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Your editor has just gotten the results of his Ancestry DNA.
He's always been sure of being 94.9% Italian. He knew there was a smidgen of Irish in there somewhere, but he gets the results back and he's fully 25% from the land where potatoes went to die.
So, since this coincided with March and that St. Patrick's Day thing we thought we'd give you some of the wisdom of the Sages. We promise to make this less about "us" next month - and much more about you! Oh and whether your eyes are Irish or not - may they be smiling all month long.
To begin with...
"All the world's a stage and most of us are desperately unrehearsed."
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Didja Ever Wonder...
My wife's been doing crossword puzzles since the Visigoths ruled the world.
Early in the week she breezes through The New York Times puzzle with a smirk and a half-cup of coffee. But...by Saturday she seems to get stumped by the six-letter word for "plural of narrow strip of land that crosses a body of water."
(Drop us a line if you know that one)
Now, she doesn't actually whine, but she is perplexed by her seeming inability to finish with a flourish. NOW it can be explained. They do this ON PURPOSE. Here's the chart to prove it. Remember, forewarned....is forearmed.
In the New York Times, the difficulty increases from Monday to Saturday, Saturday being the hardest. Sunday is around a Thursday-Friday difficulty but is larger, so it may take longer than a Saturday. (You probably knew this already, am I right?)
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"May the roof above us never fall in,
and may we friends beneath it never fall out."
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Tax return season is upon us and when you look at the rates the banks are paying 1.5% -2.25% (if you're lucky) there might be a smarter - more efficient way to use your tax refund this year. Of course these ideas are a bit self-serving but they can really provide solid - long term - savings. For instance...
1. Upgrade Old Heating and Cooling Systems
Furnace, heat pump and air conditioning systems usually last between 10-15 years. If yours were purchased during the Nixon administration it might be time to upgrade. The high efficiency heating and cooling systems Daniels installs use substantially less energy than the models from years past.
You'll also save on repair costs by minimizing the potential of a breakdown, which is a common problem with older systems.
Plus, this Spring you can save on new equipment with cash back rebates, 0%-financing and longer warranty coverage
2. Install a Programmable Thermostat
Sounds simple enough. Because it is.
You could save up to 10% per year on your utility bills by lowering your thermostat while you're away from home. That could save as much as $150-300 a year (or think of it as 2-months without a utility bill)!
A
programmable thermostat
will allow you to do this by adjusting your home's temperature according to a pre-set schedule. Smart thermostats also have the ability to alert you when it's time to replace filters or schedule equipment maintenance.
3. Enroll in a Daniels Energy Service Plan
Daniels service agreements include an annual tune-up, repair coverage and guaranteed priority service. A properly maintained system runs more efficiently and lasts longer - you may squeeze out an extra year or three with a properly maintained system. A side benefit - is the peace of mind knowing that your equipment is safe and operational.
4. Replace Your Oil Tank
If your oil tank is more than 25 years old, we recommend contacting us about your replacement options. When tanks do fail, it's hard to see it coming because they usually erode from the inside out. And do we really have to tell you what kind of aggravation and expense is associated with a leaking oil tank?
For a limited time, we're offering a FREE tank inspection PLUS a $250 rebate when we replace your old tank with a new above ground model.
So, there you have four suggestions of how Daniels Energy solutions may help you save money today and down the road. If we can help please give us a call. And happy Spring!
Call Today and...Let Daniels Do It.
860 342 3778
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"Continual cheerfulness is a sign of wisdom."
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Good News - Mediocre News
Oil prices are going up.
Wait...hold on.
What's happening is that, effective July 1, there will be a new improved formulation for home heating oil. It is an Ultra Low Sulphur Bio-Heat mix that reduces particle emissions from 10,000 parts per million to...between 15 and 500 parts per million!
That is actually lower and cleaner than burning natural gas!
It also means far less maintenance for your oil burner. The cost will probably be in the nickel to dime increase depending on time of the year and availability of the new mix. So the benefit of lesser particle emissions and reduced maintenance comes at a cost of a Buffalo nickel or a Truman dime! (
Please note we completed this message without using the "you're getting nickeled and dimed. And we think applause for that is merited.)
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"The stars make no noise"
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Where Is This Idiot Sitting?
Tell us here and you may win a trip there! (No, wait, sorry. Just checked with David. No trip.) A $25 Visa gift card. That's it. Just the card. No trip. But still, with $25 you could put a down payment on a fancy book about the place.
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"Where the tongue slips, it speaks the truth"
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Eight or ten years ago we discovered the work of Vivian Maier, a reclusive and extraordinarily talented street photographer in Chicago.So, we've been, admittedly, prostelitizing her work and here is another that we just adore.
Here's a link to one (of a number of books about her).
https://www.amazon.com/Vivian-Maier-Street-Photographer/dp/1576875776
Enjoy.
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"You'll never plough a field by turning it over in your mind."
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We are sandwich people up here in Portland. At the desk. With egg salad on white bread with the crusts cut off or a roast beef grinder with horseradish and sharp-as-a-tack cheddar! Or even better, a sausage and peppers wedge. (Wedge is the NY term for grinder/hoagie.) What's your favorite?
Share it with us. We will even accept fried tofu on toasted Spelt (we won't
eat it, but we'll accept it) We may even bring you one someday soon!
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"You've got to do your own growing, no matter how tall your father was."
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Last Month's Winners
P.S. - Last month you seemed to love the quiz. Elrick is/was/continues to be Tiger Woods and his 281 victories is what we were after. Denzel was the missing name (one of the five best actor nominees), the gorgeous lady with the voice of an angel was indeed Darlene Love and those of you who used your 'little grey cells' knew that it was made famous by the Belgian detective Hercule Piorot. Winners were:
Michael S, Sharon M, Barbara C and of course,
Jules M.
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Follow Us On Facebook :)
There is a huge battle going on here at Daniels.
Our Facebook guys keep asking why the newsletter gets 3500 readers every month, but there are only 300 or so of you wonderful folks following us on The Facebook? Duh! We're more fun, but hey... So please go to our Facebook page and
follow us there.
We'll give you an extra chance to win one of our super wonderful and smartly designed $25 Target gift cards! (those are available via the This Just In...newsletter.
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Lost Mayan "Megalopolis" Uncovered In The Jungles Of Guatemala
At its peak, the newly discovered civilization probably held about 10 million people, and was roughly double the size of medieval England. Read a bit more about this astonishing discovery....here.
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"It is often that a person's mouth broke his nose."
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Hmmmm.... Very Interesting.
This is one version of dividing the world's 7-billion people into 7 geographical regions. Big surprise for us was Indonesia!
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"If you're lucky enough to be Irish, then you're lucky enough."
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Your Choice Quiz
OK, yes, we're older than you.
So, sometimes we pick photos of people from the '20s or the late Civil War period (aka: "The Recent Unpleasantness" in some parts of the South) and just assume that you all will know who they are. This month we're going with two pix. Just get one right and you'll be eligible to win that elusive gift card!
Tell us who either one or both are - here.
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"A son is a son till he takes him a wife. A daughter is a daughter all of her life."
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And...Something to Drink.
OK - YOU DID NOT KNOW THIS!
7UP USED TO INCLUDE PSYCHIATRIC MEDICATION
The lemon-lime flavored soda, 7UP was created by Charles Grigg of the Howdy Corporation in 1929 and first launched two weeks before the stock market crash that spurred the Great Depression... Timing!
It was originally named "Bib-Label Lithiated Lemon Lime Soda", and included lithium citrate in its formula. Who wouldn't want to quaff some of that?
Lithium citrate is a mood stabilizing drug that was popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and is still used sometimes today for people with bipolar disorder among others.
"Bib-Label Lithiated Lemon-Lime Soda". It soon became quite clear that it wasn't the ideal consumer brand name, so it was quickly shortened to " 7UP Lithiated Lemon Soda" then chopped to just "7 UP" in 1936.
(Now , of course, you do!)
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"There are fish in the sea better than have ever been caught."
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"
Sudden Shower over Shin-Ōhashi Bridge and Atake"
by Japanese artist Hiroshige (left), and Vincent Van Gogh's version of the print (right).
Hiroshige's paintings of scenes around Edo, painted in the 1850s, depicted the city, which was one of the world's three most populated urban centers at the time (London and Beijing were the other two).
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"A good laugh and a long sleep are the two best cures."
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da Vinci's Geometries
From the 1509 printed edition of de Divina Proportione.
The Franciscan friar,
Luca Pacioli (ca. 1445-1509) is best known for his compendium of fifteenth century mathematics, "
Summa de arithmetica, geometrica, proportioni et proportionalita" (1494). This book was intended to be a summary of the known mathematics of the time and included a special section on double-entry bookkeeping. Hmmmm....
But Pacioli compiled and wrote other texts. In "
de Divina Proportione" of 1509, he discussed the "golden proportion" and the properties of various polyhedra. Pacioli was fascinated by polyhedra, (and really, who isn't?) studied their properties, and constructed wooden models for many of the solids.
The friar also befriended many of the artists of the time, including Leonardo Da Vinci.
But you probably already knew this, too.
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"Don't give cherries to pigs or advice to fools."
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Effective immediately we are going to add something "beautiful" every month -
just for the sake of beauty. Send us your suggestions - if we print one in the coming months - we'd credit you and send along a nice gift card, too!
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Dave, John & Bob
The Daniels Family says, "thank-you for reading, This Just In."
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Daniels Energy, 8 High Street, Portland CT 06480
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