Author Archive
August 4th, 2010
5 Great Uses for Salt
I bet you didn’t know…
By: Tomer and Isidora Fridman
1. Keep wicker looking new: Wicker furniture yellows with age and sun exposure. To keep your wicker natural-looking, scrub it with a stiff brush dipped in warm salt water. Let the piece dry in the sun. Repeat this process every year or every other year.
- Stung by a bee? Immediately wet the sting and cover with salt. It will lessen the pain and reduce the swelling. Of course, if you are allergic to bee stings, you should get immediate medical attention.
- For relief from the itching of mosquito and chigger bites, soak the area in salt water, then apply a coating of lard or vegetable oil.
- When poison ivy erupts, relieve the itching by soaking in hot salt water. If the case is very unfortunate, you might want to immerse yourself in a tub full of salt water.
5. Restore a sponge: Hand sponges and mop sponges usually get grungy beyond use long before they are really worn out. To restore sponges to a pristine state, soak them overnight in a solution of about 1/4 cup salt per quart (liter) of water.
EwingSIR does not guarantee information contained in this blog, readers are encouraged not to rely solely on this information and to do their own independent research of facts contained herein. Blog information was obtained from independent sources that we do not endorse, and we do not investigate this information for accuracy.
- Tomer & Isidora Fridman
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Posted by Tomer & Isidora Fridman on August 4th, 2010
July 29th, 2010
Plan for Cell Tower Stalled
Calabasas homeowners not havin’ it
By: Tomer and Isidora Fridman
After Water district officials agreed to lease the Adamsville tank in Calabasas to T-Mobile for roughly $1,800, they reconsidered the lease due to resident concerns. The plan to mount two cellular towers near Calabasas homes has been dubbed in violation of the Brown Act. The proposed telecommunication facility is located on 3370 Adamsville Avenue south of Mulholland Highway.
The proposal includes six, ground-mounted equipment cabinets and 2, 32 foot poles with antennas protruding from each pole.
Residents, however, have expressed their growing fears.“One of our biggest concerns is the secrecy that has been involved in the planning and approval of this project,” said Liat Samouhi, whose backyard is about 60 feet away from the water tank.
Samouhi alleged that the water district violated Brown Act public disclosure laws when it failed to describe the exact location of the tank in a June 22 meeting agenda.
It’s difficult to say where this one is going but we will keep you posted. I recently saw this on youtube and it brought some substantiation to the residents growing concerns:
EwingSIR does not guarantee information contained in this blog, readers are encouraged not to rely solely on this information and to do their own independent research of facts contained herein. Blog information was obtained from independent sources that we do not endorse, and we do not investigate this information for accuracy.
- Tomer & Isidora Fridman
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Posted by Tomer & Isidora Fridman on July 29th, 2010
July 6th, 2010
Stamp Prices Rise
46-cent rate stamps proposed
By: Tomer and Isidora Fridman
The US Postal Service hopes to increase the price of first class stamps by 2 cents starting in January. The price increase comes in the wake of rising popularity in internet communication via email, facebook and other online sources. It’s probably a good idea to buy the good forever stamps next time you’re at the post office.
EwingSIR does not guarantee information contained in this blog, readers are encouraged not to rely solely on this information and to do their own independent research of facts contained herein. Blog information was obtained from independent sources that we do not endorse, and we do not investigate this information for accuracy.
- Tomer & Isidora Fridman
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Posted by Tomer & Isidora Fridman on July 6th, 2010
June 24th, 2010
5 Don’ts of Home Decorating
5 things you shouldn’t do
By: Tomer and Isidora Fridman
Ignoring Scale: Browsing at furniture online or in the store is a false way of viewing scale and size. Everything looks good in the store but without measuring properly you could end up with a decorating disaster.
Buying the Matching Set: Just because a store showcases a sofa, loveseat, chair, table and ottoman as a set doesn’t mean you have to buy every piece. Leave behind the loveseat. In its place choose two chairs, which will allow you to mix and match colors and patterns. Another way to mix things up: Choose a traditional sofa in an unexpected, modern color.
Picking Paint Colors at the Store: Stores have lighting that makes colors appear differently than they will look on your walls. Consider the colors in natural light and then bring them into your home. For the best perspective, poke a hole through a piece of white paper and the hold the paint swatch behind it. Compare them. You will see a truer color.
Random Tchotchkes: We may think of decorating an empty room with random nik naks placed randomly around a room. Actually, this will clutter your decoration and contradict your setting. Edit your collection as much as possible and consider showcasing just a few pieces. Then put everything in a curio cabinet or on a corner table. By grouping like items, you make insubstantial pieces more significant.
Displaying Greenery in Tiny Pots: Make a statement with your plants or don’t use them. It’s silly to clutter your room with small pots, it’s not the 70’s. The modern way to do this is one big pot.
EwingSIR does not guarantee information contained in this blog, readers are encouraged not to rely solely on this information and to do their own independent research of facts contained herein. Blog information was obtained from independent sources that we do not endorse, and we do not investigate this information for accuracy.
- Tomer & Isidora Fridman
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Posted by Tomer & Isidora Fridman on June 24th, 2010
June 16th, 2010
5 Useful Beer Tips
A touch of old hops functions in more ways that you thought
By: Tomer and Isidora Fridman
After you’ve had your summer bbq, scout out your backyard collections of partially drunk beer bottles. You’ll be surprised at the lack of dedication to the bottle! So, here are a few ways we can put the left over beer to good use.
Enrich Soil
Yeast enriches plants; it’s like fertilizer. Pour a little flat beer into your garden to cultivate the soil. You’ll be green in no time.
Trap Bees
If you have a bee issue, you can battle them with beer. Punch a series of 3/8-inch holes in the top of an old jar. Fill the jar with beer, screw the top in place and put it in the yard where you’ve seen bees. They’ll be attracted to the beer and will be able to get in, but not out, of the jar
Banish Slugs
If slugs have infiltrated your garden and are munching away at your greenery, bury an empty tuna fish can next to your plants so that just the lip is sticking out. Fill the can with beer and check it in the morning; you should have caught some of those slimy suckers! All you have to do is empty the can each day. This little trick also works with earwigs.
Polish Wood Furniture
Got some flat brew? Pour a little on a microfiber rag and rub it into your wood furniture to add a little shine and deepen the color.
Tenderize a T-Bone
Marinate your beef with some hoppy flavor. You’ll tenderize it and keep it moist. Fire of the BBQ and you’re golden.
Tip: If you spill a little beer on yourself, sponge it with equal parts of white vinegar and dish soap, and then flush it out with cool water.
EwingSIR does not guarantee information contained in this blog, readers are encouraged not to rely solely on this information and to do their own independent research of facts contained herein. Blog information was obtained from independent sources that we do not endorse, and we do not investigate this information for accuracy.
- Tomer & Isidora Fridman
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Posted by Tomer & Isidora Fridman on June 16th, 2010
June 11th, 2010
Abby Sunderland Lost at Sea?
Abby lost contact with her family June 10th
By: Tomer and Isidora Fridman
After entering a storm in the Indian ocean, the Thousand Oaks natives lost contact with her family and has yet to be located. It is currently the winter season in the Indian Ocean, a time which is considerably dangerous to sail.
There is no word about her status. Let’s keep Abby and her family in our thoughts.
EwingSIR does not guarantee information contained in this blog, readers are encouraged not to rely solely on this information and to do their own independent research of facts contained herein. Blog information was obtained from independent sources that we do not endorse, and we do not investigate this information for accuracy.
- Tomer & Isidora Fridman
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- " . $name . "
Posted by Tomer & Isidora Fridman on June 11th, 2010
June 8th, 2010
5 Places to Take the Kids Before They Grow Up
In the spirit of summer and travel, I’d like to suggest 5 places that our kids should see before they grow up.
By: Tomer and Isidora Fridman
In 1587, on Roanoke Island, between the Outer Banks and the North Carolina mainland, 120 men, women, and children landed to settle England’s first permanent New World colony. Virginia Dare — granddaughter of their governor, John White — was born that year, the first child of English parents born in America. When White sailed back to England, he intended to return within the year.
But a war with Spain kept White away from Roanoke for three years; what he found on his return in 1590 was a mystery. The rudimentary houses that he had helped build were dismantled, the entire area enclosed by a high fortlike palisade. No trace of the “Lost Colony” was ever found.
The visitor center at the Fort Raleigh National Historic Site tells the colony’s baffling story in exhibits and film; outdoors, all that’s left of the fort is a silent mound of dirt, preserving the site’s sense of mystery. You’ll also want to flesh out the story by visiting the more commercial Roanoke Island Festival Park, mid-island in Manteo. A 69-foot-long three-masted bark, the Elizabeth II, lies moored across from the waterfront — a composite 16th-century ship built for the 400th anniversary of Sir Walter Raleigh’s first exploratory voyage to Roanoke in 1584.
Tombstone & Bisbee, Arizona
Tombstone, “the town too tough to die,” is a classic tourist trap kids love — especially when actors reenact the famous Gunfight at the O.K. Corral. But only 25 miles south is the much more authentic Bisbee, one of the best-preserved historic towns in Arizona. Within day-trip distance from Tucson, Tombstone’s hokey attractions make a tempting lure for the kids; swing on down to Bisbee for the real deal.
Tombstone’s historic district has several imposing buildings among the gussied-up saloons and former bordellos lining the main drag, Allen Street. There’s a daily reenactment of the famous gun battle at the former livery stable known as the O.K. Corral.
Bisbee never became a bona fide ghost town, but it still looks like a slice of the past. Old Victorian buildings line narrow winding streets, and miners’ shacks perch on the steep hillsides above downtown. Get an overview at the Bisbee Mining & Historical Museum, a Smithsonian affiliate with interactive exhibits, a re-created mine tunnel, and dioramas depicting Bisbee in its boomtown days.
Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park beats out all the other U.S. national parks on two scores: It has the only tropical rainforest, and it has the only active volcano. Since 1983, the Big Island’s Kilauea volcano has been erupting regularly, although these are “quiet” eruptions, with gas escaping slowly instead of exploding violently. Its slow-moving red lava oozes over the landscape, sometimes even over the park roads. The kids may wish they could see volcanic fireworks, but once they’re here, feeling the soles of their sneakers getting gummy from the heat below, they’ll realize this is spectacular enough.
If the volcano is actively erupting, call the visitor center for directions to the best locations for night viewing — it’s quite a sight, watching as the brilliant red lava snakes down the side of the mountain and pours into the cold sea, hissing and steaming ferociously.
Coral Castle, Homestead, Fla.
Coral Castle is probably the strangest attraction in Florida. Hewn by one solitary folk artist out of some 1,100 tons of pastel-tinted coral rock, this prehistoric-looking roofless “castle” harks back to an earlier age of Florida tourism — a time when the weirder and wackier a roadside attraction was, the better.
In 1923, a Latvian immigrant named Edward Leedskalnin moved to South Miami and spent the next 28 years of his life carving huge boulders of coral rock into this collection of outdoor sculptures, including such odd features as a moon fountain, a rocking chair, a table shaped like a heart, and another table shaped like the state of Florida.
Although nobody ever actually saw Ed working on it, Ed himself, being from a family of stone masons in Latvia, claimed that he worked at night using secret techniques passed down through the ages, the same techniques that allowed slaves to build the Great Pyramids. Hmmm.
American Museum of Natural History, New York City
How many children have fallen in love with dinosaurs in the echoing galleries of this world-class museum? When you enter the rotunda at the top of the Central Park West steps, a rearing skeleton of a mommy dinosaur protecting her baby from a small, fierce predator clues you in that the interactive fourth-floor dinosaur halls are the perennial attraction. Must-see sights are the dioramas in the North American Mammals — the grizzly bear raking open a freshly caught salmon, elks lifting their massive antlers, wolves loping through eerie nighttime snow — or, on the floor above, the bi-level African Mammals Hall, where you can circle around a lumbering herd of perfectly preserved elephants or check out the giraffes browsing by their water hole.
In the dimly lit Ocean Life room, a gargantuan model of a blue whale swims overhead while dolphins arc through plastic waves. he Rose Center for Earth and Space, a 95-foot-high glass cube, includes an interactive exhibit on the nature of the universe, where you can step on a scale that shows your weight on Saturn, see an eerie phosphorescent model of the expanding universe, and touch cosmic debris. There are an IMAX theater, a space show, and always at least a couple of traveling exhibitions.
- Tomer & Isidora Fridman
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Posted by Tomer & Isidora Fridman on June 8th, 2010
May 25th, 2010
The Worlds 4 Strangest Houses
Not your average home
By: Isidora and Tomer Fridman
Looking like something between an animal and machine, Robert Bruno constructed this Steel House. Perched atop a bluff near Lubbock, Texas, the house sits on four skinny leg. Made from steel and highly recyclable materials, this is one trippy house.
The Nautilus in Mexico City was completed in 2006 by architect Javier Sensonian of Arquitectura Orgánica. Built for a young family who wanted to feel more integrated with nature, this property is filled with lush vegetation. Practicing what he calls, “Bio-architecture,” Sensonian has designed buildings shaped like snakes, whales and other living things.
Although it looks like a giant eye ball suspended from the forest, this tree house known as Free Spirit Spheres, certainly gets some attention. Made by Tom and Rosy Chudleigh from British Columbia, the “tree houses for adults” are handmade from local wood. Recommended for meditation, photography, canopy research, leisure, wildlife watching and other activities, and they can be ordered fully loaded with plumbing, electricity and insulation. You can even rent these guys.
This southwestern house, know as the 222 House, is entirely sustainable. According to designers Future Systems, “The soft, organic form of the building is designed to melt into the rugged grass and gorse landscape, the roof and sides of the house being turfed with local vegetation.”
Completed in 1994, the bathroom and kitchen are prefabricated pods that were lifted into the site during construction. The home needs little energy input due to the natural insulation of the ground.
- Tomer & Isidora Fridman
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Posted by Tomer & Isidora Fridman on May 25th, 2010
May 19th, 2010
9 Ways to Stretch a Rubber Band
Just when you thought the rubber band was useless…
By: Tomer and Isidora Fridman
So we’ve all had the occasional use for a rubber band on the hard to open can, but there have to be lots of other ways to use these seemingly simple bands. Turns out, there are. Here are 10 ways to get tricky with your stretch.
1. Paint trick: If you’re partially finished with a can of paint, wrap a rubber band around its exterior at the same level as the paint that’s inside the can so you can tell at a glance how much you have left.
2. Eraser: Fold a rubber band a few times to rub off pencil doodles.
3. Control your pump: Loop a rubber band around the neck of the pump on a liquid soap dispenser to control how much soap comes out with each use.
4. The gun classic: Wrap your band around your hand and use it like a toy gun. It shoots!
5. Save your baby: Bind knobs with rubber bands to keep them firmly shut.
6. Stop the Slide: A remote control pad. Wrapping the base with a band keeps your remote from sliding off the coffee table—and prevents your furniture from scratching.
7. Make a broom last: When the bristles on a broom get tired and start to splay out, wrap a couple rubber bands close to the base to keep them tight (and cleaning more effectively).
8. Kitty proof the TP: To keep kittens (or puppies) from pawing at the ends, wrap a band around a roll of toilet paper.
9. No brown Apple trick: Keep a sliced apple fresh. Supposedly, after you slice an apple into wedges, if you reassemble the wedges so the apple looks intact again and wrap a (clean!) band around it, it slows down the browning process—a good thing to keep in mind for brown bag lunches.
From the blog Marc and Angel Hack Life
EwingSIR does not guarantee information contained in this blog, readers are encouraged not to rely solely on this information and to do their own independent research of facts contained herein. Blog information was obtained from independent sources that we do not endorse, and we do not investigate this information for accuracy.
- Tomer & Isidora Fridman
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Posted by Tomer & Isidora Fridman on May 19th, 2010
May 17th, 2010
Jessica Watson’s Sailing Story
The Australian Hero
By: Tomer and Isidora Fridman
The 16 year old, Jessica Watson recently spent 7 months sailing solo. For 210 days, this adventurous Aussie skippered her pink, 34-foot yacht around the world.
On Saturday afternoon,Watson sailed into the Sydney Harbor to be greeted by tens of thousands of cheering spectators.
“I haven’t seen a person for almost seven months and suddenly there’s just people everywhere — you know, faces, so much color, so much noise, so much everything,” she told a news conference. “All I’ve seen for so long is empty waves, so it was amazing and very overwhelming. At the same time, I achieved what I set out to.”
But there is a controversy that Jessica may not technically stand as the youngest to sail around the world. Some are saying that she did not sail far enough to take the record. However, Jessica has shrugged off the accusations and currently remains proud of her feat and happy to be on dry land.
EwingSIR does not guarantee information contained in this blog, readers are encouraged not to rely solely on this information and to do their own independent research of facts contained herein. Blog information was obtained from independent sources that we do not endorse, and we do not investigate this information for accuracy.
- Tomer & Isidora Fridman
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Posted by Tomer & Isidora Fridman on May 17th, 2010
