FWD: As Cool As A Cucumber

Cucumbers

English: Photo of cucumber mosaic symptoms on cucumber fruit (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

WOW!!!  WHAT A LITTLE GEM THE CUCUMBER IS. I WILL LOOK AT IT DIFFERENTLY NOW.

1. Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need every day.
Just one cucumber contains Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc.

2. Feeling tired in the afternoon, put down the caffeinated soda and pick up a cucumber.
Cucumbers are a good source of B Vitamins and Carbohydrates that can provide that quick pick-me-up that can last for hours.

3. Tired of your bathroom mirror fogging up after a shower?
Try rubbing a cucumber slice along the mirror, it will eliminate the fog and provide a soothing, spa-like fragrance.

4. Are grubs and slugs ruining your planting beds?
Place a few slices in a small pie tin and your garden will be free of pests all season long. The chemicals in the cucumber react with the aluminum to give off a scent undetectable to humans but drivegarden pests crazy and make them flee the area.

5. Looking for a fast and easy way to remove cellulite before going out or to the pool?
Try rubbing a slice or two of cucumbers along your problem area for a few minutes, the phytochemicals in the cucumber cause the collagen in your skin to tighten, firming up the outer layer and reducing the visibility of cellulite. Works great on wrinkles too!!!

Cucumber and cross section (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

6. Want to avoid a hangover or terrible headache?
Eat a few cucumber slices before going to bed and wake up refreshed and headache free. Cucumbers contain enough sugar, B vitamins and electrolytes to replenish essential nutrients the body lost, keeping everything in equilibrium, avoiding both a hangover and headache!!

7. Looking to fight off that afternoon or evening snacking binge?
Cucumbers have been used for centuries and often used by European trappers, traders and explores for quick meals to thwart off starvation.

8. Have an important meeting or job interview and you realize that you don’t have enough time to polish your shoes?
Rub a freshly cut cucumber over the shoe, its chemicals will provide a quick and durable shine that not only looks great but also repels water.

9. Out of WD 40 and need to fix a squeaky hinge?
Take a cucumber slice and rub it along the problematic hinge, and voila, the squeak is gone!

10. Stressed out and don’t have time for massage, facial or visit to the spa?
Cut up an entire cucumber and place it in a boiling pot of water, the chemicals and nutrients from the cucumber with react with the boiling water and be released in the steam, creating a soothing, relaxing aroma that has been shown the reduce stress in new mothers and college students during final exams.

11. Just finish a business lunch and realize you don’t have gum or mints?
Take a slice of cucumber and press it to the roof of your mouth with your tongue for 30 seconds to eliminate bad breath, the phytochemcials will kill the bacteria in your mouth responsible for causing bad breath.

12. Looking for a ‘green’ way to clean your faucets, sinks or stainless steel?
Take a slice of cucumber and rub it on the surface you want to clean, not only will it remove years of tarnish and bring back the shine, but is won’t leave streaks and won’t harm you fingers or fingernails while you clean.

13. Using a pen and made a mistake?
Take the outside of the cucumber and slowly use it to erase the pen writing, also works great on crayons and markers that the kids have used to decorate the walls!!

(E-mail Forward Circa 2010)

Forward this onto everyone you know who is interested in Home Remedies and the powers of Cucumbers!

Related articles

• Skin Benefits of Cucumber – Makes Your Skin Smooth (forallwomentoknow.blogspot.com)
• 8 Magic Foods that Will Make You Feel Great (theflyingfugu.com)
• Cucumber Watercress Sandwiches (scroople.wordpress.com)
• Cucumber Recipes (shop.oreilly.com)

FWD: Economic Woes of the 99%

I’m so poor:

I can’t afford to pay attention!
I can’t even pay you a compliment!
I can’t even put my two cents in the conversation!
I can’t even afford to go to the free clinic!
I have to make jokes about people at their own expense!

DC

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Economic Woes

Look at my piggy bank after I bought gas this morning.

The Economy is so bad that:

…a picture is now only worth 200 words.

…wives are having sex with their husbands because they can’t afford batteries.

…I saw a Mormon polygamist with only one wife.

…I got a pre-declined credit card in the mail.

…if the bank returns your check marked “Insufficient Funds,”  you call them and ask if they meant you or them.

…my ATM gave me an IOU!

…I bought a toaster oven and my free gift with purchase was a bank.

…my cousin had an exorcism but couldn’t afford to pay for it, and they re-possessed her!

…a stripper was killed when her audience showered her with rolls of pennies while she danced.

…Angelina Jolie adopted a child from America.

…parents in Beverly Hills fired their nannies and learned their children’s names.

…African television stations are now showing ‘Sponsor an American Child’ commercials!

…I ordered a burger at McDonald’s and the kid behind the counter asked, “Can you afford fries with that?”

…McDonald’s is now selling a 1/4 ounce soft drink.

…Hot Wheels and Matchbox stocks are trading higher than GM.

…Motel Six won’t leave the light on anymore.

…the Treasure Island casino in Las Vegas is now managed by Somali pirates.

…CEO’s are now playing miniature golf.

…Exxon-Mobil laid off 25 Congressmen.

…they renamed Wall Street ” Wal-Mart Street .”

…Barack Obama changed his slogan to “Maybe We Can!”

…a truckload of Americans was caught sneaking into Mexico .

…when Bill and Hillary travel together, they now have to share a room.

…Congress says they are looking into this Bernard Madoff scandal. Oh Great!!  The guy who made $50 Billion disappear is being
investigated by the people who made $1.5 Trillion disappear!

And, finally…

I was so depressed last night thinking about the economy, wars, jobs, my savings, Social Security, retirement funds, etc., I called the Suicide Hotline.

When they answered I got transferred to a call center in Pakistan, and as soon as I told them I was suicidal, they got all excited, and asked me,
“Can you drive a truck?”

Forward this to all those who can’t afford a “penny for their thoughts”!

FWD: It’s Income Tax Day – Pay Up!

Income Tax Day!

Sometimesdaily "TAX DAY" (Photo credit: oxmour)

In the United States, Tax Day is a colloquial term for the day on which individual income tax returns are due to the federal government. The term may also refer to the same day for states, even where the tax return due date is a different day.

Since 1955, Tax Day is usually on April 15. When April 15 falls on a weekend, Emancipation Day, or any other holiday, tax returns are instead due on the following business day.

• In 2011, Tax Day was Monday, April 18.
• In 2012, Tax Day is Tuesday, April 17.
• In 2013, Tax Day will be Monday, April 15.

New Tax Form!

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History

Federal income tax was introduced with the Revenue Act of 1861 to help fund the Civil War, and subsequently repealed, re-adopted, and held unconstitutional. The early taxes were based on assessments, not voluntary tax returns. Tax payment dates varied by act.^[1]

The case of Pollock v. Farmers’ Loan & Trust Co. challenged the constitutionality of the Wilson-Gorman Tariff Act of 1894 which taxed incomes over $4,000 at the rate of two percent. The case was decided by the United States Supreme Court in 1895. The Supreme Court decided that the Act’s unapportioned income taxes on interest, dividends, and rents were effectively direct taxes. The Act was therefore unconstitutional because it violated the Constitution‘s rule that direct taxes be apportioned.^[2] In 1913, eighteen years later, the Sixteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified. This Amendment gave the United States Congress the legal authority to tax all incomes without regard to the apportionment requirement.

The filing deadline for individuals was March 1 in 1913 and was changed to March 15 in 1918 and again to April 15 in 1955.^[3] Today, the filing deadline for U.S. federal income tax returns for individuals remains April 15 or, in the event that the 15th falls on a Saturday, Sunday or holiday, the first succeeding day that is not a Saturday, Sunday or holiday.

Tax Day occasionally falls on Patriots’ Day, a civic holiday in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and state of Maine, or the preceding weekend. When this occurred for some time, the federal tax deadline was extended by a day for the residents of Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont, and the District of Columbia because the IRS processing center for these areas was located in Andover, Massachusetts and the unionized IRS employees got the day off.^[4] In 2011, the Monday, April 18, Tax Day fell on Patriots’ Day. However, federal filings were directed to Hartford, Connecticut, Charlotte, North Carolina and Kansas City, Missouri^[5] and there was no further extension for Maine, Massachusetts or other surrounding states’ residents.^[6][7] The Maine state tax filing deadline was still extended to April 19 in 2011 due to Patriots’ Day.^[8]

In 2007, Tax Day was on Tuesday, April 17, 2007 because April 15 fell on a Sunday and Monday, April 16 was Emancipation Day, a legal holiday in the District of Columbia. A storm and flooding affected the Northeast that year and certain states were granted additional time to file. In some cases, the deadline was extended to as late as June 25.^[9][10] In 2011, the federal tax deadline was extended to April 18, since Emancipation Day, a holiday in Washington, D.C., was celebrated on April 15, a Friday.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tax_Day

Related articles

• Take Advantage of Tax Day Freebies, Deals (aarp.org)

FWD: Money Saving Tips at the Gas Pump!

Money Saving Tips at the Gas Pump!

Please, READ AND PASS IT ON……

A gas can that has a marked capacity of one U.S. gallon or 0.8 Imperial gallons or 3.7 litres. This can was purchased near the U.S.-Canadian border. It was manufactured by the Midwest Can Company. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

With gas expected to reach $5 per gallon by summer (and it some areas it already has), these tips that I received from a friend might come in handy!

TIPS ON PUMPING GAS
I don’t know what you guys are paying for gasoline,but here in California we are paying up to $3.75 to $4.10 per gallon. My line of work, for about 31 years now, is in Petroleum.  Here at the Kinder Morgan Pipeline, where I work in San Jose, CA we deliver about 4 million gallons in a 24-hour period through the pipeline!  One day is diesel the next day is jet fuel, and gasoline, regular and premium grades. We have 34-storage tanks here with a total capacity of 16,800,000 gallons.

So here are some tricks to get more of your money’s worth for every gallon:

Fill up in the Morning When Its Cold!
Only buy or fill up your car or truck in the early morning when the ground temperature is still cold. Remember that all service stations have their storage tanks buried below ground. The colder the ground the more dense the gasoline, when it gets warmer gasoline expands, so buying in the afternoon or in the evening, your gallon is not exactly a gallon!

In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and the temperature of the gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, ethanol and other petroleum products plays an important role.  A 1-degree rise in temperature is a big deal for this business, but the service stations do not have temperature compensation at the pumps.

Pump Your Gas In Low Mode!
When you’re filling up your tank do not squeeze the trigger of the nozzle to a fast mode. If you look you will see that the pump trigger has three (3) stages: Low, Middle, and High.

You should be pumping on Low mode, thereby minimizing the vapors that are created while you are pumping. All hoses at the pump have a vapor return. If you are pumping on the fast rate,some of the liquid that goes to your tank becomes vapor. Those vapors are being sucked up and back into the underground storage tank so you’re getting less worth for your money.

Fill Your Tank At Half Full, Not When Its On Empty!
One of the most important tips is to fill up when your gas tank is HALF FULL . The reason for this is the more gas you have in your tank the less air occupying its empty space. Gasoline evaporates faster than you can imagine. Gasoline storage tanks have an internal floating roof. This roof serves as zero clearance between the gas and the atmosphere, so it minimizes the evaporation. Unlike service stations, here where I work,every truck that we load is temperature compensated so that every gallon
is actually the exact amount.

Don’t Fill Up When Gas Is Being Delivered!
Another reminder, if there is a gasoline truck pumping into the storage tanks when you stop to buy gas, DO NOT fill up; most likely the gasoline is being stirred up as the gas is being delivered, and you might pick up some of the dirt that normally settles on the bottom.

To have an impact, we need to reach literally millions of gas buyers.  It’s really simple to do.  I’m sending this note to about thirty people.  If each of you send it to at least ten more (30 x 10 = 300)…and those 300 send it to at least ten more (300 x 10 = 3,000) and so on, by the time the message reaches the sixth generation of people, we will have reached over THREE MILLION consumers !!!!!!! If those three million get excited and pass this on to ten friends each, then 30 million people will have been contacted!

If It goes one level further, you guessed it…..
THREE HUNDRED MILLION PEOPLE!!!

Again, all you have to do is send this to 10 people . How long would it take?

SIGN OF THE PAST IS THIS ABANDONED GASOLINE PUMP WITH A PRICE OF 29.9 CENTS PER GALLON. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)