Text 1266, 121 rader
Skriven 2006-05-09 19:14:00 av JIM WELLER (1:123/140)
     Kommentar till en text av JOAN MACDIARMID
Ärende: Government projects
===========================
 -=> Quoting Joan Macdiarmid to Jim Weller <=-

 JW> Our city tried to build a twin pad hockey
 JW> arena for $8M in 2 years....
 JW> Diavik [...] did the job in 5 months for $1.9M.

 JM> WOW!....just...Wow! It can be done, when most of the corruption is
 JM> apparently cut out.

It was not so much corruption as the bureaucratic pace and manner of
doing things.

They plan, do feasibility studies, hire outside consultants to re-invent
the wheel and then hire lawyers to check the fine print. They work 7.5
hours per day with 60 minute lunches and two 15 minute coffee breaks in
a lunch room far from their office and never work through or re-schedule
their breaks.

For example the arena site had an old jail on it which had to be torn
down. The city would have had a $150,000 multi-week study done by as
third party on the disposal which would have included shipping the
wreckage to the dump. Diavik's guy spent one day planning the wrecking
and disposal which included using the concrete to fill low spots instead
of taking it to the dump and then buying rock from the quarry for fill.
There was a concern over asbestos. The city wanted to research the local
engineer's expertise, rate the firms, short list them and then do a
tender. The mine said the best environmental/hazmat engineers in the
world were a phone call away at the mine and would do a half day consult
for free that weekend. The asbestos contaminated concrete was laid to
rest in a low laying saucer shaped sold rock depression (no flowing
ground water or seepage to leach the asbestos into the environment), on
site, in the yard, then encapsulated it with clay, then buried it with
gravel, then encapsulated again with an asphalt parking lot. The cost
was 1/100th the amount of the city solution and just as effective.

Also when my real estate board needed a new, better offer to purchase
form, we studied the ones used in Sask, Alberta and B.C. first. We then
wrote our own and had one lawyer spend 5 hours proof reading it and
making minor amendments. It took two weeks and cost $1250 to produce and
it has withstood the test of time. When we became the city's property
agents they required three extra items. It took me 2 hours to do an
addendum three paragraphs long. They rejected it and spent 6 weeks with
a team of lawyers and $15,000 to come up with a multi-page document that
said exactly the same thing but couldn't be understood by the average
home builder buying a lot. So they spent another 6 weeks on it and
created a 16 page brochure explaining the legalese in the offer,
complete with index, a completed example and a 2 page glossary.

This is why things cost them more.

 JM> I wish something like that could happen in my
 JM> area, but I doubt it could happen.

It takes a major, major company with a strong construction background
who wants to win points with local governments.

MMMMM-----Meal-Master - formatted by MMCONV  2.10

     Title: Ferran's Basque Lamb Stew
Categories: Spanish, Lamb, Stews
  Servings: 8

  3 1/2 lb lamb shoulder, cut into
      2    inch pieces
      6    cloves garlic, crushed and
           peeled
      1    sprig fresh rosemary
    1/2 c  dry white wine
      2 TB extra virgin olive oil
      1 lg onion, peeled and chopped
           Salt and freshly ground
           black pepper
      2 ts sweet paprika
      3    roasted red bell peppers,
           cut into 1/2-inch strips
      1 lg ripe tomato, peeled, seeded
           and chopped
      4    to 6 sprigs parsley,
           chopped
      1    bay leaf
    1/2 c  dry, full-bodied red wine
    1/2 c  chicken stock
           Fresh mint leaves, optional

Combine lamb, 3 garlic cloves, rosemary and white wine in a medium bowl.
Let marinate 2 to 3hours. Drain the meat, discard the marinade and pat
dry with paper towels. Mince the remaining 3 garlic cloves and set
aside.

Heat olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pan with lid, over medium-
high heat. Working in batches, brown the meat on all sides, about 10
minutes per batch. Return all meat to pot. Add onion, minced garlic and
salt and pepper to taste. Cook, scraping browned bits stuck to bottom
with wooden spoon, until the onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in
paprika, roasted peppers, tomatoes, parsley, bay leaf and red wine.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer until juices in pot
reduce and thicken slightly, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Add chicken stock, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring
occasionally, until meat is very tender, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Adjust
seasonings. Garnish with fresh mint leaves if desired.

Ferran Adria of El Bulli

Article by Jesse James, from Saveur magazine

From: Shantihhh To: Gastronomique@yahoo
 
MMMMM-------------------------------------------------

Cheers

Jim, in Yellowknife




... Politics, like a magic act, requires a lot of successful redirection.
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