Not-so-common knowledge...
 

I wanted to start a thread about things that you think everyone should know, but people seem not to know. For example:

As most of you know, I'm a cop. If there's one thing that really bothers me at work, it's how people drive when a patrol car, with its lights and sirens on, comes up behind them. Some people will just stop dead in the lane, some people swerve like their being attacked by killer bees, but few actually pull over to the right side of the road as they are supposed to. Here's the bigger problem... when you pull over to the right, STOP YOUR DAMN CAR. There have been several times when I have had to make a right turn from the left lane, but have been unable to because some assclown in a Mazda is driving right along side of me. This happened to a partner of mine a few years back... that story is called "How the community of Forestville got a new brick wall."

Long story short: When you see a patrol car driving down the road with lights and sirens, pull to the right and STOP. (Of course, this applies only in countries where you drive on the right side of the road. I don't know what you are expected to do in countries where several letters of the alphabet are often stuck together)

Go ahead, share your "not-so-common knowledge".

Obviously the Brits, Ausies, Kiwis and Japanese reading this need to remember to pull over TO THE LEFT. ;)

Good advice, Mr Officer Sir. :D

Thanks for the PSA. I guess it makes sense that people sometimes forget protocol. It'd be good if the siren included a little voice saying "pull over to the right and stop" every now and then.

1: If you go too long without changing your oil, you can drain it out, fill the crankcase to capacity (full on the dipstick, not to the top) with Mercon/Dexron III automatic transmission fluid, run it for ten minutes, then proceed with the oil change as normal. This will clean out any sludge or deposits that have formed and baked onto the inside of the engine.

2: If you drive a car with turbo but no turbo timer, idle it for 30 seconds before you shut it off. If you don't, you risk coking up the turbo oil lines, resulting in a lack of lubrication and cooling. I can't find a good picture, but a turbocharger explosion is not a pretty sight.

3: No TFP thread about uncommon knowledge or little-known "facts" has ever made it to the one-page mark without falling victim to urban legend contamination.

When integrating a rational function from a point a to a point b, always check to make sure that the function is continuous on the interval [a,b].

cologne does not replace deodorant.

Today on my way home, I was in the left hand lane when I noticed a fire truck coming behind me. What if I could not get to the right? Is it ok to get to the left shoulder and stop? I was able to get to the right, but was curious what I should do if I could not.

urine is sterile- most of the time- and one could drink it to survive without water.

It all depends on the road, of course. On a multi-lane, two way road, it's always best to get to the furthest right that you can... I'd never advocate going left and risking hitting oncoming traffic. If it's a smaller, suburban road, single lane each way, no double yellow line in the middle, and there is no traffic coming your way, getting to the left is fine. Try as best you can to stay out of the center turn lanes, and when you do stop, don't block any intersections/driveways. You never know when we need to turn, and depending on the way the lights are wired, our turn signals may not work.

Oh yeah, other things that you should know about police work:

You don't always get a phone call.

I don't automatically read you your rights when you get locked up.

If I don't read you your rights, the arrest isn't magically null and void.

I don't have a place I can take your unruly kids, not even "just for the night".

If I'm in plain clothes, and you ask me if I'm a cop, I don't have to tell you, despite what the 70's sitcoms say.

I know what marijuana smells like... it's not a cigar, and it's not incense.

If I seem serious, it's because the cemetery's are full of cops who never saw it coming, and I have a wife and dogs waiting for me at home.

Yes, there are rapists and murderers and drug dealers out there too, but not every janitor gets to clean the Taj Mahal, if you get my drift.

Saying "I didn't do it" when I walk into your business isn't as original, or funny, as you may think.

When you're child is acting up, and you say "That police officer is going to get you if you don't behave", all you're doing is teaching that kid to be afraid of me.

Happened tonight:

A restaurant is not a playground. I came here to eat, not trip over your hyperactive kid. Please sit the child down, and be a parent-make sure he stays seated. (the MacDonald's up the road has a playground, as does Chuck E. Cheese-go there instead)

School bus drivers can write your license plate number down should you disregard the flashing red lights and you can be issued a ticket as a result.(not applicable in every state, I think).

Found this out by taking action: If you should think about overstuffing your car with children, the police can and will take proper action. (I called when I saw no less than 10 children stuffed into an F150. When I first approached the truck because it parked so close to my car I couldn't get in, not knowing there was no adult in there, the oldest of those in the truck shouted to the others, "Get out! She's gonna call the cops!" Then a lady with 5 more kids came out, literally pushed them all in and tore off while I called in the license plate-the police went looking for them)

When you meet someone that has a cleft lip, don't act shocked if they don't have a speech impediment. Also, a cleft lip does not, in any way, indicate a diminished mental capacity. And don't ask why they don't cover it up with a mustache...it's insulting.

Although it should go without saying...I'm gonna say it anyway. fhqwhgads advice goes for any emergency vehicle. Police, fire and ambulance. I can't count how many times I see drivers taking their "right of way" in front of a responding fire truck. I just shake my head and hope that it's their house. Don't they teach this, in driver's ed, anymore.? Or, at least put it in the training manual?

1. Turn on your damn headlights when it's raining.

2. Use your turn signals, and before you start turning please.

3. Do not drive all the way to the end of the lane and then expect me to let you into mine.

For the ladies: If you decide to NOT sit fully in a public restroom, it is common courtesy to clean up your 'misses'. Please do not leave them for ME to clean...I'm not your mother.
Keep in mind that, if the seat appears pretty clean, you are not going to catch a disease by sitting fully down. Ther are more germs in a human mouth than on a human thigh.

Use your turn signals before you change lanes, this is my driving pet peeve, i cannot stand it.

Sounds kinda like a "Complain about others" thread right now :)

Lets see.

Not so Common knowledge.

Creole and Cajun are not the same style of food.
Growing up on spicy food makes you a happier person when you grow up! (Totally made up but I'm happy with this idea)

Pet peeves 1 and 2.

Contrary to popular belief, irregardless is NOT a word.

And forte is pronounced FORT not FORTAY.

FOR-TAY! :)

Not-so-common-knowledge:

BRAKE to the APEX, accelerate OUT! I see too many people who think they are race car drivers trying to take sharp corners at high double-digit or triple digit speeds. If you have to endanger us all, learn how to brake, turn, and then accelerate. If you're braking AND turning, you're going to skid -- your front tires are losing too much traction braking to be turning, or your tires are losing too much traction turning to be effective at braking. If you've got to emergency brake, DONT TURN unless you have to. Remember -- break into the corner, turn, and then accelerate out. That way you can stay in your own damn lane too..

EDITED to add APEX quote:

I was rear-ended once by a lady because I stopped at a green light to allow the ambulance to cross the intersection. She didn't. She also didn't have insurance. Cops cited her for all sorts of stuff, including failure to yeild to an emergency vehicle. Impounded the car because she didn't have insurance.

Pet peeve: tailgating. It is rude and agressive. If I'm in the passing lane and if I can move over, I will. If you get so close to me you block my vision, then I can't move over and let you by. If you are 3 inches from my rear bumper, and I have to swerve or stop for an obstruction in the roadway, you are going to a) hit the obstruction, or b) hit me, or both. Then I will sue you for all kinds of shit, and I will win.

Not so common knowledge: If you get pulled over by a cop at night, pull off to the side, roll down your windows (yes, both sides and weather permitting), turn on your inside light, put the car in park, put your hands on TOP of the steering wheel, and WAIT for the cop to approach you.

DO NOT reach for your wallet, and do not go into your glove box. Wait for the cop. He'll ask to see these things. Tell him "OK, It's in my [back pocket/purse/glove box]" before reaching for anything.

Traffic stops are THE MOST DANGEROUS times in a cop's life. There are a shitload of cops in the ground who were killed at traffic stops. If you show him you are a) not armed, b) not going to be an agressive moron, and c) willing to cooperate, you'll be much less likely to have a bad time. If he can see inside your car and see your hands while he walks up to you, you'll be starting off right. You don't have to give up any civil rights, but you can be nice about it.

I agree 100% Lance... whilst this is an extreme case.. I was clocked for 110 mph in a 50. As soon as I was stopped (3 am), I turned off my radio, turned on my inside light, turned the car OFF and put the keys on top of the dash, and put my hands on 10 and 2. A little respect goes a long way (my friend's father was a cop killed during duty) and I got a warning. Turning off your car is a big thing -- if you ever watch COPS, an offender running off with your arm still in the car can be just as dangerous as a gun.

NOTE: I do not advocate speeding or schmoozing officers to get out of blatantly reckless behaviors.. but respect 'em.

Got me out of a ticket, too. The officer asked if my insurance agent told me to turn on my dome light, and I told him that a freind of mine was a cop and had given me that advice a long time ago, and I figured I'd rather have a nice cop than to die of a terminal misunderstanding. He thanked me for my cooperation, told me to "slow it down," and cut me loose.

Not So Common Knowledge

A teacher cannot fail a student ( in elementary at least) without the full consent and cooperation of the parent. The student can miss an entire year of school, not know how to read or write, or have any positive social communication skills, and can be placed in the above grade, on the parents permission. This, in a nutshell, is one of the major reasons why the education system is so frigged up.

#2.
Your cell phone carries as many germs as a toilet seat. FACT.

Why should people know this? Besides, they're probably your germs and the human mouth easily has a factor more germs than a toilet seat OR your cell phone.

If someone with an obvious disability, who has a carer/support worker with him/her comes to your cash register and hands you the cash, don't give the change and receipt to the carer. This happens to me all the time. The person I'm supporting pulls his wallet out and hands over the money at the supermarket and without fail the cashier tries to give me the change.

So yeah, don't assume the carer is in charge. I support people to live their own lives, and if it's their money, give the change back to them like you would with anybody else.

I'd like to dispute this. While urine is generally sterile (unless you have an infection in your bladder, kidneys, or tubing) drinking it to survive when you have no water is not a good idea. You're just reingesting stuff that your kidneys will have to re-excrete, causing you to lose more water.

At which point you re-cycle the re-excretions. If you're going to die of thirst and you can stomach it, swallow it. I think my bio teacher mentioned something about a point in this process (after several instances of recycling) wherein the urine becomes so concentrated in waste that it stops being a good idea.

To add my own bit of urinary knowledge, you can eat psychedelic mushrooms and then proceed to pee into a container, which may then be drunk by someone else who will trip. This is supposedly applicable to about 5 grown men down the line (ie One guy eats the shrooms, next guy drinks his urine, next guy drinks the second guys urine, and so on).

It is not polite to use the passage of an emergency vehicle to zoom ahead of the people who actually stop for it. I almost got run over by some idiot on an entrance ramp.

You're confusing failing with retention. The teacher can fail any student she likes without parental consent or cooperation. Those are required only to retain the student, and only below the high school level. From 9th grade on up, if the student earns a failing grade, he or she must repeat the course or gets no credit.

From me (teacher):

People who read anything recreationally 20 minutes a day or longer do better on verbal tasks (meaning nearly everything they do at shcool).

There is no age at which being read to by someone with better reading skills is not beneficial academically.

Studying 10 minutes a day for a week is much more effective than an hour the night before.

Read the questions before you read the story/chapter/lesson. It saves time, and improves comprehension.

Monetary rewards for good grades don't work.

A couple contributed by Grace (paramedic):

If someone is injured in an accident, but is otherwise in no further immediate danger, do not move them, or try to remove them from wreckage. Let the experts--the fire department and paramedics--free people.

When calling 911, give your name and address first, then identify the nature of the problem, then listen and follow instructions. If your address is difficult to find, you should have an emergency card with directions from the nearest major thoroughfare written down. Don't count on your memory, write them down. You may forget important information otherwise.

Keep medical information written down on a reference card that is readily available. The best place to carry this is in a wallet or purse. This should include known medical conditions, allergies, and any and all prescription medicines and their dosages.

If you're unsure whether or not it's a heart attack, play it safe and call 911. It's a little embarassing to find out it was an anxiety attack or acid reflux, sure, but the people who are checking you out aren't going to make fun of you, and they're going to be happy that you're well.

Never leave a child (or pet) unattended in a car. Even at mild temperatures, say 80 degrees, the temperature inside can get very hot very quickly, and children have a smaller surface area relative to their volume, so they cannot cool themselves as effeciently. An infant left in a car on a hot day can be permanently brain damaged or dead in less than 20 minutes.

If you are driving at dusk please put the lights on. Not everyone has good vision.
I really hate it when a gray car has lights off when it's getting dark.

Do not play with the clutch at red lights while people are crossing the street!
Do not play with the clutch while waiting to complete a left turn.

If you have to stop on a narrow street please do not pick the center.
Try to pull off to one side.

this does not work with psilocybin mushrooms, but only ones of the Amanita genus, which also happen to have two of the most poisonous mushrooms in the fungi kingdom in it (death cap, destroying angel).

also RIDING A BIKE IN THE STREET PISSES OFF DRIVERS. If you cant fucking go the speed limit get on the godam sidewalk, or the designated biking lane.

In many places, even places without bike lanes, it is illegal to ride a bicycle on the sidewalk. Also in many places, a bicycle has just as much right to be on the road as a motor vehicle. I understand perhaps getting pissed off if someone is biking like an asshole, but if the mere existence of a cyclist on the road pisses you off, perhaps you should attend some sort of anger management training.

Maybe true, but I have seen someone (dressed in all black no reflectors at night) riding on the FDR Drive (a highway in NYC). Now that was retarded!

While I agree with you, I wish more cyclists would understand that when riding in the roadway, they have to follow the rules of the road. I have seen many cyclists blow through stop signs and ride on the wrong side of the road. If you're cycling in the roadway, you need to stop at ALL stop signs, and drive on the correct side of the road. We can actually write tickets for cyclists too...

That's kind've what i meant by "biking like an asshole". I generally tend to obey all the important laws, and generally don't have a problem. The only rule i really care about is the one that tells me to try not to get hit by a car. If i pay attention, and motorists pay attention, there won't be a problem. It does piss me off to see people biking down the wrong side of a street or the wrong way down a one-way or going full speed through a stop sign and almost getting creamed by a vehicle with the right of way. Such things give cyclists bad names.

I think that there are many traffic laws that exist because it gives the police the ability to prosecute anyone who breaks them incompetently. Police officers use their discretion when it comes to enforcing traffic laws. For instance, even though the marked speed limit on most streets in minneapolis is 30mph, the actual speed traveled by most drivers is closer to 40. If they wanted to, the police could have a field day with this fact, but they don't. Perhaps because it doesn't really matter all that much. I think there are very few motorists who actually obey all traffic laws at all times. Most motorists try and get away with as much shit as possible, within reason. This doesn't change the fact that they break the law, i think it just illustrates the fact that law books very often only vaguely resemble the traffic patterns over which they have jurisdiction. You probably already know this though, for all the people you pull over, imagine how many moving violations that the police aren't around to see.

Regardless of whether i'm biking or driving i don't have a problem with cyclists running lights and signs, provided they don't violate someone else's right of way. Momentum is much more important on a bike than it is in a car. I realize it's illegal, and i think most bikers do, but it's a risk i'm usually willing to take.

the originator of the "little kilt" (todays version of the kilt) was an Englishman, who was employed as the manager of an iron smelting works in Lochaber who adapted it, to allow more freedom of movement for his workers and there is no sign of it existing before 1725

Sports:
1. olympic white water kayaking is similar to salolm skiing
2. good kayakers generally drive run-down volvo's and minivans not shiny SUV's just ask my brother who made a few bucks running "O-B-Joyful" in an x-terra ad, he drove home from the shoot in a soccer mom mobile.
3. America is not that great internationally at wrestling because we practice a unique style of wrestling in american highschools and college. Our amazing talent is wasted on "folkstyle" or collegiate, while the world does freestyle and grecco.
4. That being said, folkstyle is more fun to watch/ do

Health:
1. America's health care system depending on the year ranks from around 11-16 according to W.H.O. An american black male growing up in harlem has the same life expectancy as a person growing up in Bangladesh. We have the worst health care system among 1st world countries.
2. antibiotics will not cure your cold, so dont ask your doctor

...Which is why so many Canadians are lined up at Buffalo, NY, hospitals to get coronary bypass surgery done...

It's your opinion. Ever been treated in a non-US hospital?

if you can pay for it, we have the best healthcare in the world. However, a substantial (and growing) portion of our population can´t afford even passable healthcare. Hence our shitty rank. Growing up in the inner city= growing up in a third world country in terms health outcomes. Check out:

http://dll.umaine.edu/ble/U.S.%20HCweb.pdf

I would post the actual WHO report if I could (instead of an article citing it), but it is only available to universities and organizations. By the way I rechecked my facts, our actual rank as of last WHO report was 37th. That ranking is based on 7 good indicators such as infant mortality, life expectancy, portability... generally indicators that can be measured quantitatively using public information.

You are correct that my statement was an opinion, but it is an opinion that is formed and supported by an overwhelming amount of evidence. As for your comment about canada? Coronary bypass surgery is performed too much in America, and too little in Canada. That being said, they trounce us in almost every meaningful way you can measure healthcare systems. Their national healthcare system better serves their population. They are rewarded with a more healthy populace without health disparities. Also our seniors have been known to run to canada to buy prescription drugs...

Here is the our harlem men losing to bangladesh article from the NE journal of medicine:
http://www.mindfully.org/Health/Ineq...lth-Marmot.htm

Comics:

The New X-Men were not created by Chris Claremont, but by Len Wein.

"Comics" has nothing to do with the tone of the material--it doesn't mean "funny". It rather refers to the art form, which is storytelling accomplished using a series of connected images, often with accompanying text.

Most modern mainstream comics are not designed for kids, but rather are aimed at college-aged students.

William Moulton Marston, the creator of Wonder Woman, who carries a magic lasso that can make people tell the truth, invented the lie detector.

The first modern comic book was More Fun Comics.

There have been more English language stories published featuring the character Superman than any other fictional character.

I could go on all day, but I really need a nap.

that's awesome.

almost as good as the inventor of the bra: "otto titsling"
don't know if it's true, but it's funny.

edit: not true. i got it from trivial pursuit. it has since been corrected.
http://www.snopes.com/business/origins/bra.asp

It is listed in the Oxford English Dictionary as appropriate for informal use.

im sorry i shouldve been more clear in that a biker who doesnt just swoop in and out of traffic, leisurely ride their bike in the center of a road where the speed limit is 30 and up so you cannot get around them, or come up on the side of you and whip by with inches to spare and you having no clue they were there (motorcyclists do this as well)
a regular biker who is putting up reasonable effort to keep traffic moving and not being a dick gets full and complete respect from me.
Its also much safer to be on the sidewalk and i have never once been ticketed or even had a talking to by any person of the law.

Hmmm... when I originally started this thread, I meant it for a place to share those things that you think other should know, because it would improve your life, or their lives... like corrections to misconceptions (such as the "one phonecall" police rule) or safety tips (like pulling to the right). I honestly didn't mean for this to be a discussion about those points, or a place to post trivia... I'm not trying to bitch, just trying to veer the thread back on course...

That being said:

Next time you move, or you do one of those cleanings where you actually move stuff around, take out a sheet of notebook paper. On all your electronics / tools / valuables, write down three things. The make, the model, and the serial number. With that information, if any of your things get stolen, I can enter the details into NCIC (National Crime Information Center), and that item can be tracked across the nation. Without that information, it's hard to tell your JVC DVD player from the other tens of thousands that were made... so even if we recover one, how do we prove it's yours?

Also, if you live in a state where your driver's license number is NOT your social security number, you can engrave your DL number and the state abbreviation on your items. I've recovered items before and was able to track the owner (before she even knew it was stolen) with that information.

oh...I didnt know it was supposed to be a "help with life thing" Im sorry!!!

The poor don't have to, there are programs that pay for them. If you want to start another thread to discuss this, I'd be game. Obviously, we disagree, and I think it would be interesting.

Not so common knowledge:

It took three years of constant printing to complete Johann Gutenberg's famous Bible, which appeared in 1455 in two volumes, and had 1,284 pages. He reportedly printed 200 Bibles, of which 47 still exist.

The BMW blue and bhite circle is a propeller spinning. I found that interesting and had to post it here :)

back on topic
there are metals that "remember" similar to the sleep comfort beds.
One will bend back automatically, another will keep its bended shape (say like a spiral) until touched by hot water in which it will then return to form.
i believe the second one is Ni on the periodic table

Here are some facts about my home state of Maine:

Maine is the only state with a one syllable name.

Maine is the only state that borders exactly one other state. (NH)

Contrary to popular belief, Maine does not have the most lighthouses of any state: Michigan takes that title.

Fortunately, the most photographed lighthouse in the world, Portland Head Light, is in Maine.

Sugarloaf/USA, Maine's largest ski resort, has the most vertical drop of any U.S. ski mountain east of the Mississippi river.

That's all for now...

Before she met Popeye, Olive Oyl went out with Ham Gravy.

I'm suprised you didn't mention the "Sahara of Maine" ...I figured Mainians would be proud of that too ;) I know when I was driving thru Maine and saw sign after sign alerting me to the upcoming Sahara of Maine, I made time and went out of my way to see it.

Anyone have any information that they wished people knew, not because they find it quaint trivia, but because it would improve your life or the lives of others?

Great point! Someone jumped in the back of my car when I got t-boned and held my head still for me. Had he tried to move me, he could have worsened the broken pelvis and possibly fractured my neck.

And whatever you do Never, Ever remove the helmet of a downed motorcyclist. Don't touch him/her unless they can move unassisted. Numerous Good Samaritans have paralyzed a rider by removing a helmet when the neck was fractured. Cagers frequently don't realize how supremely dangerous it can be for the rider after he goes down.

If you're a biker, put the "In case of emergency, DO NOT REMOVE HELMET" sticker above your visor and wear dog tags with your emergency contact info, blood type, etc. The emergency people may not be able to get to a wallet quickly if it's buried in the pockets of gear or ripped out of a back pocket of pants 200 feet behind the bike.

Did you know that after smoking weed, if you smoke cigarettes it gets you a tad bit higher. :thumbsup:

How about this:

When changing lanes, make sure you actually turn your head so that you can see if there are any cars in your blind spot. This week I've almost been hit twice by people who either didn't check their blind spot or didn't look at all.

You don't say "If you have any questions, ask either John or myself." It's "John or me." If you disagree, you probably paid more attention to celebrities trying to sound intelligent than your English teacher.

I could actually post a lot of grammar issues, but I'll save them in case the thread drifts off into trivia again. (grammar isn't trivia!)

This one is especially for the ladies;

When walking to your car, have your car keys in your fist (right if you are right-handed, left if you're a southpaw), with the keys prodruding through your fingers, sort of like brass knuckles.

If you are attacked, hit your attacker in the eyes as hard as you can with your fistfull of keys. It'll hurt a little, but it'll hurt your assailant a lot, and you'll be able to get away with relative ease. Mostly because your assailant will be blind, bleeding, and probably screaming.

When approaching your car, approach from the rear and look through the rear window, then the passenger side, then the drivers side windows to make sure no one has concealed themselves inside.

If you are attacked, scream "FIRE" instead of "HELP" or "RAPE". People will ignore the latter, but "FIRE" gets everyone's attention.

Most diarrhea and other ills are caused by your own cleanliness - or lack thereof. Wash your hands <i>every</i> time you go to the bathroom.

Every scar has a story - a person whose body is without scars is a boring person.

Cars:

Read your car's owner's manual and follow the maintenance schedule listed there.

You'll find that you very likely don't need to change your oil more often than every 5000 or 7500 miles.

Use the recommended grade of gasoline. Regular is fine for most cars. Unless your owner's manual says to use premium, or your engine is knocking, higher grades offer no benefit whatsoever.

The correct inflation pressure for the stock tires on your car is the one recommended by your car's manufacturer, not the maximum listed on the tire, and is usually found on a sticker inside the driver's side door or glove compartment.

How to check tire pressure:

Best way:

Get a good tier guage. Check tire pressure cold, at home, before leaving to go to where you add air. Make note of the pressure. Driving the car heats up the tires and subsequently the air inside, which increases the pressure; this is supposed to happen. When you reach the air station, check the tire pressure again before adding air. If it has increased, note the difference between the current pressure and the cold pressure reading you got at home. Add this number to the desired cold pressure, and adjust pressure as needed. After the car has sufficiently cooled, check the pressure again. If it's still a bit high, let out some air.

For example:

The sticker inside your door says 33 psi. You check the tire pressure, and find it is 27psi. After driving to the air station, it reads 29psi or 27 + 2. Adding that extra two psi to your goal of 33, you get 35, which is the pressure to which you would add air. When your tires have cooled, you'll very likely find that they're at the correct 33 psi.

Simple way:

Stop at air station. Inflate to about 2-3 pounds over what you want the actual pressure to be. Park the car and let the tires cool, say at work. Check the tires again, and release any excess pressure.

If you change your oil yourself, you need to take the used oil to a proper disposal station; it should never go in a storm drain or dumpster. Just about any oil change place or garage can dispose of it for a small fee.

A child safety seat must fit your car and be properly installed to be fully effective. If you're not sure which seats are appropriate or how to install them, go to the closest dealership for your make of car. They should have seats custom matched to your car and will usually install them for you. If not, many fire stations would be happy to inspect your car's child seat installation and teach you how to do it properly.

Children too large for a car seat may still need a booster seat or belt clip. A shoulder strap that crosses the neck is dangerous.

Always wear your seatbelt, even when in the front seat with an air bag. In an accident. a person not wearing their seatbelt can submarine, or slide under the air bag and end up severely injured as a result.

Got a source? Most forms of diarrhea are in fact due to certain foods and especially cheeses and meats incorrectly prepared. The possibility of rotavirus or other diarrhea causing bacteria remaning on the hands being re-ingested are very slim.

VERY untrue. Mechanics and people with the longest running cars (200,000+ miles) recommend checking your oil every 500 miles or less. It is the most important fluid in your engine, and changing it early can be very necessary. I live on all dirt roads, and the excess dirt that I stir up when driving easily gets into my oil -- turning it BLACK in under 2000 miles. Oil is not supposed to be black.

Important to note -- STOCK. Unless you're using the tires provided with a new car from a dealership, odds are that they are not the stock tires. Only these are properly measured for weight distribution of your car, and new tires can see dramatic performance increaes or decreases if you do not use the tire's recommended pressures.


My tip:

Never disclose your credit card information when using a cell phone or cordless phone. If you need to send your information, due so over a landline telephone to another landline telephone. Doing otherwise can put you at a higher risk for identity theft. If I got 1 dollar for everytime a cell phone came up on my commercial scanner, I'd be rich!

I was not referring to acute or chronic diarrhea or dysentery, but rather the "run of the mill" (no pun intended) kind that most people experience occasionally.

http://www.ehproject.org/Pubs/Global...lthArticle.htm
http://my.webmd.com/hw/health_guide_...navbar=hw87220
http://www.jhsph.edu/Refugee/Publica.../diarrhea4.pdf

If there is a traffic light that is out, which usually happens during a storm/power failure, the intersection becomes a 4 WAY STOP. Treat it the same as you would an intersection with stop signs. We had a pretty good storm here yesterday, and I almost got hit twice by people that were driving straight through the intersection because the light was out.

Ok, I will have to jump in here. You are so far off, it has to be corrected. The original statement about your cars reccomendation should be followed. Most are 5000 miles or greater. And if you change it every 500 miles, you are not only wasting your money, but you are wasting oil. I am a hobbyist mechanic - took some classes for it before I went to school to be an engineer. And I DO have a car that has 210,000 miles on it. Change the oil every 5000 miles and it looks spotless inside - I had the oilpan off it 2 weeks ago.
And if you get dirt in your oil, you have a serious problem somewhere. The engine and oil is a closed system. Even if any dirt or dust was fine enough to get through your airfilter, it will be fine enough to get blown out the exhaust as well.
The only reason for changing the oil on shorter intervals is if you are driving the car hard - it has nothing to do with the dirt or dust in the air. Heat is the cause for increased viscosity in oil. If you spend all day during the heat in stop and go traffic, and floor it between lights, or actually race your car, then maybe go to 4000 or 3000 miles. But normal daily driving conditions will get you 6000-7000 miles before the oil begins to break down.

A few years ago Consumer Reports tested various oil brands, weights, and frequency of changes. They installed identical newly rebuilt engines in NYC taxicabs and then ran them for two years, averaging over 60,000 miles each. Two different schedules were used, 3000 and 6000 miles.

At the end, they removed the engines, broke them down and compared them for wear on parts lubricated by the engine oil, and found no difference whatsoever provided by the more frequent oil changes (or for that matter, different brands).

The point was that many people tend to look at the pressure on the tire and assume that that is the proper pressure for that tire. It isn't, it's the MAXIMUM, which could actually be dangerous, and a lesser pressure if it is within the tire's safe range won't cause any damage.

So long as the replacement tires are the same size as the stock tires, the manufacturer's recommended pressure is still best, and will very likely be within the safe range for the tire.

Cite
Cite
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For wives and girlfriends:

Don't rub the lamp if you don't want the genie to come out.

I was told that tip about holding the keys(i hold them like a small blade protruding between the fingers of my fist) by a black belt in 3 martial arts-he also said to strike in an upward motion if at all possible-throat is always good for key-stabbing and try to slash across...so to visualize you would be making a 'T' starting from the bottom. The reasoning is that an upward, forceful motion is harder to stop, easier to break the attackers grip from. If they come from behind, just stab behind you hard as you can or stab the hand that grabs you.

Household stuff and then some
 

1)Pour boiling water into an anthill to eradicate at least some.
Boiling water is also good for killing weeds. Once you've 'cooked' them, pull them out and put a good drop of vegetable oil there. It will prevent the weed from growing back.
2)Hairspray will kill an insect as well as bug spray.
3)If you find yourself getting sleepy about two hours after lunch everyday, try not having carbohydrates for lunch. Especially if you are at work, it can really affect your performance.
4) ( I mentioned this elsewhere, but it's a great thing to know) Ketchup makes an excellent tarnish remover. Smear it on, let it sit a couple of minutes, then rinse. Shines up jewelry really well and makes those copper-bottomed pots look new(on those, a scouring pad after the ketchup has been rinsed off shines them even more)

Keep a basic emergency kit in the trunk of your car at all times. This includes blankets, snacks, road flares, a working flashlight and optionally some form of Call Police sign or something similar. Also add a bag of sand or kitty litter, a small shovel and some booster cables if you're in a cold climate. In the event of a breakdown you want to be prepared and while cel phone coverage seems to be expanding by the day there are still a lot of rural areas where you may not get a signal.

Rule of thumb on the road : Predictability saves lives, yours and others. Signal all turns and lane changes well in advance, don't slam on your brakes if you can avoid it. If somebody's tailgating you, do not touch the brake pedal. They know they're tailgating. Instead, let up on the accelerator and allow the car to coast a bit, reducing speed gradually until the tailgater passes you. If somebody is driving in what you believe to be an unsafe or unpredictable manner, the best place to have them is in front of you with a good space cushion, as that's the area around your car that you have the most control over.

When making a left turn at a busy intersection (ie, having to pause for through traffic), pull out into the middle of the intersection and wait for an opening with your wheels straight. If you get rear ended, it's safer for you and everyone around you if you roll forward instead of into oncoming traffic.

If somebody is ahead of you waiting to make a left turn, wait for that person to execute their turn outside of the intersection and don't try to follow them through, especially if the light is yellow. With that person there you can't see what's coming and a gap that's big enough for them may not be big enough for both of you (or in the event of a yellow light, you may not see that last car trying to squeeze through before the light turns red). Better to wait a minute for the lights to cycle than move without being able to see what's coming.

These are the small things that have kept me accident-free to date. I don't follow all traffic laws religiously, but I do try to practice 'see and be seen'. Knowing where I am in relation to others, being able to accurately predict what they're going to do and allowing them to accurately predict my moves is what keeps me out of those fender benders.

I saw this in the paper yesterday and it seems like a good idea.

In your cell phone contact list, type ICE next to family members' numbers. ICE stands for In Case of Emergency and allows emergency workers to contact family members more quickly if you are in an accident or some other unfortunate situation where you cannot make the call yourself.

Keeping with this train of thought, it's also a good idea to have an emergency contact listed inside your home or office, near the phone.

I had a burglary a few years ago where the people were at work, and someone had kicked in their front door. We had no way of getting a hold of the residents, because even though we knew their names, we had no idea where they worked or how to get a hold of them.

The same for businesses. If someone breaks out the window in the middle of the night, I need to know who to call to come and attend to the business. Many times I'll just start flipping through the Rolodex and start waking people up at 4 in the morning until I find someone who can respond.

It would make things much easier if, near the phone, you'd write "IN CASE OF EMERGENCY" and put your cell number there.

Soaking a penny in Coke will clean it (phosphoric acid) and Coke syrup has to be shipped in special chemical containers (again, due to the strong acidity).

Isopropyl, or ethyl, alcohol is a better antiseptic than hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), although alcohol will sting, so be careful.

Pouring salt into boiling water will raise the boiling point of the water slightly and will cook food faster (noodles, etc.).

If you own a computer, and know nothing about them whatsoever, take a few classes on them. Spending over a $1000 on a machine only to ruin it with viruses/spyware is NOT a smart move.


Battery acid (aka 18M Sulfuric acid) is dangerous but can be a lot of fun to play with!

I was told a long time ago when I just got my driver's license that when entering a freeway and the traffic is backed up to drive all the way to the end of my lane before slowing or stoping to merge. Something about allowing other cars to enter the freeway behind me and not getting backed up in the intersection.

When you think about it, it makes sense. What's the point of stopping to merge as soon as you enter the on ramp, better for everyone to go to the end and merge every other car.

Try not to stare at your screen too long without taking breaks. Occasionally look around or get up and walk around. Staring at your screen for too long can cause eye strain and eventually make you near-sighted.

Isopropanol and ethanol are two different alcohols. The former is C₃H₇OH and the latter is C₂H₅OH. The main difference is that ethanol is somewhat safer to consume, since it is the alcohol in alcoholic drinks.

http://www.snopes.com/cokelore/acid.aspSnopes

fhq, since youre a cop right now Im in a house that has hedges all over the front lawn.. they actually are in the way(but not physically blocking) of my view of traffic, we've ordered those traffic mirrors which will help but how do I alert oncoming traffic to me? Better yet how do I convince the homeowner to remove the fucking hedges? I wish she would its soooooooooooo dangerous...

it is a quaint and rather well signed neighborhood that people are backing out.. strictly residential and all but I know that people still dont pay enough attention. I have a tiny white car making it easily missed. I hate those freakin hedges....

Yes, isopropyl and ethyl alcohols are different, hence the different names. However, both of them are better to use as an antiseptic than hydrogen peroxide (H2O2).

I never said Coke was harmful to consume, you may have been confused by the Coke SYRUP. The SYRUP is a concentrated liquid that is mixed with carbonated water to make the soda (i.e. fountain soda). Since Coke is acidic , the concentrated syrup has a high acidity.

The way you worded it, it sounded like you were saying they were the same. Oops.
Do you know how concentrated that is? About 0.03 molar. I would feel comfortable washing my hands with that syrup. It's possible that coke syrup is shipped in special hazardous containers, but I doubt it's necessary.

If you have a lot of oxidized (black) silverware to clean, fill up the sink with hot water, add (a lot) of salt, put a large sheet of aluminum-foil on the bottom and voilla - just throw (gently :) ) your silverware in the sink at do something else for a few minutes.

(If it smells like rotten eggs you are doing it right ;) )

Just be careful - this wil remove ANY oxidation on silver, including oxidized patters if you have that!

Likewise with ketchup.

Just curious, how come? Even if it's in neutral?

"And forte is pronounced FORT not FORTAY."


i believe that is incorrect.


"forte" as in the feminine version of "fort" is pronounced "fort"... "fort" (masculine), pronounce "for"....


however, the anglicized "forte" is correct in being pronounced "fortay"... why? English bastardization. We do that. It happens with many, many a word.

Yes and no. If you mean "strength", as in "Tennis is his forte", you say FORT. If you mean "loud", as in "Sing this part of the song forte", you say FORTAY.

/ goes to actually look it up, to make sure he isn't talking out of his ass...

forte: Definition, Synonyms and Much More From Answers.com
So, noun form is FORT, adjective should be FORTAY, but often ends up FORT anyway.

Have you ever been in a situation where you need extra email addresses to get more free coupons or something? Do you have a gmail address? Gmail has a nifty feature called filters. They can be used to auto-sort your mail. Just add a plus sign and something else after your address name.

But pretty much, most websites will see filtered addresses as completely different. So while the following addresses are the same, they don't look like it to the form you're filling out.

hello@gmail.com
hello+1@gmail.com
hello+asdfjkl@gmail.com

EDIT: Obviously VBulletin is confused by them, since it didn't auto-link them.

i still hold that the colloquialism is "Fortay"

just as "ain't" is incorrect, and a whole slew of other words.

...
 

Is this true?

See my post a couple spots above.

...
 

I was actually referring to the popular belief... ;)

linky: irregardless

...
 

Ah ha. Thanks. Hmm :hmm: I wonder if thats how you're supposed to write ah ha. :hmm: :lol: Maybe it's common knowledge to know that, but I'm out of the loop. :|

Redlemon you're awesome! Always so helpful!

Well, if you are referring to the Norwegian pop group, it would be "a-ha" (no capitals, one hyphen). ;) Otherwise, I don't know. (And that's why my usertag is what it is.)

This is from Merriam-Webster:

usage In forte we have a word derived from French that in its "strong point" sense has no entirely satisfactory pronunciation. Usage writers have denigrated \'for-"tA\ and \'for-tE\ because they reflect the influence of the Italian-derived 2forte. Their recommended pronunciation \'fort\, however, does not exactly reflect French either: the French would write the word le fort and would rhyme it with English for. So you can take your choice, knowing that someone somewhere will dislike whichever variant you choose. All are standard, however. In British English \'fo-"tA\ and \'fot\ predominate; \'for-"tA\ and \for-'tA\ are probably the most frequent pronunciations in American English.


Also from Merriam-Webster:

usage Irregardless originated in dialectal American speech in the early 20th century. Its fairly widespread use in speech called it to the attention of usage commentators as early as 1927. The most frequently repeated remark about it is that "there is no such word." There is such a word, however. It is still used primarily in speech, although it can be found from time to time in edited prose. Its reputation has not risen over the years, and it is still a long way from general acceptance. Use regardless instead.


Is this the case as well on Interstate Highways? My understanding was that you should continue driving at speed in your current lane and the primary accomodation is to always allow an emergency vehicle to move in front of you. By slowing down or stopping and/or quickly swerving into other lanes, you are far more likely to cause an accident. This is what I've been told by people I know (ambulance drivers, police officers) and seems to be the common agreeable amongst my friends.


This one interests me. Do you have any links? This cannot be federal law, meaning each state would have to have this enacted. Most states leave this up to the school distrcits in question. I doubt all school districts in the U.S. have a regulation like this. Perhaps I'm wrong, but I'd live to see more info if anyone has any.


Ah, but how many Americans are lined up in Canada (Windsor) to get prescription drugs? How many in Mexico for alternative treatments and surgeries not authorized by the FDA? It's not opinion, it's supported fact. Yes, we spend more money than any other country in medical developments, but the outrageous, criminially neglegent acts of price gouging within the U.S. insurance industry prevents the average U.S. citizen from receiving benefits from it.


As a side note... the inflation information on MOST tires is only a maximum PSI value, rather than a recommended value.

If two slow-moving lanes of traffic average the same speed, the other lane will be moving faster than your lane for more than half of the time.

Demonstration: let's assign arbirtary values and extreme cases. You and another driver are travelling 20 miles. For the first 10 miles, you average a speed of 5 miles per hour. For the second 10 miles, you average 100 miles per hour. The other lane does the exact opposite. You spend (10/5) two hours watching the other cars pass you, then (10/100) 6 minutes passing the other cars, but you arrive at the same time as the other driver.

Gas pedal is on the right asshole!! anyway most people should know that it is near impossible to get a comission in into the USAF right out of college unless you are a doctor. I fyou got a degree in finace mangement or bussiness you were better off just enlisteing.

Only 4% of the AF actually fly air planes not 100% get it!!!

No I am not a pilot thank you!!!

Do not approach at high speed a US warship maneuvring into port. I'm sure your kids really want to see the big boat, but a small craft coming straight at us at full throttle causes a bit of excitment amongst the people with the machineguns.

If you do decide to do the above, don't stop in front of the ship for your photo opportunity. We can neither stop nor go around you. We are not sounding the ship's whistle for your amusement. It's our subtle way of saying "Holy shit! We're about to run over some jackass and his family in a speedboat!".

409 works just as well as a stain remover for clothing as shout and other commercial products, and since a lot of people use it for general cleaning, it can kill two birds with one stone. I've never had it discolor anything, either.

No!
 

Butter + Burns= NO!!! My daughter had an accident with some hot lasagna recently. A friend suggested I put butter on the burn . . . . . . :hmm: NO! Don't do this if you burn your skin. The butter retains the heat, therefore making it hotter. My grandma always made us put butter on our burns growing up. Ouch!

The point of putting fat/oil on burns is to trap moisture and keep the skin from drying out. It might be percieved as warmer due to the loss of evaporative cooling, I suppose. By the time you get around to rubbing butter on it (which should be AFTER you've run it under cool water for 5 to 10 minutes, yes?) there's not really any heat left from the initial burn to be retained.

Do not pull into the middle of a funeral procession.

Yes, we know it's long. Yes, it's a pain in the ass to wait. Yes, we realize how annoying it is. Yes, we are driving through red lights, but usually there's a police officer there. No, you don't need to turn on your lights and flashers and jump in. Yes, someone might starting honking at you and gesturing at you furiously as you are disrespecting their loved one. Yes, that angry father might just stop the procession and get out of hit vehicle to punch yours. No, grieving people are not rational.

I'm not sure if it's illegal in Florida to not yield to a funeral procession, but it's happened at four of the last five I've been it. Whether it was ten cars or 60 (yes there was one that was 60 cars long). How horrifyingly disrespectful and rude! That's a dead person and their family, friends, loved ones... they don't want to be there either.

This is fine. I would rather use an actual moisturising lotion though.


The old wives tale is not about putting on butter/oil after you've stopped the burn, but rather using the butter in order to stop the burn. The oil spreads the heat further down, retaining heat and doing more damage.

there is no such word as "irregardless..."

....
 

Uncle Phil . . .

I hear people say that all the time... especially while fighting, etc.

Man, us Americans say the darndest things. Aint.. gonna.. dontcha.. I have a couple of friends who can speak over 5 different languages and they have told me that in their opinions, english is the hardest language to learn. I can see why now. :)