This month's page:
October2008
.... and take a look at my homepage!
http://Elsa.Jock.Googlepages.com/
Let's start with a smile!
Joke
Twice a year, we change the clocks for daylight-savings time. And twice a year, my normally punctual assistant arrives late to work the Monday after we do so. I finally had to find out why. "Do you have a problem remembering to spring forward or fall back?" I asked.
"Oh, no," she said, pouring herself a cup of coffee. "What gets to me is staying up until 2 a.m. to change my clock."......
Eating together......
Mealtimes are an important part of building family ties. And in addition, there are some big health benefits to taking time to eat together.
Kids Eat Better. With the alarming rate of childhood obesity and lack of fitness, the experts in the field of children's health warn us to avoid a steady diet of fast food. Too often, when we are running to soccer games, dance recitals, or piano lessons, dinner is secured in the drive through lane and eaten in the car. Taking time to prepare and serve a nutritious meal at home can help kids eat better food-lower fat, lower sodium and higher nutritional values.
Parents Eat Better. If it is good for the kids, it is good for us. Try an experiment: commit to eating a prepared meal at home at least once a day for a week, and see if you don't feel better and if you have been able to keep your weight down. Eating at home instead of in the car on the way to or from an event will help you, too.
Doing Double Duty: Spending Time and Eating. One of the challenges parents often have (and especially fathers) is balancing the demands on their time. Eating a meal at home with the family is one of those high leverage activities-you can spend time with your family and eat a meal at the same time. These are both high priorities and you get to do them at the same time!
Daily Check-Ins. Among the many difficulties of moving into the teenage years is that our kids are more mobile and tend to spend less time at home. Having the family together for at least one mealtime each day (usually breakfast or dinner) gives parents and teens a chance to connect they might not otherwise have. No matter what the age of your children, mealtime is a good time to check in with each other.
Learning Good Manners. Anyone else noticed that good table manners are missing from some of our children today. This is probably a result of the more casual atmosphere of today's busy lifestyle, but good manners are essential to success. At the family table, you can practice setting a table properly; you can teach good manners and proper etiquette. And you can see how well your teaching is taking.
In order to attract and keep your kids at the family table, family mealtimes have to be attractive to them. Pizza every night might be one way, but there are better ways to make mealtimes a good experience.
Involve Children in the Preparation. Children love to be involved. Find age-appropriate ways for them to help with dinner. Breaking up lettuce for a green salad or putting napkins on the table might be good for a toddler. Older children can help with shopping, cooking and setting the table. Finding ways to involve them in the process can help children have ownership in the outcome.
Keep It Simple. Candidly, families trying to implement family meal time tend to go a little overboard in meal preparation. Everyday does not need to have a holiday dinner. Some simple meal ideas can help ease the transition and make it a more enjoyable experience.
Keep the Conversation Light. Family meal time is not the time to engage in serious debates about issues like discipline or money. If the discussions are too heavy, children will rebel at coming and parents will come away with indigestion. Resolve to keep the tone light and conversational and save the heavy stuff for individual discussions or for a family council.
Turn Off The Television. This one was a hard adjustment for me when Julie and I were married. The TV was on all day every day at my home growing up, including mealtimes. But we have resolved from the early days of our marriage to turn off the television during mealtime (and most times). Television will distract some or all family members from the benefits of family mealtime and will minimize the kind of conversation you hope to have. And dad: put away the newspaper, too.
Eat Outside the Box. Take the time to be a little creative with family meals. Plan some variety. Think about ideas like packing some sandwiches in a picnic basket and heading to the park. Stoke up the barbeque for dinner from time to time. Try some ethnic dishes that you may not have experienced before. Try a fondue sometime to experience real family togetherness. But keep a little variety in mind as you plan your family meals.
Conclusion
Family mealtime can become a highlight of the day and a way to build some pleasant family memories. Remember to make it fun. Involve the children in planning and executing the meal. Keep conversations light and distractions to a minimum. And then enjoy spending time together and having this daily check in whenever possible.
Quirks: Parallel Universe
One of my least cherished memories involves a drivers'-ed instructor named Mr. Wilson and a set of Matchbox cars. It was 1975, and Mr. Wilson was trying to teach me to parallel park. At one point, keenly exasperated, he leaned over, opened the glove box and pulled out three toy cars. These he arranged on the seat between us, two of them parked against the seat back, the third waiting to pull into the space between. "This is how it works," he said, and he rolled the third car cleanly into the space, as though it might be possible for me to simply summon a giant hand that would take control and park the car with absolutely no effort or expertise on my part.
Now I find, 30 years later, that it is possible. Lexus has designed a car that parallel parks itself, the catchily named LS 600h L Hybrid Sedan.
"It takes a radar read off the front and rear bumpers," explained Michael Dobrin, who handles public relations for Lexus. Dobrin's office is a few miles from our home, and Mike agreed to let me and Ed give the Advanced Parking Guidance System a try. "I want to warn you, this is not a snap deal," said Mike when we arrived. "It takes a while to get the hang of it." He drove us over to an area he called a dummy setup in the parking lot outside his office. I tried not to take the phrasing personally.
Mike had had one of his employees park her car in front of another parked car, leaving plenty of room for the Lexus. I pulled the Lexus alongside the front car, and Mike pushed a button on the computer screen to initiate the parking system. He explained that when
the trapezoid on the screen turns green, the car has determined that it's in the right position to begin parking itself. The trapezoid was red. I repositioned the car.
Still red.Meanwhile, Ed sat in back, reading through the press kit and enjoying the built-in seat massager. After my third try, Mike got out of the Lexus and conferred with the woman in the parked car. "I think maybe you're over too far toward the curb," he said. "Can you come forward? Little more? Right there."
Instead of merely being humiliated at flubbing a parking job, I was being humiliated at having to solicit a stranger's help to park a self-parking car in a space the size of the Hindenburg.
"Can I try?" said Ed as he got into the front seat. He pulled up next to a Honda, pressed the button, and, boom, the car began to cut the front wheels and ease itself into the space. It was as though someone had installed a car-wash track right there in the middle of the street. (I have trouble with those too.)Mike cheered, Ed beamed, and I sank more deeply into my genuine semi-aniline leather seat. I am a woman who cannot park a self-parking car. I'd appreciate it if you didn't mention this to Mr. Wilson.
From Reader’s Digest
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Language
Common mistakes in English
Whether / If
Both whether and if are used to introduce a yes/no question:
Examples:
He asked me whether I felt well.
We're not sure if they have decided.
The verb discuss generally takes whether rather than if.
Examples:
We discussed whether he should be hired.
They discussed whether to invest in the new idea.
After Prepositions
Use only whether after prepositions:
Examples:
We talked about whether we should go or not.
I looked into whether he should stay.
Infinitives Use only whether before infinitives:
Examples:
She can't decide whether to buy the house or wait.
He considered whether to give up the position or quit next year.
Formal / Informal
Generally, whether is considered more formal than if.
Examples:
Let me know whether you will be able to attend the conference.
The CEO will decide whether this is a risk worth taking.
Whether or If Quiz
Choose whether whether or if is correct. Each question has only one correct answer. When you are finished click on the "Next Question" button. There are 10 questions to this quiz. Try to use only 30 seconds per question. At the end of the quiz, your score.
1. Let's discuss ______ we should go or not.
whether
if
2. They were wondering ______ to come or not.
whether
if
3. (Formal) Let me know ______ you will be able to attend the conference.
whether
if
4. (Informal) Tell me ______ you can come to the party or not.
if
when
5. We talked about ______ we should go or not.
whether
if
6. We're not sure ______ they have decided.
if
who7. She's the one _____ telephoned last night.
if
who
8. I looked into ______ he should stay.
whether
if
9. (Formal) The CEO will decide _____ this is a risk worth taking.
whether
if
10. (Informal) He asked ______ I could help him with his math homework.
whether
if
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Cooking tips
Grilling
Host a great barbecue with delicious grilling recipe ideas.
Which Ground Beef?
Ground round: Top round is the leanest cut of beef, with bottom round not far behind. Both make dry burgers.
Ground sirloin: Made up of 85 to 90 percent lean meat, ground sirloin makes dry, compact burgers.
Ground chuck: This sinewy shoulder cut is the number-one choice for burgers because it's so succulent and flavorful. Instead of settling for packaged, preground chuck, have it ground to order. Ask the butcher to trim off as much excess fat as possible before it goes into the grinder. Three ounces of well-trimmed chuck contains 7 grams of fat (3 saturated) and untrimmed chuck nearly twice that.
Regular hamburger: This mix of trimmings has the most fat of all the grinds, which means that the burgers shrink as they cook. Don't be misled by a package that says "75 percent lean." That means it's 25 percent fat; too much for anyone.
Cooking Burgers
Shape the meat into neat patties thick at the center. Handle them gently or the burgers will be compact and crumbly. Place the meat on a grill rack coated with oil or nonstick vegetable spray and set above a hot fire.
For well-done burgers, grill 4 minutes, until browned. Carefully turn and brown the other side, about 3 minutes. Do not press the burgers with a spatula while they cook or they will lose juices and flavor.
When cooking, use a stovetop grilling pan with grids molded into the bottom, if possible. It will prevent burgers from steaming in their own juices.
Safety First
All ground beef be cooked well done. Disease-causing organisms (live E. coli bacteria) found in undercooked ground beef can cause food poisoning. To make sure burgers are well done!Or make a thin cut in the center of the burger. If the hamburger is well done, the juices will be golden or clear.
Turkey, Too
To cut way down on fat, use ground turkey instead of beef. Ground white meat makes the lowest-fat burger of all, but a combination of ground white and dark meat turkey makes the best burgers.
To boost the juiciness of turkey burgers, work 1 tablespoonful olive oil or a chopped onion sautéed in a tablespoonful of oil into a pound of meat.
Bump up the flavor of ground turkey with 1 tablespoon Worcestershire or bottled steak sauce. Or boost flavor by adding 2 tablespoons bottled chili or barbecue sauce to a pound of turkey meat. For a different accent, work 2 tablespoons Chinese plum sauce and 1 teaspoon minced fresh gingerroot into the burger and substitute scallions for onion.
The New Age of Frugality
Americans' charge-it culture is getting an overdue reality check. But will the new discipline stick?
by Steve Hamm
On a shady lane in New Hope, Pa., a quiet revolution in American culture may be taking shape. Here, a family of four lives in a white, colonial-style house in a manner that once would have been considered All-American but more recently has been seen as just plain weird: They're frugal.
Meet Leah Ingram, Bill Behre, and daughters Jane, 13, and Annie, 11. They walk most everywhere, they rarely eat out, they sometimes buy clothing at consignment shops, and they turn the lights off when they leave a room.
Theirs is no hard-luck-in-a-recession story. The Ingram-Behre family is solidly middle-class, fully employed, and not especially threatened by the conniptions gripping Wall Street. Behre, 43, is a dean at the College of New Jersey, while Ingram, 42, is a successful freelance writer and etiquette expert. They have no credit card debt.
That's now. A little more than a year ago, the family was ensnared in America's consume-at-all-costs culture. During the days of soaring home prices and easy credit, they took out a $101,000 home-equity loan on a previous house and spent lavishly on a lifestyle upgrade—going on three cruises in two years and taking the kids on annual pilgrimages to Disney World. "After 9/11 it became patriotic to shop, and we became as patriotic as anybody," laments Behre, sitting in the dining room after a meal of chicken stir-fry—washed down with tap water.
Ingram and Behre are harbingers of a dawning Age of Frugality. People who overconsumed during the past decade are now rejecting extravagant lifestyles. They're spending less, and more wisely. Some are getting their finances in order. Others are fearful of losing their jobs, shocked by investment losses, or hunkering down amid the general uncertainty.
The penny-pinching is already showing up in the numbers; this quarter could mark the first fall in personal consumption in 17 years. And with credit tight and Americans loaded down with $2.6 trillion in personal debt, consumer borrowing dropped in August, the first such contraction since 1991. Menzie D. Chinn, who teaches economics at the University of Wisconsin, figures consumers won't be in a position to spend freely for five years.
Which brings us to what John Maynard Keynes called the paradox of thrift. What's good for the individual, argued the famous economist, can ignite or deepen a recession. But that won't deter the newly thrifty. "I can't help the economy," says Kim Schultz, a resident of hard-hit Avoca, Mich., who with her husband, Jon, owes $40,000 in credit-card debt. "I've got to help myself." On the other hand, this newfound austerity could—emphasis on could—rewire Americans as savers rather than spenders. And that would help put the economy on a sounder footing over the long haul.
Thrift has gone in and out of style since the founding of the republic. In the McGuffey Reader of the 19th century, Benjamin Franklin was held up as a paragon of virtue for his frugal ways. Later, people who lived through the Great Depression were in some cases marked for life by the experience. Typical of them is Bernard Handel, an 82-year-old resident of Poughkeepsie, N.Y., who grew up poor in the Bronx. In the early 1930s, his father's grocery store failed and his dad couldn't find another job for several years. To this day, even though Handel became very wealthy, he shops for food with coupons, drives a Honda, and takes the subway rather than taxis. "I just don't believe in throwing money away," he says.
A RUDE AWAKENING
Handel's baby-boomer children grew up without psychological scars from the Depression. And the boomers' children have come of age in an era of abundance, easy credit, and a taste for luxury. So it's no wonder that the sudden need for thrift comes as an upsetting shock for many. Some are calling for a massive public education effort on the level of the anti-drunk-driving and anti-smoking campaigns that have been so successful. "We want to build a culture that's more hospitable to thrift, so it's not seen as odd but fostered and nudged along," says Barbara Dafoe Whitehead, co-author of For a New Thrift: Confronting the Debt Culture, a new report from The Institute for American Values, a think tank.
To be sure, there are odd moments on the journey to a thriftier lifestyle. To demonstrate, Bill Behre pulls out a mobile phone and twists it back and forth so the light glints off of rhinestones glued on by daughter Annie before she got a new phone. Behre's own phone was ruined in a rainstorm, so he's using this gaudy hand-me-down until he can get a free replacement in March. "This is the ultimate in frugal," he says.
It was Ingram who got things started. She was raised by a thrifty mother, but by the time she married Behre, mom's influence had worn off and she'd amassed $30,000 in credit-card debt. Controlling spending was hit or miss until the early 2000s, when the family embarked on a shopping spree.
Things nearly spun out of control after they upgraded to a better house. Despite raiding their retirement funds to help with the down payment, they ended up with higher monthly payments. Ingram remembers the day, May 24, 2007, they sold their previous home, and realized her family would take away only $60,000 even though the place had nearly doubled in value, to $490,000. "I was practically nauseated when I realized what our out-of-control spending had done," she says. She and Behre made a pact: They would live more frugally. Then they broke the news to the kids. No more cruises or Disney vacations. They'd get an allowance of $20 a month. And they'd be walking to school, the store, and friends' houses.
The girls were intrigued at first. Then they realized their comfortable, materialistic lives were really changing. Annie, whose shopping-for-pleasure habit had been indulged by her parents, suddenly had to make do at a secondhand store called Plato's Closet. Now the girls are resigned to this new way of life.
Sticking to the program requires vigilance. When Ingram does drive, she calculates the relative costs of traveling a few more miles to get gas for a few cents cheaper. And on the rare occasions they do go out to dinner, she feels guilty. "I want to keep myself accountable," she says. "I don't want to backslide." So far, the plan is working. In the old days, the family overspent their checking account by an average of $300 a month—dipping into the home-equity funds to make up the difference. Now they're in the black by about $800 a month. Since making their big changes, they accelerated payments on a car loan and managed to pay it off.
Ingram has started a blog, The Lean Green Family, where she encourages others to be more frugal. She and Behre say they've learned valuable lessons. One is to be flexible: Give yourself a treat every now and then. Another is to have a goal. They're saving for a new recreation room. "Being frugal is like dieting," says Behre. "It's more sustainable if you have a target you're aiming for."
As joblessness creeps up, many more Americans will receive their own crash course in frugality. It has already happened to Ned Penberthy, 53, a salesman who lives in Pelham, N.Y. He recently got a new job, took a cut in base pay, and has been living the frugal lifestyle ever since. Penberthy says he's in it for the long haul—willing to spend more up front to reap savings over the next several years. He installed expensive but energy-sipping CFL light bulbs in his house, and replaced some of his appliances with more efficient ones. For him, every penny counts. For instance, he switched from shaving cream to a bar of shaving soap. He figures he saves $6 a year that way. "It's not much, but there's a psychological benefit," he says.
Like a lot of boomers, Penberthy has a nest egg, but many people in their 20s and 30s have little to fall back on. To get on track, they have to learn the difference between necessities and discretionary spending. "They need to go back to [psychologist Abraham] Maslow's hierarchy of needs—food, clothing, shelter, and transportation," says Kristine E. Miele, a financial planner. She's offering "Lessons for Life" classes, gradually weaning young people off their spending habits one luxury at a time. In the past, consumers have gone shopping the moment the sun came out. But this time? Market researchers trying to divine the consumer psyche are picking up signs that attitudes are changing. Booz & Co. recently conducted a survey of nearly 1,000 households. Among other findings, 43% of respondents said they are eating at home more and 25% said they were cutting spending on hobbies and sports activities. In both cases, most said they'd continue doing so even when the economy improves. Much the way pump prices have prompted many Americans to forsake SUVs for small cars, the collapse of home values and 401(k)s will make consumers think twice before hitting the mall.
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10 Ways to Save a Gallon of Gas
To save a gallon of gas, you probably need to cut about 22 miles of driving from your week. Here are 10 of the easiest ways to save.
1. Use mass transit. Or carpool. Leaving the car at home and sharing your commute with others can help you reach your gallon goal very quickly.
2. Slow down. Research shows that speeding uses more gas. If your average commute includes 0 miles of highway time, and you drive it at 60 mph instead of 0 mph, you'll save approximately .3 gallons of gas in a 5-day workweek.
3. Combine errands. Need to pick up a prescription, mail a package and go to the bank? Instead of spreading these tasks out over a few trips, do them all at once. Park in a central spot and walk from place to place.
4. Shop online. Save the trips to the store, and consider other errands online, such as banking, buying stamps, and paying bills.
5. Drive the small car. Do you own an SUV and a fuel-efficient sedan? Take the smaller car on any long trips you can this week.
6. Take a hike (or ride a bike). Instead of driving everywhere, lace up your sneakers and get some exercise while you save gas. A bicycle can help you rack up car-free miles even faster.
7. Work from home. If you have a job for which working from home is possible, ask the boss if you can pick one day when you and your coworkers can telecommute to save gas. If you are the boss, make it a company-wide project (and be sure everyone makes a pledge online so we can include them in our tally).
8. Have a dinner party. Instead of your usual dinner-and-a-movie Saturday night out, invite your friends over for a small dinner party. You'll save the miles to the theater and restaurant -- not to mention the money.
9. Share school rides. Instead of picking up your kids from school every day, ask a neighbor with kids in the same school to help. You can each take turns picking up the tykes.
10. Keep the trunk light. The heavier the load your car has to carry, the more gas it guzzles. Don't use your trunk for long-term storage.
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Match the Celebrity with the Cause
By Dina El Nabli
Question 1
This movie star founded the Make it Right Foundation to build safe and healthy homes in New Orleans for displaced Hurricane Katrina victims. Who is he?
Sean Penn Brad Pitt Tom Hanks
Question 2
In 2000, this actor established a foundation to help firefighters after a blaze in his Massachusetts hometown killed six firefighters, including his cousin and a childhood friend. Who is he?
Ben Affleck Dennis Leary Matt Damon
Question 3
This movie actress and her sister founded Planet Hope, a charity that offers free medical and dental care, new clothes for kids, counseling and image makeovers for homeless women and victims of domestic violence. Who is she?
Sharon Stone Nicole Kidman Julia Roberts
Question 4
In 2005, this rock star was named TIME magazine's Person of the Year along with Bill and Melinda Gates for his work to fight global poverty. Who is he?
Sting Bono Paul McCartney
Question 5
This world-famous celebrity founded an Angel Network in her name that has sent deserving students to college, built homes for families in need and more. Who is she?
Angelina Jolie Oprah Winfrey Celine Dion
Question 6
This legendary movie star has donated more than $200 million to charities in the U.S. and around the world from proceeds of the items his company sells. Who is he?
Johnny Depp Paul Newman Harrison Ford
Answers
The answer is Brad Pitt. In December 2006, Pitt asked experts to brainstorm ways to build green and affordable housing for Hurricane Katrina victims. Today, Pitt's Make It Right Foundation continues to build new homes for displaced residents of New Orleans.
The answer is Dennis Leary. The actor created The Leary Firefighters Foundation in response to a fire that broke out in an abandoned warehouse in downtown Worcester, Massachusetts in 1999. Today, the foundation focuses on keeping firefighters safe by funding up-to-date equipment and training.
The answer is Sharon Stone. Inspired by an accident that left her sister, Kelly Stone, physically impaired for years, the Stone sisters established Planet Hope in 1992 to give people in need hope for a better life.
The answer is Bono. Today, Bono has become as well-known for fighting global poverty as he is for fronting the legendary rock band U2.
The answer is Oprah Winfrey. Oprah's Angel Network has raised more than $50 million for nonprofit organizations across the world. Through her foundation, Oprah has also awarded hundreds of education grants to women, children and families in need. In January 2007, she opened the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa.
That's right.
Since 1982, Paul Newman raised more than $200 million for charity thanks to the success of his company, Newman's Own, which makes and sells all-natural food. The company also has a division that sells organic food. Proceeds from all sales are donated to charities around the world.
We celebrate the inspirational life of our founder Paul L. Newman and honor his legacy with our dedication to the continued success of Newman's Own.
For 25 years, we at Newman's Own have had a front row seat to watch Paul's entrepreneurial brilliance, humor, and compassion at work helping those in need. Our company motto, "Shameless Exploitation in Pursuit of the Common Good," was Paul's vision for Newman's Own and it is a philosophy we are proud to continue.
....
Paul occasionally referred to Newman's Own as the "joke that got out of control" and would express astonishment at its success. Despite this humorous approach, Paul was committed to the company's business and to providing top-notch quality – he brought all-natural food products to a wide audience long before it was fashionable. And he was one of the greatest recyclers, giving back to charity all the money he earned from the sale of Newman's Own products.
Shameless Exploitation in Pursuit of the Common Good
Newman's Own has grown into a powerful and lasting expression of Paul Newman's generosity. The Company has generated over $250 million in proceeds that have been donated by Paul Newman and the Newman's Own Foundation to thousands of charities worldwide.
Today, Newman’s Own is a thriving company with hundreds of millions of dollars in annual revenue. As always, all profits are donated to charity through Newman's Own Foundation. We will miss Paul, but we will honor his vision for the Common Good through dedicated stewardship of his company that will perpetuate his philanthropic legacy. Paul wouldn’t have it any other way.
Listen to someone who really cared for others and keeps doing it from……
http://newmansown.com/paulNewman/index.html