Art of Doing Nothing

There are primarily three things we do with our time: work, learn, and play.

Draw a circle and put an upside down Y in the middle, to make what we used to call a peace sign. Write the words work in the top-left, play in the top-right, and learn in the bottom. Then focus until you realize this is how we spend the majority of our day.

Now insert two more slices. One for rest, because we need to rejuvenate our bodies, and one for nothing, the topic of this article.

Nothing is pleasure we attain without doing anything to cause it. Things like, daydreaming or standing in front of a fire. Hanging around the house or poking around in the yard. Rest isn’t pleasure and play is something active (like eating, golfing, or going to a movie) so neither of these are nothing. Nothing is feeling contentment without doing anything in particular to create it.

Laid-back people know all about this. They generally float around without enthusiastic plans and don’t require a lot of excitement to get satisfied. It’s the ambitious who need to be taught about nothing—keeners who are always tackling a to-do list.

To them I say, relax. It’s okay to waste time. You needn’t be afraid of falling behind or missing out. It’s good to sometimes take life at a slower pace. Plus, nothing helps you live longer so, in essence, it doesn’t cost you anything.

Take a year off from having goals. I’ve done it for two-and-a-half months and not only did I enjoy myself—I lost 15 pounds. Unplug your TV and shut off the radio. Get comfortable with silence. Talk to the plants, Zen with nature, and say thank-you to inanimate objects. (Is this scaring you?)

Ambitious people need to discover another dimension outside their regular world. One filled with unusual pleasure and self-acceptance. It’s called nothing. And you’re going to love it.

British History

During the Middle Ages, people in England were separated into three groups: nobles, clergy, and commoners. Nobles were hereditary members of the monarchy plus those granted nobility by the king or queen. The clergy were people of the cloth and commoners were folks like us.

Early kings had little to no standing army or police, so they depended on the support of powerful subjects within the realm and the clergy to ensure laws of the Crown were upheld.

William the Conqueror

Normandy is a region in Northern France. The Norman Invasion of England occurred in 1066. William of Normandy (later called, William the Conqueror) became king of England by defeating the existing king at the Battle of Hastings. He declared himself (and any future monarch) as the sole holder of land, but introduced a feudal system whereby certain subjects were bestowed nobility (through the title of baron) and granted rental use of land to profit from. He then sought the advice of these barons along with the clergy before making laws.

Magna Carta

In 1215, a group of rebel barons forced King John to sign the Magna Carta (Latin for “the great charter”), granting them some rights. It was the first time an English monarch had ever agreed to share power. In theory, this baron group became the first parliament. Some monarchs respected Magna Carta, others didn’t—so early parliaments were primarily seen as advisory committees.

Early Parliament

In 1341, parliament was divided into two houses: knights and elected members (burgesses) sat in the House of Commons, while clergy and appointed nobility sat in the House of Lords. The House of Lords was initially the stronger house but a gradual process of evolution (accelerated by uprisings) transferred political power first, from the Crown to the House of Lords, and then to the House of Commons.

Civil War

The English Civil War (1642-1651) was fought between the Parliamentarians (“Roundheads”) and the Royalists of King Charles I (called “Cavaliers”). The Parliamentarians won, executing King Charles and replacing him with a stronger parliament headed by Oliver Cromwell. This parliament lasted 10 years before people lost confidence and supported a counter-revolution, won by King Charles’s son, Charles II. Charles II eventually died and was succeeded by his brother, King James II. (That’s why the Cleveland Cavaliers called Lebron James, King James. They’re both Cavaliers—get it?)

Reformation

In challenge to papal authority and Catholic practices, Henry VIII along with Martin Luther in Germany and the French John Calvin in Switzerland, initiated the Protestant Reformation during the 1500s. For England, this meant the formation of the Church of England (called Anglican in Canada and Episcopalian in the US).

It’s often cited that Henry VIII’s motivation behind his part was to attain a divorce (thereby a male heir) but this event was much more significant. The Reformation greatly changed the practice of Christian religion and moved power and taxes away from Rome. Practical changes included the translation of the Bible (and church services) from Latin into the languages of the people and making the Bible widely available. The Reformation is also attributed with paving the way for modern day democracy because people became comfortable with opposing large institutions. (But really, isn’t that just British.)

Glorious Revolution

In 1688, parliamentarians assisted by the Dutch and William of Orange, defeated King James II in the Glorious Revolution. Never again would an English monarch rule with absolute power. This victory, along with the British Bill of Rights of 1689, established the basic tenet that parliament was supreme. The monarchy continued to exist but it became a constitutional monarchy (as opposed to an absolute monarchy) where its powers were defined and limited by law.

As an expression of gratitude, William of Orange and his wife, Mary, were inaugurated as the very first king and queen under this new system. They are commonly known as William and Mary.

Voting Rights

Initially, anyone wishing to be involved in politics had to be rich. Not only were MPs not paid (until 1911), they were expected to contribute generously to charities in their constituencies. And you had to be somewhat rich in order to vote. First, you had to own land, then it was extended to renters who were unencumbered by debts, and then you could qualify by having an education.

By the end of World War I, in 1918, over 40 percent of the armed forces still could not vote. This is when property restrictions were lifted on men, and women were given the right to vote under two conditions. They had to be over the age of 30 and meet certain property restrictions. This increased the electorate from 8 to 21 million. Then in 1928, gender restrictions were lifted on women and the electorate increased by another 15 million.

House of Lords

Seats in the House of Lords have always been appointed (not elected) and up until 1999, they were also hereditary. Throughout the years, power awarded to the House of Lords has been gradually diminished but it wasn’t until 1999 that Tony Blair’s government eliminated the ability for someone to attain their seat via family lineage.

Naval Supremacy

You can’t talk about the British without mentioning their navy. Their navy was not only Britain’s primary form of defense, it was their means of accessing a global economy (which led to the British Empire). The objective was to always ensure the size of the British fleet was at least equal to the sum of the world’s next two largest.

Their greatest sailor has to be Lord Nelson, who gained fame through the Battle of Trafalgar. This battle between the British (with 27 ships) and the French and Spanish (with 33 ships between them), saw the Franco-Spanish side lose 22 ships while the British Navy floated away with hardly a scratch.

British Empire

No realm, past or present, can match the grandeur of imperial Britain at its peak, for it once ruled a quarter of the world’s landmass and more than a quarter of its population—thrice the size of the Roman Empire, and far more than the Spanish Empire at full flush. It was observed in 1817, that “the sun never sets upon the Union Jack.”

By arms or by arrogance, Englishmen had persuaded darker races that Britain was the home of a race to dominate the world. Therefore they ruled mostly by consent. British confidence and then dominance was the result of their tremendous coal deposits (over one-third of the world’s reserves) and England’s role as birthplace of the Industrial Revolution. Thus, Britain naturally became the world’s manufacturer, merchant, shipper, and banker—“the workshop of the world.”

The British Empire peaked for the hundred years between the early 1800s and early 1900s, and was dissolved after WWII (when the world decided to end imperialism).

Note: There is a great mini-series about the time of Henry the VIII called The Tudors.

Irish Nationalism

The Irish are typically known for drinking beer, funny tasting stew, and inventing St. Patrick’s Day, but these folks also have a long and vivid history. One that’s applicable to the world. Today, the island is divided into two parts: the Republic of Ireland (its own country) and Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom. The island’s population is 6.4 million—4.6 million live in the Republic and 1.8 million live in Northern Ireland.

Early History

The island was initially inhabited by leprechauns who ran around speaking Gaelic. In 1171, the English (with the backing of the Pope) invaded and began their rule. Ireland would remain separate, but regional kings and bishops had to report to England. Back then everyone was Catholic but in the 1500s, under Henry the VIII’s Protestant Reformation, England changed its religion to Anglican (which wasn’t an easy process).

Later in the 1500s, the Irish tried to rebel. The rebellion was put down but four things happened:

  • The King of England became the King of Ireland.
  • England increased its involvement by colonizing the island with thousands of settlers (mostly in the north-east corner).
  • England tried to impose upon the Irish their new Anglican religion.
  • A class-structure was formed to favour Protestants.

This religious-conversion thing didn’t go well and most Irish remained Catholic, but they were punished for keeping their faith. Along with economic misfortunes, England denied Catholics voting rights or positions within the Irish Parliament (though they represented 85% of the population).

1800s

Because of this mistreatment, there were many more uprisings over the centuries (though none successful). In the 1800s, three important things happened:

  • The Irish Parliament was abolished and Ireland became part of Britain (1801). Irish voters would now send representatives to the British parliament in London.
  • The Reform Act of 1832 cancelled all voter discrimination against Catholics.
  • The Irish Parliamentary Party was formed (1882) to promote Irish Nationalism or Home Rule (kind of like Canada’s Bloc Quebecois).

Home Rule

The Home Rule Movement produced four failed attempts between 1886 and 1920. The issue was always between Catholic Nationalists, who wanted the whole island, and Protestant Northerners, who felt all of Ireland should remain within the UK.

Sein Fein (Gaelic for “ourselves”), a political party dedicated to the establishment of an Irish Republic, formed in 1907. They eventually replaced the Irish Parliamentary Party and often supported the Irish Republican Army (IRA), who formed in 1913 to wage a guerrilla campaign against British rule in Ireland.

Ulster—the nine counties around Belfast, in Northern Ireland—was largely populated by Protestants, descendants of Scots who had settled there in the early 1600s. Under Home Rule, the entire island would be ruled by Dublin. Inevitably, Catholics from southern Ireland would dominate it. Before accepting any such thing, Ulstermen swore they’d die fighting. (So it was a sticky situation.)

In 1920, after Irish soldiers had died valiantly in WWI, Irish patience was up. Violence became the order of the day and something had to be done. The liberal government assigned the issue to Secretary of State for the Colonies, Winston Churchill. Churchill’s initial reaction was to counter IRA violence with British soldiers (the “tans”) but this act was ineffective. He then invited leaders of the Irish National Movement to negotiate.

Michael Collins

Revolutionary leader and IRA member, Michael Collins, went to London along with Sein Fein founder, Arthur Griffith. Collins and Churchill got along exceptionally well—drinking and singing until late into the morning. Churchill’s offer, which became known as the Anglo-Irish Agreement (1922), named southern Ireland the Irish Free State and granted it dominion status like that of Canada. Northerners would have the right to join the dominion or remain within Britain. And if they chose the latter, which everyone knew they would, Britain would defend them. Churchill’s opinion was that northern Ireland may one day rejoin with the south, but that time wasn’t now.

Collins, realizing he’d probably signed his own death papers, accepted the deal as being the best he could do. Upon his return, Nationalists split into two groups: those who supported the agreement as a first step towards total Irish independence and those who were against it. And though the agreement was passed by voters almost three-to-one, an Irish Civil War erupted. Anti-agreement forces were not content with only five-sixths of the island tied to British association and saw Collin’s agreement as a sell-out. Two months later, Michael Collins was murdered (at the age of 32). Among his last words were, “Tell Winston we couldn’t have done it without him.”

The Irish Civil War lasted a year. It was won by the Free State forces, which were heavily armed by the British government. In 1937, the Free State adopted its own constitution, and then in 1949 left the British Commonwealth completely to become what it is today—the Republic of Ireland.

Troubles

Northern Ireland continued to have troubles. Discrimination against northern Catholics (one-third of the population) in jobs and housing, in addition to their total exclusion from political power, led to a civil rights movement in the late 1960s similar to that led by Martin Luther King in the United States. Both sides turned to violence—the military forces of the northern Protestants against the northern Catholics’ IRA.

Because of the troubles, Northern Ireland was deemed incapable of ruling itself and came under direct rule by Britain for over 27 years (1972-1999). All parties eventually agreed to a ceasefire in 1998, through the Good Friday Agreement, after more than 3,500 deaths.

This agreement restored self-government to Northern Ireland through a number of changes and stipulates that Northern Ireland will remain part of the UK until a majority of the people of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland wish otherwise. Should that happen, then the British and Irish governments are under a binding obligation to implement that choice. This peace process has suffered setbacks since it’s inception but a changing demographic plus the loosening of people’s association with religion leaves hope for the future.

Note: the flag of Ireland, introduced in the mid-19th century, is a tricolour of green, white, and orange. Green for Roman Catholics, orange for Protestants, and white for the desired peace between them.

Basics of Believers

Every good salesperson knows there are multiple types of people. When it comes to belief in God, there are basically four: fundamentalists, progressives, lights, and God-only deists. The first two are devout churchgoers. Last two, not so much.

Fundamentalists

Devout churchgoers practice their faith on a regular basis (like attending church on Sundays) and faith is a big part of their identity. Most of their friends feel the same way. But not all church people are built alike: fundamentalists take scripture literally, while progressives like to think about it.

Well-mannered Canadians are often cautious around churchgoers because they don’t wish to offend anyone. But you needn’t be so guarded around progressives because they’re fairly open minded.

Progressives

Progressives also view scripture as being inspired from above but feel it’s mostly allegorical (stories that need to be held in context), thereby open to interpretation. They’re okay with considering multiple possibilities and not knowing all the answers. But because non-churchgoers don’t always know about multiple types, open minded progressives often get lumped in with fundamentalists, which is wrong.

Lights

Lights are somewhat believers who don’t buy in all the way. It doesn’t mean they don’t trust in God—it means they’re not totally sold on formal practice or that the Bible is divine. The majority of Canadian Roman Catholics fit into this category. They can easily be classified as Christian-light. Yes, they like to be married and buried in a church, but don’t ask them to quote scripture or attend regular service.

God-only deist

A God-only person believes in some form of higher power without the formality of religion. A common misconception is these people don’t have faith at all, but that’s not the case. They can be just as spiritual about their version of god—they simply don’t want any of that (in their opinion) man-made stuff.

Summary

So there you have it. Four types of believers, plus atheists (people who don’t believe) and agnostics (those who neither believe nor disbelieve). It’s always good to know who you’re talking to so mannerisms can be adjusted. If you meet someone who mentions their church or starts talking about religion, it’s perfectly okay to ask which category they fit into. Because deep down, people like to be pigeon-holed.

Grammar 101

First off, it’s grammar, not grammer. And it’s spelled, not spelt.

All words in a sentence are either: nouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs, pronouns, articles, prepositions, conjunctions, or interjections. Let’s look at them.

Nouns

A noun is a person, place, thing, or idea. Examples are:

  • Person – Bobby, the policeman, the Oilers
  • Place – Regina, the bedroom
  • Thing – potato, rain, United Nations
  • Idea – justice, inability, Christianity

Proper nouns are particular persons, places, things, or ideas. (e.g., Bobby, Regina, United Nations, Christianity). They are always capitalized. Common nouns refer to any person, place, thing, or idea (e.g., policeman, bedroom, potato, justice)

Plurals

The general rule of pluralization is to just add an “s” (e.g., apple, apples). General exceptions are:

  • if the word ends with an “s” or an “h” add “es” (e.g., witness, witnesses; brush, brushes)
  • If the word ends with “f” add “ves” (e.g., thief, thieves; half, halves; leaf, leaves)
  • If the word end with “y” add “ies” (e.g., army, armies; lady, ladies)

Make sure you pluralize the right word (e.g., work of art, works of art; passer-by, passers-by).

There are many exceptions to the above rules and some are quite tricky—so they must be memorized (e.g., fish, fish; crisis, crises; key, keys; knife, knives).

Adjectives

Adjectives describe nouns (e.g., specify colour, shape, size, number).

  • Five crazy bachelors live in a large house near the pristine beach

Adjectives can also be comparative or superlative.

  • High, higher, highest
  • Beautiful, more beautiful, most beautiful

You shouldn’t use more than two adjectives to describe a noun.

Verbs

A verb shows action or a state of being. It also indicates the time of the action or state of being.

  • He gave his baseball cards to his brother (past tense)
  • She needs more money (present tense)
  • They will travel to Egypt (future tense)

The standard dictionary form of a verb is called its infinitive (e.g., to be, to run).

Adverbs

Adverbs describe verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. Words ending in “ly” are almost always adverbs.

  • Editors work incredibly hard. Editors is the noun, work is the verb, hard is an adverb (since it describes the verb), and incredibly is also an adverb (since it describes another adverb).
  • This mountain is much higher than the last one. Much is an adverb since it describes the adjective higher
  • Tom is slightly overweight, but he skates well. Slightly is an adverb since it describes the verb overweight (a state of being). Well is also an adverb since it describes the verb skates.

Pronouns

A pronoun can take the place of a noun. There are many different kinds of pronouns.

  • Personal – I, you, he / she, they, we
  • Reflexive – myself, yourself, ourselves, themselves
  • Interrogative – what, where, when, how
  • Relative (relates to a noun already mentioned in a sentence) – it, which, that, whose
  • Demonstrative – this, that, those

When will the kids clean up the mess that they left? When is a pronoun since it replaces the noun that is the answer to the question (e.g., six o’clock). That is a pronoun since it replaces the noun mess.

Articles

Articles precede common nouns. The is a definite article since it specifies a specific noun. A and an are indefinite articles since they refer to one of many. An is only used before a vowel or silent h.

Prepositions

Prepositions show how a noun or pronoun is related to other words in a sentence. Examples are: over, under, in, from, for, by, to, into, beside, on, upon, of, with, up, down, at

For example, I come from Australia, a continent in the South Pacific. From shows how the noun I is related to Australia. In shows how continent relates to South Pacific.

Conjunctions

Conjunctions join words, clauses, and phrases. The most common are coordinating conjunctions: and, but, so, or, yet. Subordinating conjunctions are similar but serve different purposes. Examples are: although, since, despite, whether, because, after.

Examples showing how subordinating conjunctions work are as follows:

  • Although we are all good runners, we finished poorly in the race
  • The criminals ran for days after they escaped

Use subordinating prepositions to mix things up, rather than always saying but, and and. It’s a much more elegant way of writing.

  • I don’t crave desserts but I like cheesecake ==> Though I like cheesecake, I don’t crave desserts

Interjections

Interjections interrupt the normal flow of a sentence. They usually express a feeling. You don’t have to put an exclamation mark after an interjection; you can just use a comma.

  • You forgot your, ahem, clothes at my place
  • Hey, the Oscars are on tonight
  • Ouch! Watch where you point that thing
  • Well, I’m not really sure

 

This article briefly explained the words in a sentence. Next time, we’ll talk about vocabulary.

Investing 101

There are four categories of investments:

  • Income
  • Income and Growth
  • Growth
  • Aggressive

Income

Income investments pay you interest. They come in four types: savings accounts, government treasury bills, GICs, and bonds. Savings accounts pay low interest rates, but give you the flexibility to get at your cash. Treasury bills pay a decent return, but lock up your dough for short periods of time. GICs (Guaranteed Income Certificates) pay better than a T-bill, but lock up your money for longer periods.

T-bills are 100% guaranteed by the federal government (which equals zero risk—as long as the country remains stable). CDIC Insured GICs are also 100% backed by the feds, for up to $100K, for 5 years.

Bonds are loans to either governments or corporations, paid and guaranteed only by them. All bonds are rated for quality (the ability of the debtor to repay). High quality bonds are rated between A- and AAA+. Bonds rated below BBB (down to DDD-) are considered junk. The higher the risk, the greater the return should be.

Selling a bond is like selling real estate, the commission is bore by the seller. So the minute you buy one it’s instantly worth 1-2% less, because you have to pay a commission in order to sell it (and this is reflected on your statement). But if you hold bonds to maturity, no commission will ever be paid. As a result, short-term bonds are great since they can easily be held to maturity.

Bonds also fluctuate in inverse relation to interest rates. So if interest rates go up, bond values typically go down. Why? Because if GICs are paying 6%, who wants your 5% bond? Likewise, if GIC rates fall to 3%, everyone is now willing to pay a premium for your 5% bond. But again, this change in value is mitigated if you hold your bond to maturity.

Buying only high-quality, short term bonds avoids the inherent risk bonds have, since holding them to maturity means you’ll always get what you bargained for.

Income & Growth

Income and Growth are blue chip companies that are profitable and pay dividends (e.g., banks and utility companies). These stocks usually pay a 3-5% dividend.

Dividend income is preferable to interest income because it’s taxed at a lower rate. So, from a tax perspective, a 6% dividend is equal to getting 8% in interest.

There is some risk attached to these products since the stock price may decrease (which is the growth component), but they’re usually mature companies within mature industries—so they shouldn’t go broke.

Growth

Growth investments are non-dividend or lower-dividend paying stocks. They’re bought mostly for their share price potential. These companies haven’t yet reached their peak and are still growing. Under the right circumstance, they can deliver solid price appreciation but their stock price can decline just the same. As a result, they contain greater risk than income and growth stocks but they’re not as bad as those categorized as aggressive. Their primary risk lies in them having a bad year.

Aggressive

Aggressive stocks don’t pay a dividend. They only have the possibility of good stock price appreciation. Examples are gold mines or companies bolstering a new technology. Maybe they’re the next big thing, probably they’re not. So they can either boom or bust (and busting is the risk).

The goal of many “new product companies” is just to go public and make the founders rich. Many don’t stay the course and ever realize their potential. It takes more than a novel idea or something cutting edge to create a successful business. You need great management, awesome timing, and a little luck to pull it all off. So, this type of investment can almost be equated to buying lottery tickets. If they make it, they usually make it big. But it’s rare.

More conservative forms of aggressive investments are found in emerging markets (like India). They’re emerging (which offers great upside) but they’re also risky because third world governments are never quite stable (e.g., they can nationalize an industry on a whim).

Rule of thumb

The big myth is that young people should put their savings at risk when in fact everyone should be conscious of risk. And regardless of your tolerance, you should always have at least half of your investments in the categories of income, or income and growth. (This way, you won’t come ask me for money when you’re old.)

Tomato Sauce—An Overview

There are five basic steps to making tomato sauce:

Fry garlic and onion in olive oil

Use real olive oil from Italy. If cooking bacon or loose sausage meat in the sauce, use less. The garlic can be minced into small pieces and left in, or squashed whole, used to flavour the oil, and then removed. Leave it in where possible since garlic is so very good for you. The onion can also be diced and left in, or added whole to flavour and then discarded when the sauce is ready.

Add meat, spices, and wine

Many types of meat can be used (e.g., ground beef, sausage, chicken, pork chops), or beans can be used instead (e.g., cannellini, chickpeas, romano). Add basil because tomatoes love basil. Add chili to make the sauce hot. Add marjoram if the sauce is made with beef, veal, or pork. Use salt for flavour and add black pepper if not using chili. And if you have fresh parsley on hand, throw some in. P.S. If using fresh basil, add with the tomatoes.

Let meat brown for 10 minutes before adding the wine. Wine is added to flavour the meat. Use white wine if you can (but if a bottle of red is open, go for it). Turn heat down and cover for 10-15 minutes to let wine absorb into your meat. Then uncover, increase heat, and cook until liquid is almost evaporated.

It’s also nice to add soup bones for extra flavour. Have the butcher cut them into small pieces to expose lots of marrow. P.S. If you can’t find any bones, you’ll have to go without—never use the dog’s instead.

Add tomatoes, water, celery, and carrot

Use canned plum tomatoes from Italy (avoid crushed tomatoes—they’re for pizza). There are two ways to treat the tomatoes: either hand-squash in a bowl removing any hard stems, or blend for five seconds in a blender. If adding 2 cans, try blending one and hand-squashing the other.

After adding the tomatoes, swish out the can or the blender with water and add it to the pot. The amount of water you need depends on how thick your tomatoes are and how long you’re going to simmer.

Celery adds flavour and carrot absorbs the acid from the tomatoes. Discard the celery and carrot when the sauce is ready. If you don’t have a carrot and are not adding wine, add ¼ tsp. sugar.

Simmer

Simmer with a wooden spoon between the lid and pot, or with the lid slightly askew. If you’re in a hurry, simmer with the lid off (so the sauce takes less time to reduce). Generally speaking, the more tomatoes, the longer you simmer.

Uncover, add vegetables, and reduce

When the sauce has cooked long enough, uncover and let reduce to desired thickness (maybe 20 minutes, maybe more—depends on how much water you used). This is also a good time to taste for seasoning—it might need more salt, or maybe more chili pepper.

At this point you can add either fresh or frozen peas, or fresh or canned mushrooms. To add fresh mushrooms: microwave in water for 5 minutes and then rinse (this removes the black water from inside).

Notes

  • If making fish sauce, don’t add cheese to the pasta.
  • If your sauce is too spicy, add cream (but not for fish).
  • Don’t forget to taste for salt and chili pepper—you may need more.
  • To reheat leftover pasta, use water and a large frying pan (not the microwave).
  • If the sauce looks too thin, boil it longer with the lid off. If it looks too thick, add water.
  • Let fresh sauce rest for 30 minutes before serving. This gives the tastes time to meld.
  • Tradition says tomato sauce tastes best when made in an aluminum pot. Next best is stainless steel with an aluminum bottom.
  • If for some reason you don’t have enough sauce, mix in some butter with the pasta, or if appropriate, add cream to the sauce.
  • Only add tomato paste if making a large pot with 4 or more cans of tomatoes. In this case whisk a 5 oz. can of tomato paste in a small bowl of water before adding.
  • Never add pasta to boiling water unless you’re sure the sauce is almost ready—cooked pasta cannot wait for the sauce (and the Italian police may come and arrest you).
  • Use dried pasta from Italy—we recommend Barilla and De Cecco brands. Cook pasta in lots of water, and add a small handful of salt to the boiling water (1-1½ tbsp. for 500 g / 1 lb. pasta). When testing the pasta for doneness, add more salt if need be. Do not add oil to the pasta water, and cook until tender yet firm (not mushy).
  • Drain pasta (don’t rinse it) and put it back into the same pot you cooked it in (since it’s hot). Add the good Parmesan cheese you bought at the Italian store and maybe a little butter (if you’re thin or having company). Mix with a wooden spoon. Ladle some sauce into the pot (not too much) and mix well. Serve in pasta bowls with a little sauce and some cheese on top.

If you find all this too complicated, buy the stuff in a jar or try making pizza. Better yet, just make sandwiches (again). P.S. For recipes, click here.

Business Basics

Understanding business can be confusing, especially for young people. There’s so much going on, how can anyone generalize? Easy, let’s start with basics. The outputs are only twofold: goods and services. Business is either selling something you can touch or providing a service. That’s why we have two types of companies, and some that are a mix.

Types of companies

Product companies make and sell hard goods; service companies concentrate on the benefits of labour. Product companies are either involved in natural resources, manufacturing, or distribution. Service companies include law firms, dental clinics, and repair shops. And some do a little of both (like a car dealership).

Service companies deal direct with the end user, while product companies employ a delivery system where multiple companies touch the goods. The traditional flow for retail (e.g., food and clothing) is:

Manufacturer ==> Wholesaler ==> Retailer ==> Consumer (the public)

The delivery system to get products to a business or institution (e.g., schools and hospitals) is:

Manufacturer ==> Distributor ==> Business or Institution

Types of people

In terms of personnel, you’re either a product person, a marketer, or in administration.

Product people work closely with the goods or service. They include lawyers and factory workers, those who design things (like, engineers and architects), and everyone in shipping (warehouse staff, truck drivers). The marketing department holds people who generate potential customer interest and then interface with them. True marketers generate the interest (say, through advertising) and sleazy salespeople close the deal.

Administrators include accountants, secretaries, bankers, clerks, H/R folks, and anyone else who pushes a pencil. These folks never work directly with a product, service, or customer.

Globalization

When globalization moved repetitive manufacturing overseas, those jobs were lost. Jobs associated with the distribution and repair of those products remained at home, and so did the jobs pertaining to custom manufacturing. But the simpler employment of repetitively performing the same duty over and over, moved away.

Globalization also affected the service industry. For example, many computer programming and support positions moved to countries like India. The more difficult task of design (the architecture) stayed behind, but the programming and support components (the bricklaying) got moved.

We’ll talk more about globalization in a future article. For now, understand there are two kinds of companies and globalization affected both.

Breadth of skills

Many businesses (especially smaller ones) suffer from a lack of skills. They could be strong in product or service, but only marginal in the other two. For example, Marty was a great carpenter who opened his own shop, only to find he knew nothing about marketing or admin.

Larger companies also suffer from this condition. Their people are usually only able in one area. So if your president is an administrator, the company may be weak in product vision or sales.

And different types of people fit different kinds of positions. Those attracted to sales typically have strong people skills. They sense the ways of others and know how to effectively communicate. But salespeople are commonly light in terms of technical skills and admin. Product people are usually specialists. They love delving into details but aren’t necessarily good at interacting with others. And administrators are crazy in their own way. So it takes a variety of people with a variety of skills to run a business (and few of us cross over, which is a problem).

Summary

Young people entering commerce should always know who they’re talking to and what type of business they’re in. Then they should develop skills across departments because that’s mostly what’s lacking. Good luck.

Roasting Meat

Here are some tricks to successfully roasting meat:

High rack, low sides

Elevate your meat by using a high roasting rack so the oven air cooks it all around. You want a roasting pan with shallow (or low) sides. Oftentimes, a cookie sheet is just fine.

Pat dry your poultry

The only meat you first wash is whole chicken or turkey. And when you do, pat it dry with paper towel (or it won’t brown).

Water for fat

Fat from your roast can trickle down and hit the hot roasting pan. This causes smoke. So keep liquid in the bottom of your pan (to catch the fat).

Seasoning

Some people make slits in their roast and shove in chunks of fresh garlic and herbs. Some just season the outside. You can also make a rub.

Salt and pepper are standard. Fresh herbs, like sage and rosemary, go well with everything. Lamb loves mint. To make a rub, chop your garlic and herbs into a bowl, add salt and pepper, some olive oil, and mix with a fork. Then rub this concoction all over your meat until it starts to giggle.

It’s always great to burst fresh lemon over top lamb and poultry, when they have 20 minutes to go. Roast pork wants white wine poured over it. Never use both wine and lemon in the same dish (they don’t go together).

Searing

Sear beef, pork, and lamb on the stove top, with a little oil. If that’s not convenient, roast your meat at a higher temperature for 15-20 minutes, and then turns things down.

Temperatures

Generally, meat thermometers should read as follows:

  • roast beef (medium rare) – 140
  • roast lamb (medium) – 150
  • roast pork (medium well) – 160
  • meatloaf (well) – 170
  • roast chicken or turkey (well) – 180

Because ovens are different, you’ll need to experiment and write down your own rules. P.S. For recipes, check here.

Elements of Food

Nutritional information is constantly being thrown toward us but little if anything sticks. That’s because it’s near impossible to understand. So let’s simplify things. The following isn’t 100% technically correct but by bending a few rules, we’ve come up with something most people can understand.

Food is often categorized as being either protein, fat, or carbohydrate. But we also hear terms like fibre, vitamins and minerals, and water used to describe food. What about them? Aren’t they part of the family?

Our first step toward simplification is to acknowledge that food is made up of all six elements: protein, fat, carbohydrates, fibre, vitamins and minerals, and water. Tada! You just learned something. But let’s make it seven. Because the label carbohydrates is broad and somewhat confusing, let’s break “carbs” into two elements: sugar and starch.

Carbohydrates are sugars. There are three types of sugar: natural sugar (e.g., the sugar in fruit), processed sugar (e.g., the sugar you put into coffee), and starch. Starch is a complicated form of sugar found in grains and some vegetables.

The Mighty Seven

So now there are seven basic elements that make up all food: protein, fat, sugar, starch, fibre, vitamins and minerals, and water. That’s it—there are no more.

Of course, not all food is made up of all seven, but food is definitely made up of elements and only elements. Imagine putting grams of protein, fat, sugar, starch, fibre, vitamins and minerals, and water into a mixing bowl. Turn on the blender and voila! Out comes food. It might not taste as good as nature’s combinations but I’m sure you get the point.

Making food (the element game)

To hammer home this concept, let’s analyze the makeup of some common foods. For example, if we take water and add sugar, we get pop; if we take water and add protein, we get skim milk; and if we combine water, protein, and fat, we get whole milk.

  • water = water
  • water + sugar = pop
  • water + starch = alcohol, beer
  • water + protein = skim milk
  • water + fat + starch = gravy
  • water + fat + protein = whole milk (i.e., homo)
  • water + fat + protein + sugar   = chocolate milk

Let’s try another group starting with protein (this is kind of like chemistry class). Something made primarily of protein is lean meat (e.g., fish). Protein with fibre and starch equals beans, and protein plus fibre and fat is nuts and seeds.

  • protein + little fat = lean meat
  • protein + lots of fat = cheese, fatty meats
  • protein + starch + fibre = beans
  • protein + fat + fibre = nuts and seeds

How about fibre plus sugar?

  • fibre + sugar = fruits and vegetables

Let’s look at starchy foods. Starch (flour) makes bread. Add fibre and you get whole wheat or raisin bread; add fat and protein to starch (e.g., cheese) and you get pizza. Take starch (flour) and add fat (butter) and sugar, and you get cookies and baked goods.

  • starch = bread
  • starch + fibre = whole wheat bread, raisin bread
  • starch + fat + protein = pizza
  • starch + fat + sugar = cookies and baked goods

And lastly, our old friend ice cream?

  • fat + sugar = ice cream

You’re probably getting the idea. Every food can be broken into seven elements (and remember there are only seven). See, this isn’t hard.

Elementary confusion

Few foods contain only one element. Most contain many. Pasta, for example, has starch, protein, and fibre along with a few vitamins and minerals. Beans have protein, fibre, starch, and a few more vitamins and minerals. But we commonly refer to pasta as a starch and beans as a protein. Why?

It’s just nature’s way of confusing us. Pasta is considered a starch because it’s mostly starch, and beans are referred to as a protein because they’re high in protein. Somewhere along the way, we decided to group foods by their primary element for simplicity’s sake, but in many cases, we’ve made things worse. Like cheese—is it protein or fat?

Don’t get hung up on these single-element labels. We should actually be saying high-starch foods or high-protein foods instead of referring to them only by their primary element.

Calories, fill factor, and nutrition

Now, if you look into each element a little deeper, you’ll find the following:

  • Protein helps build muscle, contains 4 calories per gram, and fills us up.
  • Fat comes in two forms, animal (saturated) and non-animal (non-saturated). Animal (saturated) fat contains cholesterol, which is believed to clog arteries. Both forms of fat contain 9 calories per gram, and both fill us up.
  • Starch provides us with only calories (4 per gram) and moderately fills us up.
  • Sugar provides us with only calories (4 per gram) and doesn’t fill us at all.
  • Fibre lowers cholesterol by acting as tiny scrub brushes cleaning our intestines. It has no calories and fills us up.
  • Vitamins and minerals are good for us because they’re vitamins and minerals. They contain no calories and don’t fill us up.

Let’s put this information into a chart so it’s easy to remember:

ElementCalories / GramFill FactorNutritious
Protein4VeryYes
Fat9VeryAnimal – No
Starch4Mid—
Sugar4——
Fibre0VeryYes
Vitamins & Minerals0—Yes
Water0—Yes

Now you see why high-protein, high-fibre, low-sugar, low-starch, low-fat diets work best. They give us all our nutrition while keeping us full.

For more information see Chapter II in Think Yourself Thin.