Why do they make bridges out of grated material?

I can't even begin to imagine the horror the people on this tour had to endure... We've all heard the story of someone tipping over a porta-potty when some unsuspecting person was in there. This had to be infinitely more shocking. Almost every time I've used a porta-potty there's been alcohol involved, while I'm usually stone sober when I'm on a sightseeing tour. For DMB's sake I hope this isn't true... can you imagine the pain and suffering lawsuits lining up if they (or their bus driver) were in the wrong?

I'm also a big fan of unintentional comedy, although in this case we may have a witty copy editor on the job. Is it me or does the picture they chose to use look like we might have a nasty case of constipation on our hands?

Ok... I think that's my one bathroom-related post for this year. I need to go wash my hands after just writing this...

Workplace Culture

I found my way to this post this morning by Bradley Horowitz of Yahoo. I'm intrigued by the concept of the Love Machine at Linden Lab and wonder if you need a certain employee profile to avoid having it devolve into a self-serving mechanism for elevating one's popoularity. Creating a feedback loop is an important part of building a solid (and exciting) company - maybe something like this is the answer? I'll noodle on this for a while...

Yankee Wisdom

Another "ripped from my email" post. I can't wait to put some of these to the test. #17 reminds me of a day from sixth grade. It was the late 70's and when I arrived at class our teacher was a little haggard. He proceeded to set us to work on some math practice (I think), leaned back in his desk chair and put two large slices of cucumber over his eyes and relaxed. I remember a sense that something wasn't quite right, but we left him alone except for the occasional outburst, which he quickly quelled without removing the cucumbers from his face.

Now on to the list...

1. Sealed envelopes - Put in the freezer for a few hours, and then slide a knife under the flap. The envelope can then be resealed. (Hmmmmm...)
2. Use Empty toilet paper roll to store appliance cords. It keeps them neat and you can write on the roll what appliance it belongs to.
3. For icy door steps in freezing temperatures: get warm water and put Dawn dishwashing liquid in it. Pour it all over the steps. They won't refreeze. (wish I had known this for the last 40 years!)
4. Crayon marks on walls? This worked wonderfully! A damp rag, dipped in baking soda. Comes off with little effort...elbow grease that is!
5. Permanent marker on appliances/counter tops (like store receipt BLUE!) rubbing alcohol on paper towel.
6. Whenever I purchase a box of S.O.S Pads, I immediately take a pair of scissors and cut each pad into halves. After years of having to throw away rusted and unused and smelly pads, I finally decided that this would be much more economical. And now a box of SO.S pads last me indefinitely! In fact, I have noticed that the scissors get sharpened this way!
7. Blood stains on clothes? Not to worry! Just pour a little hydrogen peroxide on a cloth and proceed to wipe off every drop of blood. Works every time! Now, where to put the body?
8. Use vertical strokes when washing windows outside and horizontal for inside windows. This way you can tell which side has the streaks. Straight vinegar will get outside windows really clean. Don't wash windows on a sunny day. They will dry too quickly and will probably streak.
9. Spray a bit of perfume on the lightbulb in any room to create a lovely light scent in each room when the light is turned on.
10. Place fabric softener sheets in dresser drawers and your clothes will smell freshly washed for weeks to come. You can also do this with towels and linen.
11. Candles will last a lot longer if placed in the freezer for at least 3 hours prior to burning. They also don't drip...even if they are the cheap ones!
12. To clean artificial flowers, pour some salt into a paper bag and add the flowers. Shake vigorously as the salt will absorb all the dust and dirt and leave your artificial flowers looking like new! Works like a charm!
13. To easily remove burnt on food from your skillet, simply add a drop or two of dish soap and enough water to cover bottom of pan, and bring to a boil on stovetop.
14. Spray your TUPPERWARE with nonstick cooking spray before pouring in tomato based sauces and there won't be any stains.
15. Wrap celery in aluminum foil when putting in the refrigerator and it will keep for weeks.
16. When boiling corn on the cob, add a pinch of sugar to help bring out the corn's natural sweetness.
17. Cure for headaches: Take a lime, cut it in half and rub it on your forehead. The throbbing will go away.
18. Don't throw out all that leftover wine: Freeze into ice cubes for future use in casseroles and sauces. Left over wine? What's that?! :)
19. To get rid of itch from mosquito bites, try applying soap on the area and you will experience instant relief.
20. Ants, ants, ants everywhere ... Well, they are said to never cross a chalk line. So get your chalk out and draw a line on the floor or wherever ants tend to march. See for yourself.
21. Use air-freshener to clean mirrors. It does a good job and better still, leaves a lovely smell to the shine.
22. When you get a splinter, reach for the scotch tape before resorting to tweezers or a needle. Simply put the scotch tape over the splinter, and then pull it off. Scotch tape removes most splinters painlessly and easily.
23. Now look what you can do with Alka Seltzer. Clean a toilet. Drop in two Alka Seltzer tablets; wait twenty minutes, brush and flush. The citric acid and effervescent action clean vitreous China.
24. Clean a vase. To remove a stain from the bottom of a glass vase or cruet, fill with water and drop in two Alka Seltzer tablets.
25. Polish jewelry. Drop two Alka Seltzer tablets into a glass of water and immerse the jewelry for two minutes.
26. Clean a thermos bottle. Fill the bottle with water, drop in four Alka Seltzer tablets, and let soak for an hour (or longer, if necessary).
27. Unclog a drain. Clear the sink drain by dropping three Alka Seltzer Tablets down the drain followed by a cup of Heinz....or any....White Vinegar. Wait a few minutes, and then run the hot water.

To Mulch or Not to Mulch?

This entire post comes to you via an email I received from a respected colleague. Based on this release, I tend to doubt this person's assertion that they are trying to get rid of tons of mulch to anyone that will haul it away. But it pays to be informed... FYI...


"If you use mulch around your house be very careful about buying mulch this year. After the Hurricane in New Orleans many trees were blown over. These trees were then turned into mulch and the state is trying to get rid of tons and tons of this mulch to any state or company who will come and haul it away. So it will be showing up in Home Depot and Lowe's at dirt cheap prices with one huge problem; Formosan Termites will be the bonus in many of those bags.

New Orleans is one of the few areas in the country were the Formosan Termites has gotten a strong hold and most of the trees blown down were already badly infested with those termites. Now we may have the worst case of transporting a problem to all parts of the country that we have ever had. These termites can eat a house in no time at all and we have no good control against them, so tell your friends that own homes to avoid cheap mulch and know were it came from."

Experts Warn Against Spreading Termites After Storms
(News Release Distributed 10/12/05)

A scourge of New Orleans and South Louisiana could find its way to other parts of the state and country if people move wood that's infested with Formosan subterranean termites. Experts know the termite was introduced into Ouachita Parish by being transported in infested railroad ties used for landscaping, and they suspect the pest has been introduced into countless homes through re-used architectural wood. Because of the destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita in across South Louisiana, LSU AgCenter entomologists are warning homeowners not to remove building materials from damaged homes and install them in new structures unless they are absolutely sure no termites are in them. The best way to gain this assurance is through fumigation or heat treating, according to Dr. Dennis Ring, an entomologist with the LSU AgCenter.

To try to prevent moving termites to other areas, the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry on Oct. 3 imposed a quarantine for the Formosan subterranean termite in Calcasieu, Cameron, Jefferson, Jefferson Davis, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. John the Baptist, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa and Washington parishes. Ring said the quarantine has three objectives to prevent spreading the Formosan subterranean termite to locations not currently infested, to prevent infesting existing structures that are not currently infested and to prevent infesting new and reconstructed structures." The Formosan subterranean termite may be spread in any infested cellulose, wood, paper or other products," Ring said. He listed railroad ties, utility poles, used structural wood, lumber, pallets, landscape timbers and similar items. The entomologist pointed out the quarantine specifies that all architectural components including beams, doors and salvaged wood cannot be sold or placed in any structure in any parish until they are fumigated or treated for Formosan subterranean termites. "Do not move cellulose from infested areas unless you are sure the material is not infested," Ring emphasized. "Everyone has a responsibility to prevent the spread of the termite."

Experts also warn about re-using wood from damaged buildings unless you can be absolutely sure the wood is termite free. "To determine if material is infested, make a thorough inspection, looking for termites, damaged wood, soil, mud tubes and carton nests," Ring said. Ring said because Formosan subterranean termites build above-ground nests, wood from buildings, trees and shrubs that have been standing in floodwaters may still be infested. In addition, lumber and other woody debris taken from damaged buildings can become termite-infested if left on the ground too long. The entomologist said burying wood is not a good idea because that would supply food for termites, which will then seek new food sources when the buried wood is gone.