Nutritionist and author Jonny Bowden has created several lists of healthful foods people should be eating but aren’t. But some of his favorites, like purslane, guava and goji berries, aren’t always available at regular grocery stores. I asked Dr. Bowden, author of “The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth,” to update his list with some favorite foods that are easy to find but don’t always find their way into our shopping carts. Here’s his advice.
Tag :No Tags![6-24-08-iphone-line[1]](http://www.tutavenue.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/6-24-08-iphone-line1.jpg)
Consider yourself an Apple fanatic? Gotta have the latest and greatest the moment it’s available? Ok… prove it. We have it from a trusted source that the world’s first iPhone 3G will be on sale at 00:01, Friday July 11th, in New Zealand — that’s still Thursday, July 10th at 5:01 in the AM in Cupertino or 13:01 hours in London. At that precise minute, Vodafone NZ will swing open the doors of its Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch shops to your overeager HSDPA jones. So, now that you know, the next move is all yours.
We’ve all heard the miracle stories: The Boy Scout who survived for four days in the mountains of North Carolina. The Montana couple who fought off a bear. The guy in Utah who cut off his arm to free himself from under a fallen boulder. You’ve probably read many stories like this in Reader’s Digest (like the one on page 102 about a couple stranded in the snow) and wondered what you’d do in the same situation, but you always assumed freak accidents would never happen to you.
And you’d be wrong. While your odds of having a heart attack are much higher than finding yourself in most of these scenarios, strange things happen every day. For example, almost 2.5 million people called poison centers for help in 2006. In 2004, 112,000 people died of injuries from falls, drownings, and other accidents. In 2006, search-and-rescue rangers in our national parks responded to nearly 4,000 calls, more than a third of them for people who were also sick or injured. Every year, around 3,000 succumb to choking.
Tag :No TagsDrive a Manual I truly believe if you’re not driving a manual transmission, your car is driving you. Most of the time an automatic transmission will make the right choices, but it can’t see everything you can. A torque converter, the device that transmits energy from the engine to the wheels in an automatic transmission, has an 10 to 20% efficiency loss under 65km/h on most cars.
Shift slow and low. I shift from 3000 rpm to 2000 rpm on every gear, with a little variance for actual road conditions. I rarely go above 4000 except to get out of trouble on the road or on a very short exit ramp. Shifting at higher RPMs gives you more power and feels sexier, but shifting lower gives you more mileage. If you must drive an automatic, the car will do this for you if you accelerate slowly.
Use cruise control. If you have a manual transmission, the car will not be able to downshift you to slow down as you go down a hill. It will simply keep you at speed to ascend and then let off the gas as you go back down, which is exactly what you should be doing. All the other times it will keep your engine at exactly the same speed (although your throttle may vary to maintain it against gravity). Some days I will have my car in cruise control for all but a few minutes of an hour or better on the road. In an automatic, your car will slow you down on purpose, so you want to disable your cruise control in hilly areas and do it yourself. It will also keep you from “creeping” up in speed without realizing it. In a perfect world you could also set the “throttle control”, as a constant throttle position is better than constant engine speed for efficiency.
Drive the speed limit. My car is a pretty nice place to be. I’ve got like GPS System, Working Aircond, comfortable seats, and a phone attached. The only thing that getting to my destination faster is going to give me is a chance to start working or doing chores earlier. A 15km/h speed difference on the highway will “save” me maybe fifteen minutes a day.
Stop using the brake to slow down. Wind resistance and friction already do a pretty good job without your help. When I used to commute from Batu Caves to KL City Centre, I had a game with myself where I couldn’t touch the brake more than five times in my 27KM trip. I always scanned 7 to 10 seconds ahead, conditions permitting, and let off the gas a lot sooner at the sight of brake lights than I would have otherwise. A lot of the times, timed down-shifting and coasting had me in 2nd or 3rd gear just in time to apply a little gas as the other car’s brake lights went off and traffic started moving again. I also “lost” a lot when everyone around me was driving like an idiot. Sometimes you just need to stop quickly through no fault of your own.
Empty the car of junk. Every extra kilogram in the trunk costs you money to haul around town for no good reason. Keep the spare tire and jack.
Change your oil every 5000KM. Engine friction wastes gas and decreases engine life. I’m no mechanical expert, tho. I just do what I’m told as close to the schedule as I can.
Check your tire pressure. Proper tire pressure makes your tires more responsive in dangerous situations, and doesn’t waste energy on friction from excess contact. Don’t overfill, as the possibility of a blowout is even more dangerous.
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Ask some 20 year old on what best evoked his (the test subject has to be male) childhood memory recently and I’m pretty sure the most common answer would be, the screening of Transformers the movie. These childhood heroes combined with the genius of Michael Bay and Steven Spielberg has resulted in one of the most successful computer animated movies ever.
So it came with no surprise when Michael Bay announced a sequel to the first movie and even put up a countdown to the release on his website. It currently stands at 381 days before the release of Transformers 2: Revenge of The Fallen.
Word has it that the title for the movie is still up for consideration and one of the options includes something like “Vector Prime†but since Michael Bay has already put up Revenge of The Fallen as the title of the movie on his website, we’re guessing that the ultimate decision has already been made.
Tag :No TagsApple® today introduced the new iPhone™ 3G, combining all the revolutionary features of iPhone with 3G networking that is twice as fast* as the first generation iPhone, built-in GPS for expanded location based mobile services, and iPhone 2.0 software which includes support for Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync and runs the hundreds of third party applications already built with the recently released iPhone SDK. Read more
Tag :No TagsWhether it’s because of frequent flier miles that are impossible to redeem, overly complicated terms and conditions or reward credit cards with high APR’s, credit card reward programs are usually a rip off, according to CNN Money. Consumer Reports says that about 85% of American households participate in at least one rewards program which encourage consumers to spend more money but often turn out to be more trouble than they’re worth. To help you wade through the confusion, Consumer Reports has assembled 7 tips to help you make postive use of credit card reward programs. The list, inside…
7. Consider where you shop.
Lean toward cards that will earn rewards at stores and services you use frequently. For example, airline and hotel discounts won’t come in handy for those who aren’t frequent travelers.
6. Project your spending.
Try to figure out how much you will likely spend per year and translate that into cash back points or reward points. Then, calculate how far that gets you toward your desired reward. Don’t forget to subtract any annual fees. Move away from any card that makes you spend a small fortune for a minu
scule reward.
5. Favor Cash back.
Often times, points go unused which is a bonus for the credit card company. However, cash back will accumulate without you having to anything. Consumer Reports also found that cash back cards usually offer better rewards than point equivalents.
4. Do the math on do-good programs.
Charitable individuals might be attracted to reward cards that give to charities. However, the reality is that they usually pay very low rates. You would probably be better off going with a cash back card and donating the money yourself which would result in a larger donation and a tax deduction.
3. Skip credit card rewards if you carry a balance.
Since reward cards often have higher interest rates, the interest on the balance you carry will probably offset any reward. Look for a standard credit card with a lower APR.
2. Use airline miles fast.
If you manage to save up enough miles for a trip, use them quickly. You never know when one of the airlines will change their conditions or go belly-up.
1. Avoid temptation.
Research shows that credit card users will often spend more in their quest to earn points toward their shiny new prize, however, overspending for a freebie doesn’t make good economic sense.
If you think about, what credit card company is going to give you something free unless it is making them more money? These companies have have enormous hives of supercomputers and datajunkies working nonstop to make sure they’re making more money than they’re giving you in rewards.
Credit card rewards are a real rip off [CNN Money]
Tag :No TagsIf you lack a wise uncle who knows just about everything involving car repairs, DriverSide might be a nice stand-in. The free car management site offers estimates on how much standard repairs and parts for your make and model should cost, based on third-party estimates and your zip code. You can also see what your car would likely sell for at its given mileage and location, based on a database of recent transactions, the Kelley Blue Book, and other sources. And if you’ve lost your owner’s manual, DriverSide has you covered there as well. The site is free to sign up for and use.
Tag :No TagsIf there’s anything to remember this weekend as gas prices reach $3.831 per gallon, it’s to not fall for gas-saving gadgets. These gadgets are hidden in a corner of your local auto parts store or advertised at 3 a.m. on television, but the fact of the matter remains that they just don’t work. Popular Mechanics put a variety of these gadgets to the test at the Universal Technical Institute in Houston. Everything from fuel-line magnets that rearrange gasoline molecules to vortex generators that helps fuel mix better were put to the test with dismal results. Maybe you should check out our seven ways to save on gas instead of throwing your money away on tornadoes.
The gadgets ranged from $20 to $400 and in many cases decreased fuel efficiency and horsepower when tested on a dyno. The gadgets could also potentially harm your vehicle if used incorrectly. If you really want to take some drastic steps to conserve gas, you’re probably better of praying you strike oil at your backyard barbecue. [PopMech]
Tag :No TagsA second earthquake,measuring 5.7 on richter scale,hit Sichuan province in China at 3.07pm,reports Malaysian Meteorological Department.
BEIJING (Reuters) - A strong aftershock rocked Chengdu, capital of China’s western Sichuan province, at around 3:10 a.m. EDT (0710 GMT) on Tuesday, Xinhua news agency reported, causing office workers to run out on to streets in panic.
Many said it was “the strongest aftershock” after a 7.9 magnitude quake epic entered at Wenchuan county, about 100 km northwest of Chengdu, hit at 2:30 pm on Monday, killing up to 10,000 people according to initial estimates.
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