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Month: May 2015

Power Pitching: Getting the Personal Connection Edge

By Patricia Fripp and David R. Palmer, Sales Consultants

Dozens of factors figure into your audience’s minds, whenever and whatever you’re teaching, communicating or selling. You create a competitive edge when you establish a personal connection. You must connect emotionally and intellectually with both individuals and members of an audience, so they like you and trust you… more than any other training they have received or sales person’s message they have heard. They’re just like you; if you don’t trust the messenger, you don’t trust the message.

How Do You Get the Personal Connection Edge? Do the Following:

  • Focus: It’s all about them! If your presentation does not respond to their concerns and you grind on with a prepared presentation that is not focused on their concerns, or you are too technical for the individual or audience, they will decide that you don’t care about them or their problems. Once they get back to work, they won’t make your training applicable to their jobs, or invest in your solution to their problem. Rather, pick up on their concerns, and address them.
  • Be confident & sincere: If you appear nervous or unsure, you may seem devious or incompetent.
  • Eye communication: Look your listeners right in the eyes for a complete thought or sentence as you talk convincingly about your ideas and information. Your eyes darting about the room is not connection or communication. Smile.
  • Divide & conquer: Shake hands with everyone… and look them in the eyes as you do it… when they enter the room. Connect with them so you see them as individuals. You’ll both feel more comfortable and you’ll become more memorable to them. (People are usually shyer in groups of strangers than one-on-one contacts.)
  • Technology: Use technology (PowerPoint) to enhance your presentation, not drown it. It can help keep you on track, but it cannot establish trust.
  • Keep it simple & memorable: When your listener or audience debriefs after your presentation or sales conversation, you want them to remember what you said more than they learned in other training; or in a selling situation more than another sales presentation. Therefore, summarize your key talking points into snappy sound bites that are easy to write and remember. Make them interesting and repeatable. What are the three to five key points you want them to remember about the information and you?
  • Avoid jargon: Steer clear of overdoing technical language and industry jargon. Rehearse your presentation well in advance with your spouse across the dinner table or a team member at work. If there is anything they don’t understand, you are not focusing on their interests, or you are making it too complicated. Your goal is to be understood and sound conversational as you do it.
  • Tell great success stories: People learn to resist a sales presentation, or they go to a meeting with a closed mind, but no one can resist a good story. “Imagine four months from now you go to work and… “Paint your listeners a picture of less frustration, more reliability, and cost-effectiveness. Let the person you are communicating with “see” themselves in a different light. Use the Situation, Solution, Success formula. Take a lesson from Hollywood. Give your stories interesting characters and dialogue, plus a dramatic lesson that your prospects can relate to.
  • Rehearse: The first thirty seconds and the last thirty seconds of your presentation or sales conversation have the most impact. Invest your time to create something original and interesting at the beginning and at the end. Then, commit them to memory. Do not shortchange your rehearsals. Three to five rehearsals won’t do it. Thirty to fifty rehearsals put you ahead of other speakers or sales professionals and give you even more confidence. Know what you are going to say so well you can forget it!
  • Bottom line: Everything else being equal, you’re way ahead of any other speaker or sales professional when your audience of one or one thousand relates to you, likes you, and trusts you. Remember, they must first trust you before they can trust the message.

Plan Your Plan, Execute Your Plan – 5 P’s Your Way to Sales Success

By Todd Natenberg, Author, “I just got a job in sales. Now what?” and President of TBN Sales Solutions

“Preparation and Planning Prevents Poor Performance.”

But planning goes well beyond having everything you need to close a deal on a sales call. It goes beyond preparing for the unexpected. It’s more than role plays and expecting the unexpected.

Planning starts at the beginning of the day, the beginning of the month and the beginning of the year and it continues right through the end of each. But – in the world of sales- how do you formulate an effective plan? What are the critical components? What does it mean to have good “time management?”

Recognize tasks you do each week.

Have you ever had a day where you worked hard but had nothing to show for it? Have you ever had one of those days where you felt you did absolutely nothing, but somehow eight hours passed and it was time to go home? What do you really do every day? What do you really do every week? How much time do you really spend working? How much time do you spend working toward your goals?

Until you know the problem, you can’t fix it. Until you know the formula for success, you can’t repeat it.

Here’s a suggestion: For one week, monitor the tasks you do, including how much time is spent on each item. Include everything from running appointments, to prospecting phone calls, to in person door knocks to checking voice mail and yes, even “socializing” around the office.

Expect Excellence!
Now that you know what you do, prioritize what is important. Determines those most critical criteria, and establish numeric goals for them. Label this “Expect Excellence.” For instance, your numeric goals may include how many appointments you want to run, or how many cold calls you may make. The key to the “Expect Excellence” is these are weekly goals, not long-term. Break down your expect excellence as much as possible: Networking calls, networking appointments, first appointments, second appointments, first telemarketing calls, follow-up phone calls, and in- person door knocks are recommended.

Create Your Must Work Week!

Based on your tasks and your goals, formulate a “must work week” schedule. Arrange your day (8 a.m. to 5 p.m. typically) and insert – prior to it happening- your work week. What days will you do office work? What days will you schedule appointments? What days will you “prospect?” Attach to those tasks on those days, numeric goals to coincide with your “Expect Excellence.”

Commit to Your Must Work Week

Treat this “must work week” as if it is your sacred Bible. Of course, things will change and flexibility will be required, but commit to sticking to it as much as possible. Question exactly what is a “customer emergency.”

Ask yourself this question when you ever consider altering your schedule, “If you were sitting across from a customer who was handing you a check for business, would you leave the meeting to answer a phone call, would you jump on e-mail, or would you check your voice mail?” If the answer is no, then it’s not an emergency.

Stay the path.

Time management: A plan to execute your plan to achieve your goals

Avoid Sales ‘Sins’ and Close More Deals

By Roy Chitwood, President, Max Sacks International

Closing more sales means making more money.

Increasing sales is not just a matter of raising quotas, adding new products, changing commissions, or redefining territories. Your staff needs to know how to close more of your prospects and how to penetrate your current accounts.

Easier said than done? Not really.

With effective sales training, selling becomes a procedure, and closing ceases to be a problem. By learning how to stay on a sequenced, logical path – even through a long sales cycle – the salesperson can take the presentation from initial contact to final closing in a manner that is comfortable and natural for both the seller and the buyer.

All customers, regardless of what they’re buying or the industry they’re in, have similar reasons for selecting one product/service over another. Understanding how to treat the motives for buying, and to control the decision-making process, is the core of every presentation.

It’s so easy to lose a sale. The salesperson can ramble on aimlessly, or the presentation is to the wrong person, or the buyer doesn’t have the need. There are dozens of mistakes (‘sins’) salespeople commit every day that cost you sales. These can be avoided and closing increased.

Here are some of the most typical sins:

  • Talking Too Much, Listening Too Little
    A typical salesperson walks into an office, gives the official two minute warm-up-asking about the fish on the wall or the family photo on the desk – then, like a high diver, leaps into a hot presentation about this feature and that feature, the options available, the price, and the savings. For the close, most do a belly-flop and end up with nothing but a big splash.

    Afterwards, it’s always the ex-prospects who are at fault for not understanding why they need the product or service.

    Knowing what questions to ask and how to ask them is the only way to find out if you’re making a presentation to the person with the real need, the authority and the money. If you’re not presenting to the right person you’re wasting your time.

    A salesperson needs to find out the facts and the feelings of the prospect before an effective presentation can be made.

  • Selling the Product, Not the Benefits
    When someone buys a drill bit, it’s not the drill bit the customer wants, it’s the hole. People buy to satisfy a need. No one is willing to pay for a product or service that just sits and does not perform.

    Yet salespeople sell as if they will. Presentations continually focus on the width, height, weight, power, speed, buttons, bulbs, or whatever of the product/service. It’s just like selling cars with no gas, pens with no ink, and computers with no software. The value just isn’t there.

    A customer buys a computer for efficiency and profit, not for its whistles and bells. Be they individuals or committees, they buy benefits – not features.

    Prospects have hidden buying motives. There are reasons why they select one brand over another, why one product/service seems to fill the need better.

  • Never Asking for the Order
    As a prominent study proved, more often than not, customers don’t have to worry about a pressured close, because in 62 percent of the cases, the salesperson never asks for a sale.

    For most salespeople selling is an uncomfortable experience because they don’t know where to go in the presentations. They’re afraid – and rightfully so – that with each sentence or gesture they will destroy their chances of closing. So, like a voice-activated tape recorder, they just go on and on, recharging their own batteries, until the tape runs out. If the customer doesn’t volunteer to ‘buy’, then they just don’t ‘sell’.

    Should the prospect hesitate when asked for the order, alternate ways to bring the sale to a successful close are made available. In this situation, the salesperson must elicit additional information, respond to objections, and look for openings to successfully close the prospect.

    When prospects say “No.”, what they’re really saying is, “You haven’t convinced me to buy.”

  • Pushing for the Close
    Too often the salesperson tries to ‘sell’, rather than helping the customer ‘buy’. When the salesperson is ready to close, the order is asked for. When the first close is resisted, the trick closes begin.

    The customer has fears, uncertainties, and doubts about the decision to spend company or personal money, and when closed too soon, reacts negatively to being forced to make a decision. Pushing too hard means that the salesperson is forcing the prospect to build a defensive wall that won’t come down easily.

    Following the sequence of a well-given presentation means that asking for the order will come at the right time. After the needs are understood, the benefits described, and the fees discussed, it is appropriate to ask for the order.

  • Wasting Selling Time
    Selling is a problem for many salespeople because they don’t know how to spend their time profitably. Selling is prospecting, cold calling, and obtaining leads. It is traveling to meet strange people, having to write letters, make phone calls and hand out brochures. It is writing out the order form and servicing the client.

    Many salespeople look busy, but they’re not closing sales. They suffer from lack of organization, and instead of using their time to be in front of qualified potential customers, they’re spinning their wheels in unproductive work.

    There is only one way to insure that you get all the way to the close, and that’s by staying on an orderly, logical path.

    When salespeople know what has to be accomplished next in the sales process they waste less time and energy and close more sales. When they don’t know what information or reassurances the customer is really looking for, they tend to go off in all directions and have little success.

    During every sale, there is a defined, yet hidden agenda. If this is not adhered to closely, there will usually be no sale. This is why a salesperson should learn the process of selling.

  • Not Identifying Prospects from Suspects
    There are many people who will listen to a sales presentation. It may make them feel important or help them fill their time. Whatever the reason, it doesn’t help the salesperson get any nearer to the sale. In fact, it takes the salesperson further away from the sale because time has been wasted and the point-of-entry into a company has been mismanaged.

    Presenting to people who are not qualified is just that – presenting. It is not selling. And a company or a salesperson can’t make a profit by just presenting.

    Probably the greatest misuse of a salesperson’s time is presenting to someone who doesn’t have the need, the authority, or the money.

    Professional salespeople know the frustration of trying to sell where there is not a buyer. The salesperson must know how to properly qualify a prospect and determine if there is adequate reason to proceed with the sales presentation.

    Even if the initial contact is not with the decision-maker, the salesperson needs to take advantage of the opportunity to move up the decision-making ladder.

  • Making a Sale, Not a Customer
    For many salespeople, just getting a signature on the bottom line is the only objective. To accomplish this end, they use whatever means are available – assumptive closes, promises of extra incentives, threats of price increases, or whatever other tricks are in the bag.

    Salespeople like this sometimes walk out with signed purchase orders, but they don’t sign on customers. In fact, the customers may be so resentful of the pressure and tricks they may ‘rethink’ their commitments.

    Even if the order isn’t canceled, these purchasers will have no particular loyalty to your company, and will likely buy from your competitor the next chance they get.

A professional salesperson is someone who helps a customer satisfy a need. Everyone benefits from this.

The customer operates the business more effectively and profitably. The salesperson is rewarded. And, most importantly, your company can count on the loyalty of a new client – one that will return with repeat and increasing orders.


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The Fourth Reich Published through Spectral Press…

logoFor followers of the Spectral Press and its new imprint, Critical Density. We have a great deal for you.

Save £3/$3 and get Critical Density’s first book and get this crackingly good read for 99P/99C. If you like Tom Clancy or Dan Brown, you will love this.

Published on 11th November 2016.

Here’s the blurb:

the-fourth-reich“September 1st 1939 – Germany invades Poland, thus triggering the Second World War as well as laying the foundations of German leader Adolf Hitler’s Third Reich, which was intended to last for a thousand years.

April 30th, 1945 – Adolph Hitler allegedly commits suicide in the Führerbunker as Allied Forces close in, Hitler’s dreams shattered and Berlin in burning ruins around him.

Early 2010 – A man with CIA connections is found brutally murdered in his apartment. Global financial systems have collapsed, plunging the world into recession. The Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull erupts, closing European airspace but was it natural or induced? Air Force One, carrying the US President, has its operating system hacked and the plane is controlled by unknown enemies. Threats are made. Prominent figures and leaders from the political, industrial, and religious circles across the globe are systematically killed within three frenzied days of murder. These seemingly unconnected events throw the whole world into turmoil.

Freddy Bartlett, a police detective at SOCA, is given the task of solving the murder, but it turns out not to be as simple as expected. As the clues and events pile, the conclusion is drawn that a Hitler bloodline exists and everything is connected by a vast web of conspiracy, tracing itself back to World War 11; a time the world would rather forget. Truths are uncovered which threaten to shake the very foundations of the modern global village, as a long-hidden secret society from the 30’s harnesses dark occult forces and unleashes Hell on Earth for one purpose and one purpose alone: to institute the Fourth Reich.”

Get your copy on Amazon here.

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Spectrum Center

photo of rainbow flag

Whether you're looking for information about upcoming events, attending an educational program, or wanting to get involved with the Spectrum Center, our website is a great place to start!

To learn more about any of our programs and to talk to a Spectrum Center staff member, email us or stop by our office in room 3200 of the Michigan Union!


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Speedway Digest Staff

29 Dec 2010
9861 times

Steven B. Wilson
Owner/Web Designer

About Me: I was born and raised in Virginia, and became interested in NASCAR at a very early age. I got involved with public relations and the media back in 2005 when I began working for Save The Speedway, which is best known for the reopening of the North Wilkesboro Speedway which had closed in 1996.

I started this site just as a hobby but has grown into a passion. I am self taught in web design, in which I have built and maintain several racing related sites, including, Save The Speedway, Benny Parsons Rendezvous Ridge, BennyParsons.com, and the Benny Parsons Athletic Complex

Contact Me: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Ann M. Wilson
Editor/Social Media Manager

About Me: Born and raised in Maine after moving from Maine moved around the Southeast until ending up in Virginia. I have been involved with motorsports since 2008 when I began working for STS Motorsports Inc. as the Social Media Manager. Since then I have worked as an editor for Speedway Digest managing the online social networks since the site began and curating race weekend photography.

Contact Me: Email Me

Brett Winningham
Sr. Editor/Social Media Manager

About Me: Brett has been following the sport of NASCAR since the beginning of the 2006 NASCAR Sprint Cup season. Since Brett was 13, he has had a passion of chasing a job in sports that not many get the opportunity of doing. He has been in the NASCAR media since the middle of the 2010 season. Since then, he has been a part of many racing podcast shows to improve his talents. He has written for racingonfuel.com and theracingwheel.com. Currently, Brett writes for motorsportsnat.com and TracksideChatter.com. You can find him on twitter @NASCAR_Brett.

Adam Sinclair
NHRA, IHRA, Motocross and other forms of motorsports Staff writer

About Me: Adam has been a race fan since the first time he went through the tunnel under the Daytona International Speedway almost 30 years ago. He has had the privilege of travelling to races all across the state of Florida (as well as one race in Ohio), watching nearly everything with a motor compete for fame and glory, as well as participating in various racing schools to get the feel of what racecar drivers go through every week.

Adam has spent the last three years covering motorsports for Examiner.com., where he had the opportunity to see the racing world from behind the scenes as well as the grandstands. He invites everyone to follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus, and looks forward to sharing his enthusiasm for all things racing with the readers of SpeedwayDigest.com.

Be sure to tune in for his weekly sports talk program, Thursday Night Thunder, where he discusses the latest in motorsports news with drivers, crew members, and fans. The show takes place every Thursday at 8:00 pm EST on the Speedway Digest Radio Network.

Caleb Whisler
Staff Writer

I am 19 years old from Atlanta, GA. I have been following motorsports since I was born. Motorsports has been "passed down" in my family. I am named after NASCAR Hall of Famer, William Caleb Yarborough, also known as Cale. Growing up in the southeast, racing was something that was a Sunday tradition after church. What an honor it is to share that passion with others.

Katie Williams
Staff Writer

Coming off the ranch, I didn’t have a motorsports background but my passion was and still is very strong. My first taste of NASCAR came at the age of seven while waiting for music videos to come on the old TNN network. As I grew up, I pursued other interest but eventually rediscovered cars going left when I found the SPEED channel during the 2011-2012 offseason.

I didn’t decide I wanted to pursue a career in NASCAR until the summer of 2012. I’m not a wrench head or strong enough for a pit crew so media was the next best thing. At the beginning of 2013, I started going to races and making connections within the sport. I also studied Motorsports Management at Sports Management Worldwide. Although I love what happens on the track, I’ve always been interested in what goes on behind the scenes and I’ve gotten to know many people throughout the radio, TV and digital media world.

While I’m a long time writer, 2015 was my first year actually covering the sport with www.nascarfemale.com . I also became a media correspondent for Raceline. I’ve been able to help the TV show gain recognition on social media. My current goal is to acquire more experience in covering NASCAR and move up the media ladder. Outside of motorsports, I have been an equine-sports statistician for 16 years.

I currently reside in Gillette, WY where I’m still involved with horses. I enjoy riding them, rodeo, swimming, traveling and meeting people.

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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Sam Sifton’s Trini-Chinese Chicken (Trinidadian Chinese Five Spice Chicken)

trini chinese chicken closeup

This is my contribution to this month’s #LetsLunch, a monthly virtual potluck on Twitter.  This month’s theme is “munchies,” to toast the release of The Marijuana Chronicles, an anthology featuring a story by Cheryl Tan, one of the founders of #LetsLunch.  Here’s a recipe that will hit the spot when you’ve got the munchies– vibrantly flavored with smoky spice, heat, umami and a touch of sweetness.

*     *     *

I am a huge fan of Sam Sifton, of The New York Times, and love how he brings a lively story with every recipe he presents.  So I was excited when I saw his recent recipe for Trinidadian Chinese Chicken (“East Meets West Indies”).  His depiction of Trinidad is reminiscent of VS Naipaul‘s writing:

“The dish pays faint, mongrelized homage to the Chinese indentured servants who came to Trinidad in the 19th century to cut cane and harvest cacao when the British abolished African slavery but still needed chattel to do their work. The Chinese cooked their own food when they weren’t slaving. All Trinidad — not just Caribs and Africans but also, as in Derek Walcott’s description of the population, “the chained Cromwellian convict and the Sephardic Jew, the Chinese grocer and the Lebanese merchant selling cloth samples on his bicycle” — savored the result. Each group eventually made the cooking its collective own.”

My husband, whose grandfather came from Canton not as an indentured servant but who was, indeed, a Chinese grocer, was excited to see Trinidadian Chinese food, a lesser known cuisine in the US, featured in the NY Times.  But he steupsed— a Trini expression for sucking the teeth to express disdain– at the sauce Sifton made for the chicken:

“The addition of a Scotch-bonnet sauce (choose your own, but make sure it is fruity in its fire, with a rich aftertaste) to the funky salinity of a commercial Chinese oyster sauce is revelatory, a culinary mash-up of the very first order. Slathered on the crisp chicken, it becomes visible poetry, a joyous product of survival under hard odds.”

“What kind of sauce is that? It sounds like he just mixed together a little bit of this, a little bit of that,” is how my husband put it.  “You don’t do that in Trinidad.”

Still, I had to try.  I don’t actually remember eating this chicken with my in-laws, despite their being the-real-deal Chinese Trinidadians.  The result? PHENOMENAL.  Even my previously skeptical husband devoured it.  He said the chicken was like what his mother used to make.  And he admitted that the sauce, while not authentic, was surprisingly tasty.

*     *     *

Sam Sifton’s Trini-Chinese Chicken

Recipe from the New York Times Magazine March 31, 2013

Serves 4 to 6

8 to 10 chicken thighs, legs and wings, about 2 1/2 to 3 pounds total
2 tablespoons five-spice powder
3 limes
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 2-inch knob ginger root, peeled and minced
1/2 cup neutral oil, like canola or grapeseed
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1/2 cup oyster sauce
1 to 3 tablespoons Scotch-bonnet-pepper sauce, ideally Matouk’s Soca, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped scallions, for garnish.

1.  In a large, nonreactive bowl, toss the chicken with five-spice powder, then with the juice of 2 of the limes, the soy sauce and the ginger. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to 6 hours.
2.  Heat oils in a large skillet over medium-high heat. There should be at least 1/4 inch of oil in the pan. When the oil is hot, remove chicken from marinade, allowing excess marinade to drip back into the bowl, and fry, in batches if necessary to not crowd the pan, turning the pieces frequently, until well browned and cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes.
3.  Meanwhile, make the dipping sauce. Combine oyster sauce, a tablespoon of the Scotch-bonnet-pepper sauce and the juice of the remaining lime and stir to combine. Adjust seasonings with more hot sauce, lime juice and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
4.  Garnish with scallions and serve with white or fried rice, with a drizzle of the sauce over each piece of chicken and the remaining sauce on the side.

sifton sauce

Please check back later for a list of all the contributions from the #LetsLunch food bloggers and writers around the globe.  Thanks for coming by! If you enjoyed this, please comment and/or share with your friends.

Annabelle‘s Scallion Pancakes at Glass of Fancy

Anne Marie‘s Pepper-Stuffed Tater Tot, Fried Pickle, Cheese Whiz and Garlic Bread Burger at Sandwich Surprise

Cheryl’s Spam Fries with Key Lime Dip at A Tiger in the Kitchen

Emma‘s Homemade Pizza Rolls at Dreaming of Pots and Pans

Grace‘s Fry Sauce, with an Asian Twist at HapaMama

Jonathan‘s Chocolate Chewy Squares at Jonathan Santlofer

Linda‘s Heavenly Hash Popcorn at Free Range Cookies

Lisa‘s No-Time-To-Wait Nachos at Monday Morning Cooking Club

Pat‘s Sausage Rolls at The Asian Grandmothers Cookbook

Rashda‘s Farm-Fresh Corn Fritters at Hot Curries & Cold Beer

Vivian‘s Spam Bacon & Kim Chi Sandwich at Vivian Pei

23 responses

  1. Pingback: Glass of Fancy » Blog Archive » Let’s Lunch: Scallion Pancakes - Fashion, fiction, and life in the city.

  2. Pingback: The Tot Head: A Simple Sandwich For The Munchies | sandwich surprise!

  3. Holy cow — these look so good! They’ve got all the flavors I adore. (And I love Sam Sifton’s recipes, too!) Can’t wait to try … thanks for sharing!

    • I think you’ll love this. The lime juice does some alchemy, adds a different and very good dimension to the five spice. And I just realized I posted this the same day the NYT announced Sam Sifton’s return to Food, yay!

  4. Pingback: Munchie Mania: Sausage Rolls | The Asian Grandmothers Cookbook

  5. Pingback: Heavenly Hash Popcorn

    • Sam Sifton was the NYT dining editor until 2 years ago, when he was transferred for the National desk. He has continued to write about food in the NYT Magazine. Coincidentally on the day I posted this, he just announced that he is moving back to a new food opportunity at the NYT! So you’ll see a lot more of him.

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Hawaiian Island Panzanella (Bread Salad) with Sea Asparagus

Hawaiian panzanella

This is a post for #LetsLunch, a monthly virtual potluck on Twitter.  This month’s theme is dishes inspired by travel.  Our host this month, Cheryl Tan, has been learning Italian the right way– full immersion in Sardinia! In honor of her Italian summer of all of our dreams, I am sharing an Italian fusion recipe.

Hawaii is so beautiful, it could inspire a person to eat anything.  Even canned mystery meat parts.  But much of the best island food is from the sea, naturally.  In this case, I’m using a sea vegetable– namely sea asparagus, which I had never heard of until a recent visit to Oahu.  Sea asparagus, which looks like a mini version of its landlubber namesake, is also known as sea beans, glasswort or samphire.  It thrives in salt marshes and packs such a salty punch that you won’t need nor want to add any salt.   It is rich in iodine and is packed with antioxidant phytochemicals and many vitamins, including A, C, B2, B15 and D, as well as amino acid and minerals, such as iron, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, calcium, silica, zinc and manganese.  In Hawaii sea asparagus is being grown hydroponically by Olakai Hawaii.sea asparagusThis recipe is an adaptation of a favorite summer picnic recipe- panzanella, or Italian bread salad.  There’s often day old bread hanging around, and this recipe makes the most of it, making a portable, hike- and picnic-friendly meal.  Pair it with cheese or salami for some protein, and you’ve got a complete meal.  I supposed I should apologize in advance to Italian food traditionalists out there.  I know “fusion” can be frightening to people.  But hold on.  I didn’t intend to make an island version, but on a recent Hawaiian vacation, my husband proudly brought home a pound of beautiful sea asparagus from Unnamed Big Box store. This is a chronic source of contention for me– I value The Store for party supplies and for staples like paper towels and toilet paper, but for general groceries for our family of 4? I find it a bulky waste. But my husband, who never knew such plenty when he grew up, loves the place.  So, as usual, he came home proudly with his latest “bargain find.”  In this case, it was an entire pound of this briny, delicate sea vegetable, which is truly enjoyed best (because of its natural saltiness and relative expense), as  a garnish, not main ingredient.  All of this is to say, I found myself with a lot of sea asparagus and needed to find ways to use it.  It’s OK, I like a challenge.  In this case, we were planning a visit to Honolulu’s Foster Botanical Gardens and the Honolulu Art Museum’s Spalding House, so we decided to pack a picnic.  Leftover bread and tomatoes and cucumbers are summer fridge staples (for nonperishable pantry staples, see my recommendations here), as are olive oil and vinegar, so I was ready to go.  As I rummaged through the fridge for other picnic ideas, I saw the very large box of sea asparagus and had a Eureka moment, and my Hawaiian Island Panzanella was born.

For more sea asparagus recipes, see my recipe for a Hawaiian omelet with sea asparagus and poke and also watch this space in the future.  Like I said, I have a whole pound to use up!

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Hawaiian Island Panzanella with Sea Asparagus

To toast the bread, I first cut it into cubes and then toasted the cubes over medium heat in a dry frying pan, tossing periodically.  You could also grill or bake it.

1/2 loaf of day old bread (about 3/4 lb), cut into cubes and grilled or toasted

2 medium cucumbers, peeled and cubed

2 cups vine-ripened tomatoes, cubes

1/4 cup white or red wine vinegar

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup sea asparagus

1/4 cup torn basil or mint leaves (Shiso might be another nice Island touch)

2-4 cloves garlic, minced

a few pinches sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Toss all ingredients together.  Allow to sit for at least 20 minutes before enjoying.

ala wai palms

Mahalo for coming by! Please come back later to see what other delicious finds the #LetsLunch crew have brought back from their travels.

Ciao and Aloha!

Annabelle‘s Creamy Jalapeno Dip at Glass of Fancy

Betty-Ann‘s Watermelon-Cucumber Cooler Cocktail at Asian in America

Cheryl’s Sardinian Seadas at Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan

Lisa‘s Moroccan B’Stillas at Monday Morning Cooking Club

Margaret‘s Rogan Josh at Tea and Scones


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Fox goes digital

The New Zealand Fox distributor has just landed a bunch of Fox's new digital shock pumps. Don't get too excited though, it's not the fancy brain one with the iPhone app. It's just a standard shock pump, but with an accurate digital readout where the old analogue dial was. Any good bike shop will be able to get one in for you, RRP is still to be confirmed but it's over $100.

Given my propensity to eat shit while riding though, I won't be packing this guy in the backpack for rides, it's for workshop only.


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November 06, 2014
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Tag Archives: King cake

fat tuesday

I love King Cake! Seriously, it is so good. It’s basically a giant cinnamon roll/croissant with icing and a tiny plastic baby inside. Since it is the day before Ash Wednesday, I’m getting my fill of sweets, which I always abstain from during Lent.

King Cakes were traditionally made to celebrate the three kings and their importance to the Nativity Story. Today, they’re commonly associated with Mardi Gras, but they are also used during Christmas celebrations.

I’m not Cajun or French or a native Louisianian at all but King Cakes are basically part of my childhood. Every year in grade school someone brought one in for our Mardi Gras party. I even found the baby in my piece of cake one year!

I debated making a homemade King Cake but settled on one from Fresh Market. It just isn’t Mardi Gras without King Cake!


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Mike the Spike: finally, the front cover!!

mike the spikeThe first glimpse of a book’s front cover is thrilling for authors. Suddenly it all starts to feel real. I’m happy I can now share my excitement with you!

Mike the Spike will soon be released by New Frontier Publishing as part of their Little Rockets series. You can download free teachers’ notes and classroom activities from the publisher’s website.

Mike the Spike revolves around a boy trying to get rid of his head lice before anyone finds out. But it’s also about trust and self-reliance – important issues for children aged 7+, who are starting to explore their role in the family and their wider community.

Who can I trust with my problem? Can I deal with it myself? When should I ask for help? And can a cool hat really be the solution to life’s toughest ordeals?

    • Thanks for all your support, Evelyne! I’ve got the champagne ready. Pity you can’t be here to share it with me, but I’ll think of you!

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Archbishop McCarthy Academic Olympics

Our St. Gregory School 8th grade students participated in the 16th annual Academic Olympics at Archbishop McCarthy High School on Saturday, September 26th. All of these students received a plaque and a partial scholarship towards registration fees for Archbishop McCarthy High School. Congratulations to all of our Academic Olympians! Thank you to Mrs. Richards and Mrs. Troha for coordinating and facilitating the participation in this exciting event, and to all our teachers who have prepared our 8th graders. The team placed 2nd place overall! Congratulations Crusaders! The individuals awarded medals were: Samuel Rincon – 2nd place – Mathematics, David Anderson – 3rd place – Social Studies, Luke Orlando – 2nd place – PE, Maya Fergus – 2nd place – PE, Marie-Antonia Catano – 1st place – Art, Sarah Knaus – 1st place – Religion, Sandy Denis – 2nd place – Religion.


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Science Olympiad Results

Science Olympiad is a science competition for middle and high school students devoted to improving the quality of science education, increasing student interest in science, and providing recognition for outstanding achievement in science education by both students and teachers. Our Science Olympiad team competed in the regional competition on February 13th against 23 middles schools. The 8th Grade team placed third in the overall regional competition.  They will compete in the state competition in Orlando on March 19th, 2016.  Below is a breakdown of the students that placed first, second, or third in their individual events.

8th Grade team:
Bottle Rockets – 1st place – Francisco Carreras and Daniel Pardo
Disease Detectives – 1st place – Amanda Cordero and Alexandra Huber
Elastic Launch Glider – 3rd place – Chris Nosowicz and Miguel Pichardo
Mission Possible – 3rd place – Emily Hui and Kaia Fazio
Scrambler – 1st Place – Chris Nosowicz and Miguel Pichardo

7th Grade Team:

Air Trajectory – 2nd Place – Victoria Costello and Daniela Dominguez
Bio Process Lab – 3rd Place – Daniela Dominguez and Matthew Vasconcelos
Green Generation – 1st Place – Cayla Copeland and Madilene Lauder
Invasive Species – 3rd Place – Cayla Copeland and Daniela Dominguez
Mission Possible – 2nd Place – Juan Posada and Matthew Vasconcelos
Picture This – 2nd place – Cayla Copeland and Jordan Knowles

Catholic Schools Week

Grandparent’s Day was wonderful and we announced that Ralph and Candy Govin were chosen Grandparents of the Year. They represent all the grandparents in our Parish who are loving and supportive. We are proud of our students for such a wonderful performance for Grandparents Day and also for Parents Day. We thank Carla Landron our Chair of Catholic Schools Week. We thank our chairs of Grandparents Day, Mrs. Ana Tavera and Kay Morrissey, our chair of Parents Day, Mrs. Dianna Myrtidis, our Faculty Appreciation Day chairpersons, Eleno and Andrea Corbo, Leslely Rojas, Michelle Juskiewicz, Lorena Urrutia, Rachel Walters, Michelle Courtenay, Ceclia Quiroz, Tina Tarantini, Michelle Harrington, Christine Conti and Stacy Bonilla. We thank our Christmas Shop Coordinator, Mrs. Mirna Bell and our service project coordinator Mrs. Holly Tobin. Our Catholic Schools Week Faculty school representatives were Miss Elisabeth Martone, Mrs. Diana Alvarez, Mrs. Gail Rogers and Mrs. Omaida Davis. We also thank Ms. Emily Barrett and Mr. Tritto for preparing our students for their performances. Special thanks to all the teachers and assistants for all their hard work in making this week special for everyone.

Math Competition Winners

Congratulations to our math teams who competed in the annual Sister John Norton Math Field Day at St. Thomas Aquinas on January 23rd, 2016. Over 20 catholic schools competed, with 100 students in each division.

In School Winners

8th grade.   2nd place Emily Hui and 1st Reed Tillinghast

7th grade.   2nd place Cayla Copeland and 1st Simon Villamizar

Individual Overall Winners

7th grade.   3rd place Simon Villamizar

8th grade.   5th place Emily Hui

3rd place Reed Tillinghast

7th grade 3rd place St. Gregory

8th grade 3rd place St. Gregory

Our 7th grade team

Johnny Corbett

Cayla Copeland

Nicholas Huber

Juan Serrano

Justin Toth

Simon Villamizar

Our 8th grade team

Kaia Fazio

Erin Grilliot

Alexandra Huber

Emily Hui

Samuel Rincon

Reed Tillinghast

History Fair Winners

Congratulations  to this year’s history fair winners.  The 1st place students will attend the Broward county fair the end of February to see if they will advance to the state fair in May.  Our school winners are as follows:

1st place- 8th Grade- Abby Day & Emily Hui
2nd place-8th Grade- Sandy Denis & Mayumi Porto
3rd place- 8th Grade- a tie between Daniel Trethwey
And the group Maria Latasa
                         Isabella Elias
                         Isabella Martinez
1st place-7th grade- Felicia Taylor
2nd place- A tie between Savannah Courtenay
And the group Roberto Huayamave
                        Alex Moussa
                        Giana-Luca Estebanez
3rd place- a tie between Daniela Dominguez
                                        Lillian Krause

Spelling Bee Winners

Winners of the Spelling Bee: First and Second Grade Division First Place – Jessica Loren – 2nd Grade Second Place – Connor Harrington – 2nd Grade Third Place – Katalin Bazzani – 2nd Grade Elementary School Division First Place – Max Pannell 5B Second Place – Luca Espinosa 4C Third Place – Halley Tang 4B Middle School Division First Place – Rachel Boyan 7A Second Place – Felicia Taylor 7B Third Place – Sara Fernandez DeCastro 8B Thank you to our moderators: Mrs. Rogers and Mrs.Troha. Special thanks to Mrs. Taylor, our Judge.


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surya charity concert dec 2012

On Monday December 17th 2012 at the ETNA, 13 Rosslyn Rd, E. Twickenham TW1 2AR ( from 6-8.30pm, Voices of St Margarets is singing to raise money for Save the Children’s life-saving work in the world’s poorest countries.

The group of 8 people are polishing off their vocals in preparation for a fantastic evening of festive fundraising which also includes local children, teenagers and adults playing a variety of instruments as well as a Ukulele group and special guests. The Midwinter Celebration’s suggested donation is £8 for adults and £2 for children aged under16 which includes festive refreshments.

They are hoping to raise over £300 to help children around the world.

Surya Cooper said “It’s great to do something we love while knowing that we’ll be making a difference to children around the world.”

Save the Children Chief Executive Justin Forsyth said: “Children continue to die from preventable diseases like diarrhoea and pneumonia. We’re working hard to stop these needless deaths. I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who is singing for Save the Children – you should feel proud that you’re making our work possible.”

Every year 6.9 million children under five die from easily preventable causes like pneumonia and malnutrition. Save the Children is working to stop this happening and to ensure more children live to celebrate their fifth birthday and beyond, no matter where they live.

If you would like to find out more about Save the Children’s singing initiative, visit

For more information please contact Surya on 07770 993289 or email


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Icelandic Glacial™ is the super-premium natural spring water from the “Land Of Fire and Ice”.
Home to glaciers, spouting geysers, volcanoes and raging rivers, Iceland is one of the world’s cleanest ecosystems. It’s also home to the legendary Ölfus Spring, the source of Icelandic Glacial.  Formed more than 5,000 years ago and shielded by an impenetrable barrier of lava rock, the Spring is constantly replenished by rain, snow and ice-melt from the nearby mountains.  The water is slowly and naturally filtered through layers of volcanic rock, thereby producing a natural spring water so pure that nothing is added or taken away.

News & Events

March 21, 2017

    Icelandic Glacial™ Launches “Pure Authenticity” Ad Campaign

    April 24, 2017

    Culver City, California – April 24, 2017 – Icelandic Glacial™, the premium, naturally alkaline spring water from Iceland, has just launched an ad campaign developed to inspire individuals to find their personal authenticity in the face of adversity and discrimination, tying in purity of character with the purity of what you put in your body. Icelandic Glacial water is bottled directly at the source of Iceland’s Ölfus Spring, and the company is encouraging all consumers to find their own “pure authenticity.” The campaign stars Hunter McGrady who, earlier this year, became the curviest model to appear in Sports Illustrated, Khoudia Diop, the Senegalese model who made headlines and went viral for embracing her dark complexion, Nick Wooster, the out and... Continue Reading →

    Terranea Resort Announces Partnership with Icelandic Glacial™ Water

    December 14, 2016

    Southern California resort furthers its commitment to environmental stewardship, offering guests premium water from the world’s first carbon-neutral water brand     Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif. (December 14, 2016) Terranea Resort, A Destination Hotel, is proud to announce their strategic partnership with Icelandic Glacial™, the world’s first bottled water certified CarbonNeutral® for both product and operation, furthering the resort’s commitment to environmental stewardship. Together the pair will deliver premium water sourced from Iceland’s naturally replenishing underground Ölfus Spring to guests of Terranea while maintaining a “net zero” carbon footprint. Icelandic Glacial water will be available in all guestrooms and suites, as well as available for purchase, at the 102-acre coastal resort. Following, the collaboration will make Icelandic Glacial water available for major resort... Continue Reading →

    Icelandic Glacial™ and Teforia Partner for the Perfect Cup of Tea

    December 07, 2016

     Premium Water Brand forms Strategic Partnership with New Tea Infusion Device LOS ANGELES, CA (December 7, 2016) – Icelandic Glacial™ announced today a new partnership with the first-of-its kind intelligent tea infuser, Teforia. The premium water brand will be the preferred water partner for the device, which intuitively considers the time, temperature, and amount of water needed to perfectly brew tea. Seeking to create a fully immersive experience for tea drinkers, Teforia employed a third party to test a number of bottled water brands in order to find the best available for brewing outstanding tea. Though not often thought of, the quality of water used can greatly impact the flavor of tea. Ultimately, Icelandic Glacial was recommended due to the... Continue Reading →


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Kobe Bryant - 2016 Panini Eternal Base Card #PE-KB11 – December 23

.Availability: Out of stock
Celebrate the 20 season career of Kobe Bryant.
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Panini Eternal trading cards from Panini are about celebrating those sporting achievements that are etched in history…from celebrating past Championships to a player’s career like Kobe Bryant and Peyton Manning to players being inducted into a Hall of Fame.  It’s those sporting moments that stand the test of time.  Panini Eternal is the latest on-demand trading card platform that offers trading cards to fans surrounding those achievements. Panini Eternal cards are only available for 48 hours after their initial posting.

2.5”x3.5” Trading Card.

Free shipping in U.S., Paid shipping internationally. Ships within 15-20 business days.

*All sales are final. Art and copy are renderings and subject to change and may not be exact.

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Store Locations:Nebraska:Omaha:Linda Lee's Hallmark Shop

Linda Lee's Hallmark Shop | Omaha, NE

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Linda Lee's Hallmark Shop
Oak View Mall
3001 S 144Th St Ste 1001
Omaha, NE 68144-5235
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Linda Lee's Hallmark Shop in Oak View Mall is here for all of your gift, ornament and card needs!

With a broad selection of year-round and seasonal gifts and greeting cards, Linda Lee's Hallmark Shop located at 3001 S 144Th St Ste 1001 in Omaha, NE is the perfect store for all of your special occasions. Our selection includes cards and gifts for annual events and holidays like birthdays, anniversaries, Valentine's Day, Easter, Mother's Day, Father's Day, the 4th of July, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year's, and more! Let us help you celebrate major life events, as well. We're proud to offer gifts, cards and more for baby showers, baptisms, First Communions, confirmations, graduations, wedding showers and beyond. When you need to send support and encouragement, we offer a selection of thinking-of-you, get well and sympathy cards. With our variety of products, including home decor, picture frames, photo albums, apparel, accessories, jewelry, stationery, collectibles, Christmas ornaments, candles, candy, books, gift wrap, stuffed animals and kitchen goods, we have gifts for kids and adults alike.

Product selection and availability varies throughout the year, so stop by today and check out what's in store for you at Linda Lee's Hallmark Shop.
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Store Locator> Minnesota> Cottage Grove

Sally Beauty Cottage Grove MN

Stores in Cottage Grove
8711 E Pointe Douglas Ste 104
Cottage Grove, MN 55016

Sally Beauty is the destination for thousands of salon-quality products under $10. Visit your local Cottage Grove Sally Beauty store in Minnesota. Here you'll find trained experts to pair you with must-have solutions. Our beauty stores offer hair care and color products, nail care, cosmetics and pro-quality styling tools—all priced to please and backed by a Love It or Return It Money-Back Guarantee.

We are the largest retailer of professional beauty supplies in the world, operating nearly 3,000 beauty stores throughout the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada alone. Sally offers more than 9,000 products for hair, skin, and nails to both retail consumers and salon professionals.

Product categories include hair color, hair care, hair extension products, styling tools and appliances, nail color and care, cosmetics, skin care, curling wands, flat irons, salon equipment, accessories and more.

Sally Beauty sells an extensive line of brands, including professional lines such as Clairol, L'Oreal, Wella and Conair.


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Global warming: Oceans’ coldest water is vanishing

Oceanographers measure dramatic changes around Antarctica

The deepest part of the Southern Ocean is changing fast. PHOTO BY BOB BERWYN.

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — A vast pool of very cold water at the bottom of the Southern Ocean is shrinking at a surprisingly fast rate, according to oceanographers with NOAA and the University of Washington, who studied records going back several decades to track the changes.

By analyzing thousands of measurements, the researchers determined that the so-called Antarctic Bottom Water is disappearing at an average rate of about eight million metric tons per second over the past few decades, equal to about fifty times the average flow of the Mississippi River or about a quarter of the flow of the Gulf Stream in the Florida Straits.

The bottom water forms in a few specific locations around Antarctica, where seawater is cooled by the atmosphere and made saltier by ice formation. The dense water then sinks to the sea floor and spreads northward.

It fills most of the deep ocean around the world as it slowly mixes with warmer waters above it, driving global currents and heat exchange at different latitudes in ways that aren’t fully understood.

“In every oceanographic survey repeated around the Southern Ocean since about the 1980s, Antarctic Bottom Water has been shrinking at a similar mean rate, giving us confidence that this surprisingly large contraction is robust,” said lead author Sarah Purkey, graduate student at the School of Oceanography at the University of Washington in Seattle, Wash.

“Because of its high density, Antarctic Bottom Water fills most of the deep ocean basins around the world, but we found that the amount of this water has been decreasing at a surprisingly fast rate over the last few decades,” Purkey said.

While previous studies have shown that the bottom water has been warming and freshening over the past few decades, these new results suggest that significantly less of this bottom water has been formed during that time than in previous decades.

“We are not sure if the rate of bottom water reduction we have found is part of a long-term trend or a cycle,” said co-author Gregory C. Johnson, Ph.D., an oceanographer at NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory in Seattle. “We need to continue to measure the full depth of the oceans, including these deep ocean waters, to assess the role and significance that these reported changes and others like them play in the Earth’s climate.”

Changes in the temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, and dissolved carbon dioxide of this prominent water mass have important ramifications for Earth’s climate, including contributions to sea level rise and the rate of Earth’s heat uptake.

“People often focus on fluctuations of currents in the North Atlantic Ocean as an indicator of climate change, but the Southern Ocean has undergone some very large changes over the past few decades and also plays a large role in shaping our climate,” said Johnson.

The data used in this study are highly accurate temperature data repeated at roughly 10-year intervals by an international program of repeated ship-based oceanographic surveys ( Within the U.S., the collection of these data has been a collaborative effort of governmental laboratory and university scientists, funded primarily by NOAA and the National Science Foundation. However, much of the data used in this study were measured by international colleagues.

“Collection of these data involves 12-hour days, seven days a week, of painstaking, repetitive work at sea, often for weeks on end with no sight of land. We are grateful for the hard work of all those who helped in this effort,” said Purkey.

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Skype Connect (Skype for SIP) Incoming Calls Not Working

Unanswered Question

I recently purchased a UC540 and am trying to use Skype Connect as the SIP provider. I have configured the SIP trunk and outgoing calls work fine through Skype. My problem is, I can't seem to get incoming calls to work. I have a skype online number associate with the Connect Profile. When I call the number, it doesn't ring on the extension I expect it to. I  setup the incoming dial plan with my skype profile username as the PSTN range (9905100...) to direct dial a single extension. What am I doing wrong?

PS - I used the most recent version of CCA to do the config.

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Overall Rating: 5 (1 ratings)
Steven Holl Tue, 10/05/2010 - 06:47
User Badges:
  • Cisco Employee,

Collect these for a failure:

debug voip ccapi inout

debug ccsip mess

Also get the output of:

sh sip-ua regis status

Louis Gencarelli Fri, 11/12/2010 - 09:35
User Badges:

greetings -- ran into a similar issue --  the fix was to be sure the incoming caller-id screen in cca (Configure --> Telephony --> Dial Plan --> Incoming --> Direct Dialing tab) has the DID range set as the skype online phone number associated with the connect profile NOT the profile username number (99051000xxxx).  Be sure to include the leading 1 before the areacode!

cca should look like either of the screen caps below;

hope it helps.

freshmangobvi Thu, 02/09/2012 - 10:50
User Badges:

Hi Louis,

I'm attempting to do the same thing but am a little confused as where I find the DID range set as the skype online phone number associated with the connect profile.

Just to be sure I'm in the right place, I am trying to get Skype-To-Skype calls for our Skypename to go to our AutoAttendant.

Thanks in advance for any help

mcasimirc63 Fri, 02/10/2012 - 07:38
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  • Silver, 250 points or more

Under the incoming dialplan enter your numbers and point them to the AA.  How many numbers did you buy for Skype connect?

freshmangobvi Fri, 02/10/2012 - 08:00
User Badges:

Hi Marcus,

Thanks for the quick response - much apprecaited.  I don't have a number for Skype Connect as I don't want another incoming phone number as such, I simply want people to be able to call my Skype name from their own Skype program and have them put through to our phone system (and use the Skype SIP for outbound calls), I know others have achieved this:

All the best

mcasimirc63 Fri, 02/10/2012 - 08:15
User Badges:
  • Silver, 250 points or more

Skype connect is the only offering skype has that will allow you to connect to any PBX.  I havent used Skype in a while but your skype name is not configurable in CME only numbers.  The numbers are used to register your account with skype.

freshmangobvi Fri, 02/10/2012 - 09:36
User Badges:

Hi Marcus,

Brandon in the thread I linked specifically says he has achieved the SkypeName to UC5xx workflow and I've read elsewhere that it can be done (it's a logical progression really) so I'm going to persist.

Thanks anyway


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Adams v. Bellaire Stamping Co.
141 U.S. 539 (1891)

Annotate this Case

U.S. Supreme Court

Adams v. Bellaire Stamping Co., 141 U.S. 539 (1891)

Adams v. Bellaire Stamping Company

No. 50

Argued October 26, 1891

Decided November 16, 1891.

141 U.S. 539

The alleged invention protected by letters patent No. 50,591, granted October 24, 1865, to John H. Irwin, was a combination of old devices, each performing its old function and working out its own effect, without producing anything novel as the result of the combination, and was not patentable.

When the sole issue in an action for the infringement of a patent is as to the patentable character of the alleged invention, it is not error to decline to instruct the jury that the fact that the machine had practically superseded all others was strong evidence of its novelty.

The case is stated in the opinion.

MR. JUSTICE FIELD delivered the opinion of the Court.

This is an action to recover damages for the alleged infringement of a patent for an improvement in lanterns, granted to

Page 141 U. S. 540

John H. Irwin in October, 1865, and assigned to the plaintiff in October, 1874. It was brought in the Circuit Court of the United States for the Southern District of Ohio. The plaintiff is a citizen of Illinois, and the defendant is a corporation formed under the laws of Ohio.

Previous to the invention claimed, lanterns were in use constructed in a similar manner to the one upon which the alleged improvement is made. They had a like metallic bottom and top, a glass globe, and a guard formed of upright wires attached to rings at the top and bottom, the guard, bottom, and top forming together something like a basket, into which the lamp with a glass chimney was placed, the glass protecting the flame from the wind, and the wire guard protecting the glass from injury by collision. The lantern was carried by means of a swinging bail, connected with the guard or the top. The lamp, placed inside of the globe, rested on the bottom of the lantern, which was so connected with the lower ring of the guard that it could be detached and removed when the lamp was to be trimmed or filled or the chimney to be cleaned. The top of the lantern also aided in securing the globe in place.

To a lantern of this kind Irwin added his alleged improvement. In his patent, he states that what he claimed was "securing a removable lantern top to the upper part of the guard, substantially as therein specified and described." And in his specification he says that the invention

"consists in attaching the metallic top of the lantern, in which the top of the glass globe or protector enters and by which it is held in place by a hinge, to the upper part of the wire guard surrounding the globe and securing it at the side opposite said hinge by a removable fastening or spring catch, so that by detaching said catch from the said upper part of the lantern guard, the top of the lantern may be thrown back, opening upon the aforesaid hinge, thus enabling the globe to be removed, or for any other purpose."

The terms "removable fastening" or "spring catch," as observed by counsel, cover every conceivable device applicable to lanterns, and adapted to connect one edge of the lid with

Page 141 U. S. 541

the top of the lantern or guard, or to disconnect it. It was simply the application to the ordinary lantern of a lid secured by a hinge on one side, and by any kind of locking device on the opposite side. An invention having no greater extent than this was not deemed by the defendant as possessing any virtue deserving a patent. It consisted simply in the use of a hinge and a catch instead of two equivalent fastenings generally employed before, and only possessed this merit -- that by the use of the hinge, the cover could not be separated and lost in case the catch on the other side should, from any cause, become unfastened. So that the alleged invention only amounted to securing a lid to a lantern by means of a catch on one side and a hinge on the other.

The plaintiff in his declaration alleges that this invention was of great utility, and was extensively introduced into public use, and generally acquiesced in. The defendant in his general and special pleas alleged first that the supposed invention of Irwin did not, in view of the state of the art, require the exercise of the inventive faculty, but only mechanical skill and good judgment; second, that it was not for a patentable combination of parts, but only for an aggregation of old and well known parts, each of which performed only its old and well known function unchanged by the combination; third, that at the time Irwin filed his application, there was pending in the Patent Office another application for the same invention in the name of one Duburn, upon which application a patent was afterwards issued, and fourth, that the said supposed invention had been patented, or described in printed publications or patents, prior thereto.

On the trial, special questions were submitted to the jury, and they found that the Irwin patent disclosed no improvement which required invention, as distinguished from mere mechanical skill or judgment; that the invention claimed had been patented or described in previous publications; that Irwin was not the original or first inventor or discoverer of any material or substantial part of the thing patented, and that the defendant had not infringed the alleged patent. Judgment was accordingly entered for the defendant in the action.

Page 141 U. S. 542

We do not perceive that in the rulings of the court any substantial error was committed. The elements combined to form the alleged invention merely constituted an aggregation of old devices, each working out its own effect, without producing anything novel, and such an assemblage or bringing together of old devices, without securing some new and useful result as the joint product of the combination -- something more than a mere aggregation of old results -- does not constitute a patentable invention. Hailes v. Van Wormer, 20 Wall. 353; Pickering v. McCullough, 104 U. S. 310.

The court did not therefore err in refusing the instruction requested, that before the patent could be held invalid by reason of a prior patent, it was not sufficient to find one of the elements in one patent, a second in another, and a third in another. If the patent were for a combination of new or old elements, producing a new result, such instruction might have been correct; but as it was merely a new aggregation of old elements, in which each element performed its old function, and no new result was produced by their combination, the instruction was not applicable, and was properly refused.

Nor, under the circumstances, did the court err in declining to instruct the jury that the fact that the Irwin lantern had practically superseded all others was strong evidence of its novelty. The question before the court upon the main issue was not of the novelty of the invention, but rather of its patentable character. Where there is no invention, the extent of the use is not a matter of moment.

We think that all the important questions of fact in the case were properly submitted to the jury.

The judgment is therefore

Disclaimer: Official Supreme Court case law is only found in the print version of the United States Reports. Justia case law is provided for general informational purposes only, and may not reflect current legal developments, verdicts or settlements. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or information linked to from this site. Please check official sources.


text:
Office Employees v. Labor Board
353 U.S. 313 (1957)

Annotate this Case

U.S. Supreme Court

Office Employees v. Labor Board, 353 U.S. 313 (1957)

Office Employees International Union, Local No. 11,

AFL-CIO v. National Labor Relations Board

No. 422

Argued March 28, 1957

Decided May 6, 1957

353 U.S. 313

1. When a labor organization engaged in multistate activities takes on the role of an employer, it is an "employer" within the meaning of § 2(2) of the National Labor Relations Act, the Act applies to its operations the same as it would to those of any other employer, and the National Labor Relations Board has the same jurisdiction over labor disputes between such a labor organization and its employees as it would have in the case of any other employer. Pp. 353 U. S. 313-318.

2. In this case, the Board's refusal to assert jurisdiction over labor unions, as a class, when acting as employers was contrary to the intent of Congress, was arbitrary, and was beyond the Board's power. Pp. 353 U. S. 318-320.

98 U.S.App.D.C. 325, 235 F.2d 832, reversed and remanded.

MR. JUSTICE CLARK delivered the opinion of the Court.

This case concerns the attempt of the petitioner, Local 11 of the Office Employes International Union, AFL-CIO, to represent for collective bargaining purposes the office-clerical workers employed at the Teamsters

Page 353 U. S. 314

Building in Portland, Oregon. These office-clerical employees were engaged by the various local unions and affiliates of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Chauffeurs, Warehousemen, and Helpers of America, AFL. Local 11 filed a series of unfair labor practice complaints with respondent, National Labor Relations Board, charging in substance that the Teamster group [Footnote 1] had interfered with the Local's effort to organize the office-clerical workers in violation of § 8(a) of the National Labor Relations Act. [Footnote 2] The primary question is whether, with respect to their own employees, labor organizations are "employers" within the meaning of § 2(2) of the Act. [Footnote 3] Since we decide this question in the affirmative, a subsidiary question is posed: whether the Board may, by the application of general standards of classification, refuse to assert any jurisdiction over

Page 353 U. S. 315

labor unions as a class when they act as employers. The Board here refused to assert any jurisdiction, and the complaints were dismissed. 113 N.L.R.B. 987. The Court of Appeals affirmed, 98 U.S.App.D.C. 335, 235 F.2d 832. The importance of the jurisdictional questions involved caused us to grant certiorari in the interest of the proper administration of the Act. 352 U.S. 906. We believe the Board erred when it refused to take jurisdiction, and thus, in effect, engrafted a blanket exemption upon the Act for all labor unions as employers.

We shall not deal with the merits of the unfair labor practice complaints. As to the jurisdictional question, the findings indicate that there are 23 workers employed by the various Teamster organizations at the Teamsters Building. They are paid by the Teamster group which, excluding the Security Plan Office, forms "an integral part of a multistate enterprise." [Footnote 4] The trial examiner

Page 353 U. S. 316

concluded that the Teamster group came within the term "employer" under § 2(2) of the Act. He further found that their operation was well within the monetary jurisdictional standards set by the Board in Jonesboro Grain Drying Cooperative, 110 N.L.R.B. 481 (1954). While the Board agreed with the examiner's interpretation of § 2(2) as to the term "employer," it held, by a divided vote, [Footnote 5] that, since the Teamster group was composed of unions, all engaged in a nonprofit business, the criteria applied to other nonprofit employers should govern. It further concluded

"that labor organizations, which, when engaged in their primary function of advancing employee welfare, are institutions unto themselves within the framework of this country's economic scheme,"

should not "be made subject to any of the standards originated for business organizations." 113 N.L.R.B. at 991.

With regard to the jurisdiction of the Board, the wording of § 2(2) of the Act is clear and unambiguous. It says that the term "employer" includes any labor organization "when acting as an employer." It follows that, when a labor union takes on the role of an employer, the Act applies to its operations just as it would to any other employer. The Board itself recognized this fact as early

Page 353 U. S. 317

as 1951, in Air Line Pilots Association, 97 N.L.R.B. 929. There, the Air Line Pilots Association was found to be an employer, and the Board ordered that an election be held to determine the wishes of that union's own employees in regard to the selection of appropriate employee bargaining units and a collective bargaining representative. Section 9 of the Act [Footnote 6] was therefore applied to the union as an employer.

The legislative history of § 2(2) unequivocally supports our conclusion. The Act, before its adoption in 1935, was considered by both the 73d and 74th Congresses. [Footnote 7] On each occasion, the bill went into committee with labor unions excluded from the definition of an employer. [Footnote 8] Twice, the Senate Committee to which it was referred amended it to include within the category of an employer labor unions when dealing with their own employees. The Committee inserted the words "other than when acting as an employer" after the exclusion of labor organizations from the definition of an employer. The Senate Committee on Education and Labor, to which the bill was referred, stated in explanation of this alteration:

"The reason for stating that 'employer' excludes 'any labor organization, other than when acting as an employer' is this: in one sense, every labor organization is an employer -- it hires clerks, secretaries, and the like. In its relations with its own employees, a labor organization ought to be treated as an employer, and the bill so provides."

(Emphasis added.) S.Rep. No. 1184, 73d Cong., 2d Sess. 4.

Page 353 U. S. 318

The bill which became the Act in 1935, S.1958, 74th Cong., 1st Sess., contained the identical language set forth in italics in the above Senate Report. It is inescapable that the Board has jurisdiction.

The question remains whether the Board may, nevertheless, refuse to assert jurisdiction over labor unions, as a class, when acting as employers. The Board, in the face of the clear expression of the Congress to the contrary, has exempted labor unions when acting as employers from the provisions of the Act. We believe that such an arbitrary blanket exclusion of union employers as a class is beyond the power of the Board. While it is true that

"the Board sometimes properly declines to [assert jurisdiction], stating that the policies of the Act would not be effectuated by its assertion of jurisdiction in that case,"

(emphasis supplied), Labor Board v. Denver Bldg. & Const. Trades Council, 341 U. S. 675, 341 U. S. 684 (1951), here, the Board renounces jurisdiction over an entire category of employers, i.e., labor unions, a most important segment of American industrial life. It reasons that labor unions are nonprofit organizations. But, until this case, the Board has never recognized such a blanket rule of exclusion over all nonprofit employers. It has declined jurisdiction on an ad hoc basis over religious, educational, and eleemosynary employers such as a university library, a symphony orchestra, a research laboratory, and a church radio station. [Footnote 9] When the Act was amended in 1947, the Congress was aware of the Board's general practice of

Page 353 U. S. 319

excluding nonprofit organizations from the coverage of the Act when these organizations were engaged in noncommercial activities. [Footnote 10] The House of Representatives attempted to give these exclusions specific legislative approval. [Footnote 11] However, the Senate draft of the bill excluded only hospital employers from the Act's coverage. The Senate version became a part of the Act, and the language is the same as that involved here. The joint committee report on which the final enactment was based recited that the activities of nonprofit employers or their employees had been considered as coming within the Act only "in exceptional circumstances and in connection with purely commercial activities." [Footnote 12] To place labor unions in this category is entirely unrealistic, for the very nature of the excluded nonprofit employers is inherently different from that of labor unions, and the reason for such exclusion has no applicability to union activity such as that found here. This is particularly true when we consider the pointed language of the Congress -- repeated in Taft-Hartley in 1947 -- that unions shall not be excluded when acting as employers. As the dissenting judge in the Court of Appeals points out, "§ 2(2)'s strikingly particular reference to labor unions sharply differentiates them from nonprofit organizations generally. . . ." 98 U.S.App.D.C. at 337, 235 F.2d at 834. We do not, therefore, believe that it was within the Board's discretion to remove unions as employers from the coverage of the Act after Congress had specifically included them therein.

Page 353 U. S. 320

It is true that the dollar volume jurisdictional standards adopted by the Board to govern its jurisdiction, Hollow Tree Lumber Co., 91 N.L.R.B. 635 (1950), exclude small employers whose business does not sufficiently affect commerce. [Footnote 13] But its exercise of discretion in the local field does not give the Board the power to decline jurisdiction over all employers in other fields. To do so would but grant to the Board the congressional power of repeal. See also Guss v. Utah Labor Relations Board, 353 U. S. 1, 353 U. S. 4 (1957), where the Court refused to pass "upon the validity of any particular declination of jurisdiction by the Board or any set of jurisdictional standards."

We therefore conclude that the Board's declination of jurisdiction was contrary to the intent of Congress, was arbitrary, and was beyond its power. The judgment is therefore reversed, and the case is remanded to the Court of Appeals for remand to the Board for further proceedings in accordance with this opinion.

It is so ordered.

Page 353 U. S. 321

[Footnote 1]

The complaints were leveled at the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and its representative, Teamster Local No. 206, Teamster Local No. 223, the Teamsters' Joint Council of Drivers No. 37, the Oregon Teamsters' Security Plan Office and its administrator, and the Teamsters Building Association, Inc. The latter owns and operates an office building in Portland, Oregon. The office-clerical employees petitioner attempted to organize perform services for the various teamster organizations here involved. These organizations are the exclusive tenants of the building.

[Footnote 2]

61 Stat. 140, 29 U.S.C. § 158(a).

[Footnote 3]

61 Stat. 137, 29 U.S.C. § 152(2), provides in pertinent part:

"SEC. 2. When used in this Act --"

"* * * *"

"(2) The term 'employer' includes any person acting as an agent of an employer, directly or indirectly, but shall not include the United States or any wholly owned Government corporation, or any Federal Reserve Bank, or any State or political subdivision thereof, or any corporation or association operating a hospital, if no part of the net earnings inures to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual, or any person subject to the Railway Labor Act, as amended from time to time, or any labor organization (other than when acting as an employer), or anyone acting in the capacity of officer or agent of such labor organization."

(Emphasis supplied.)

[Footnote 4]

The annual payment of initiation fees and taxes from members of the Teamsters Union throughout the country to the International's headquarters in Washington, D.C., amounts to more than $6,000,000. The minimum monetary jurisdictional requirement for a multistate enterprise such as the Teamsters, promulgated by the Board in Jonesboro Grain Drying Corp., 110 N.L.R.B. 481 (1954), is $250,000.

The Security Plan Office administers 18 trust funds, and receives contributions provided for by collective bargaining agreements with some 2,000 employers located in four western States. Some of the funds are invested in health and welfare insurance policies on which over $2,000,000 per annum in premiums is paid to a California insurance carrier. The minimum "direct outflow" requirement established for jurisdictional purposes in Jonesboro, supra, is $50,000. The California insurance carrier remits 4% of the premiums to the Security Plan Office to defray the expense of maintaining an office and processing and paying claims under the health and welfare plan. The Security Plan Office employed and paid at various times from five to ten of the personnel at the Teamsters Building.

The Teamsters Building Association, Inc., is, as are the other Teamsters, a nonprofit corporation. Its stock is held by six Teamster locals, including Local 206, one of the defendants charged with unfair labor practices in the complaint before the Board. The Association's sole function is the ownership and maintenance of the office building in Portland which is occupied by the various Teamster organizations.

[Footnote 5]

We treat the opinion of the Board, as did the Court of Appeals, as being that of members Farmer and Peterson. While Mr. Murdock's concurrence was on the "more limited grounds" that Congress never intended labor unions to be employers with respect to their own employees when engaged in union activities, he concurred in the dismissal by Messrs. Farmer and Peterson. The other two members dissented.

[Footnote 6]

61 Stat. 143, 29 U.S.C. § 159.

[Footnote 7]

S. 2926, 73d Cong., 2d Sess.; S. 1958, 74th Cong., 1st Sess.

[Footnote 8]

"(2) The term 'employer' . . . shall not include . . . any labor organization. . . ."

S. 2926, 73d Cong., 2d Sess. 3. This bill, while receiving committee approval as altered, was not enacted. When Senator Wagner resubmitted the bill the next year, he did so in its original form.

[Footnote 9]

Trustees of Columbia University, 97 N.L.R.B. 424 (1951) (library); Philadelphia Orchestra Association, 97 N.L.R.B. 548 (1951) (orchestra); Armour Research Foundation, 107 N.L.R.B. 1052 (1954) (laboratory); and Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod, 109 N.L.R.B. 859 (1954) (radio station).

[Footnote 10]

H.R.Rep. No. 510, 80th Cong., 1st Sess. 32.

[Footnote 11]

H.R. 3020, 80th Cong., 1st Sess. 4. The exclusions would have included

"any corporation, community chest, fund, or foundation organized and operated exclusively for religious, charitable, scientific, literary, or educational purposes, or for the prevention of cruelty to children or animals."

[Footnote 12]

See note 10 supra.

[Footnote 13]

See also Hotel Association of St. Louis, 92 N.L.R.B. 1388 (1951), where the Board declined jurisdiction over hotel employers. The Board's refusal was based on the local character of the hotel business. The District Court for the District of Columbia has held that such refusal is not arbitrary in Hotel Employees Local No. 255 v. Leedom, 147 F.Supp. 306 (1957).

In Checker Cab Co., 110 N.L.R.B. 683 (1954), the Board declined jurisdiction of an action involving a purely local employer operating two taxicab companies in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. See also Yellow Cab Company of California, 90 N.L.R.B. 1884 (1950); Skyview Transportation Co., 90 N.L.R.B. 1895 (1950); and Brooklyn Cab Corp., 90 N.L.R.B. 1898 (1950). In these cases, the declination of jurisdiction was based on the local character of the operations. We indicate neither approval nor disapproval of these jurisdictional declinations.

MR. JUSTICE BRENNAN, with whom MR. JUSTICE FRANKFURTER, MR. JUSTICE BURTON and MR. JUSTICE HARLAN join, concurring in part and dissenting in part.

I agree that labor organizations are "employers" under §2(2) of the Act with respect to their own employees. I dissent, however, from the Court's holding that the Board is without power to decline to assert jurisdiction over labor unions as a class. I am of the view that the Board has discretionary authority to decline to do so when the Board determines, for proper reasons, that the policies of the Act would not be effectuated by its assertion of jurisdiction. Cf. Labor Board v. Denver Bldg. & Const. Trades Council, 341 U. S. 675, 341 U. S. 684; Hotel Association of St. Louis, 92 N.L.R.B. 1388, aff'd, Hotel Employees Local No. 255 v. Leedom, 147 F.Supp. 306; Checker Cab Co., 110 N.L.R.B. 683. However, the declination to assert jurisdiction was rested upon the same grounds relied upon by the Board in declining jurisdiction over nonprofit organizations. These grounds, in my view, are not proper reasons for declining to assert jurisdiction over labor organizations. I would therefore remand the case to the Court of Appeals for remand to the Board for reconsideration.

Disclaimer: Official Supreme Court case law is only found in the print version of the United States Reports. Justia case law is provided for general informational purposes only, and may not reflect current legal developments, verdicts or settlements. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or information linked to from this site. Please check official sources.


text:
Sunday Selections

Second Sunday of Advent: Plants

IMG_6441It is night
The oak trees are dreaming

In their deep night dream-sleep they mumble

They mumble a windsong of fireflies
They mumble a dreamsong of fireflies

They mumble a windsong of moonfire
They mumble a dreamsong of starfire

The leaves dream: dark dreamsthick dreams
The trunks dream: light dreamsfluttering dreams
The limbs dream: deep dreamstangled dreams
The roots dream: sky dreamssun dreams

It is night
The oak trees are dreaming

-Patricia Hubbell

Find last year’s poems here.

Grade 5: Botany Block

The first day of our Botany block was the perfect spring day: the air was chilly, but the sun was warm. All three of us worked together and turned over both garden beds. I was feeling *pretty* proud of myself for choosing the *perfect* month to study plants outside. Mother Nature, however, has a wicked sense of humor. The rest of the month was cold and windy and gave us more snow than we had all winter. I can tell you, studying plants indoors is not fun at all. We did do our reading, although I found the Charles Kovacs Botany book unengaging and The Mary Frances Garden Book dated and tedious. As I had planned on using both of these books as our spines, I was pleasantly surprised by two beautifully illustrated picture books I off-handedly checked out of the library: The Gift of a Tree by Alvin Tresselt and A Seed is Sleepy by Dianna Hutts Aston and Sylvia Long.

The Gift of a Tree by Alvin Tresselt tells the story of the life cycle of a tree, concentrating on what happens after the tree dies. (Incidentally, it was first published under the title The Dead Tree in 1971. Oh, the 70s, what a wonderful decade to be born into.) The tree becomes home to a variety of animals and insects, eventually decomposing and becoming fertile soil that nourishes the next generation of oaks. This little story connected the dots of so much that we have studied in grade 5. Starting way back in September with Ancient India, I gave Vincent the symbol of a circle representing the ideas of life, death and rebirth. We have touched on that symbol throughout the year, but this book let us really explore the idea of reincarnation/resurrection/rebirth in almost every block. This was one of those serendipitous moments where I fall in love with the Waldorf curriculum all over again.

  • The Gift of a Tree, Alvin Tresselt
  • Keepers of Life: Discovering Plants through Native American Stories and Earth Activities for Children, Michael J. Caduto and Joseph Bruchac
  • Seed, Leaf, Flower, Fruit, Maryjo Koch
  • A Seed is Sleepy, Dianna Hutts Aston and Sylvia Long
  • The Mary Frances Garden Book, Jane Eayre Fryer
  • Botany, Charles Kovacs

  • Field Trip to the local botanical gardens
  • Bark Rubbings
  • Botanical scavenger hunt
  • Botanical mobile using items found on scavenger hunt
  • Kitchen seed exploration and collage of seeds found
  • Forced cherry branches inside

For more posts about Botany, click the images below.

Lesson Plans for March 2013

March always seems to be the beginning of the end of the school year. Just 3 blocks to go, then testing in June, then yippee!!! It also seems to be the beginning of the beginning of the next school year. I dragged my planning bins out of the attic last week and have started to fill them with resources for second (!) and sixth (!) grade. This is the collection phase. I have next year’s blocks on my radar, so if I see anything on the Used Curriculum yahoo group or anywhere else, it goes in the bins.

I remember when I first came to Waldorf and the internet chatter turned to planning for next year at about this time. I could not wrap my head around the concept. I was having a hard enough time just making it through the current year. But with three years under my belt now, it seems much more manageable and almost natural. I read a great quotation somewhere recently, “Don’t compare your beginning to someone else’s middle.” I wish I had known such things back then. I could have saved myself a lot of grief.

While it may seem tantalizing to look ahead to next year, I try to solidly stay in the here and now. And right here, right now, we are going to be learning about plants. I’ve decided to combine main lessons this month: for Jude, this block will be called “Gardening” and for Vincent it will be called “Botany.” Pretty sneaky, huh? There will be a lot of overlap and collaborative work, but obviously, I will get much deeper and more technical with Vincent. Here’s an idea of what my plans look like:

Vincent: 11 years old, 5th grader We haven’t done any formal Botany this year, despite my best laid plans. I’ve decided to divide this block into 4 one-week mini-blocks. Week 1 will focus on plants in general; Week 2, seeds; Week 3, trees; and Week 4, flowering plants. In addition to traditional lessons in terminology and characteristics, we will be doing a lot of practical work, outside exploration and artistic interpretation. I love this sense of balance so intrinsic within Waldorf pedagogy. I am planning to compile something like a scrapbook for this block, rather than a regular main lesson book.We will be using The Mary Frances Garden Book by Jane Eayre Fryer for a read aloud during main lesson time, and also Seed, Leaf, Flower, Fruit by Maryjo Koch. This is a beautiful book I found at the library that has a nice blend of scientific facts, lovely quotations and gorgeous watercolor illustrations. I may or may not use Botany by Charles Kovacs. This volume has not resonated with me like his others have.

Jude: 7 years old, 1st grader Jude will be doing a lot of digging in the dirt, listening to stories, painting, drawing, modeling and handwork – really just a continuation of what we have done all year. I plan on reading A Seed is Sleepy by Dianna Hutts Aston and Sylvia Long, The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle, The Gift of a Tree by Alvin Tresselt and because Easter is this month (March 31) I also want to read a few chapters from The Burgess Flower Book for Children by Thorton W. Burgess, narrated by none other than Sir Peter Rabbit himself. I hope both boys will have our garden beds ready for planting by the end of the month. We’ll see.

Sheila: I have admitted before in this space that I am not a gardener, so I think I may have been unconsciously avoiding this block. I am striving to teach out of my joy and find what energizes and inspires me with each and every block we do. I have had to dig deep on this one – pardon the pun, but it is apt. If you looked around our property, you would be under no illusion that anyone with a green thumb resided inside. We have 2 good-sized garden beds, a scraggly, struggling “orchard” of fruit trees, and in the spring and summer a bunch of plants and flowers in pots that when I remember to water them, look half-way decent. But if I take the act of gardening to a spiritual level, that is where I am able to find my joy. The potential of a seed, the tenacity of plants to grow, the symbiosis between the sun, the rain and the soil – I could go on and on, marveling at the sheer glorious wonder of it all. That is what I hope to impart to the boys. There is no unbelief: Whoever plants a seed beneath the sod and waits to see it push away the clod. He trusts in God. – Kate Douglas Wiggin

Look for links and the recipe of the month in subsequent posts.


text:
Letter Re: Sodium Hypochlorite Liquid

Dear Hugh,

I recently came across some Sodium Hypochlorite liquid at the big orange box store. It is 10% solution for swimming pools. It is packaged in one gallon plastic containers with two bottles to the box. The regular price was eight or ten dollars but they had it on clearance for $1.83. I have seen people talk about using this stuff in powder form for purifying water and I’m wondering if the liquid will work the same or if it is too hazardous and troublesome to store and maintain. It says 13oz per 10,000 gallons of water will give you 1ppm of chlorine so for 2 gallons of this you can do about 200,000 gallons of water…adjusted as necessary. It does say that it degrades over time and with sun exposure and that the caps are ventilated. Also not to store near acid. I’m almost thinking it is too much of a pain. What are your thoughts? God bless you and your and stay safe. – Nsane Prepper

HJL Comments: I would agree with your assessment of it being a pain to store. The liquid will have a much shorter storage life than the powder form and will cause much more corrosion on any metal stored in the same room as it. These are designed to be used in the same pool season that they are purchased. For our preps, we are moving away from storing volatile forms of chlorine anyway as chlorine generators are easy to purchase or build as well as maintain and the chemicals you store (usually table salt) are far more stable with much longer shelf lives. Two recent articles on this subject are:

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text:
Internet Safety.
Karely Carreto Olvera tips on how you can be safe on the internet.

    1.) Keep your personal information safe, and don't give no one else your password other than your parents.

2.) If an online friend wants to meet up with you in person, ask for your parents permission first.

3.) Always keep in mind that your parents are someone you can trust, so when somebody sends you something mean tell them right away so they can solve the problem.

4.) If someday you would like to buy something online, ask for your parents before buying it.  Don't just give out your information like that.

5.) NEVER meet up with someone that you dont know.

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