This can vary due to people’s taste, but we’ll usually boil pork ribs on a medium-high for 60 minutes before moving the ribs to either the barbecue or the oven. We find that this time consistently leads to meat that easily comes off the bone after barbecue or oven. Have some friends who like shorter cook times, but their ribs seem to come out less consistent than ours.

It’s typically a lot easier to cut the ribs up before boiling, but I’ve seen friends insist on the whole rack, just requires a really big pot or some really small ribs. If you don’t have a need for a whole rack in one piece, definitely cut the ribs up while they are still cold with slightly frozen centers. We find they cut the easiest that way.

Q.How Long Did It Take to Build the Great Pyramid?

A.It is believed the Great Pyramid of Giza(aka Pyramid of Khufu) was built over a 14 to 20 year period, finishing at around 2560 BC for Fourth dynasty Egyptian King Khufu. At that speed, they would had to have moved more than 800 tons of stone every day on average, and even more if it took only 14 years. All without the benefit of modern technology to do the work.

And I used to think I had it bad when we were the only house on the block with a push mower.

There is no magic number that works for everyone, this number will vary from person to person based on genetics, current level of fitness, average daily activity level, age, weight, etc… To figure yours out, you’ll need to figure out what your “maintenance calories” are, that is, the calories required for you to stay at your current weight based on your activity level and other variables. Whatever that number is, eat less than that to lose weight.

To get a guesstimate number to start with, you’ll want to visit a site like Nutritiondata.com
Be honest and accurate when it asks for your stats. Use that number as a starting guide for your own experimentation and remember that that number is just a guide, you will need to feel out your own actual needs which could be higher or lower than that number.

Always consult with your health care professional before dieting or when in doubt about anything regarding your health. I am not a health care professional, just a person who has experience losing weight.

Depending on the size of the potato and at 450 degrees, potatoes will take from 40 minutes to an hour to bake. Small potatoes generally 40-45 minutes. Medium about 50 or so minutes. And large 60 or so minutes. Test by jabbing with a fork or squeezing to see if it’s soft. If it is, it’s done.

With microwave ovens, cook times vary with power levels as well as potato size, but a good starting point is to put on full power for 5 minutes, then flip for another 5. If you have a microwave above 1000 watts, try it for 3-4 minutes, then flip for another 3-4. It can take some experimenting to get it right for your microwave.

I use potatoes as extremely fast food by baking a few extra and refrigerating them after they’ve cooled off a bit. Then I can grab the cold potato and eat on the go, they’ll usually keep for 3 or 4 days or more in the fridge. Not for everyone, but if you’re on a tight budget with time and/or money, it beats going hungry. Eat the skin too, it’s good for you.

Due to the ability of the potassium hydroxide(the stuff that leaks out of Alkaline batteries) to cause caustic burns on skin and in the eyes, it is recommended that you wear neoprene, rubber or latex gloves, as well as wear safety glasses when handling leaking batteries.

Mix water with some vinegar, lemon, or lime juice. The goal is to make the water just a little acidic.

Then use a q-tip dipped in the mixture to carefully and gently clean up the sludge left behind from the leaking alkaline battery.

Let the device thoroughly dry before placing new batteries in, otherwise you could damage the device.

Wash your hands with the mixture and wipe down your work area thoroughly to make sure to neutralize all of the potassium hydroxide.

Be sure not to mix battery types in devices to avoid leakage. Consider setting a reminder on your phone or computer to every so often have a day of checking batteries in devices to help avoid future leaks. Prevention is better than dealing with it after the fact.

Related Articles:
What Happens When Batteries Leak

Q. How Long Did It Take to Build the Eiffel Tower?

A. The Eiffel Tower took 2 years and 2 months to complete. Excavation began on January 26th, 1887 and ended on March 30th, 1889.

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Before it was built, many people were protesting it and claimed it would be ugly and and an eyesore. A protest letter, signed by many well known French talents of their time, read as follows:

““We, the writers, painters, sculptors, architects and lovers of the beauty of Paris, do protest with all our vigour and all our indignation, in the name of French taste and endangered French art and history, against the useless and monstrous Eiffel Tower…. ”

The best of us are wrong some times.

You can freeze bean sprouts but they should be blanched first either through a good single layer steaming for 3 minutes, or boiling for 3-5 minutes. Doing this will prolong the freezer life of the sprouts by destroying certain enzymes that cause loss of flavor and nutritional value, as well as degraded appearance. Without blanching, you could probably get away with freezing for a week or two.

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The best possible method for the storage of bean sprouts is to place them in a shallow dish of water and keep in the fridge, changing the water daily. Sprouts can be kept fresh with this method for up to 2 weeks. Not as long as freezing, but it doesn’t require blanching, and the sprouts will be exceptionally fresh most of that time.

Business on a Budget: Free Office Applications
(“free” as in “free beer”)

A substantial cost facing business these days is software. These costs can be especially burdensome on small or just starting out operations on tight budgets. For example, Microsoft’s Office Standard goes for 300 and up. That 300 alone could be used to buy a good black and white laser printer and a multi-function ink jet printer with fax. Yet, pretty much every business these days needs at least one computer with an office application suite.

The ability to produce professional looking documents and invoices, track customer and financial data, and engage in complex calculations to deal with tax and operating cost issues is an undeniable advantage for any business. Whether it’s a mobile car washing service, a restaurant, or on-line store, you will be at a disadvantage if you don’t have these tools. Luckily, for those looking to trim costs without losing functionality, there are several no cost office applications available.

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OpenOffice.org

OpenOffice.org is derived from Sun’s “Sun Office”. With over 20 years of development behind it, it is a robust office package consisting of Writer, Calc, Impress, Draw, and Base. That’s a word processor/desktop publisher, spreadsheet, presentation, draw/image manipulation, and database application respectively. OpenOffice is available for all major computing platforms, including Windows, MacOS, and Linux. Click on “OpenOffice.org” above to visit their site and try it out.

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Google Docs

Google Docs is a relatively new offering. Google Docs is a web based application that you run through a web browser connected to Google’s website. This allows Google Docs to run on all modern desktop platforms, as well as provides truly universal remote access to information created and stored in Google Docs. While Google Docs currently supports word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation functionality, it is likely that more functionality will be added. Does require you to be connected to the Internet to use, so if your connection is not near constant, this could pose a problem. Click on “Google Docs” above to visit the site and try it out.

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Lotus Symphony

Lotus Symphony is an office suite developed and maintained by IBM. Also with decades of development behind it, it consists of a word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation application. Available for Windows, Mac, and Linux, it has a modern tabbed user interface that some find superior in use. Click on “Lotus Symphony” above to visit their site and try it out.
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Try Them All. They’re Free.

Before standardizing on any one suite, you should try them all and make sure the one in question is going to do what you need done, in the way you want it done. This is important, as each suite has slightly different interfaces and philosophies behind them, so they each have a different “feel”. What feels right for someone else, may not feel right for you. As they each support OpenDocument formats, you can put each one through its paces while you’re getting real work done, and still be able to use the file with another suite, should you choose another. You might even find yourself using all three. You aren’t likely to miss paying 300+ per seat.