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Welcome to the OSS Journal
Dear Reader,
Welcome to the OSS Journal. Each month our newsletter will contain information to keep you informed of new products, helpful information and other topics of interest. Feel free to forward this newsletter to your fellow employees and friends! We look forward to our time together each month and welcome your comments.
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| Featured Recipe - Jerk Chicken with Brown Rice
Editor's note: This is my version of one of the tastiest ways ever invented to flavor grilled chicken; a jerk marinade. The marinade is essentially highly seasoned pureed raw onion, and, of course, the longer the chicken sits in it, the better it will taste. Try overnight! You don't have to use a chipotle pepper but I prefer its smoky flavor and medium heat.
For the chicken:
2 tablespoons of ground allspice
1 dried chipotle pepper
2 bunches of green onions, roughly chopped
4 limes, juiced and zested
1/4 cup of molasses or honey
1/2 cup of olive oil or vegetable oil
salt
1-2 pound chicken, cut into 4 pieces (2 breasts and 2 legs)
For the rice:
1/2 stick of butter
1 cup of brown rice
2 cups of chicken stock or water
salt and pepper
Place allspice, chipotle pepper, green onions, limejuice and zest, molasses, olive oil and salt into a blender and puree until a smooth paste forms. Scrape it into a large bowl, add the chicken pieces and toss until thoroughly coated. Wrap with plastic wrap or place in freezer bags and marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
While the chicken marinades, and when it's almost time to eat, make the rice. Begin by melting the butter in a medium saucepot over a medium-high heat. Continue simmering the butter until it begins to foam. Swirl gently until you see golden brown particles on the bottom. Immediately add the rice grains and stir well. This will toast them adding a layer of nutty flavour and will also prevent the butter from heating up too much and burning. Turn the heat down to low. Add the stock, season and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes until tender.
Preheat a grill, barbecue or oven. When grill is hot, place chicken pieces on it, skin side down. Turn chicken after 10 minutes and continue cooking the other side for another 10 minutes or so, until done. If the grill flames up, or chicken chars, splash with water until the flare-up subsides.
Yield: 4 servings |
| 5 Career Mistakes to Avoid
Do you feel like your career has stalled? You're intelligent, educated, ambitious, perhaps even experienced. So what has brought your career's upward mobility to a screeching halt?
Your career is your own responsibility. Are you willing to take an honest inventory of what's holding you back? Let's take a brief look at five fatal mistakes that can create roadblocks that can impede your careers success.
- Lacking Integrity - Thomas Jefferson said,"Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom." Integrity is demonstrated by being reliable. If you commit to something give it your best and always follow through on your promises and accept responsibility, even if you fail. Do you slack off when the boss isn't around or come in late all the time? Don't participate in the company rumor mill. Mindless speculation or gossip that brings others down ruins your integrity and brands you as a gossip.
- Becoming Complacent (AKA LAZY) - Complacency is defined as self-satisfaction or contentment. Are you just going through the motions and have lost your passion for your work? Complacent people typically don't work to improve their job skills. Sharp people go the extra mile and look beyond the current task at hand. They don't wait for others to identify areas for improvement. They are willing to take risks in order to get noticed and be rewarded. People who simply serve their time will not go very far in the organization.
- Failing to Bond with the Boss - No boss is perfect but he or she plays a key role in your career success. You don't have to agree with every decision he makes. Smart employees recognize their responsibility to support management. If you can't support your management then perhaps you should consider finding another job. Communication with your boss is critical to your career success. If communications break down you are at least 50 percent responsible so accept 100 percent of the responsibility for a good relationship and you are most likely to have one. Managers appreciate proactive employees who commit to company objectives. The boss's job isn't an easy one so don't be tempted to talk about him behind his back.
- Being ME Focused - Do you think a promotion is owed to you? Do you see every company decision as something that affects only you? These are the signs of a "Me" focus. Don't get preoccupied with whether or not you're getting everything you deserve, that's a sign of professional immaturity. Be focused on the big-picture and cultivate relationships that last and remember that everyone in the office is a person first and a manager last.
- Joining the Negative Crowd - People with a bad attitude can be like a cancer in the office, spreading gossip and negativity everywhere. If someone is negative on the outside you have to change them on the inside first. You can't improve on your bad attitude until you get a good heart attitude. Your bad attitude is a reflection of what is in your heart. Your parents used to tell you to avoid hanging out with the wrong people. That same rule applies here too. Don't be fooled. You will be judged by the company you keep. Surrounding yourself with successful, forward-thinking, dynamic people carries a double reward. It keeps you motivated and others will see you as a successful and positive person that deserves quality friends. A good attitude from the right friends will inspire you with optimism and enthusiasm and you will always want to do and be your best.
-excerpted from an article by K. Simmons |
| Consider This
I am your constant companion.
I am your greatest asset or heaviest burden.
I will push you up to success or down to disappointment.
I am at your command.
Half the things you do might just as well be turned over to me.
For I can do them quickly, correctly and profitably.
I am easily managed; just be firm with me.
Those who are great, I have made great.
Those who are failures, I have made failures.
I am not a machine, though I work with the precision of a
machine and the intelligence of a person.
You can run me for profit, or you can run me for ruin.
Show me how you want it done. Educate me.
Train me. Reward me.
And I will do it automatically.
I am your servant.
Who am I?
I am a habit.
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Edison's Brightest Idea To End in 2014
The U.S. Energy Bill ends Edison's brightest invention by 2014. Under the measure, all light bulbs must use 25 percent to 30 percent less energy than today's products by 2012 to 2014. The phase-in will start with 100-watt bulbs in January 2012 and end with 40-watt bulbs in January 2014. By 2020, bulbs must be 70 percent more efficient.
Today's incandescent bulb uses 90% of its energy producing heat and only 10% to produce light. With the phase out, the U.S. would cut light bulb electricity use by 60 percent by 2020. The light bulb standard alone will cut Americans' electric bills up to $18 billion annually, according to Philips Electronics North America estimates. | |
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| Featured Product
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OSS has the right Smead Product for Your Every Filing Need
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Making an Impact
Since the inception of Smead's recycling intiatives, nearly 12,000 tons of paper has been re-used each year, helping to preserve the shrinking landfill space. This has also helped reduce energy consumption as paper can be produced from recycled materials with 70% less energy than virgin paper.
Giving 100%
Smead's 100% recycled-content product line includes top tab, end tab and hanging folder products. We haven't sacrificed the quality you expect from our products and the price is the same. Bottom line--you won't notice a difference in our products but the earth sure will!
Products available include colored hanging folders, hanging box bottoms, manila top and end tab file folders and fastener folders. The hanging folders come in blue, green, purple and tan.
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