Is Someone Here?

There are many ways to tell if a place is haunted. You might simply feel that you are not alone. You might feel emotions – sadness, anger, regret, or even happiness or calm — just by stepping into a certain area. You might feel someone touching you gently, as if to get your attention. Certain items might be missing or moved from where you put them, or a lost item might inexplicably turn up. Some people report feeling a “cold spot” in a haunted area. Others speak of sounds, voices, smells, unexplained shadows or lights. Pay attention to the way animals behave. They can pick up very slight changes in the environment which might be caused by ghosts. Some people claim to be able to intuitively “read” a house and sense possible spirits in more detail. But before you call in a psychic service that might be expensive, try finding out more on your own. According to folklorist Leea Virtanen, most people have some psychic ability.
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Standing in the place where uncanny feelings or events are strongest, say “Is someone here?” Take notice of any feelings or activity that may occur as a response.

What Does the Ghost Want?

If you think there is a ghost, you need to find out what it wants, and whether it needs to be “gotten rid of”. It might simply need someone to know its story. Conventional ghost hunters say that many ghosts are stuck in the earth plane due to concerns or regrets, unable to move on to the next phases of existence. Supposedly, they need to “let go and move toward the light”. This idea comes from a belief system called Theosophy, and has reportedly helped many ghosts.

However, it’s not always that simple! Ghosts are also known to linger so they can watch over loved ones, or keep an eye on a work place they loved. Some theaters, for instance, are said to be haunted by actors who liked working there. Ghosts can be very helpful; if they’re happy where they are, there’s no need to try to get them to move on unless and until they want to.

What Should You Do?

If you think you have a ghost, do not be afraid, but try to find out what he or she wants. Do a little research into the history of the place. The person trying to contact you may have lived and/or died there.

Stand or sit in the place where unusual feelings are strongest, and say “Please show me how I can help you.” Stay there for a while, keeping a “listening” attitude. You may feel an impulse to move toward a certain room, or look at certain objects. Ask the ghost to identify her- or himself, and again notice any impulses you may receive; to look at certain books or pictures, for instance. You may be able to piece together the story of the person’s life, and what may have happened to make them want to remain where they are.

Should The Ghost Leave?

Once you know the ghost’s history, if you think it’s likely that they are really “stuck” and don’t know how to move on, you can gently tell them their message has been heard. Repeat, as many times as necessary, “It’s all right – you can go on now.” Some people tell ghosts to “go toward the light”.

If the ghost doesn’t seem to want to go, don’t insist. You’re dealing with a person, after all, just one that you can’t see. Take your time, be patient, and let them know you are willing to help them. If the ghost seems happy where it is and just wanted to let you know it was there, you’ve made a friend on the other side.

Make Arrangements with Your New Mattress Dealer

If you are buying a new mattress, and I hope you are or your are going to be sleeping on the floor, then make arrangements with the company from whom you made the new purchase. Most furniture and/or new mattress dealers have “ways” to get rid of those old mattresses. Most will do it for free for they are making money on the mattress sale. Others might charge you $10 or $15 dollars to take it off your hands.

Telephone for Goodwill or Salvation Army Pickup

OK, don’t despair if the mattress seller won’t take your old mattress. You still have options. Call Good Will or the Salvation Army for a donation pick up. As I tell you these tried and true methods, I am assuming your old mattress still has a little bit, however small, of life left in it. Going with this assumption, call one of these agencies and tell them you have a mattress you would like to donate if they can come and pick it up. In these times, the Salvation Army, in particular, is always grateful to obtain a mattress to add to their available beds for those with no place to sleep. So, in the case of the Salvation Army or the Good Will, not only will you be doing a service, but also you will get a tax deduction for a charitable donation if you ask for a receipt. For both Good Will and the Salvation Army, you will need to call ahead because they do “pick-ups” on certain days in certain areas.

Call Additional Charitable Organizations

Now, now, don’t start to cry. Don’t give up. So what if you can’t find a local Salvation Army or Good Will? You still have alternatives. Start by calling local charities such as CASA, Boys and Girls Clubs or other charitable organizations. Look for churches, for they often know of families in need. Tell them you have a “gently used” mattress you want to donate. For almost certain, one of these places will have someone with a pick up who will come and help you load up the mattress. At this point I would be hesitant about asking for a receipt for you don’t want to press your luck. However, if they ask if you would like a receipt, you’d be really silly to turn them down.

Call Your Waste Management Representative

All right, we’ve now exhausted options 1, 2, and 3 and we still have the old mattress. You are about to pull out your hair and you feel as if you are at the end of your rope. Well, I’ve got one final suggestion and I know from experience it works. Call your local trash pick up company. Tell them you have some old furniture you are going to put by the road for pick up. You will be pleasantly surprised to hear you local trash company tell you the date on which they will dispose of your mattress. Now, all you have to do is drag that baby out to the curb and say a fond farewell to it.

Mattress Life

I have been around a long time, at least long enough to have had several mattresses. The seller may say the mattress will last you a lifetime, but be assured, if you get 10 years of peaceful sleep on it you will be lucky. Anyhow, over the years I have been in your place and I have personally tried all the methods and I know they all work. Good luck to you.

Utilizing another pot carefully scoop the uppermost layer of the contents into the other pot; being quite careful not to scrape the burnt food on the bottom of the pot. You should be able to save a decent amount of your meal this way and before trying the next part to save the flavor put the burnt pot in soap and water to soak.

It has been said that cutting up a potato and adding it to the pot can remove the burnt flavor. It is done by absorbing the unwanted taste into the potato it is important to remove the potato before serving the food. Also, it is recommended that one add a few teaspoons of milk to the mixture in an attempt to either cover up the burnt taste or absorb it.

While it depends on the make up of your dish it is possible to drown out the bad taste by adding pepper, chili powder or other spicy herbs to help draw the flavor in that direction. This may not be suitable for all dishes or for everyone who eats this dish as not everyone is accustomed to such spice.

The ultimate suggestion that has been proven over and over again is our good ole friend peanut butter. Starting with one tablespoon add to the dish and stir completely in. Allow to sit for 3 to 5 minutes and taste. If more peanut butter needs to be added add one tablespoon at a time until the burnt taste is gone. This could take up to 5 or 6 tablespoons. Ultimately you should no longer taste something burnt and you should not taste peanut butter either. How this works is not proven yet work it does.

No matter how much your desire to just throw out dinner pot and all that is not always practical to do. Our urge is to just start over yet there are times that starting over will not work if our time and ingredients are limited. With a bit of patience and trial and error it is possible to not only save dinner but wow your guests with your cooking skills. Now saving the burnt pot is another story.

If you live in the Northern parts of the United States, then you probably have never even seen a scorpion other than in a Spiderman comic book. But for those who live in the Southern states, typically Arizona, California, Texas, and New Mexico, these annoying arachnids can be a real nuisance.

Protecting Yourself From Scorpions

The best way to get rid of scorpions is to prevent them from finding a home on your property. Scorpions are nocturnal creatures that hunt at night on insects, spiders, and not to be picky, they also eat other scorpions. The main problem is that during the day they like to find really nice places to hide and stay cool and when you disturb their comfy rest, they tend to sting you, mostly on the toes. When they get thirsty and want to watch some soccer on ESPN, they tend to find ways of getting into your home.

How Scorpions Get Inside Your House

Scorpions enter from almost any crevice they can squeeze their venomous tails through, so the first thing you need to do is make sure all points of entry into your house are sealed. Go over every crevice; door, pipes, siding, windows and any other way that they might come into your home including that annoying neighbor’s kid. He’s probably dropping them under your sofa when you’re not looking.

The next thing to do is go around your property (please take off the Birkenstocks and put on some boots first) and remove any debris, stones, boards, or any other piece of trash that can offer a place for them to hide.

Also, it’s a good idea to get rid of the other bugs around your house, too. Cockroaches are a great snack for scorpions and if you don’t have any, they might move on to your neighbor’s house. If you’re wondering how you got cockroaches, check the neighbor’s kid again as these lovely little bugs love to lay eggs on clothing.

Remember the key to getting rid of scorpions is to make sure they don’t have a place to congregate in the first place.

Terminating Your Scorpions

Next step, if that doesn’t work, is hiring a professional to come and spray your property with the proper poisons. Simple cans of Raid and Bug Motels are not the solution for getting rid of scorpions. Most commercial bug sprays are useless at prevention and if improperly placed they can be more harmful to your children and pets.

It is always recommended to have a professional come and deal with any vermin problem, then deal with it yourself.

Get Some Backup

Okay, so you can’t afford to pay for an exterminator and you’re tired of your toes looking like swollen sausages. The only other option is to get something else that’s going to eat these pesky arachnids. Buying a few iguanas or covering your property with pythons will solve this problem but may cause a new one if the snakes get too big and end up eating the neighbor’s kid. There is another critter called a scorpion mouse that lives in Mexico, is carnivorous, and hunts in packs. They surround a scorpion and while one distracts the scorpion, the others leap forward and gnaw off the tail. I would suggest a quick run to the border and getting yourself like ten or twenty as the decoy one tends to get killed standing in front of the scorpion.

Before you decide to get rid of your scorpions, realize that they are probably eating more dangerous bugs like black widows and brown recluse spiders and it might be a good idea to just invest in a pair of boots and leave these creatures alone.

Re-gift It

Jewelry might be one of the few items that people don’t mind receiving secondhand. Just grab a jewelry gift box, wrap up the item and bestow upon its new owner. Just make sure not to give it back to the person who first gave it to you.

Repurpose It

With the emphasis on going green, finding new and creative ways to recycle unwanted items is all the rage. Turn that pendant into a ceiling fan pull. Don’t know what to do with that old cocktail ring? Add to a canvas decoupage and give your artwork a 3D effect.

Craigslist

Drop the eBay seller fees and go straight to the buyers by listing your unwanted jewelry on Craigslist. You can sell locally or sell across state lines if you’re willing to ship to your buyer. Take plenty of pictures and, if you’re asking a hefty selling price, be willing to take more pictures if requested by your potential buyers.

Give it to Charity

Everyone can afford to do at least one good deed every once in awhile. Local and national charities are always looking for valuable items to auction off. Pick out a charity that you feel coincides with the issues close to your heart and donate your unwanted jewelry to their cause.

Sell it for Scrap

While not the most lucrative way to get rid of your unwanted jewelry, selling your gold jewelry for scraps is still a very viable option. You have probably seen the ads that promise “Cash for Gold!”. Though you shouldn’t expect to get rich or even break even on such an option, you should at least be able to quickly get rid of your old gold jewelry and make a little bit of money along the way.

There’s no reason to hold onto that old jewelry if you no longer need it. Chances are, there’s someone out there who would appreciate and give it a good home.

Homeless Shelter/Battered Woman’s Shelter

This is the most useful, and meaningful, choice to get rid of your old cell phone. Many people do not realize that their old cell phones, even though they are disconnected from their network, will still make 911 calls. This makes for a great resource for the battered woman’s shelters or homeless shelters that exist in virtually every large city across the nation. By providing your old cell phone to these organizations you are not only helping out a truly meaningful cause, you are possibly providing a woman with an outlet that could save her life.

The Toy Box

What kid doesn’t love to play with a fake phone. Why not give them the real thing? Simply take the battery out of your phone (and dispose of it properly of course), and hand the phone over to the child. Then, watch the looks on peoples’ faces when your 3 year old child decides to bring his new Blackberry out in public!

eBay

All of the cell phone providers will activate a phone as long as it is on their network. What might seem like an out of date phone to you, might just be a dream come true for some one else. You can sell an old cell phone on eBay for a few bucks, and all the buyer has to do is bring it to their provider to have it activated. It’s as simple as that. Be sure to erase all of your contacts, calendar entries, and messages though, because the new owner will have access to all of the information if the phone is not properly reset.

The Cell Phone Provider

In very rare instances, the cell phone provider will actually take the cell phone back. This practice used to be more common, and has gone by the wayside. Many cell phone providers will, however, dispose of the phone in an environmentally safe manner if you ask them to do so. This will allow you to avoid the complications that can come with a proper disposal of an old cell phone.

Donate Your Timeshare to Charity

While this option seems to rub in your losses, it can actually be a very affordable option for those who don’t want to deal with the hassle of selling. Many timeshares can stay on the market for years, even with optimal advertising and incentives. Donating to charity however lets you get rid of a timeshare and reap the tax benefits. There won’t be another monthly fee to pay in upkeep and you can sleep a little easier at night feeling as if though you have done a good deed. However, in order to do this, your mortgage deed must be paid off.

Use a Timeshare Reseller Company

There is an abundance of companies that are itching to sell your timeshare. The problem is not finding someone who will represent you, the problem is finding a company that will actually sell your ownership. You cannot get rid of a timeshare without proper advertising and a decent price. There are far more people trying to get rid of their timeshare than people trying to acquire one. This creates competition in the reseller market and drives down the prices that other people are offering. Make sure that the company you decide to list with offers a guarantee if your timeshare doesn’t sell. They shouldn’t get paid upfront, but instead should get paid after the sell has taken place, giving them a reason to promote your timeshare to the buying public.

Sell the Timeshare Yourself

There are many ways to go about this, though most are time consuming. However, if you achieve success doing this, you will save yourself costly commissions and be able to know that you got the best deal possible. Selling on eBay is one way to go about this. Ebay is full of people looking to find a deal, and you just may have better chances of selling for a fair price on the popular auction website. If Ebay is not an option for you, try to get rid of your timeshare through local classified ads. Many times, people will look through the classifieds with no intention of making a purchase, but will see something that looks enticing for what they perceive to be a steal. The chances of selling are even higher if your timeshare ownership is local to the area you are listing in.

Rent Your Timeshare

If all else fails, don’t let your weeks just accumulate and expire. Though getting away may not be likely for you, there are plenty of other people looking to rent out a condo in a prime location such as yours. This will justify your fees and may let you break even and possibly turn a bit of a profit.

Contact Your Timeshare Company

Often times, the people that sold you the timeshare in the first place will be interested in buying it back from you. Be prepared for an offer price much lower than the price you paid. Vacation ownership companies are in the business of making money, so you will pay a very high cost in the end.

Timeshare development is big business. Remember to count all costs for each avenue of selling, including advertising and commissions. These can add up quickly and make the ownership hole even bigger.

Gasoline is considered hazardous material and therefore its disposal must be handled accordingly. Where my father may have elected to throw his old gasoline into the dry creek bed behind our home, such behavior today could result in heavy fines for illegal disposal. Here are some ideas of safe, legal, ways to get rid of old gasoline.

Use It Up

If the gasoline is still in good condition, it can still be used. If you’re unsure how long gasoline will last in your location contact your local fire department. They are familiar with the local environmental conditions and can give you a good idea of how long gasoline will remain in good condition. If it’s still usable, pour it into an engine which uses the same fuel type. Of course, if you’re not sure of the condition or type of gasoline, it’s probably safer to dispose of it than risk damaging an engine.

Locate Recycling Centers or Hazardous Waste Disposal Centers

These are great sources for getting rid of gasoline and other hazardous materials. There may be a fee for disposal, but it will be fairly reasonable. Contact your local government agency responsible for hazardous materials or contact any recycling center. Even if they don’t handle disposal of gasoline, they will be able to direct you to a location that does.

Watch Your Newspapers

Stay alert for special events or announcements: in a lot of communities these centers offer free or reduced charge disposal several times a year in an effort to encourage responsible disposal of hazardous items. Annual clean up days are great opportunities to rid your garage of lots of otherwise difficult items, usually at nominal cost.

Illegally dumping gasoline can cost you more than any recycling center would ever charge and is not worth the risk, not to mention the effect it has on the planet. So, while getting rid of old gasoline is not as easy as getting rid of household garbage, it is definitely worth the extra effort it takes to dispose of it properly.

Soak It Up

To minimize or eliminate your accent, it’s essential to be with people who speak the way you want to speak. Accents are more absorbed than learned, so you will tend to talk like the people with whom you associate. Also, be aware that when you are with people who have an accent similar to yours, you will automatically talk like they do.

Get Honest

Record and listen to yourself. By doing this, you can hear exactly what intonations you need to work on. Pay attention to where you are stressing words, focusing particularly on vowels, as vowel sounds play the biggest role in accent variations. Make a list of words you have trouble pronouncing and say them in front of a friend who does not have the accent you are trying to lose. Other people can hear your accent much more easily than you can hear it yourself. Having a friend who will level with you can be an invaluable asset.

Go To The Pros

Television announcers are famous for having “neutral” accents. Listen to them and emulate their speech. While practicing, speak slowly, as this will help you control your rhythm and intonation. If you need to lose your accent in a short period of time, consider seeing a speech-language pathologist. These professionals can evaluate your vowel and consonant pronunciation, rhythm and intonation, and regional idioms. They can also help you formulate goals and break them down into small, attainable steps.

It’s important to realize that getting rid of an accent can take a long time. If you are serious about losing your accent, be prepared for lots of practice sessions. Remember, however, that having an accent isn’t always negative–sometimes it can work to your advantage. A person’s accent is part of the spice that makes him or her unique. Even if you do succeed in thoroughly ridding yourself of your accent, keep it tucked away in your back pocket for a special occasion. You never know when that old twang might be just what the doctor ordered!

One important tip in how to get rid of brown algae – never get rid of all of it. Still leave a little bit. This is because brown or green algae can help keep the water chemistry healthy for your fish and live plants. But, like any good thing, more brown algae is not necessarily better. Too much brown algae is not only unsightly, it can suck up all of the oxygen in the water, leaving none for your fish.

Check Every Day For Algae Food

Algae can grow steadily or all of a sudden. They grow all of a sudden if there is suddenly a lot of decaying organic matte for them to feed off of. If you have a tank, then do not overfeed our fish and check every day that nobody has died. If you have fish that are known to produce a lot of waste, like goldfish, then you need to do a partial water change every week to get rid of some of that waste.

If you have a pond, then you need to be sure branches, leaves and fruit aren’t dropping into the water and rotting.

Shed More Light On The Subject

Brown algae is commonly seen in new aquariums because they are not getting enough light. If you have a tank and the brown algae is more concentrated on some areas of the tank more than others, try leaving the lights on a couple hours longer and making sure a decoration isn’t blocking light.

Keep The Water Moving

All kinds of algae need to settle on a surface in order to get busy, grow and look ugly. This means that they grow best in areas of still water than rapidly moving water. If your fish can handle it, stick another water agitator like an air stone into the pond or tank to get the water moving.