march cozy news 2012

8/2/2019 March Cozy News 2012

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SPECIAL REPORT: STARTUPS,THELATEST BUZZ IN BUSINESS ANDTHE COURTSUnemployment of 9%+ sparks large number of startups and HUGE scam epidemics

As a self-proclaimed technological geek, I like tofrequent many of the tech blogs and websitesfor the latest advancements in technology; and

not only those relating to heating and airconditioning. The hot new buzzword thatkeeps popping up is Startup. Every few daysthere seems to be another venture claiming tobring in millions of dollars in investments, andthat is promising to deliver on the next biggesttrend.

With consumer confidence of contractors ingeneral being down, it makes you wonder WHOis behind all of these startups. It seems to methat the increase in lay-offs and unemploymentcreates more and more independent businessowners. They are the men and womenreleased because the companies they worked forcouldnt keep them busy. They need to makeends meet, and I can sympathize. There are fewthings worse than being out of a job, and fewthings better than making lemonade out oflemons.

Even though Im all for small businesses andaspiring entrepreneurs, what scares me is theirlack of concern for the clients they are trying toacquire. Without having the first clue about

11th Worship Of Tools Day

16th Everything You Do IsRight Day

17 th St. Patricks Day22nd National Goof Off Day

26th Make Up Your OwnHoliday Day

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11th

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2nd, 4th, 5th, 7th,8th, 10th, 12th,14th, 16th, 17th,19th, 21st, 24th,26th, 28th, 30th

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Seldom in this world has a countryso small had so large an impact onanother. Today, the rich culture ofIreland touches all aspects of

American society, and the friendshipthat binds Ireland and the UnitedStates is marked by a shared pastand a common future. Ascommunities across our countrycelebrateour Nation pays tribute tothe proud lineage passed down to so

manyAmericans from theEmeraldIsle. Whitehouse.gov

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pricing their work and servicing their clients,many end up doing more harm than good.Their focus is often limited to getting in thedoor, and out with quick cash. The spike incourt litigation against contractors seems toprove this theory. Clients of the increasing

pool of start up businesses are finding theyreforced to seek legal remedies for cheap fix-ups or low cost replacements. Its a BIGheadache.

Another proof of this theory is the amount ofresumes weve seen that list candidates asself-employed. From those, we can onlysurmise that if they were serious aboutbuilding and servicing a client base, theywould not be applying for a position. Thathas made us firm in our stance of not hiringanyone whose resume lists this as currentemployment. As harsh as that sounds,

experience has taught us that a failed businessstartup candidate more often than not left astream of unhappy customers in their wake.

Theres a time and a place for startups, andthey could be one of the bright spots in ourcurrent economy. I wish all of them success,but dont want any lack of commitment,expertise, or ethics on their part to be at yourexpense.

Dont be a statistic. There are fifteen millionlawsuits filed each year. The key is to be wary,and do your research. Ask the contractor you

are interviewing what their motivation is: isthis a hobby? Are they killing time beforefinding a permanent job? What happens ifyou have a problem down the road? If youdo your homework ahead of time, and ask anyand all questions that come to mind, you canavoid being scammed. Seems simple enough,but if you do not do things to protect yourselfup front, youre just rolling the dice, and theodds may not be in your favor.

Almost every day, when you turn on the local news, youhear aboutpeople who have been scammed by fraudulent

contractors NCPHIF.org

Irish American Month

Womens History Month

J o h n @ c o r c o r a n h e a t i n g . c o m


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Cozy News March 2012Comfort Hotline: (847) 397-5888

David Verner of PattenPower Industries! Wework with David onCommercial gradegenerator products for

businesses. David andhis company are the localrepresentatives of Caterpillar powergenerators. They work directly with building owners to understand

the demand needed when businesses experience one of thenumerous power outages we face in this climate.

All it took for David to win was referring us to a business in need ofour service and expertise. Same rules apply for the next drawing witha ticket given out for every testimonial, referral, or 10 tickets for

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netsYOU a gift as well!

How To Solve Sudoku Puzzles:

To solve a Sudoku, you only need logic and patience. No

math is required. Simply make sure that each 3x3 square

region has a number between 1-9 with only one occurrence

of each number. Each column and row of the large grid may

only have one instance of 1-9.

nd The Winner Is

Whats With Dying The RiverGreenAnyways?A brief look at St. Patricks Day and what sparked the famous Chicago tradition

Since around the ninth or 10th century,people in Ireland have been observing theRoman Catholic feast day of St. Patrick

on March 17. Interestingly, however, thefirst parade held to honor St. Patrick'sDay took place not in Ireland but in theUnited States. On March 17, 1762, Irishsoldiers serving in the English militarymarched through New York City. Alongwith their music, the parade helped thesoldiers reconnect with their Irish roots,as well as with fellow Irishmen servingin the English army.

As Irish immigrants spread out over theUnited States, cities developed their owntraditions. One of these is Chicagos annual

dyeing of the Chicago River green. Thepractice started in 1962, when citypollution-control workers used dyes to traceillegal sewage discharges and realized thatthe green dye might provide a unique wayto celebrate the holiday. That year, theyreleased 100 pounds of green vegetable dye into the river--enough to keep it green for aweek! Today, in order to minimizeenvironmental damage, only 40 pounds ofdye are used, andthe river turns greenforonly several hours.

Some say the river always stays green!

Although Chicago historians claim theircity's idea for a river of green was original,some natives of Savannah, Georgia (whoseSt. Patrick's Day parade, the oldest in the

nation, dates back to 1813) believe the ideaoriginated in their town. They point outthat, in 1961, a hotel restaurant managernamed Tom Woolley convinced cityofficials to dye Savannah's river green. Theexperiment didn't exactly work as planned,and the water only took on a slight greenishhue. Savannah never attempted to dye itsriver again, but Woolley maintains (thoughothers refute the claim) that he personallysuggested the idea to Chicago's MayorRichard J. Daley. h i s t o r y . c o m

Being the husband of a die-hardcheerleading participant, coach, and fan,it holds a special place in our home.However, there was recently anunfortunate tragedy in the cheerleadingworld.

You may have seen this story in thenews, but if not, there was a fatal caraccident involving two Belvidere Northcheerleaders on their way to a basketballgame during the latest snow storm thatoccurred on Friday Feb. 24th night.Two best friends lost control of theircar and drove into oncoming traffic.

In an effort to help support the familiesof the victims, the school andcheerleading community as a wholehave come together to create amemorial fund. Should you wish tocontribute to this fund, simply visit yourlocal Harris Bank Branch and tell them

you would like to donate to ThePerfect Two in memory of ThaliaArredondo and Brenda Gutierrez,named after their special connectionand song that defined who they were.

All funds help the families with theexpenses of funeral services. Alldonations and thoughts appreciated.

The Perfect Two Fund


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Cozy News March 2012Comfort Hotline: (847) 397-5888

Ingredients

4 pounds lean raw corned beefbrisket

3 tablespoons pickling spice(often included with brisket)

1 medium rutabaga, halved andcut into wedges

1 pound large carrots, cut into4-inch pieces

1 1/4 pounds large fingerlingpotatoes

1 leek, white and light-greenparts only, cut into 3-inchpieces

1/2 head Savoy cabbage, cutinto wedges

1/3 cup horseradish, drained

1/3 cup creme fraeche or sourcream

Directions

Place the corned beef in a largeslow cooker and scatter the

pickling spices on top. Layer therutabaga, carrots, potatoes andleek in the cooker (in this orderfor even cooking). Add enoughhot water (4 to 5 cups) to coverthe meat by at least 1 inch, putthe lid on the slow cooker andcook on high, 7 to 8 hours.

Remove the meat and vegetablesfrom the slow cooker and keepwarm. Put the cabbage in a microwave-safe dish with 2 cups cooking liquid from

the slow cooker, cover and microwaveuntil tender, 7 to 10 minutes. Meanwhile,boil another cup of cooking liquid in asmall skillet untilreduced by half, about10 minutes. Mix with the horseradishand

creme fraeche in a small bowl.

Slice the corned beef and serve with theslow-cooked vegetables, cabbage andsauce; reserve about a quarter each of themeat and vegetables and 1 1/2 cups

As good as the weathers been, with Mom and Dads busy work schedulesand their need to spend some of their evenings doing pretty much whatFranklin and I are able to do all day long, we can appreciate their need to gethome, unwind, and spend some of their winter evenings vegging out in front

of the TV. We enjoy doing WHATEVER theyre doing, because being withour people is what we live for.

In February, there were a couple of shows they had on that WE identify with. And we think wehave some pretty astounding insights we can share with you! First of all, you people are not originalwith the pat-yourself-on-the-back programs. The Academy Awards which started in 1929, and theGrammys, since 1959, are merely knock offs of the greatest show of all, The Westminster KennelClub Dog Show which has been around since 1877! The only continuously running competition inthe United States which is older is the Kentucky Derby, which beat us out by one year.

Franklin and I look forward to the dog show every year. We love the commentaries, pant over thegood lookers strutting their stuff, and have heated debates and bets about each and every category.Neither of us picked Malachy for Best in Show I dont want to offend anyone, but is a Pekingesereally (never mind, Franklin is advising me that this subject is as explosive as politics and religion). Iheard about the American Kennel Clubs category changes for next year, but there are still no plans

to include mutts or mixed breeds. A shame. Its so Unprogressive.

Then we watched Who Do You Think You Are. Taking a cue from the popularity of sites likeancestry.com, and hoping to appeal to the amateur genealogists out there, a celebrity is picked to beon the show and a bunch of experts trace his or her roots back previous generations. The climax ofthe show is when the ce lebrity finds out something in their pedigree really cool like there weredukes and duchesses in their family. Hey, there are plenty of us out there named Duke or Duchess,so somebodys canine family knows SOMETHING. Or there are maybe just those wanna-becanines, like that pesky newcousin of ours, Romeo, who claims a tie to Shakespeare. Prove it,Romeo you big bag of wind. Watching mom put away some photos recently; we noticed withinterest that we do have something to brag about! Apparently, we have a cousin named Rudy whois Royalty. (see the proof in her picture above, Queen Rudy)

An Irishman who had alittle too much to drinkis driving home from thecity one night and, of

course, his car is weavingviolently all over theroad.

A cop pulls him over. 'So,' says the copto the driver, 'where have ya been?'

'Why, I've been to the pub of course,'slurs the drunk.

'Well,' says the cop, 'it looks like you'vehad quite a few drinks this evening.'

'I did all right,' the drunk says with asmile.

'Did you know,' says the cop, standingstraight, and folding his arms across hischest, 'that a few intersections back, yourwife fell out of your car?'

'Oh, thank heavens,' sighs the drunk. 'fora minute there, I thought I'd gone deaf.'- M u r p h y

Slow-Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage

Slow cooker meal - quick preparation time and serves 6

foodnetwork.com

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2137 Hammond Dr.,Schaumburg, IL [email protected]

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Corn Beef andCabbage for 6

And the Winner Is

A Dogs World:Royal Blood Lines

Random Humor:Why thank youofficer

Why Is The RiverGreen?

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Pretty soon, well be between the winterand summer seasons. The need to heat our homesand the need to cool them will give way toopening windows and doors and letting some freshair in. Im as ready for Mother Nature to take overas you are even though I live for the two of theextremes she offers.

So right now, during the in-between time

as the seasons are at rest, so am I. I have put upmy gone fishin sign (and by that I mean gonelooking at the fishes, not much of a fisherman),and flew the coop with my wife in tow. I highlyrecommend it. Do it smarter than I have, though.Leave your cell phone and computer behind, or letthe airlines loose them! We may be moreprogressive than other countries and cultures insome ways, but our unwillingness to unchainourselves from business and turn over control tosomeone else for awhile, is short-sighted. Despitethe cost and concerns, it is so worth it!

If you cant be gone for a week, playhooky for a day. Get down to the St. PatricksDay Parade. Buy a ticket for opening day. Dustoff your clubs and be the first on the course. Digin your garden spend the day with your family go for a run or hop on your bike. Sit outside andjust do NOTHING. The earth will keeprevolving. I guarantee it, because so far so good!

But hey dontworry if youneed anythingwhile I am gone

since Brenda hasthe office undercontrol, andJohn will befloating aroundkeeping all ofthe ducks in arow. And yesmy wife snuckthis while I wasasleep and sentit in to John for print. At least its my good side.Catch you on the flip side! - T O M

march cozy news 2012

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