Trinity Church Organ Concert

February 2nd, 2012

THE PLACE TO BE on Fridays at noon is Trinity Episcopal Church in Copley Square, Boston, MA.

This past Friday there was an astounding organ concert played by Richard Webster (Trinity’s Music Director and Organist) and Colin Lynch (Trinity’s Assistant Organist).

To walk into the Church and see the organ taking its place in front of the altar just glowing from the way the light hit it, was stunning. I wanted to just sit in a quiet place to contemplate the scene in front of me for awhile, but since I arrived just before the concert started, that didn’t happen. When you go to Trinity’s Friday organ concerts, I suggest you arrive at least 15 minutes early to absorb what you see there. When the organ moves to the front and center of the altar in such a breathtaking way, with the drama it creates in its new place does that make it a sacred icon?

The sanctuary itself is beautiful, even when the organ is on the side out of view, with those incredible stained glass windows adding depth to the light flowing into the Church. The first time I walked into Trinity it was 1980, I felt as though I had come home. I went kicking and screaming all the way because I had other places I would rather have been, however, that all left when I walked into the Church. I thought it was a spiritual experience of homecoing until I learned the architect – H. H. Richardson – was from New Orleans and had incorporated much of the ambiance, culture and New Orleans Creole style into his architectural designs. After that bit of knowledge surfaced, I realized that while there may have been something spiritual about that first experience of the Church, it was an actual feeling of homecoming from someone who was homesick.

Richard Webster opened the concert with Nicholaus Bruhns’ Preludium in E Minor. A Northern German Baroque piece which has a virtuosity and richness which held its own in this environment. A student of Dieterich Buxtehude, Nicholaus came from a family of organists, composers, violinists, etc.

I used to wonder why many of the great organ composers and performers came from family groups – parents who played and composed, siblngs who followed their parents, those who married the children of organists becoming great organists themselves – until I realized how difficult it is to find an organ on which one can practice without this familial support. It is a rare instrument, which encompasses and can imitate all others.

Richard Webster’s opening of the concert with the Bruhns’ piece was beautiful. It was very rich and Richard’s playing brought out the virtuosity of the piece.

The composition which reached me where I was living that day was Trois Movements for Organ and Flute by Jehan Alain. Colin Lynch played the organ, Richard Webster played the flute. I’ve heard both of them play before, but when Trois Movements started I was not prepared. My favorite combination is organ and flute; my favorite composer in the organ world – Marcel Dupré – one of Jehan Alain’s teachers. I had totally fogotten about Jehan Alain. One can hear the romantic influences in this piece and its Andante movement gives you the meditation and contemplation needed in the space in which it was played. After that, it lightens and was a great middle of the concert.

When one thinks of Alain it is with thoughts full of tragedy. What could he have produced, but for the war which caused his death at a very early age? Maybe that future knowing is what hangs over his music. The ridiculousness and horror of war is showcased in this composer and performers’ life along with a clear showing, in microcosm, of what the world lost. One of the most moving pieces is to hear his Sarabande for Organ, Strings, and Timpani, which he dedicated to the memory of his sister Odile Alain. For a very moving moment, if you can find a recording of it with Marie-Claire Alain on the organ it is a profound experience.

And of course, the ending of the concert. What can I say – a perfect end to continue the rest of your day in a great place. Colin Lynch played Marcel Dupré’s Prelude and Fugue in B Major. Not expected in the middle of the day, but a huge treat and it was incredibly well played – you knew that the presene you felt was Dupré showing up after the first few measures to hear this performance. Brilliantly, technically showing off the virtuosity in Dupré’s composition and played the way it was meant to be played.

I can’t vouch for the rest of the organ concerts because I am not familiar with all of the organists to follow, but these two, Richard Webster and Colin Lynch, made you want to return for more.

________________________________________________________________

Learn More About How We Use Your Donation!

[give_form id=”3763″]

______________________________________________________________

Want to join us? Have a home that you want to open to become one of Bettina Network’s Hedge Schools? Call us and lets talk – or email us.

Ed. Note: Members of the Bettina Network Lifestyle Community can contribute to the Bettina Network Blog whenever they have anything they want to say and be heard by this fantastic group of people. Send your blog to bettinanetwork@comcast.net or mail it to us at P. O. Box 380585 Cambridge, MA. 02238 or call us on the telephone at 617-497-9166 to tell us what you want to say and we will write it for you.

Volunteer with Bettina Network Foundation, inc. to work estate sales; to help move items from one home to another; to contribute your ideas on how we can better use our resources in this effort to relieve and eliminate homelessness and poverty. We also need photographers; designers; and more. However much or little time you have, we are grateful.

Send your event information to be included in Bettina Network’s Menu of Events to: bettina-network@comcast.net

This is a curated blog so you cannot write your responses at the end of each entry. TO RESPOND TO THIS BLOG email bettina-network@comcast.net or info@bettina-network.com

TO LEARN MORE about Bettina Network, inc. try www.bettina-network.com

IF YOU ENJOY OUR BLOG, USE OUR SERVICES TO BOOK ACCOMODATIONS WHEN YOU TRAVEL!

1-800-347-9166 inside the U. S. or 617 497 9166 outside or inside the U. S.

Tags: bed & breakfast, Episcopal Church, Jehan Alain, Marcel Dupre, New Orleans, New Orleans Creole, Nicholaus Bruhns, Organ and Flute Concert, Organ Concert
Posted in Event Review, Making Connections | Comments Off on Trinity Church Organ Concert

Finally! No Anti-Perspirants Needed!!!!

January 29th, 2012

We have been working on this problem for a couple years. How to live in polite society without using either deodorant or anti-perspirants. We are convinced that the way many anti-perspirants work, using aluminum to stop your pores to prevent you sweating and therefore to keep you smell- free is bad for your health.

From what we’ve read, there seems to be a growing body of research connecting aluminum as one of the culprits in Alzheimers. It certainly would explain the incredible rise in this disease – looking at the time period from the mid-1950’s when it became fashionable to give a bride and groom a set of aluminum pots as a wedding present. I can remember those shiny pots displayed prominently on the gift table and everyone just ooohing and ahhing over them – and then came the vicious rise of Alzheimer’s. There is some admission of that – although through the back door – by the companies which manufacture these pots because they are now marketing pots as having an aluminum “center” fully enclosed rather than being all aluminum.

Trying to get rid of body odor without using either deodorant or anti-perspirants has been a tough experiment. We have tried everything we heard from everyone who wrote to or called us and nothing worked over the long haul – (read: playing games, hiking, walking fast, high stress situations, etc.).

We tried bathing two and three times a day. That worked, sort of, but only if you engaged in no strenuous activity, kept yourself stress free, etc. If you didn’t, in a couple hours you began to smell as though you hadn’t bathed for days.

We also tried massaging Olive Oil under the arm pits. Then we tried Avocado oil under the arm pits. And then we added different essential oils after rubbing in the Olive Oil and we tried essential oils without rubbing in the different oils putting the essential oils directly on the skin. All of our trials broke down after a short period of time and your friends had to be very forgiving to stay around you for even five minutes.

While watching one of the Dr. Oz television show segments, we discovered the answer AND IT WORKS!!! Organic Apple Cider Vinegar splashed under your arms after you come out of the shower or the tub. It works totally. Several of us have been using it for a while now, including a few of you who contacted us after our blogs on going deodorant or anti-perspirant free. We have all had good results. In addition, I also splashed the organic apple cider vinegar on my face after putting on Avocado Oil and the finish was spectacular. If you try this, be super careful of your eyes. I missed my face and my eyes burned something fierce. That didn’t stop me from continuing to try this because the results were spectacular.

I remember a book that I used to swear by when in my 20’s and 30’s and for reasons I don’t remember just lost track of it. I had a hard time keeping a copy of the book in my library because every time someone saw it they had to have it so I kept buying and re-buying the book just to keep it around. Today, I don’t even remember the books title. It was written by a man (I think) who was an apple cider fanatic. He talked about the old way of doing things and much of his life centered around this product which he claimed was the secret to good health and long life.

During that time frame, I would alternate between squeezing a lemon into a little warm water in the mornings as my first drink of the day with a little organic apple cider vinegar in water as my first drink of the day. With the organic apple cider vinegar I always felt super clean. With the lemons I felt as though I was burning every germ out of my digestive tract.

I also remember, when douching was popular among women. Many women used apple cider vinegar in their douch bags instead of the commercial preparations. So that has been around for many uses for generations. You could tell the women who used the commercial preparations because they smelled like a hospital for hours.

My great-grandmother used it to clean her house along with Olive Oil and that was all she used. She also used it on herself in her bath and all over. She did the same thing with Olive Oil. She didn’t smell of apple cider vinegar, but her house had a very distinctive odor – however, she also didn’t have mold, mildew, bugs, etc. Those insects couldn’t live in her house after that constant onslaught of natural germ killer. That has to be why organic apple cider vinegar works so well to keep you body odor free. No germs left to eat the sweat and let out those horrible odors for others to smell.

Try it and let us know your resuts! Also let me know if you think of the name of the book I’ve lost.

We had more response from our blogs on trying to use something other than deodorants and anti-perspirants than anything else so we know how most of you are trying to live and hope we contribute a little bit to a healthier lifestyle.

I am deligthed with the result. Not only because I don’t smell anymore, but especially because I feel so clean after I’ve splashed my underarms with organic apple cider vinegar. That loud sigh of relief you hear is coming from my friends who have been most tolerant and I thank them for their patience and perseverance. Now, I know my really true friends! The rest of you were fair-weather friends for not being able to tolerate a little discomfort. Look at the results! Our health improvement and greater longevity will be the stuff of legend:)

________________________________________________________________

Learn More About How We Use Your Donation!

[give_form id=”3763″]

______________________________________________________________

Want to join us? Have a home that you want to open to become one of Bettina Network’s Hedge Schools? Call us and lets talk – or email us.

Send your event information to be included in Bettina Network’s Menu of Events to: bettina-network@comcast.net

This is a curated blog so you cannot write your responses at the end of each entry. TO RESPOND TO THIS BLOG email bettina-network@comcast.net or info@bettina-network.com

TO LEARN MORE about Bettina Network, inc. try www.bettina-network.com

IF YOU ENJOY OUR BLOG, USE OUR SERVICES TO BOOK ACCOMODATIONS WHEN YOU TRAVEL!

1-800-347-9166 inside the U. S. or 617 497 9166 outside or inside the U. S.

Tags: Anti-Perspirants, Apple cider vinegar, bed & breakfast, Deodorant
Posted in Breakfast Table Talk, cancer, Health, Health and Beauty, Making Connections | Comments Off on Finally! No Anti-Perspirants Needed!!!!

The New Hampshire Primary, etc.

January 10th, 2012

I know there are discussions going on around the Bettina Network about the Republican Primary. That is all you can get when you turn on the news, but I see almost no one has sent in their breakfast discussion as a blog, probably because they have a strong religious component and none of us wants to be thought of as bigots -religious or otherwise, true or false. Well, I guess I will just have to risk folks knowing we take in all views from wherever and give the freedom of discussion to all our guests without judgment. So my breakfast table talk has to be about the breakfast we just had from which I am still trying to recover. The house is super clean after one of these discussions because cleaning helps me think and sort out – maybe this writing will substitute, it is certainly easier on the body.

We had an unusual assortment of people because one guest invited a couple friends from the area. A bonus when you stay in a Bettina home.

The breakfast was all about the Republican primary. After the laughter at what is going on stopped, we turned to the more serious side of the race.

It started with a guests’ comment on race, actually – the heavy racist overtones to Mitt Romney’s latest television ad about the race being about the soul of America and he goes downhill from there. The interesting thing about racism – those engaged in that emotion generally can’t see their own failings, but that ad was pretty specific. No media got it. I guess you had to have been involved in politics when race was the prevailing issue which made or broke politicians to get the really extreme racism and almost Nazi-like threat Romney is making in that advertisement, if Obama continues in office. I must admit, I had to watch television to take another look at the ad and with that background, the racism jumped right out of the ad in my face. I have much to learn.

From race we turned to religion. I am sure no one at the table would have that conversation anyplace else except in a Bettina Network home.

One guest started it with a story about a friend of hers who was interested in the Mormon Church and started to attend. The guest was Caucasian, her friend was African American and single – no, not gay single, but single-by-life-circumstances.

After a few weeks of going to the particular Mormon Church she was attending, they apparently saw she was seriously interested. They talked to her about her interest and about becoming a member of the Church. Their suggestion – strong suggestion was that she not return to their Church – a white, young professional, couples gathering with lots of small children – and told her to go to another Church – still Mormon, but in a different part of town with a different congregational make-up. More diverse with lots more single people. When she checked it out, there were lots of African-Americans. She got the message and turned her attention elsewhere. Amazingly, what she took away from that encounter was not the Mormon’s racism, but their social engineering. They were telling her what to do in no uncertain terms and she had no choice. It was clearly, from her encounter, not racism, but it was based on their belief that a single African American woman would be more comfortable in a Church with single African Americans along with other minority members – some young professionals with young children, but minorities just the same.

The breakfast conversation moved from there to the autobiographies of Romney, his father and others in which they were clearly told what to do by their Elders and they saw it as their duty to do just that. Someone suggested the reason Romney was born in Mexico was because his father had been sent there by the Mormon Church with much push back on his part, but he went nevertheless because he saw it as his duty to do what his Church told him to do with minimum push back.

Given that background up came the name of Huntsman with the conjecture as to why he decided to run. He clearly was not going to run and then all of a sudden, fresh from an appointment by the Obama administration to China, he announces his intention to join the race. Looking at his strategy since he entered it looked as though he had been ordered into the race by his Elders in the Church rather than joining the race totally of his own volition. For one thing – it really looks like a gross ethical violation, unusual for Huntsman – and the strategies of both Romney and Huntsman say some greater power was moving them towards the goal of a Mormon president of the U. S. A. and that greater power was not God, but gods – I loved that comment and just had to include it.

To say that almost wiped me out as I sat quietly listening to this is an understatement.

The discussion went on to really outline the difference in what would happen in such a circumstance if Romney were the only Mormon in the race as opposed to two Mormons running for the Republican nomination. There was a lot of discussion as to why a minority or woman running for an office for the first time would have a much easier time if there were two running instead of just one.

There was also a lot of discussion about what happened in Massachusetts when Romney ran for the Senate and almost beat Kennedy and then ran successfully for the Governorship. The discussion was about Romney allegedly using the Church records to push his campaign instead of keeping a distance considering that a conflict of Church and State. Some of that conflict apparently made the papers in Massachusetts.

This discussion was not about Romney or Huntsman using the Church records with the computerized colleciton of information about everyone in the world who the Mormons visit on a regular basis and update their computer records as their young missionaries call on you – but about the Mormon Church overseeing the Romney campaign and introducing Huntsman either with his agreement or with some pullback on his part – to insure the victory of one of their own.

I know the computer part is true – about the Mormons collecting information from their missionaries and keeping those recods computerized for future proselytizing – I had not thought before of the efficacy of such a collection being used to further the political ambitions of the Mormon Church.

Someone at the table remembered the Senate Campaign of Romney against Kennedy and what happened when Kennedy tried to raise the issue of religion against Romney. There was an immediate media ourcry about how the Kennedy’s were in the same position when Jack Kennedy ran for president so Kennedy should just keep quiet. The person raising that bit of history was still upset about that, but not because the media quieted the religious issue, but because they would not report on what Kennedy was saying – which was that there is a difference between a person who is a member of a religion – sitting in the pews – running for a public office and someone who is a Bishop in his denomination running for office without making that distinction clear with the public backing him not knowing of his official Church position – sort of like an Archbisop of the Catholic Church running for office and hiding his official position with the Church. The issues then being raised take on a very different look.

The Bishop in a denomination has declared his belief in everything for which the Church stands. A person in the pew can have theological differences with his denomination and is free to make his own decisions even when they conflict, theologically and otherwise with his Church’s teachings and beliefs.

Ed.Note: This part of the conversation came up because Romney is/was a Bishop in the Mormon Church. We had a couple questions after the blog published about this which is why this note is being added.

If that person in the pews is running for public office, he can make decisions which differ from the theological beliefs of his denomination – he might get push back and heavy push back sometimes from his denomination, but the Bishop would not be able to make decisions which differed from his denominations theological belief system, he has taken an oath, vow, whatever to uphold and follow all of his Church’s beliefs.

That was a discussion that needed to be held when Romney ran for the Senate and that did not happen. That is still a discussion that needs to be held and could be aired without religions bigotry if we had the right kind of media – which we do not. A media beholden to advertisers who can give and take away would be hard put to report on such issues without their bias showing in their reporting – which is the disgrace of one of our most powerful institutions.

WOW! I don’t believe I got through all of that and I hope you publish this blog without my name attached. You take the heat and I will still send you breakfast table talk.

Ed Note: A guest at a Bettina home, who stayed a couple years ago, called us about the blog and said that Mitt Romney’s father was born in Mexico, not Mitt Romney. We would like to correct that mis-statement. She went on to say that about 130 years ago Romney’s great grandfather – Miles Parker Romney and others – fled to Mexico from Utah. Miles had four wives and they were running from the anti-polygamy laws passed earlier making multiple marriages a felony. Miles’ fathers had 12 wives.. The Romney family returned to the U. S. and lived in Michigan where Mitt Romney was born.

________________________________________________________________

Learn More About How We Use Your Donation!

[give_form id=”3763″]

______________________________________________________________

Want to join us? Have a home that you want to open to become one of Bettina Network’s Hedge Schools? Call us and lets talk – or email us.

Send your event information to be included in Bettina Network’s Menu of Events to: bettina-network@comcast.net

This is a curated blog so you cannot write your responses at the end of each entry. TO RESPOND TO THIS BLOG email bettina-network@comcast.net or info@bettina-network.com

TO LEARN MORE about Bettina Network, inc. try www.bettina-network.com

IF YOU ENJOY OUR BLOG, USE OUR SERVICES TO BOOK ACCOMODATIONS WHEN YOU TRAVEL!

1-800-347-9166 inside the U. S. or 617 497 9166 outside or inside the U. S.

Tags: bed & breakfast, Mitt Romney, politics
Posted in Breakfast Table Talk, Making Connections | Comments Off on The New Hampshire Primary, etc.

A Wonderful Concord Christmas Story

December 31st, 2011

A few days before Christmas I was giving a friend’s out of town visitor a tour of the house. My friends six year old son David was with us and did he get excited when I showed him a secret place to store treasures. It was in our main bed and breakfast bedroom above the fireplace mantelpiece. Our “restoration” carpenter from New Hampshire created that little cavern when he tore down the wall above the mantelpiece and put shelves in the recess. David was less impressed by my description of what we found when the wall was torn. The major items were a ladies button boot, a breast pump, and some letters, each offering consolation for the death of a child. Losing a child was apparently a common event for families from the time our house was built in the early 1700s through even later times.

One of the letters, three pages long, and now in the Concord library, showed beautiful handwriting similar to our forefathers’ writing of our Constitution. It was a letter from Cyrus Barrett to his sister Sally, who had married into the Wood family living in our house. The Barrett family house is now being restored as part of Concord’s historical park. The Minutemen had ammunition hidden in the Barrett’s cornfield the day of the shot heard round the world. Written in New Orleans in 1819, Cyrus first offered condolences over a son’s death and continued by describing a familiar theme, an economic downturn. I have not corrected the spelling in the following quotes:

“I was much affected by the maloncholly intelligence contained in your letter of the sudden death of your affectionate and much loved little John. I recollect him perfectly and have often been amused by his innocent playfulness. I am not surprised that his death should occasion the deepest sorrow in you, yet at the same time you are left with the comfortable assurance that he is happier than your fondest wishes and care could have made him.”

“New Orleans has for some time past been suffering under a heavy weight of commercial embarrasement. Many of her most enterprising Merchants have failed and those who continue in business are constantly complaining of heavy taxes. The Produce of the country is extremely low. Cotton which formerly sold for 30 cents now sells for 16 cts and other articles have suffered the same depression in values, but notwithstanding the times look so gloomy we are looking forward for a change.”

Thinking about the letters makes me glad to be alive today. In spite of all the economic and political problems, we are saved the grief of losing so many children.

And of course so many of our tasks are much easier, for instance baking these Russian tea cakes I gave my friend to take home. They make excellent cookies for any occasion.

INGREDIENTS AND DIRECTIONS FOR BAKING RUSSIAN TEACAKES:

1 cup butter 1 teaspoon vanilla (or brandy)

½ cup confectioners sugar ¾ cup chopped pecans

2and ¼ cup sifted flour 1 cup confectioners sugar

Cream shortening and sugar. Stir in vanilla. Add flour and then nuts. Form 1” balls and bake 14 to 17 minutes in 325 oven. While still hot roll carefully in confectioners sugar.

________________________________________________________________

Learn More About How We Use Your Donation!

[give_form id=”3763″]

______________________________________________________________

Want to join us? Have a home that you want to open to become one of Bettina Network’s Hedge Schools? Call us and lets talk – or email us.

Send your event information to be included in Bettina Network’s Menu of Events to: bettina-network@comcast.net

This is a curated blog so you cannot write your responses at the end of each entry. TO RESPOND TO THIS BLOG email bettina-network@comcast.net or info@bettina-network.com

TO LEARN MORE about Bettina Network, inc. try www.bettina-network.com

IF YOU ENJOY OUR BLOG, USE OUR SERVICES TO BOOK ACCOMODATIONS WHEN YOU TRAVEL!

1-800-347-9166 inside the U. S. or 617 497 9166 outside or inside the U. S.

Tags: 1700's house, Barrett family, Bed and Breakfast in Concord MA, Cyrus Barrett, economic downturn, Fireplace, Historical Home, Minutemen, New Orleans, Recipe, Russian tea cakes
Posted in Bettina Network Info, Bettina's Cookbook, Historical Support, Making Connections, Preserving Family History and Stories, Who are the Bettina Families | Comments Off on A Wonderful Concord Christmas Story

Alabama’s first licensed black female pilot dies at 90

December 30th, 2011

Published: Wednesday, October 26, 2011, 12:16 PM Updated: Wednesday, October 26, 2011, 12:35 PM

By The Associated Press

Mildred Carter, pictured here in 2003, shows her pilot’s

license from 1941. (The Birmingham News/ file photo)

TUSKEGEE, Alabama — Mildred Carter, who was Alabama’s first licensed black female pilot, has died. She was 90.

Funeral services for Carter will be held at 1 p.m. Friday at Tuskegee’s St. Andrews Episcopal Church with The Rev. Liston Garfield officiating. Burial will be at Greenwood Cemetery.

Her husband Herbert was a Tuskegee Airman.

In an interview with The Montgomery Advertiser he recalled how they had flown in a two-plane formation high over Alabama. He remembers how they laughed and exchanged silent “I love you” signals over their engine noise 3,000 feet above Lake Martin.

“We didn’t have radio contact, so we made up for it with hand signals and blew kisses at each other,” the retired Air Force lieutenant colonel said Tuesday. “It was a lot of fun.”

Herbert Carter, who compiled a distinguished flying record during World War II and, later, in peacetime, recalled those unauthorized rendezvous flights over the lake.

“I was a maintenance officer as well as a combat pilot and one of my jobs was to take planes up for a test flight after we worked on them,” he said. “That’s when we came up with the idea of flying over the lake. Nobody ever said anything to me about what we did.”

Both had to overcome racial prejudices and discriminatory practices when they learned to fly, but they persevered. As the years passed, they became the “first family” of the Tuskegee Airmen organization and represented the group at functions around the world.

She is survived by her husband, three children, a sister, five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

________________________________________________________________

Learn More About How We Use Your Donation!

[give_form id=”3763″]

______________________________________________________________

Want to join us? Have a home that you want to open to become one of Bettina Network’s Hedge Schools? Call us and lets talk – or email us.

Send your event information to be included in Bettina Network’s Menu of Events to: bettina-network@comcast.net

This is a curated blog so you cannot write your responses at the end of each entry. TO RESPOND TO THIS BLOG email bettina-network@comcast.net or info@bettina-network.com

TO LEARN MORE about Bettina Network, inc. try www.bettina-network.com

IF YOU ENJOY OUR BLOG, USE OUR SERVICES TO BOOK ACCOMODATIONS WHEN YOU TRAVEL!

1-800-347-9166 inside the U. S. or 617 497 9166 outside or inside the U. S.

Tags: African American history, airline pilot, bed & breakfast, Episcopal Church, Mildred Carter, Rev. Liston Garfield, Tuskegee Airman
Posted in Making Connections, Memorials, Preserving Family History and Stories | Comments Off on Alabama’s first licensed black female pilot dies at 90

White House to Become a Bed & Breakfast!

December 24th, 2011

What follows is a spoof! We found this on the web site www.thespoof.com/news/spoof.cfm?headline=s2i102940 and thought you might enjoy the thought! Wouldn’t that be a great addition to the Bettina Network! – well, maybe not – we would probably get too much written about us with such controversy and vitriol we might not be able to survive! Although, it would give Congress something to add to their complaints about the Obama’s – we are certain they would not find anything about which to compliment. They could check in to check on the sheets, breakfast, the courtesy and welcoming nature of the host family, and for some Congressmen – the rear end of the women who run the enterprise!

The spoof says the President hired the Marriott Corporation to manage the White House Bed & Breakfast! We knew it was a spoof when we read that because the Marriott’s connections to the Mormon Church pointing to – you know who – would never be something the President would do with a presidential election looming and ‘you know who’ seeming to pull ahead of the Republican presidential hopefuls pact. Who knows what would be transacted in this new bed & breakfast. We rather think he would have hired Bettina Network, inc. with its y’all come elegant lifestyle to keep a neutral business image.

Saturday, 24 December 2011

image for White House to Become a Bed and Breakfast

New Conveniently Located 5 Star B&B

Washington DC: White House Press Secretary Carney announced that President Obama and the First Lady will be converting the White House to a Bed and Breakfast (B&B) formillionaires in 2012.

President Obama had hoped to tax US millionaires to raise $70 billion per year in revenue to offset some of his proposed $3.7 trillion budget spending for 2012. Since the Republicans in Congress will never pass such a tax increase the president said “We can’t wait!” The First Lady indicated that she and the president are never home, always on vacation or campaigning and we can live aboard Air Force One.

The White House B&B could become a travel destination for astute millionaires. Both Democrats and Republicans would be welcome to come and stay and enjoy presidential cuisine. The White House residence has 16 rooms consisting of various sitting, living, dining,conference rooms and five bedrooms plus six bathrooms. Assuming full occupancy of each bedroom at $100,000 per night, with the Lincoln bedroom going for $250,000 per night US taxpayers would save $240 million per year. (Secret Service guided limousine tours of Washington DC historic sites are extra.)

Vice President Biden had been designated to manage the B&B, but after his failed attempt at administering the $850 billion stimulus the president agreed to hire Marriott Corporation. Each week a new concierge, such as former Presidents George W Bush, or William Jefferson Clinton will be available 24 hours per day.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!!

________________________________________________________________

Learn More About How We Use Your Donation!

[give_form id=”3763″]

______________________________________________________________

Want to join us? Have a home that you want to open to become one of Bettina Network’s Hedge Schools? Call us and lets talk – or email us.

Send your event information to be included in Bettina Network’s Menu of Events to: bettina-network@comcast.net

This is a curated blog so you cannot write your responses at the end of each entry. TO RESPOND TO THIS BLOG email bettina-network@comcast.net or info@bettina-network.com

TO LEARN MORE about Bettina Network, inc. try www.bettina-network.com

IF YOU ENJOY OUR BLOG, USE OUR SERVICES TO BOOK ACCOMODATIONS WHEN YOU TRAVEL!

1-800-347-9166 inside the U. S. or 617 497 9166 outside or inside the U. S.

Posted in Making Connections | Comments Off on White House to Become a Bed & Breakfast!

Happy Holidays to One and All!!!

December 18th, 2011

We wish for everyone celebrating this winter holiday season a joyous; memory filled; warm celebration, surrounded by friends-family-extended family; and those added to the family for the holidays who would otherwise be alone.

We wish for you gratitude, humility, a fulfillment of at least one dream during the holidays along with the re-appearance in your life of one dear to you who has been missing when you-your friends-and-family gathered for holidays and other celebrations.

We wish you ENOUGH! Enough light, laughter, understanding, knowledge, growth, and the supreme feeling of a life which has enough of everything.

We wish you the knowledge of who you are, from whence you have come and where you are going.

We wish for you to know that of which you are made. I am made of STARDUST! Because of many, many bed & breakfast guests, I have finally come to realize the meaning of “from dust you are to dust you shall return” . I always thought that meant “dirt”. The kind we dig up in the spring to plant new flowers. But today I know that I am made of the dust from the Universe – the Galaxy and I am proud. I am one whose core and middle and outside is composed of STARDUST! I am a particular person, but I am also one with the Universe. My oneness with the Universe is in my being – that of which I am composed. The very core of my being comes from the Universe and when I die that is where it shall return. What an incredible knowing!

We wish you the knowledge of your being and that of which you are made!

We wish you the drive to become a greater person – one who re-discovers their passion and uses it to successfully re-create their life.

We wish for you the strength to jettison that which is mundane in your life to take that turn deeper into that about which you are passionate.

We wish for you the life force to be active, beautiful, creative until the moment of your death.

We wish for you internal fortitude to withstand and endure whatever life brings, which initially seems difficult and sometimes overwhelming, but becomes the means by which wisdom, love and understanding grow in you.

We wish for you the time and circumstances to be able to share that wisdom with your friends and family.

We wish for you the ability to deal with your children and your parents, no matter, how difficult that seems to be – to share with them that difficulty and to help to bring them into a more fulfilled life because you are their parents or their child.

We wish for you the internalization of the graciousness of God!

We wish for you the faith and prayers and good works to bring you into God’s Kingdom.

We wish for you eternal life.

Amen! and Amen!

________________________________________________________________

Learn More About How We Use Your Donation!

[give_form id=”3763″]

______________________________________________________________

Want to join us? Have a home that you want to open to become one of Bettina Network’s Hedge Schools? Call us and lets talk – or email us.

Send your event information to be included in Bettina Network’s Menu of Events to: bettina-network@comcast.net

This is a curated blog so you cannot write your responses at the end of each entry. TO RESPOND TO THIS BLOG email bettina-network@comcast.net or info@bettina-network.com

TO LEARN MORE about Bettina Network, inc. try www.bettina-network.com

IF YOU ENJOY OUR BLOG, USE OUR SERVICES TO BOOK ACCOMODATIONS WHEN YOU TRAVEL!

1-800-347-9166 inside the U. S. or 617 497 9166 outside or inside the U. S.

Tags: astrophysics, bed & breakfast, holiday greeting
Posted in Holiday Greeting, Making Connections, Purpose of Blog | Comments Off on Happy Holidays to One and All!!!

A CALL TO ACTION

December 15th, 2011

There are larger and larger pockets of people, organizations, families who are interested in their health – outside the so-called healthcare industry – and who are very disenchanted with the way the health of the average world citizen is being negatively affected by the joining forces of the technology industry, the food processing industry and big Pharma along with other medical research groups working together in their research labs looking for ‘greater’ discoveries for their mutual benefit while being blind, deaf and dumb to the health and well being of the rest of the world (including themselves and their progeny). There is no attention within these groups as to what affect their developments and research will have on the rest of us. We are interconnected in this world and it is time for these research groups to develop a model which acknowledges that and moves away from the model which allows their research scientists to wear blinders when developing their products and new breakthroughs.

There are drugs, protoccols, research going on to “treat” diseases which were non-existent just a generation ago.

I have talked with many people around the breakfast table about these issues – different serendipitously convened people with much the same conversation. This breakfast was special because it ended with a call to action. Hopefully, you will begin to hear from those who were around that table, their friends, relatives and all who they can enlist in this small attempt by one breakfast group to bring about change.

The breakfast ended – after much discussion about “organics,” “drug”, “genetic research”, “medical marijuana”, “acetominophen” and on and on – with a challenge to the few of us around that table to spread the word. We would like to see at least 25% of the monies spent on medical research – drug research, genetic research, new product research of any kind, all of it – spent on prevention and an understanding of how the results of all research will affect human beings – humanity – the animals, plants and humans who live on this planet.

Research to go into what is causing this huge disease epidemic in the world today. One which is spreading and will soon affect everyone in every country. Research on what is the best way to live avoiding the degeneration happening in our society from the processed foods, the poor environment, the new technologies which have serious health implications for all of us without our knowledge and more.

How are we going to put this into affect? We don’t know! We didn’t leave the breakfast table with a plan other than we would use our lives, work, friends, family, acquaintances, to spread that word and for each of us to do what we could where we were. My first action is to send you this blog from breakfast, hope you publish it and hope it strikes a nerve worldwide to start this movement.

NO COMPANY SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO DO ANY HEALTH or MEDICAL or DISEASE or NEW PRODUCT RESEARCH UNLESS TWENTY-FIVE PERCENT OF THE MONIES AND RESOURCES THEY SPEND ON THAT RESEARCH GOES INTO RESEARCH WHICH WILL KNOW HOW WHATEVER THEY ARE DOING WILL HELP TO PREVENT WHAT IS HAPPENING TO THE HUMAN RACE AS WE MOVE FASTER INTO A DISEASE RIDDEN SOCIETY.

Our conclusion was that we don’t need more drugs developed or more protoccols or more supposed responses to a ‘genetic’ deficiency causing bad health, new technology or other new products until we know their affect on the planet and it is positive with no side-affect. We need much more prevention research. Prevention, which will reach into all parts of the world to stop whatever is causing this incredible epidemic from which we all suffer.

Soon, the older people who lived and grew up in a society where the diseases and degenerative health we suffer from today as a general society was rare. People lived longer and healthier lives – goodness, scientific heresy – we were also tired of statistics being taken out of context to attempt to smooth over and cast in a different more acceptable light the reality of where we are all headed and that is not into a gloruous world of longer lived people who are happy and disease free. We are moving into a world where people live shorter lives, are miserable most of the time and don’t know why there are such growing numbers of people who can’t sleep, etc.

________________________________________________________________

Learn More About How We Use Your Donation!

[give_form id=”3763″]

______________________________________________________________

Want to join us? Have a home that you want to open to become one of Bettina Network’s Hedge Schools? Call us and lets talk – or email us.

Send your event information to be included in Bettina Network’s Menu of Events to: bettina-network@comcast.net

This is a curated blog so you cannot write your responses at the end of each entry. TO RESPOND TO THIS BLOG email bettina-network@comcast.net or info@bettina-network.com

TO LEARN MORE about Bettina Network, inc. try www.bettina-network.com

IF YOU ENJOY OUR BLOG, USE OUR SERVICES TO BOOK ACCOMODATIONS WHEN YOU TRAVEL!

1-800-347-9166 inside the U. S. or 617 497 9166 outside or inside the U. S.

Tags: bed & breakfast, breakfast table talk, prevent obesity
Posted in Breakfast Table Talk, cancer, Growing Old, Health, Making Connections | Comments Off on A CALL TO ACTION

How is Your Muffin Top?

December 8th, 2011

“Muffin top” is a fairly new word in the lexicon of things wrong with a woman’s body and a fairly new concept in what needs to be worked on and “fixed”. A new word/phrase coined by those who are in the business of making money by increasing women’s consciousness of some part of the anatomy which is declared defective, ugly and which needs to be made perfect. We should hate our muffin tops – they are caused by fat and they and/or their company has the way to make it go away for a substantial amount of money.

One never knows what the conversation will be at breakfast in any of our homes. This morning’s choice of “muffin tops” at first seemed frivolous to me, but as it went on I realized this was something becoming very important to many women and men. I would be on the verge of uncovering a bit of knowledge new to me that I could add to my health and beauty routine. The conversation started in that direction because the youngest woman at the table was fretting over her ‘muffin top’.

The response to her fretting was the information that muffin tops come as you age and your frame shrinks. The extra skin goes someplace and neither exercise nor cosmetics is going to get rid of it. Dieting may make it thinner with less fat under the skin, but it will not make it go away and neither will exercise – unless someone out there knows how to eat and/or exercise to shrink skin.

Women of past generations wore girdles – even thin women. Because this current generation has mostly lost touch with their mothers and grandmother’s, who they consider not as wise nor knowledgeable as their peers, they have lost touch with why women of past generations wore girdles. Those older generations had to do something to make their garments look smooth and to hide that skin flap – which we now call muffin tops. The old becomes new again. If only we could go back to having conversations with our relatives who are of an older generation we would be so wise! You either know history or you are doomed to repeat it – someone actually said that in some history book!!

It became urgent in the discussion to explore muffin tops, because women and girls are now wearing jeans which sit on the hip – right under and emphasizing the muffin top. Is it because emphasizing such a “problem” area can increase the money spent by women to hide it – eliminate it -mutilate it? Not even plastic surgeons can rid you of your muffin tops. You can get a scar around your body to cut out the extra skin, but it won’t last because as your frame continues to shrink your muffin top will return.

What to do? No one had an answer. One woman wore control top panty hose because that was the least intrusive way to keep her outer garments smooth. Another wore a girdle because she wanted to make sure she had everything hidden. The young woman, who started the conversation with an almost passing comment about feeling uncomfortable with her ‘muffin top’ showing, was the youngest woman around the table. She was also the only woman around the table who wore those hip hugging jeans. Aren’t they what started the movement in ghetto’s across the U. S. among African American young boys wearing pants which bag and hang down almost and sometimes definitely below the crack in …………? Is that where designers’ got their inspiration for those hip hugging jeans? Is that the direction in which those hip huggers for women are going?

She wore those instead of the jeans which went to her natural waistline – which is what she used to wear – because the advertisements are all equating those who wear those waist-high jeans as wearing ‘grandmother’ jeans and she didn’t want to look old. (She was probably about 30 years old). No one had any sympathy for her. Everyone told her to get rid of those hip huggers and wear normal clothes for normal body shapes and she wouldn’t have to worry about a muffin top since ‘normal’ or ‘grandmother’ jeans hide your muffin top and give you a much nicer, softer shape. Somehow, I don’t think she was listening – she was looking, instead at the picture of Jane Fonda in pants which are tightly fitted around the legs. Since she looked as though she had short legs I wonder where trying to wear those tight-legged jeans will lead her? Sleeping in a leg stretcher?

The woman at the table who impressed was the one who picked up our blog about liquid vitamin C. She was using every kind of lotion on her thighs and her body from the waist down to get rid of the rapidly increasing look of fat breaking up under the skin – not wrinkles exactly, but a not so great look which only promised to worsen as time went on. She waxed eloquent about liquid vitamin C. It took a little while of constant use, which for her was every other day with a liquid Vitamin C overall massage after her shower, but the results were startling.

She did tell us the first two times she used the liquid C she had a bit of a problem with ‘peeing” – her word, not ours – but she just adjusted her water intake – drank a lot more water during the day – and by the third liquid Vitamin C massage she was fine. She did not offer to show us the results, we had to take her word for the fact that the skin from her waistline down to her knees had dramatically improved – smoothed out and she was now happy about wearing shorts. She could even look good wearing a swim suit without parts of her body being reminiscent of having cottage cheese under the skin. That was important to her because she spent the winters in resort areas where looking good in a swim suit was important.

She put a little of her liquid Vitamin C in our saucers and we all tried it. I must say the results of just one trial were impressive. The liquid Vitamin C became sticky after a while so we had to rinse it off – one woman asked for olive oil and put the olive oil on her face after she had the liquid C on for several minutes. She had a grand facial massage tapping all around her face for quite some time – until someone else got a bit irritated at having to watch and she left the table. When she came back, her face looked fabulous. She had rinsed off the liquid Vitamin C and olive oil with cold water and just patted her skin dry. So very quietly I resolved to make that a bi-weekly regimen.

We went on to note that Dr Oz has finally caught up to Bettina Network’s blog. One of his recent shows talked about not using soap – ever. I went back and searched the blog and found we had talked about that months and months ago.

________________________________________________________________

Learn More About How We Use Your Donation!

[give_form id=”3763″]

______________________________________________________________

Want to join us? Have a home that you want to open to become one of Bettina Network’s Hedge Schools? Call us and lets talk – or email us.

Send your event information to be included in Bettina Network’s Menu of Events to: bettina-network@comcast.net

This is a curated blog so you cannot write your responses at the end of each entry. TO RESPOND TO THIS BLOG email bettina-network@comcast.net or info@bettina-network.com

TO LEARN MORE about Bettina Network, inc. try www.bettina-network.com

IF YOU ENJOY OUR BLOG, USE OUR SERVICES TO BOOK ACCOMODATIONS WHEN YOU TRAVEL!

1-800-347-9166 inside the U. S. or 617 497 9166 outside or inside the U. S.

Tags: girdles, growing old, Muffin Top, physical fitness, skeleton shrinkage, weight problems
Posted in Breakfast Table Talk, Growing Old, Health and Beauty, Uncategorized | Comments Off on How is Your Muffin Top?

Herman Cain follow-up

December 5th, 2011

We saw the article about Herman Cain with Marceline’s comments and a quote from the Bettina Network’s blog and it provided our little breakfast table group with a hilarious morning. I thought I needed to write a blog about this notice taken of our little blog. If you are interested in reading Marceline’s publicity go to The Daily Beast – an online publication – and look for their December 2nd article entitled: “Herman Cain Used the Affirmative Action He Decries to Advance.” See http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/12/02/herman-cain-used-the-affirmative-action-he-decries-to-advance.html

We loved seeing ‘Our Leader ‘in print – although I don’t think she is happy about the publicity or about my calling her “Our Leader”, but then we do have free speech and I hope that doesn’t get this blog thrown into the garbage rather than on the blog page.

What we conjectured, which started a very civilized, quiet conversation among people who barely knew one another, into an unbelievably loud and raucous breakfast, was the question asked by one of our table mates – who will Herman Cain endorse.

We had several, different answers to that question until someone said he will endorse New Gingrich and gave their reasons for saying so! That disrupted breakfast and the quiet conversation took a really hysterically funny turn.

It was about Herman Cain looking around for someone who could carry his banner into the election and possibly into the White House. What was the banner – how was it shaped – what were the priorities Herman was looking for in someone he endorsed? Answering those questions was what caused the hysteria. Why Newt Gingrich? Because Newt and Cain share sexual ‘greatness’ together. Who else among the candidates has so strayed away from their marriages – and who else has so disrespected their wives? Newt and Herman – unlikely bed partners, however take another look – they really do share a lot. Neither one have moved beyond 15 years of age in their emotional development. Do you think they share early morning conversations when everyone else is asleep about their possible new conquests? Their techniques? Which women at which political stops were easy prey? Who fell across the desk in their campaign headquarters for them?

Newt, however, has taken his philandering a step further than Herman. Newt left his wife dying of cancer for his girl friend – who he then divorced for another younger girl friend, etc. Herman hasn’t yet reached that level, but he is well on his way. His wife has not died from a terminal illness, but she is clearly supporting and a co-dependent in his sexual sickness as we saw by her standing by her man.

When are women going to realize they can live alone and that half of that wealth belongs to you? You can enjoy it – do whatever you would like to with your life and eliminate having to endure the public humiliation that we saw Herman Cain’s wife just go through! It will happen again!

Herman’s denial of what several unrelated women have said about him gives us a picture of Herman’s ethics even clearer than does the picture of Herman sexually pressuring women. If elected president those are the ethics he would bring into the White House. We suspect he would have made Clinton and Monica look like kindergarden kids who were tentatively exploring the great world of illicit sexuality. At least Clinton didn’t give out a bald-faced lie – he was better at half-truths. So the Universe sends Clinton to purgatory and Cain to hell! Wonder where all those people are going who are supporting Herman Cain? They are making clear statements about their ethics – and aren’t many of them making strong claims to being Conservative Christians? Is this the ethics coming out of that CC commitment? Hmmm – that provided our group with lots of talk!

Who else shares those ethics in the Republican political presidential hopeful lineup? Hey, Newt – Herman is looking your way as a proper replacement for himself! You contain all of what he respects in a man – your history assures him that you will carry his banner with great aplomb into the White House and you give Herman hope of a comeback after a few years when the rest of the world has either forgotten or their ethics have plunged lower to make them want to and able to support a man like you! We came to the conclusion that endorsing you would provide hope for the future to Herman Cain!

Newt’s current ‘wife’ looks like a bad reincarnation of Jackie Kennedy, right down to the hair and the way she carries herself. What continued the hilarity was a description of how Newt is getting his comeuppance. His dead wife – out where people who’ve died are ‘living’ – must be having the time of her life as she sees Newt having to give up early morning campaign appearances because this wife can’t be ready until later in the morning because it takes that long to get curly hair straight. Wait until they start campaigning in earnest in the deep south. They must be hoping for a very cold and dry winter all over their geographical campaign area.

No one could write a novel casting those two characters – Herman and Newt – in the same political campaign season – describing them and their common characteristics and then have one endorse the other after he has to drop out of his campaign for the womanizing ways they both share. It is an unbelievable scenario and says about the United States Republican Party (Sorry Marceline) – how the mighty have fallen!

I am not a great writer so I can’t really summarize the breakfast we just had conveying the incredible fun time with all of the unbelievably sharp comments which sent us into hysterical laughter – including the Conservative at the table, but I hope this gives you a little oft the drift of our morning.

________________________________________________________________

Learn More About How We Use Your Donation!

[give_form id=”3763″]

______________________________________________________________

Want to join us? Have a home that you want to open to become one of Bettina Network’s Hedge Schools? Call us and lets talk – or email us.

Send your event information to be included in Bettina Network’s Menu of Events to: bettina-network@comcast.net

This is a curated blog so you cannot write your responses at the end of each entry. TO RESPOND TO THIS BLOG email bettina-network@comcast.net or info@bettina-network.com

TO LEARN MORE about Bettina Network, inc. try www.bettina-network.com

IF YOU ENJOY OUR BLOG, USE OUR SERVICES TO BOOK ACCOMODATIONS WHEN YOU TRAVEL!

1-800-347-9166 inside the U. S. or 617 497 9166 outside or inside the U. S.

Posted in Breakfast Table Talk, Making Connections, Uncategorized | Comments Off on Herman Cain follow-up

Another Secret Exposed!

December 2nd, 2011

The request for my Thanksgiving stuffing recipe is a difficult one to fill. It is really my grandmother’s and to sit down and even just think about it brings tears to my eyes and many memories of my early youth.

Thanksgiving was a fun day at our house. My grandmother didn’t invite anyone to dinner – but somehow lots of people came. I think of where I live now and it would be sacrilege to just show up at someone’s door on any holiday without being invited and expect to be well treated and invited to stay for dinner without a lot of tension in the air and in the person’s voice who opened the door. How sad for them!

Our Thanksgiving turkey was raised in our back yard – as was our Christmas goose. My grandmother didn’t like eating meat she didn’t know what it had been fed or who raised it – so we raised our own – in the middle of New Orleans, LA. It was almost as much fun as watching my grandmother prepare the turtle she used as the center of her courtbouillion – which we pronounced (euphemistically written) ‘coo bi yon’.

We always had corn bread with breakfast on Thanksgiving morning because we needed the corn bread later for the stuffing. So make enough corn bread to serve for breakfast with enough left over to stuff the turkey. PLEASE DO NOT put sugar, maple syrup or any kind of sweetener in your corn bread, it will ruin the dressing.

The turkey dressing recipe follows:

Chop – one onion, one green pepper, two or three stalks celery. If you want a stronger taste in the stuffing from your vegetables you can use however many onions, etc. that are more to your liking.

Sauté them in a large deep skillet in which you put half olive oil and half butter.

Add seasonings – the same seasonings you are putting on your turkey – thyme, oregano, sage, salt and cayenne pepper.

Stir the vegetables until they are well mixed and the onions begin to soften and you are satisfied that the pot of ingredients are now lightly cooked.

Add about 1/2 pound ground beef (or sometimes sausage), one pound shrimp – cut into small pieces, oysters to taste with their liquor, the insides from the turkey – the liver, gizzard, etc., and mix with the vegetables in the cooking pot until the shrimp turn pink.

Once you feel your dressing is nice and lightly cooked add four to six organic eggs – which have been whipped as though you were going to scramble them, about 1/2 to one cup whole milk or even heavy cream, and mix all of this together.

Turn your corn bread into crumbs along with using your whole wheat bread that you normally use for meals, etc. into crumbs and add these to the stuffing – about half and half, but if you have more of one than the other – no problem. Add enough to absorb any liquid from the dressing. You want a nice, almost, but not quite dry stuffing to put in the turkey. Take into consideration that the juices from the turkey will run through the stuffing as the turkey cooks.

No, Virginia, we don’t cook the dressing outside the turkey. Never have for several generations and every one is alive, well and lived into their nineties or at least well past their middle eighties. And no one died nor got sick from my grandmother’s turkey stuffing.

Wait until the turkey cooks and make sure you get a small plate of dressing to taste before you serve the turkey. You want to act nice and proper and not shock your guests with just how much turkey stuffing you eat over Thanksgiving. Once you eat your fill in the kitchen, you can eat a small amount at the table and all will be fine.

Hope that is what you wanted! From your note I can tell you changed my grandmother’s turkey dressing. How could you? What have you done to it and is it still memorable?

________________________________________________________________

Learn More About How We Use Your Donation!

[give_form id=”3763″]

______________________________________________________________

Want to join us? Have a home that you want to open to become one of Bettina Network’s Hedge Schools? Call us and lets talk – or email us.

Send your event information to be included in Bettina Network’s Menu of Events to: bettina-network@comcast.net

This is a curated blog so you cannot write your responses at the end of each entry. TO RESPOND TO THIS BLOG email bettina-network@comcast.net or info@bettina-network.com

TO LEARN MORE about Bettina Network, inc. try www.bettina-network.com

IF YOU ENJOY OUR BLOG, USE OUR SERVICES TO BOOK ACCOMODATIONS WHEN YOU TRAVEL!

1-800-347-9166 inside the U. S. or 617 497 9166 outside or inside the U. S.

Posted in Bettina's Cookbook, Making Connections, Preserving Family History and Stories | Comments Off on Another Secret Exposed!

Thanksgiving at a Bettina Bed & Breakfast Home

December 1st, 2011

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving and I would like to write a blog about it. Hope you find this up to your standards, kiddo!

We decided to do the “Bettina” thing and invite the guests staying with us to join us for Thanksgiving Dinner. It happens all over the Bettina Network,but we have not done this before. Somehow, we were hanging onto our – Thanksgiving is for family – routine.

Truthfully, when my grown daughter comes for Thanksgiving, it is not always a happy time, but we force it and do it again the next year. Please don’t publish my name – she will never come again. This year , thanks to the combination of family and Bettina Network guests, we had a super holiday.

We only had two guests – we normally only have two guests so that is nothing strange.

What made this Thanksgiving so special were the guests and your turkey stuffing. A “New Orleans Creole” turkey stuffing!

I had it at your house a couple years ago and have tasted it in my mouth every since. I added a bit of a Yankee touch and it was still very good. I am tempted to include my recipe, but I would prefer your sharing the recipe as you gave it to me.

TO RESPOND TO THIS BLOG email info@bettina-network.com

TO LEARN MORE try www.bettina-network.com

USE OUR SERVICES TO BOOK YOUR BED & BREAKFAST!
1-800-347-9166 inside U.S. or 617-497-9166 from wherever!

Posted in Bettina's Cookbook, Who are the Bettina Families | Comments Off on Thanksgiving at a Bettina Bed & Breakfast Home

Bettina Having Fun!

November 26th, 2011

Our technology knowledge is moving fast. You will find grapics, videos, music and more on Bettina Network’s Blog.

You will also find information about companiess and reviews of events. For the company – these are not paid advertisements – we do not take paid advertisements. These are comments and information from a member of the Bettina Network Community who has used the company’s services and/or products, thinks they are special and wants to share that information with the rest of the Bettina Network Community.

For events – someone from the Bettina Network decides which events we will attend and review. If we attend an event, that does not mean that attendance will result in a review. All of that depends upon what we think about what we have seen, heard and experienced.

Hope you enjoy the results – especially now that we have entered the picture age.

________________________________________________________________

Learn More About How We Use Your Donation!

[give_form id=”3763″]

______________________________________________________________

Want to join us? Have a home that you want to open to become one of Bettina Network’s Hedge Schools? Call us and lets talk – or email us.

Send your event information to be included in Bettina Network’s Menu of Events to: bettina-network@comcast.net

This is a curated blog so you cannot write your responses at the end of each entry. TO RESPOND TO THIS BLOG email bettina-network@comcast.net or info@bettina-network.com

TO LEARN MORE about Bettina Network, inc. try www.bettina-network.com

IF YOU ENJOY OUR BLOG, USE OUR SERVICES TO BOOK ACCOMODATIONS WHEN YOU TRAVEL!

1-800-347-9166 inside the U. S. or 617 497 9166 outside or inside the U. S.

Posted in Bettina Network Info, Event Review, Food Shopping, Shopping, Shopping Cambridge MA | Comments Off on Bettina Having Fun!

The Concord Cheese Shop

November 26th, 2011

Hours Open: Tue-Fri 10am-5:30pm and Sat 9:30am-5:30pm

web site: www.concordcheeseshop.com
email: peter@concordcheeseshop.com

29 Walden Street
Concord, MA. 01742-2504
978 369 5778

One of Concord’s celebrated establishments, a perennial “Best of Boston,” not to be missed by any visitor to the town center, has lured foodies down Walden Street since 1967. Its current (and third) proprietor, Peter Lovis, has been serving out samples of the 150-200 varieties of domestic and international cheeses since 1976. You will never buy a cheese there that you can’t taste first! But cheese is not the only food for sale at the Cheese Shop. There’s a vast and excellent (including some bargain specials) selection of wines; there are many gourmet items including chocolates, pastries, spices, olive oils, holiday treats, nuts, pickles, jams, and more. The Cheese Shop Deli is famous for its chicken salad, for carrying “Famous Phil’s Subs,” for its terrific charcuterie, coffees, and its many fabulous freshly made preparations. Besides its warmth, the overwhelming attribute of the Cheese Shop is its internationalism: indeed, at one count the shop’s offerings represented 80 different countries!

NOT TO BE MISSED AT THE CHEESE SHOP: Make a note to spend December 1st in Concord so you can be present at the Cheese Shop’s Cheese Parade. A 400 pound wheel of cheese is rolled down the red carpet with music and rose petals. Be there for this fun event! Missed this year? Mark your calendars and make your reservations at one of the Bettina Network homes in Concord to be present at next years Cheese Shop’s Cheese Parade.

A special feature offered by the Cheese Shop deli is their “Friday night supper” menu. $75 brings home a three course gourmet dinner for two, including a baguette and a bottle of wine. All you have to do is heat up the entree; often as not you’ll have enough for lunch on Saturday, too. Many Concord couples make this a monthly treat, but a “Friday night supper” could also be ideal for those taking advantage of ‘eating dinner in’ at the Bettina Network Bed and Breakfast where they are staying. The hosts are always happy to lend the service of their oven or microwave. Just remember that the meals are not offered during the holiday season, which is an extra busy time for the Cheese Shop.

In short, any visitor to Concord would enjoy doing what concordians do: take a stroll down Walden Street for a taste trip around the world. As Peter Levis says, “don’t come in a rush!”

________________________________________________________________

Learn More About How We Use Your Donation!

[give_form id=”3763″]

______________________________________________________________

Want to join us? Have a home that you want to open to become one of Bettina Network’s Hedge Schools? Call us and lets talk – or email us.

Send your event information to be included in Bettina Network’s Menu of Events to: bettina-network@comcast.net

This is a curated blog so you cannot write your responses at the end of each entry. TO RESPOND TO THIS BLOG email bettina-network@comcast.net or info@bettina-network.com

TO LEARN MORE about Bettina Network, inc. try www.bettina-network.com

IF YOU ENJOY OUR BLOG, USE OUR SERVICES TO BOOK ACCOMODATIONS WHEN YOU TRAVEL!

1-800-347-9166 inside the U. S. or 617 497 9166 outside or inside the U. S.

Tags: Bed and Breakfast in Concord MA
Posted in Food Shopping, Restaurant Review, Travel Bettina Style | No Comments »

Comcast – The Saga Continues

November 17th, 2011

We’ve seen the advertisements Comcast has put all over television and other places touting its great customer service with guarantees. They don’t say the penalty on Comcast if they violate that guarantee. They have and are still violating it, from the experience of the Bettina Network, inc.

Having filed a complaint against Comcast with the FCC we wondered if that was a waste of time or if it will produce results. The problem we started with was miniscule and could have been corrected with very little effort on Comcast’s part. We can only assume they are either totally incompetent and should close their doors or they have a vendetta against Bettina Network, inc.

What we have just experienced is beyond the pale!

We received a telephone call from a Comcast employee in the Executive Complaint area who identified herself as Juanita Evans and gave her telephone number as 888-309-2583 ext 44283. It was definitely from Comcast because their name came up on our telephone ID.

Ms. Evans said she was calling because of the complaint we filed with the FCC, she would like to see if she could settle this problem. I reiterated the complaint – which is simple – but Ms. Evans was not in a listening mode. It became clear shortly after I started to tell her the problem – which she should have already known – that she was calling to justify Maria Manning – the Comcast employee we are still reeling from. That was her only objective. She went into great detail as to how long she had worked with Ms. Manning – how she had seen her diligence, etc. in resolving customer problems and what a fantastic person Maria Manning was and a very competent employee. It was an amazing conversation! What ever happened to the customer in this saga?

She called at 4:03pm on Tuesday November 8, 2011.

The call ended with Ms. Evans saying she would investigate and get back to me.

She called back at 5:30pm and in a lowered, very serious, slow voice she told me Comcast had nothing to do with the problem. I should call the telephone company with whom we did business and have them fix the problem I should not bother Comcast. She said she had done a thorough investigation of the problem and discovered we were not Comcast customers.

I am still in a state of shock from that bit of information. When I told her that company was Comcast, unless they were transferring customer accounts without the customer’s knowledge or consent. There was a long silence on her end of the telephone. I asked Ms. Evans – why would I bother calling Comcast if our telephone numbers were with another company – and having done a “serious investigation” – as she claimed – she would have had to start with records to show our telephones were with Comcast. Her lowered voice and serious manner changed – her voice went up an octave, became very hurried, said she would have to call me back and quickly hung-up.

Today is Thursday, November 17 and I have yet to hear back from Ms. Juanita Evans.

________________________________________________________________

Learn More About How We Use Your Donation!

[give_form id=”3763″]

______________________________________________________________

Want to join us? Have a home that you want to open to become one of Bettina Network’s Hedge Schools? Call us and lets talk – or email us.

Send your event information to be included in Bettina Network’s Menu of Events to: bettina-network@comcast.net

This is a curated blog so you cannot write your responses at the end of each entry. TO RESPOND TO THIS BLOG email bettina-network@comcast.net or info@bettina-network.com

TO LEARN MORE about Bettina Network, inc. try www.bettina-network.com

IF YOU ENJOY OUR BLOG, USE OUR SERVICES TO BOOK ACCOMODATIONS WHEN YOU TRAVEL!

1-800-347-9166 inside the U. S. or 617 497 9166 outside or inside the U. S.

Posted in Small Business Informaiton | Comments Off on Comcast – The Saga Continues

Bettina’s Banana Bread

November 6th, 2011

From a bed and breakfast guest:

“I had banana bread at the bed & breakfast home where I stayed and it was unbelievably good. I must have the recipe. I asked at the home and they told me to write to Bettina’s Blog. Well, I’m writing – now let’s have the recipe. Oh – my name is XXXXXXX and the dates of my stay were XXXXXXXX (just so you get the right banana bread recipe, but please don’t print my name.) Thanks,”

The host family answers:

From the guests name and the date they stayed here is the banana bread recipe – it is really a basic recipe, the difference being the way the bananas are put into the batter. Instead of mashing the bananas and mixing them in, the last thing to do is slice the bananas into the batter while the mixer is running on slow. When the banana bread is baked, there is a kind of squishy, strong banana taste which comes from the baked-in slices. I don’t do anything to keep the slices as a stand out in the bread, just mix them in as the final step.

I use the 1-2-3-4 step cake recipe for this banana bread – the problematic part is how much baking powder to add. If you add too much, the ‘bread’ will go over the top of the glass bread baking dish and go all over the bottom of your oven which is impossible to clean and which leaves you a very little banana bread in the pan. Too little baking powder and the banana bread does not rise properly. The amount needed will probably vary depending upon your location in the world.

I use:

1 cup organic butter (put this in the mixer and let it go for a few minutes to whip the butter)

2 cups organic turbinado sugar (add this slowly after whipping the butter)

4 organic eggs ( it makes a real difference in taste and texture if you are going to use non-organic eggs. I wouldn’t bother – they ruin the bread). Add these one at a time while whipping the mixture, but don’t whip too much because this is the point at which you can overbeat the banana bread.

3 cups organic whole wheat pastry flour mixed* with 1/2 teaspoon himalayan salt and baking powder (measured for your geographical area) – add this a little at a time on a very slow speed on your mixture because you really have to be careful about overmixing when you get here. I add all kind of things at this point and don’t remember exactly what was added on the day you request. I add raisins, shredded coconut, pecans, or sometimes walnuts depending up what I have on the shelf, and – as needed – either coconut milk or a great heavy cream I’ve found which is organic, non-homogenized, from grass-fed cows. The brand name is “Sky Top Farms”.

*To mix the flour, salt and baking powder I use a spoon and stir the mixture around lifting it up by the spoonful and sprinkling it back into itself.

The last thing I add before baking are the bananas. I take two or three bananas, slice them into the batter with the mixer on low and once I’ve finished slicing I pour the batter into glass baking dishes which have been buttered and bake at about 350 degrees for 45 or so minutes.

Sorry I can’t be more specific, but I am one of those toss it in, trial and error cooks, I don’t do the really particular measurements, etc. You will have to experiment to get the perfect banana bread for your oven, mixer and location.

Enjoy! To the guest who wrote: call me if you have questions.

Ed Note: We had a request months ago from someone who asked for a heavy cream which was organic but not “ultra-pasteurized”. At the time, we didn’t know of any and hadn’t come across such a possibility until this blog from a Bettina host family. Now we know about “Sky Top Farms” organic heavy cream which is also from grass-fed cows and non-homogenized. A partial dream realized. Now all we have to do is find one which is straight from the cow without having the nutrition cooked out of it. At least this one still has some nutrition left, although you can’t leave it on the shelf in the refrigerator for months – you have to use it fairly quickly. Which is what most foods need. They were not grown nor taken from the animal to be shelved for a couple years or even for many months. They are to be used ASAP and then repurchased when you need more. A very old, very great concept in good nutrition and even better health.

________________________________________________________________

Learn More About How We Use Your Donation!

[give_form id=”3763″]

______________________________________________________________

Want to join us? Have a home that you want to open to become one of Bettina Network’s Hedge Schools? Call us and lets talk – or email us.

Send your event information to be included in Bettina Network’s Menu of Events to: bettina-network@comcast.net

This is a curated blog so you cannot write your responses at the end of each entry. TO RESPOND TO THIS BLOG email bettina-network@comcast.net or info@bettina-network.com

TO LEARN MORE about Bettina Network, inc. try www.bettina-network.com

IF YOU ENJOY OUR BLOG, USE OUR SERVICES TO BOOK ACCOMODATIONS WHEN YOU TRAVEL!

1-800-347-9166 inside the U. S. or 617 497 9166 outside or inside the U. S.

Posted in Bettina's Cookbook | Comments Off on Bettina’s Banana Bread

Small Business Problems – Comcast

November 2nd, 2011

This is not a copyrighted blog because we would like you to be able to use the information contained herein in any way that is helpful to your business.

Once upon a time there was a company, which was a broadband cable company and it was really great! We were one of their first customers in the area and we used a sub-contractor, who they recommended to run cable wires through the walls and everything went just elegantly.

For a brief period of time we experienced Camelot. A wonderful, mystical experience with a fairly large company – something new to us – so we sang their praises wherever we went and to whoever asked – actually also to many who did not ask.

Over the past several years that has all stopped and Camelot has turned to Hell – Dante’s deepest, hottest hell!

We changed our business telephones to Comcast in 2009 and thought, this must be the new, great, telephone company as well as cable. – since our experience with one of our host families residential telephones changed to Comcast had gone well. That was a HUGE MISTAKE!

When we made the change, Comcast was supposed to send to Verizon our name and telephone number to be listed in the 411 directory. That has never happened. We made several calls, off and on, over those years trying to get that to happen and it did not. Everyone was wonderful, but nothing worked to get those ‘wonderful’ people to take care of business.

I have been in business long enough to know when a business starts to act the way Comcast was and is acting they are in trouble. It may not be showing as yet, but trouble is brewing within the corporation and probably at high levels.

What did we experience? You could call 411, but you could not get our telephone number. Recently, after all of my efforts, you could get our number, but it was our dedicated fax number which is never answered. So people tried to call us and the only thing that happened was the telephone rang and rang and rang with the fax sound buzzing in their ear. Not good for our business.

I finally put everything else aside to solve this problem because attacking it by calling and believing what was told to me was not working.

My time is quite valuable and I spent hours – days – and now weeks trying to solve this simple problem.

I wound up in a conference call with Verizon and Comcast talking about this 411 problem. I was told clearly, that it goes like this – Comcast sends a message to Verizon saying we would like company ABC to be listed with this telephone number and no address. Verizon says ‘thank you’ and that is what happens.

That did not happen. Changes happened. You called and you would get our toll free 800 number if you asked for our regular telephone number. Now instead of our fax number being the first number given out, it was the second number given out – after the toll free number. It should be illegal for 411 to give our company’s toll free number as its regular telephone number. That causes all kinds of multi-level problems for the company to which this is happening – and some very serious ones.

We called many times after that and received one frustration after another. I could not believe a company would be so disorganized and so wrapped up in itself and so bigoted against another company that a very simple problem had now become something ready to be packaged for the law courts.

But first, I called the Executive Offices and asked for the president. I was given an ‘Executive Complaint Assistant’ who said she would take care of the problem. She called me back in a couple hours to say a Ms. Maria Manning had been assigned my complaint because Ms. Manning, according to this Executive Complaint Assistant, had already spoken to me that afternoon.

Shock – Awe – Dismay – Disbelief. I had never heard of Maria Manning and had never spoken to her and here was this person telling me Ms. Manning had spoken to me and was already working on the problem.

I hung up and wondered what would happen next. Really strange!

I received a telephone call from Ms. Manning shortly thereafter. When asked why she had lied about talking to me, she said she was sorry. She had left a message for me on my message machine and that was the conversation she held with me. More Shock – Awe – Dismay – Disbelief. We didn’t have a message machine. Every once in a while we heard people tell us they left messages, but we didn’t know where or how – especially since our Comcast answering system was not working.

So OK! Whether she talked to me or not – although that did leave a really ugly taste in my mouth about Ms. Manning’s ethics – but, maybe she would be the one to come through to solve this really simple problem – which was costing us lots of business. We had not been able to get business from anyone who looked for us through the 411 system since we moved our business telephones to Comcast. And more……

Ms. Manning did call back – to say there was nothing she could do about the problem. It was Verizon’s problem and Verizon’s fault. They had a policy whereby they put the oldest telephone number you have first in their 411 system and the fax number was the oldest telephone number we had so that would be the way it was and the way it would stay.

This was never-never land. Comcast was sinking further into the hottest part of Dante’s hell and that was amazing to me because I didn’t think they could sink any lower.

The oldest telephone number we had was our business telephone number – for some 30 years – and that was the number Comcast was refusing to allow the 411 information system to give out. They were putting everything they could in the way of that happening. The fax number was fairly new, by comparison. When I questioned her and said that didn’t make sense and told her – again – about my conference call with Verizon and Comcast and – again – gave her the names of the people with whom I spoke on that conference call – she named someone else who she claimed I had spoken with (another person unknown to me and unspoken to) and claimed he said the same thing. He was her authority figure. So what was this? The blind and the bigoted leading the blind and the bigoted?

When we talked about this, the fax number had already been removed as the number on 411 and the 800 number was being given out in its place – so Ms. Manning didn’t even have the current accurate account information.

And where are we today? We are still not listed in 411! When you call 411 you have to go to an operator to get our telephone number because the automated system does not have it – yet. And that is after trying since 2009 – calling everyone I could think of in the company to make a seirously needed change – a simple change. Given all of the above and more, we decided to file a complaint with the FCC and will probably do more because there is nothing forthcoming from Comcast. They apparently think we will live with the way they have decided we should be treated and that we will accept our business being negatively affected by Comcast.

There is something very wrong here. This is all counterproductive – not only to me, but to Comcast. A very simple problem has been turned into a nuclear war. Why?

When you put the next part of the Comcast problem into the picture it begins to look a lot more sinister and deliberate.

During all of this – before I realized how horrible Comcast has become – I had my fax number changed from Verizon to Comcast. I haven’t been able to use my fax machine since.

The Comcast technician came out to install the new Comcast line and – and he said, he would have the Verizon line disconnected because the Comcast line would come in over the Verizon line and it would not be usable anyway and that is what they do at Comcast. He said he was saving me a telephone call – all in the line of customer service. So – thank you, Mr. Technician. We appreciate your work.

Well, not quite yet. Since then, we discovered although the technician came out to do this installation – nothing happened. When I called and called and called – the same kind of crazy response happened. Finally, months later, a customer service person said what he saw was stunning. The order had never been put through. He had never seen anything like it. Everything was done, but nothing was working and it had been set up like that. This, in spite of many telephone calls from me to get things working properly.

Now – why have we been chosen for all of this hullabaloo? We left Verizon because a good deal of the time our business telephones did not work. The ultimate was to discover our telephones were ringing, but not where we could hear them. They were “ringing to ground” according to the Verizon technician. And – according to him – that was nothing we should worry about. Awestruck, I wanted to know why we should not worry about customers calling us, the telephone ringing forever, no one answering it, destroying our business?? After much frustration and many telephone calls another technician came out – who didn’t understand why the first technician saw a wire outside unattached, commented on its un-attachment being the reason our telephones were not ringing and didn’t fix it. This was the reason our phones were “ringing to ground.” This new technician fixed the wire quickly, everything worked just fine again and off we went to the next problem – and there have been many.

So what is wrong with this picture?

________________________________________________________________

Learn More About How We Use Your Donation!

[give_form id=”3763″]

______________________________________________________________

Want to join us? Have a home that you want to open to become one of Bettina Network’s Hedge Schools? Call us and lets talk – or email us.

Send your event information to be included in Bettina Network’s Menu of Events to: bettina-network@comcast.net

This is a curated blog so you cannot write your responses at the end of each entry. TO RESPOND TO THIS BLOG email bettina-network@comcast.net or info@bettina-network.com

TO LEARN MORE about Bettina Network, inc. try www.bettina-network.com

IF YOU ENJOY OUR BLOG, USE OUR SERVICES TO BOOK ACCOMODATIONS WHEN YOU TRAVEL!

1-800-347-9166 inside the U. S. or 617 497 9166 outside or inside the U. S.

Posted in Making Connections, Small Business Informaiton | Comments Off on Small Business Problems – Comcast

Call for Papers – Thoreau Society

October 16th, 2011

The annual gathering of the Thoreau Society will be July 12 through 15th. Its theme – celebrating 150 years of Thoreau’s Life, Works and Legacy. The Society is asking for proposals for walks, talks, hikes and other events. If you have such an idea please submit it to The Thoreau Society, 341 Virginia Road, Concord, MA. 01742 care of the Annual Gathering Committee or email to info@thoreausociety.org. If you have questions you may call 978 369 5310. Their web site is www.thoreausociety.org.

The papers are due by December 7, 2011.

I was particularly taken with the Walk to Wachusett. If it is offered this year I think we will join the group. It is an unusual walking tour taking three days, but extremely interesting, educational with a sense of history and having walked where Thoreau and others walked generations ago.

________________________________________________________________

Learn More About How We Use Your Donation!

[give_form id=”3763″]

______________________________________________________________

Want to join us? Have a home that you want to open to become one of Bettina Network’s Hedge Schools? Call us and lets talk – or email us.

Send your event information to be included in Bettina Network’s Menu of Events to: bettina-network@comcast.net

This is a curated blog so you cannot write your responses at the end of each entry. TO RESPOND TO THIS BLOG email bettina-network@comcast.net or info@bettina-network.com

TO LEARN MORE about Bettina Network, inc. try www.bettina-network.com

IF YOU ENJOY OUR BLOG, USE OUR SERVICES TO BOOK ACCOMODATIONS WHEN YOU TRAVEL!

1-800-347-9166 inside the U. S. or 617 497 9166 outside or inside the U. S.

Tags: Bed and Breakfast in Concord MA
Posted in Historical Support, Making Connections | Comments Off on Call for Papers – Thoreau Society

Herman Cain and the Racial Discussion

October 12th, 2011

We think that if Herman Cain wins the Republican nomination for president he will be a strong proponent in favor of bringing back an updated and strengthened Affirmative Action program; he will be against the institutional racism practiced by large corporations; and he will take a strong stance against racism and sexism.

We know this because Mr. Cain says he is a Christian and he knows he would not have the job or resumé he has today, if others had not sacrificed so he could walk through an easier and economically and financially more profitable life.Mr. Herman Cain knows the many opportunities presented to him and which he took advantage of to promote his career, would not have been there for him -but for- strong civil rights actions attempting to address the problems caused by the racism experienced by African Americans and sexism experienced by women.

A Christian man would not take what he can and throw soot and ashes into the faces of those who provided for him the life he now enjoys. Indeed, he is a bright, intelligent and very capable individual, but there were many such African Americans who were just as bright, if not brighter; just as capable, if not more so; and just as motivated, if not more so; who did not have what he enjoyed because those huge, difficult-to- open doors were not opened for them the way those doors were standing open when Mr. Cain came calling.

A National Education Association (NEA) convention in the mid 1970’s held in Minneapolis, Minnesota threatened support of a civil rights claim against Pillsbury that would have precluded their products in school districts across the country. This action was requested by a group of people supporting the law suit for race and sex discrimination against the Pillsbury Company which continued until the mid-1980’s. Mr. Herman Cain was a direct beneficiary of that law suit and that non-monetary agreement the NEA made with Pillsbury to avoid a boycott of Pillsbury products by the NEA. In that agreement, Pillsbury agreed to hire African Americans in prominent managerial positions if the NEA did not pass the boycott at its convention.

A part of the law suit was against Burger King – then a subsidiary of the Pillsbury Company. Working in personnel, because I was considered “uniquely” qualified to work with Affirmative Action, I discovered that Burger King had a practice of putting up potential managerial employees of Burger King in a small Florida hotel – which only did business in Florida and therefore was not subject to the federal civil rights laws of the day. That hotel had a policy – it did not accept African American guests. Burger King had no record of having placed any interviewee in any other hotel. And they did not hire anyone in a managerial position who they did not bring to Florida to be interviewed. In other words, Burger King had no African Americans in managerial positions and they had clearly never interviewed nor hired African Americans in managerial positions and just as clearly did not intend to do so. Their continued relationship with the hotel said that clearly.

Given the threat of a boycott against the company by the NEA and possible other such actions by other groups in the near future, Pillsbury stepped up its hiring of African Americans and women, especially in Vice Presidential positions. They even put one woman on the Board of Directors.

They originally hired an African American as a Vice President in a staff position i.e. Community Relations (with the minority community). Even he was hired as a consequence of the law suit against the Pillsbury Company.

Mr. Cain walked into a situation which was very different from one he would have walked into and been rejected from without the Affirmative Action programs in place in this country; without the law suit; the strong move by civil rights organizations to bring in relevant organizations to work with Pillsbury to clean up its act and stop maintaining a very racist stance against African Americans in managerial positions. Without that, it is doubtful Mr. Cain would have the Vita he now enjoys sending around to the press.

In fact, if you look closely at Mr. Cain’s Vita you will see the other company which promoted his abilities, experience and education was Coca Cola. A company known for its attempts over the years to be more open to diversity in its employees. In the 1970’s and beyond, one could say it was unique in the way it hired African Americans. And wasn’t that Andrew Young in the wings at Coca Cola?

We are certain Mr. Cain earned his credentials and then some, subsequent to having those doors opened for him by others who sacrificed much to do exactly that and we are equally certain Mr. Cain would want to make sure those doors are kept opened. He would not want to take the unarticulated stance covertly stated – “I’ve got mine, now let me slam that door in the faces of my African American brothers and sisters coming behind me. The weakness some African Americans and other minorities succumb to in such situations is the character flaw showing up of needing to be “different”, the “only one”, “I am great because I made it and others like me didn’t – how fantastic must I be.” That arrogance that develops around that is huge and ugly.

Mr. Cain has talked clealry and eloquently about his Christianity. That Christianity would not allow him to do that. He could not be a Christian and take his life, at the expense of other unacknowledged and unrepaid sacrifices and then take stances to make African Americans and women sweat blood for opportunities they will never have because of the racism and sexism he avoided. Mr. Cain was in the right place at the right time, able and equipped to take advantage of someone else’s sacrifice. Given that and given his Christian commitment, Mr. Cain clearly has a responsibility to address the racism and sexism in the workplace today.. He just as clearly has a stronger responsibility than most, to acknowledge it and put in place programs to continue to address this evil and in Christian terms – this sin!

We can’t conceive anyone seeking a job as responsible and as powerful as this one – able to make substantial basic changes in the world – not only the U. S. – who would take the advantages he enjoyed at the expense of other peoples lives and then turn around to deny those coming behind him because it would be to his personal advantage to deny the existence of racism and sexism. It would be to his personal advantage to ignore the debt he owes to many who provided a way for him to exercise his God given talents.

Let us hear from you Mr. Cain as to how you are going to move these issues onto the Republican platform if you are its nominee for President of the United States. As a committed Christian, who has testified to his Christianity in the public place you can do no less!

Marceline Donaldson

Republican

Sacrificial Civil Rights Plaintiff in many issues and over decades

Who was a witness to the above and was one of the instruments who helped to bring about the economic and financial life Mr. Herman Cain now enjoys!

AN ADDENDUM TO THE ABOVE AFTER MR. CAIN HAS SPOKEN!

Well so much for that! This was written last week when I could not conceive of a man who owed his career to Affirmative Action and the actions taken against racism and sexism by people like me and others would respond the way he has. He has taken advantage and been a heavy weight on our backs. Now he has decided to dig in his spurs and make the heavy weight, bloody. How un-Chritian, arrogant, ugly and vicious of Mr. Cain. I hope one day he sees himself as God now sees him.

And in answer to his complaint that African Americans are brain washed by the Democratic Party. Here is one who is not! Who is hanging in there in this Republican Party, just barely and who has people like Herman Cain to thank for making me look wistfully at my African American brothers and sisters in the Democratic Party.

Look at who we get in the Republican Party. Selfish – Self centered – using racism to get ahead, using sexism to get ahead – talking out of both sides of his mouth – unable to see, respond to, or thank those on whose shoulders he stands. You are beginning to look like a really miserable human being. Your arrogance is showing unashamedly. You may not have been a politician, but you have come out full-blown and as bad as, if not worse than those around you, Mr. Cain. – what a miserable human being you are. You got your job through Affirmative Action and the work of civil rights groups who intervened and opened a path for you to walk. You now are telling young people and others they need to work for what they get and if they don’t have its because they haven’t gotten out to get a job. Isn’t that amazing. Without the help you received you could have worked your rear end off you would never have gotten the jobs you have had; no matter how much you wanted it or worked for it you would not have succeeded the way you have now – not because you didn’t try, but because the society would not open to give African Americans a chance. Such hypocrisy, Mr. Cain. Such viciousness – such a crock!

One thing to remember – as a Christian – you may not pay back what you owe on this earth, but there is eternity awaiting you.

________________________________________________________________

Learn More About How We Use Your Donation!

[give_form id=”3763″]

______________________________________________________________

Want to join us? Have a home that you want to open to become one of Bettina Network’s Hedge Schools? Call us and lets talk – or email us.

Send your event information to be included in Bettina Network’s Menu of Events to: bettina-network@comcast.net

This is a curated blog so you cannot write your responses at the end of each entry. TO RESPOND TO THIS BLOG email bettina-network@comcast.net or info@bettina-network.com

TO LEARN MORE about Bettina Network, inc. try www.bettina-network.com

IF YOU ENJOY OUR BLOG, USE OUR SERVICES TO BOOK ACCOMODATIONS WHEN YOU TRAVEL!

1-800-347-9166 inside the U. S. or 617 497 9166 outside or inside the U. S.

Posted in An editorial just because, Making Connections | Comments Off on Herman Cain and the Racial Discussion

My Feet and Liquid Vitamin C

September 28th, 2011

Please copyright this under my name and the Bettina Network’s name. I don’t know why – it just strikes me as the thing to do for this blog.

I discovered Liquid Vitamin C a couple years ago and was excited to read your blog on using Liquid Vitamin C as a cosmetic. It works beautifully.

My discovery was with my feet. As I grow older, my feet grow uglier and have a tendency to puff up if I sit too long. By accident almost, I massaged my feet with liquid vitamin C and put white socks on over the C. I left them on and forgot what I had done, going about my daily life.

Imagine my surprise when I went to bed, took off my socks and found beautiful feet. It was such a freeing feeling. I felt great all day, but that was the real treat at the end of the day.

Since then I make it a part of my health regimen to massage my feet with Liquid Vitamin C after every bath and if I skip a day and don’t take a bath I still wash my feet, give them a liquid Vitamin C massage and put them in white cotton socks. What a difference a small thing like that makes. My first shock at seeing my feet come out of the white socks the first time I tried this was nothing compared to how much more beautiful my feet have become since I started doing this on a regular basis. I could have had plastic surgery on my feet, which I was considering seriously because they looked so awful, but now I don’t have to do that. It took quite a few months to achieve this result, but constancy gave me a good result. If I had plastic surgery the recovery time would have been much longer – given the pain, inconvenience, adjustment and inability to walk for quite some time. This way, I have beautiful feet and this whole process made me feel a lot better given the influence of the liquid C into my body on a daily basis coming from my feet.

Hope my experience benefits someone else.

________________________________________________________________

Learn More About How We Use Your Donation!

[give_form id=”3763″]

______________________________________________________________

Want to join us? Have a home that you want to open to become one of Bettina Network’s Hedge Schools? Call us and lets talk – or email us.

Send your event information to be included in Bettina Network’s Menu of Events to: bettina-network@comcast.net

This is a curated blog so you cannot write your responses at the end of each entry. TO RESPOND TO THIS BLOG email bettina-network@comcast.net or info@bettina-network.com

TO LEARN MORE about Bettina Network, inc. try www.bettina-network.com

IF YOU ENJOY OUR BLOG, USE OUR SERVICES TO BOOK ACCOMODATIONS WHEN YOU TRAVEL!

1-800-347-9166 inside the U. S. or 617 497 9166 outside or inside the U. S.

Posted in Growing Old, Guest comments, Health and Beauty, Uncategorized | Comments Off on My Feet and Liquid Vitamin C

Trinity Church Organ Concert

Finally! No Anti-Perspirants Needed!!!!

The New Hampshire Primary, etc.

A Wonderful Concord Christmas Story

Alabama’s first licensed black female pilot dies at 90

Published: Wednesday, October 26, 2011, 12:16 PM Updated: Wednesday, October 26, 2011, 12:35 PM

White House to Become a Bed & Breakfast!

Happy Holidays to One and All!!!

A CALL TO ACTION

How is Your Muffin Top?

Herman Cain follow-up

Another Secret Exposed!

Thanksgiving at a Bettina Bed & Breakfast Home

Bettina Having Fun!

The Concord Cheese Shop

Comcast – The Saga Continues

Bettina’s Banana Bread

Small Business Problems – Comcast

Call for Papers – Thoreau Society

Herman Cain and the Racial Discussion

My Feet and Liquid Vitamin C

Blog Search

We are the Bettina Network

Categories

Archives

Bettina’s Lifestyle Community