Bacon Candy Party Sticks – Candied Bacon Appetizer

“Candied bacon will make a memorable addition to your party snack arsenal! You like bacon, you like candy, so you’ll love candied bacon!”
—–

I am going to make this treat! Awesome!

—–
Credits to Chef John @ foodwishes.com

So apparently this Chinese monkey trainer gets attacked by his own monkeys during a show using martial arts and sticks. Pretty funny stuff if you ask me. Here’s a pic:

Look at the form on that monkey… leg tucked… eyes on target… follow through… he was taught well. I can’t say the guy didn’t have it coming to him. I don’t exactly agree with using animals for entertainment like this, but I digress. This should be a message to all monkeys!

RISE UP MONKEYS! RISE UP!

All episodes complete! 42 agonizing days until the Lost Season 6 premier, and like you I am completely lost.

Now that was one hell of a finale. Lost fans what did you do on your summer vacation? “Um we argued back and forth if the timeline of the show was reset when Juliet blew up the nuke”. I have a very strong opinion on what happened (surprised?) but I’m hoping to hear all your theories since you can now comment without fear of spoiling me. But first the recap:

We see Jacob & an unknown “friend” (being called nemesis in some circles) enjoying a typical 1800s day by the fully erect statue by the beach. There is a boat on the horizon (presumable the Black Rock) and Nemesis asks Jacob why he brought the boat to the island when people always end up fighting and killing each other. Jacob says until the final end everything is progress. Nemesis remarks that  he will someday find a loophole and kill Jacob. Next we see flashbacks of almost every significant Lostie and how Jacob interacted with all of them at some point. Jacob payed for the lunchbox kid-Kate stole, lent Sawyer the pen he used to write the letter to Sawyer, prevented Sayid from being hit by the car that killed Nadia, brought Locke back to life after his father pushed him out that window, congratulated Jin & Sun at their wedding, picked up Hurley outside the police station and convinced him to get on AA Flight 316 and left him a guitar case, and finally visited Boobie-Fett in the hospital and asked her to do him a favor. Interestingly enough, Jacob was not in the flashback where Juliet found out her parents were getting a divorce. Back on the present day island Locke tells Richard to take all The Others to see Jacob and tells Other Ben he has to kill Jacob. Other Ben agrees because Dead SlingShot (Alex) told him to do everything Locke said and because he feels slighted that Jacob never met him in all his years as leader of the Others. We find out Jacob lives at the bottom of the four-toed statue (what lies in the shadow of the statue…the one that can save us…apparently Jacob) and Other Ben and Locke going in for a quality time visit. While Locke and Other Ben are in the statue it it is revealed that Boobie-Fett and her pals were carrying around  real-Locke’s body the whole time, making everyone wonder who is in the statue with Other Ben! Cut to inside the statue, Jacob congratulates fake-Locke on finding a loop hole thus revealing him to be Nemesis. Nemesis’ plan works and Other Ben kills Jacob and for just for giggles, Nemesis kicks Jacob’s body into the fire.

Back in 1977, Kate, SawFleur & Juliet break out of the sub and go back to stop Jack (they also run into Rose, White Bernard & Vincent who have been living happily ever after for the last 3 years). Juliet changes her mind several times but eventually decides the right thing to do is to help Jack reset the future by blowing up the atom bomb down the chamber of the unbuilt hatch. Sayid who was likely given a fatal gun wound from an earlier gun fight, sets the atom bomb to detonate on impact. Ghostbuster then wisely asks the question: “How do you know blowing up the nuke isn’t the incident??” No one has an answer for him and they decide to blow up the nuke anyway. There is a big gun fight but the Losties win and Jack throws the nuke down the hatch hole but nothing happens. Meanwhile the drill hits the pocket of energy and everything metal begins to be pulled towards the pocket of energy. Juliet gets tangled in a chain and in a heartbreaking moment Sawyer loses her hand and she is pulled down to the bottom of the hatch hole. Juliet wakes up badly injuried at the bottom of the hatch hole and sees the nuke is still intact. Using a rock next to her, she slams the nuke 8 times and it explodes and we get LOST WHITE-screened. End of season. AHHHHH!

I am sure time is reset. It has to be. There is no way the writers would tease us with the possibility of a reset and then not give it to us. Based on the name of the first episode in season 6 plus the fact that everyone and Aaron’s mom is on the season 6 promo cover (welcome back Boone, Sticks, Mr. Eko), I believe 815 is landing in LAX. The question is how do the events of the island converge with the new present? The past 5 seasons can’t all be for nothing, that would be horrible! The writers would have a revolution on their hands! We’d take to the streets, shoot fire arrows at the writers and send the black smoke monster at ABC! It’s possible the nuke was “the incident” all along and somehow that flashes forward all the Losties into the present where life is happy for everyone, but I just don’t see it. Obviously everything would change if 815 lands safely in LAX starting with the passengers not knowing each other. Here are a few other not so obvious changes in history:

• Jacob is alive. If 815 never crashes, Nemesis’ plan can never use Locke. I bet that’ll piss off Nemesis
• What will Desmond do with himself on the island? If the hatch is never built, how does Desmond occupy himself? Does he become an Other or is he killed by The Others? He also won’t meet Faraday in Oxford and who knows what the consequences for that are.
• Ethan is never born. Sawyer saves his mother in the future. Also who knows all the consequences that will occur from the Losties not traveling back in time!
• Other Ben might die from his back tumor. On one hand Jack won’t be on the island to save him (neither will Ethan), but on the other hand if the hatch doesn’t blow up then the electrocal systems on the island will be intact meaning Other Ben can leave the island on the sub Locke will never blow up to see a real doctor
• Desmond will never tell Penny to call him on christmas eve.
• The freighter may never find the island. I think the 815 crash gave Widmore a good guess on the island’ location and without the crash, he might not have been able to find it.

And there are the obvious consequences. The bad: Sawyer is still a conman, Rose, Locke & Faraday will continue to have their physical ailments, Prego (Claire) gives up her baby, Charlie remains an addict, Jin is still a bad person and Michael is alive. But there is some good: all the passengers will survive, Sayid will be reunited with Nadia and Indiana will live because they probably never find the island. Like Sawyer, I was voting for Jack NOT to blow the nuke. Tear.

Now my theory can totally be shot to hell because in someways it doesn’t make sense. IF the Losties never crash on the island then the nuke is probably never contained and it’s certainly never blown up near the hatch which means time can’t be reset!!! Ahh paradox!!! This is and endless loop and can’t be explained and is the best evidence that time will not reset. I wonder how the writers will respond. It’s also worth mentioning that just because the hatch doesn’t rip flight 815 in-half doesn’t mean the plane won’t have electrical problems and crash land on the island just like AA 316. In fact this is the most likely scenario.

With all the other topics going on, I’ve avoided Jacob & Nemesis. I doubt I am alone in thinking that Nemesis IS the black smoke and it can take on the appearance of any dead person on the island. Since it hates humans, black smoke seems to enjoy killing them after judging them (it judged Mr. Eko the same way it judged Other Ben). I also think Jacob & Nemesis are aliens who somehow got punished and are placed on the island which is serving as a prison. Nemesis blames Jacob for the imprisonment and that’s why he wants to kill him. Makes sense to me…

Finally, I need to talk about Juliet & Sawyer. I loved them as a couple and was heartbroken when she let go of Sawyer’s hand. You really felt Sawyer’s pain in that scene. Even before that scene I was pissed at Juliet for giving up on Sawyer just because he looked at Kate. Let it go!! Kate ain’t all that and you’re almost as hott and you’re way more together. Juliet, you disappointed me…

Next up on Finally Lost…I’ll recap season 5 and formally list my Season 6 predictions. I know many of you have been reluctant to comment on the blog for fear of dropping spoilers (thank you for this, and amazingly enough nothing was spoiled!) but I’d like to hear your thoughts and theories on the upcoming series. What’s going to happen??

Crows’ nest is just a few dry sticks and leaves, somehow arranged on the small branches of tall trees. From the terrace of a five storey building I used to watch it from very close. There is a saying in Malayalam: like a crow’s nest.

Then there is the nest of the tailor bird. Now I do not see it. It is something of a marvel. Hanging from the branch of a tree, it is safe from snakes etc. which eat the eggs. Inside the chamber, it is furnished with soft material like feather etc. Even in rain and wind, the young ones are well protected. I wonder if we can imitate it, with artificial materials for our stay in forests, infested with elephants etc.   We can comfortably watch tigers and bear etc from close quarters.

Narayana pakshi, I think it is the swallow, makes its nest inside the room in old houses. It brings a small ball of mud and sticks it on the roof (ceiling. Then it goes out and brings another which is attached to the first one. Slowly and patiently, it goes on doing it, keeping in its mind the final shape of the nest, with a window one side ! Such architectural skill, similar to the tailor birds’, with very strong structure, is something to wonder at  !

 
A while ago I gave my friend Melissa a wand I had made.   She must have it sitting on her desk at work.  Someone saw Melissa’s wand and wanted one for herself.  Melissa asked if she could come over and do some wand-making with me.  I knew that wands take a bit of prep, so I started the preparation without her.

I started prepping and decided to finish a few wands just in case we run out of time before Melissa finishes her wands.

Magic always starts with a stick. I collect all kinds of sticks that have fallen from our trees. It’s important to select sticks that have had some time to dry. I used my cute pink Tomboy hacksaw to cut my sticks.

If you want your wand to be truly magical, you have to add the good stuff. I use genuine Swarovski crystal beads for the tip of my wands. I add a bead cap to beautify the tip of my wand and a spacer at the top to embellish the crystal bead at the top.

I’ve been known to use cord and other types of string or thread for the handle of my wands. My favorite material though is embroidery thread.

The wand just doesn’t seem complete unless it has a lot of sparkle. I liberally sprinkle (not literally) Swarovski crystal rhinestones on my wands.

When I was a child, Christmas was magical.   As I grew older and had children of my own, I felt rushed and pressured every Christmas.  Over the last few years, I decided that I needed to relax.   I thought if I could make other people feel happy and joyful during the holiday then I could surround myself with a lot of peace and joy.    Although I originally made these wands in the spring, I believe that maybe Christmas is the best time for wands.  With a flick of your wand you can bring back the magic and true spirit of Christmas.

Here’s to a little magic this holiday season!

Are you at a loss for interesting items to add to the kids’ stockings this year?  Consider the following:

Mini gum-ball machine:   $3.50 at www.beau-coup.com

Origami kit:  around $16 per kit at www.amazon.com

Treasure box:  Any choice of boxes will do (wooden, cardboard, etc) – especially when filled with all sorts of pirate booty.  Tip:  If you choose wood, the kids can paint them and have a treasure hunt while they dry! $4.99 for 12 at www.orientaltrading.com

Flexible wax sticks:  $20 for a set of 500 at www.bendaroos.com

OTHER: 
For girly girls:  Manicure sets or bath & body lotions.

For the little gardener:  seed packets and garden tools

For the LED keychain lover:  (Yes, that is specific!)….Novelty LED Key Chains for $4.99 found at the Container Store.

Tween boys:  Laser pointer.  Don’t ask why, but boys this age love these gadgets.  ($5 at Target).

Let’s not forget the adults…

For the eco-minded coffee drinker: “I am not a paper cup.”  Surprise! This clever cup looks like one of those cups from your favorite coffee shop, but it’s actually a reusable 10 oz. thermal porcelain cup.

These are available at your local Container Store or Z Gallerie.

What other stocking stuffers do you suggest?

Source for some of the ideas above: 

Real Simple magazine, Family edition (Fall 2009).

"One Chickadee Sitting" (Black-capped Chickadee) Nikon D300, 400mm, F/4, 1/160s, ISO 640

While the weather is “warm” I’ve been determined to get outside with my larger lens to capture whatever wildlife has decided to hang about the yard. 

The squirrels were in numbers (again) but I really wanted to concentrate on the birds today, and specifically, the Chickadees. 

These little guys are tough to catch in one spot! Especially when they are well aware of a certain feline creeping around (yes, Cleo is enjoying these warm days as well). 

Here is the best shot of the day.

Bij deze het filmpje vd Fakkelbrigade dat ik afgelopen weekend heb gemaakt.

I am a firm believer in using raw natural resources as artwork, for many reasons:
1. It’s Free
2. You have to be somewhere pretty to find it
3. Each piece is unique
4. Repurpose something that would just decompose
5. WWJD: Put sticks on his walls, duh.
6. Did I mention it’s free?

p.s. I get more compliments on this than anything I have ever affixed to the wall.

Gisteren had ik een shoot / ontmoeting met de sympathieke heren van Fakkelbrigade; Typhoon, Sticks, Rico, James. Als one-man mediateam moest ik een clipje (online soon!) maken . Voor een keer was fotografie bijzaak. Niet heel erg, want het licht in het LVC in Leiden was vreselijk. Fototechnisch gezien dan.

Anyway, de Fakkelbrigade steunt eenmalig het goede doel: zwerfjongeren in Nederland. Daarom  laat Typhoon hier voor een lokale filmpploeg een van de ansichtkaarten zien uit de campagne ‘Je hele hebben en houen in een tas‘. Sick.

De samenwerking was meer dan prettig. De samenwerking was meer dan prettig. Het optreden was top. En de Fakkelbrigade rockt.

Most who start playing drums want to look like their favorite drummer.  I have a small tip for some who may or many not be drummers.  This is a tip for spinning drumsticks.  It adds flare to a performance or gives your hands something to do when your bored.  I am not going to post a video because there are many out there.  But, I have seen that many have had problems when starting out learning at first.  Well I have a small tip for you to do only when you start out.  That is to tape you sticks or just one stick.  It will add extra grip and reduces the chance of flying drumsticks.  When you start to get better then remove the tape.  Spinning the stick is actually very simple, you just have to pass the stick between the three slots of your hand using the top part of your fingers.  You can see examples by looking up videos online.  But, this is just how I started out.  I never used tape when I play because it is too tacky against my hands and throws off my flow.  But, I think this is one time you should use tape to start off with an extra pair of sticks.

Etonic shoes have launched a golf shoe that boasts “trampoline action” insoles and “PowerPlay” outsoles. The shoe is designed to maximize traction and control and increase balance and power. This shoe is an example of a high-tech shoe. Flip it over and you will see lots of gadgets and fancy-looking features that look almost space-aged. Etonic claims that the shoe was inspired by PGA all-stars but that does not mean it is not for you! In fact, if you are a golfer who suffers from any kind of foot injury or deformity (plantar fasciitis, weak Achilles tendons, bunions, etc.), have weak knees or hips (which begin with your feet, of course!), or if you are a diabetic, have lymphedema or any other condition that makes you susceptible to injuries on your feet, then these kind of high-tech shoes may be worth the investment.

Golf is a great sport option for people whose feet are suffering: there may be a lot of walking but there is no jumping or hard-impact landings. Your knees, however, may suffer from the twisting that occurs with your side swing. This is why shoes with excellent traction and control are essential.

Let’s take a closer look at the PowerPlay outsole system. There are six main components to this system: Inside-Out Spike Placement, PowerSpike, PowerPod, PowerPlay Flex Zone, Dynamic Reaction Plate, Stabilizer Heel Technology.

Inside-Out Spike Placement. According to Etonic’s website, Etonic shoes with the PowerPlay system have spikes that “…are strategically positioned to both accept and transfer the forces generated during a golf swing.” This means that if you flip over your new pair of Etonic golfing shoes you will see spikes along the inside of the right outsole and along the outside of the left outsole. These spikes provide extra traction just in the places you need it so your shoes can comfortably grip the grass when you swing.

The PowerSpike is the name of the spikes on the bottom of an Etonic shoe. Each PowerSpike is structured with a central spike that is accompanied by eight supporting “legs.” The PowerPod is a support feature positioned under the arches of both feet; it is designed to maximize your traction and therefore your power. The PowerPlay Flex Zone is located across the ball of your foot. It enhances the flexibility of the outsole so it can bend in ways that accommodate the natural flexibility of the foot.

The Dynamic Reaction Plate is technically not on the outsole but located in the midsole. It is designed to prevent the foot from rolling outward – a common problem that occurs during the Backswing and Follow Through.

Last but not least! Stabilizer Heel Technology offers you a flared shoe that will increase stability (as its name suggests) and motion control.

See Also : Shoes Golf

Using a walking stick to hike is a great way to be able to enjoy the beauty of nature and to get some exercise in the great outdoors. Walking sticks are great accessories for anyone who enjoys hiking. They help you maintain your balance on terrain that is uneven and while you cross through streams and rivers. For anyone who has lost their footing hiking, you know how great a walking stick can be.

Hiking can take a toll on your feet and legs, especially for those who are not in the best physical shape or who have other health issues to contend with. Many people with knee and lower back pain find using a walking stick enables them to get back to hiking again. A walking stick can also be a great self defense tool if the need presents itself. Most people only use one walking stick but some individuals prefer the support of having one in each hand.

There are many different walking sticks to choose from. You will want to test them out before making a purchase. Everyone has a style that they prefer depending on their individual needs. I would suggest getting a walking stick with a strap to hold onto easily. You will also want to consider the grip, the weight of the walking stick, if it adjusts to various lengths, and how easy it is to set up and store.

Walking sticks for hiking can be purchased at sporting goods stores and many other retailers. While you can purchase them online it is difficult to do so because you can’t test it out. I guess you can always send it back if you aren’t happy with it. It is a good idea to read reviews and information on the various walking sticks available before making a purchase.

Recommend : New Balance Running Shoes

Completed: 3-5 The Cost of Living, 3-6 I Do, & 3-7 Not in Portland. 47 episodes left, 61 days to go. As you know I don’t know anything about this series except that I’ve seen previews that suggest that the survivors gets off the island at some point.

After being wrong about the invisible dino, the aliens, no main characters dying, Ethan hitting Sayid over the head with the stick, and no main characters dying (again), I’m on a winning streak. The Others kidnap Jack to operate on Other Ben’s tumor, check. Mr. Eko is the next character to die, check check. Kate picks Sawyer over Jack, check check check. Enough with the semi-gloating and onto the recap: Mr. Eko wakes up from his polar bear induced coma to follow his imaginary brother to the Nigerian crash site. He is followed by Locke, the hobbit (Charlie), Desmond, some new smoking hott chick and her boyfriend or husband or brother (after Boone and Sticks I’m not taking any chances). Sadly the rescue team is too late to save Mr. Eko from the black smoke killer thing and he uses his last breath to tell the others that they are next. Meanwhile Kate and Sawyer get it on in their cages and Jack uses his brains for once and forces The Others to Let Kate and Sawyer go free in return for fixing up Other Ben’s sabotaged kidney.

So we finally got our first Ice Princess (Juliet) flashback and we learn that she once a normal gal who used experimental injections to impregnate her cancer diagnosed sister while trapped under the thumb of her manipulative ex-husband until The Others ran over her ex-husband with a bus and conned her into going to “Portland” with them. All of this begs the question…why do The Others stay on the island? I still think they believe they are doing noble research under the leadership of CEO guy. Also if The Others have such great intelligence and science capability then why did Other Ben need Jack to do his surgery. One of The Others said they haven’t been able to communicate outside the island since the sky turned purple (hatch blewup) so that combined with Other Ben’s view that fate sent him a surgeon is probably the reason for this. I also wonder about the obvious…instead of kidnapping Jack, why not say, “Hey I’m getting you guys all off the island, could you maybe wait and take the next boat out and do some back surgery on me in the meantime?” Now while I commend Jack for finally having a great plan to rescue Sawyer & Kate, I berate him for not asking ANY QUESTIONS! The plot also thickens because the Ice Princess asks Jack to kill Other Ben via silent TV. Is this another ploy to gain Jack’s trust, or does she really want off the island that badly? I think the Ice Princess wants Other Ben dead. Assuming that’s true, why does she tell The Others that Jack will never kill Other Ben and that they should go after Kate & Sawyer?? They also said Other Ben would rather die than let Kate & Sawyer go…why?? They said Jack’s not on the list but Kate and Sawyer are…Arg! Either way Other Ben wakes up in the middle of his procedure and promises Icey that he will let her go home if she let’s Sawyer & Kate go which she does after killing Danny.

Now let’s not forget about our friends on the magic island. Apparently Locke has been trained in the corporate ways of diversity & inclusion because he opens up the Mr. Eko hunt to everyone. It’s a great way to address the fact that there are roughly 30 other survivors from oceanic flight 815 that haven’t got to go on cool hatch missions before. I think Locke is a much better leader than Jack and I hope he keeps up the openness. I know people love Mr. Eko but I was kind of getting bored of his story. Maybe death by black smoke was the only way to save this crumbling character that had begun as such a bad ass. Tailgaters…and then there was one…watch out White Bernard! Now that Mr. Eko is dead it’s time to predict the next major death. I’m going with a midseason cliffhanger of…a pretend death. It’s time for the show to make you think someone has died when they really haven’t. 3rd times a charm…no major deaths for a while!

Finally a few points I thought worth mentioning:
- Sawyer drops the funniest line in the entire series on none other than Mac from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia: “Don’t get mad at me just because you were dumb enough to fall for the old wookie prisoner transfer con gag!!” HA
- I love Slingshot (Frenchy’s daughter) and am willing to bet several Bart Simpson autographed rocks that she doesn’t know Other Ben isn’t her real dad…
- The writers made a huge mistake when Locke says he and Sayid rescued Mr. Eko from the polar bear, when it was he & Charlie!
- Am I really expected to believe Locke & Desmond couldn’t come up with turning on all the TVs on their own? At least this hott girl is smarter than Sticks.

Next up on Finally Lost…we’ll hopefully find out if Other Ben keeps his promise to get Ice Princess & Jack off the island.

Timmies, Tantrums and TSN Prospects:  Chronicles of a Serendipitous Puck Mummy

I do not know about your house, but my house has an awful lot of hockey sticks in it.  Sticks for the ice and sticks for road hockey – sticks scattered in the mudroom, main floor bathroom, and all over the garage.  Sticks for three sizes of hockey players, plus ones they have all outgrown. Oh, and then there are the uncountable mini sticks which lay about under my feet on a regular basis.

On Sunday, I was in the garage (one which has never housed a car because of all the hockey gear…) and I tripped over roller blades, road hockey gloves, goalie pads and helmet, a decaying net and STICKS.  Too many to count.  In a nesting frenzy I stacked them up against the wall and tried to clear a path so I could bring out the garbage.  Which included a shiny red stick with a broken blade.

Fast forward to Wednesday night.  My husband wandered into the computer room with a quizzical look on his face. “Honey, have you seen the red hockey stick that was in the garage with the broken blade”.  I knew right then and there exactly what stick he was talking about.  And without knowing why, I also knew he would not be happy to learn it was no longer anywhere within our property boundaries.

I debated feigning ignorance.  How in the world could one stick in a sea of so many be missed?…..!  But then I took a deep breath, fessed up and took one for the entire mom team who may not know about the value, worth and care of hockey sticks.

Turns out, a broken blade on a hockey stick is no reason to throw the stick out.  That can be fixed.  Especially on a stick which is worth $300…  Sorry honey:)

I could not make this stuff up if I tried people.

In negotiations, whether we realize it or not, our cooperation increases the size of the pie for everyone (creates value) and our defection defines our slice of it (claims value).

We often develop imaginative ways to create value through the promise of mutual gains and introduce these ‘carrots’ into our negotiation strategy at the appropriate point as to maximize their impact and benefit.  As it relates to cooperation and the use of carrots, most of us consider ourselves fairly effective with this approach. 

What happens when the other party isn’t cooperating, however?  Are we as effective at bringing them back to the bargaining table?   Are we as capable of putting the deal back on the tracks?

Quite simply, what happens when they say no when we really want them to say yes?  How do we move them to our way of thinking?  That is the art of negotiation.  The art of letting *them* have *your* way.

Former Secretary of State James Baker once famously said (and I’m paraphrasing here), Diplomacy is the art of saying nice doggie long enough until you can find a big rock with which to smash it in the head.  If there is no rock, negotiation is pointless…  How many of us negotiate without a rock?  I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve had a client say we’re just going to tell our supplier we want to buy their stuff, but we need a better price.  I nod politely and ask, “or what”?  Puzzled, they ask, what do you mean “or what”?  I explain, and what if they say no?  What if they say this is the best possible discount they are able to offer you?  What will you do then? 

You see, the “or what” is the rub.  Gee Mr. Supplier, we’d like you to give us a better discount.  If you’re not prepared to answer the “or what”, you are just Oliver Twist asking for more.  Seemingly, we are much less prepared to correct behaviors that are counter-productive to our goals and objectives.  The use of ‘sticks’ in a negotiation is every bit as important as carrots, and in many cases, much more so.  When one party cooperates and the other party defects, the defecting party claims value.  When both parties defect, not only is no value created, no value is claimed either.  It stands to reason then, that you can prevent the defecting party from claiming value by defecting.  Sometimes the best way, perhaps the only way to bring a defecting party back to the bargaining table is to defect yourself.

Easier said than done?  Defection in a negotiation is often viewed with a negative connotation, and is also often confused with the end objective.  Some view it as confrontational or even as threatening.  Regardless of how it’s viewed, a defection strategy is often justified.  Defecting from a negotiation can be extremely effective in situations where a supplier is reaching or over playing their hand.

In one case, NET(net) was working with a client who had two viable solutions for a business need, and the preferred supplier overplayed their preference status to the tune of a 40% premium price over the competition.  The client told the preferred supplier that the current price made it impossible for them to be selected, but the supplier refused to lower their price, believing that the client was bluffing.  Instead of haggling, the client sent a polite thanks but no thanks letter, and went into unilateral negotiations with the alternative supplier with the full intent to get a deal done.  The preferred supplier returned the next business day with a market leading price and improved terms and conditions.  This led us to coin the negotiation axiom, “sometimes the fastest way to a yes is to say no”.  This client didn’t bluff.  They had every intention to do the deal with the alternative supplier and the preferred supplier knew it.  It’s not gaming or brinkmanship; it’s defection.  To be effective, it has to be credible, it has to be timed right, and it has to be sequenced appropriately.  When it’s done right, it works.

While we are mostly inclined to be cooperative and we all work hard to find ways to increase the value and mutual gains for all parties involved in a negotiation, the use of sticks on a quid-pro-quo basis is an extremely effective way to control the bargaining table.  Defections from negotiations are sometimes the best and perhaps the only way to break the cycle of supplier lock-in and the incumbency effect of entitlement rights.  See future blog posts on these and other topics.

I’ll bear,
I’ll bear.
I see the purpose.

Die gewöhnlichen Holzsticks sind nicht immer geeignet für meine Blechdosen und so haben sich im Laufe der Zeit auch einige ungewöhnliche Klöppel angesammelt. Teilweise zweckentfremdet, teilweise selbergebastelt und die tendenziell eher zu schwerem Gerät. Zerspant und verbeult wird trotzdem alles