Gary Stapp Weblog

             MORE TO KNOW

ANY CHILD 7 YEARS OLD, OR YOUNGER, is deemed by law to be incapable of negligence. Remember that the next time your neighbors child does something to your property. You will not be able to sue them.

TYPE 2 DlABETICS If you're still taking Reslin stop! It is killing people. Have your Doctor switch you over to "Avandia" and have your liver checked. This could very possibly save your life.

EVERYONE OBVIOUSLY KNOWS where we got the "one foot" measurement from, your foot of course. But did you know that a "fathom" was measured by holding your arms out to the side - finger tip to finger tip. The most interesting I find is the inch. It was measured in early days by "barley corns". 3 barley corns end to end would equal 1 inch, and 36 barley corns would equal 1 foot. Barley corns were used because they were all so precise.

TAX DEDUCTIONS??? Capital gains such as stock market gains means you must hold the stock for at least 1 year to qualify for the capital gains tax rate. Any gains from stocks (or other securities) held less than one year
are considered "income", and taxed just like you had a second job. Stock market losses on the other hand are only allowed at a rate of a $3,000 deduction per year, but you may go backwards I believe, one year, and
forward until you use all your losses up at $3,000 per year, or make enough profit to "offset".

INTERNET CMA'S ? I heard another company say they are thinking about doing cma's (comparable market analysis), on homes over the internet. YEAH - RIGHT!  Half the agents can't even do them right when they see them in person...much less over the phone or the internet. What's next ..... a crystal ball?

BLACKBERRY SEASON IS APPROACHING. If by chance a bird happens to drop a message on your car In berry season, I would suggest you clean it off fast. The acid in the berries will eat right into your paint and scar it.

Why do so many companies offer mail in rebates on their products..... Because only about 20% of the buyers bother to mail them in.

Why they put nickle and penny slot machines in the casinos. So they can let people win a bigger percentage while holding down percentages on the more expensive machines. This lets the casino advertise that they return a larger percentage of the bets. Obviously, if the penny machines are set to return 125% back and the dollar machines are set to return only 75%, the casino can advertise that they return 100% of player's bets while making a fortune on the slots. Just don't bet too many pennies at once, or it won't work.

The water from Niagara Falls drops approximately 1 foot farther each year due to the force of the falls on the rocks below.

In the early 1900's when the first gas stations were pumping your gas for you .... you had to trust the attendant, because calibrated pumps had not been invented yet. The attendants would count to themselves and knew how much time it took per gallon. You definitely didn't want to go to an attendant that stuttered.

How to keep strawberries from getting mushy and moldy before you get a chance to eat them. Go ahead and slice them up and then mix 1 teaspoon of sugar with 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar per 8 ounces of strawberries and combine. Some people might want more vinegar, it's a matter of taste. Try it. They'Il last a week or more in the refrigerator. This works on other berries as well, without slicing.

A lot of times we find ourselves pondering what to use on a stain. I recently pulled these common household stain fighting ideas from an article by the Ohio State University extension and some by me.

*Alcohol: Removes grass, grease and soft drinks.
*Ammonia: Removes blood, perspiration, tea & urine.
*Borax: Removes fruit & juice stains
*Dry-cleaning solvent: Removes chocolate, lipstick, milk, and ice cream.
*Hydrogen peroxide: Removes scorch marks & chocolate
*Lemon Juice: Removes ink, iodine, and rust
*Liquid shampoo: Removes grease, oil and tar
*Petroleum Jelly: Removes Ink
*White vinegar: Removes Alcohol, deodorants, coffee and glue
*GoofOff: Removes Latex painting smudges to 50 years old .... .just put some on a rag and wipe off the mistake. Most paints are latex based.
*Ring around the collar: Try some shampoo. Rub it in and let stand for a few minutes before washing.

*Stove Top Burners: Outside or on the garage floor, put burners in a plastic bag and seal it, along with a small
bowl of amonia for several hours, depending on the need. Remove and clean with a mix of vinegar and baking soda and a toothbrush. This really works, but some need to stay in that bag all night.