you are unfamiliar with their culture and they will not take offense at any faux par.....in fact if you explain the situation they will most likely ignore or make a joke of any mistake and no offence will be taken!
Nick Page is the Managing Director of Oasis Travel http://www.oasistravel.com.au, a specialist boutique tailor-made travel company that has organised many trips to Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Malaysia. Oasis Travel organise bespoke travel itineraries to Southeast Asia that reflect client interests and the local heritage and culture of the featured destinations. This in depth knowledge coupled with a handpicked selection of modern chic, historic, boutique and eco-friendly accommodation make Oasis Travel one of the leaders in their field.
April 10, 2009 / Labels: Food and Drink
* 5 pounds of chicken
* 2 tablespoons of seasoned salt
Preheat Oven to 400 Degrees.
Remove chicken from wrapper.
Remove packet of giblets from inside the chicken cavity.
Dry chicken with paper towels.
Season outside and inside with 2 Tablespoons of seasoned salt.
Place on rack in roasting pan.
Bake until juices run clear.
5-6 lbs chicken - cook 1 ¾ hours
6-8 lbs chicken - cook 2-2 ½ hours
Adapted from: Perdue
/ Labels: Food and Drink
* 1/3 cup of all purpose flour
* 2 teaspoons of seasoning salt
* 1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano
* 2 tablespoons of lemon pepper
* 16 sea scallops - rinsed and drained
* 4 tablespoons of olive oil
* 4 tablespoons of fresh parsley
* 4 teaspoons of lemon juice
Put into a clean plastic bag; flour, salt, oregano, and lemon pepper.
Add scallops to the flour mixture and toss until lightly coated on all sides.
Remove the scallops from the bag and put them onto a plate.
Heat 2 Tablespoons of the olive oil in a frying pan over high heat.
Using a pair of tongs, shake off excess flour before adding the scallops to the pan.
Add half of the scallops to the pan and sear on both sides (about 2 minutes for each side). Remove scallops from pan and place on a plate.
Repeat cooking process with remaining scallops.
Toss with parsley and lemon juice.
Adapted from: No Reservations
/ Labels: Food and Drink
* 1 tablespoon of olive oil
* 4 cloves of garlic - minced
* 1/3 cup of dry white wine
* 1/3 cup of clam juice
* 1/4 teaspoon of salt
* 1/8 teaspoon of pepper
* 2 pounds of extra-large shrimp - peeled
* 4 tablespoons of cold unsalted butter
* 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
* 2 tablespoons of fresh parsley - chopped
Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering.
Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Add wine, clam juice, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and 1/8 teaspoon of pepper; bring to a boil.
Add Shrimp, cover and cook until shrimp are slightly translucent, about 2 minutes.
Reduce heat to medium, stir, cover and cook until shrimp are just cooked through, about 2 minutes.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer shrimp to medium bowl.
Bring sauce to boil over medium-high heat and cook until reduced by half, about 1 minute.
Whisk butter, 1 Tablespoon at a time, into sauce; stir in lemon juice and parsley.
Season to taste and pour mixture over shrimp in serving bowl.
Serve with lemon wedges.
Adapted From: Cook’s Country
/ Labels: Food and Drink
This kind of foods includes garlic, onions, shallots and leeks. Garlic is well known for lowering cholesterol. Allium vegetables assist to protect the body from the chance of cancer and many other illnesses. They also assist lower blood pressure and prevent blood clotting. Eating this energy rich vegetables in their state of nature, especially garlic boosts their health advantage.
Peppers are colorful. They include antioxidants like Vitamin C and beta-carotene. Peppers grade from mild and sweet to be so hot you. I'm calling the fire department. All peppers contain a material called capsaicin. Capsaicin has the properties of an anti-inflammatory, a pain reliever, lowers cancer chance and heart disease. They're fine in salads, salsa and all kinds of foods.3. Açai
This berry has been in the news recently. It's rich in antioxidants and raises energy. You are able to get more done and look better while doing it. You can get Açai juice and supplements in your health food shop.4. Beans
If they give you gas, be careful before you eat them. Soak them first can help. Beans of all kinds (navy, kidney, Northem, lentils, chickpeas) are rich in protein. It contains very little fat, carbs and calories because this is plat protein. If fiber is a matter in your diet, eating a healthy portion of beans each day can keep your digestive system healthy.5. Nuts and seeds
Although nuts are rich in fat, those fats are the good. Peanuts, almonds, Brazil nuts, walnuts and pistachios all provide of good fats and protein. Crush them into a fine powder and use as a coating instead of higher carb bread crumbs. Nuts improve to lower cholesterol. Eat them right out of the shell with no additives.6. Oatmeal
Oatmeal is coming into popularity as a food that lowers blood cholesterol. You can make it yourself with rolled oats or eat the instant kind if you are in a hurry. Oatmeal is a filling grain that also provides much needed fiber to keep hunger at bay and your blood sugar constant.7. Salmon
Wild salmon is a fatty fish, but it contains good fats that have been proven to improve health in children and adults. It is rich in omega-3 fatty acids reduces the chances of heart disease and other conditions like atherosclerosis. It is also rich in protein which is of great use after an exercise session to build muscle tissue.8. Fruits
Fruits are filled with antioxidants such as Vitamin C and A. Berries such as blueberries and grapes have the highest amount of antioxidants. Antioxidants help to fight free radical damage in the body and reduce the chance of cancer. Moreover, the antioxidants in fruit raise the immune system to fight the effects of aging in the body. Choose a range of fruits in a wide variety of colors for maximum health.9. Yogurt
The fat free variety is good for you. If you don't want to drink milk, yogurt is an alternative to get your calcium in order to build strong bones and teeth. It is because Yogurt contains calcium, Vitamin B, and protein. Live yogurt also contains friendly bacteria to help improve a healthy digestive system.10. Flax seed
You get a lot of power to fight high cholesterol, heart disease and diabetes with this seed. In fact, like salmon it contains omega-3 fatty acids. These seeds also contain omega-6 and omega-9 fatty acids. You get a lot of power to fight high cholesterol, heart disease and diabetes with this seed. Ground flax seed can be added to fruit smoothies, sprinkled in yogurt, consumed with cereal or added to pancake mix to name a few.
April 07, 2009 / Labels: Food and Drink
- It is a powerful anti-oxidant that performs two effects. First it restrains the growth of cancer cells and second, it kills cancer cells without harming any healthy tissue. It also lowers your cholesterol by inhibiting the abnormal formation of blood clots which causes someone to have either a heart attack or stroke.
- It can be controlling your blood sugar, preventing certain cancers, fighting plaque, decrease your cholesterol and delaying down the aging process.
- It can fight tooth decay because it restrains the major bacteria called Streptococcus mutans from forming in between the teeth. At the same time, drinking this usually also helps prevent gum disease.
What makes green tea so special is the fact that it is rich in catechin polyphenols, particularly epigallocatechin gallate also known as EGCG.
Some people might ask if other types of tea don't have the same benefits as green tea. They do but what makes green tea special is how it is treated. The other products are not steamed so the EGCG compound which was explained earlier is not oxidized.
You might also ask when is the best time to drink green tea. Since it contains caffeine, you should only drink it in the morning and at different times during the day. You must never drink caffeine when you are hungry because it will just increase your appetite. You also don't drink it at night because it will make it hard for you to sleep well.
People who are sensitive to caffeine should not drink green tea. If you are pregnant, drink this in moderation. If you happen to have some left over green tea from the day before, throw it away and just make a new one because it is best to drink when it is fresh from the kettle.
Green tea just like coffee contains caffeine. This might lead you to the conclusion that this makes green tea just as bad as coffee but in fact, it isn't because the caffeine content in green tea is 50% less than coffee.
Since it will take some time to finish a box of green tea, correct storage is important. To do that, make sure this is kept in an sealed container once you open it and away from light. You can also put it in the refrigerator at a temperature between 38 to 45 degrees Fahrenheit.
Doubtless a health drink like green tea can do a lot for you. If you have never tried it before, it is never too late to start to boil a cut of water and putting in a tea bag. You can drink it separately or serve this with a few biscuits.
Now, what are you waiting for? Go down to the supermarket and buy a box of green tea and starting drinking it so you can experience its many healthy benefits. If the taste is bland after you pour it into your cup, add some flavoring by adding sugar, honey or even a lemon wedge.
By Eason Stewart
/ Labels: Arts
If you are overeager to get your tattoos, you go to a tattoo shop to choose one design from many options. Although a tattoo may take you only a few hours to finish, what seems like a cool design at this moment may turn into a deep regret later. It is very important that you must invest an abundance of thoughts and research before getting one.
Firstly, you need to know something about your target tattoos. For example, Gemini tattoos are what you want. Do you know about Gemini in detail? It will help you to choose the most suitable one. Gemini are well known as "natural dual", many designs are based on twins. Human twins are one of the most common designs. However, do you know animals are also representing Gemini twins? Wolves are known as representations of Romulus and Remus (the twin mythological founders of Rome). Nowadays, the twin objects can be any pairs and your choice should be wider than your expectation.
Secondly, you should know a common problem with tattoos is dissatisfaction so that you may avoid to make the wrong decision. In the future, you may think your tattoo no longer fits your current style or that the design has become dated. You want to find out the method to remove it. Unfortunately, tattoos may be permanent. It is difficult to remove the tattoos completely with the method of laser surgery, dermabrasion or surgical removal today. Please really to make your decision before you go ahead.
Finally, you should search for a number of different designs to create your idea. Tattoo shop is not the best place to have top design tattoos, but it is recommended to find out thousand of different designs in classified categories on the web. It is the most effective way to do so. Some websites can provide all their designs free of charge. However, you can find all are very common only. Therefore, you need to find the professional websites to join their membership.
By Eason Stewart
April 06, 2009 / Labels: Food and Drink
At first, you should not be panic. It is common sense that you are human only to run a household. If you cannot find quick stuffs with what you have left on your refrigerator, maybe you can come up with something from what is available. This is a not ready situation. No one is expecting you to come up with masterpieces and meals suited for the royalties.
As you have a short time, you can settle at your PC and try researching about quick and easy recipes. While you are on it, try to think the materials that you already have. You can start your research with what you've got. The idea here is to come up with something that your guests wouldn't know you had a hard time doing. You have to do the recipes in easy steps.
Forget the oven and other tools that may take quite a lot of time to prepare. You only need to collect as many simple recipes as you can and all recipes can give you with easy mixes and simple instructions. Once you have the recipes, you can collect your materials to help you select which ones you're going to make. Choose the available recipes and print them out.
Think about your guests. Adults may like some salads with some bread or cookies that you have on your storage. You must try to make your salad taste good even though you don't have all ingredients in the recipe. Now you can put those experimenting skills to a test. You can include the ingredients that you already have on your salad. You just have to make sure that everything will mix well and will taste great.
If you have kids coming in, you must also work on some easy desserts to be served. You must check your own children's stored goods to see if you can come up with easy recipes using some of their stuffs. If you have to prepare meals, you can arrange for easy fried chicken that most kids love to eat. This will also be enjoyed by your adult guests.
Now that you have done the best things that you can, given the short period to be able to prepare, you can surprise your guests through the presentation. Make your simple recipes appear elegant by placing them on serving plates with trimmings. This way, no one will notice that you rushed the process. They will enjoy what you have for them. This way, you can all enjoy the time you will spend together.
You don't need to cook well to satisfy your guests with the food that you serve them. All you need is dozens of creativity and decision to come up with the right material even at times when there is really not enough time. After going through such or you will face such phase, you must learn from it and organize your quick and easy recipes that you can use them to meet your urgent need.
By Eason Stewart