Random Facts Friday: December 16, 2011

We are heading in to the last weekend before Christmas.
Taking off any days next week?
Hope you have a good holiday!
Here are some random facts when you need to catch your breath and relax...

1. I live in Ohio and was happy to find out that John Heisman who coached football in the late 1800's and early 1900's, got his start in college football at Oberlin College in Ohio. The Heisman Trophy is named after him.

2. The winter solstice can occur between December 20 and 23rd. The last December 23 solstice occurred in 1903 and will not occur again until the year 2303. A December 20 solstice has occurred very rarely, with the next one occurring in the year 2080.

3. The seasons do not have the same amount of days because of the earth's elliptical orbit. Spring lasts 92.8 days, Summer is 93.6 days long, Fall is around for 89.8 days, and Winter is with us for 89.0 days.

4. Christmas Eve, 1907, has the first telecast over a wireless radio. Reginald Fessenden began reciting: “And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed…” After reading the Christmas story, he picked up his violin and played “O Holy Night”, the first song ever played over the radio.

5. Caramel Corn. Can you not think of anything better around the holidays? I got this from Allrecipes.com and the submitter said they got the recipe from an Amish family. They give the Caramel Corn as a gift around Christmas time to friends and neighbors.

• 7 quarts plain popped popcorn
• 2 cups dry roasted peanuts (optional)
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup margarine
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Place the popped popcorn into two shallow greased baking pans. You may use roasting pans, jelly roll pans, or disposable roasting pans. Add the peanuts to the popped corn if using. Set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C). Combine the brown sugar, corn syrup, margarine and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring enough to blend. Once the mixture begins to boil, boil for 5 minutes while stirring constantly.
3. Remove from the heat, and stir in the baking soda and vanilla. The mixture will be light and foamy. Immediately pour over the popcorn in the pans, and stir to coat. Don't worry too much at this point about getting all of the corn coated.
4. Bake for 1 hour, removing the pans, and giving them each a good stir every 15 minutes. Line the counter top with waxed paper. Dump the corn out onto the waxed paper and separate the pieces. Allow to cool completely, then store in airtight containers or resealable bags.

Working Wednesday: Doing Business within China and other countries

Last week I attended a seminar with speakers from the U.S. Department of Commerce. They have a U.S. Commercial Service and more specifically, The China Business Information Center. You may want to visit their website, export.gov/china. They have information on the basic first steps; qualified buyers and distributors; laws, regulations, and customs; and market research.

The Commercial Service has offices in 78 countries, all listed on the website. Besides the web, the Commercial Service can be contacted at 800-USA-TRADE (800-872-8723). These countries represent more than 90% of the world's market for exports. The Commercial Service international offices generated $18.3 billion in exports for U.S. companies and their domestic offices facilitated $5.8 billion in U.S. export sales during fiscal year 2010.

Roberta Ford, who is the Director of the Commercial Service office in Columbus said that Ohio has seen a 21% increase in exporting to China, placing Ohio 10th in the nation. There are 6 offices in Ohio: Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Toledo, Akron, and Dayton.

She reminded the audience that 95% of the consumers in the world live outside of the U.S. The Commercial Service will have 25-30 trade shows throughout the U.S. per year. These will be listed on the website. Also, see http://www.trade.gov/cs/states/csinyourstate.asp and click on Ohio. You will see events coming up, such as the conference in March in Cincinnati.

There is a National Export Initiative under the U.S. Small Business Administration that wants to double U.S. exports by 2015. Ohio has partnered with SBA to create the Ohio International Market Access Grant for Exporters (IMAGE). Funding is available to help small business market at the international level such as participating in an international trade show, funding for services provided by Commercial Service, and defraying some costs related to a trade mission. See www.IMAGE.development.ohio.gov or contact their office at 614-466-5017 for more details. The Ohio Department of Development's Office of Export Assistance may also be of assistance to you.

Alone in the Car: Religious Holidays and Public Education

For my regular readers, you know I mentioned in my last "Alone in the Car" blog these statistics: 78.4 % of Americans are Christian, 1.7% are Jewish, .7% are Buddhist, .6% are Muslim, .4% are Hindu, and less than .3% are Native American in terms of their religious affiliation taken from a Pew survey.

Through a variety of gathering information means, reports are showing that elementary school principals  are banning anything directly or indirectly related to Christmas, a Christian holiday held in December, but allowing the study of Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, and other religious holidays. Clearly, the majority of this country is Christian.

The study of cultures is fascinating. I fully support such research. Religion is part of a culture, and in an elementary school setting should be approached as objectively as possible--what I term an "encyclopedia" or "reference room" library definition.

I myself have taken my children (during their younger years) to visit different churches/religions other than our own for several purposes: 1) to learn from the people who practice that religion the tenets of said religion and 2) to learn to show respect to people from faiths other than our own. This has given them a wide variety of experiences including meeting with denominations within Christianity to the Hindu religion.

If religion is going to be part of the curriculum, which I think it should be--it is a major influence within any culture--then All religions should be given the same time, objectivity, respect, and honor they deserve. A principal is not the one to make the call on which religion can be studied. It should be All religions or None. I hope "none" is not the choice. Culture is part of partnership, whether it be in our communities, on a business level, keeping our country safe, or having a world at peace so great minds can put their energies on solving real challenges. We need to understand one another to work things out and that means taking time to get to know the whole person sitting across the table. Relationships will then follow.

Random Facts Friday: December 9, 2011

 It is a great time of the year, but it can be busy!
Take a breath, "rest your oars" and relax with these random facts.

1. The first time the term "First Lady" was used to describe the woman who lived in the White House was Dolley Madison. Zachary Taylor said it in his eulogy at her funeral.

2. Cover Up: You can loose up to 60% of your body temperature while getting a massage if you are not under blankets.

3. Peter Robbins was 9 years old when he did the voice over for Charlie Brown in "A Charlie Brown Christmas" cartoon special in 1965. His salary was $125.00.

4. James Edgar is credited with being the first department store Santa in a store he owned in Brockton, Massachusetts in 1890. He decided the North Pole was too far away--children needed to see Santa. James fashioned his costumed after drawings from famed cartoonist Thomas Nash.

5. Recipe: Homemade gifts come straight from the heart. Try these recipes for clay ornaments to slime to homemade silly putty found on this website: http://opossumsal.homestead.com/clay.html

Working Wednesday: Broadband Cable strengthened in rural Ohio

Let's face it, without high speed internet any size business can't compete in this local, state, national, or global economy. They need to sell their products and services at competitive prices. Agribusiness can change daily and the slow modem means of communication may mean the loss of income for those selling their crops, etc. Some businesses, antique dealers for example, saw the exact opposite. Some items once thought unusual can easily be found thanks to the internet. In either case, speed is everything.
And it affects the small business owner twice--they may be too far away and it may cost too much since there are only a few customers in the area.

In a news article from Columbus Business First, OARnet, is partnering with 3 cable companies to bring a more efficient high speed internet to rural Ohio. OARnet stands for the Ohio Academic Resource Network and is a division of the Ohio Board of Regents. See: http://www.oar.net/about/index.shtml for more information. It is a public entity networking with schools, healthcare, and government facilities.

OARnet will link their 1,850 miles of network with 3,000 miles of private network owned by these companies to create a public-private partnership. This will make a stronger and faster system for those in rural Ohio. For the full article, see: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2011/11/29/oarnet-getting-faster-better.html?ed=2011-11-29&s=article_du&ana=e_du_pub

We really need a strong fiber optic cable system in Ohio, for all citizens, for all businesses, for all counties. This partnership is another step in that direction.

Alone in the Car: Merry Christmas

According to a Pew Forum survey, 78.4 % of Americans are Christian, 1.7% are Jewish, .7% are Buddhist, .6% are Muslim, .4% are Hindu, and less than .3% are Native American in terms of their religious affiliation.

I am a Christian and celebrate a religious holiday in December known as Christmas. I wish people a "Merry Christmas" to denote a happy time, a joyous occasion, a time to be with family and friends. For that is what I remember it to be as I was growing up. Mother would bake different batches of cookies and share them with neighbors and friends; we would participate as audience or on stage with the wonderful sounds of holiday music; and Dad would drive us around to see homes and downtown shopping district decorated with colorful lights, stopping at the big department store with their themed windows just for children. The best part was Christmas Eve, when Mr. Brown, a big band trumpet player and WWII disabled veteran play "Silent Night" from his porch in the dark after everyone had returned from their church services.

I never thought of these activities as political statements or "majority rules". They were just nice things that helped people smile at one another; reminded us to give to and/or visit the poor and the needy; and be grateful.

Let us hope this year that you can say "Merry Christmas" if you are a Christian and if not, please use a phrase from your religion that means hope and happiness too. This is the season for joy and hallelujahs.

Random Facts Friday: December 2, 2011

Can you believe it is December?!
This year has gone fast.
Just can't think about that? I understand.
So give the brain a break and look through these random facts I learned about recently.
See if you know any of them...

1. Yawning helps keep the brain cool, and the sinuses play a role in that process by acting as bellows, a new report suggests. Yawning isn't triggered because you're bored, tired or need oxygen. Rather, yawning helps regulate the brain's temperature, according to Gary Hack, of the University of Maryland School of Dentistry, and Andrew Gallup, of Princeton University.

2. Low Omega-3 intake ranked as the sixth cause of preventable deaths in the US.

3. The Pearl Harbor Attack began on December 7, 1941 when Japanese planes took off from their aircraft carriers at 6am and ended their bombings at 9:45am. During those hours, 2,388 Americans died and 1,178 were wounded. 

4. Mary, the mother of Jesus, is depicted many times wearing the color blue because of the Byzantine tradition (around 500 A.D.)was the color of an empress. Also in medieval times, blue paint came from lapis lazuli, a stone imported from Afghanistan and was more expensive than gold.

5. Need to have little hands busy this time of year? Try Galaxy Playdough:

2 cups of plain flour

2 cups of water with black and blue food coloring (I like the Wilton Cake food coloring)

1 Tbsp. of cooking oil

1 Tbsp. cream of tartar

1 cup of salt

Silver Glitter

INSTRUCTIONS:

Mix liquid ingredients in a large pan.  Begin to heat liquids.

In a separate bowl mix dry ingredients.  Add to the heating liquids.   Stir until the dough gathers and thickens.  Cook until it gets that sheen to it.  Let it cool slightly and then knead to bring proper consistency.  Once cool enough for children to work with, sprinkle glitter on a working surface (table, etc.) Let them work and roll the glitter into the playdough creating their very own galaxy. Store in plastic container.