Did You Know?
Did you know that there is a faster way to improve the flavor
of your wine than letting it sit open for hours? Do you know
how supermarkets and other retailers manipulate you? Do you know
how to find out who funds your political representatives? Those
are some of the things you'll learn right here...
Tracking U.S. National Debt
In case you haven't seen it, the "U.S. Debt Clock"
website site has a rolling clocks tracking debt and other data
of all sorts. It has the U.S. National Debt, household debt,
current population figures, employment numbers, and more. It
is quite amazing (and disturbing) to watch the numbers roll as
millions in federal debt are added every minute (that's not a
typo).
You can find it here: http://www.usdebtclock.org/
Aerating Wine
It is often recommended that you let wine "breathe"
for a while before serving it. This is said to "open the
bouquet" and improve the flavor. This process of aeration
may reduce the effects of bitter tannins as well. It is accomplished
in several ways. The most common is to decant your wine. You
simply pour it into another container and, most often, let it
sit there for up to two hours before serving. The pouring introduces
more air into the wine, and the decanter does as well, especially
if it is a wide-mouth container. Alternately, you can aerate
wine in the glass by swirling it around and drinking it in a
way that sucks air in along with the wine.
Those are the two ways that many people know, but there are
other methods. I should mention that not all wines necessarily
benefit from aeration. Some argue that it helps only with younger
wines. Since most of us cannot afford the older classics, it
is good to learn the following secrets.
First, there is the Vinturi® aerator, which is a plastic
device you pour wine through to swirl and aerate it. This method
is faster and easier than decanting. You can find one of these
nifty devices at fine wine vendors or online.
Then there is a trick that Timothy Ferriss (author of "The
Four-Hour Work Week") recently wrote about on his blog.
It is to pour the wine into a large mixing bowl and take one
of those beaters or "stick blenders" to it. Blend it
for thirty seconds or so or until it is frothy. That's all there
is to it, but don't let your guests see you doing this unless
you want to explain aeration (and possibly argue about whether
this is a "proper" way to do it).
Ferriss suggests tasting the wine before and after so you
can note the difference. This would also be a good test to see
if a particular vintage benefits from aeration.
Manipulated by Grocery Stores
Why is the background music in some stores getting slower?
Because of research showing that shoppers slow down and shop
more when listening to slower music. That's just one way that
retailers are beginning to use the latest psychological research
to manipulate your mind and affect your behavior.
Some retailers have gone further with the sound effects, adding
specialized recordings to different areas of their stores. They
might have pleasant beach sounds near the outdoor furniture area,
for example, or the sound of sizzling steaks in the meat department.
Another trick some department stores and supermarkets are
using, is textured sections of flooring that are designed to
slow you down as you roll your cart over them. It has been found
that sales in these areas rise by up to 6%, and it is usually
the more expensive premium products that are displayed there.
To avoid being subtly manipulated in these ways, you can shop
with a list and stick to the list. To avoid being affected by
the music, bring your own MP3 player and listen to your favorite
tunes. In fact, if you listen to fast music, you will probably
get done faster and spend less. If you are going to be subconsciously
controlled to some degree, it might as well be by your own conscious
design.
Who Funds Your Political Leaders?
If you have ever wanted to know where the money comes from
for your elected officials, there is a great resource you should
know about. It is the website opensecrets.org. They have many
details posted about where the money comes from, organized by
names of donors and by industries.
For example, I checked in early March of 2012 and found that
here in Florida our state senator Bill Nelson (Democrat) has
received almost $1.5 million from lawyers and law firms, and
over $300,000 from each of the following categories: real estate-related
companies, retired people, and lobbyists. Meanwhile our Republican
senator Marco Rubio, has only received $427,729 from lawyers
so far, but has received $855,913 from securities and investment
firms, including more than $85,000 from Goldman Sachs.
You can decide for yourself what any of this means, but in
general you might not feel like your best interests are being
represented when you see where all the money for the political
campaigns come from. You can go here to click on your state and
see the numbers for your representatives:
http://www.opensecrets.org/states/index.php?ql3&srch=zip
Did You Know?
These last three short items are from my book, 101
Weird Ways to Make Money
- Two feet of icy snow on a roof of 2,000 square feet can
weigh 124,000 pounds and cause structural failure; which is why
rooftop snow removal can be such a good business.
- Entrepreneur magazine says of self-employed home organizing
consultants, "an income of $40,000 per year is easily attainable."
- Flea market sales are way down in recent decades, but there
is still good money in "flea market dollar stores,"
and there is very little overhead compared to a regular store.
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