Marshall's Blog

The Experiment Begins; We're Making Mead!

noreply@blogger.com (Marshall McPeek) — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 09:24:07 PDT

The first batch of mead
is called "Joe's Ancient
Orange and Spice Mead." It'll
take months to ferment.

Blame Tom McNutt. Yes, that Tom McNutt. The garden guy. The one on television. This is all his fault.

One Saturday in June, Tom was doing a live broadcast from the North Market’s Farmer Market. There were all the usual vegetable vendors, the locally-harvested honey, the flowers, the amazing berries… and the guys from the city’s newest meadery.

“The what?”

Meadery. A place that makes mead. Essentially, it’s wine made from honey⁠.

In the mid-1990s, Woody Drake was making movies in the Carolinas and making homebrew as a hobby. That came to a screeching halt when he accidentally discovered mead, the legendary nectar of the gods. By the late-90s, he was tired of his career and tired of the South. So he moved home to Ohio. Along the way, he recruited his brother, Eric, into the mead-making hobby. After winning a few awards, including a very good showing at a national level, the decanting duo decided to make a go of it professionally. They found a few superb recipes, pitched some yeast, waited for some fermenting magic and, eventually, opened their casks to the public in 2008.

The Brothers Drake were selling bottles at the farmers market and Tom McNutt was tasting… and interviewing. Live.

This is the stuff of inspiration.

This mead has fruit in
it, so it's classified as a
melomel.

A few years ago, I was able to harvest enough grapes from the vines overtaking the backyard pergola to fill a couple of five-gallon buckets. I was determined to make my own wine. Never mind that they’re concords. They’re still grapes. They’ll ferment.

I bought all the stuff. The fermentation buckets. The racking tubes. The carboys. The special yeast. The little bubbly thingies.

The grapes were washed, crashed, fermented, racked, racked again, settled and slightly aged. One carboy was full of a beautiful, deep-red liquid. The other was lighter, slightly-pinkish-yellowish. It had been waiting for months and months, begging to be tasted.

The moment arrived. It was time.

The pour. The sniff. The taste.

Jet-A.

This stuff could put the petrol companies out of business. A flask of this stuff was strong enough to keep a jumbo jet in the air for a transatlantic journey.

All ten gallons went right down the drain. The buckets and carboys sat empty and unused for nearly three years. The grapes weren’t all that good for wine and the birds were getting them before we were anyway.

Then there was Tom McNutt’s live shot. Mead. Honey wine. Eureka!

We don’t have to fight the birds for the fruit. We don’t have to find an organic solution to grape vine grey rot. We don’t even have to strip the grapes off the stems. Honey! We can buy honey! All year! Any time! This is The Solution!

So, we’ve decided to give it a go ourselves. And today was the day.

Two batches are in the one-gallon carboys, ready to ferment themselves into deliciousness.

Mead is made with copious
amounts of raw honey. We're
trying to use locally-produced
honey whenever possible.

The first batch is a recipe from gotmead.com and called "Joe's Ancient Orange and Spice Mead." They claim it's super-simple to make. Almost foolproof. Watch me screw it up.

Since it includes fruit (oranges and raisins), it's classified as a melomel mead.

The second batch is from the Joy of Mead website and is called Vanilla Metheglyn. A metheglyn (or metheglin) mead is made of just honey and spices. The recipe suggested two ways of dealing with the vanilla beans; I went with option #2: grinding them in the food processor⁠ then steeping them in the water that gets poured directly into the carboy.

Within minutes of being in the carboys, the batches began to very slowly bubble. That's a good sign.

Now, we wait. This'll take months. It's all about patience. Stay tuned.

Kiwi Born at the Columbus Zoo!

noreply@blogger.com (Marshall McPeek) — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 14:37:35 PDT

The Columbus Zoo has another adorable animal to add to its living collection. A kiwi was hatched today. They're relatively rare in their native

New Zealand

... and even more difficult to breed outside the country. But Columbus did it!

Here's a link to the adorable video...

http://www.youtube.com/user/Columbuszoomedia?blend=2&ob=1#p/u/0/1oPbNcUyHtA

The text of the Zoo's news release and more photos after the jump...

Kiwi born at the Columbus Zoo on March 23, 2011.
Photo by G. Jones at the Zoo.

More info and photos after the jump...

Kiwi born at the Columbus Zoo on March 23, 2011.
Photo by G. Jones at the Zoo.

Here's the Zoo's news release:

The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium has achieved another significant first with the successful hatching of a North Island brown kiwi (Apteryx mantelli) on Mar. 23, 2011. The Columbus Zoo is only the third zoo in North America to successfully hatch a kiwi chick since the first one hatched at Smithsonian's National Zoo in 1975 and this chick is only the fifth kiwi to successfully hatch in as many years.

"The fact this egg successfully hatched is a testament to the amazing care and attention given by our staff in consultation with professional colleagues around the world" said Columbus Zoo and Aquarium President and CEO Dale Schmidt. "Like an expectant parent, kiwi expert Kathy Brader from Smithsonian's National Zoo rushed to Central Ohio to be here and assist our team with the newly hatched chick."

Kiwis are flightless birds about the size of a domestic chicken and the egg, weighing as much as 20% of the female's body weight, is the largest egg in relation to body size of any bird. The female kiwi lays one egg at a time in the burrow occupied by the male kiwi. In the wild the male completes the average 86-day incubation process on his own.

At the Zoo eggs are checked to see if they are fertile 30-45 days after they are laid. To maximize the potential of a successful hatching a fertile egg is placed in an incubator where it is monitored for temperature and humidity and turned slightly each day. Once the chick pips the egg it takes about four days for it to completely emerge and it survives on its yolk sac for 6-12 days.

Kiwi chicks are miniature versions of the adult kiwi and are about 1/8 of the size of an adult when they hatch. They are precocial, meaning they are completely on their own after hatching, and must find food and avoid predators without assistance. Most birds locate their food through sight and have a relatively poor sense of smell. Being nocturnal, the kiwi's senses are just the opposite and they use their long beak to forage through leaf litter sniffing out earthworms and other invertebrates, fruits and berries.

Kiwis have a high mortality rate in the wild mostly due to predation by invasive species; 50% of kiwi eggs fail to hatch, 90% of chicks do not survive to six months of age and only 5% reach adulthood. Kiwi males are sexually mature at two years of age and females are reproductive at about three years old.

The five distinct species of kiwi are only found in New Zealand and zoos outside of New Zealand only manage the North Island brown kiwi. The kiwi is the unofficial mascot of New Zealand and despite having legal protection since 1896 their numbers are declining mostly due to predation by non-native species including dogs and cats.

The Columbus Zoo's conservation program has supported projects to protect the kiwi including supplying funds to construct predator proof fencing around reserves and fitting kiwis with transmitters to enable regular monitoring.

The sex of the chick is determined through DNA testing and not known at this time. In addition to this chick, which is currently not on display, there are three other kiwi at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. There are now just 20 kiwis in three United States zoos.

Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is open 363 days of the year. General admission is $14.00 for adults, $10.00 for seniors 60+ years of age and $9.00 for children ages 2 to 9. Children under 2 and Columbus Zoo members are free. The Zoo was named the #1 Zoo in America by USA Travel Guide and is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA.) For more information and to purchase advance Zoo admission tickets, visit http://www.columbuszoo.org.

The Glover Disaster

noreply@blogger.com (Marshall McPeek) — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 09:59:04 PDT

Actor Danny Glover on the
Weekend Mornings
set with Marshall and Mindy.

Oh, the messages are rolling in.

But I promise you're not nearly as angry as we are.

Here's what the release said:

"Actor Danny Glover and Rochelle Saulsberry have launched the Movement of the Masses, a global grassroots initiative designed to help people of all races overcome economic challenges and develop the capacity to accumulate and sustain wealth."

Whatever. We hadn't really planned to spend much time talking about any of that anyway. There's so much more to discuss!

As his IMDb bio indicates, Glover is a UNICEF Ambassador and an internationally-recognized philanthropist. He does real work to help the world's children and the poor. His ideals for the film industry are lofty enough that he started his own production company to produce films with "artistic integrity and social importance."

I had hoped to talk about his work with children and high-end film.

But we never had a chance to get a word in edgewise. He instantly launched into his "multi-level marketing" pitch (which many people might interpret as: scam). We didn't know how to get out of it without being rude and abruptly cutting him off. It was just horrible. It will go down as one of the worst non-interviews ever.

Off camera, before the broadcast, he talked about his wife being in Brazil to play in a tennis tournament, how he enjoys cooking for his step sons and lots about NCAA March Madness. He's a huge sports fan, as it turns out. Never made it on the air.

So, instead of a great interview with a Hollywood legend who happened to be in Columbus and willing to get up early on a weekend morning, we ended up with a soft-spoken pitchman for a what sounds a lot like a ponzi scheme.

We were sold a bill of goods.
As the boss said, "We were had."

I'll never watch a Glover movie the same way again. It's ultra disappointing.

Sago Palms Deadly to Pets; Sold at Many Stores

noreply@blogger.com (Marshall McPeek) — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 13:28:27 PST

Sago Palm image: Wikipedia

(Central Ohio) Francine is a happy, playful Golden Retriever living with a loving family here in Central Ohio. And she's living on borrowed time. She is destined for liver failure. It could happen any time. Her family is devastated... and angry.

Veterinarians believe Francine's illness was caused by a plant. She ate part of a Sago Palm bought in the garden center of a local home improvement store. Her owners say the plants carry no warning labels.

The Sago Palm or King Sago Palm (Cycas revoluta) is native to Japan but also reportedly can be found growing naturally in the United States from Florida and the Gulf Coast north to Tennessee and Virginia.

The plant is toxic to both pets and humans. According to the ASPCA's website, "all parts of the plant are toxic, not just the seeds or nuts, and common signs of ingestion include vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, depression, seizures and liver failure." Symptoms can appear in less than 12 hours.

Animals, apparently, find the plant very tasty. Curiosity can lead children to eat parts of the plant as well.

"Since 2003," says the website, "the ASPCA has seen an increase by more than 200 percent of sago palm and cycad poisonings, and 50 to 75 percent of those ingestions resulted in fatalities."

Francine's family wants everyone to know the dangers of these plants and to protect their pets and children from them.

The plants may be for sale at local garden centers. Buyer beware!

Here's a little more from the ASPCA's Poison Control Center:
http://www.aspca.org/Pet-care/poison-control/Plants/sago-palm.aspx

The Answer to Life, the Universe and Everything

noreply@blogger.com (Marshall McPeek) — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 21:01:02 PST

42.

It is the Ultimate Answer.

So sayeth Deep Thought, the massive computer created by a race of pan-dimensional beings intent on finding the solution to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe and Everything.

These are the teachings of the glorious Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy... and the theme for the remainder of the year.

For 2011, we shall not be bothered by the trails and tribulations of the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal nor shall we be subjected to readings of the Vogons' mind-bogglingly atrocious poetry. We shall, however, always remember where our towels are.

It's going to be a good year.

Happy birthday to me. :)

Construction Begins Today

noreply@blogger.com (Marshall McPeek) — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 16:50:49 PST

The original For Sale ad from the
May 5, 1895, Ohio State Journal.

Our house was built in 1895 by A.C. Ady. According to the original sales ad submitted to the now-defunct Ohio State Journal, the house had a finished third floor which made it a 12-room house and, thus, a little more marketable on "the finest resident street in the city." The upper floor was divided into two rooms and gas lines were run to supply heat and light. It was used as living space during the home's boarding-house years and storage at other times. It's actually a great space.

And it's about to get even better.

Our friends at MWG Remodeling (the same ones who did the fabulous bathroom remodel on the second floor) are getting started today. The ceiling of the front room will be torn out to reveal the attic and the attic window, cathedral out the room and provide a ton of extra storage space. One of the doors has to be moved, headers need to added for stability and then it's a matter of insulation, electricity and drywall. Yes, it's a project.

It'll take about a month to get it finished. But when it's ready, Daniel will have a perfect room to use as an art studio and I'll finally have the room I've wanted for years to accommodate the model trains. It's going to be great! It's going to be a huge mess in the process... but it'll be awesome when it's ready!

The New Camera & Stewie

noreply@blogger.com (Marshall McPeek) — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 15:43:56 PDT

I couldn't help myself. I am the world's worst impulse-shopper.

So, we have a new camera. It's a highish-end, Canon point-and-shoot with all the manual controls that would make a "real" photographer proud.

I'm a big fan of Canon because they make some of the best lenses in the business and their equipment tends to be more Mac-friendly than some others. Since my whole world is Mac-based, that's important! My previous Canon point-and-shoot camera has served me very well for the past four years or so but it's starting to get a little haggard and worn; time for it to retire.

I've been playing around with the new gadget this afternoon and managed to snap a great photo of Stewie on his hamburger pillow. He hates the paparazzi, so it's no small coup to get a good shot of him!

One of Stewie's favorite places is perched on his hamburger pillow where he can comfortably snooze, reach down and swat the dogs, or just keep an eye on the world from the front windows.

43-7: But Our Bobcats Still Win

noreply@blogger.com (Marshall McPeek) — Sun, 19 Sep 2010 01:55:36 PDT

It was like lambs to the slaughter.

The Buckeyes are ranked Number 2 in the nation. They're huge.
The Bobcats lost to Toledo last week in the MAC.

Most of us just wanted to see our boys in Green & White make a respectable showing at The Horseshoe. We weren't under any real delusions that they'd actually take home a "W." But, as Ohio University fans, we can't help ourselves... we tend to root for the underdog.

And the Bobcats were 30-point underdogs.

The Bucks beat the spread before halftime. The Marching 110 was terrific.

When the Bobcats pulled out a touchdown in the second half, it was a bit of relief. At least it wasn't a shutout. And we're not going to think of it as a "sympathy score," either.

But the Bobcats still win. Big.

Ohio University will take home a massive paycheck for this game. That'll help keep Peden Stadium open and support large parts of OU's other athletic programs. A big chunk of the money comes from the TV rights... so, thanks, Big Ten Network for showing the game!

The Bobcats may have been battered and bruised by the Buckeyes... but their efforts will make a huge difference for lots of other OU athletes.

Thanks, Bobcats! Great job today! Thanks for, literally, taking one for the team!

From 2010.09.18.Bobcats v Buckeyes

I Remember...

noreply@blogger.com (Marshall McPeek) — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 06:01:38 PDT

Mesmerizing blue sky.

I walked over to the grocery store early this morning. The air was cool; the sun was bright, making crisp, distinct shadows through the trees above the sidewalk. It was a perfect, nearly-autumn morning.

And then I looked up.

I remember this sky.

It's blue. A blue we don't see all that often. Crystal clear. Not a cloud as far as the eye can see. Not even the wisp of a high, icy cirrus cloud or the hint of haze. Just pure blue. Pilots call it a "severe clear."

It was just like this nine years ago tomorrow.

I remember walking home from the transit station that morning, schlepping my luggage, looking at the sky. Marveling. It was beautiful. At the time, we knew our flights had been cancelled and we'd been sent home from the airport because of "an incident" in New York. It wasn't until a little later that we found out just how horrible a morning it had been.

That sky is seared into my memory.

It was a sky just like this morning's.

No Longer a CraigsList Virgin

noreply@blogger.com (Marshall McPeek) — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 09:20:41 PDT

It's my first posting on CraigsList!

The Carriage House at 692 Neil is going to be available at the end of the month. The woman who has lived there for nearly six years is moving out and moving up. So, it's time to find a new tenant. That's where the infamous CraigsList comes in.

The leasing sign is posted in the front yard like a realtor's "for sale" sign... but only the people actually driving by see that. When the ad is online, it's available to tons more people! And with a lot of students and professionals making the late-summer move, now is the time to get the word out there.

The posting was free. And relatively easy (once all the confirmations went through). It has photos and a link to the website with even more info.

So, cross your fingers! Let's see how well it works!

First Heirloom Tomato Harvest

noreply@blogger.com (Marshall McPeek) — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 00:25:29 PDT

It has finally happened! The very first heirloom tomato has ripened and been plucked from the vine. And it's a beauty with a bright, red sheen and a wonderful smell. It'll be amazing with some mozzarella cheese, basil and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. Mmmmmm!

We had been watching it intently for the past few days, waiting as patiently as we could. First a little pink. Then a few patches of red. A little more red. Then a gorgeous, ripe tomato! We couldn't wait any longer (plus, we didn't want to risk the squirrels getting to enjoy it first). We had a small ceremony and Daniel made the official snip.

We planted a variety called "Oxheart" tomatoes. We are told it's an older variety. They have distinctive ridges and a slightly oblong, heart-like shape, thus their name. Can't wait to see how they taste! A few more are starting to ripen now and should be ready in the next few days.

The cherry tomatoes continue to ripen on the vine by the dozen (they're going to become salsa this weekend along with some of the onions from the farm share).

And the peppers are looking good! The jalapeños are producing and so are the banana peppers. They'll both end up in the salsa. The green bell peppers are finally starting to show the beginning of fruit... so we will look forward to them in a few more weeks.

Ahhhhhh, summertime!

Garden Finally Starting to Produce

noreply@blogger.com (Marshall McPeek) — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 06:35:55 PDT

At long last! The backyard garden is finally starting to produce results. We planted heirloom (oxheart) tomatoes and a bunch of "large" cherry tomatoes... jalapeños, habañeros, banana peppers and green bell peppers. The plants we bought that were labeled as orange bell peppers seem to actually be yellow banana peppers. But that's okay... they'll still be yummy!

This morning's haul was pretty good. A bunch of tomatoes and a couple kinds of peppers. Combined with what we get from the CSA, this should be a good start on some salsa! Yay!

Making Jam for the First Time

noreply@blogger.com (Marshall McPeek) — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 04:35:52 PDT

Recipe: Traditional Strawberry Jam

First and foremost... of all the things learned today... know this: Jams, jellies and preserves are made over high heat. Do not attempt this on a 90-degree afternoon! LOL

There is no explanation for why I wanted to try this... but it is something I've wanted to try for years. Now that we have the equipment to do it, it's worth a shot! It actually turned out to be a little more fun than expected!

I remember, as a little kid, my grandmother's friend, Boggess, making jam in her kitchen. We'd go over to visit and the apartment would be a million degrees because the giant pots were on the stove with jam bubbling away. Sometimes, I got to help stir... and, even better... got to taste!

This batch of jam turned out pretty well. Guess what some of you are getting as holiday gifts? ;)

CSA Deliveries Going Strong!

noreply@blogger.com (Marshall McPeek) — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 06:37:10 PDT

This summer, we signed up for Community Supported Agriculture, a CSA. We get a share of everything the New Century CSA Farm produces this season. Each week, the delivery truck shows up and drops off a whole bunch of produce; whatever is ripe this week goes in the cooler. We've had a ton of sweet corn and even more lettuce. The peppers are starting to come into season and we're getting our first, big tomatoes and potatoes. It's been great so far! Looking forward to fresh blackberries next week!

Crunchie Bars!

noreply@blogger.com (Marshall McPeek) — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 05:39:05 PDT

We found Crunchie bars in the US! Jungle Jim's in Cincinnati imports them! Woo hoo! Let the munching begin! Yay! We bought an entire box to toss in the freezer. They'll keep for ages 'til we finally have a chance to get through them. Sooooooo yummy!

Here is some info about them from Cadbury NZ... and a couple of recipes that approximate what's inside the chocolate.

http://www.cadbury.co.nz/Products/Chocolate-Bars/Crunchie-Bar.aspx

http://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/Crunchy-Part-of-a-Cadburys-Crunchie-Bar-50122

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crunchie

Creamy Coconut Shrimp

noreply@blogger.com (Marshall McPeek) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 12:26:45 PST

The other day, I was having a craving... and asked everyone for their favorite Coconut Shrimp recipes. There were lots of very interesting ones... but I ended up creating something a little different.

Normal Coconut Shrimp involves breading the little buggers in shredded coconut and deep frying them. I was aiming for something a little healthier.

This is a recipe cobbled together from several others, plus a dash of improvisation. It doesn't involve any deep frying... but the coconut milk keeps it from being "low fat." It's shrimp in a creamy, coconut sauce with a little bit of a spicy kick. Turns out, it's delicious and filling!

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cups uncooked brown rice
3 cups water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt

2 jalapeno peppers, seeded
1/2 medium-sized red onion, minced
1/2 cup minced red bell pepper
1/2 cup minced green bell pepper
2 garlic cloves
1/4 cup olive oil

1 lime, zested and juiced
3/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/3 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 1/2 tablespoons curry powder
1 1/2 tablespoons crushed red pepper flakes

13.5 can coconut milk
2 pounds uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons water

PREPARATION:

Brown Rice: In a large sauce pan, combine 3 cups of water and 1 1/2 cups of uncooked brown rice a tablespoon of olive oil and a teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to low heat and cover tightly for 50 minutes.

Creamy Shrimp Sauce:

Sauté onions, red bell peppers, green bell peppers, jalapeños, and garlic in olive oil.

Combine lime, cilantro, shredded coconut, cumin, curry, crushed red pepper and soy sauce in a food processor. Add the sauté mix. Blend until smooth.

Pour the blended mix into a large skillet. Add coconut milk and warm the mixture over medium heat, stirring often.

When it gets to a simmer, stir in the shrimp.

Pre-mix the cornstarch and cold water then stir it into the hot mixture.

Continue to simmer until the shrimp are cooked through and the sauce thickens, about 4 to 5 minutes.

Serve shrimp and sauce over hot, brown rice.

First Columbus Crew Game

noreply@blogger.com (Marshall McPeek) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 06:09:44 PST

Not a bad way to start. A playoff game! The Columbus Crew took on Real Salt Lake in the second game of the 2009 MLS Playoffs. It was my first Crew game… and Daniel's second.

Plus, we snagged tickets to sit with the "Hudson Street Hooligans" in the Nordecke (the northeast corner of the stadium).

The Crew scored twice in the first half to take a commanding lead. But penalties helped RSL tie the game by half time. Some questionable officiating helped RSL eventually win the game 3 to 2, knocking the defending champions out of the MLS playoffs.

More details about the game are here, on the Columbus Crew's website.

Potato Jalapeno Soup

noreply@blogger.com (Marshall McPeek) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:12:59 PDT

This is a deliciously creamy potato soup with a delightful kick. It's not as spicy as you might expect… but you'll definitely know there's some jalapeno in there!

We had a bunch of jalapenos left over from this summer's garden. What do you do with them? Here is a great idea. It's a take off on a soup we had aboard a Royal Caribbean ship.

1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup margarine or butter
3 pounds potatoes, cubed
8 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 cup jalapeno peppers, finely chopped
1 pinch baking soda
4 cups evaporated milk
black pepper to taste
salt to taste
1/2 cup cilantro

In a large stockpot, sauté the onion in butter or margarine until it becomes tender and translucent.
Add the potatoes, chicken broth, and cumin.
Bring to a boil, cover and cook until potatoes are tender (about 20 minutes).
Remove from heat and add the jalapenos, baking soda (to keep it all from curdling), and the evaporated milk.
Use a potato masher to coarsely mash the potatoes in the pot.
Season with salt and pepper.
Put back on the stove and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring often to keep the evaporated milk from burning or scalding.
Remove from heat and allow to cool a bit.
Ladle several cups of the soup into a blender and puree for a minute or so.
Continue pureeing small batches until all the soup is creamy and smooth.
Return three cups back to the blender, add the cilantro and re-puree.
Add that back to the main pot of creamy soup and stir until the cilantro flavor is mixed throughout.
Garnish with cilantro sprigs and/or sour cream.

What A Great Caribbean Cruise!

noreply@blogger.com (Marshall McPeek) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 07:06:47 PDT

Back from the Caribbean cruise! We had a great time! Horseback riding in Cozumel… exploring the Mayan ruins in Belize… visiting friends in Key West... and more incredible food than we knew what to do with! Details and photos are posted at Travel.MarshallMcPeek.com.

The Pittsburgh Weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Marshall McPeek) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 08:37:21 PDT

It only took me a week to get it all posted... sorry.

But the pictures from the weekend holiday to Pittsburgh are posted at travel.marshallmcpeek.com!

We Walked Out of the Restaurant

noreply@blogger.com (Marshall McPeek) — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 08:30:58 PDT

Restaurants do lots of things to be "edgy." They try gimmicks to differentiate themselves from the competition. An Italian place has its servers write their names in crayon, upside-down and backward, so
the table can read it. Another joint's employees hurl rolls at each other from across the room. And the Smokey Bones chain apparently leaves hand-written "jokes" on the table.

Today was our first visit. We went to the store near Easton. Seemed like an okay place at first. They sat us relatively quickly. But when we got to the table, we found The Note. No, it wasn't directed at us. It was waiting for whomever the next patrons might happen to be.

That didn't make it any less offensive.

"Do vampires get AIDS?" it said in big, hand-written, yellow letters.

"Well, that's just ignorant," I said. It's inappropriate on at least a dozen levels. There is no reason for that to be on a restaurant table. It speaks volumes about the education and sensitivity training that still need to be done.

I was ready to walk out immediately. Dan was calm and cool... unphased... willing to give them the benefit of the doubt... until the server arrived.

The guy showed up at the table all smiles. Dan handed him the note and said, "The bus boy must have forgotten to remove this." "Oh no," the server said. "That's supposed to be there." Benefit of the doubt relinquished, Dan --who is not usually one to cause a scene-- instantly rose from the booth and declared, "That's just ignorant. We're outta here." The kid was stunned.

As we headed for the door, we asked for a manager. The server handed him the message before sending him over to us. He told us "the kids bring in lists of these jokes that they print from the Internet." He says he usually pre-approves what actually goes to the tables... but this one got through... and he agreed it was inappropriate. He didn't make any effort to try to win back the two customers he had just lost. The discussion was brief... and, it seemed, fell on uncaring, unsympathetic ears.

We will not go back. And we shall not speak kindly of the establishment.

Whoever thought it was funny needs a serious lesson in customer relations. There's a fine line between "edgy" (as the manager called it), and downright offensive.

Key West: The Return Trip

noreply@blogger.com (Marshall McPeek) — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 12:47:39 PDT

All the details of the trip... including the nightmarish 39-hour voyage home... are on the travel blog.

Wanna get REALLY angry?

noreply@blogger.com (Marshall McPeek) — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 09:59:47 PDT

Check out Media General's SEC filings from last month.

Here are links to the "Definitive Proxy Statement" and the "Annual Report."

In the 2008 Annual Report, Media General reports a net loss of $631,854,000.

But despite the layoffs, downsizing, furloughs and massive cuts... the Company's upper management did pretty well for itself. Seems everyone ELSE had to make cuts.

Here's what the SEC filing says about their "Total Compensation for 2008:"

Marshall Morton, CEO $2,767,867
Reid Ashe, EVP/COO $1,555,073
Graham Woodlief, VP $1,000,616
George Mahoney, VP/General Counsel $1,064,601
John Schauss, VP Finance/CFO $ 884,856

Even shareholders had to sacrifice because "due to the economic uncertainty, the Board of Directors suspended the dividend in January 2009." But management still got eye-popping paychecks. Shouldn't the shareholders be outraged?

And the Annual Report says employees will continue to make sacrifices in 2009. The Company is

"delaying compensation increases, suspending payment of dividends, suspending the company match on the 401(k) plan effective at the beginning of April through the end of the year, and employee furlough program; additionally, the Company does not anticipate a level of earnings in 2009 that would generate a 401(k) plan profit sharing contribution or warrant management bonuses."

In other words: no raises, cost of living or otherwise... nothing for the shareholders... no retirement contribution... and more mandated, unpaid time off.

Hmmmm... the only sacrifice upper management is making... is giving up its bonuses. THE COMPANY LOST $632 MILLION DOLLARS. And all you're giving up is your BONUS? Are you kidding with this?!

Many Media General employees live paycheck-to-paycheck. Taking pay cuts and furloughs makes it very difficult for people to make ends meet. Some are even trying to pick up second (or third) jobs to make up the difference. But upper-level managers still want us to think they're making sacrifices.

Let's review the Company's Values Statement:

Our mission is driven by our core values of Integrity, Quality and Innovation. We have a long-term commitment to our employees, our customers, the communities we serve and our shareholders.

So, what happened to the "long-term commitment to our employees?"

New Definition of Marriage

noreply@blogger.com (Marshall McPeek) — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 13:39:21 PDT

My friend Don pointed this out earlier today.

It's from the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, "America's most trusted authority on the English language."

Merriam-Webster's website says the company, "has developed and refined an editorial process that relies on objective evidence about language use, and it applies this process to create reference products that meet rigorous standards of quality and reliability for both print and electronic formats."

In other words, once a definition makes it into a Merriam-Webster product, researchers have proven that definition reflects how the word is being used in America today.

So, here's the new definition of marriage.

Note, specifically, the second-half of the first definition, 1a(2): "the state of being united to a person of the same sex in a relationship like that of a traditional marriage (same-sex marriage)."

The world has changed. It's about time. Perhaps the law will catch up soon, too.

NBC 4 Parent Company Orders 10 Days Unpaid Leave for All Employees

noreply@blogger.com (Marshall McPeek) — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 11:41:39 PST

The letter came by e-mail from the Ivory Tower in Richmond. It went to nearly 5,600 employees from Tampa to Providence... including the gang at NBC 4 in Columbus. "Earnings reports have been worse than expected... each of us will take a mandatory 10 days off."

10 days. Everyone. We've been furloughed. The entire company has to take four days before the end of March and three days in the second and third quarters. They haven't said what will happen in the fourth quarter... yet.

The pay cut is nearly 4% for every Media General employee.

Four percent is a lot. Especially for many people who are living paycheck-to-paycheck.

As of 02/18/2009, Forbes.com reports that Media General CEO Marshall Morton rakes in a compensation package of nearly $2.8 million per year. A four-percent cut certainly won't put much of a crimp in his household budget. A letter from him feigning empathy rings exceedingly hollow. Thanks, pal.

This involuntary sacrifice is supposed to save the company money. At least $9 million. Suspending the 401(k) match and killing off the stock dividends brings the total "savings" to nearly $28 million.

The Tampa Tribune is losing money hand over fist. The entire newspaper industry is in a death spiral (at a later date, we can discuss the print industry's abject failure to recognize the importance of the internet). The broadcast division is still making money (for now)... and propping up what's left of the newspapers. It's time for the print industry to either switch to the web or die. There simply is no future for any of MG's 24 dailies or more than 250 weeklies. They're sucking the life out of the company. It's over.

Media General's website lists its core Mission and Values. "We have a long-term commitment to our employees, our customers, the communities we serve and our shareholders," it says. Furloughed workers would certainly agree the Company has a commitment to its shareholders... but might question the Company's "commitment" to its employees.

Media General Website

The Official News Release: Media General Announces Employees Furlough Program

Trading Markets.com: Media General to furlough employees

Wall Street Journal: Media General Implements Furloughs