Brooke’s speech was one of the most heartfelt I’ve ever heard. Truly she knew him from their childhoods to a point where they could understand each other. There were snippets in her speech that only true friends would know. Most of us who have had a long time friend will understand this.
This is one of my favorite books out there. In fact, I still remember the Reading Rainbow episode highlighting this book. Did I just show my age? The movie looks like it’s going to be a lot of fun. It looks pretty dark, probably too dark for my kids, however the book is dark too. I should get my costume ready for the movie premier. Maybe it’ll be my Halloween costume this year.
IT&E is looking to expand its clientele from Guam to Hawaii. I still see Guam as the technology hub of the pacific. There’s so much potential in what Guam can do. Things like the new cable across the pacific and new ventures of IT&E are great developments for Guam.
Pacific Telecoms Inc. (PTI), the Micronesian subsidiary of Citadel Holdings Inc., is looking to expand its telecommunications services to Hawaii before the end of 2009.
In an interview with the BusinessMirror, Jose Ricardo P.R. Delgado Jr., president and chief executive officer of Citadel and PTI, said: “We’re looking to sell our [long-distance] phone cards to Hawaii first, and exploring other options where we can do business.” The planned expansion will be carried out through PTI’s Guam-based telecoms unit, IT&E Overseas Inc.
Delgado, also president and CEO of IT&E, declined to reveal details of the planned expansion to Hawaii, saying it is “too early to talk.” The major carriers in Hawaii include AT&T Corp., Hawaiian Telecom, Pacific Light Net Inc., and Oceanic Time Warner Cable, a digital phone service and major cable TV provider owned by Time Warner/AOL.
Analysts noted that Hawaiian Telecom, specifically, is ripe for a possible takeover. The company filed for bankruptcy in December 2008 and in June filed a reorganization plan proposing to convert $940 million in outstanding debt into equity in a reorganized company. The plan also proposes to cancel about $150 million in subordinated notes.
In an e-mail to the BusinessMirror, Lawrence Knecht, executive vice president and chief financial officer of IT&E, said of the phone cards: “We will target the Filipino market and other ethnic groups across the whole marketplace.” The long distance phone cards will be preloaded with dollar amounts to pay for the cost of long-distance phone calls.
Knecht said the phone cards will be launched “before year end.”
Many of us are trying to find different ways to feed our families during this economic time. I have a few friends who have eliminated “going out” to eat from their budgets. Denny’s is no longer an option for some. I’ve eliminated fast food from our budget too. It’s been a hard time especially since I crave a juicy hamburger.
Tuesday nights are pasta night at our place. The process was to buy a jar of sauce and boil a packaged box of noodles. Today, I’ve cut down our budget by making my sauce and noodles from scratch.
At first I was hesitant in making everything from scratch because it breaks away from a routine. I figure change is good and making my own pasta was a good one.
You know how adobo tastes really good on the second day? The same goes with pasta sauce. I’ll start off the night before with my favorite recipe for red pasta sauce:
Ingredients
Directions
In a large saucepan over medium heat, saute the ground beef and pork until brown. Drain off excess fat. Add the remaining ingredients and stir until smooth. Cook for 3 to 4 hours on medium heat, stirring often to prevent scorching.
I leave the sauce on the stovetop overnight to cool down. Putting how pots full of stuff in your refrigerator will increase your power bill because it’s working harder to cool off that pot. I put the sauce in the refrigerator the next morning.
The noodles are from scratch too. When you look at the box of premade noodles, the only ingredients are: flour, salt, semolina flour, egg, and water.
There are some recipes out there that are just flour and water: 2 cups flour to 1.5 cups water. I forgot where I got mine from and now it’s all muscle memory:
Ingredients
(notice how everything is in 2?)
Directions
Mix all the ingredients together until it makes a moist dough texture. Roll out the noodles into thin. Cut into noodles.
I have an Imperia manual pasta maker.
Instead of hand rolling and cutting the dough, I just run it through this machine and out comes fresh pasta.
What’s really cool about fresh pasta is that it only takes 3 minutes to cook versus the 12-15 minutes to cook dry pasta.
Whoo hoo! More money for Guam! Actually, more money for the people of the United States of America. The idea here is to make sure that the money used for the Guam buildup is used on US citizens instead of outsourcing jobs to Japan and the Philippines. This is good news for Hawaii and California. I might be one of those looking for jobs on Guam.
Tucked away in the 2010 Defense Authorization Bill just passed by the House is a provision that should give senators — and taxpayers — pause. Over the next five years, 17,000 U.S. troops and dependents will relocate from Okinawa to a new base on Guam. This project will require billions of dollars to build the base itself, as well as billions more to repair and add to Guam’s infrastructure. The $10 billion projected cost is to be split by Japan and the United States: Japan would supply $2.8 billion directly and an additional $3.2 billion in third-party funds while the United States would contribute $4.2 billion.
That was the plan. But the provision inserted by Rep. Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii) changed all that. It has more than doubled the cost of the relocation by requiring that at least 70 percent of the construction force be U.S. citizens and that construction workers be paid at the Hawaiian prevailing wage rate, which is double to triple Guam’s. The ostensible rationale is that Guam does not have a large enough workforce to meet the demand, and it is necessary to bring wage levels into a competitive range to attract U.S. workers. But the initial estimate for construction expenses was near $300 million, while the change would drive construction worker compensation costs to more than $10 billion.
If giving U.S. workers jobs on Guam is a priority, this could be accomplished without driving wages up artificially to such a high level. You could, for example, keep the 70 percent restriction on foreign workers and let the market determine their wages. But given that Japan is paying for much of the relocation, does it make sense to limit the participation of Japanese construction firms and their workers?
These provisions will complicate a process already fraught with challenges. Guam’s overburdened infrastructure will be sorely taxed by the new arrivals, who will amount to a 14 percent population increase, requiring an estimated $6.1 billion of work on roads, water, sewerage, waste processing and the power grid. Since Guam’s annual budget is less than $1 billion, this money will have to come from outside. Why add to the burden on taxpayers with these unnecessary provisions? It is tempting to seize on any plan that tries to offer Americans jobs, but this cost is too great.
References:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/05/AR2009070501782.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/29/AR2009062904119.html
I came across this article about skewers. I thought some of you might benefit from some of these tricks.
Soaking: Soak bamboo skewer in soy sauce- flavored water for 30 minutes or up to two hours before grilling to keep their exposed ends from burning.
Parallel skewering: Skewer fish fillets, scallops and squid with two or more parallel skewers to keep them from falling apart and to make flipping easier.
Lemongrass skewers: Lemongrass stalks make great skewers, adding subtly aromatic flavor t food. Peel off dried outer leaves and sharpen one end for easy threading. Soak in soy-sauce flavored water for 20 minutes before using.
Sugarcane skewers: Like lemongrass, fresh sugarcane skewer look great and their juices sweeten foods as they grill. Peel a 6-inch section, then cut downward into eight wedges and cut wedges into strips. Cut one end at an angle to make a point.
Here’s an up-close picture of my use of parallel skewering. I mostly use parallel skewering with vegetables, especially tomatoes. I haven’t purchased those metal skewers yet, but when I do, I’ll buy the metal skewers that are relatively flat. Flat skewers do the same thing as parallel skewering.
There’s a formula to help define success in any project. Do Customer Expectations = Final Outcome. This is the easiest way to figure out of any of your events or projects came out with a positive outcome.
Let’s face it, we can’t please everyone. While this is true, I think it’s possible to manage the expectations to lean towards 100% satisfaction. Remember that different people have different styles and personalities. From what I’ve learned over the years is that the scientific type of people out there require greater details in what’s going on while more finance people want the final number in the end. There’s a balance that you need to find when managing expectations. That’s why it’s important for you to find your style in managing expectations.
Expectations are key. In other words, we can give someone everything in the world but if that’s not what they are asking for you have failed in your duties. I had a long discussion with a friend of mine who wanted to give a gift to someone else. My thoughts were that as far as I know, that person didn’t want that specific gift. But my friend was persistent because it was the right thing to do (give a gift). Think about it. If you’re craving an apple and someone gives you an orange, are you satisfied?
There are many strategies in managing customer expectations.
Here are a few:
Get the customer involved – Get a group of the customers together to figure out what they expect in the end. Have the customers talk with each other and step in when they are all in agreement with each other.
Don’t hide risks – Show the customers what the risks are from the beginning of the project/event. This helps them understand that something can go wrong with a certain problem.
Share – Give your customers updates on what’s going on with the project/event. You want to keep them in the loop. This is a great technique but more importantly, nothing is hidden and when you share something with someone they appreciate the fact that you confided with them.
Say no – Wasn’t this about making the customer happy? Well, over the years I’ve learned that there are some things out there that go far beyond the technical capabilities of technology. Also, remember that you have deadlines to keep up. I’ve been in several meetings where people ask for something right in the middle of the project. While the temptation to laugh is there it’s probably best to explain that it can’t be done within the timeframe.
Put yourself in their shoes –Think about how you’d like to be told about a project status. What are the key elements you’d bring up?
The underlying clue to customer satisfaction is effective communication.
I’m testing out Tunnelblick for VPN access to a private network. It works out pretty well once you get the configuration file setup correctly. After that, traffic and ease of connecting are a piece of cake.
References: http://code.google.com/p/tunnelblick/
I find myself at times drooling with my mouth wide open when I enter culinary stores. I don’t know if it’s because I know that the items in the store make succulent dishes or because that some of these gadgets have some phallic representation. I’ll keep the phallic cooking gadgets for another post. For now, let’s talk about pots.
One of the other cool gifts I received this past holiday was a 4.5 quart Le Cruset dutch oven in Flame Orange. Sorry, not dutch oven, French Oven.
I had to test drive this puppy before I gave you a review. Here’s how they describe it:
Since 1925, Le Creuset has been handcrafting Enameled Cast Iron cookware, and particularly Round French Ovens (or Dutch Ovens), in Northern France. While this popular shape has been around for many centuries before that, the basic design has changed very little thus endorsing the cooking qualities that it provides. Generation after generation has come to cherish the Le Creuset Round French Oven’s quality, durability, and versatility, and it easily becomes the core piece in any well-equipped kitchen. The cast iron provides superb heat retention and distribution, and the enamel is hard-wearing and non-reactive, making the number of recipes that you can do in this pot endless: anything from savory rice to braised chicken to mouth-watering cake. Your imagination is the only limit!
First of all, I love the color. Okay color doesn’t cook. How does it cook? It’s amazing. For many years I thought cast iron cooking meant greasy black pans that haven’t been washed in years (yes I have one). The enamel on this pot makes it nonstick and from what it seems, this pot cuts cooking time in half. Oh and it’s non-reactive too. What does this mean? Well, reactive pans like aluminum and copper react to acidic foods, like tomatoes, to a point they change the overall flavor. This was a problem early on with cast iron pots where the pots were reactive and you couldn’t make any soups that were slightly acidic.
This pot comes with a lot of rules (I’ll list a few):
From my experience, you want to follow any instruction on how to use and care for your products (reminds me of the time I put my high carbon knife in the dishwasher).
Don’t worry if you’re thinking of buying one of these and are concerned about the recommendations on keeping the heat level between low and medium. The medium works really well. Remember that you are using cast iron that retains a lot of the heat. You’ll still be able to get a nice crisp sear on your meat.
Overall, I’m really glad that I have one. Le Creuset is one of the best brands of cast iron in the world and has a long history that is passed on from generation to generation. In fact, my kids have already bargained on who’s going to get the pot. The other one is going to get Le Creuset in Black. Oh, I’d still take my Lodge cast iron on camping trips. There’s no way my Le Creuset will be used on a campfire.
Resources:
http://www.lecreuset.com
http://www.lodgemfg.com
Dan Wilson is one of my favorite writer/musicians out there. I’ve followed him since his Semisonic days (I started off with waking up to Closing Time on MTV). When I think of musicians, I think of people who just play music or just sing but Dan does it all–plays, sings, and writes. I think there are only a handful of talented artists who can write, sing, and play. I feel like it’s a dying art or something. Closing Time is one of my favorite songs and I end up playing it after most of the events where I have control of the music. My PTA members get the clue when it’s time to close up shop.
I’ve made it to a couple of Semisonic concerts and I’ve watched him while he was doing his solo tour while traveling through San Francisco.
Check him out. If you’re into some cool alternative rock, I’m sure you’ll enjoy his music as much as I do.
Above is a video of him performing Against History (another all time favorite, you need to listen deeply to the lyrics). I was just alerted that this type of artist is called singer/songwriter. Well, Dan is one of the best singer/songwriters out there that I know.
Here’s an exerpt from his website:
Dan Wilson is renowned in music circles for the elegance of his melodies, the intelligence of his lyrics and the purity of his voice. The onetime member of storied cult band Trip Shakespeare and the critically acclaimed Semisonic is now active as a solo artist, working with a collective of musicians from the Twin Cities and elsewhere. This new phase follows an intense period of songwriting collaborations—in the past few years Wilson has written songs with the Dixie Chicks, Mike Doughty, Rachael Yamagata, Jewel, Jason Mraz and others. Wilson’s recent cowriting work with the Dixie Chicks earned him a “Song of the Year” Grammy® in 2007 for “Not Ready To Make Nice” from the album Taking the Long Way. He co-wrote six songs on the album, which won the Dixie Chicks a total of 5 Grammy® Awards, including “Album Of The Year” and “Country Album Of The Year.”
References:
Welcome to the curated chaos of curiosity and creativity—brought to you by Edel Alon: maker, thinker, and hands-on problem-solver. This blog is part journal, part resource hub, and entirely dedicated to the art of doing. From culinary experiments and car tinkering to tech deep dives and DIY builds, you'll find stories, guides, reviews, and reflections designed to inspire, inform, and occasionally make you laugh (or at least raise an eyebrow). It's a celebration of learning by doing—with a few detours along the way.
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