If you came up to me two months ago and told me that in two months I’d be listening to a swedish hip-hop band’s album over and over again, I would have assumed you were on drugs or feeble minded in some other way.
After all, I’m one of THOSE Americans, I just can’t seem to get into any foreign music where I can’t understand the lyrics. I had been able to do foreign films for a long time, I grew up on Kung Fu flicks and Japanese monster movies and I’ve enjoyed plenty of other language movies since then. But foreign language music I simply never was able to get into, until now…

From the first minute of the first song I ever heard by them, I was captivated by the sound. A sound that is classic and classy, yet simultaneously modern and unpretentious. Enough complexity to have substantial musical depth and soul, but simple enough that it doesn’t overload the senses. A lot of modern music seems unable to get the right balance in my opinion, but Movits! has it down perfectly.

From the toe tapping and popular “Fel del av garden” to the smooth chill-out sound of “Stick ivag Jack del II”, the sound is moving, solid, and compelling. There are a few songs of theirs I can’t get into, like the last song on their album “Vals pa Vinkelgrand”, it’s too polka-ie for my tastes. The lion’s share of the songs though are just plain good if not outstanding.

I really can’t comment much on the quality of the lyrics as I don’t speak swedish. I did look up the english translation to “Fel del av garden” and the translation I found seemed as down to earth and authentic as the band sounds musically. I have to admit, the first few days I kept thinking “this sucks that I can’t understand them”, but, after a while you realize that if you understand the music, the lyrics are a secondary concern.

So, I’m hooked on this band “Movits!”. If you haven’t checked them out, then I strongly recommend you play one of the youtube songs embedded here. Their songs are available thru Amazon and iTunes and their CD, Äppelknyckarjazz(translated: Apple Swiping Jazz), can be ordered but it is expensive as it’s an import. Luckily from Amazon and iTunes the album is only 8.99 for the 12 song album in mp3 format, or 99 cents a song individually. Either way, very reasonable in my opinion.
Currently, one of my favorite bands in the world. I should write a letter thanking Stephen Colbert, but he’d probably just take that as a sign of weakness, thus ruining my chances of obtaining the coveted “Alpha Dog” award.

Movits! website:
The Best Band In The World

Q.How Long Did It Take to Build the Great Pyramid?

A.It is believed the Great Pyramid of Giza(aka Pyramid of Khufu) was built over a 14 to 20 year period, finishing at around 2560 BC for Fourth dynasty Egyptian King Khufu. At that speed, they would had to have moved more than 800 tons of stone every day on average, and even more if it took only 14 years. All without the benefit of modern technology to do the work.

And I used to think I had it bad when we were the only house on the block with a push mower.

There is no magic number that works for everyone, this number will vary from person to person based on genetics, current level of fitness, average daily activity level, age, weight, etc… To figure yours out, you’ll need to figure out what your “maintenance calories” are, that is, the calories required for you to stay at your current weight based on your activity level and other variables. Whatever that number is, eat less than that to lose weight.

To get a guesstimate number to start with, you’ll want to visit a site like Nutritiondata.com
Be honest and accurate when it asks for your stats. Use that number as a starting guide for your own experimentation and remember that that number is just a guide, you will need to feel out your own actual needs which could be higher or lower than that number.

Always consult with your health care professional before dieting or when in doubt about anything regarding your health. I am not a health care professional, just a person who has experience losing weight.

Depending on the size of the potato and at 450 degrees, potatoes will take from 40 minutes to an hour to bake. Small potatoes generally 40-45 minutes. Medium about 50 or so minutes. And large 60 or so minutes. Test by jabbing with a fork or squeezing to see if it’s soft. If it is, it’s done.

With microwave ovens, cook times vary with power levels as well as potato size, but a good starting point is to put on full power for 5 minutes, then flip for another 5. If you have a microwave above 1000 watts, try it for 3-4 minutes, then flip for another 3-4. It can take some experimenting to get it right for your microwave.

I use potatoes as extremely fast food by baking a few extra and refrigerating them after they’ve cooled off a bit. Then I can grab the cold potato and eat on the go, they’ll usually keep for 3 or 4 days or more in the fridge. Not for everyone, but if you’re on a tight budget with time and/or money, it beats going hungry. Eat the skin too, it’s good for you.

Due to the ability of the potassium hydroxide(the stuff that leaks out of Alkaline batteries) to cause caustic burns on skin and in the eyes, it is recommended that you wear neoprene, rubber or latex gloves, as well as wear safety glasses when handling leaking batteries.

Mix water with some vinegar, lemon, or lime juice. The goal is to make the water just a little acidic.

Then use a q-tip dipped in the mixture to carefully and gently clean up the sludge left behind from the leaking alkaline battery.

Let the device thoroughly dry before placing new batteries in, otherwise you could damage the device.

Wash your hands with the mixture and wipe down your work area thoroughly to make sure to neutralize all of the potassium hydroxide.

Be sure not to mix battery types in devices to avoid leakage. Consider setting a reminder on your phone or computer to every so often have a day of checking batteries in devices to help avoid future leaks. Prevention is better than dealing with it after the fact.

Related Articles:
What Happens When Batteries Leak

Q. How Long Did It Take to Build the Eiffel Tower?

A. The Eiffel Tower took 2 years and 2 months to complete. Excavation began on January 26th, 1887 and ended on March 30th, 1889.

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Before it was built, many people were protesting it and claimed it would be ugly and and an eyesore. A protest letter, signed by many well known French talents of their time, read as follows:

““We, the writers, painters, sculptors, architects and lovers of the beauty of Paris, do protest with all our vigour and all our indignation, in the name of French taste and endangered French art and history, against the useless and monstrous Eiffel Tower…. ”

The best of us are wrong some times.

You can freeze bean sprouts but they should be blanched first either through a good single layer steaming for 3 minutes, or boiling for 3-5 minutes. Doing this will prolong the freezer life of the sprouts by destroying certain enzymes that cause loss of flavor and nutritional value, as well as degraded appearance. Without blanching, you could probably get away with freezing for a week or two.

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The best possible method for the storage of bean sprouts is to place them in a shallow dish of water and keep in the fridge, changing the water daily. Sprouts can be kept fresh with this method for up to 2 weeks. Not as long as freezing, but it doesn’t require blanching, and the sprouts will be exceptionally fresh most of that time.