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…11% of people are left-handed

…August has the highest percentage of births

…you can’t taste food unless it’s mixed with saliva

…a bear has 42 teeth

…the average person falls asleep in 7 minutes

…in Australia, swimming suits are known as “cossies”

…an ostrich’s eye is bigger than its brain

…most lipsticks contain fish scales

…no two corn flakes look the same

…lemons contain more sugar than strawberries

…8% of people have an extra rib

…85% of plant life is found in the ocean

…Ralph Lauren’s original name was Ralph Lifshitz

…approximately 65 thousand people in the United States alone do not know how to swim

…the Hawaiian alphabet has 12 letters

…Topolino’ is the name for Mickey Mouse in Italy

…a lobster’s blood is colorless but when exposed to oxygen it turns blue

…armadillos have 4 babies at a time and are all the same sex

…if every star in the Milky Way was a grain of salt they would fill an Olympic sized swimming pool

…the longest recorded flight of a chicken was 13 seconds

…birds need gravity to swallow

When cold weather arrives and forces us all to close our pools for the winter and head inside, many people end up staying indoors to fight the harsh weather with hot chocolate and heating systems. It’s no surprise, then, that most homes accumulate quite the amount of clutter over the course of a typical winter. A few home-organization tips can help make all those hours indoors spent gazing out over your covered pool a little less claustrophobic.

• Buy a coat rack. Just about everyone bundles up in a warm coat once the temperatures dip. But once you get home and the warm air inside welcomes you, the first instinct is to take your coat off and lay it down on the first chair you see. If you have a coat rack by the main entrance, you’ll always know where your coat is and the house won’t look so messy with coats strewn about.
• Have a tray set aside for keys. As clutter accumulates throughout the winter, the chances your keys will go missing increase. Save yourself the frantic search for keys in the morning by setting a tray aside where everyone places their keys.
• Partition desk drawers. It’s easy to fill a desk drawer, but it’s hard to remember its contents. Save yourself the stress of rooting through drawers by installing partitions. This will make things easier to find and will likely prevent you from just adding random items to desk drawers.
• Bundle all those cords. Nowadays, the average television has roughly one dozen cords attached to it. HDMI cables, video game consoles, DVD players, home theater systems, and, of course, the television cord itself are among the many cords that can make a mess near your television. Bundle these cords with a cord organizer to make wires and plugs much more manageable.
• Toss the junk mail. Thanks to paperless bank statements and online billing, many people no longer receive important documents through the mail. Instead, mailboxes are filled with junk mail such as advertisements or menus from local restaurants. Rather than placing junk mail on the counter or storing it in a drawer, throw it out as you receive it. You will undoubtedly notice considerably less clutter.
• Clean out the refrigerator. Another culprit when it comes to clutter is the family refrigerator. Half-eaten meals or expired items can be found in almost every refrigerator on the planet. If you’re putting leftovers in the fridge after every meal, then chances are you have lots of leftovers that have passed their prime. Solve this problem by scheduling a potluck night where you eat all of the leftovers, or commit to bringing them to work for the next day’s lunch. However you do it, clean out the refrigerator once a week.
  
• Add storage space. Using drawers and only drawers for storage is a great way to become disorganized. If you have any bare walls, particularly in the kitchen, use them to hang shelves you can use for storage. If the walls are full or not sturdy enough to hang a storage shelf, install an extra shelf or two in the pantry.

By Christopher Solomon of MSN Real Estate

In the dead of winter we know where your mind wanders: to warm, soothing waters. But where to find them, outside of Hawaii?

http://realestate.msn.com/13-homes-for-sale-with-indoor-pools

Although years seemingly go by at blurring speed where only certain events are memorable, there are a handful of activities nearly everyone does over the course of a typical year.  Here are some things that you can count on doing at least once this year.

1. Sing “Auld, Lang Syne”
2. Cheer for your favorite Super Bowl team
3. Send a Valentine
4. Drink green Beer
5. File income tax paperwork
6. Celebrate a birthday
7. Get a dental cleaning
8. Get a physical
9. Swim in a pool or other body of water
10. See a fireworks display
11. Attend a sporting event
12. Plant flowers
13. Mow the lawn
14. Go out for ice cream
15. Rake leaves
16. Eat turkey
17. Purchase a gift
18. Take a vacation
19. Give a car an oil change
20. Be shocked by a TV series season cliffhanger
21. Get a cold
22. Decorate the home
23. Make a resolution

Ritz-Carlton to feature rooftop pool, lounge on 118th floor at ‘world’s tallest hotel’ – USATODAY.com.

Carbon heaters feature a 98% infrared conversion rate, which compared to the 68% rate of ceramic heaters, provide stronger and more even heat distribution. Carbon infrared saunas provide a more cost-effective alternative to the high-priced traditional saunas in the industry. Those consumers who are looking for an affordable and efficient way to make the healthy life choice of purchasing a sauna are the perfect candidates for a new sauna from PcPools.

One cannot deny the current and still-growing wellness trend that is taking place in America today. People are making an effort to live healthier, and PcPools is helping to make it easier for people to do so. Saunas have been used for centuries to purify the body and the mind. Thanks to today’s wellness movement, that concept continues to thrive and grow. PcPools is making a strong effort to align itself with that concept by educating its customers on the short and long term benefits of owning an infrared sauna. Identifying sauna use as a fitness instrument sets such items apart from spas, which are traditionally only used for relaxation. PcPools offers its customers a way to improve fitness while in a relaxing setting, allowing them to enjoy the best of both worlds.

Check out the top ten coolest hotel pools

World’s 10 Coolest Hotel Pools.

Be Sure Your Online Vendors are Secure

When shopping online, always be sure to confirm that your online retailer takes the proper security measures to protect its customers. One letter in an online business’ URL can help you identify if it is safe to make a purchase on a website. When in an online retailer’s shopping cart the “https://” on a web address signifies that the information traveling between you and the website is encrypted, which makes it secure from all but the most advanced of third-party computer infiltration. In contrast, if you see that a website’s URL features “http://”, then steer clear of any transactions with that company. Without an encryption, an online vendor is putting its customers’ financial information at risk of being stolen, which can lead to identity theft.

Keys to Protecting Your Privacy Online

The complexity of online-based crimes continues to rise, so it is important that online purchasers take the necessary precautions to prevent themselves from being susceptible to such wrongdoings. Simply updating one’s antivirus software once every few months is no longer enough. Computer users must be proactive in their efforts to defend against identify theft.

First, online purchasers should make sure that their browser is constantly blocking “cookies”. Simply visiting a website allows marketers to collect data points about an internet surfer, which helps them to build a profile. Once the profile is established, this information is sold without the consent of the computer user to companies around the world. Blocking cookies helps to prevent some of the data collection, specifically highly important material such as usernames, passwords, and other important data that should remain private.

Today’s social-media age is driven by the gathering and categorizing of personal information. Although sites like Facebook can be helpful to an online consumer, there are a few important things to keep in mind. First, one should never put their full birth date on a social networking profile. This is information that often times, a marketer does not even need to “friend” someone to gain access. If the marketer knows what year a person was born in, then that profile will certainly be categorized. Additionally, social network users should be careful when selecting what applications their download. “Apps” can access large amounts of personal information, so users should be sure that the app that they select was designed in the U.S. That way, if something were to go wrong, consumers could have legal recourse. The last and most obvious key to social networking sites pertains to who one surrounds themselves with in their online community. Accepting a friend request from a total stranger can lead to not only exposing the personal information of the request receiver, but also grants the request sender access to an entirely new list of “prospects”. This also illustrates why it is imperative to maximize the privacy settings on one’s social networking profile page. Since not all of one’s peers will take the necessary precautions, it is vital to be proactive to prevent unwanted exposure.

Selecting the right pool builder is as important as choosing a contractor for any other task. A pool owner-to-be should make sure to do his or her homework before making a decision. Here are some questions a prospective pool owner should ask a potential contractor:

• What experience does the pool builder have in dealing with swimming pool installation?
• Does the pool builder use a team of employees to help, or will the entire job be done by one person? Are the employees certified and experienced?
• What steps does the pool builder use to guarantee his or her work?
• What materials will the pool builder use? Will they be accepted by modern environmental standards?
• Does the pool builder have legitimate references?

Asking questions to the contractor will help to alleviate many concerns, but there are also questions that should be asked of oneself. Installing a swimming pool can be a hectic process if one has not prepared and thought ahead. Below are some questions every prospective pool owner should ask of themselves:

• What kind of swimming pool am I looking to build? What design elements am I planning to include?
• Do I want an above ground or in ground swimming pool?
• What is my budget and what are the monthly costs of owning a swimming pool?
• What unforeseen expenses might arise after purchase? Will I want a pool heater? A deck?

Gathering knowledge before making a decision is imperative when considering a large purchase such as a swimming pool. Asking the right questions before making a decision is the best way to obtain that knowledge.

Take some simple steps to keep yourself safe this winter

Protect your back while shoveling

It’s Smart to watch your back this winter, use these tips to shovel safely

• Select the right shovel. Use a shovel that’s appropriate for your height and strength, not too heavy or long.
• Dress in layers. Wear layers of light, water repellent clothing that breathe while keeping you warm.
• Take it slow. Pace yourself and take frequent breaks.
• Push the snow. Don’t lift snow – push it if you can. Avoid throwing it over your shoulder or to the side.
• Lift properly. If you must lift, bend your knees and try to keep your back straight. Don’t pick up too much at once.

Take the nip out of frostbite for kids

Children at play in winter may appear immune to the cold. But don’t let rosey cheeks fool you. Children are at a greater risk than adults for frostbite, because kids lose heat more quickly,

Frostbite occurs when skin freezes from prolonged exposure to cold temperatures. Children’s hands, feet, nose and ears are most vulnerable to it. And severe forms of frostbite can cause permanent damage.

For best protection, try to keep children inside on severe winter days. Here are a few other prevention tips:

• Dress your children in layers so they will stay warm and dry. Moisture-reducing winter sportswear, cotton socks. and mitten and glove liners all help prevent inside layers from getting wet.
• Set reasonable time limits on outdoor play in cold weather. Also, call children inside to warm up.
• Check for signs of frostbite on a regular basis. These include skin that appears pale, waxy, discolored or hard. Your child also may complain of numbness or pain. If you see these symptoms, seek medical help immediately.