by Rupe | Sep 22, 2010 | Mad Musings
Credit: https://frugaldad.com/2010/09/21/uses-for-vinegar/
Thanks to the acidity in vinegar, it has more uses than you might imagine. For years frugal folks have found numerous ways to save money using it. From health benefits to use as an environmentally-friendly cleaning product, vinegar is a versatile substance that every household should have on-hand.
Here’s a look at ten uses for vinegar that you’ve probably never thought of before.
1. Control Your Cholesterol
In May 2006, a study by Japanese researchers published in The British Journal of Nutrition showed that lab rats fed with acetic acid, which is the primary ingredient in vinegar, had much lower harmful cholesterol than the control group. Additionally, the rats eating the acetic acid also had lower blood pressure and other health benefits. Although the same study hasn’t been performed yet with humans, the results seem to indicate that regular intake of vinegar, whether in salad dressings or other means, is a great natural way to lower cholesterol and other risk factors in heart disease.
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by Rupe | Sep 2, 2010 | Not So Recent Reads
Title: Long for This World: The Strange Science of Immortality by Jonathan Weiner
Publisher’s Summary
From the Pulitzer Prize-winning science writer Jonathan Weiner comes a fast-paced and astonishing scientific adventure story: has the long-sought secret of eternal youth at last been found?
In recent years, the dream of eternal youth has started to look like more than just a dream. In the 20th century alone, life expectancy increased by more than 30 years—almost as much time as humans have gained in the whole span of human existence. Today a motley array of scientists, researchers, and entrepreneurs believe that another, bigger leap is at hand—that human immortality is not only possible, but attainable in our own time. Is there genius or folly in the dreams of these charismatic but eccentric thinkers?
In Long for This World, Jonathan Weiner, a natural storyteller and an intrepid reporter with a gift for making cutting-edge science understandable, takes the listener on a whirlwind intellectual quest to find out. From Berkeley to the Bronx, from Cambridge University to Dante’s tomb in Ravenna, Weiner meets the leading intellectuals in the field and delves into the mind-blowing science behind the latest research. He traces the centuries-old, fascinating history of the quest for longevity in art, science, and literature, from Gilgamesh to Shakespeare, Doctor Faustus to “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”.
He also tells the dramatic story of how aging could be conquered once and for all, focusing on the ideas of those who believe aging is a curable disease. Chief among them is the extraordinary Aubrey de Grey, a garrulous Englishman who bears more than a passing resemblance to Methuselah and who is perhaps immortality’s most radical and engaging true believer.
A rollicking scientific adventure story in the grand manner of Oliver Sacks, Long for This World is science writing of the highest order and with the highest stakes. Could we live forever? And if we could…would we want to?
My Comment:
by Rupe | Aug 2, 2010 | Not So Recent Reads
Title: Being Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error by Kathryn Schulz
Publisher’s Summary
To err is human. Yet most of us go through life assuming (and sometimes insisting) that we are right about nearly everything, from the origins of the universe to how to load the dishwasher. If being wrong is so natural, why are we all so bad at imagining that our beliefs could be mistaken, and why do we react to our errors with surprise, denial, defensiveness, and shame?
In Being Wrong, journalist Kathryn Schulz explores why we find it so gratifying to be right and so maddening to be mistaken, and how this attitude toward error corrodes relationships—whether between family members, colleagues, neighbors, or nations. Along the way, she takes us on a fascinating tour of human fallibility, from wrongful convictions to no-fault divorce; medical mistakes to misadventures at sea; failed prophecies to false emories; “I told you so!” to “Mistakes were made.”
Drawing on thinkers as varied as Augustine, Darwin, Freud, Gertrude Stein, Alan Greenspan, and Groucho Marx, she proposes a new way of looking at wrongness. In this view, error is both a given and a gift—one that can transform our worldviews, our relationships, and, most profoundly, ourselves.
In the end, Being Wrong is not just an account of human error but a tribute to human creativity—the way we generate and revise our beliefs about ourselves and the world. At a moment when economic, political, and religious dogmatism increasingly divide us, Schulz explores with uncommon humor and eloquence the seduction of certainty and the crises occasioned by error. A brilliant debut from a new voice in nonfiction, this book calls on us to ask one of life’s most challenging questions: what if I’m wrong?
My Comments:
by Rupe | Jul 21, 2010 | Mad Musings
We live in a world  and a state (Florida) where natural or man-made disasters can happen without any warning.
Our checklist covers 8 simple categories:
- Warmth & Shelter (depending on the time of year)
- Water & Hydration
- Food & Nutrition
- Sanitation & Hygiene
- First Aid & Medical
- Light & Communication
- Cooking & Fuel
- Tools & Supplies
Each category has several emergency items that you will need. Please feel free to share this list with your friends and family. We hope that this list will help keep your house and family prepared for whatever disaster may come:
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by Rupe | Jul 18, 2010 | Musical Words
[audio:https://www.ruperthussey.com/files/2011/07/Right-here-waiting-for-you-Richard-max.mp3|titles=Right here waiting for you – Richard max] 
Oceans apart day after day
And I slowly go insane
I hear your voice on the line
But it doesn’t stop the pain
If I see you next to never
How can we say forever
Wherever you go
Whatever you do
I will be right here waiting for you
Whatever it takes
Or how my heart breaks
I will be right here waiting for you
I took for granted, all the times
That I though would last somehow
I hear the laughter, I taste the tears
But I can’t get near you now
Oh, can’t you see it baby
You’ve got me goin’ Crazy
Wherever you go
Whatever you do
I will be right here waiting for you
Whatever it takes
Or how my heart breaks
I will be right here waiting for you
I wonder how we can survive
This romance
But in the end if I’m with you
I’ll take the chance
Oh, can’t you see it baby
You’ve got me goin’ crazy
Wherever you go
Whatever you do
I will be right here waiting for you
Whatever it takes
Or how my heart breaks
I will be right here waiting for you
My Comments:
This is hands down one of my favorite songs sever. It is so expressive and simply great. I really really love it.
by Rupe | Jul 16, 2010 | Mad Musings, Mentoring
Aesop’s Fables—Professor Copper Giloth at the University of Massachusetts Amherst teaches Introduction to Computing in the Fine Arts. She assigns her students the task of illustrating the traditional Aesop’s fables alongside their own retellings of the fables in a modern setting. This website showcases their work and can be used in several ways. You and your child can read the fables, you can compare the fables with versions found elsewhere, or you can use the student work as incentive for your children to illustrate stories or poems.
Neuroscience for Kids—Learn about all aspects of neuroscience in a format that uses helpful graphics. Try the many experiments that make use of games and activities. View questions that have been submitted and then answered by basic and clinical neuroscientists from around the world. Search the numerous links provided, sign up for the free newsletter, and much more.
Insects—Brought to you by the Amateur Entomologists’ Society, this website helps the visitor identify bugs, learn about bugs, find out how to care for bugs as pets, and many other interesting things about insects and invertebrates. There is also information on how to become an entomologist.
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by Rupe | Jul 5, 2010 | Not So Recent Reads
Title: Your Money or Your Life: 9 Steps to Transforming Your Relationship with Money and Achieving Financial Independence by Vicki Robin
Publisher’s Summary
Now more than ever-given today’s uncertain economic climate-a transformed relationship with money is the key to a happy and healthy life. Vicki Robin offers Your Money or Your Life, an original audio adaptation of the New York Times best-selling book that has helped more than 600,000 people worldwide gain greater financial freedom. Join this acclaimed author for hands-on tools and insights that will help you reach new levels of comfort, competence, and consciousness around your personal finances.
My Comments:
I will add my comments soon….
by Rupe | Jul 3, 2010 | Mad Musings
Yep! It finally happen! My trusty ol’ Macbook fail me for the first time in 4 years. The truth really is…I fail him. His fan had been complainin’ and I had been disregardin’ for some time now. So now he doesn’t even come on.
So now I will just have to risk taking off my “dunce cap” for a bit and have at it…it’s either that or get raped by some Bahraini Indian dude, with a PhD in Agronomics (is that a word?), who nods approvingly at every friggin’ word you utter or even think about uttering, whether he understands what you’re saying or not. Ahmm…think I’ll take my chances with me on this one; the worse that could happen is…I just break the damn thing…reason enuff to get a new one right?
It’s a good thing the “female-unit” doesn’t hang around my website and read my postings. Will report back soon…hopefully on his NEW computer…ssshh!
by Rupe | Jul 2, 2010 | Funny Schnick!, Mad Musings
by Rupe | Jun 26, 2010 | Mad Musings
It remains to be seen whether or not the worst has passed, or if we are merely enjoying the relative calm during the eye of the latest financial storm. I personally believe we are in for more tough times in the near term.
A variety of stimulus programs have conspired to create an “artificial demand†that has produced seemingly positive results. However, I believe it only served to delay the inevitable. In fact, I’ll go a step further. I believe it made the inevitable even worse. Would the economy have been worse without the stimulus? Probably. Would we have survived and saved a couple trillion dollars in new debt? Probably. But who knows. I’m not an economist, and I certainly don’t play one on TV.  Read more >>
by Rupe | Jun 20, 2010 | Funny Schnick!
Food Fight
Food Fight at a UN Famine Camp in Somalia – Dude got carried away
Â
Capital Punishment
Playing Hangman can be dangerous – especially when you live among idiots.
by Rupe | Jun 20, 2010 | Mad Musings
Article from: Money Smart Life
Borrowing money from family has kept people out of the cold for thousands of years. It hasn’t always taken the form of borrowing money directly but the family structure has offered food, shelter, jobs, and loans to brothers, sisters, parents, and all manner of family members. Lending money to people you know is always tricky, a loan can wreak havoc on a relationship. Add family dynamics in on top of that and borrowing money from family members can cause tensions for years down the road. However, as I mentioned at first, family bonds are an important part of our society so I wanted to look a little at why it is we sometimes borrow money from our brothers and sisters. Read more >>
by Rupe | Jun 19, 2010 | Real Estate
This is a column by our resident real estate expert Rachelle at the Million Dollar Journey Website.
I have been renting properties in the GTA since about 1997. Here are my hints and tips for selecting the best tenants.
In our current market, if your place isn’t priced properly or is in bad condition you can look forward to bad tenants or periods of vacancy.
Today internet shopping has reached a new level and before people even come to see your apartment they have already shopped it for price, location and appearance. People used to take the first place they could find and now they’ll see many places before they make that buying decision.  Read on >>
by Rupe | Jun 19, 2010 | Money Matters, Real Estate
Saving Money on Summer Utilities Can Save Hundreds of Dollars Each Year
There are countless methods available for lowering your energy bills and one of the best times to cut back is during the dog days of summer. Making the proper adjustments to your home and your lifestyle can work wonders in helping save money on electric bills but also do your part to help the environment as well. Just like other money leaks, just spending $10 or $20 more a month than you have to is very costly over time. Â Read more >>
Pretty good article at Generation X Finances. Â I am all about the savings…only way to accumulate wealth!
by Rupe | Jun 17, 2010 | Mad Musings
One thing I’ve noticed since we’ve built a house in suburbia is that everyone strives to have a perfect lawn. It’s quite the sight to drive through a subdivision, and all you see is perfect golf grass. Some of these lawns are managed by professionals, but others are cared for by enthusiastic home owners.   Read More >>
I must admit that between my lawn and my pool…the cost is time and expense caught me off guard. Â I spend around $3000 per year on these items.
by Rupe | Jun 16, 2010 | Mad Musings
Predicting football results is a rapidly growing area of academic interest. Economists use models to assess the efficiency of betting markets, operational researchers use models to experiment with the various effects of tournament design, and statisticians showcase their proficiency with advanced statistical techniques by modelling the intricacies of football data.
It is not, of course, just academics who are mining the archives of football scores. Bookmakers live and breathe football prediction models – as do the more committed flutterers. Mistakes cost money and jobs, whilst finding a small advantage can carry great rewards. Read more…
Yep…take a ride on the geeker side!
by Rupe | Jun 16, 2010 | Mad Musings
Article from: Million Dollar Journey
Negotiation is an important skill to develop as a landlord. Using the principles of negotiation and planning how to deal with difficult situations will save you a lot of money and keep you out of the Landlord & Tenant Board. It may salvage the tenancy and will save you turnover, vacancy and advertising expenses.
Read more >>
by Rupe | Jun 14, 2010 | Mad Musings
by Rupe | Jun 11, 2010 | Funny Schnick!
by Rupe | Jun 5, 2010 | Gamer TIme, Pure Fun
Started playing this game yesterday – it like playing a movie; you can’t wait to get to the next scene. Â The difference here is that you determine what the next scene is going to be. Â I am big GOW fan, but this is really good stuff.
Situation: Playing – Easy!
Here is the story line:
Heavy Rain is a cinematic and evolving thriller from Quantic Dream, the developer behind the critically acclaimed Fahrenheit. Dealing with a range of adult themes, the game revolves around a sophisticated plot and strong narrative threads that explore a complex moral proposition. You assume the role of multiple characters, with very different backgrounds, motivations and skills, in a world shaped by Bending Storylines – a dynamic narrative design where your actions and decisions will shape your story.
by Rupe | Jun 5, 2010 | Gamer TIme, Pure Fun
Borrowed the God of War Collection from a friend after purchasing and beating God of War III. I am currently on my final battle with Zeus, hope to beat him today. I will update below when I do.
Situation: Playing – Easy!
Here is the story line:
In God of War, players take on the role of Kratos, a Spartan warrior. Plagued by the nightmares of his past, the ash covered warrior would do anything to be free of his debt to the Gods and the memories that haunt him. For ten years he has labored for Olympus, now on the verge of losing all hope, the Gods have given him one last task. Destroy Ares, the God of War. Armed with the deadly chained Blades of Chaos, Kratos will have to overcome armies of mythological monsters, legions of undead soldiers, and dangerous and brutal landscapes.
In God of War II, Kratos sits atop his Olympus throne, as the new God of War – far more ruthless than Ares ever was. To end his continued torment, Kratos must journey to the far reaches of the earth and defeat untold horrors and alter that which no mortal, or god has ever changed…his fate.
by Rupe | Jun 5, 2010 | Not So Recent Reads
Title: The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves by Matt Ridley
Publisher’s Summary
Life is getting better at an accelerating rate. Food availability, income, and life span are up; disease, child mortality, and violence are down all across the globe. Though the world is far from perfect, necessities and luxuries alike are getting cheaper; population growth is slowing; Africa is following Asia out of poverty; the Internet, the mobile phone, and container shipping are enriching people’s lives as never before.
The pessimists who dominate public discourse insist that we will soon reach a turning point and things will start to get worse. But they have been saying this for 200 years.
Yet Matt Ridley does more than describe how things are getting better. He explains why. Prosperity comes from everybody working for everybody else. The habit of exchange and specialization, which started more than 100,000 years ago, has created a collective brain that sets human living standards on a rising trend. The mutual dependence, trust, and sharing that result are causes for hope, not despair.
This bold book covers the entire sweep of human history, from the Stone Age to the Internet, from the stagnation of the Ming empire to the invention of the steam engine, from the population explosion to the likely consequences of climate change. It ends with a confident assertion that thanks to the ceaseless capacity of the human race for innovative change, and despite inevitable disasters along the way, the 21st century will see both human prosperity and natural biodiversity enhanced. Acute, refreshing, and revelatory, The Rational Optimist will change your way of thinking about the world for the better.
My Comments
I will add my comments soon…
by Rupe | Jun 5, 2010 | Pure Fun
by Rupe | May 20, 2010 | Gamer TIme, Pure Fun
Before playing God of War, I was the typical Ms Pacman player…now I am a believer. This is great stuff. Â Purchased it at the end of April and beat it 4 weeks later. Â I was stuck in a couple areas for a week at a time. Â Â I think if I had a free week I could see myself playing all through the night. Very addictive!
Situation: Beat it on Easy
Here is the story line:
Set in the realm of Greek mythology, God of War III for the last time puts Kratos at the center of the carnage and destruction as he seeks revenge against the Gods who have betrayed him. A single-player game, this final chapter allows players to take on the climatic role of the ex-Spartan warrior, Kratos, as he treads through the intimidating heights of Mt. Olympus and the dark depths of Hell once more to seek revenge on those who have betrayed him. Armed with double-chained blades, Kratos must take on mythology’s darkest creatures while solving intricate puzzles throughout his merciless quest to destroy Olympus.
Utilizing a new game engine built from the ground up and state-of-the-art visual technologies, the development team behind God of War 3 have made significant strides in giving players the realistic feel of actually being on the battlegrounds. With texture resolutions being quadrupled since God of War 2, God of War 3 will feature fluid, life-like characters, as well as dynamic lighting effects, a robust weapon system, and world-changing scenarios that will truly bring unmistakable realism to Kratos’ fateful quest. Players will have a chance to join battles on a grand scale with many more enemies on-screen and be able to interact with levels like never before.
by Rupe | May 5, 2010 | Not So Recent Reads
Title: The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work by Alain De Botton
Publisher’s Summary
We spend most of our waking lives at work – in occupations often chosen by our unthinking younger selves. And yet we rarely ask ourselves how we got there or what our occupations mean to us.
The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work is an exploration of the joys and perils of the modern workplace, beautifully evoking what other people wake up to do each day – and night – to make the frenzied contemporary world function.
With a philosophical eye and his signature combination of wit and wisdom, Alain de Botton leads us on a journey around a deliberately eclectic range of occupations, from rocket science to biscuit manufacture, accountancy to art – in search of what makes jobs either fulfilling or soul-destroying.
Along the way, he tries to answer some of the most urgent questions we can ask about work: Why do we do it? What makes it pleasurable? What is its meaning? And why do we daily exhaust not only ourselves but also the planet?
Characteristically lucid, clever, and inventive, de Botton’s “song for occupations” is a celebration and exploration of an aspect of life that is all too often ignored and a book that shines a revealing light on the essential meaning of work in our lives.
My Comments:
I will add my comments soon…
by Rupe | Apr 5, 2010 | Not So Recent Reads
Title: World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks
Publisher’s Summary
The Zombie War came unthinkably close to eradicating humanity. Max Brooks, driven by the urgency of preserving the acid-etched first-hand experiences of the survivors from those apocalyptic years, traveled across the United States of America and throughout the world, from decimated cities that once teemed with upwards of 30 million souls, to the most remote and inhospitable areas of the planet.
He recorded the testimony of men, women, and sometimes children who came face-to-face with the living, or at least the undead, hell of that dreadful time. World War Z is the result. Never before have we had access to a document that so powerfully conveys the depth of fear and horror, and also the ineradicable spirit of resistance, that gripped human society through the plague years.
Ranging from the now infamous village of New Dachang in the United Federation of China, where the epidemiological trail began with the 12-year-old Patient Zero, to the unnamed northern forests where untold numbers sought a terrible and temporary refuge in the cold, to the United States of Southern Africa, where the Redeker Plan provided hope for humanity at an unspeakable price, to the west-of-the-Rockies redoubt where the North American tide finally started to turn, this invaluable chronicle reflects the full scope and duration of the Zombie War.
Note: Some of the numerical and factual material contained in this edition was previously published under the auspices of the United Nations Postwar Commission.
My Comments:
I will add my comments soon….
by Rupe | Mar 5, 2010 | Not So Recent Reads
Title: The Talent Code: Unlocking the Secret of Skill in Sports, Art, Music, Math, and Just About Anything by Daniel Coyle
Publisher’s Summary
A New York Times best-selling author explores cutting-edge brain science to learn where talent comes from, how it grows, and how we can make ourselves smarter.
How does a penniless Russian tennis club with one indoor court create more top 20 women players than the entire United States? How did a small town in rural Italy produce the dozens of painters and sculptors who ignited the Italian Renaissance? Why are so many great soccer players from Brazil?
Where does talent come from, and how does it grow?
New research has revealed that myelin, once considered an inert form of insulation for brain cells, may be the holy grail of acquiring skill. Journalist Daniel Coyle spent years investigating talent hotbeds, interviewing world-class practitioners (top soccer players, violinists, fighter, pilots, artists, and bank robbers) and neuroscientists. In clear, accessible language, he presents a solid strategy for skill acquisition – in athletics, fine arts, languages, science or math – that can be successfully applied through a person’s entire lifespan.
My Comments:
I will add my comments soon….
by Rupe | Mar 5, 2010 | Not So Recent Reads
Title: The Top 10 Distinctions Between Millionaires and the Middle Class by Keith Cameron Smith 3
Publisher’s Summary
If you’re ready to take the journey to wealth and personal fulfillment, here’s your ticket. In this life-changing audiobook, entrepreneur and inspirational speaker Keith Cameron Smith tells you how to think like a millionaire and reap the benefits of a millionaire mindset. The key to moving beyond the middle class and up the economic ladder is mastering 10 vital principles, including:
Millionaires think long-term. The middle class thinks short-term. Create a clear vision of the life you desire, and focus on it.
Millionaires talk about ideas. The middle class talks about things and other people. Ask some positive “what if” questions every day, and bounce ideas off successful people who will be honest with you.
Millionaires work for profits. The middle class works for wages. Take calculated risks and learn to take advantage of good opportunities.
We all want to improve our financial position. In this inspirational and practical guide filled with savvy and sensible advice, Smith upgrades you from coach to first class. If you follow these principles, you can transform your life, and realize your dreams.
My Comments:
I will add my comments soon….
by Rupe | Mar 5, 2010 | Not So Recent Reads
Title: Poor People by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Publisher’s Summary
As both a masterpiece of Russian populist writing and a parody of the entire genre, Poor People is an early example of Dostoevsky’s genius.
Written as a series of letters, Poor People tells the tragic tale of a petty clerk and his impossible love for a young girl. Longing to help her and her family, he sells everything he can, but his kindness leads him only into more desperate poverty, and ultimately into debauchery. As a typical “man of the underground”, he serves as the embodiment of the belief that happiness can only be achieved with riches.
This work is remarkable for its vivid characterizations, especially of Dievushkin, the clerk, solely by means of his letters to the young girl and her answers to him.
My Comments:
I will add my comments soon….
by Rupe | Mar 5, 2010 | Not So Recent Reads
Title: Animal Farm by George Orwell
Publisher’s Summary
George Orwell’s classic satire of the Russian Revolution is an intimate part of our contemporary culture, quoted so often that we tend to forget who wrote the original words. It is an account of the bold struggle that transforms Mr. Jones’ Manor Farm into Animal Farm, a wholly democratic society built on the credo that All Animals Are Created Equal. Out of their cleverness, the pigs Napoleon, Squealer, and Snowball emerge as leaders of the new community in a subtle evolution that bears an insidious familiarity. The climax is the brutal betrayal of the faithful horse Boxer, when totalitarian rule is re-established with the bloodstained postscript to the founding slogan: But Some Animals Are More Equal Than Others.
My Comments:
I will add my comments soon…
