December 10, 2008

How to Start a Car With Jumper Cables

Determine that a dead battery is the reason your car is not starting. If the engine cranks when you turn the key, the problem is not the battery and jump-starting won't help. If the windshield wipers, lights and heater blower all work, the battery is probably fine and you may have a bad starter. A jump-start won't help if you have a bad starter. If you hear no sound at all when you turn the key or if the engine cranks very slowly and the accessories do not work, then you have a dead or low battery and it's time to break out the jumper cables. You'll need a flashlight if it's dark outside.
Step2
Find someone with a running car that can give yours a jump.
Step3
Open the hoods on both cars and determine where the batteries are. Park the booster car (the one that's running) so that the batteries are adjacent.
Step4
Turn off the booster car.
Step5
Attach the red jumper cable's end to the positive terminal on the dead battery. Use a rag to wipe the battery clean if you can't see the Pos or plus (+) sign on the battery. The positive terminal is always slightly larger than the negative one.
Step6
Attach the other end of the red cable to the booster battery's positive terminal.
Step7
Attach the black jumper cable's end to the booster battery's negative terminal.
Step8
Attach the other end of the black jumper cable to a ground on the dead car's engine; any solid metal part works fine. You may see a small spark when you attach the last end. This is normal.
Step9
Turn on the booster car and rev the engine.
Step10
Turn on the dead car. If it doesn't start, you may have a poor connection at any of the four cable ends. Jiggle each cable end and try starting the car again.
Step11
Once the car starts, disconnect the cables in reverse order of attachment: negative, negative, positive, positive.
Step12
Keep the engine running on the jumped car for at least 20 minutes or longer so the alternator has sufficient time to recharge your battery.

How to Start a Car With Jumper Cables --

December 4, 2008

How to plant tulips


How to Plant Tulips -- powered by eHow.com

How to Handle Angry Customers

If you own or run a business, or even work at a business where you serve customers, there are going to be displeased customers. These simple steps may help you make your angry customer happy.

Steps

  1. Be patient. An irate customer won't be placated by anything but a satisfactory resolution to their problem. Getting angry back at them won't help.
  2. Approach the angry customer and ask what they are displeased with. Usually restating the issue they are having will help to calm them. For example, say, "I can understand your frustration with..."
  3. If they ask for the manager, get him/her quickly and do your best to solve the problem.
  4. After they address the problem, apologize for taking their time and inform them that you will do everything possible to correct it. Then, make sure you do everything possible to correct the situation.
  5. Compliment them after the discussion. Say something to the effect of, "It's people like you that help our business."
  6. The next time they call back, ask how their day is and do everything possible to be polite.

Tips

  • Always be polite!
  • Try not to take their complaint personally - even if it's about your own job performance. If you feel yourself become emotionally involved in the issue, it is best to step aside and let another employee handle the situation.
  • Think about how you would want a problem handled if you had a complaint. Then, treat your angry customer as you would want to be treated.
  • If you simply cannot give the customer what they want, give them something for free (you may need a manager's approval) to make up for it.
  • Make the angry customer want to come back again.
  • A customer complaint can be a vehicle for customer retention. If you handle the customer appropriately and apologize effectively you can turn a negative into a positive.

Warnings

  • Never be mean to the angry customer. Remember, you want them to come back again. If you insult them, they are sure to take their business somewhere else, and they'll probably tell their friends.
  • Some customers are known to complain about anything. If you come across one of those customers, try to discuss with your manager whether this client is beneficial to the company or whether it might be worth to lose him, because he doesn't do a great deal of work and causes the company a lot of time in dealing with his daily complaints. The time wasted on one client like this could be dedicated to patients that are "true" customers.
  • Please remember that the safety of you, your coworkers, and other customers comes first. If a customer crosses the line by making abusive, threatening, or hostile actions or threatens to, immediately call 911 and inform your supervisor when it is safe to do so. Companies would rather lose an abusive customer than have their employees, vendors, or other clients hurt or worse in the course of business.


December 2, 2008

How to Make Fruit Punch

Step1
Chill all ingredients well, if possible. This step isn't crucial, but it will help preserve the bubbles in the ginger ale and cause less ice to melt and dilute the punch.
Step2
Combine the fruit juices in a punch bowl and mix well.
Step3
Stir in the ginger ale slowly and gently, trying not to release too much carbonation.
Step4
Taste the punch and add more juice if necessary.
Step5
Place the ice cubes or ice block in the punch bowl and serve.


Tips & Warnings:

  • To make the grown-up version of this recipe, substitute two bottles of sparkling wine for the ginger ale, but be especially gentle when adding it to preserve its bubbles. Sparkling wine or Champagne is a better choice for this recipe than vodka, rum or other spirits.
  • Use the best orange juice you can for this recipe, like fresh squeezed juice or packaged juice that's not made from concentrate. It will make a big difference.
  • You can also modify this recipe with many other types of fruit juices.
  • Garnish the punch bowl with lemon, lime and orange slices, if desired.


How to Make Fruit Punch -- powered by eHow.com

How to Purify the Air Using Plants


How to Purify the Air Using Plants



While an air purifier can do some of the work of making the air around you at home or work a little fresher and purer, plants can do a much better job of filtering the air than a machine, plus they do it more quietly and without using up energy from your power plant. And they are pleasant to look at and provide us with a sense of nature close to us each day. Why not give them a try and see if you can sense the benefits?

Steps


  1. Understand the importance of purifying indoor air with plant filters. Indoor air is some of the worst air we breathe on a daily basis because it is inside that everything builds up from the off-gassing of chemicals in many of our products.[1] We are exposed to a range of indoor air contaminants daily, including, smoke, toxins, chemicals off-gassing, pesticides, detergent fumes, mold, small fibres, bacteria etc. While cleaning takes care of some of it (provided we take care what we clean with), it cannot take care of many of the air contaminants. However, in a NASA study it was found that "houseplants can purify and revitalize air in our homes and offices, protecting us from the negative effects of such common toxins as ammonia, formaldehyde, and benzene."[2]
  2. Understand how plants help us. Plants act as filters because they absorb the toxins through their leaves, especially those with the largest leaves. The theory is that if the plants do the absorbing first, our nose and lungs take on less of a burden. That means reduced incidence of asthma, allergies, reactions to mold and other particles, and immuno-suppressed illnesses.
  3. Decide where you have room to place plants. It will need to be somewhere that you can access easily and where you can have the odd water spill without it being too devastating. Desks, floors, window sills and special plant stands are all good places that are commonly chosen.
  4. Think about which rooms could do with having plants purifying the air. Usually bedrooms are an excellent place for plants as they convert carbon dioxide into oxygen. Consider rooms that are heavily laden with electrical equipment, such as studies and TV rooms, and areas that have high fume potential, such as the kitchen and art workshops, etc. All offices can benefit from the addition of plants.
  5. Select your plants according to their benefits. Use larger leafed varieties where possible. Some of the best plants are considered to be a "top 10".[3] They are:
    1. Areca palm
    2. Reed palm
    3. Dwarf date palm
    4. Boston fern
    5. Janet Craig dracaena - breaks down benzene, carbon monoxide and trichloroethylene
    6. English ivy - breaks down benzene and trichloroethylene
    7. Australian sword fern
    8. Peace Lily - breaks down benzene and trichloroethylene
    9. Rubber plant - good for filtering a range of nasties, such as formaldehyde, benzene and ammonia.
    10. Weeping fig

  6. Consider some other great plants as well:
    • Snake plants - these plants are amazing growers and very resilient. They are great at removing most toxins and they are happy to grow where other plants might wither and die (such as a hot windowsill, for example). They are also good bathroom and dark space plants.
    • Christmas cactus - here is a plant that does well in rooms that are darkened in the evening, such as the DVD and game zones.
    • Spider plant - great for removing formaldehyde, carbon monoxide
    • Bamboo palm - another good formaldehyde remover, as well as carbon monoxide[4]
    • Gerbera daisy - removes trichloroethylene

  7. Keep the plants in good shape and make sure you have enough. The NASA study suggested that there be a 6 inch plant for each 100 square feet of interior space.[5] And naturally, the plants that work best are those in top health themselves, so keep them well watered and fertilized.


Tips


  • This article lists only some of the plants that work well indoors, and also only some of the major indoor air pollutants. It is basically a good thing to keep plants indoors for your health. As an added bonus, plants help to reduce too much moisture in the air.


Warnings


  • Avoid having toxic plants indoors. These include nightshade, creeping charlie, foxglove, oleander, sago plant, privet, rhododendron, umbrella plant, ripple ivy, sweet pea, vinca, and spider mum.[6] These plants can cause allergic reactions with skin contact and are poisonous when ingested, so should not be near babies, children, or pets.
  • Avoid plants that sting, have stickers and thorns which will hurt you--and especially with kids.


Things You'll Need


  • Plants of choice
  • Good potting mix and fertilizers; (organic liquid concentrate fish extract and kelp are superior).
  • Suitable planters, saucers etc.
  • Watering can
  • Plant stand (optional)
  • Secateurs to keep plants healthy by cutting away dead parts


Related wikiHows




Sources and Citations


  1. The Environmental Illness Resource Blog, House Plants as Air Purifiers: Plants Absorb Formaldehyde, Benzene and Other Toxic Chemicals

  2. Dr Jamie Fettig, It's Good to Know:How to Combat Indoor Air Pollution

  3. Care2, Top Ten House Plants for Cleaner Air

  4. The Environmental Illness Resource Blog, House Plants as Air Purifiers: Plants Absorb Formaldehyde, Benzene and Other Toxic Chemicals

  5. The Environmental Illness Resource Blog, House Plants as Air Purifiers: Plants Absorb Formaldehyde, Benzene and Other Toxic Chemicals

  6. House Plants as a Living Air Purifier



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