Author: bill

by

Things that make me go hmm…. job attitudes?

I work at a small business that sells over the Internet. The operation of the business is pretty simple. We get an order over the Internet, one of our employees picks the items on the order, another employee packs the items, and finally another employee labels the package and loads it onto the truck. Like most small businesses that have seen their sales drop 20% to 30%, we have reduced employees hours during our off season months. This caused one of our productive employees to seek employment elsewhere early this year. A little while later two employees crossed the line of what you can do at work and were let go. We noticed something interesting. Our business seemed to be working very smoothly with less employees.

So as we entered our peak season we hired replacement employees.  Not surprisingly we were swamped with job applications. So after going through the job interviews, we hired a packer and customer service representative. The packer did not work out and left after two weeks. Since everyone is working more that a full week, we hired two more packers. On the Friday before Memorial Day one of our long term employees decided to quit. She had a variety of answers including that the commute was too much, she was not getting enough hours, and her husband almost burned down the house. On the same day our new customer service representative decides to quit. Although she was productive, she still had more training to complete before she could handle all of the issues a customer service representative is expected to handle. Mondays are our busy days since we have to pack and ship the order from Friday afternoon, Saturday, and Sunday. When we have a three day weekend we have an extra day to pack and ship. We had over 640 orders to pack when a typical Monday is about 500 orders. So I was quickly trained and spent the day packing orders. Every available management person was helping out with picking, packing, and labeling. After a very long day all of the orders shipped. Every business makes promises to the customers. In our case we promise to ship orders made before 3 pm. Our promise was fulfilled.

What I find very interesting that these employees are leaving on their own and cannot claim unemployment insurance. A Wall Street article, Employers on Strike, and the BLS report shows that businesses are leery about hiring employees. There is a consensus of opinions amongst the economic pundits that the job market is not going to improve for several years. Yet the attitudes of the employees are those that we see in a more robust job market. Business owners have a completely different viewpoint. Since our business is now over the peak selling season, the business strategy is that we add temporary employees and overwork our employees for the next month or so. It is a done deal that we will not be adding permanent employees this year.

by

Healthy & Delicious: Black Bean Dip

I made this Dip twice. The first time it was great and the second time was a little bland. I think “Season to taste” is very appropriate here.

From Recipes

Editor’s note: On Mondays, Kristen Swensson of Cheap, Healthy, Good swings by these parts to share healthy and delicious recipes with us. Take it away, Kristen!

Black Bean Dip

[Photograph: Kristen Swensson]

Back in the olden days of yore, when I began eating a bit healthier, hummus became a major part of my meal plans. I spread it on pita. I ate it with vegetables. I sculpted it into the likeness of Alec Baldwin. Tasty and inexpensive, it provided valuable fiber and protein, as well as a substantial stand-in for richer, dairy-filled dips.

However, I’ve been experimenting with other legumes lately. It’s not that hummus has fallen out of favor. It’s just a big, bean-filled world out there, and I aim to actualize its full dip potential.

This Black Bean Dip comes from RecipeZaar, which is a fairly reliable resource, provided you stick to dishes rated at least four-and-a-half stars. While almost entirely fat-free, the dip is rich and hearty, with a nice kick. Fresh scallions and lime juice keep it lively, even though it’s made largely of pantry ingredients.

Admittedly, it’s not the most attractive dip in the world; and for what could be the first time, that has nothing to do with my ability to take a decent food photo. But appearance doesn’t necessarily coincide with flavor, right? I mean, I think we can all agree that baba ghanoush looks like baby puke, and squid ink pasta is essentially a Tim Burton set decoration.

Despite the aesthetics, it remains pretty dang delicious. Serve some before a Mexican feast or as part of your office lunch. You’ll be sated/happy either way, and it might make you forget about hummus. (At least for a little while, anyway.)

Black Bean Dip

Makes about 2 cups dip.

Adapted from RecipeZaar.

Ingredients

2 cups canned black beans, drained and rinsed
4 teaspoons tomato paste
3 tablespoons water
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 scallions, green parts chopped
2 tablespoons canned green chilies, chopped

Procedure

1. Combine beans, tomato paste, water, garlic, lime juice, cumin, salt, and cayenne in a food processor. Puree until it reaches a dip-like consistency. If you find it’s lacking something, add more. (I like a lot of lime juice.) Pour into a bowl.

2. Add scallions and green chilies to dip. Stir thoroughly to combine. Top with extra scallions and a few lime wedges. Serve with pita chips or vegetables.

Healthy & Delicious: Black Bean Dip
Kristen Swensson
Mon, 26 Apr 2010 13:00:00 GMT

by

Cook the Book: Thomas Keller’s One-Pot Roast Chicken

I made this meal twice during the week. The cook time is a little longer than I like for a weekday meal but the prep time is pretty minimal. My wife likes the vegetables so I pile up lots of root vegetables underneath. I use a vertical roaster to cook the chicken evenly.

From Recipes

20100420greenkitchenonepotchicken.jpg

[Photograph: Caroline Russock]

One-Pot Roast Chicken

– serves 4 –

Adapted from In The Green Kitchen by Alice Waters.

Ingredients

1 three-pound chicken
Salt and fresh-ground black pepper
3 potatoes, peeled and thickly sliced
2 carrots, peeled and thickly sliced
2 onions, peeled and quartered
2 celery stalks, thickly sliced
4 large shallots, peeled
Fennel, squash, turnips, parsnips, or other vegetables (optional)
2 bay leaves
2 or 3 thyme sprigs
2 to 3 tablespoons butter

Procedure

1. First prepare the chicken. To remove the wishbone at the top of the breast, use a small knife to scrape along the bone to expose it, then insert the knife and run it along the bone, separating it from the flesh. Use your fingers to loosen it further, grasp the tip of the wishbone, and pull it out. Tuck the wing tips back and under the neck.

2. Tying the chicken plumps the breast up and brings the legs into position for even roasting. Cut a length of cotton string. With the chicken on its back, slip the string under the tail and bring the ends up over the legs to form a figure eight. Loop over the end of each leg and draw the strings tight to bring the legs together. Draw the string back under the legs and wings on either side of the neck. Pull tight, wrap one end around the neck, and tie off the two ends. Salt the chicken evenly all around. Coarse salt has a good texture of large grains that makes it easy to calibrate how much salt you are putting on the chicken; sprinkle it from up high, so that it falls like snow. Season liberally with fresh-ground pepper.

3. Preheat the oven to 375°F, put all the vegetables and herbs together in the bottom of a large, heavy ovenproof pot, and season with salt and pepper. Set the chicken on top, dot with the butter, and roast uncovered for 45 to 60 minutes (or longer), depending on the size of the chicken. It is done when the leg joint is pierced with a knife and the juices run clear, not pink.

4. Let the chicken rest for a few minutes before carving, and serve family-style with all of the caramelized vegetables and juices from the pot on a platter and the chicken pieces on top.

Cook the Book: Thomas Keller’s One-Pot Roast Chicken
Caroline Russock
Tue, 20 Apr 2010 17:10:00 GMT

by

Germany Was Out-Voted And Forced To Bail Out Europe

I guess the European Union politicians did not learn anything from the political ramifications of TARP in the United States. First there was TARP. Then there was the Stimulus package. Then there was high unemployment and a stagnant economy. Once you start down the bailout path there are few options available. One option is always available, the politicians can retire. This says a lot about the people who want to server our country.

Angry German

It increasingly looks like Germany is simply being out-voted and  out-maneuvered, thus forced into effectively bailing out the Eurozone as the largest and strongest Eurozone economy.

In regards to the latest European plan:

Telegraph:

It is clear, however, that the two German members of the ECB’s council voted against the move, a revelation that may cause a catastrophic political backlash in Germany.

Axel Weber, ultra-hawkish head of the Bundesbank, told Boersen-Zeitung that the emergency move over the weekend had been a mistake. "The purchase of government bonds poses significant stability risks and that’s why I’m critical of this part of the ECB’s council’s decision, even in this extraordinary situation," he said. The rebuke is devastating. The ECB draws it authority from the legacy and aura of the Bundesbank.

…

The European Commission made matters worse by announcing the decision in the small hours of Monday morning before the ECB had spoken, fueling suspicions that monetary policy is being dictated by the political authorities. French President Nicolas Sarkozy further enraged Berlin by claiming that 95pc of the $1 trillion "shock and awe" rescue package was based on French proposals.

There even doing regulatory back-flips to avoid German opposition:

The eurozone will create a Special Purpose Vehicle able to marshal a further €440bn. This is to be a outside the EU institutions on German insistence in order to circumvent the EU’s "no bail-out" law. The hope is to head off trouble at Germany’s constitutional court, though it is certain to be challenged anyway.

Read more here >

Join the conversation about this story »

Germany Was Out-Voted And Forced To Bail Out Europe
Vincent Fernando, CFA
Tue, 11 May 2010 07:25:00 GMT

by

Things that make me go hmm… If deep-sea ice crystals are stopping the flow of oil, what’s the problem?

As an engineer who lived in Houston for eighteen years I am fascinated with the engineering problem BP is facing. Its not my field but I guess that the pressure from the well and the buoyancy of the oil is enough to float the 100 ton structure. They probably are concerned with the riser integrity, too. If they stop one leak the pressure might cause a leak to open elsewhere on the riser.

It bothers me that they did not make the hole at the top of the structure big enough with a reducer they could slide over. It is interesting that the riser pipe has not clogged up yet.

As a farmer who is intimately familiar with frozen pipes, I can see why they are trying to jump start the flow. Once you get it flowing, friction should keep it from clogging but the calculations are probably pretty dicey when you are under 5000 feet of water. I suppose they tried getting one of those remote operated vehicles to stick its arm down the hole and keep the hole clean till the flow gets started. They must be pretty close to the right size opening on the structure.

A crane ship floats in support of a relief platform at the Deep Sea Horizon oil spill site in the Gulf of Mexico, Saturday, May 8, 2010. (AP Photo/David Quinn)AP – A novel but risky attempt to use a 100-ton steel-and-concrete box to cover a deepwater oil well gushing toxic crude into the Gulf of Mexico was aborted Saturday after ice crystals encased it, an ominous development as thick blobs of tar began washing up on Alabama’s white sand beaches.

Deep-sea ice crystals stymie Gulf oil leak fix (AP)
Sun, 09 May 2010 02:02:44 GMT