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Happy Birthday America!
The
Fourth of July marks our country's birthday. On this day in 1776, the
members of the Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia adopting
the final draft of the Declaration of Independence, proclaiming our
sovereignty from Great Britain.
We
celebrate this day in so many ways - from family friendly festivals,
fireworks and parades with traditional foods like hot dogs, hamburgers,
corn on the cob and barbecue. When I think of this holiday, I remember
the jingle of "baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and chevrolet..." see nostalgic video
If
anyone has made and enjoyed any of the recipes I have shared here
please give me your thoughts. I really want to know if anyone is trying
out these great tasty recipes and enjoying the flavors... email me
Last
month's winner of the "guess the location" game was Lawrence Tabachnick
(with an honorable mention to Jarmila Singer moments later) by guessing
Rio De Janiero. More about the location below.
And now for a
new picture above- Can you guess where it is by looking through the
keyhole? "This place is home to NO MOTORIZED VEHICLES but rather
bicycles and horse drawn carriages. In the air is the unmistakable
mixture of fudge and horse manure (no $h*T!). Make your way only by
boat, hydrofoil, or small plane to enjoy this remarkable summer
destination... "
Correct answers will be given recognition but
half the fun is trying to figure it out. The correct answer will be
revealed in the subsequent issue. Good luck and have fun.
If you like this newsletter, forward it to someone else or sign them up HERE.
As always, send any items you think are newsworthy, interesting or just plain odd to news@turnkey.pro
Rio de Janeiro - Keyhole Answer
"This City is dangerous and London may
replace it in 2016. The beaches are packed in this 'marvelous' City and
is really popular 6 - 7 weeks before Easter every year. "
Rio de
Janeiro, commonly known as Rio is home to "cheeky" bikinis, beaches, the
2014 World Cup, Carnival and home to approximately 16 million people.
This Portuguese speaking nation represents the second largest gross
domestic product in Brazil (next to Sao Paulo) and the most widely
photographed area in Brazil.
The city is known as cidade
maravilhosa (marvelous city) as it is bordered by mountains, white sand
beaches and rainforests fronting the deep blue sea. Rio occupies one of
the most spectacular settings of any metropolis in the world (think
Honolulu on steroids). Tack on one of the sexiest populations on the
planet and you have a tropical cocktail that leaves visitors punch drunk
on paradise.
With the seductive sounds of samba as their rallying cry, Rio’s residents, known as cariocas,
have perfected the art of living well. From the world-famous beaches of
Copacabana and Ipanema to the tops of scenic outlooks of Corcovado and
Pão de Açúcar to the dance halls, bars and open-air cafes that
proliferate the city, cariocas
live for the moment without a care in the world. This idea of paradise
has enchanted visitors for centuries, and there are dozens of ways to be
seduced. You can surf great breaks off Prainha, hike through Tijuca’s
rainforests, sail across Guanabára, dance the night away in Lapa or just
people-watch on Ipanema Beach.
While
Rio has its share of serious problems, there are plenty of residents –
expats included – who wouldn’t dream of relocating. It’s no coincidence
Christo himself sits arms outstretched across the city, either.
Expedia Travel Guide   
Fourth of July Trivia
 1.
Initially adopted by Congress on July 2, 1776, the revised version of
the Declaration of Independence was not adopted until two days later. 2.
The oldest, continuous Independence Day celebration in the United
States is the 4th of July Parade in Bristol, Rhode Island; it began in
1785. 3. The Declaration of Independence was penned by Thomas Jefferson and signed by 56 men representing 13 colonies. 4.
One of the United States’ patriotic songs, “Yankee Doodle” was
originally sung by British military officers prior to the Revolution as a
means to mock the disorganized American colonists who fought alongside
them during the French and Indian Wars. 5. France, Greece,
Poland, Russia and several countries in South America used the
Declaration of Independence as a beacon in their own struggles for
freedom. 6. The “Star Spangled Banner” was written by Francis
Scott Key during the War of 1812 and not decreed the official national
anthem of the United States until 1931. 7. Three U.S. Presidents,
John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe, died on July 4th; Adams
and Jefferson died within hours of each other in 1826 while Monroe died
in 1831. 8. In July 1776, the estimated number of people living in the newly independent nation was 2.5 million. 9. The Pennsylvania Evening Post was the first newspaper to print the Declaration of Independence. 10. Americans consume about 155 million hot dogs on Independence Day alone; it is the biggest hot dog holiday of the year. 11. In 1870 Congress made Independence Day an official unpaid holiday; in 1938, it was changed to a paid federal holiday. 12.
To avoid cracking it, the Liberty Bell has not been rung since 1846. To
mark the quintessential day, every fourth of July it is symbolically
tapped 13 times. 13. John Adams and Thomas Jefferson are
responsible for the bald eagle as the national bird; Benjamin Franklin
wanted it to be the turkey. 14. Eight of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence were born in Britain. 15.
Two of our nation’s great national symbols were made overseas. The
Liberty Bell was cast in England, and the Statue of Liberty in France. 16.
The average age of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence was
45. Benjamin Franklin was the oldest at age 70, and Edward Rutledge was
the youngest at age 26.
Hard Drives Fail More Than You Think (aka the most BORING thing I have ever included in this newsletter)
 I
included this picture above because I thought it was a really great
picture (and I am glad I was not the guy on the board). And what I am
about to discuss might make you snore.... The expected life of a
hard drive and drive reliability play into TURNkey's role every day in
every business we serve. People sometimes have unrealistic expectations
with respect to how long their drives should operate, when to replace
pc's and servers and when to simply replace parts. Here at TURNkey, we
are an HP house and this study does not reflect the kind of drives that
are in the thousands of PC's we install and service annually. However,
hard drives are hard drives and one should designate the useful life of a
drive to be between 3 and 4 years. I have tried to gather some
information related to hard drives, their manufacturers and their
respective reliabilities. A company called Backblaze has a history of
openness and has experience with over 25,000 drives with impeccable
records and reputation. Although these are mostly consumer grade (buy
them at Best Buy) drives, the study is germane. The long and short of it is that drives fail more often than you think.  Full Article (boring)Video of the inside of a failed drive
NFL Football Trivia
 1)
The average NFL game features just 10 minutes, 43 seconds of action.
Commercials account for nearly 60 minutes of the three hour affairs.
And when the networks are showing the game, the bulk of the time is
spent either on replays or shots of players huddling. 2) 78% of NFL players are bankrupt just 2 years after finishing their careers 3) The longest field goal in history was kicked by a man with only half a foot 4) NFL Cheerleaders make about $50 per game 5)
Deion Sanders is the only person to hit an MLB home run and NFL
touchdown in the same week. He's also the only person to play in the
World Series and the Super Bowl. 6) The Baltimore Ravens are named after Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven" 7) The "G" on the Green Bay helmet does not stand for Green Bay but rather "Greatness" Article
How to fake a Chicago Accent over by dere...
1) Emphasize the short "A" sound, but don't overdo it. The Chicago accent does place emphasis on the short A sound (like in
"cat" and "pat"), but it's not a harsh emphasis, nor does it extend to
all vowel sounds as is sometimes jokingly done. The Chicago accent
shouldn't be shrill or ridiculous - "pat" and "pot" aren't similar in
pronunciation, nor are "cot", "cat", and "caught". 2) Emphasize "D" sounds at the start of words and replace "th-" sounds with "D"s.
For example, "I was supposed to see the Bears play but I got stuck in
traffic on the Dan Ryan" becomes: "I was supposed ta see da Bears play
but I got stuck in traffic on da Dan Ryan." If talking, fast try to
blend in the "th" with a "d" sound. 3) Add a perfunctory "by" when denoting locations. Chicagoans use the word "by" generously. Instead of saying "The bratwursts are over there", say, "Da brats are over by dere." 4) Pronounce "for" as "fer". Fer instance,
instead of saying, "What's FOR dinner?", say "What's FER dinner?". "Fer"
is pronounced like "fur" (as in, animal fur). 5) Pronounce the "ctu" sound as "ch." The word
"picture", for instance, commonly pronounced in Chicago as "pitcher".
"Cincture" becomes "cincher", sanctuary becomes "sanchuary", and so on. 6) Pronounce double t's in the middle of words with a "d" sound. In other words, "little" and "bottle" become "liddle" and "boddle", and so on. 7) Slur your words. Many Chicagoans slur their words
slightly when they speak, letting them run into each other. This is
especially true when one word ends with a vowel sound and the next one
begins with one as well, though it also occurs with consonant sounds.
For instance, when saying "Where are you at?", "where" and "are" are
blended together so that it sounds like "Wherer", whereas "you" and "at"
are contracted to "y'at". All together, this phrase should sound like
"Wherr yuh-at?" If your answer is "4200 North Pulaski," you say
"Forty-two hunnerd," not "Forty-two hundred." 8) Drop the "SuperFan" imitation. When most Americans
try to imitate the Chicago accent, they turn into characters from the
immortal Saturday Night Live sketch "The SuperFans" It's worth noting
that the stereotypical "Chicago" accent portrayed by The SuperFans is
actually just an exaggerated accent from one particular neighborhood;
Bridgeport, which is where "Sox Park" (technically "US Cellular Field")
is located. This accent is fun if you're looking for laughs, but if
you're actually trying to pass as a Chicagoan, you'll want to be a little more subtle. 9) Learn the "correct" names for Chicago landmarks.
People from outside of Chicago often share misconceptions about the
names of various Chicago landmarks and institutions. Never mind the name
on the sign - abide by the following rules to sound like a real
Chicagoan:
- It's the "Sears Tower," not Willis Tower.
- It's "Marshall Fields," not Macy's.
- It's "Comiskey Park" or "Sox Park", never, ever US Cellular Field.
10) Don't call interstates "interstates". In Chicago, the
large, multi-lane highways for automobiles that are part of the
national Interstate Highway System are not, in fact, "interstates". They
are instead called expressways or highways. Better yet, call these
highways by their honorary Chicago names. See below:
- 90-94 south of Downtown = "Dan Ryan" or "The Ryan."
- 290 = "Eisenhower" or "The Ike."
- 90-94 (and 90 after the split) north of Downtown = "Kennedy."
- 94 on the south side after it splits off from 90-94 = "Bishop Ford"
- 55 = "Stevenson."
- 94 on the north side after splitting from 90-94 = "Edens."
11) Learn the local names for the different parts of the city.
When you're in Chicago, calling a part of the city by its "proper" name
can be dead giveaway that you're not a local. Below are just a few of the rules about how you should refer to different parts of the city:
- The downtown financial district is called "The Loop."
- Anything south of Roosevelt Rd. is called "The South Side", even though this includes more than half of the entire city.
- Conversely, anything north of Division is "The North Side".
12) Call bratwursts "brats". Don't make the rookie
mistake of calling this delicious sausage by its real name! An
appreciation for this signature Chicago dish (and its local name) is essential for passing yourself off as a Chicagoan.
Only 180 days until you might see this
 Does this make you angry? It should. Get out there and Enjoy your Summer!
Here comes another phone...AMAZON Fire phone
 Ok Amazon. We get it. You (along with Apple, Microsoft, Google) want to take over the world. This month Amazon introduced its foray into the cell phone market by entering the Fire phone into the fray. The only smartphone with:Dynamic Perspective Tilt Auto-scroll Swivel One hand navigation Firefly technology (shop or find more information by taking a picture) Free, live on-device video support (AT&T cellular network) Includes a year of Prime ***Products
displayed in this newsletter and not necessarily endorsed by TURNkey
IT. We are just noting them for your knowledge... See Mashable video reviewShop here
Ahh, to be Polish!
 As
a person of Polish heritage living in the Chicago area, I recently
received an email which was something I thought to share. According to
sources, the largest population of Polish people living outside of
Poland is Chicago...
Strangely, most of the following apply to me (minus the pretty girl to
the right of this paragraph). Enjoy these stereotypical rules below. Your
knowledge of the Polish language is limited to 'naughty' words ie:.,
dupa, gowno, kurwa, etc, names for food ie: pierogi, kapusta, etc, and
drinking toasts i.e.: nazdrowie You call your grandma "babcia" or "busia" and your grandpa "dziadzia." You know how to dance the polka, but you only do it at weddings after kicking back a few generous shots of vodka.. You have at least one uncle (or friend) named "Stan," or "Stash." One
of your family members has at least one crucifix or religious picture
mounted on a wall in their house with palms tucked behind it. You get your food blessed at Easter and your house blessed at Christmas time. Your family has a wigilia meal on Christmas Eve at which you share oplatki and kiss everyone. You prefer rye bread to white or wheat. Your dad has forced you to eat horseradish, claiming that it will "put hair on your chest." You know the words to "Sto Lat" and sing it at all birthday parties. You can out drink all of your friends. You have waited in line at a church or bakery to buy pierogi or paczki. Words like kiszka, kielbasa, and kolaczki actually mean something to you. You actually know who Kosciuszko and Pulaski are, and why they're important. You have at least one relative who plays the Accordion. Your idea of "healthy" is boiled pierogi fried in butter w/onions, light beer, and filtered cigarettes. You have at least one bar in your house - usually in the basement. Your family always has an excuse to hold a "poprawinie" - e.g., when someone dies, or when someone gets married. You've never been to Poland , but you have mysterious relatives there. You collect "prayer cards" from funerals. You
often visit cemeteries, light votive candles for dead relatives and
generally spend an unhealthy amount of time obsessing about death. People often have trouble pronouncing your last name.
Word of the Day
 Oxymoron- Noun
A phrase in which two words of contradictory meaning are used together
for special effect, for example, “wise fool” or “to make haste slowly.”
The rhetorical term oxymoron, made up of two Greek words meaning "sharp" and "dull," is itself oxymoronic.
As you probably remember from school, an oxymoron is a compressed paradox: a figure of speech in which seemingly
contradictory terms appear side by side.
Some Oxymorons can actually be quite funny:
Postal Service (sorry Bob the mailman)
alone together
cheerful pessimist
civil war
crash landing
definite maybe
dull roar
microsoft works
working vacation
exact estimate
terribly pleased
legally drunk
government organization
almost exactly
resident alien
found missing
sanitary landfill
Not your kid's favorite S'mores
 Toasting cheese is so good... Next time you are at a campfire, bring some cheese and bread in addition to the marshmallows. Cheese weighs considerably more than a marshmallow; if you are
fashioning greenwood sticks for cheese-toasting, make sure they are
sturdy and not too springy. Warning: making the transition from marshmallows to Double Gloucester is
like removing the training wheels from your stick-roasting practice.
Danger can strike just as the cheese reaches perfection. When cheese is
molten, it doesn’t have the gluey traction of a hot marshmallow; instead
it greasily drops into the fire and is an utter heartbreaking loss. So
be ready with your toast at the first sign of slippage. Any cheese that is moist enough to be impaled without cracking, and that
has a melting quality, should work. These characteristics do happen to
describe most of the greater cheddar family of cheeses, but there are
many other cheeses from other lands (Havarti, fontina, young Gouda) that
are also splendid in this application. Use good bread and if
your are adventurous try an olive tapenade, pickled jalepeno or your
favorite pickled pepper to add interest. Mmmmm. Cheese.
Huh? Interesting.
Walmart
is not my wife's favorite place. In fact, she hates it. From the
florescent lighting to the general look of the store and random people,
you won't find her there. I, on the other hand, am fascinated by what
they do and how many people work, shop and visit there every day. Don't
get me wrong, you won't find me there every day or even every month.
However, they are everywhere, stock just about everything and it is
convenient to shop there. Here are some interesting facts that may just
blow your mind. Walmart has more full-time employees -- 2.1 million -- than seven times the population of Iceland. Walmart's $405 billion in revenue last year makes it the 23rd-largest economy in the world, bigger than Sweden. Each week nearly one-third of the U.S. population visits Walmart's U.S. stores. Last year Walmart sold more bananas than any other single item. China's exports to Walmart accounted for 11% of the growth of the total US trade deficit with China between 2001 and 2006. Walmart is the largest overall employer in the USA, and the biggest employer in 25 states. Walmart parking lots alone take up roughly the size of Tampa, Florida. In 2000, Walmart was sued 4,851 times -- about once every 2 hours. The most frequent destination typed into GPS device is Walmart. ...and they have the best looking customers.
Quotable Graduation Speech
"Your families are extremely proud of you. You can't imagine the
sense of relief they are experiencing. This would be a most opportune
time to ask for money." Gary Bolding, during a graduation speech
Fun facts about tortillas
The
word "tortilla" comes from the Spanish word "torta", which
means "round cake."
Tortillas,
or "tlaxcallim", were the base food of the ancient Aztecs.
Corn
tortillas date back approximately 10,000 years before Christ.
Corn
tortillas have no gluten, making them an alternative to bread for those with
gluten intolerance.
When
the Spanish brought wheat to the New World, flour tortillas were created.
The
typical Mexican family of four consumes more than 2 pounds of tortillas each
day.
An
expert "tortillera" (tortilla maker) can make about eight dozen
tortillas per hour, while a machine produces one hundred dozens per hour.
Origin
of the Word "Taco" Theory No 1: A derivative of the Spanish word
"atacar" (to attack). That is, "to attack food".
Origin
of the Word "Taco" Theory No 2: A derivative of the pre-Hispanic word
"quauhtaqualli" (a type of tortilla) that later derived to
"taqualli", then "tlaco" and, finally, "taco".
Origin
of the Word "Taco" Theory No 3: derivative of the word
"tac", a thick piece of Wood, metal or Stone, short and thick, that
is driven into a hollow space. A second meaning is a paper or cloth cylinder.
Tip of the MonthFor those of you who don't like corn ON THE COB, try using a bundt cake pan to catch your kernels...
Insulin Inhaler Approved
The Food and Drug Administration
on Friday approved a form of insulin that is inhaled rather than
injected, providing a new option for millions of Americans with diabetes.
The approval of the drug, Afrezza, is a milestone in a long and expensive journey for its developer, MannKind Corporation,
and for its chief executive, Alfred E. Mann, an 88-year-old billionaire
who spent a big part of his fortune sustaining the company through
various setbacks.
“Today’s
F.D.A. action validates the years of clinical research and commitment
that powered the development of this unique therapy,” Mr. Mann said in a
statement Friday. Full Article
The Dog Days of Summer. aka DOG SHAMING
Killer Brisket
8-10
pound brisket
Marinade:
1/2
cup orange juice, 1/2 cup coke, 1 1/2 tbsp ground pepper, 1 1/2 tbsp celery
salt, 1 1/2 tbsp cinnamon, 1 1/2 tbsp sea salt, 1 1/2 tbsp garlic pepper, 1 1/2
tbsp oregano. Place brisket in a pan with these ingredients and marinade in a pan covered with plastic
wrap. Marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours and up to 24 hours. Remove
brisket and let it come to room temperature.
Rub:
1
1/2 tbsp black pepper ground, 1 1/2 tbsp celery salt, 1 tbsp chili powder, 1
1/2 tbsp sea salt, 1 1/2 tbsp garlic pepper, 1 1/2 tbsp oregano. Apply rub to
brisket. Turn your smoker up to 225 degrees, place your wood chips in smoker.
Place brisket in smoker and your temp can be turned down as low as 150 degrees
and cooked for 12 hours. I like to make sure my brisket gets to 184 degrees
internal temp before removing it.
Finishing
Sauce:
1/4
cup brown sugar, 1/8 cup honey, 1/8 cup Orange juice, 1/8 cup ketchup. Remove
brisket from smoker after 12 hours or when it reaches 184 degrees internal
temp. Place brisket on aluminum foil large enough to wrap brisket. Pour
finishing sauce over the brisket and wrap brisket in foil. Place back in smoker
for 1 more hour. Remove brisket from smoker after that hour is up, open foil to
let steam out. Let the brisket rest for 20 minutes before slicing to allow the
juices to settle back into the brisket. Slice thinly across the grain of the
meat.
Enjoy!
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