Monday, August 30, 2021

Through the Keyhole - September 2021

 

IT Services - Business Consulting - Digital Marketing

SEPT 2021
Through the Keyhole
Take a break from your day...

Not your typical company OR newsletter
"You can set the table on the mountain located here.  Weather is like California with winter arriving in May and summer from November to March. Approximately 3.5 million people live here and if you like to surf, you will love visiting this location." 

Can you guess the location?

It's time for some College Football...

This time of year is fast approaching AND my favorite time.  With summer in the rear view mirror, we get to look forward to warm days, cool nights and a change of seasons.  Here in the midwest, we get to enjoy this change of seasons which is really nice in my opinion.  When I lived in California for a short time, I remembered missing the change of seasons.  Sure it got colder during the winter but there wasn't a big shift in scenery.  Here in the midwest we have a pretty long winter.  However, leading up to winter is fall which happens to be my favorite time of year.  

When the kids go back to school, we have fall sports like football.  Big 10 football is one of the highlights of the fall for me.  As an aside, I know why the Big 10 has 14 teams ($$$) but still some of the additions are puzzling.  I get Penn State.  I get Nebraska.  However, I do not understand the addition of Rutgers and Maryland. These universities seem to be really different from the typical Big 10 school but then again, who am I to judge?  As as friend of mine says, "ALL RISE FOR JUDGE MENTAL."

What I really like about college football is the spectacle.  One of my favorite memories from my college days is football Saturdays.  Every home football Saturday was filled with activity.  From 'Breakfast Club' to the marching band parading through to tailgating and losing football games... It was a blast.  Still is.  I am looking forward to visiting my son at Purdue this fall and taking in the spectacle once again.  The whole thing just makes me smile.

In fact, I watched Illinois play Nebraska in the season opener and it was fun to see everyone having fun in the sun taking in an American pastime.  It is great to see people out and about again.  Let's keep it this way...

And away we go...

I was at this game. This is perhaps the greatest moment in Purdue football (hint: there are not that many).  Drew Brees at 11:45 is the highlight. A spectacle... ~14 minutes
Helping Small Business

As we continue to grow our business consulting unit, we are finding that people really appreciate having an objective third party to help solve business problems.  No matter what type of problem, our customers find that having someone from the outside can provide a perspective that is often missed when you are close to the issue.  From getting people back in the office to filling job vacancies with quality candidates to rising inflation to supply chain problems.  TURNkey is here to help.
Last month, we awarded some great burgers to a couple participants.  Dr. Michael Zost pictured here with his gourmet burgers!  Look for more opportunities to help us learn how to help you be more successful in your endeavors.  Thanks again for the survey participation.
 

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Guess the Location Game

Last month the winner of the guess the location game was Gene Jablonski  who guessed the right answer.  I appreciate all of the participation.  THANKS FOR PLAYING!
ANSWER: Atlanta, GA
"This place is HOT this time of year (and humid).  Home to some some great sports teams and crazy politics.  Also the place where many movies are made.  Remember you can only vote once!" 
Can you guess the location?

Atlanta is a really great place to visit.  This time of year is really HOT.  Hotlanta is a real thing.  It is very humid and warm all summer long.  However, in the spring and fall, this place, like AZ is a great city to be in.  The people are friendly, the food is good and you can drive on a street named Peachtree for miles.  People joke in Atlanta that if you make a right and two lefts, you will find yourself on Peachtree.  There are 71 streets in Atlanta that are named as such.  Kind of confusing but it works for them. 

There is actually a replica of the White House on Tyler Perry's new 200 thousand square foot studio.  Atlanta has a big presence in the movie and music industries.

The city of Atlanta is busy.  There is a ton of traffic and there is a lot to navigate.  

Some Facts about Atlanta:

 

1. Atlanta isn’t the city’s first name, it’s one of many.

Since 1837, Atlanta has had several different names. It started out as Terminus, then was variously called Thrasherville and/or Deanville for a short period, then went on to be called Marthasville, named after the state governor’s daughter at the time. There are a few stories for how the city ultimately came to have its current name. One says it is the shortening of the name “Atlantica-Pacifica,” and another says it’s a variation of the governor’s daughter’s middle name, Atalanta.

2. Atlanta wasn’t Georgia’s original state capital.

The first capital of Georgia was the historic city of Savannah. Other cities that have held the same honor are Augustus, Louisville, and Milledgeville.  The Governor down there is under a bit of heat right now and there's a lot of talk about doing a forensic recount of the 2020 election up and down the ballot.

3. Leashing your pet giraffe to a street pole could get you in trouble.

You probably don’t have a pet giraffe, especially if you live in a midtown Atlanta apartment. But if you did, and you tied it to a street lamp or telephone pole, you could be cited with an infraction under one of those antiquated laws that lawmakers haven’t bothered to update.

4. Walking around with ice cream in your pocket is illegal, too.

Another bizarre Georgia law forbids you from walking around in public with an ice cream cone in your back pocket—but only on Sundays.

5. MODA is the only design museum in the Southeast.

The Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA), dedicated to the study and showcase of design, is the only museum of its kind in the southeastern United States. It’s located in Midtown Atlanta, on one of the more than 50 Atlanta area streets named Peachtree. MODA is a ten-minute drive from AMLI Parkside and AMLI Ponce Park Midtown Atlanta apartments.

6. Zoo Atlanta does serious monkey business.

Zoo Atlanta, located in Grant Park, has the largest populations of gorillas and orangutans in the country.

7. Atlanta may have helped make Woodstock.

About one month before the 1969 Woodstock Music & Art Fair, Dogwood City hosted the Atlanta International Pop Festival. An estimated 150,000 music lovers turned up to rock out to many of the same musicians who played at Woodstock a month later.

8. Atlanta’s city symbol is a phoenix.

On November 16, 1864, Union General William Tecumseh Sherman marched his troops in the direction of Savannah. They has spent the previous months destroying the city. When Sherman left, an estimated 400 buildings in the city remained standing. Atlanta’s symbol is, appropriately, the phoenix. Atlanta is, after all, one of the very few large American cities to ever be destroyed during war.

9. CNN’s global HQ is in Atlanta.

Located adjacent to Atlanta Centennial Park in downtown Atlanta, the CNN Center is the global news network’s world headquarters.  If you like to watch CNN, you may like propaganda.

10. The Braves are the oldest continually operating pro sports franchise in the U.S.

The MLB team moved to Atlanta in 1966, but prior to that and a 13-year stint in Milwaukee, they were a Boston outfit. While they originated as the Boston Red Stockings in 1871, and would become the Boston Braves in 1912. The Braves franchise has never missed a season, only abstaining from play during organized league strikes.

Places to eat ~ 15 min.
This guy talks about moving to Atlanta and things you need to know before moving there ~14 min.
Ugh.
Just in time for Halloween...
Creepy LED changing face mask.
Air Bag Helmet...

Pretty cool

Tovala Smart Oven with food delivery
6 minutes of a review for this smart oven
TRIVIA Time

'A SHOT OF WHISKEY'      - In the old west a .45 cartridge for a six-gun cost 12 cents,
so did a glass of whiskey. If a cowhand was low on cash, he would often give the bartender
a cartridge in exchange for a drink. This became known as a "shot" of whiskey.

 
BUYING  THE FARM -   This  is synonymous with dying. During WW1 soldiers were given
life insurance policies worth $5,000. This was about the price of an average farm so if you
died you "bought the farm" for your survivors.

 
IRON  CLAD CONTRACT -   This  came about from the ironclad ships of the Civil War.
It meant something so strong it could not be broken.

 
RIFF RAFF -   The  Mississippi River was the main way of traveling from north to south.
Riverboats carried passengers and freight but they were expensive so most people used rafts.
Everything had the right of way over rafts which were considered cheap. The steering oar on
the rafts was called a "riff" and this transposed into riff-raft, meaning low class.

  COBWEB -   The  Old English word for "spider" was "cob".

 
SHIP STATE ROOMS - Traveling by steamboat was considered the height of comfort.
Passenger cabins on the boats were not numbered. Instead they were named after states.
To this day cabins on ships are called staterooms.
 
SLEEP TIGHT-   Early  beds were made with a wooden frame. Ropes were tied across the
frame in a crisscross pattern. A straw mattress was then put on top of the ropes. Over time
the ropes stretched, causing the bed to sag. The owner would then tighten the ropes to get a better night's sleep.
 
SHOWBOAT -   These  were floating theaters built on a barge that was pushed by a steamboat.
These played small towns along the Mississippi River. Unlike the boat shown in the movie "Showboat",
these did not have an engine. They were gaudy and attention grabbing which is why we say someone
who is being the life of the party is "showboating".
 
OVER A BARREL -   In  the days before CPR, a drowning victim would be placed face down over a barrel
and the barrel would be rolled back and forth in an effort to empty the lungs of water.
It was rarely effective. If you are over a barrel, you are in deep trouble.

 
BARGE IN -   Heavy  freight was moved along the Mississippi in large barges pushed by steamboats.
These were hard to control and would sometimes swing into piers or other boats. People would say they "barged in".
 
HOGWASH -   Steamboats  carried both people and animals. Since pigs smelled so bad they would be
washed before being put on board. The mud and other filth that was washed off were considered useless "hog wash".

 
CURFEW -   The  word "curfew" comes from the French phrase "couvre-feu", which means
"cover the fire". It was used to describe the time of blowing out all lamps and candles. It was
later adopted into Middle English as "curfeu" which later became the modern "curfew".
In the early American colonies homes had no real fireplaces so a fire was built in the center of the room.
In order to make sure a fire did not get out of control during the night it was required that,
by an agreed upon time, all fires would be covered with a clay  pot called-a "curfew".

 
BARRELS OF OIL -   When  the first oil wells were drilled, there was no provision for storing
the liquid so they used water barrels. That is why, to this day, we speak of barrels of oil rather than gallons.
  
HOT OFF THE PRESS - As the paper goes through the rotary printing press friction causes it to heat up 
Therefore, if you grab the paper right off the press, it's hot. The expression means to get immediate information.

There, don't you feel smarter now?
 
Betcha Didn't Know ...  
The liquid inside young coconuts can be used as a substitute for Blood plasma.
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No piece of paper can be folded in half more than seven (7) times.
Oh, go ahead.. I'll wait...
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Donkeys kill more people annually than plane crashes or shark attacks.
(So, watch your A..)
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You burn more calories sleeping than you do watching television
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Oak trees do not produce acorns until they are fifty (50) years of age, or older.
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The first product to have a bar code was Wrigley's gum.
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The King of Hearts is the only king WITHOUT A MUSTACHE
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American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by eliminating one (1) olive
>From each salad served in first-class.
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Venus is the only planet that rotates clockwise.
(Since Venus is normally associated with women, what does this tell you?)
(Those women are going in the 'right' direction...?)
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Apples, not caffeine, are more efficient at waking you up in the morning.
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Most dust particles in your house are made from DEAD SKIN!
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The first owner of the Marlboro Company died of lung cancer.
So did the first 'Marlboro Man'.
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Walt Disney was afraid OF MICE!
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PEARLS DISSOLVE IN VINEGAR!
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The ten most valuable brand names on earth: 
Apple, Coca Cola, Google, IBM, Microsoft, GE, McDonald's, Samsung, Intel, and Toyota, 
in that order.
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A duck's quack doesn't echo, and no one knows why.
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Dentists have recommended that a toothbrush be kept at least six (6) feet away
from a toilet to avoid airborne particles resulting from the flush.
(I keep my toothbrush in the living room now!)
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Randomness...
Kulula South African Airline (funny)
I want to fly this airline. ~4 minutes
Dexter the Dog
The dog who adapted to life after injury  ~ 3 minutes
3 minutes of Aviation...
~3 minutes that you will enjoy
Big Ships Crashing
 ~ 8 min.
Too Far?
Don't watch if afraid of HEIGHTS
Cool ad and how they made it ~ 1.5 minutes

Aphorisms...

Two types of people...

Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Chili

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground chicken
  • 15 oz canned white navy beans drained and rinsed
  • 14.5 oz can fire roasted tomatoes drained
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • ¼ - ½ cup buffalo wing sauce start with ¼ cup and add more at end if needed
  • package ranch dressing mix
  • 1 cup frozen corn kernels
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon celery salt
  • ½ teaspoon dried cilantro
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 8 oz cream cheese
  • Blue cheese crumbles optional
 

Preparation

  1. Brown ground chicken until fully cooked, place in crock (or brown ahead of time and store in fridge until ready to assemble)
  2. Add remaining ingredients except for cream cheese and blue cheese and give it all a stir to combine
  3. Add block of cream cheese on the top and cover
  4. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8
  5. Stir to incorporate cream cheese and add additional wing sauce as desired
  6. Top individual bowls with blue cheese crumbles if desired
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