Hi!
It's starting to cool down a bit, so I've started making chili. I titled this post "My Chili Recipe" but it's really more of a philosophy. I'll list ingredients and amounts (assuming 24 cups), but it's really the approach that I think works for me. Let's start with the base. Here's what's in it:
- Four medium-sized tomatoes
- Two large Anaheim green chili peppers
- One large white onion
- Thirty ounces of tomato sauce
- Two teaspoons of ground cumin
- Three tablespoons of chili powder
- One-and-a-half teaspoons of pepper
- One teaspoon of celery salt
- One teaspoon of salt
- Two cups of water
This isn't very spicy. Ever since I discovered Dave's Gourmet, I know I can make any dish as hot as I want without having to worry about special peppers or powders. I can always add heat later one bowl at a time. What makes my approach different is that I put all that stuff in the blender so that my chili doesn't have chunks of vegetables leading to huge variations in the taste of each bite. For this batch size, I'll split everything into two blenders-full of ingredients and use the water to rinse the blender afterward so that none of the good stuff is left sticking to the side...
The base is put into a crock pot (slow cooker) at least eight hours before serving. I cook it for a long time on low to ensure that the beans are soft and everything else in the pot takes on the flavor of the base. What else goes into my chili depends on what strikes my fancy. I've added all of the following at one time or another:
- Kidney beans
- Garbanzo beans
- Northern beans
- White beans
- Black beans
- Corn
- Carnitas
- Ground turkey
- Ground beef
- Macaroni
- Rice
Basically, any kind of beans or meat would be fine. My rule of thumb is that if I'm adding meat (~1 lb), pasta, or rice, then I use four fifteen ounce cans of beans/corn. If not, I use six. I dump the cans of beans/corn one at a time into a strainer and rinse them off, removing casings and anything else that wouldn't look good on a spoon. I brown the ground meat, but don't fully cook it as if I were making tacos. When I use carnitas, it's usually purchased already spiced in packages (from TJ's) that are normally used in burritos. The rice is usually boil-in-a-bag or microwaveable. Rice and pasta shouldn't be added right away. In fact, the pasta (uncooked) shouldn't be added until ~20 before serving. A cup of either is plenty.
While it's cooking, I stir regularly, but not often. At first, it looks like there will be a LOT of liquid, but much of it will cook off...more will be absorbed by the pasta during its cooking. Even on low, the chili will be VERY hot, so I usually turn the heat off as I add the pasta. Stirring the pasta in and recovering it will ensure that it stays pretty hot and still cooks the pasta.
I've found over the years that I've experimented more and tried different kinds of meats and beans. It's fun and we usually end up with enough to last a few days. Serve with corn chips, soup crackers, or corn bread (The TJ's brand box is REALLY good.) and enjoy!
Take care!
Matt
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
George Washington's Rules of Civility
I found this on the NPR web site and wanted to share it:
As a young schoolboy in Virginia, George Washington took his first steps toward greatness by copying out by hand a list of 110 'Rules of Civility & Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation.' Based on a 16th-century set of precepts compiled for young gentlemen by Jesuit instructors, the Rules of Civility were one of the earliest and most powerful forces to shape America's first president, says historian Richard Brookhiser.
Most of the rules are concerned with details of etiquette, offering pointers on such issues as how to dress, walk, eat in public and address one's superiors. But in the introduction to the newly published Rules of Civility: The 110 Precepts That Guided Our First President in War and Peace, Brookhiser warns against dismissing the maxims as "mere" etiquette. "The rules address moral issues, but they address them indirectly," Brookhiser writes. "They seek to form the inner man (or boy) by shaping the outer."
Brookhiser says the advice the rules offer, though often outlandish in detail, is still applicable in our day and age: "Maybe they can work on us in our century as the Jesuits intended them to work in theirs — indirectly — by putting us in a more ambitious frame of mind."
The Rules of Civility & Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation
(For ease of reading, punctuation and spelling have been modernized.)
1. Every action done in company ought to be with some sign of respect to those that are present.
2. When in company, put not your hands to any part of the body not usually discovered.
3. Show nothing to your friend that may affright him.
4. In the presence of others, sing not to yourself with a humming voice, or drum with your fingers or feet.
5. If you cough, sneeze, sigh or yawn, do it not loud but privately, and speak not in your yawning, but put your handkerchief or hand before your face and turn aside.
6. Sleep not when others speak, sit not when others stand, speak not when you should hold your peace, walk not on when others stop.
7. Put not off your clothes in the presence of others, nor go out of your chamber half dressed.
8. At play and attire, it's good manners to give place to the last comer, and affect not to speak louder than ordinary.
9. Spit not into the fire, nor stoop low before it; neither put your hands into the flames to warm them, nor set your feet upon the fire, especially if there be meat before it.
10. When you sit down, keep your feet firm and even, without putting one on the other or crossing them.
11. Shift not yourself in the sight of others, nor gnaw your nails.
12. Shake not the head, feet, or legs; roll not the eyes; lift not one eyebrow higher than the other, wry not the mouth, and bedew no man's face with your spittle by approaching too near him when you speak.
13. Kill no vermin, or fleas, lice, ticks, etc. in the sight of others; if you see any filth or thick spittle put your foot dexterously upon it; if it be upon the clothes of your companions, put it off privately, and if it be upon your own clothes, return thanks to him who puts it off.
14. Turn not your back to others, especially in speaking; jog not the table or desk on which another reads or writes; lean not upon anyone.
15. Keep your nails clean and short, also your hands and teeth clean, yet without showing any great concern for them.
16. Do not puff up the cheeks, loll not out the tongue with the hands or beard, thrust out the lips or bite them, or keep the lips too open or too close.
17. Be no flatterer, neither play with any that delight not to be played withal.
18. Read no letter, books, or papers in company, but when there is a necessity for the doing of it, you must ask leave; come not near the books or writtings of another so as to read them unless desired, or give your opinion of them unasked. Also look not nigh when another is writing a letter.
19. Let your countenance be pleasant but in serious matters somewhat grave.
20. The gestures of the body must be suited to the discourse you are upon.
21. Reproach none for the infirmities of nature, nor delight to put them that have in mind of thereof.
22. Show not yourself glad at the misfortune of another though he were your enemy.
23. When you see a crime punished, you may be inwardly pleased; but always show pity to the suffering offender.
24. Do not laugh too loud or too much at any public spectacle.
25. Superfluous compliments and all affectation of ceremonies are to be avoided, yet where due they are not to be neglected.
26. In putting off your hat to persons of distinction, as noblemen, justices, churchmen, etc., make a reverence, bowing more or less according to the custom of the better bred, and quality of the persons. Among your equals expect not always that they should begin with you first, but to pull off the hat when there is no need is affectation. In the manner of saluting and resaluting in words, keep to the most usual custom.
27. 'Tis ill manners to bid one more eminent than yourself be covered, as well as not to do it to whom it is due. Likewise he that makes too much haste to put on his hat does not well, yet he ought to put it on at the first, or at most the second time of being asked. Now what is herein spoken, of qualification in behavior in saluting, ought also to be observed in taking of place and sitting down, for ceremonies without bounds are troublesome.
28. If any one come to speak to you while you are are sitting stand up, though he be your inferior, and when you present seats, let it be to everyone according to his degree.
29. When you meet with one of greater quality than yourself, stop and retire, especially if it be at a door or any straight place, to give way for him to pass.
30. In walking, the highest place in most countries seems to be on the right hand; therefore, place yourself on the left of him whom you desire to honor. But if three walk together the middest place is the most honorable; the wall is usally given to the most worthy if two walk together.
31. If anyone far surpasses others, either in age, estate, or merit, yet would give place to a meaner than himself in his own lodging or elsewhere, the one ought not to except it. So he on the other part should not use much earnestness nor offer it above once or twice.
32. To one that is your equal, or not much inferior, you are to give the chief place in your lodging, and he to whom it is offered ought at the first to refuse it, but at the second to accept though not without acknowledging his own unworthiness.
33. They that are in dignity or in office have in all places precedency, but whilst they are young, they ought to respect those that are their equals in birth or other qualities, though they have no public charge.
34. It is good manners to prefer them to whom we speak before ourselves, especially if they be above us, with whom in no sort we ought to begin.
35. Let your discourse with men of business be short and comprehensive.
36. Artificers and persons of low degree ought not to use many ceremonies to lords or others of high degree, but respect and highly honor then, and those of high degree ought to treat them with affability and courtesy, without arrogance.
37. In speaking to men of quality do not lean nor look them full in the face, nor approach too near them at left. Keep a full pace from them.
38. In visiting the sick, do not presently play the physician if you be not knowing therein.
39. In writing or speaking, give to every person his due title according to his degree and the custom of the place.
40. Strive not with your superior in argument, but always submit your judgment to others with modesty.
41. Undertake not to teach your equal in the art himself professes; it savors of arrogancy.
42. Let your ceremonies in courtesy be proper to the dignity of his place with whom you converse, for it is absurd to act the same with a clown and a prince.
43. Do not express joy before one sick in pain, for that contrary passion will aggravate his misery.
44. When a man does all he can, though it succeed not well, blame not him that did it.
45. Being to advise or reprehend any one, consider whether it ought to be in public or in private, and presently or at some other time; in what terms to do it; and in reproving show no signs of cholor but do it with all sweetness and mildness.
46. Take all admonitions thankfully in what time or place soever given, but afterwards not being culpable take a time and place convenient to let him know it that gave them.
47. Mock not nor jest at any thing of importance. Break no jests that are sharp, biting, and if you deliver any thing witty and pleasant, abstain from laughing thereat yourself.
48. Wherein you reprove another be unblameable yourself, for example is more prevalent than precepts.
49. Use no reproachful language against any one; neither curse nor revile.
50. Be not hasty to believe flying reports to the disparagement of any.
51. Wear not your clothes foul, or ripped, or dusty, but see they be brushed once every day at least and take heed that you approach not to any uncleaness.
52. In your apparel be modest and endeavor to accommodate nature, rather than to procure admiration; keep to the fashion of your equals, such as are civil and orderly with respect to time and places.
53. Run not in the streets, neither go too slowly, nor with mouth open; go not shaking of arms, nor upon the toes, kick not the earth with your feet, go not upon the toes, nor in a dancing fashion.
54. Play not the peacock, looking every where about you, to see if you be well decked, if your shoes fit well, if your stockings sit neatly and clothes handsomely.
55. Eat not in the streets, nor in the house, out of season.
56. Associate yourself with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation; for 'tis better to be alone than in bad company.
57. In walking up and down in a house, only with one in company if he be greater than yourself, at the first give him the right hand and stop not till he does and be not the first that turns, and when you do turn let it be with your face towards him; if he be a man of great quality walk not with him cheek by jowl but somewhat behind him, but yet in such a manner that he may easily speak to you.
58. Let your conversation be without malice or envy, for 'tis a sign of a tractable and commendable nature, and in all causes of passion permit reason to govern.
59. Never express anything unbecoming, nor act against the rules moral before your inferiors.
60. Be not immodest in urging your friends to discover a secret.
61. Utter not base and frivolous things among grave and learned men, nor very difficult questions or subjects among the ignorant, or things hard to be believed; stuff not your discourse with sentences among your betters nor equals.
62. Speak not of doleful things in a time of mirth or at the table; speak not of melancholy things as death and wounds, and if others mention them, change if you can the discourse. Tell not your dreams, but to your intimate friend.
63. A man ought not to value himself of his achievements or rare qualities of wit; much less of his riches, virtue or kindred.
64. Break not a jest where none take pleasure in mirth; laugh not aloud, nor at all without occasion; deride no man's misfortune though there seem to be some cause.
65. Speak not injurious words neither in jest nor earnest; scoff at none although they give occasion.
66. Be not froward but friendly and courteous, the first to salute, hear and answer; and be not pensive when it's a time to converse.
67. Detract not from others, neither be excessive in commanding.
68. Go not thither, where you know not whether you shall be welcome or not; give not advice without being asked, and when desired do it briefly.
69. If two contend together take not the part of either unconstrained, and be not obstinate in your own opinion. In things indifferent be of the major side.
70. Reprehend not the imperfections of others, for that belongs to parents, masters and superiors.
71. Gaze not on the marks or blemishes of others and ask not how they came. What you may speak in secret to your friend, deliver not before others.
72. Speak not in an unknown tongue in company but in your own language and that as those of quality do and not as the vulgar. Sublime matters treat seriously.
73. Think before you speak, pronounce not imperfectly, nor bring out your words too hastily, but orderly and distinctly.
74. When another speaks, be attentive yourself and disturb not the audience. If any hesitate in his words, help him not nor prompt him without desired. Interrupt him not, nor answer him till his speech be ended.
75. In the midst of discourse ask not of what one treats, but if you perceive any stop because of your coming, you may well entreat him gently to proceed. If a person of quality comes in while you're conversing, it's handsome to repeat what was said before.
76. While you are talking, point not with your finger at him of whom you discourse, nor approach too near him to whom you talk, especially to his face.
77. Treat with men at fit times about business and whisper not in the company of others.
78. Make no comparisons and if any of the company be commended for any brave act of virtue, commend not another for the same.
79. Be not apt to relate news if you know not the truth thereof. In discoursing of things you have heard, name not your author. Always a secret discover not.
80. Be not tedious in discourse or in reading unless you find the company pleased therewith.
81. Be not curious to know the affairs of others, neither approach those that speak in private.
82. Undertake not what you cannot perform but be careful to keep your promise.
83. When you deliver a matter do it without passion and with discretion, however mean the person be you do it to.
84. When your superiors talk to anybody hearken not, neither speak nor laugh.
85. In company of those of higher quality than yourself, speak not 'til you are asked a question, then stand upright, put off your hat and answer in few words.
86. In disputes, be not so desirous to overcome as not to give liberty to each one to deliver his opinion and submit to the judgment of the major part, especially if they are judges of the dispute.
87. Let your carriage be such as becomes a man grave, settled and attentive to that which is spoken. Contradict not at every turn what others say.
88. Be not tedious in discourse, make not many digressions, nor repeat often the same manner of discourse.
89. Speak not evil of the absent, for it is unjust.
90. Being set at meat scratch not, neither spit, cough or blow your nose except there's a necessity for it.
91. Make no show of taking great delight in your victuals. Feed not with greediness. Eat your bread with a knife. Lean not on the table, neither find fault with what you eat.
92. Take no salt or cut bread with your knife greasy.
93. Entertaining anyone at table it is decent to present him with meat. Undertake not to help others undesired by the master.
94. If you soak bread in the sauce, let it be no more than what you put in your mouth at a time, and blow not your broth at table but stay 'til it cools of itself.
95. Put not your meat to your mouth with your knife in your hand; neither spit forth the stones of any fruit pie upon a dish nor cast anything under the table.
96. It's unbecoming to heap much to one's mea. Keep your fingers clean and when foul wipe them on a corner of your table napkin.
97. Put not another bite into your mouth 'til the former be swallowed. Let not your morsels be too big for the jowls.
98. Drink not nor talk with your mouth full; neither gaze about you while you are drinking.
99. Drink not too leisurely nor yet too hastily. Before and after drinking wipe your lips. Breathe not then or ever with too great a noise, for it is uncivil.
100. Cleanse not your teeth with the tablecloth, napkin, fork or knife, but if others do it, let it be done with a pick tooth.
101. Rinse not your mouth in the presence of others.
102. It is out of use to call upon the company often to eat. Nor need you drink to others every time you drink.
103. In company of your betters be not longer in eating than they are. Lay not your arm but only your hand upon the table.
104. It belongs to the chiefest in company to unfold his napkin and fall to meat first. But he ought then to begin in time and to dispatch with dexterity that the slowest may have time allowed him.
105. Be not angry at table whatever happens and if you have reason to be so, show it not but on a cheerful countenance especially if there be strangers, for good humor makes one dish of meat a feast.
106. Set not yourself at the upper of the table but if it be your due, or that the master of the house will have it so. Contend not, lest you should trouble the company.
107. If others talk at table be attentive, but talk not with meat in your mouth.
108. When you speak of God or His attributes, let it be seriously and with reverence. Honor and obey your natural parents although they be poor.
109. Let your recreations be manful not sinful.
110. Labor to keep alive in your breast that little spark of celestial fire called conscience.
As a young schoolboy in Virginia, George Washington took his first steps toward greatness by copying out by hand a list of 110 'Rules of Civility & Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation.' Based on a 16th-century set of precepts compiled for young gentlemen by Jesuit instructors, the Rules of Civility were one of the earliest and most powerful forces to shape America's first president, says historian Richard Brookhiser.
Most of the rules are concerned with details of etiquette, offering pointers on such issues as how to dress, walk, eat in public and address one's superiors. But in the introduction to the newly published Rules of Civility: The 110 Precepts That Guided Our First President in War and Peace, Brookhiser warns against dismissing the maxims as "mere" etiquette. "The rules address moral issues, but they address them indirectly," Brookhiser writes. "They seek to form the inner man (or boy) by shaping the outer."
Brookhiser says the advice the rules offer, though often outlandish in detail, is still applicable in our day and age: "Maybe they can work on us in our century as the Jesuits intended them to work in theirs — indirectly — by putting us in a more ambitious frame of mind."
The Rules of Civility & Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation
(For ease of reading, punctuation and spelling have been modernized.)
1. Every action done in company ought to be with some sign of respect to those that are present.
2. When in company, put not your hands to any part of the body not usually discovered.
3. Show nothing to your friend that may affright him.
4. In the presence of others, sing not to yourself with a humming voice, or drum with your fingers or feet.
5. If you cough, sneeze, sigh or yawn, do it not loud but privately, and speak not in your yawning, but put your handkerchief or hand before your face and turn aside.
6. Sleep not when others speak, sit not when others stand, speak not when you should hold your peace, walk not on when others stop.
7. Put not off your clothes in the presence of others, nor go out of your chamber half dressed.
8. At play and attire, it's good manners to give place to the last comer, and affect not to speak louder than ordinary.
9. Spit not into the fire, nor stoop low before it; neither put your hands into the flames to warm them, nor set your feet upon the fire, especially if there be meat before it.
10. When you sit down, keep your feet firm and even, without putting one on the other or crossing them.
11. Shift not yourself in the sight of others, nor gnaw your nails.
12. Shake not the head, feet, or legs; roll not the eyes; lift not one eyebrow higher than the other, wry not the mouth, and bedew no man's face with your spittle by approaching too near him when you speak.
13. Kill no vermin, or fleas, lice, ticks, etc. in the sight of others; if you see any filth or thick spittle put your foot dexterously upon it; if it be upon the clothes of your companions, put it off privately, and if it be upon your own clothes, return thanks to him who puts it off.
14. Turn not your back to others, especially in speaking; jog not the table or desk on which another reads or writes; lean not upon anyone.
15. Keep your nails clean and short, also your hands and teeth clean, yet without showing any great concern for them.
16. Do not puff up the cheeks, loll not out the tongue with the hands or beard, thrust out the lips or bite them, or keep the lips too open or too close.
17. Be no flatterer, neither play with any that delight not to be played withal.
18. Read no letter, books, or papers in company, but when there is a necessity for the doing of it, you must ask leave; come not near the books or writtings of another so as to read them unless desired, or give your opinion of them unasked. Also look not nigh when another is writing a letter.
19. Let your countenance be pleasant but in serious matters somewhat grave.
20. The gestures of the body must be suited to the discourse you are upon.
21. Reproach none for the infirmities of nature, nor delight to put them that have in mind of thereof.
22. Show not yourself glad at the misfortune of another though he were your enemy.
23. When you see a crime punished, you may be inwardly pleased; but always show pity to the suffering offender.
24. Do not laugh too loud or too much at any public spectacle.
25. Superfluous compliments and all affectation of ceremonies are to be avoided, yet where due they are not to be neglected.
26. In putting off your hat to persons of distinction, as noblemen, justices, churchmen, etc., make a reverence, bowing more or less according to the custom of the better bred, and quality of the persons. Among your equals expect not always that they should begin with you first, but to pull off the hat when there is no need is affectation. In the manner of saluting and resaluting in words, keep to the most usual custom.
27. 'Tis ill manners to bid one more eminent than yourself be covered, as well as not to do it to whom it is due. Likewise he that makes too much haste to put on his hat does not well, yet he ought to put it on at the first, or at most the second time of being asked. Now what is herein spoken, of qualification in behavior in saluting, ought also to be observed in taking of place and sitting down, for ceremonies without bounds are troublesome.
28. If any one come to speak to you while you are are sitting stand up, though he be your inferior, and when you present seats, let it be to everyone according to his degree.
29. When you meet with one of greater quality than yourself, stop and retire, especially if it be at a door or any straight place, to give way for him to pass.
30. In walking, the highest place in most countries seems to be on the right hand; therefore, place yourself on the left of him whom you desire to honor. But if three walk together the middest place is the most honorable; the wall is usally given to the most worthy if two walk together.
31. If anyone far surpasses others, either in age, estate, or merit, yet would give place to a meaner than himself in his own lodging or elsewhere, the one ought not to except it. So he on the other part should not use much earnestness nor offer it above once or twice.
32. To one that is your equal, or not much inferior, you are to give the chief place in your lodging, and he to whom it is offered ought at the first to refuse it, but at the second to accept though not without acknowledging his own unworthiness.
33. They that are in dignity or in office have in all places precedency, but whilst they are young, they ought to respect those that are their equals in birth or other qualities, though they have no public charge.
34. It is good manners to prefer them to whom we speak before ourselves, especially if they be above us, with whom in no sort we ought to begin.
35. Let your discourse with men of business be short and comprehensive.
36. Artificers and persons of low degree ought not to use many ceremonies to lords or others of high degree, but respect and highly honor then, and those of high degree ought to treat them with affability and courtesy, without arrogance.
37. In speaking to men of quality do not lean nor look them full in the face, nor approach too near them at left. Keep a full pace from them.
38. In visiting the sick, do not presently play the physician if you be not knowing therein.
39. In writing or speaking, give to every person his due title according to his degree and the custom of the place.
40. Strive not with your superior in argument, but always submit your judgment to others with modesty.
41. Undertake not to teach your equal in the art himself professes; it savors of arrogancy.
42. Let your ceremonies in courtesy be proper to the dignity of his place with whom you converse, for it is absurd to act the same with a clown and a prince.
43. Do not express joy before one sick in pain, for that contrary passion will aggravate his misery.
44. When a man does all he can, though it succeed not well, blame not him that did it.
45. Being to advise or reprehend any one, consider whether it ought to be in public or in private, and presently or at some other time; in what terms to do it; and in reproving show no signs of cholor but do it with all sweetness and mildness.
46. Take all admonitions thankfully in what time or place soever given, but afterwards not being culpable take a time and place convenient to let him know it that gave them.
47. Mock not nor jest at any thing of importance. Break no jests that are sharp, biting, and if you deliver any thing witty and pleasant, abstain from laughing thereat yourself.
48. Wherein you reprove another be unblameable yourself, for example is more prevalent than precepts.
49. Use no reproachful language against any one; neither curse nor revile.
50. Be not hasty to believe flying reports to the disparagement of any.
51. Wear not your clothes foul, or ripped, or dusty, but see they be brushed once every day at least and take heed that you approach not to any uncleaness.
52. In your apparel be modest and endeavor to accommodate nature, rather than to procure admiration; keep to the fashion of your equals, such as are civil and orderly with respect to time and places.
53. Run not in the streets, neither go too slowly, nor with mouth open; go not shaking of arms, nor upon the toes, kick not the earth with your feet, go not upon the toes, nor in a dancing fashion.
54. Play not the peacock, looking every where about you, to see if you be well decked, if your shoes fit well, if your stockings sit neatly and clothes handsomely.
55. Eat not in the streets, nor in the house, out of season.
56. Associate yourself with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation; for 'tis better to be alone than in bad company.
57. In walking up and down in a house, only with one in company if he be greater than yourself, at the first give him the right hand and stop not till he does and be not the first that turns, and when you do turn let it be with your face towards him; if he be a man of great quality walk not with him cheek by jowl but somewhat behind him, but yet in such a manner that he may easily speak to you.
58. Let your conversation be without malice or envy, for 'tis a sign of a tractable and commendable nature, and in all causes of passion permit reason to govern.
59. Never express anything unbecoming, nor act against the rules moral before your inferiors.
60. Be not immodest in urging your friends to discover a secret.
61. Utter not base and frivolous things among grave and learned men, nor very difficult questions or subjects among the ignorant, or things hard to be believed; stuff not your discourse with sentences among your betters nor equals.
62. Speak not of doleful things in a time of mirth or at the table; speak not of melancholy things as death and wounds, and if others mention them, change if you can the discourse. Tell not your dreams, but to your intimate friend.
63. A man ought not to value himself of his achievements or rare qualities of wit; much less of his riches, virtue or kindred.
64. Break not a jest where none take pleasure in mirth; laugh not aloud, nor at all without occasion; deride no man's misfortune though there seem to be some cause.
65. Speak not injurious words neither in jest nor earnest; scoff at none although they give occasion.
66. Be not froward but friendly and courteous, the first to salute, hear and answer; and be not pensive when it's a time to converse.
67. Detract not from others, neither be excessive in commanding.
68. Go not thither, where you know not whether you shall be welcome or not; give not advice without being asked, and when desired do it briefly.
69. If two contend together take not the part of either unconstrained, and be not obstinate in your own opinion. In things indifferent be of the major side.
70. Reprehend not the imperfections of others, for that belongs to parents, masters and superiors.
71. Gaze not on the marks or blemishes of others and ask not how they came. What you may speak in secret to your friend, deliver not before others.
72. Speak not in an unknown tongue in company but in your own language and that as those of quality do and not as the vulgar. Sublime matters treat seriously.
73. Think before you speak, pronounce not imperfectly, nor bring out your words too hastily, but orderly and distinctly.
74. When another speaks, be attentive yourself and disturb not the audience. If any hesitate in his words, help him not nor prompt him without desired. Interrupt him not, nor answer him till his speech be ended.
75. In the midst of discourse ask not of what one treats, but if you perceive any stop because of your coming, you may well entreat him gently to proceed. If a person of quality comes in while you're conversing, it's handsome to repeat what was said before.
76. While you are talking, point not with your finger at him of whom you discourse, nor approach too near him to whom you talk, especially to his face.
77. Treat with men at fit times about business and whisper not in the company of others.
78. Make no comparisons and if any of the company be commended for any brave act of virtue, commend not another for the same.
79. Be not apt to relate news if you know not the truth thereof. In discoursing of things you have heard, name not your author. Always a secret discover not.
80. Be not tedious in discourse or in reading unless you find the company pleased therewith.
81. Be not curious to know the affairs of others, neither approach those that speak in private.
82. Undertake not what you cannot perform but be careful to keep your promise.
83. When you deliver a matter do it without passion and with discretion, however mean the person be you do it to.
84. When your superiors talk to anybody hearken not, neither speak nor laugh.
85. In company of those of higher quality than yourself, speak not 'til you are asked a question, then stand upright, put off your hat and answer in few words.
86. In disputes, be not so desirous to overcome as not to give liberty to each one to deliver his opinion and submit to the judgment of the major part, especially if they are judges of the dispute.
87. Let your carriage be such as becomes a man grave, settled and attentive to that which is spoken. Contradict not at every turn what others say.
88. Be not tedious in discourse, make not many digressions, nor repeat often the same manner of discourse.
89. Speak not evil of the absent, for it is unjust.
90. Being set at meat scratch not, neither spit, cough or blow your nose except there's a necessity for it.
91. Make no show of taking great delight in your victuals. Feed not with greediness. Eat your bread with a knife. Lean not on the table, neither find fault with what you eat.
92. Take no salt or cut bread with your knife greasy.
93. Entertaining anyone at table it is decent to present him with meat. Undertake not to help others undesired by the master.
94. If you soak bread in the sauce, let it be no more than what you put in your mouth at a time, and blow not your broth at table but stay 'til it cools of itself.
95. Put not your meat to your mouth with your knife in your hand; neither spit forth the stones of any fruit pie upon a dish nor cast anything under the table.
96. It's unbecoming to heap much to one's mea. Keep your fingers clean and when foul wipe them on a corner of your table napkin.
97. Put not another bite into your mouth 'til the former be swallowed. Let not your morsels be too big for the jowls.
98. Drink not nor talk with your mouth full; neither gaze about you while you are drinking.
99. Drink not too leisurely nor yet too hastily. Before and after drinking wipe your lips. Breathe not then or ever with too great a noise, for it is uncivil.
100. Cleanse not your teeth with the tablecloth, napkin, fork or knife, but if others do it, let it be done with a pick tooth.
101. Rinse not your mouth in the presence of others.
102. It is out of use to call upon the company often to eat. Nor need you drink to others every time you drink.
103. In company of your betters be not longer in eating than they are. Lay not your arm but only your hand upon the table.
104. It belongs to the chiefest in company to unfold his napkin and fall to meat first. But he ought then to begin in time and to dispatch with dexterity that the slowest may have time allowed him.
105. Be not angry at table whatever happens and if you have reason to be so, show it not but on a cheerful countenance especially if there be strangers, for good humor makes one dish of meat a feast.
106. Set not yourself at the upper of the table but if it be your due, or that the master of the house will have it so. Contend not, lest you should trouble the company.
107. If others talk at table be attentive, but talk not with meat in your mouth.
108. When you speak of God or His attributes, let it be seriously and with reverence. Honor and obey your natural parents although they be poor.
109. Let your recreations be manful not sinful.
110. Labor to keep alive in your breast that little spark of celestial fire called conscience.
Lemon Chicken
Hi!
I cooked three pounds of chicken last night and as it's one of our family favorites, I thought I'd share the recipe. This is an Italian-style (as opposed to Chinese) lemon chicken made with white wine and capers. Here are the ingredients:
- 3lbs of chicken, trimmed of fat and cut into chunks (~4 to a breast)
- 2 sticks of unsalted butter (not margarine or some other fake crap)
- 1 cup of lemon juice, preferably fresh-squeezed (it makes a difference)
- 1 cup of white wine; use one you like, single-serving bottles are enough
- 1 3.5oz jar of non-pareil capers, drained; use more if you like
- Enough olive oil; use the best you can find, Canola is never the answer!
- A coating mix that is half-flour and half-garlic powder
Heat the pan to medium-high, between six and seven out of ten on my range. Pre-heat the oven to ~200 degrees. (This will make sense later.) Put some olive oil in the pan; how much depends on the stickiness of the pan and your penchant for olive oil. Coat a piece chicken in the flour/garlic mix and drop it in the pan. Repeat until the pan is full, but not so full that you can move the chicken around with a shake of the pan. After a few minutes, flip the chicken over. When the chicken is done, transfer it to something you can keep in the oven. This will keep the cooked chicken warm while you finish the rest...
After the chicken is all cooked and in the oven, pour the lemon juice into the pan. Don't clean the pan first! If there are stuck bits of chicken, let them be a part of the sauce... Let the juice simmer for a few minutes. Pour in the wine and stir for a bit. Let it all simmer for a few minutes. Cut the butter into patty-sized chunks and melt it into the pan. Don't let it just sit there; stir constantly so that the butter, lemon juice, and wine are mixed together very well. After the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth, pour in the capers. Stir for a bit, then pour the sauce over the chicken.
The whole chicken/sauce mixture can stay in the oven while you prepare the rest of the meal. We usually have this with pasta, but it's good with rice and by itself. If you choose pasta, pick one with a lot of surface area so that the sauce will stick to it. Keep in mind that three pounds is enough to feed six to ten people. If you want to cook less chicken, don't cut the sauce recipe by the same proportion. The least amount of sauce I'd recommend is half of what's given above, even if you only cook one-quarter the amount of chicken...
Enjoy!
Matt
I cooked three pounds of chicken last night and as it's one of our family favorites, I thought I'd share the recipe. This is an Italian-style (as opposed to Chinese) lemon chicken made with white wine and capers. Here are the ingredients:
- 3lbs of chicken, trimmed of fat and cut into chunks (~4 to a breast)
- 2 sticks of unsalted butter (not margarine or some other fake crap)
- 1 cup of lemon juice, preferably fresh-squeezed (it makes a difference)
- 1 cup of white wine; use one you like, single-serving bottles are enough
- 1 3.5oz jar of non-pareil capers, drained; use more if you like
- Enough olive oil; use the best you can find, Canola is never the answer!
- A coating mix that is half-flour and half-garlic powder
Heat the pan to medium-high, between six and seven out of ten on my range. Pre-heat the oven to ~200 degrees. (This will make sense later.) Put some olive oil in the pan; how much depends on the stickiness of the pan and your penchant for olive oil. Coat a piece chicken in the flour/garlic mix and drop it in the pan. Repeat until the pan is full, but not so full that you can move the chicken around with a shake of the pan. After a few minutes, flip the chicken over. When the chicken is done, transfer it to something you can keep in the oven. This will keep the cooked chicken warm while you finish the rest...
After the chicken is all cooked and in the oven, pour the lemon juice into the pan. Don't clean the pan first! If there are stuck bits of chicken, let them be a part of the sauce... Let the juice simmer for a few minutes. Pour in the wine and stir for a bit. Let it all simmer for a few minutes. Cut the butter into patty-sized chunks and melt it into the pan. Don't let it just sit there; stir constantly so that the butter, lemon juice, and wine are mixed together very well. After the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth, pour in the capers. Stir for a bit, then pour the sauce over the chicken.
The whole chicken/sauce mixture can stay in the oven while you prepare the rest of the meal. We usually have this with pasta, but it's good with rice and by itself. If you choose pasta, pick one with a lot of surface area so that the sauce will stick to it. Keep in mind that three pounds is enough to feed six to ten people. If you want to cook less chicken, don't cut the sauce recipe by the same proportion. The least amount of sauce I'd recommend is half of what's given above, even if you only cook one-quarter the amount of chicken...
Enjoy!
Matt
Monday, September 21, 2009
Coffee: Organic Mexican Zaragoza Select
Hi!
Brandi and I were out of coffee and I was going to Whole Foods anyway, so I thought we'd try something new. I was in the mood for a light roast, and the Organic Mexican Zaragoza Select caught my eye:
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The barista behind the counter said, "Going for the good stuff, huh?" I replied, "We'll see..." since I'd never had it before and the last time I had Mexican coffee (in Mexico), I decided that Jacqueline could use the rest of the beans for potions...
.jpg)
She said that ALL the baristas drink that blend and she HAS to have some every morning. I figure that's high praise. A barista at Whole Foods is probably as much of a coffee snob as I am, so I put about eight tablespoons of beans (two four-cup pots) in a bag. Before I could leave the counter, though, she insisted that I try it and brewed me a sample. It was worth the extra couple of minutes.
When I got it home and showed Brandi the photos, she said "Uh, Mexican..." probably remembering the same incident from our trip. I told her what the barista said, so she agreed to give it a try. It IS very good. We had the first pot last night and I'm brewing the second pot now. Highly recommended...
Thanks,
Matt
Brandi and I were out of coffee and I was going to Whole Foods anyway, so I thought we'd try something new. I was in the mood for a light roast, and the Organic Mexican Zaragoza Select caught my eye:
.jpg)
The barista behind the counter said, "Going for the good stuff, huh?" I replied, "We'll see..." since I'd never had it before and the last time I had Mexican coffee (in Mexico), I decided that Jacqueline could use the rest of the beans for potions...
.jpg)
She said that ALL the baristas drink that blend and she HAS to have some every morning. I figure that's high praise. A barista at Whole Foods is probably as much of a coffee snob as I am, so I put about eight tablespoons of beans (two four-cup pots) in a bag. Before I could leave the counter, though, she insisted that I try it and brewed me a sample. It was worth the extra couple of minutes.
When I got it home and showed Brandi the photos, she said "Uh, Mexican..." probably remembering the same incident from our trip. I told her what the barista said, so she agreed to give it a try. It IS very good. We had the first pot last night and I'm brewing the second pot now. Highly recommended...
Thanks,
Matt
Saturday, September 19, 2009
NurtureShock: New Thinking About Children
Hi!
I found this post titled "How to Raise Your Kids—and Maybe Your Company, Too" through Guy Kawasaki's blog. I was more interested in the kids part of it. Here's a Q&A with authors of "NurtureShock," Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman:
A couple of comments... First, I don't think any of this is particularly new. Alfie Kohn wrote "Punished By Rewards" 16 years ago. In it, he cites numerous studies that suggest rewarding kids for "good" behavior doesn't reinforce the behavior, it reinforces the desire to get rewarded.
I also don't think "be truthful" is much of a revelation. Who wouldn't recommend that? What's interesting is that there is an assumption that going to school is the right thing and the goal seems to try and minimize the damage. This is just another reason that I'm glad we're unschooling. Someday, I hope to live in a world where those sending their kids off to schools are the ones who have to justify themselves...
Thanks,
Matt
I found this post titled "How to Raise Your Kids—and Maybe Your Company, Too" through Guy Kawasaki's blog. I was more interested in the kids part of it. Here's a Q&A with authors of "NurtureShock," Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman:
1. Question: Are children “little adults”? Do their minds work like an adult’s?
Answer: Of course, if you ask a parent if his child’s brain works the same as his, he’ll say, “No.” However, in practice, it’s surprising how often we expect kids to respond to things in the same way that adults do; we use ourselves as the frame of reference.
A good example of that is how adults use praise. Adults expect praise and financial rewards for their good work—bonuses are motivating. So people assume praise or prizes—even money—motivate kids, but there is no evidence that’s true. If anything, the opposite seems more true. Kids increasingly seek activities that bring immediate, tangible benefits, and doing something just for the joy of it fades away.
2. Question: If they aren’t “little adults,” should we do the opposite of what adult-logic would suggest?
Answer: It’s enough to stop assuming that kids share our perspectives and start asking kids what they understand. Even young kids can be quite articulate about how they see the world, and hearing their answers can lead to some fascinating insight. Almost all 5-year-old kids know that lying is “bad,” but then scientists asked them why lying was bad. The kids replied that lying was bad because it got them punished. It had little to do with the value of honesty.
3. Question: What should one do if he/she sees friends or relatives praising their kid’s intelligence?
Answer: I’d suggest that they focus their praise on what the kid is doing—that is, “You worked really hard on that, didn’t you?” My very-short-hand cocktail party explanation for the research on praise is that praising intelligence teaches kids that success is based on an innate skill either they have or they don’t. What we want to teach kids is that their fate is in their hands—that they can change outcomes, depending on how much they work at things.
4. Question: What’s more dangerous: over-nurturing or under-nurturing kids?
Answer: I’d take the overly attentive parent over the parent who ignored a kid any day. And more enriched environments and interactions are great for kids. There’s some research indicating that more attentive parenting for one kid may change parent-child interactions for generations.
I think over-involved parenting is a real issue only when it prevents kids from being able to make mistakes and work things out on their own. Sure, we can offer advice if they are stuck, but making mistakes is how kids learn problem-solving. I mean, every CEO I’ve interviewed has told me the same thing: it’s in the missteps, not the successes, that you learn the most.
5. Question: On a scale of 1-10, where 1 is strict and 10 is lenient, where should parents be?
Answer: A three, maybe? But the issue isn’t simply about strictness versus leniency: it’s also about warmth. Scholars always look at discipline and warmth of a parent-child relationship at the same time. If the parent-child relationship is generally warm, caring, and supportive, that dramatically improves the effectiveness of discipline. Nancy Darling, a researcher at Oberlin, is the one who really clarified the discipline issue for me. She said that it’s easy to make rules, but it’s hard to enforce them. So the better approach is to set just a few rules on things that a parent believes are truly important, and when those are violated, be consistent in the response (i.e., punishment). However, even for those rules, once in a while, if the kid has a legitimate reason why you should bend a rule, it doesn’t damage your authority to agree. It actually increases your authority because your kid knows that you can be reasonable and fair.
6. Question: How should one teach kids about race?
Answer: There’s a fear, particularly among white parents, that talking about race teaches kids to be racist. But the reality is that parents’ silence leaves kids with a vacuum of knowledge to fill on their own. The other trap is that a lot of us fall into saying things like, “Everybody’s equal.” That’s just too vague for young children to understand: they don’t even know that is a comment about race. The better course is to talk about race in the same way we talk about gender. We have no problem saying, “Girls and boys can both be good at sports.” That’s how we should talk about it.
7. Question: How can you tell if a school is operating according to the findings of your book?
Answer: I hope schools will address how they assess children for gifted programs, so that they become less focused on early testing. I also hope that schools will look past ethnic demographics and determine if kids are having meaningful cross-race interactions outside the classroom.
Schools that require kids to get on buses at 7 am or earlier trouble me. Dr. Mark Mahowald threw down a gauntlet when he told me that school schedules are for adults’ convenience, not for kids’ learning. No one has even tried to refute his argument. School start times need to move back.
8. Question: What’s a parent to do if he/she is basically raising their kids in the wrong way according to your book?
Answer: Both Po and I think that most people do the best they can for their kids, so NurtureShock isn’t about laying blame. We aren’t saying there is a “right” or “wrong” way to raise a child. NurtureShock is intended to catalyze a new way of thinking about learning and growth. I’d rather people read the book with an orientation towards the future, rather than worry about past mistakes.
I do hope that parents and other caregivers consider kids’ actions in light of the science. If the science seems to have an explanation that illuminates their kids’ behavior, then it would make sense to follow the scientists’ recommendations—or look for more information out there. I know there were a lot of things that once I’d read the science, I had to change.
Also, I’d never say that the research applies in every circumstance with every kid. Kids are much more complicated than that. If the science just doesn’t seem to be consistent with that kid’s development, maybe it’ll be more relevant later. The scientists themselves are enormously respectful of parents’ individual experiences.
9. Question: What does it mean if a kid is a skillful liar?
Answer: It depends on the child’s age. Between 3 and 4, almost all kids begin experimenting with some lying. So, at a very young age, the ability to lie actually signals cognitive advancement because lying requires kids to know one reality while trying to convince someone of something else entirely. They have to keep those two competing ideas going on in their heads at the same time. The important thing is how we respond to those initial lies—making sure that kids understand we value honesty. That it makes grown-ups happy to hear the truth, even if the truth means admitting some wrongdoing.
For kids older than 7, lying—skillful or otherwise—is more of a concern. At that point, kids can start to believe that lying is the best way to handle uncomfortable social situations. Once that strategy is in place, lying becomes much more difficult to stop.
10. Question: After writing the book, what child-raising practices have you or Po changed?
Answer: Every chapter changed how we did things. One quick example: I was really struck by an idea that one scholar, Debbie Leong, pointed out: good students know when they are doing well and when they’re having trouble. Kids who struggle are genuinely unsure of how they are doing. The key is to help them develop this self-awareness. So I used to look at a kid’s essay, marking up the mistakes so that he could fix them. Now I point to the paper and say, “Somewhere in this line is a mistake. What is it?” Nine times out of ten, they find it without my help. And if they’ve repeated the error, they often spot it on their own later on. They really become aware of how important it is to pay attention to their work.
11. Question: Your book cites study after study—what if they have their own bias, flaws, etc., such that the studies are no more “true” than what parents are doing now?
Answer: Scientific methodology has transformed over the past ten years. The scholars can now statistically analyze findings to see if they hold true across race, gender, age, and other factors. But beyond that, the best scholars are extremely critical of their own work. They’re the first to point out what their studies do and don’t accomplish; they seem as eager to tell you what went wrong with a study as what went right. And rather than bristle under hard questioning, they usually welcome the input.
As for what’s in NurtureShock, when psychologists, neuro-imaging scientists, demographers, sociologists, and others all independently come to the same conclusions, there’s real strength in the findings. That’s the kind of scientific consensus we wanted to see before we included research in the book. And if a study seemed rife with bias-issues or methodological concerns, we didn’t include it in the book.
Also, we included a lot of specifics on the scientists’ experiments. We did so because we didn’t want people to just take our word on the research; we wanted readers to have enough information that they could make up their own minds about the findings. The value of understanding the scientists’ process isn’t limited to a specific result. It’s more about learning what questions we need to ask scientists now and in the future.
12. Question: Knowing all that you know, what is the one summary piece of advice you want to give to parents?
Answer: Be truthful with kids. While it isn’t necessary to be brutally honest, before I praise a kid, I ask myself if I really believe what I’m saying. If I do, then I think it’s probably right to say. It’s better for a kid to hear parents argue and resolve the quarrel, then it is to pretend the argument never occurred because the kids usually already know about the dispute. It’s the result they’re unsure of. A lot of communication by adults is intended to manipulate kids, and they’re usually on to us. And when we are constantly trying to outsmart kids, it may work in the moment, but ultimately it can hurt our credibility. Then kids don’t believe that they can turn to us when they need some honest advice. If we expect kids to be truthful with us, we should be truthful with them.
A couple of comments... First, I don't think any of this is particularly new. Alfie Kohn wrote "Punished By Rewards" 16 years ago. In it, he cites numerous studies that suggest rewarding kids for "good" behavior doesn't reinforce the behavior, it reinforces the desire to get rewarded.
I also don't think "be truthful" is much of a revelation. Who wouldn't recommend that? What's interesting is that there is an assumption that going to school is the right thing and the goal seems to try and minimize the damage. This is just another reason that I'm glad we're unschooling. Someday, I hope to live in a world where those sending their kids off to schools are the ones who have to justify themselves...
Thanks,
Matt
Thursday, September 17, 2009
New Year's Resolutions
Hi!
It's been over a month, but a lot has happened since my last update. This time it's emphasis on "new." I won't change what I wrote in January, but I will change how I'm thinking about it...
1) Get back into martial arts as a family activity. After listening to Jeff Sabo speak at the Good Vibrations Unschooling Conference last weekend, I realized that this wasn't about my family. It was about me. I was trying to to get my family to follow my passions. I'm willing to support them no matter where their passions lead, even if they lead away from what I love to do... One of the true joys of parenting is to see your child fully engaged in something they love to do. It can be quite perplexing when it's something you don't understand or enjoy, but it's still wonderful...
2) Successfully complete my courses at Thunderbird. When I wrote this in January, I was defining "success" as earning an A. I didn't explicitly state this, but that's what was on my mind. I earned a B+ in Global Financial Management. It was my first non-A in a non-science, non-engineering course post-high school (undergrad and two+ graduate degrees). At first, I as pretty bummed. Now, I think it's liberating. I'm taking three courses now and it's a LOT of work. (Thunderbird moved a 1.5-credit course that was supposed to be in the second half of the term to the first half because of the instructor's availability.) Having already blown my "perfect" GPA, I can focus on learning and balance...
3) Establish better communication with friends and family. Communication is a two-way street. I'll claim that I'm doing well because I'm writing a blog, posting on Facebook, and maintaining a web site...but until I work to understand better what my friends and family have to say then I'm not really doing a good job. It has to be more than just reading the blogs and status updates of others... I'm working on it...
4) Establish and maintain good exercise and financial habits. I've been sick and stressed, which is a bad combination for maintaining health. I've also made two trips to California in the last month, which is hard on our finances. Fortunately, I'm in pretty good overall health and YNAB has helped us plan ahead so we're not getting deeper in debt to pay for these trips. We still have work to do, but we're on the right track. As for exercise habits, a good friend and personal trainer, James Godin, has helped me create an exercise routine that will fit my schedule and goals. Now, I just need to get started...
Well, that's my update for now. I feel like I took a step backwards, but only because I have a different perspective. That's okay. I think that new year's resolutions are meant to do that from time to time. We'll see how the last three months of 2009 go and start again in 2010...
Take care!
Matt
It's been over a month, but a lot has happened since my last update. This time it's emphasis on "new." I won't change what I wrote in January, but I will change how I'm thinking about it...
1) Get back into martial arts as a family activity. After listening to Jeff Sabo speak at the Good Vibrations Unschooling Conference last weekend, I realized that this wasn't about my family. It was about me. I was trying to to get my family to follow my passions. I'm willing to support them no matter where their passions lead, even if they lead away from what I love to do... One of the true joys of parenting is to see your child fully engaged in something they love to do. It can be quite perplexing when it's something you don't understand or enjoy, but it's still wonderful...
2) Successfully complete my courses at Thunderbird. When I wrote this in January, I was defining "success" as earning an A. I didn't explicitly state this, but that's what was on my mind. I earned a B+ in Global Financial Management. It was my first non-A in a non-science, non-engineering course post-high school (undergrad and two+ graduate degrees). At first, I as pretty bummed. Now, I think it's liberating. I'm taking three courses now and it's a LOT of work. (Thunderbird moved a 1.5-credit course that was supposed to be in the second half of the term to the first half because of the instructor's availability.) Having already blown my "perfect" GPA, I can focus on learning and balance...
3) Establish better communication with friends and family. Communication is a two-way street. I'll claim that I'm doing well because I'm writing a blog, posting on Facebook, and maintaining a web site...but until I work to understand better what my friends and family have to say then I'm not really doing a good job. It has to be more than just reading the blogs and status updates of others... I'm working on it...
4) Establish and maintain good exercise and financial habits. I've been sick and stressed, which is a bad combination for maintaining health. I've also made two trips to California in the last month, which is hard on our finances. Fortunately, I'm in pretty good overall health and YNAB has helped us plan ahead so we're not getting deeper in debt to pay for these trips. We still have work to do, but we're on the right track. As for exercise habits, a good friend and personal trainer, James Godin, has helped me create an exercise routine that will fit my schedule and goals. Now, I just need to get started...
Well, that's my update for now. I feel like I took a step backwards, but only because I have a different perspective. That's okay. I think that new year's resolutions are meant to do that from time to time. We'll see how the last three months of 2009 go and start again in 2010...
Take care!
Matt
Wednesday, September 09, 2009
Shihan Larry Isaac Promotion to 10th Degree
Local karate schools help instructor attain 10th degree black belt !
Two schools in the Tempe/Ahwatukee and QueenCreek areas participated together by the direction of Renshi Robyn Rush-James, 5th degree Black Belt, (from Maricopa, AZ) in fundraising for a surprise promotion for thier Head Instructor of thier Okinawan Weapons martial arts division Shihan Larry Isaac from Jacksonville, North Carolina. JB Martial Arts owned by Glen Wong and S&H Martial Arts owned by Mike Stevens were the key players to making this happen. Shihan Larry Isaac attended the Universal Martial Arts Association 2009 Hall of Fame Banquet in Washington DC., September 5th, to receive a Founders Award for contributions to the martial arts. The two schools together sponsored the fees related for this rank promotion. With the assistance of Shihan Frank Williams, Hall of fame promoter who brought Grandmaster/Hanshi Seifuku Nitta in from Okinawa and presented him with a surprise award of this 10th degree Black Belt (Highest attainable rank). The greatest honor was when Mr. Frank Williams Phd announced these two school names during this presentation and event. Renshi Rush-James will be hosting Shihan Isaac to the local area either later this fall or early spring to hold martial arts seminars at these two schools.
Copy of Press Release: Sept 6th, 2009
Photo provided/taken by Polly Melick
Sunday, September 06, 2009
The Public Option
Hi!
As the debate over universal health care rages, it amazes me to hear people who so vehemently oppose the public option for health care are often the same folks who are happy to send their kids to public school. Since kids spend a LOT more time in school then they do at the doctor, and there is a LOT more variability in the quality of schools than the quality of doctors, it seems VERY hypocritical.
Full disclosure: My kids are homeschooled. However, my wife and I consider this a choice that we're glad we have the option to make. We considered the public option, and chose another. We believe that public schools SHOULD be available to everyone and don't mind paying taxes to support schools that don't benefit our kids, because they do benefit society. Of course, I'd understand opposition to the public health care option if schools are any indication of what we'd expect. If public health care were run like public schools...
1) Kids would see a doctor in groups of 30 and the sickest kid would define the treatment all 30 would receive. The following year, kids would be grouped differently and see a different set of doctors.
2) In order to improve health, the government would (with the help of for-profit hospitals who administer the tests) define what "healthy" means based on what some very simple tests can measure.
3) Kids who are not healthy are labeld "special" and encouraged to drop out of the system by administrators and doctors who are paid based on the "health scores" their kids receive.
Any others? Clearly, this would be an insane way to run a health care system for our kids, but it is almost EXACTLY how our public school system is run. Fortunately, no one (I repeat, NO ONE) is suggesting this kind of system for universal health care. Rather than fight what is a perfectly reasonable (though, admittedly, not perfect) universal health care proposal, why not oppose what is clearly a public school system that is disfunctional?
Take care!
Matt
As the debate over universal health care rages, it amazes me to hear people who so vehemently oppose the public option for health care are often the same folks who are happy to send their kids to public school. Since kids spend a LOT more time in school then they do at the doctor, and there is a LOT more variability in the quality of schools than the quality of doctors, it seems VERY hypocritical.
Full disclosure: My kids are homeschooled. However, my wife and I consider this a choice that we're glad we have the option to make. We considered the public option, and chose another. We believe that public schools SHOULD be available to everyone and don't mind paying taxes to support schools that don't benefit our kids, because they do benefit society. Of course, I'd understand opposition to the public health care option if schools are any indication of what we'd expect. If public health care were run like public schools...
1) Kids would see a doctor in groups of 30 and the sickest kid would define the treatment all 30 would receive. The following year, kids would be grouped differently and see a different set of doctors.
2) In order to improve health, the government would (with the help of for-profit hospitals who administer the tests) define what "healthy" means based on what some very simple tests can measure.
3) Kids who are not healthy are labeld "special" and encouraged to drop out of the system by administrators and doctors who are paid based on the "health scores" their kids receive.
Any others? Clearly, this would be an insane way to run a health care system for our kids, but it is almost EXACTLY how our public school system is run. Fortunately, no one (I repeat, NO ONE) is suggesting this kind of system for universal health care. Rather than fight what is a perfectly reasonable (though, admittedly, not perfect) universal health care proposal, why not oppose what is clearly a public school system that is disfunctional?
Take care!
Matt
Friday, September 04, 2009
Top 10 Ideas for Restarting an IP Program
Hi!
I recently read an article titled "Top 10 Ideas for Restarting an IP Program" by Bill Meade at www.openforum.com. Since I'm currently taking Global Enterprise at Thunderbird and one of the aspects of the course is Corporate Entrepreneurship, I found it very interesting... Here's an extended excerpt describing what companies should do to restart their IP (Intellectual Property, or patent generation) program.
Thanks!
Matt
I recently read an article titled "Top 10 Ideas for Restarting an IP Program" by Bill Meade at www.openforum.com. Since I'm currently taking Global Enterprise at Thunderbird and one of the aspects of the course is Corporate Entrepreneurship, I found it very interesting... Here's an extended excerpt describing what companies should do to restart their IP (Intellectual Property, or patent generation) program.
1. Isolate your patent business model. The big question here is how will patents pay for themselves? By protecting markets from competitors? By being licensed? By reducing the rate of patent litigation? The best place to start an IP program is with a solid foundation on profitability. Then, once you’ve decided what the IP business model is, measure it. Gilb’s Law of Quantification is that there is always a way to measure that is better to not measuring at all. Supertrue for the area of IP. Measure and ye shall receive.
2. Tell inventors the “what.” If you write down the seven areas where you want inventions, and make these areas into a cover sheet on your invention disclosure, you will increase the rate of strategic inventing. Increase from whatever it is now, to over 90%. Until inventors get calibrated, filling out invention disclosure forms is an uncertain, risky, stab in the dark. Tell inventors what you need, and you drain the uncertainty, risk, and much of the career threat from sharing ideas.
3. Tell inventors the “why.” If you can proactively communicate the criteria by which invention disclosures are evaluated, you will increase your rate and quality of inventing dramatically. I think the best way to do this is to pick four scales that range from 1 (low) to 10 (high), have a legal person rate each disclosure on these scales, and have a technical person do the same. You’ll learn a lot as the two raters talk about the differences in their scores and begin to converge. Information is contained in contrasts such as these:
* Scale 1: Bringing in new business
* Scale 2: Required investment
* Scale 3: Competitive pain caused
* Scale 4: Current business protected
This process forces your legal and business people to operationalize their currently implicit theories—for example, “Above 30 is a default file patent decision”. Then you can objectively communicate these scores with inventors to calibrate them to the company’s standards. Numerical clarity simultaneously increases the rate and quality of inventing. Quality comes up rapidly, so rapidly that the IP department budgets become immediately overtaxed with potential patent ideas that attorneys canʼt bear not to file on.
4. Make a contract between IP and Senior Management. The biggest sin of omission in starting an IP program is not having an activity-based budget contract between management and the legal department. It can seem like an approach of “Break it. We’ll fix it as we go” is a good enough start—especially before you have shown that you can improve either quality or quantity of IP.
It’s not true.
Break-fix does not work for legal departments. Legal is not a BUSINESS function. Legal is a dignified profession. When corporate lawyers need more money, they won’t demand it. Every legal department I’ve worked with has been a wall flower about money—denial ain’t just a River in Egypt. Lawyers won’t pound the table (like psychotic marketing VPs) and demand funding. So without a contract you are likely to end up killing your IP program with success as the legal department chokes on increased activity and improved quality.
If you have a contract between the IP people and Senior Management, the IP people wonʼt drown in the great disclosures theyʼve always wished to see. And management, for the first time, will have to specify (cap) the appropriate activity level for IP in the company.
5. Establish a translation layer. I have a Ph.D. in marketing with minors in electrical engineering, evolutionary ecology, econometrics, and statistics. When I arrived at HP I was a in marketing, managing printer products. Very soon I was beamed across the group into managing the business side of a million dollar a month burn rate, patent litigation event between HP and Xerox. My background in BOTH hard science and soft science sides was the reason for this assignment. Hard science plus soft science training prepared me to be able to translate between all the stakeholder groups in intellectual property.
Being able to translate between engineer and marketeer, engineer and attorney, between attorney and VP of Technology, and between outside counsel and inside counsel, and most importantly for that litigation event, between the PR people, business people, and patent attorneys, we were able to shut down the HP/Xerox litigation at minimum cost. The IP management game is won by simplifying and accelerating communication. Hire a translation layer person, someone who delights at being stuck in the middle of people who can’t, don’t, or won’t communicate.
6. Build the rebel alliance. Unrecognized in every great technical company is an incipient alliance of people who want to help intellectual property management happen. IP rebel alliance members are sometimes are visible as patent coordinators in business groups, but the vast majority of potential rebel alliance members are below the waterline like an iceberg. By tapping the rebel alliance, I was able to keep IP strategies moving while remaining flat to the wall—not leaving a cost profile that a computer or finance person could see.
For example, I built a world wide automatic payment system for IP payments. But, by tapping the rebel alliance, I built this system without head count, budget, or even an accounting code. No company knows what it should be spending on IP. So the less you have to spend, the more successful you can be. The way to spend less on IP than anyone for a given level of success is to build the rebel alliance.
7. Democratize inventing. If you haven not engineered an ‘inventing democracy,’ you don’t have it. Being content with inventions that find you, means you have biased and filtered access to the ideas created in your organization. A lot of things make inventing undemocratic: habit, cultural assumptions, ignorance, and inertia. My personal favorite ‘wrong’ cultural assumption is that engineers in engineering groups CAN be inventors while engineers in sales groups CAN NOT be inventors - even if the engineer came from an engineering group and used to be an inventor.
You need to build business processes between the legal department and the inventors. Between the legal department and the business people. And probably between legal, finance, business, and inventors if you have invention incentive program. Democratization of invention is engineered in over time as you feel your way iteratively discovering breakthrough processes. If you design in open-ness, you’ll maximize the quality and income of your IP system.
8. Be enthusiastic. The root words of “enthusiasm” are “en” which means “in” and “theos” which means god. Enthusiasm is the god within. And enthusiasm is responsible for all the results I’ve achieved in IP management. This was surprising to my boss; he was a twenty-five year managing counsel for IP who once said, “The policies have been on the books for seven years. The doors of the legal department have always been open. Why is everything happening now? … I’m surprised at how much more happens when enthusiasm is behind the process pushing.”
Enthusiasm is not taught in law school. So, enthusiasm is crucial complementary skill to your legal department. Make sure whoever you hire is famous for enthusiasm. For example, while I was running an invention workshop for the first time at a client. During the presentation the IP attorney (now GC for IP) present looked at me and blurted out “This is like an intellectual property revival meeting!” Yes, exactly!!!
9. Strip your disclosure. Invention disclosures are complex forms created by patent attorneys to pass muster with other patent attorneys. The requirements to document an invention are however, very few. Why complex forms for simple inventions? Because attorneys are shifting the work they are supposed to do, on to inventors. If you want more and better disclosures from the inventors, simplify. Take the legal department’s work, off the backs of your inventors. If the legal department needs more people to process invention disclosures, so be it.
Starting up an intellectual property program is about profit, not cost. Groundrule #1 is that nobody in the system gets to optimize their own costs at the expense of other people in the system. Simplify the disclosure, put a targeting cover sheet on it, you’ll be delighted with how the results come in good and then continue to get better every month.
10. Close the open loops. Intellectual property is managed open loop. Invention incentives if companies have policies, are always a disaster as far as inventors are concerned. Companies are either months (or years) behind in payments, or the payments come so far after invention (4 years if the patent has to issue before the inventor receives payment) that the “incentives” are useless for making inventors feel like they are part of a team. Basic strategies like how IP pays for itself, are not written, reviewed, measured, or routinely revised.
But donʼt feel bad about IP being open loop. This is what an ground floor opportunity looks like!! Intellectual property infrastructure and culture are built up over-time. Reigniting an IP program is a lot of fun because reigniting IP programs helps companies protect and re-monetize themselves, gets employees working together in new ways, and makes jobs more meaningful for people when they see that their work is valuable, patentable, and part of the company’s competitive advantage going forward.
Thanks!
Matt
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