Brooks & Crowley - June 2021

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Review Brooks & Crowley

June 2021

781-251-0555

www.brooksandcrowley.com

439 Washington Street Dedham, MA 02026

*Services Throughout Massachusetts

When we bought our home nearly 20 years ago, it needed a lot of work. It seemed that we only kept the outside frame of the house. Everything on the inside was thrown out and redone. My father pointed out why doing the job once and being done with it was a good idea from a functional standpoint. He knew we would never get to it all unless we did it at the beginning. Since he was retired and the one doing most of the work, it was easy to agree. He was very handy. Whether the job called for demolition, carpentry, plaster, paint, building decks, or landscaping, he had an array of tools and skills and enjoyed solving problems. HOW PATIENCE ADDS TOOLS TO MY TOOLBOX A Father’s Day Tribute to My Dad

about the same age. I never knew this about my dad. I asked, “How did you treat the Germans?” He said, “We treated them as best we could and hoped that they did the same to our boys who were captured over there.” Talk about perspective. Here he was, working nearly side by side with people whose mission was to take over England (and the world) by any means necessary. He viewed them as young men who were doing what they were ordered to do. “They were just kids. It wasn’t their idea. What choice did they have?” He continued his working days as a construction laborer in Boston until he retired. It was hard work, but he loved it and took great pride in the finished products that are part of Boston’s skyline. He always knew what was worth getting upset about and what wasn’t. From him, I learned that when people had a strong reaction to something, it usually stemmed from not understanding the other person’s perspective. If you were to stand in their shoes, you could understand where they were coming from and craft a solution. I realize his generation did not have the internet, texting, and instant messaging to deal with, but we all can benefit from being less reactive and taking some time process information before responding. My father passed away three years ago at the ripe old age of 96 but has never left us. It seemed fitting that he passed away on Memorial Day weekend. It is a weekend when we already think of those who have passed before us. He would never have wanted to put anyone out.

But it wasn’t the carpentry tools that made the biggest impression on me.

One of the biggest lessons my dad taught me (and is still teaching me!) is patience. It is said that if your only tool is a hammer, everything starts looking like a nail. That was not the case with my dad. He was a quiet person who was never the center of conflict. My dad’s peaceful nature operated in a way where he was almost always the yin to people’s yang. Even though I inherited all the talkative, outgoing traits from my mom’s side of the family, my dad’s patience inspired a lifelong lesson. Then again, as a teenager, he’d left home in Ireland by himself to move to England before later coming to America. That’ll teach you some life skills. I remember watching a WorldWar II movie on TV one time, and he casually mentioned that he lived in London during the war, working as a laborer on a public works project. His job was digging up roads in London and laying pipes beneath them. He worked right next a group of German prisoners of war, who were all chained together, also digging. He and the POWs were all “Even though I inherited all the talkative, outgoing traits from my mom’s side of the family, my dad’s patience inspired a lifelong lesson.”

Happy Father’s Day to all the dads. You make a difference.

–Neil Crowley

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Drowned by Beer: The 1814 London Beer Flood

Drowning from beer became a real and dangerous cause of death in 1814, when the iron rings on massive vats of beer snapped loose. This bizarre, tragic event claimed the lives of eight people. Here's the story about the time a tsunami of hot, fermenting beer came pouring down on densely populated streets of London. An ‘Act of God,’ London courts proclaimed. In St. Giles, London, the Horse Shoe Brewery stood at the corner of Great Russell Street and Tottenham Court Road — which is nearly in the exact middle of London. They had 22-foot-high wooden fermentation tanks installed on the premises, held together by massive iron rings. These vats held over 3,500 barrels of brown porter ale, which is a beer similar to stout. During one busy afternoon on Oct. 17, 1814, an iron ring around the tank snapped. An hour later, the whole tank broke open, releasing hot, fermenting ale with such incredible force that the back wall of the brewery collapsed. It also crashed open several more vats, releasing nearly 320,000 gallons of beer into the area.

prostitutes, criminals, and the destitute. Eight people — Irish mourners in a basement, a mother and her child, and a teenage barmaid — were killed. Despite the dangers, some people scooped up as much liquid as they could in whatever containers they could find. Consequently, a ninth death was reported days later due to alcohol poisoning. Were there consequences for the brewery? The streets of St. Giles smelled like beer for many months afterward. The flood cost the brewery over £23,000 pounds (£1.25 million pounds today), but they were able to reclaim the excise duty paid on the beer and were granted £7,250 (£400,000 today) as compensation for the barrels of lost beer, which saved them from bankruptcy.

But what about the deaths? Although the brewery was taken to court, the London courts ruled the flood was an “Act

It created a 15-foot wave of beer and debris. The flood swept through the St. Giles Rookery, a

of God,” and the eight victims had lost their lives "casually, accidentally, and by misfortune.” Nobody was held responsible. We’re not so certain the Horse Shoe Brewery would’ve been as lucky in American courts! Thanks for joining us in remembering this very strange historical event, and we’ll see you next month.

densely populated London slum filled with cheap housing inhabited by

How Solar Panels Could Slow (or Stop) Your Boston Real Estate Sale

of the system (the energy that the solar panels generate) for the term of the contract, which is generally around 20 years. Under these arrangements, the solar leasing company owns and maintains your solar panel system so it, not the homeowner, is entitled to all the rebates, tax breaks, and financial incentives that are available for the solar panel system. Consumers may indirectly benefit from those savings through lower electricity rates. Despite the advertised benefits, many buyers will want the seller to buy out the remaining lease for them. This could cost $20,000 or more, depending on the contract. When the solar panels are leased and not purchased by the homeowner, many buyers will view this as a negative feature rather than a positive one. Like any leasehold, the solar panels are the property of the lessor and not the lessee, so the

buyer must now assume the lease payments for the remainder of the term. Buyers are often worried the equipment will have maintenance costs or will become obsolete over time or simply believe the leases are really bad deals. If an assumption is agreed upon, the buyers need to qualify for their own lease, meaning having a high enough credit score to do so. Many buyers with credit scores in the 600s won’t qualify to assume the lease, regardless of their desire to. If you are listing your house, it is important to contact the leasing company ahead of time to learn about the transfer and/or buyout options. This way, you can be ready with a copy of the agreement and the options rather than being caught off guard later! If you have any more questions about your solar panels and selling your home (or buying one), don’t be afraid to give us a call.

Will getting a solar panel lease mess up your property selling process? The truth is that it depends. Solar leases and solar power purchase agreements (PPAs) are similar to renting a solar panel system for the home. The owner enters into an agreement with the solar leasing company that entitles the owner to the benefits

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4 KITCHEN GADGETS THAT WORK An Expert’s Recommendations!

A great kitchen gadget (like a food processor) should save you time and effort. But not all kitchen gadgets deliver that, especially for people who suffer from dexterity problems or arthritis. Thanks to kitchen product design expert Dan Formosa (his past designs include many OXO products), here are a few gadgets he’s tested and loves — and will definitely make anyone’s life a lot easier. ZYLISS Easy Pull Food Chopper and Manual Food Processor Hate the noise of traditional processors? This manual food processor works like a charm: Put food in its 26-ounce container, close the lid, and pull the cord with its easy-to-hold handle (which connects to a blade inside the container). Voila! Your food is chopped. It only takes a couple of pulls to finely dice your veggies into a delicious salsa. Formosa especially loved how compact it is for storage. Coco Jack Eating coconut can be a healthy treat, but it might be intimidating for most home cooks — how are you supposed to open it? Enter the Coco Jack. It requires some force, but it’s much easier and less dangerous than using a INJURED IN A CAR ACCIDENT?

knife, especially a dull knife. Just align the circular tool on your coconut and slam with a hammer to create a hole. Chef ’n Strawberry Huller Let’s say you want to remove the pithy center and leaves of a strawberry

to create a whipped cream-filled strawberry. Why? Well, why not? This strawberry huller tool is easy to use and highly effective for dessert makers or anyone who wants to make attractive and creative strawberry treats. ICU Egg Topper and Cracker Do you want to present a soft-boiled egg to your guests in an aesthetically pleasing way? With just a pull of a handle and release, this tool cracks the top of the egg so cleanly that you can lift it in one piece with your hand! Then, add your toppings and serve. Kitchen gadgets are best when they help us make our food preparation just a little easier and fancier, and these definitely get the job done. We hope you love these as much as we do!

Grilled Chicken Shawarma Inspired by TheSpruceEats.com

A spice-filled marinade and time do all the work in this recipe that features Middle Eastern flavors.

Ingredients

• • • • • •

2 tbsp ground cumin 2 tbsp ground coriander

• • • • •

1 tsp ground black pepper

2 tsp allspice

2 tsp kosher salt

8 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

6 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp turmeric

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1 tsp ground ginger

directions

1. To create marinade, whisk all spices with the garlic and olive oil in a medium bowl. 2. Add chicken to the bowl, coat well with marinade, cover, and let sit in the fridge for at least 20 minutes — or up to 48 hours. Strain off excess marinade before cooking. 3. Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Grill thighs for 10–12 minutes on each side, or until a meat thermometer reads 165 F. 4. Serve with rice, vegetables, or pita bread with tzatziki.

Get Neil Crowley’s comprehensive guide to Massachusetts car accident claims and expert advice you need to get your life back on track. Go to BrooksAndCrowley.com/reports to request your free copy!

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439 Washington St. • Dedham, MA 02026

Inside THIS ISSUE

1 How Patience Adds Tools to My Toolbox 2 The 1814 London Beer Flood How Solar Panels Could Slow (or Stop) Your Boston Real Estate Sale 3 4 Kitchen Gadgets — Expert Recommended

Grilled Chicken Shawarma

4 Good News In Boston: Lab‑Grown Furniture?

Good News in Boston

Could Lab-Grown Wood Prevent Deforestation?

We write a lot about studies at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in our newsletter — the institute’s work tends to bring out some absolutely fascinating findings. However, this study is particularly interesting because it could help prevent further destruction of ecosystems worldwide with lab-grown lumber.

This solution is economically motivating, too. Only 2%–4% of harvested plant matter is actually used, which is a significant savings when you consider the large initial investment necessary for harvesting timber, including “buying, fueling, and operating logging trucks and roads.” Ashley Beckwith, a researcher and co-author of the paper, tells Fast Company, “Trees grow in tall cylindrical poles, and we rarely use tall cylindrical poles in industrial applications,” she says. “So you end up shaving off a bunch of material that you spent 20 years growing, and that ends up being a waste product.” If you could spend those 20 years growing material that is anywhere from 70%–100% usable, wouldn’t it be worth it? Although scientists haven’t grown coffee tables from petri dishes as of yet, the science is rather promising, and we’re looking forward to the progress they make! Hopefully, this will make furniture even more affordable down the line as well.

Growing meat in a lab is one thing, but how is it done with wood?

It’s actually nearly identical. This proof-of-concept study cultivated cells to divide and multiply into forms outside their parent phylum, and it became a powerful first step toward finding alternatives to forestry. According to the researchers, they were able to use a leaf from a zinnia tree to grow “plant-like tissues selectively, free from unnecessary organs.” Because plant cells respond well to “tunability,” it’s actually easier to create plant material than cell-cultured meat. In other words, we could get furniture from lab-grown materials in the near future and it could be developed at a more rapid pace than that of lab-grown meat.