Sharing Sweden with the masses

I know i posted some cookies before, but i've been missing these lovelys from my scandanavian homeland of sweden. They are quite deelish in my opinion and for you DUNKERS out there they are quite incredible with a good coffee or even some teas.

SWEDISH SCORPA

The parts:

1 package active dry yeast

1/4 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees)

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup (1 stick ) butter, melted but not boiled so it seperated

1 teaspoon saffron threads (a good pinch or two)

1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom ( optional)

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup currants

2 eggs, warmed (NOT COLD FROM FRIDGE)

4 to 4 1/2 cups flour

1 large egg, beaten

Sugar sprinkles, (optional) I dont use it

1 cup raisins (optional) I also dont use it

The HOW TO:

(yes its similar to Biscotti)

To make the dough: In a large bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water. Add a pinch of sugar. Heat the milk and add the melted butter to it; let cool until the mixture is lukewarm.

Pulverize the saffron with 1 teaspoon of the sugar, using a mortar and pestle or with the back of a spoon in a small dish. Add 1 tablespoon of the warm milk-and-butter mixture and allow the saffron to steep for 5 minutes.

Add the saffron mixture, milk-and-butter mixture, sugar, salt, currants and eggs to the yeast. Using an electric blender on medium speed, beat until blended. Add 2 cups flour and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add 2 cups of the remaining flour and mix with a wooden spoon to make a medium-stiff dough. Let dough rest for 15 minutes.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board. Knead for 8 minutes or until the dough is smooth and satiny. Place the dough in a clean, lightly oiled bowl. Turn the dough over to lightly oil the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

To make a braided wreath: Punch the dough down and divide into 3 parts. With the palms of your hands, roll and shape each part into a rope-like strand about 36 inches long. Braid the strands by aligning them vertically and alternately crossing each outer strand over the center strand. Shape the braid into a circle and place on a greased or parchment-covered baking sheet. Pinch the ends together where they meet to seal the strands and to conceal the beginning and end of the braid.

Transfer to the baking sheet. Brush with the beaten egg. Sprinkle with sugar sprinkles if using. Let rise for about 45 minutes or just until puffy.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until lightly browned, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the dough comes out clean and dry.

Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 300 degrees F. Carefully cut each rectangle into 1/2-in. slices. Place slices with cut side down on baking sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes longer.

Note: To make two smaller wreaths: Divide the dough into 2 parts and braid as above. Place each wreath on a baking sheet, allow to rise and bake for about 20 minutes.

Yes its a bit of labor of love there, but i find it is quite worth the time and effort

njuta av den scorpa

Vodka sauce pasta

KEIFERS VODKA SAUCE RECIPE

THE RED SAUCE:

6 lb Ripe, San Marzano tomatoes, I use a 6lb can from Costo (pre peeled), sub in Romas if you cant get the San Marzanos

I can tell you that the San Marzano will be FAR BETTER than regular plum types.

3 tbspn Extra Virgin olive oil

1 Red onion; thinly sliced

1 small Rosemary branch, remove the leaves and chopped

1 small Bay leaf (pull before Ala Vodka processing)

1 small fresh thyme branch, remove the leaves and chopped

1 (2 small leaves chopped) Sweet Basil

The setup for the imported canned ie: pre peeled

Warm the olive oil in a large pan; add the tomatoes, onion, rosemary, bay, thyme and basil, I add a pinch of fresh ground black pepper. Cook over gentle heat until the tomatoes break down to a puree blend. Salt to taste (I use a just a little sea salt). You can pass them through a food mill or blend/mash them smooth, however sometimes I leave it a bit chunky. Check the consistency; if you wish a thicker sauce, return it to the pan and cook over medium-low heat until it is reduced a bit and at the thickness you like.

This is for tomatoes with skins:

Warm the olive oil in a large pan; add the tomatoes, onion, rosemary, bay, thyme and basil, I add a pinch of fresh ground black pepper.Cook over gentle heat until the skins are wrinkled and have really cooked away from the flesh, usually about 30 minutes. Remove the skins, The tomatoes should be melting into a puree by then. You can pass them through a food mill or blend/mash them smooth, however sometimes I leave it a bit chunky. Check the consistency; if you wish a thicker sauce, return it to the pan and cook over medium-low heat until it is reduced a bit and at the thickness you like. Add salt to taste

Makes about 1 Quart, you may not need all of it so Freezing or Canning the rest is good thing to do so you have some tasty red sauce ready and quick for anything in the future.

ALA VODKA:

1 quart of red sauce as above

1 cup vodka (nothing too fancy but I like the fowl named or the red S label)

1/2 cup heavy cream, at room temperature (IMPORTANT ITS NOT COLD)

1/2 cup grated Parmesan (not the powdered stuff ) be sure have more on hand as some like me love it to be a bit thicker and cheesier as well as to add on top as many like as well

1 pound penne

Using a large heavy SKILLET (non stick works best, I have a deep 15” to fit all this without splashing all over) Simmer the tomato sauce and vodka over low heat, stirring often, until the mixture reduces by 1/4, usually takes about 20 minutes. Slowly stir the cream into the tomato and vodka sauce. Even at room temp if you go too fast it will bring the temperature down quickly so GO SLOW. Continue to simmer over low heat until the sauce is heated through. SLOWLY stir in the Parmesan cheese until melted and well blended. DO NOT JUST TOSS IT ALL IN AT ONCE!!! As with the Cream you do this a little at a time as to not overwhelm the sauce and cool it down, it also promotes better melting and distribution of the cheese and flavors. At this point it should be nice and light orange colored. I stir to mix all the flavors and make sure everything is all HOT AGAIN.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Drain the pasta and transfer it to the pan with the sauce, and toss to coat. I like to keep a little bit of the water and add some to the sauce, not much just a bit to thin the sauce back a bit since I like it thick to start with and it adds the starches you removed from the pasta while boiling. Careful how much you add as you don’t want to make it all runny. I let this all to a simmer once again for at most 2 minutes while gently continuing to toss/stir/fold with a large wooden spoon. This will make it all hot and steamy, don’t do this too long as the pasta will overcook and get loose and mushy. Remove from heat and let REST with a good lid or cover plate etc. This will allow it to cool a bit and reconstitute the liquids that were just boiling. This step is VERY IMPORTANT, as with any cooked to steamy hot meal it allows the flavors to infuse themselves back into the food. (have you ever had dry turkey, usually its not over cooked, just not allowed to stand and let the steamed juices return to liquid and get absorbed back into the meat, hence the big PUDDLE of liquid in the bottom of the pan) just quickly cover it and let it rest.

After resting for a few minutes, YOUR DONE, ENJOY!!

Dining table induced heart attacks?

Dining out....a favorite American past-time. Research, however, has shown that the more we dine out, the more likely we are to get accustomed to larger portions—and to potentially larger waistlines.

So is it possible to dine out and have your cake too? According to a new report by the Nutrition Action Healthletter, the answer might be a resounding "no," especially if you dine at some of the casual, "slow-food" restaurant chains out there, with their hyper-caloric entrees, appetizers, and desserts.

One meal highlighted by the NAH report, for example, was The Cheesecake Factory's "Fried Macaroni and Cheese," which weighs in at a monstrous 1,570 calories and 69 grams of saturated fat. (The kind that clogs your arteries and can leave you at higher risk for a heart attack for up to 4 hours after a meal.) Consider these factoids: • Many health experts recommend we eat no more fat in a single day than the equivalent of 3 pats of butter.  • A pat of butter has 5 grams of fat, so "Fried Macaroni and Cheese" contains the equivalent of about 14 pats of butter. Oops!

And the amount of sodium (as table salt) in some restaurant meals is sky-high as well. Chili's "Big Mouth Bites"-also cited in the NAH article-boasts (if that's the word) 2,350 calories, 38 grams of fat (7 ½ pats of butter)-and 3,940 mgs of sodium. Excuse me? That's about twice the amount of sodium recommended for most adult Americans, over the course of a day. How many salt-sensitive people-some of whom have high blood pressure and don't know it-are innocently gorging on these indoor salt licks?

Okay, so the news about restaurant chains isn't so good, but there are healthier options out there that will still allow you to go out once in awhile and socialize. Here's a sampling of entrées from some of the big restaurant chains. I've included one "no-no" from each establishment's menu to help you spot the "heart-attacks-on-a-plate."

• Applebee's®.  The bad news: You order the "Grilled Steak Caesar Salad with toast," thinking you're eating light...after all, it's a salad, right? But guess what? If you eat the whole thing, you'll have wolfed down 1,296 calories, 83 grams of fat (16½ pats of you-know-what), and 2,200 mgs of sodium. Uh oh. The good news: Applebee's offers a Weight Watcher's® Menu for health- and weight-conscious diners, and it includes "Garlic Herb Chicken" for 370 calories, 6 grams of fat, and 7 grams of fiber. Applebee's even has a dessert, "Chocolate Raspberry Layer Cake," that's only 230 calories and 3 grams of fat. Pass around 1 slice of this cake and you'll be cutting calories even further. Although their "Onion Soup au Gratin" (150 calories) has fewer calories than does regular onion soup, the 8 grams of fat in there might cause a problem if your entrée was also high in fat. 
• Cheesecake Factory®.  The bad news: You ordered their "Stuffed Chicken Tortillas," thinking it a fairly good nutritional choice. Wrong. You just put away 1,097 calories, 43 grams of fat (8 ½ pats) and a whopping 2,647 mgs of sodium (the equivalent of more than a full teaspoon of salt)....thirsty, by any chance? The good news: I was surprised to find a new menu item at the Cheesecake Factory called "Weight Management Grilled Chicken^TM," which was accompanied by arugula salad (my favorite!), steamed white rice, and asparagus. Per the online listing, this meal contained "less than 590 calories." The new "White Chicken Chili" also looks promising, although the nutrition information wasn't available when I looked. Their "Shrimp and Chicken Gumbo" could be healthy if you ask that the cream be left out of the Cajun-style broth. 
• Chili's®.  The bad news: Chili's online info lists its appetizers under the heading "Start It Off Right," but you surely won't be doing that if you order their "Onion String & Crispy Jalapeno Stack." This before-meal snack is lugging along 2,130 calories, 213 grams of fat (I kid you not--42 ½ pats of butter!), and 1,320 mgs of sodium. (You know how some menus put a little heart symbol next to the heart-healthy meals? "Onion String & Crispy Jalapeno Stack" could just about be awarded tiny skull and crossbones.) The good news: Chili's "Guiltless Grill" offers many healthy options too, such as the "Guiltless Grilled Salmon" at 480 calories, 14 grams of fat (with most of the calories and fat coming from those pleasant omega-3-fatty acids), and a good amount of fiber (10 grams). Another item I was curious about is the "Black Bean Burger": Although its 650 calories seem fairly steep, it does contain a respectably low 12 grams of fat (only 2 of them saturated) and a generous 26 grams of fiber. 
• T.G.I. Friday's®.  The bad news: No matter how good Friday's "Pecan-Crusted Chicken Salad" sounds to you, don't do it. It's hiding 750 calories and 10 pats of butter. The good news: With its "Right Portion, Right Price" menu offerings, Friday's became the first casual, sit-down dining chain in the U.S. to offer smaller portions at lower prices all through the day. Among the entrees are "Asian-Glazed Chicken with Field Greens," and "Cedar-Seared Salmon on Field Greens." Two other meals, the "Dragonfire Chicken" and "Shrimp Key West," are included in their "Better for You" section, which lists only those meals that contain no more than 500 calories and 10 grams of fat per serving. This saves you money as well.
• Outback Steakhouse®.  The bad news: Order Outback's "Aussie-tizers Kookaburra Wings with Sauce" and you just served yourself 1,160 calories and 75 grams of fat (15 pats). The good news: I was pleasantly surprised to learn that this restaurant now has "Healthy Weight Loss," "Heart-Healthy Diet," and "High-Protein Low-Carbohydrate" choices. On the "Healthy Weight Loss" link, they offer options for making their traditional items healthier (e.g., ordering their "Grilled Shrimp on the Barbie" without butter, or the "Shrimp and Veggie Griller" without butter or glaze during preparation.  I feel these guidelines of Outback Steakhouse not only help diners cut calories and fat, but also provide information regarding the food's preparation. And perhaps most important, diners will most likely feel less intimidated to ask their server for these modifications since they're listed on the Web site. 
• Ruby Tuesdays®.  The bad news: You just ordered "Ruby Minis," thinking, What harm could 2 miniburgers with fries possibly do? The answer: an injurious 1,122 calories and about 14 pats is what. The good news: I found a menu option online called "Smart Eating Choices," which looks to include some healthy options, such as "White Bean Chicken Chili" (228 calories, 8 grams of fat, 5 grams of fiber) and "Grilled Chicken" at 295 calories and only 6 grams of fat. Other choices, however, were a bit higher in fat than I expected, such as the "Chicken Bella" (626 calories and 7 pats), "New Orleans Seafood" (31 grams of fat), and "Grilled Chicken Salad" (30 grams of fat). However, even these last options are most likely much lower in fat and calories than some of the traditional items on the menu, so overall they may be fairly good choices, in moderation.

I'm sure there are many more restaurants out there with healthier options, so I'd love to hear from you if you'd like to share what you've found out. I hope I've given you some tasty and healthy options so you can have your cake and eat it to!

© 2007 Johns Hopkins University. All Rights Reserved. This article from Johns Hopkins University is provided as a service by Yahoo. All materials are produced independently by Johns Hopkins University, which is solely responsible for its content

The New Age of Wireless

We have taller buildings, but shorter tempers; 
Wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints; 
We spend more, but have little; 
We buy more and enjoy it less.

We have bigger houses and smaller families; 
More conveniences, but less time; 
We have more degrees, but less common sense; 
More knowledge, but less judgement; 
More experts, but more problems; 
More medicine, but less wellness.

We spend too recklessly, laugh too little, 
Drive too fast, get too angry too quickly, 
Stay up too late, get up too tired,  Read too seldom, 
Watch TV too much, and don't pray often enough.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. 
We talk too much, love too seldom and lie too often. 
We've learned  how to make a living, but not a life; 
We've added years to life, not life to years.

We've been all the way to the moon and back, 
But have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbor.

We've conquered outer space, but not inner space; 
We've done larger things, but not better things; 
We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul; 
We've split the atom, but not our prejudice; 
We write more, but learn less.

We've learned to rush, but not to wait; 
We have higher incomes; but lower morals; 
More food but less appeasement; 
More acquaintances, but fewer friends; 
More  effort but less success.

We build better computers to hold more information, 
Produce more copies than ever, yet have less communication; 
We've become long on quantity, but short on quality. 
 These are the times of fast foods and upset stomachs; 
More kinds of food, but less nutrition.

These are the times of world peace, but domestic warfare; 
More leisure and less fun;

These are the days of two incomes, but more divorce; 
Of fancier houses, but broken homes; 
Tall men and short character; 
Steep profits, and shallow relationships.

These are days of quick trips, throwaway morality, 
One-night stands, and pills that do everything from 
Cheer, to quiet, to kill.

It is a time when there is much in the show window, 
And nothing in the stockroom.

Think about it. 

Holy Shit

It used to be more private—just the immediate family gathered after mass, the baptismal font at the rear of the church tiny as a bird bath. The priest would ladle a few teaspoons’ tepid holy water on the bundled baby’s forehead, make a crack about the halo being too tight as the new soul wailed. We’d go home to pancakes and eggs.

These days it’s a big Holy-wood production— midmass, the giant altar rolls back to reveal a Jacuzzi tub surrounded by potted palms. The priest hikes up his chasuble, steps barefoot out of his black leather loafers and wades in like a newfangled John as organ music swells and the baby-bearing families line up like jumbo jets ready for takeoff. But when the godparents handed my niece’s newborn naked to their parish priest, and he dunked her into the Jacuzzi’s bath-warm holy water, her little one grew so calm and blissful she pooped—not a smelly three-days’ worth, explosive diaper load, but enough to notice. As the godparents scooped the turds with a handkerchief, the savvy priest pretended he hadn’t seen, swept through the fouled water with his palm before the next baby in line was submerged.

After mass, my niece sat speechless, red-faced, not knowing what to say— or whether—as church ladies, friends, and family members presented one by one to the tub where the babies had been baptized. As they knelt and bowed and dipped their fingers in, and blessed themselves.

Getting my ass kicked in the shed

My fathers birthday was last month and as the usual overly busy son that i am, i let it go by and did nothing for him, which is what he likes. But I told him I was getting him something even though he doesn't want anything. I told him I would rebuild his run down wood frame shed that we tried to rebuild but were interrupted by the world famous sets of hurricanes back to back and the following year again. We never got back to finish it and it was torn apart and water damaged as well as termites and age. So starting the first weekend of Feb I started work on it for him, he was there of course but at 72 he isn't really able to do too much, aside from be my helper and hand me things and nail when my arm gets tired. He wasn't to happy about how much damage was there and bitched and moaned about getting replacement parts but with hurricanes you don't take many chances allowing high speed projectiles to exist because you didn't build it right. You could easily destroy other things around it, like the house its at (his rental unit) much less a kill someone or worse. The roof was pretty bad even though it was new from 4 years ago when the hurricanes hit, it only had the tar paper when we were cut short of the finish and torn apart. So it leaked and the bugs ate it too. so I had to rebuild the entire front main wall and roof again. simple enough, but rough when you are doing 90% of the work and working with a grumpy old man (he is). He just wanted to get it done and move on, I wasn't about to let it go to pot again and was building it right this time as it was my work that was going into it and damn his ideas of cheeping out and cutting corners.

If you care you can click the pics for the HI-RES versions 4 Megapixel shots

So before he got there on Saturday, I went over in the early morning and started to remove the old shit roof. Everything on the East side needed to be replaced since it was so rotten. Started with the tar paper. I made him get the good stuff to replace it with, same as i did the year before when rebuilding my house. 30# not that cheap 15# crap.

First batch of old 15# paper, it was rotten from being exposed for those years and was not too bad to remove, just clawed it with the hammer. bought a new one for framing and roofing, a 28oz one, really worked well. I bought a new set of professional work gloves, with the grippy fingers, kinda like my mechanix gloves, I gave them to him as he was struggling with the OLD MAN garden type yard gloves. NOT a good idea, cant pick up shit with them. So he paid me the $30 for the gloves and paid me for the hammer too. I've learned over years not to say no. Makes him angry. He did get a new blade for the radial saw i brought, it was rusty and burned the first few cuts pretty bad. almost caught on fire. hahah

After I knocked out the first roof sheets, the beams were in bad shape too, water and bugs, will have to replace them.

Here you can see the top rail for the roof line, double beamed and worthless as it turns to powder when you hit it with the hammer. I cold crush it with my fingers. It was mostly termite poo throughout. Gross that its all falling on me as i was removing the roof.

Other end of the shed on same side, to right of previous pic, wanted to show the kind of water damages to the rafters and the roof sheets of plywood. Note the rot and mold on the wall in the corner. That too will have to go.

Same roof sheets after throwing on the ground, you can see the rafter lines.

This one was the worst of them

Up top, the beam with the wire is the one that was totally eaten away by bugs, they ate all the way around yet left vertical beams alone, strange things termites. Must have been old damages as I didn't see a single one alive or dead.

The last roof sheet before beating the shit out of it from below to knock it loose

Well here it is later in the day, been working a while and had to rest a bit, no time for pics in between sorry. I had to rest as after swinging hammer for first time in a while my arm totally cramped and locked up on me. My muscles were so tight I had to fight to keep my arm from curling up and my hand from closing. Not a good start but I took an Ibuprofen and it helped. After a short self induced massage and break I was able to get back to work without any more cramping.

It was getting later in the day, I got the Framing done after removing all the bad wood, much more damage that i originally expected, but i pushed on. So much for a few hours Sat and Sun. It was all day for both. Dad did buy lunch on both and took me out for BBQ on Saturday at the local joint, he was so tired. But, again at 72 and a pencil pusher, its no wonder. He doesn't do this kind of stuff much.

The new roof line and main beam, looks so much better. I'd honestly would have like to just rebuild the whole roof, but it wasn't bad on the West side, a few pieces of top rail needs cutting and replacing with braces. I will do that later.

The new wall studs and corner with the new hurricane approved bracing started on the corner. pretty damned stable if i do say so myself.

Another few of from above, the apex joints were bad too, so i replaced what needed it and added the same spaced short cuts in between the rafters on the exterior walls top rail, so in effect its 3 2x4 stacked with the rafters nailed to it all. pretty damned strong. I used southern prime pine and not that white board crap that you can dig with your fingernail. That stuff is pure crap and I cant believe people use it and don't realise how bad it is to build with. no wonder some homes just blow apart in 120mph winds.

My original base with the new corner, I used red bolts into the concrete when i put in the base years back during the first rebuild, the pressure treated base is still looking good and solid as hell, no worries there. A few braces and brackets later it was sound as a pound.

Well here it is the end of day two, late Sunday and i finally go the roof boards started and half the roof done, need to cut a few pieces of 3/4 to finish the roof wood. I was however pretty damn ass tired by then, my arm was giving out from hammering so much. Dad was having a hard time climbing the ladder to help. I kept telling him to go sit but he didn't want to. Stubborn old man.

I called in some friends to help hand me up the sheets of plywood, I sure as hell couldn't do it by myself and Dad couldn't either. Hell we couldn't do it together by then, I was ready to keel over.

Well here is the new rafters with the roof sheets on. Note my handy dandy bracketing for the hurricanes. That shit works, between the 3 inch nails at angle into the top rail and gap stops the strapping will keep the roof from lifting in winds. I did a better job here than my house.

Here's more to the left of the previous pic. My dads head as he pulled down the tarp to cover as we closed up for the coming week. That's the doorway. It was about 6.30pm on Sunday. He only wanted to go to about 2pm, yeah right. I got the major shit done. Had to go for supplies 3 times over the weekend aside from trip #1 on Friday night. Damn termites ate that shit up. That should have been replaced the first time but he didn't want to, i gave him no choice this time. He was pitching a fit all over the place, it was hard to work with him at times. But after 41 years I guess I'm kinda used to hearing it and tune it out. Just don't like it when it gets directed at me. That when i bark back and tell him to take a break.

Well that's what I have done so far, this coming weekend I was supposed to go to Orlando but looks like that isn't happening. I will finish the shed. Just a little bit more roof work and then on to tar papering the entire shed and the eve work, did i mention i HATE eve work? I am not into the hammering up it requires and hanging over roof isn't a choice as its a long eve. Then the final sheeting on the outside. Drywall and wiring after, but that's the simple stuff as its all just BANG and go. But I may have him hire out for that since its such a small job. I did the hard part. I should send him a bill hahahah. Why not? I bill him for the IT work I do for his company.

Managment vs Reality and getting the job done

It is said that Good judgement comes from bad experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgement. But as we all know bad management never learns from mistakes since they don't know any better nor do they care. For many its not a career as much as its only a J.O.B. to them, the [i'm just here for the paycheck attitude]. I've seen it, you've seen it, hell we have all seen it including the ones guilty of it.

Bad management is rampant in this economy and it shows. Even today the news breaking of a wall street prostitute scandal. Granted it was from before the bailout but indeed why was the bailout required int the first place? Because when companies were busy paying $300,000 a year for sexual favors they were busy not paying attention to anything else they were throwing money at. When your eyes roll back in your head from the Ecstasy you don't have a care in the world.

What I am getting at is the penny counting ways of management to make decisions for the future of a company solely on the fact of costs. The costs now are not the issue as much as the way of doing business or solving problems which is where the problems are in our country from small to large and throughout the local to Fed level GOV departments lye. Stupid purchases can be eliminated first and foremost and is an easy quick fix for most companies but when you have problem solving issues that border on the absurd you have to wonder who the idiot was that OK'd he solution. For example: The typical stupid answer to an existing problem for many mangers is to replace entire items or personnel when its the way they were instructed that is the problem and not the human conducting the repair. It has been said that management ideals for repair responses are as such:
Client is standing there pounding a dead parrot on the counter, and the management response is to frantically swap in new counters to see if that fixes the problem. When that doesn't work they put in some sort of sound deadening material on the counters.
Its this utter nonsense of responses that wastes everyones money and time and in the end costs jobs when the company looses money for poor service.

I see the same thing all year long when a server or system goes down because the hard drive failed. The management thought that spending 300-1000 dollars back when they set it all up was too much to add to the expenses. So now that the entire staff of 50 people are sitting on their asses getting paid to do nothing. Then my hourly fees to try to recover the data and get them back up and running are added to the pot. The average drive recovery costs 800-1200 dollars for a simple data save of 1 drive under 250G. So there I am spending up to 36 hours to restore a server after a serious hard drive crash because of no backup of any kind. Yes 2 Days on site for a repair and all 8 locations where offline during it. I can't imagine what it costs them past my $3000 invoice for lost income from employee costs. So after all that what was the solution they agreed on? Tape drive, cheapest. Which has a major fail point, humans, required to change the tape everyday, I can bet it doesn't happen.

Short rant for the new year
just had to get that out there