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Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Crab-Filled Crescent Wontons
These yummy bites of crescent roll-wrapped crab were standouts on a buffet of appetizers that I set out for friends on Saturday night. They require very little effort to prepare and were a BIG hit.
Check it out!
Just mix together some chopped crab meat (I used the imitation stuff), cream cheese, mayonnaise, green onion, and cayenne pepper in a bowl.
Unroll a refrigerated tube of crescent roll dough on your work surface. Pinch the seams and roll it out a bit to make an even rectangle. Cut the dough into 24 squares (6 rows by 4 rows).
Divide the crab mixture evenly among the crescent squares.
Fold one corner of the dough over the filling, then roll the "wonton" over to encase the crab filling in the dough. Place on a baking sheet and brush with egg white. Then, bake at 375 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.
And that's it!
Quick, easy, and delicious...my kind of recipe!
Crab Filled Crescent Wontons adapted from Pillsbury.com
1-8 oz. tube crescent roll dough
3 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup mayonnaise
3/4 cup cooked crabmeat, chopped
2 green onions, chopped
1/8- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt and pepper, to taste
Heat oven to 375°F. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray. Unroll dough on work surface. Pinch seams to seal and roll with a rolling pin to create an even rectangle. Cut into 6 rows by 4 rows to make 24 squares.
In small bowl, mix cream cheese, mayo, crabmeat, onion, and red pepper. Salt and pepper to taste. Divide crab mixture evenly among the squares, dropping it by spoonfulls that are 1/2 inch from 1 corner of each square. Starting with same corner, fold dough over filling, and tuck end tightly underneath filling; continue rolling to within 1/2 inch of opposite corner. Roll opposite corner of dough over roll; press to seal. Place on cookie sheet. Brush with egg white, if desired.
Bake 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from cookie sheet. Serve warm.
44 comments:
- Mary | Deep South Dish said...
Would totally love these! Like the way you rolled them.
- February 23, 2011 at 9:26 PM
- Priyanka said...
Loved it......Would definately give it a try :)
- February 23, 2011 at 11:20 PM
- La Bella Cooks said...
Oh wow, these sound so easy but they look like you spent forever preparing these. They look so delicious as well.
- February 23, 2011 at 11:53 PM
- Rachel said...
What a great appetizer idea!!! They certainly look like you spent a lot more time preparing them!!!
- February 25, 2011 at 11:27 AM
- Tina said...
Blog surfing and found your blog! I've gained five pounds just looking at your recipes!
I'll be back to read more! Can't wait to try these!
You have a new follower! - February 27, 2011 at 11:23 PM
- AprilO said...
Sounds delicious! I think Im going to try using Old Bay seasoning in place of the cayenne.
- June 20, 2012 at 12:07 AM
- Dawn said...
there are so many great crescent roll recipes out there Pillsbury now has seamless dough
can't wait to try these! Thanks - June 23, 2012 at 8:35 PM
- Sara Wood said...
Thanks for sharing this recipe! these look great.
- June 25, 2012 at 10:51 PM
Thanks for sharing this recipe it was delicious. Preparation was quick and easy and it took less than 15 minutes to cook!
- July 4, 2012 at 5:38 PM
- Pinky at Designs by Pinky said...
Found this on Pinterest and will make it for our dinner group o sat. night! Thanks!!!!
- July 22, 2012 at 3:57 PM
- The Seaver Family said...
The filling is similar to a dip I make! Try a bit of horseradish too! Tastes awesome!
- August 15, 2012 at 7:51 PM
- Leah said...
Just made these. Easy and very good. Definately a new go to appetizer!
- August 29, 2012 at 5:16 PM
- Unknown said...
I've made these a couple times and they're so good! I'm making them tonight and subbing the green onion for minced caramelized shallots and chipotle mayo for the reg mayo...deleting the cayenne because I ran out!
- September 8, 2012 at 6:57 PM
- Figgy55 said...
How would these hold up in the fridge for eating the next day? Thinking about it for an office potluck.
- October 2, 2012 at 2:34 PM
- Ms. Feeling Honest said...
I am making these tonight!
As a side note, my 4 year old daughter's name is Krista. When I told her these pictures were on "Krista's Kitchen," she replied, "Wow! That's my kitchen?!" You could have impressed her without a single recipe. However, I'm super excited to try some of your creations!!! - October 14, 2012 at 4:22 PM
- highbay said...
Made this recipe and they were awesome!!!! I made them in bite sizes (I had 38 with one tube of rolls) and they were perfect! Thanks so much for sharing....I'll be making these again soon!
- November 5, 2012 at 9:38 PM
- Unknown said...
made these for Thanksgiving dinner(Husbands side) but they didn't last till time to eat. Next year will have to make even more. Had made 3 recipes but will double next time.Now Friday morning and my 13 yr daughter making more for my side of family. So easy to make.
- November 23, 2012 at 8:48 AM
These sound delicious. My daughter's name is Krista! Keep your kitchen going! I am sharing these on My Weekly Rays of Sunshine: http://www.tumbleweedcontessa.com/blog/weekly-rays-of-sunshine-4/
- November 23, 2012 at 11:57 PM
- Carli said...
DId you use regular Hellman's Mayo or Miracle Whip? Would either work? Also, what could I use to sub the cayenne pepper? Crushed red pepper flakes? Tabasco sauce? I don't have any and was hoping to use what I had on hand!! Thanks so much for awesome, easy recipes!!!
- December 15, 2012 at 6:36 PM
- Kim said...
I just made these tonight and they are phenomenal!! They are so simple to make and taste better than the crab rangoon I get with my Chinese takeout :)
- December 20, 2012 at 6:26 PM
- Unknown said...
uI am so excited to try these lil delectable bites of heaven!! I am in love with crab rangoon and this seems like a perfect twist on it... not to mention bite size and easy to eat for lil fingers. For Christmas we are having finger food night... so trying to create an array of good baby bites that are not filled with sugar... and I found you!! Thanks for the heads up and I will hit you back up when I try this paradise!!
- December 24, 2012 at 12:29 AM
- Melanie Holmquist said...
Yummy! Made these for Christmas day and everyone loved them.
- December 25, 2012 at 4:52 PM
Did you imitation crab meat with this?
- December 28, 2012 at 9:24 PM
- KAS said...
These look delicious. I have always wanted to make Crab Rangoon, but I didn't want to deal with wonton wrappers. I will definitely give these a try.
- December 30, 2012 at 8:15 PM
- Eva G. said...
Absolutely LOVED this recipe and it was as promised: "quick, easy, and delicious." Will make this over and over again. I added a bit of cucumber and a pinch of dried dill to the mixture. Thanks so much!
- December 31, 2012 at 12:37 AM
- Unknown said...
I HATE mayo or miracle whip. What can I use in place.of mayo?
- December 31, 2012 at 1:57 AM
- Unknown said...
Maybe try greek yogurt in place of mayo!??
Anyone made up and kept in fridge before ready to cook? They still cook ok? - December 31, 2012 at 9:46 AM
- Unknown said...
I am trying these now. I used paprika instead, and I used the pillsbury sheets, only got 20 though so I assume they will be bigger. In the oven now will update!
- January 1, 2013 at 6:47 PM
- Unknown said...
They came out great!
- January 1, 2013 at 7:05 PM
- Unknown said...
what is the best tube crescent roll dough ???
- January 7, 2013 at 10:20 PM
- Zeus! said...
JUST made these! So easy and they turned out great!
- January 18, 2013 at 11:26 AM
- Super Hewett said...
Made these for a group get together last Saturday night, and they didn't even last 5 minutes! Thanks so much for sharing your yummy recipe!
- January 24, 2013 at 3:21 PM
- Unknown said...
Use old bay instead of cayenne pepper, makes it taste that much better!
- February 3, 2013 at 10:06 AM
- Unknown said...
What's a comparable seasoning to "old bay"? I've seen it on a few recipes, but I've never heard of it.
- February 17, 2013 at 4:34 PM
Can leftovers be refridgerated and reheated the next day? Thanks!
- February 19, 2013 at 7:53 AM
- Marlene said...
These are my daughters favorite, but they renamed them "slutty puffs". Don't ask me why I have no idea. I just read on the comments they have seemless dough, I will definitely be trying that as I find working with the precut very annoying. Thanks.
- February 27, 2013 at 2:50 PM
- Unknown said...
In the photo ,you have green and red bits of something in the crab meat ! I guess the green bits are green onion , but what are the red bits ? Chopped peppers ? I know it can not be that much pepper flakes ! What am I missing ?
- May 17, 2013 at 12:03 PM
- Unknown said...
In the photo ,you have green and red bits of something in the crab meat ! I guess the green bits are green onion , but what are the red bits ? Chopped peppers ? I know it can not be that much pepper flakes ! What am I missing ? Oh ! Duh ! I just realized ! ITS CRAB MEAT ! Thank you so much for recipe ! Will be baking these TONIGHT !
- May 17, 2013 at 12:10 PM
- Unknown said...
has anyone tried to make a tortilla roll w/ this?? i was looking for diff. pinwheel ideas & thought this might work.. ??
- May 22, 2013 at 1:52 AM
- A Proverbs 31 Wife said...
I found your recipe here:
if they stole your content, let me know and I'll help you report the page. - August 22, 2013 at 9:30 PM
- Pixel said...
This person has been stealing recipe images from all round the net and claiming them as her own
This is yours it seems. - June 23, 2015 at 4:29 AM
- Mrs. Cat said...
I am tempted to make these just because they look so good but I don't eat seafood of any kind. Have you tried with shredded chicken? If so, how much is in a can? 3/4 c? I've never even seen crab meat in a can.
Thank you!
- January 7, 2016 at 4:34 PM
- Mrs. Cat said...
I see looking back at the recipe that you call for 3/4 c so ignore that question. :)
- January 7, 2016 at 4:36 PM
- Unknown said...
Just made these and they were delicious. I had leftover sweet n sour sauce n it went with them perfectly. Next time I may a a little worshire to the mix.
- March 20, 2022 at 2:30 PM


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MARS Foodservices has new on-trend dessert recipes to meet menu demands. According to The Food Channel's "Dessert Trends for 2011," more patrons are choosing to treat themselves all day long, so adding desserts from MARS Foodservices new recipes, such as Snickers Homeade Tarts, can keep guests ordering sweet items throughout the day.
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From beverages, such as the new Lifesavers Shake and M&M's Strawberry Shortcake Shake, to bars, including Pretzel Munch Blondie Bars with Honey Caramel Glaze, MARS Brand dessert recipes complement any menu.

subset: commoncrawl


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Guide to Giving
Giving navigator
What kind of philanthropist would you like to be? The tool below will help you on your journey to identifying and achieving your philanthropic ambitions.
The Five Stages of Giving
Our five stage framework will help you on your philanthropic journey. By clicking on each stage of the framework, advice and case studies from other philanthropists who have addressed the issues you might now face will appear. Of course, philanthropy is not a linear journey and any stage can be revisited at any time.
1. Setting objectives
Establish clear personal, charitable or corporate objectives to clarify what you want to achieve with your giving
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Outline how you will achieve your goals: where to focus your giving; what type of support you can offer; and the best mechanism for you.
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Find and choose effective charities based on your interests and objectives.
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We've long known that too much excess weight increases your likelihood of dying prematurely. Or does it?
Obesity picture from Shutterstock
A large review of the evidence published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in January found that overweight people live longer than leaner people.
But don't reach for the pie and chips just yet.
There is no denying that the high and rising prevalence of obesity and overweight is a major health problem. With 70 per cent of men and 56 per cent of women either overweight or obese, Australia is among the worst-affected countries in the world.
We commonly measure body size with body mass index, or BMI: a person's weight in kilograms divided by the square of their height in metres. It is a good average measure of the amount of fat a person has in their body, which is useful for classifying people in population studies.
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines a "normal" BMI range as 18.5 to 24.9 and this corresponds to a weight of 49 to 65kg for Australian women of average height (1.62 m) and 58 to 77kg for men of average height (1.76 m).
Recent estimates have shown for the first time that a high BMI is now responsible for the greatest burden of disease in Australia and New Zealand, ahead of smoking and high blood pressure.
But the challenges represented by the obesity epidemic have raised the question of what the ideal BMI is for life expectancy.
Two large and well-conducted studies in the Lancet and New England Journal of Medicine examined this issue by gathering data on more than two million people who had their BMI calculated and were followed for their risk of dying over a defined time period.
The large numbers of participants and detailed individual data in these studies means the researchers were able to look at how small differences in BMI relate to the risk of death, accounting for a range of other factors known to influence this relationship, including illnesses that could potentially affect BMI.
Despite the diversity of populations covered by the studies, and the differences in methods, their findings are remarkably consistent: people with a BMI at the upper end of the WHO "normal" level (22.5 to 24.9) have the lowest death rates.
You can see this visually represented by the J-shaped curve in the graph below: as BMI goes up in increments of 2.5 above and below the 22.5-to-24.9 category, so do death rates.
Why do people with a BMI at the upper end of the "normal" range have the lowest risk of death?
People with BMIs above this optimal level have an increased risk of dying, especially from heart disease, most likely due to increases in blood pressure, cholesterol levels and diabetes caused by excess body fat. They also have an increased risk of dying of cancer.
People with BMI levels below the optimal level also have increased death rates, particularly from respiratory diseases (such as chronic bronchitis) and cancer. The increased risk of death in the people with lower BMIs may also be because chronic illness has caused them to lose weight.
So with this evidence in mind, how does the JAMA paper reach such a different conclusion?
It comes down to the way the data from each of the studies have been collated and presented.
The JAMA review used broad classifications for underweight, normal weight, overweight, and obese and very obese, rather than the 2.5 increments of BMI. People with a BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 were included in the "normal weight" category; we can see from the graph above that this broad category includes people with the lowest risk of death, combined with people with a higher risk of death.
The "normal weight" category was then used as the comparison group for the studies, and has an average risk of death that is higher than the risk in the broad "overweight" category.
This skews the optimal weight finding and changes the shape of the curve, from J-shaped to tick-shaped.
The result? One that suggests being overweight makes you live longer.
There are varying reasons why the researchers might have used these broad groups, including the fact that many studies are too small to be able to present statistically reliable results according to finer gradations in BMI.
The bottom line is that too much fat is bad for your health and increases your risk of dying prematurely. We still have a long way to go in our fight against obesity and, if anything, we need to redouble, not reduce, our efforts.
Emily Banks is Scientific Director of the 45 and Up Study at Sax Institute. She receives research funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council and the Australian Primary Health Care Research Institute. Rosemary Korda is a Research Fellow at the National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health. She receives funding from NHMRC and ARC. Grace Joshy is a Research Fellow at the National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health. She does not work for, consult to, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has no relevant affiliations.
This article was originally published at The Conversation. Read the original article.


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In the hours preceding the most critical moments of his hoops existence, Russell Westbrook spent his day on South Beach in near seclusion, no doubt pondering just how he might come to reconcile within himself who he sees himself as versus whom much the world seems convinced he should be.
In the few fleeting seconds it takes him to jet from one baseline to the other, the Oklahoma City star point guard yet again saw his persona transformed from the heights of having even the likes of the insatiable Charles Barkley rave about him to being portrayed as the poster boy depiction of why the Thunder now find themselves in a 3-1 Finals hole against Miami and facing a climb as steep as any an NBA champ has ever had to dig out of to prevail.
With just 15 seconds remaining and the Thunder trailing by only three, Westbrook foolhardily fouled Heat sharpshooter Mario Chalmers at a time when he and his discombobulated mates seemed destined to malfunction to the point of a critical shot clock violating turnover. Not long before then, he inexplicably dribbled the ball off his feet and out of bounds, again in a moment when his team seemed on the verge of stealing all the momentum from the by then LeBronless Big Three.
In between, well, Westbrook was simply Jordanesque—almost anyway— seeking 20 of 32 shots, many of them with multiple defenders draped all around him and all of them with thousand more disapproving eyes pining on his every move, as he went about the biz of masterfully racking up a playoff career-high 43 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
And now here he stood, once more faced with the reality of having to duplicate all his histrionics all over in the same hostile environs, though now perhaps less certain as to how to best chart his course alongside and in sync with three-time scoring champion Kevin Durant than ever before.
Even where a talent as dominant and explosive as Russell Westbrook's is concerned, nonexecution and utter stagnation can reign as the great equalizers. As such, OKC faithful now fear if Westbrook's blessing has become the team's curse. Wonder if his hyperactive and overly aggressive nature is truly behind what now sabotages their team.
"It's me and my teammates trying to win," said Westbrook, in an apparent effort to salve over all the growing wounds. And yet in those same breathe, the riddle, the enigma that is Russell Westbrook yet again manages to rear its head.
"My dad always emphasized growing up that the ball is my only friend," a defiant Westbrook told Yahoo Sports earlier this season in explaining away just why he plays with such emotion fury and emotion. "After the game we can jump around and all that… but during the game, I'm not going to be joking around with nobody."
And so it goes, the sins of the father—- or, more to the point the sometime selfish nature— have now been cast upon the son, at least as it pertains to these NBA Finals and the clearly dwindling prospects OKC has of fulfilling its mission.
"He was trying to win it by himself," said teammate Kendrick Perkins, though he insists he meant it as a compliment to his fearlessly courageous teammate. Even Magic Johnson, arguably the gold standard for all NBA point guards, ripped him earlier in the series for perhaps playing too selfishly, though he too now has taken it all back.
Either way, in Russell Westbrook's world, all is forgotten if not forgiven, and he figures to take to the court Thursday night in the same medal to pedal way he left it some 48 hours prior.
"Let me get this straight," Westbrook chided reporters. "What you guys say doesn't make me happy, make me said, doesn't do anything. It's all about my team and us winning a game. I don't have a personal challenge against you guys, and it's not me against the world. It's not the world against me."
But it well may seem, at least at times, that's it's him against all of the Miami Heat in Game 5. Seems it's the only way he knows.
Glenn Minnis is a veteran sports and culture writer who has contributed to the likes of ESPN, Vibe and the NFL Magazine. He has also been on staff at AOL Sports, the Chicago Tribune and was the founding sports editor for 360HipHop.com. You can follow him on Twitter at @glennnyc.


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As Mother Teresa once said, "Give until it hurts." Lane County has an abundance of nonprofits deserving of your donations — both tax deductible donations of cash before the end of the year and also donations of your time, your blankets, socks, warm clothing, food and other items in short supply. You might get some ideas from our cover image. EW donated all those items to people in need via First Christian Church. We would love to list every single group, and we hope you write letters and comment online to let other readers know of deserving nonprofits that didn't make it in this year.
The actual Mother Teresa quote from her 1979 Nobel Prize lecture is "But I don't want you to give me from your abundance, I want that you give me until it hurts." Many of us don't have a lot to give, but from what little or large amount we have, give your money, give your time, give so others don't have to hurt.
It never hurts to give to the arts
It seems like the arts are always the first budget to get cut, and that just shouldn't be. Talk about the arts in this town, and MECCA (Materials Exchange Center for Community Arts, materials-exchange.org) comes up repeatedly. MECCA is a recycled art supply store that keeps "junk" out of the waste stream and helps people turn it into art.
Maude Kerns Art Center (mkartcenter.org) has been a nonprofit community center for the visual arts and part of the cultural fabric of the city since 1950, curating some of the best exhibits in Eugene's modern history while also offering classes, lectures, workshops and onsite co-operative studio space.
The Downtown Initiative for the Visual Arts (DIVA, diva.proscenia.net) joined the local arts community in 2003 as a nonprofit membership and donor-supported center, which hosts exhibits by local artists, a poetry series with visiting writers and the OpenLens Short-Film Festival (this February the fest celebrates its 10th anniversary).
One of the most exciting recent additions to the art scene is Eugene Contemporary Art (eugenecontemporaryart.com), a platform and space to educate the community about contemporary art, which also jumpstarted an ongoing artist-in-residency program, Public Process, in 2012.
Jazz belongs on Broadway, and thanks to The Jazz Station (thejazzstation.org), downtown is filled with the sounds of some of the best jazzers from around town and up and down the West Coast. But like most nonprofit arts organizations like The Jazz Station, a project of the Willamette Jazz Society, help from the community is always welcome and needed.
Gertie the Bookbus (bookstothepeople.org) is a nonprofit book bus, and you might have seen her parked around town — most recently at SeQuential Biofuels on Chambers — or tootling along in the Eugene Celebration parade. Gertie's mission is "To serve as roving ambassador of the book, permanently placing free books into the hands and homes of the young, the old, the book-hungry and the book-poor in outlying or underserved areas" and to "foster educational programs that dramatize the ways in which books can and do change lives, helping each reader discover their unique place in the family of all things." We're a newspaper; we like helping people read. — Alex Notman and Camilla Mortensen
A Lean-To hut for Opportunity Village designed by Alex Daniell of Eugene |
Helping those in need
In spite of all the financial, political and legal obstacles, Community Supported Shelters has managed to get its hands dirty and make a difference for Eugene's homeless population. CSS provided Conestoga huts at Opportunity Village and elsewhere, and it has plans to manage a yet-to-open homeless rest stop. More information about these practical people creating tangible results is available at communitysupportedshelters.org.
The recent cold snap showed just what can be accomplished when people work together. Egan Warming Center kept the unsheltered people safe at a time when the need for a warm, dry place intensified. And for all those whose dollars are stretched thin, the center urgently needs more volunteers. Find out more about how to help at eganwarmingcenter.com.
The struggles of homelessness are easily hidden from those of us who are housed, and nobody tries to illuminate them as vibrantly as SLEEPS (Safe Legally Entitled Emergency Places to Sleep, http://wkly.ws/1nk). The Whovilles and other protest camps seek a large-scale solution to put people who need it in places where they can sleep through the night, improving their lives immediately and removing a big barrier to getting a home.
Speaking of safe places to sleep, Eugene's experiment with a homeless-run community is going swimmingly, right into the rainy season. At least one person has already transitioned from Opportunity Village Eugene into permanent housing, and it's heartening how sincerely the residents of the village want to pay it forward and give back to the community that's helping them get on their feet. Help them help even more by donating at http://wkly.ws/1nb.
With all this focus on shelter, we remember that people have to eat, too. FOOD for Lane County's Dining Room serves meals in a comfy restaurant setting and displays art on the walls that was made by homeless folks themselves. It's a nice, dignified place for people that serves an important need. More at foodforlanecounty.org.
Occupy Medical (occupymedics.wordpress.com) serves anyone who needs medical care — insured or not — every Sunday afternoon at the downtown Park Blocks. You can't miss the big red, white and black bus. The tireless work of OM gives us a glimpse of what universal health care looks like. — Shannon Finnell
Women's issues
Champions like Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon are the reason that we are the only state without any additional abortion-related regulations: It takes effective activists to keep our bodily autonomy safe. Waiting in the wings is a potential measure for the 2014 ballot from the anti-choice crowd that would take away funding for abortion services from the lowest income women in Oregon. To help ensure that everyone has access to safe, affordable procedures, visit choiceadvocates.org.
Womenspace (womenspaceinc.org) is another strong advocacy group for women that needs your help — government budget cuts have led to cuts in funding for this much-needed work of preventing "domestic violence in intimate partner relationships in Lane County and support survivors in claiming personal power." — Shannon Finnell and Camilla Mortensen
Civil Liberties
The Civil Liberties Defense Center (cldc.org or 687-9180) gives support to local groups and protesters as well as to the everyday person whose rights have been trampled and who can't always afford an attorney. Sometimes that person is not so everyday, such as a local homeless man with severe bipolar disorder and psychosis who was "forced to endure inhumane conditions and was critically injured while incarcerated in Lane County Adult Correctional Facility for 13 days." The CLDC got the jail to settle with the man for $500,000 and change its mental health practices and policies. That's on top of all the other work CLDC does conducting "know your rights" trainings around the state.
Alley Valkyrie and the Nightingale Public Advocacy Collective (respectexistence.org) know their rights. They spend so much time advocating for the right to exist in public spaces, we're not sure when they have the time to raise money for their cause. — Camilla Mortensen
Donate to alternative transportation
Everyone wins when someone chooses to bike, but those benefits from diminished traffic, easier parking and a more active population don't add up to much if people are biking unsafely. That's where GEARs' educational arm comes in, holding classes for riders of various levels to help them be safe and comfortable on the road and coordinating events for the rest of the community. Donate to GEARs Education at eugenegears.org/donations.
When your bike breaks and you're broke, it can cause a whole host of problems. Luckily, among the many projects of the Center for Appropriate Transport is Eugene Bicycle Works, where riders can benefit from cheap instruction and a workspace with tools. CAT also works hard to educate young cyclists, takes underprivileged kids mountain biking and spurs local bike manufacturing. Check out CAT's other projects and donate at catoregon.org. — Shannon Finnell
Tree Huggers
Our green city is always fighting one environmental battle or another, and those battles aren't cheap. It takes a lot of tenacity to tackle the sorts of problems that local enviros shoulder, like the work of Beyond Toxics (beyondtoxics.org). One of its missions is to protect honeybees by banning the pesticides that took out thousands of the vulnerable insects in Wilsonville earlier this year. The group also recently published the West Eugene Asthma and Air Report, which showed that school children in industrialized West Eugene have a 72 percent greater chance of having asthma. If you agree that pollution and pesticides are bad for people, animals and ecosystems, think about supporting the people who fight for a world free from toxics.
If forests and woodland creatures are on your list of causes, it's hard to go wrong with a donation to Oregon Wild (oregonwild.org), whose campaigns to conserve native wildlife include gray wolf recovery, northern spotted owl and marbled murrelet habitat preservation and restoring the National Wildlife Refuges in the Klamath Basin, home to migratory birds and runs of salmon.
The folks at Cascadia Wildlands (cascwild.org) get a shout-out for their continued support of old-growth forests, waterways and endangered and threatened species. In June of this year, the conservation group, in partnership with Oregon Wild and the Center for Biological Diversity, settled its lawsuit with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, granting greater legal protection for gray wolves in Eastern Oregon.
Then, of course, there's the resilient Cascadia Forest Defenders, always standing in the front lines of the battle, hanging out in trees and getting the word out there for Oregon's forests. They support protecting the O&C lands, which feature in Rep. DeFazio's controversial plan to increase logging on BLM forests. Recently, the Forest Defenders have been occupying Unit 8 of the White Castle Timber Sale area, camping out in protest of excessive timber harvests, as well as getting arrested protesting megaloads of tar sands equipment.
Sometimes legal action is necessary to make headway in the fight for a healthier planet, and the Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide (ELAW, elaw.org) is there in the thick of it. ELAW teams with grassroots advocates from across the world to support clean air, clean water and healthy ecosystems that benefit us all. — Amy Schneider
Foxy was rescued by Strawberry Mountain Rescue and Rehab Center |
Pets, pets, pets!
Here at EW we are a bit prone to doting on our four-legged friends. Some days there are more pets in the office than there are humans, and that sometimes includes the dogs we foster. Save the Pets (savethepets.net or 683-PETS) not only supports spay and neuter programs, it finds homes for beasties in need from kitties to pitties. Overburdened and also in need of help, Greenhill Humane Society (http://green-hill.org or 689-1503) and First Avenue Shelter (http://wkly.ws/1ej) couldn't survive without groups like Save the Pets as well as all their own volunteers.
One of the best ways to prevent unwanted and homeless pets is to make sure there are fewer puppies and kitties born without forever homes. Willamette Animal Guild (http://wagwag.org or 345-3566) provides low-cost spay/neuter services, as does the City of Eugene Spay and Neuter Clinic (http://wkly.ws/1ni or 682-3643), which also offers shots, deworming and discount microchipping.
Pit bulls in tutus romp and play at Luv-A-Bull (luvabullpitbullrescue.org) in the hills south of Eugene. The group has been helping Lane County's good-natured pit bulls find homes and shed their bad-dog reputations with its lovely sanctuary. Luv-A-Bull kicked off the area's efforts to save tiny Los Angeles pups from doggie-death row and now features the Luv-A-Little portion of the rescue. The latest airlift of dogs in need of homes came from Wings of Rescue to Luv-A-Bull in early December. Wiggly Tails (http://wkly.ws/1ek) also takes pups from high-kill shelters in LA and focuses on small dogs (usually under 15 pounds); the group takes in locally surrendered dogs as well and, like the other groups here, is always in need of more foster homes.
It's not just dogs and cats that need rescue; Red Barn Rabbit Rescue (http://redbarnrabbitrescue.org) in Creswell saves and re-homes bunnies in need. Red Barn has worked tirelessly to put an end to the "animal scramble" in Cottage Grove, where children chase down bunnies in a rodeo arena. Lane Area Ferret Shelter and Rescue (http://wkly.ws/1nj or 484-1090) not only rocks the Ferret Agility Trials each year — formerly the Ferret Olympics, until the real Olympics got mad — it also re-homes the furry little weasels.
Large animals like horses are even harder to find homes for — lots of kids ask for a pony for Christmas but not every family can afford one, or knows how to take care of it. So why not sponsor a pony, or a horse, at Strawberry Mountain Rescue and Rehab Center? Darla Clark works endlessly to not only rescue, rehab and rehome the hoofed and maned animals of the region, she also works with law enforcement to ensure that those who neglect and injure the horses are stopped and often charged with a crime (strawberrymountainmustangs.com). — Camilla Mortensen


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If We Can't Have Chris Christie, Let's Try Frankenstein
Let's be honest, most people who plan to vote Republican in 2012 are not satisfied with the current field. Two of the most recent examples are the rise and plummet of Rick Perry and the near comical begging of Chris Christie to get into the race. Although… he did seem to take a curious tack for a man who wasn't running… But I digress.
Republicans are looking for a hero. Heck, they might even be looking for a sandwich. A lot of polls make it seem like President Obama would lose if he went up against a ham sandwich, but when you put him up against any one of these contenders who are actually running, he usually comes out ahead.
So what are conservatives to do? Since it looks like Rick Perry's plan to make offspring from Newt Gingrich and Herman Cain has little chance of happening, maybe they'll have to see if they can clone some sort of monster together from various parts of the current contenders (and possibly some people who aren't running too).
Let's see what we can come up with….
1. Chris Christie's ability to control the media. Remember when it looked like Sarah Palin couldn't adequately tell Katie Couric what kind of magazines she read? Yeah… Chris Christie won't have that problem.
2. Herman Cain's relatability. Whether he's cracking jokes in a debate or telling you about his battle with cancer, Herman Cain is a man that many Americans can relate with. (minus the incredibly non-PC stuff… and then again, there are people who relate to that too)
3. Steve Jobs' "Reality Distortion Field". Steve Jobs has a reputation for being able to distort reality to such an extent, he can tell you that your laptop doesn't need a DVD drive, and you'll believe him. In a way, our current president has this ability too. Remember when Barack Obama said you can keep your doctor if you want to? Or how about "unemployment won't go over 8%". When you're a politician, few things are more valuable than being able to make things up and get away with it.
4. Sarah Palin's seemingly airtight background. A guy moved into the house next door to Sarah Palin, and the best he could come up with is that she might have slept with Glen Rice in college. He's not the first "journalist" that's wasted their money on a goose hunt to make Palin look bad. Remember the emails? Media outlets killed about 20 trees printing those emails up, and it looks like they found nothing. I wonder what Obama's emails look like? Think Solyndra. But, again, I digress…
5. John Huntsman's resilience. He has all but had his podium toilet papered by audience members at debates, and he keeps showing up. No matter how many times he's been defiled on Twitter (does that word fit in this context, because it seems like it could) or how much Fox News tries to neglect him, John Huntsman walks around with all of the swagger of a top tier candidate. (something Rick Santorum could learn from)
6. John Stewart's ability to get more credit than he deserves. Again, this is something that Barack Obama already exhibits, but you cannot deny how invaluable it is to receive awards and accolades that you may or may not deserve. (think emmys, nobel prizes) And having the entire weight of American media telling everybody that you're great doesn't hurt either.
7. Bill Clinton's teflon coating. If all else fails, and a candidate is really backed into a corner, it helps to be able to get off the hook by debating what the definition of "is" is. Also go back to number two; the electorate will often overlook your flaws, if they think you can "feel their pain".
8. Dwight Eisenhower's vision. One of my favorite stories of all time is how we ended up with the great system of highways we have in this country today. Eisenhower often spoke of his admiration for Germany's system of roads compared to ours. (he even gave credit to them for making it easier to take Germany in WWII) Once he became president, he made sure that the United States got their own system of roads that made it easier to travel throughout the country. An interesting side note is that mass transportation hippies were against him, but Ike prevailed, and for that I thank him.
9. Elton John's mojo. Elton John is like the honey badger of pop culture; he just doesn't give a… well, he just doesn't care what others think. He knows how to party, he can laugh at himself, and somehow, he can be "proper" enough to do everything from singing at Princess Di's funeral to singing at Rush Limbaugh's wedding. Add that to the fact that he's been relevant for nearly 40 years, and you'll be hard pressed to find a man who has more mojo. Also… he sang the hit song from The Lion King. The man has range.
10. Ronald Reagan's worldview. There is audio as far back as the 1940′s demonstrating that Ronald Reagan saw the world for what it is. He was often able to identify what the problems of the day really were (versus what spin doctors said they were), and he was keenly aware of how to solve them too. If we had leadership like that today, we could see "morning in America" once again.
If we can't get Newt and Cain to make babies and we're open minded to the idea of cloning, this list just might be all the ingredients necessary for a perfect candidate. What do you think the Republicans need to win? Who should (or should not) have been on this list? Let us know on Facebook, Twitter, or in the comments below. We'd love to hear from you.


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Buffett Rule Hypocrisy
By Greg Hunter's USAWatchdog.com
It looks like President Barack Obama is making the tax proposal called the Buffett Rule (also known as the "Paying a Fair Share Act") into a wedge issue. This weekend, the President was pushing the tax proposal, named after billionaire Warren Buffett, as a way to reduce the deficit. The pending legislation says anyone making more than $1 million a year should pay no less than 30% federal tax. Democrats are going to try to vote on the Buffett Rule this week, but it probably will not get very far in the Senate, and it is a non-starter in the Republican controlled House.
The reason why I say this is merely a "wedge issue" is because it will not do much to reduce the $15.6 trillion deficit. It will set up another totally false narrative that will not help the country. According to the Joint Committee on Taxation, which provides the official Congressional analysis of tax legislation, the Buffett Rule will only raise $4.7 billion a year over the next ten years. Mr. Buffett's plan is nothing more than a proverbial drop in the bucket. Counting TARP, QE 1, QE 2 and the $16.1 trillion the Federal Reserve pumped out after the 2008 meltdown, we are well on our way to the $23.7 trillion Neil Barofsky, special inspector general for the Treasury's Troubled Asset Relief Program, predicted the crisis would cost back in 2009. But, even that number, as big as it is, does not tell a complete story, and Mr. Buffett knows it.
The banks are continually being bailed out in many backdoor ways, and to be fair, neither party will say a word about it. The recent $25 billion "Robo signing/foreclosure fruad" settelement was a form of a bank bailout. Foreign bank bailouts are also American bank bailouts in disguise. Take Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, for instance. Taxpayers now own a 100% stake in these two failed mortgage giants. Last year, Fannie and Freddie either forgave or bought a total of nearly $200 billion in mortgage debt liability from Bank of America–alone. (I wrote about this before.) Let that sink in, and then consider Warren Buffet invested $5 billion, last year, into B of A at $7.14 a share. Friday, the stock price closed at $8.63 a share. If Buffett sold B of A today, he'd make about $750 million by my calculation. Give me a break! Would Mr. Buffett have invested the money into B of A if he knew the bailout party would stop? I think not. Why doesn't Buffett talk about one of the real problems facing America and that is the continuing bailouts for billionaires! These bailouts have greatly contributed to the ballooning $15.6 trillion U.S. deficit. Now, there is talk of committing another $100 billion to Fannie and Freddie to add to the $170 billion already blown in backdoor banker bailouts. (Click here for more on that story.)
Other companies Mr. Buffett invested in or owns include: American Express, Goldman Sachs, General Electric, JP Morgan, Wells Fargo and US Bankcorp. All of these companies have or continue to get financial help from taxpayers. If the government would not have stepped in and bailed out these companies (and others), Mr. Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway fund would have been decimated! Had there been no bailouts, no zero percent interest rates and no government sanctioned accounting fraud with the suspension of "mark to market" accounting by FASB in 2009, I'll bet it would be difficult for Mr. Buffet to still be called the "Oracle of Omaha." Party on, Mr. Buffett. Party on at the taxpayer expense. I think this is exactly what is meant by "privatize the profits and socialize the losses." Of course, no one on financial TV would ever call Mr. Buffett out on this shame called the "Buffett Rule."
I think Mr. Buffett is directing the debate away from the obscene corporate bailouts that have been going on since the financial crisis of 2008 and on to a contrived issue of class warfare that will do little to address America's severe financial problems. If we are really serious about fixing the deficit, then let's stop the bailouts. Mr. Buffett is supposed to be an expert investor. So, why do so many of the companies he owns or invests in need to be bailed out! What kind of strategy is this? It looks to me like Buffett made some bad bets, and when they blew up, he became an advisor to the administration. Then, he watched as the bailouts not only saved his bacon, but made him and his shareholders even more insanely rich than they already were.
We haven't heard much from Mr. Buffett's investing partner Charlie Munger, since 2010, when he said, "So I think when you have troubles like that you shouldn't be bitching about a little bailout. You should have been thinking it should have been bigger." And for those not doing so well in the downturn, the 86-year old Munger says "suck it in and cope." (Click here for more on this story from the Christian Science Monitor.)
"Suck it in and cope." That's what Buffett, Munger, Berkshire Hathaway shareholders and all the bankers should have done after the meltdown of 2008. Instead, people like Buffett used their influence and power to debase the dollar with massive money printing for bailouts that helped cause the credit rating of the United States to be cut. Mr. Buffett's actions define him. If he really wants to look like a statesman instead of a bagman, he should forget the Buffett Rule hypocrisy and stop the Buffett bailouts!
Thanks for pointing out that the rich continue to get bailed out while the poor and the middle class get crumbs. The only reason I am voting Rebulican this time (I am an Indie) is that we can not take another 4 year of Obama. Outside of Ron Paul, I don't see anyone offering real solutions but Obama's in your face take over of the economy and his executive orders setting up his kingdom scare the heck out of me. -
The truth is that the national debt will never be paid off since it is statistically impossible to do so! In 11 years the interest payment will be the size of the Pentagon budget… what about the principal?
The numbers don't lie and eventually a major default will happen the only question is whose will it be made from their end or ours…..
I don't agree that the debt can never be paid off. There are ways..they just aren't mainstream. Sell off some assets. What is Alaska worth? $4 or $5 Trillion maybe? I would rather sell of Alaska to Russia/Canada/China and pay down the debt, then hold Alaska. What is Hawaii worth? Again, a few trillion at least. I'm sure Japan/China would love to buy it.
Also, most of our payments go to SS and Medicare. What if there was a new flu that wiped out the weak and in-firmed (elderly). The 1918 flu killed something like 20M in the US alone. A pandemic like that where any vaccines would have to be rationed would surely go last to the elderly. Nature could strike with another pandemic or one could be manufactured.
Saying the debt can never be paid off is just 2 dimensional thinking.
Great article, Greg. Once again succint and to the point.
Keep up the great work! -
Very well said…very well said indeed.
Way to go greg. I got goosebumps. Love hearing truth!
Hi!, USAWatchdog Patrons Et Al:
The truth and nothing but the truth so help me God is that the head of the deficit/bailout snake should be cut off: KILL THE FED!!
[email protected] -
This scrutiny of Buffet is top notch journalism. It shows that Buffet didn't gather his billions merely by being canny and timely capitalizing on trends, but by having government under the covers with him. Unfortunately he isn't a brilliant investor to be idolized, but a bizarrely dangerous monopoly capitalist using government power to vitiate his aspiring competitors. Ruin competition, the public loses. The Buffet proposal of 30% tax on (ordinary) millionaires is another strategy to prevent capital formation among prospective competitors of himself and his kind, who are absorbing the nation's wealth and devastating the middle class, as manufacturing jobs have been exported ("Trilateralized") and home ownership has been on a long decline, transitioning into apartment residency (feudalism). Just get a food service job at the shopping mall, little people! There are influence circles who collude with government to inject financial venom into business domains not controlled by their members, as in Stuart Symington and Floyd Odlum wrecking Northrop Aviation when Jack Northrop wouldn't accept a lowball offer from Odlum to merge into Atlas Corporation. This is how monopoly capitalism functions. Buffet is a known participant at the annual "Bilderberg" conferences, founded 58 years ago by someone (allegedly) worth far less than himself. The Pilgrims Society stands at the absolute pinnacle of influence in the United States, despite having a profile almost unknown to the public. It's the only organization Bilderberg founder Rockefeller belongs to which he didn't mention in his memoirs, and the USA President is always an "honorary" member of this virtually unknown organization which was set up to effect "the seizure of the wealth necessary" (Review of Reviews, May 1902 pp557-558). It's extremely probable that Buffet is a long time member of this British Crown sponsored organization, which remains the only major globalist group refusing to release a roster into the public domain; last leaked list dates to 1980. The Buffet rule is about preventing capital formation outside Pilgrims Society influence circles, which include its visible subsidiary, the Council on Foreign Relations. Wealth of monopoly capitalists, shielded by foundations, trusts and other ploys, won't be touched by the proposed Buffet Rule. That's why The Pilgrims Society (motto "Hic Et Ubique" Latin means here and everywhere) always has high powered Wall Street attorneys in its ranks. For details on the secretive group tracing to 19th century oil, banking and railroad barons, see also Joel Van Der Reijden. Another highly likely member is Ben Bernanke; several of his predecessors were known members, including Volcker, Obama's top adviser. I do sincerely believe we could start towards the light of day as a nation under the Constitution and free enterprise if the shroud of secrecy could be lifted from this one organization, as the others are mere distractions.
We should tax all excess wealth of individuals who have over $100M in assets. This would raise more than taxing income of millionaires. Buffett wants to tax your income because he already has wealth. Tax his wealth
Great artical. My thoughts exactly..This will go stright to facebook,and emails. -
A Banksters defeatism nightmare, Being forced to Return to Real Money=United States Note=Lawful Money. The real reason you pay an income tax, is for the privilege of using a private currency. Also known As A: Federal Reserve Note, Demand from your bank or brokerage, lawful money and the tax goes away, with a tax exemption on lawful money, all of your money is yours. Use the Remedy within the Federal Reserve Act. http://savingtosuitorsclub.net/ Stop being a Slave!!!!!!
Tax Exemption: http://stormthunder.com/federal-reserve-act/ Web search these four different phrases: Redeemed in Lawful Money or United States Note or Redeemed in Lawful Money Pursuant to Title 12 USC §411 or deposited for credit on account or exchanged for non-negotiable federal reserve notes of face value -
Dear Greg,
Love you like a brother.
On Youtube you can see a video of Ron Paul's speech at UCLA.
About 8 minutes in a large guy on the stage who does not interact with SS agents suddenly spends about 30 seconds continuously recording every person in the venue…then he checks it. Bold as brass, right there in front of everyone. Digital ID for the supercomputer database.
I recommend walking to work.
See ya in the camps.
Well put Greg!
Notice that at no time did anyone suggest that instead of raising taxes on a small group they should instead rein in big government and lower the tax rate of average workers to what Mr. Buffet pays.What Mr. Buffet has done is irresponsible, it will eventually cast a very dark shadow over his legacy.
There was a photo of Warren a few days ago accepting a medal from Obama. Now it's clear that Warren said what he said because he knew he'd get a medal for it. It doesn't matter to him that his influence would be unjust and harmful to others. There are many men who would do anything for a medal or a prize, regardless of whether it was a real an honor or not. Now we have one more proof of this fact. I like what the American composer Charles Ives said: "Awards are merely the badges of mediocrity."
Greg Hunter's article, Buffett Rule Hypocrisy, is excellent!
There is little mention in the American media (Bloomberg
excepted) of the staggering magnitudes of these bailouts of
incompetent losers in the financial sector. Apparently, only
Iceland has the guts to face up to their mistakes and let the
free market actually work? if you bet and lose – you lose, period! -
Thank you for your insight and wisdom. I agree with every word! It would seem that Obama,Buffet,and the big banks are partners in crime.
The sad thing is that at the end of the day, all that money and power won't buy either of them eternal life. They are hell bent on destroying so many innocent people's lives with their bad decisions and greed. And I truly believe that they are instrumental in bringing in the One World or Global Government.
Greg, in a future article, can you give us some suggestions that would help us prepare for the economic tsunami that is most certainly approaching our shores?
And, are we going to be looking at tent cities like in the first Great Depression or worse? Do you think that we would fair better by moving to a more rural area if we live in a big city? Thank you for your response.
The public and corporate driven debate on taxation is funadamentally flawed. A person who works hard every day to feed and shelter their family should never be taxed on wages or salary that comprises the fruits of their labor. There's little difference between that and living outside the gates of a feudal lord and paying for the privledge, simply because you don't have the option to own any land of your own.
A real and viable solution is to eliminate all taxes on individual income that's generated as a wage or salary with a reasonable cap – up to $250k for example. And to increase taxes on all investment income and on corporate profit (not revenue, so prices remain unaffected), with no loopholes. Perhaps a sliding scale for both. An individual pays 30% (like today) on all investment income up to 250k, 45% on all investment income over $250k up to $1M, and 60% on all investment income over $1M. Corporations will always pay a flat 50% tax on profit.
With 400 individuals in the US earning more than all of the remaining households combined, and with some corporations paying zero tax despite billions of $'s in profits, this kind of revised tax policy would allow all of them to remain wealthier than anyone else might dream, while increasing federal tax revenue significantly higher than the Buffett scam, while adding more money to wage earner paychecks that will flow into local economies.
The real debate (the question that's not discussed in mainstream media) is the one between taxing wage earners, or taxing profit from investement or corporate activity. Taxing investment and profit is always presented as socialist, when in reality, the bigger socialist activity is taxing everyone under a federal thumb, rather than enabling everyone to remain independent from government control.
Limit taxation to investment and corporate profit without making the tax prohibitive to wealth generation. That's the solution for Americans, which cannot be achieved while the banksters remain in control of the American political process, the White House, and the media.
I think this is simply another wedge issue to distract the voters. Let's remember a year or so ago when Mr. Buffet and Bill Gates traveled the country and the world urging their wealthy friends to leave their fortunes to the Gates Foundation. They want to set up a powerful Foundation and starve governments of needed tax revenue. In their view, only the little people pay taxes.
I oppose Foundations and believe they should end fifty years after the death of the donor. They have taken on a life of their own and have too much influence in government.
Apparently Berkshire Hathaway is one of the VIPs in the too-big-to-fail club.
Hi Greg
The biggest problem as I see it is we can't bring these scum in the government to court over this or anything because we're paying for the lawyers on both sides. Where will it end? Are they really stupid enough to believe anyone gets out of this mess unscathed. Note are being taken by great reporters like you and the word is spreading. There comes a point of imbalance where the fallen seek retribution and when it comes, look out. Thanks for another unpopular report and I'll be looking for more. Phil -
Right on as usual Greg. Thanks for all your hard work! A little off the point but just as frustrating is the article today about the Feds staffing 6 federal attorneys to make sure this time they get that public enemy #1——ex-baseball er, Roger Clemens!! Now there is a danger to society! You think they would pursue the Banker's who LIED to Congress about their culpability in the worst Banking crisis ever, Hell No, but lets get that dangerous Roger Clemens off the street so he can't harm anyone again. Nothing will ever change in Washington as long as the Politicians continue to buy their votes with Wall Street money!!Jay
Aw, now let's cut poor 'ole Warren some slack, shall we? It's got to fry a man's psyche in some sort of long-term way when he comes down to breakfast one morning, and his wife says, "Warren? I'm running off to California to be a hippie, and oh by the way, you're a cuckold."
Hi Greg
I know you didn't mean to perpetuate this, but I have a problem with the notion that governments can just willy-nilly raise taxes and assume a certain return.
It never seems to occur to government officials and assorted worshipers of the State that if you raise taxes that the tax victim will respond in a way to minimize the pain. They will work less, or not at all or they will find some way around it. Few people just sit there and take it.
This is especially true of this particular demographic who have the most discretion in the market. What if a businessman making over a million dollars a year decides that the increased taxes just don't make it worth his time to keep his doors open. He then closes up shop, lets his employees go, and heads to his beach house to fish and watch the waves come in.
The problem with the socialist/government worshiper mindset is that I think most of them really don't care if they hurt a bunch of poor and middle class people, as long as they imagine that they can "stick it to the man." In reality, they only stick it to everyone else.
It seems to me that the issue about taxes rests upon fairness – everyone should pay taxes.
The White House's final report of the Buffett Rule (http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/Buffett_Rule_Report_Final.pdf) oversimplified the tax problems and it contained misleading information. It didn't mention any of the tax loopholes that many people use to avoid their taxes legally or evade their taxes illegally. The Buffett Rule won't change anything. The IRS won't get more money from the rich guys because they can still use the same old tricks to evade their taxes. Poor people who are on welfare continue to pay no income tax. Meanwhile the middle classes who rely on their paychecks are still stuck with their unfair tax rates. Even if the Congress passes the Buffett Rule, it won't increase the tax revenue and therefore it has no effect on reducing the deficit.
Here is an interesting article from The Wall Street Journal – "How You Can Pull a GE on Taxes" (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704530204576235090332473366.html). May be we can learn something from it.
The old saying "the rich get richer and the poor get poorer" has never been more true for America. Corporate America & Government have merged and both parties are good with that. Remember, and please never forget, behind every large corporation are very rich men getting much richer at the peoples expense, all the while they claim it is owned by millions of the middle class. Good article Greg.
I read in the newspaper this morning the Senate Republicans killed the bill. This is nothing more than campaign fodder. It gives Obama something to run on, he sure can't run on his record.
The Government keeps their rich banker friends happy. After all, they don't have to pay for it, WE DO!
So Lets Have Another Little War
In the name of maximizing domestic production, the good little socialist President of Argentina has decided to nationalize a Spanish owned oil company YPF and setting of a diplomatic confrontation with Madrid. Just what the Spanish need in the wake of Iran announcing that it will cut off oil shipments to Spain is serial failure Argentina expropriating another source of oil it desperately needs even if it economy is contracting.
The government in Madrid has promised that it will have a "forceful response." This is of course open to a variety of interpretations but it's unlikely that Spain can handle having $5 Billion sucked out of its economy at the point of it already facing imminent collapse.
Never mind that Spain was the first if not the only European nation to come to Argentina's aid during their latest currency failure. But I guess this is how Argentina's President Fernández and would be Avita Peron thanks Spain for its help.
If there is any country in South America that has mimmicked Europe's failed welfare stateism it is Argentina. Just how many times does it's economy have to collapse before it becomes apparent that this socialism crap just does not work?
Meanwhile back in Spain where unemployment is at 23% and youth unemployment is over 50%, the Cental government is talking about taking over the financies of the provences because their even more out of control than the cental government's. Now looking down the barrel of another $5 billion hole in its GDP one can only imagine the anger and panic set in motion by this little backstabing from Argentina. So much for Ibero American solidarity.
Neither can the dithering hands of the EU in Brussels be happy about this. One more unpredictable turn of events threatining the EU ponzi scheme. If it all was not so economicly dangerous it would be hilarious.
Well it's not like Spain could actually go to war with Argentina but I'd bet they wish they could. One would have to wonder just how Obama will stick his bumbling fingers into this pie and make things even worse. But then I'm sure his refering to the Malvinas Islands as the Maldives has already endeared him to the hearts of the Argentines.
bring back the OTTOMAN EMPIRE!
I think you are leaving out the fact that the reason government is bailing out the banks is that politicians forced the banks to give sub prime mortgages that is mortgages that banks would not ordinarily give out because of the high likelihood that the people could not pay them back and they kept increasing the % of their portfolio that had to be sub prime. The government only helps out the banks that did what the government wanted and the government did not help out those who would not play ball. The politicians did that for votes, basically putting people into houses they could not afford and that with variable rates, as soon as the interest rose, the people defaulted on the mortgage payments.
Greg 15 trillion? Your far more akamai than that.
77 Trillion? 100???
Very good article Greg, maybe we should rework the moniker of the Oracle of Omaha to the Oracle for Obama.


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Dave Says: Don't use emotion to rationalize an upgrade
Dear Dave,
My husband will be finishing physician assistant school in December, just a few days before our first baby is due. We've got about $70,000 in student loan debt, and we're trying to get everything paid off. Both our cell phones are pretty old, and I'd like to get a new one that costs $350 so we can have really good pictures of the baby. My job is the only income we have right now, and I'm making $45,000 before taxes. Is this a silly thing to do in our situation?
Dear Jamie,
This is an important question. It's not important because $350 is a big deal in the grand scheme of things, it's important because you're making a judgment call as to what you're focusing on and what you value.
If you're focusing on your husband finishing school, so his income goes up and you're trying to get out of debt, that fine. I love it when people are willing to work their tails off to have better lives. But if that's your focus, and at the same time you're trying to rationalize buying something you don't really need, that's a bad thing. You don't need a new cell phone for a camera, especially if the camera is the only reason you're buying it. You can find decent digital cameras everywhere these days for $50 or less.
I understand the joy that goes along with having a child. I have three kids, and we were absolutely ecstatic each and every time one was born. And, of course, we wanted good photos of them all. But right now, I think you're trying to rationalize a phone upgrade based on the emotion of a new baby. As an exercise of your value system, that's a tendency you need to break. This is a test, Jamie. What you're talking about here is a luxury, not a necessity. Rationalization is one of the prime causes of overspending.
Please understand, I'm not picking on you and I don't mean to be harsh. We've all flunked this test at times. But this is an important moment where your judgment and values are concerned. It's your call, but you really don't need to blow $350 on a new phone right now.
* Dave Ramsey is CEO of Ramsey Solutions. He has authored seven best-selling books, including The Total Money Makeover. The Dave Ramsey Show is heard by more than 16 million listeners each week on 600 radio stations and multiple digital platforms. Follow Dave on the web at daveramsey.com and on Twitter at @DaveRamsey.


text:
The Yamaha MCR-232 micro system might not be the newest kid on the block – you only have to look at its old Apple 30-pin dock and lack of wireless to see that – but what it lacks in the latest features, it makes up for with its likeable sound and affordable price.
Despite its small stature, in terms of scale the Yamaha more than holds its own against some of the beefier systems around for this money.
We start with The Eagles' No More Walks in the Wood, and the sublime harmonies of the track fill our testing room with a surprising amount of space and airiness.
It's a well-balanced listen for the most part too, and despite that subwoofer output we don't find ourselves immediately wanting more from the low-end.
The punching bassline in Eminem's Say What You Say is reproduced with control and agility, and while it might not reach as low into the bass as rivals, it has much more attack to it, easily keeping up with the midrange, which is also particularly well handled.
Vocals are clear and Adele's soulful voice in Rolling in the Deep shows stacks of detail and emotion. Dynamically it's strong too, and is adept at following the ebb and flow of a recording, making it an exciting listen.
We would still say it falls behind the likes of the Denon D-M39DAB for rhythmic timing and dynamic handling, though. It's good, but it's not Award-winning.
However its biggest downfall comes from the treble. With a fairly hard-edged recording like Rolling in the Deep, the top-end can easily tip from bright to harsh, particularly at higher volumes.
Listen to smoother recordings at a more ear-friendly level and it's not quite as irksome – but over time it's a quality that we fear could well become tiring.
As such, when you're using the digital inputs, you should always use as high-quality recordings as possible in order not to trouble the treble any more than is necessary – we'd recommend 320kbps or better where possible.
The Yamaha MCR-232 is a dinky little system. It consists of a compact main unit and small accompanying speakers, which stand much shorter than any of its immediate rivals.
They also go back further too, matching the depth of the CD unit, which is something worth considering if you're thinking of sitting this system on a bookshelf.
Inside these two-way bass-reflex speakers you'll find 11cm woofer units and 25mm dome tweeters, with screw terminals between them and the receiver for a superior connection. There's also a subwoofer output and an 3.5mm input for laptops or non-Apple portables.
Apple devices are served by the USB port and built-in dock. The latter is compatible with the iPhone 4s and below, and any 30-pin iPod. Owners of Lightning-equipped Apple kit will need an adapter – but should note that there might be compatibility problems with iOS 7.
While the 30-pin dock does make the system look a little long in the tooth aesthetically, the USB input helps to put this right by allowing for a musical connection with any Apple device, including iPads, as well as WAV, MP3 and WMA playback from any USB stick.
There's no wireless Bluetooth or AirPlay though, so wires will be needed for digital playback.
DAB radio is also present and correct, including DAB+ for non-UK countries, and the speakers and receiver come in four finishes, with a choice of silver or black receiver and black or brown speakers.
Overall the Yamaha MCR-232 produces an enjoyable sound that gets your toes tapping for a reasonable price (even less than the £300 quoted here if you check out the latest prices).
Spend that little bit longer with it, though, and there are some things that we think could become annoying enough in the long term that we've had to dock it a star from the full five.
MORE: Best systems 2013
See our all micro system reviews


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The wiki is being retired!
Documentation is now handled by the same processes we use for code: Add something to the Documentation/ directory in the coreboot repo, and it will be rendered to https://doc.coreboot.org/. Contributions welcome!
tint is a small curses-based game.
We have ported this game to libpayload so it can now be used as a coreboot payload.
First, get tint itself and patch it:
$ git clone http://review.coreboot.org/p/coreboot.git $ cd coreboot/payloads/external/tint $ wget http://snapshot.debian.org/archive/debian-archive/20110127T084257Z/debian/pool/main/t/tint/tint_0.03b.tar.gz $ tar xfvz tint_0.03b.tar.gz $ cd tint-0.03b $ patch -p1 < ../libpayload_tint.patch
Then, build libpayload:
$ cd ../../../libpayload $ make menuconfig
Under Standard Libraries choose Tinycurses instead of the default PDCurses as the Curses implementation as building Tint fails with the PDCurses implementation. Then exit the Kconfig menu and say Yes to saving the config.
$ make $ make install
The libpayload directory has to be in the tint-0.03b directory:
$ cd ../external/tint/tint-0.03b $ ln -s ../../../libpayload/install/libpayload libpayloadbin
Finally, build tint itself:
$ cd .. $ make
The ELF file tint is your final payload which you can use with coreboot, either on real hardware or in a QEMU image.
Finally, you have to build coreboot with tint as payload:
$ cd ../../../.. $ cp ../tint/tint-0.03b/tint payload.elf $ make menuconfig
Now enter the Payload menu and select Payload type and then An ELF executable payload file. Then, exit the menu, save your settings, and build coreboot:
$ make
The file build/coreboot.rom is your final coreboot image, which also contains the tint payload.
Running tint in QEMU
For running the coreboot+libpayload+tint image in QEMU, you need a patched version of vgabios-cirrus.bin in your build directory first, and you also need to rename or copy coreboot.rom to bios.bin:
$ cd build $ mv coreboot.rom bios.bin $ wget http://www.coreboot.org/images/0/0d/Vgabios-cirrus.zip $ unzip Vgabios-cirrus.zip $ cd ..
You can now run tint in QEMU:
$ qemu -L build -hda /dev/zero -serial stdio
Ready-made QEMU image
Please follow QEMU#coreboot_v3_.2B_libpayload_.2B_tint these instructions if you want to try out coreboot and tint in QEMU.
I, the copyright holder of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. This applies worldwide.
In case this is not legally possible: |


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A. Partridge and the Black Sea: Roland Orzabal reviews XTC's latest reissue
SDE special guest contributor Roland Orzabal of Tears For Fears on the making of XTC's classic album, its influence on his own work and his verdict on the reissue…
'Andy Partridge is a genius!'
Those words were delivered emphatically by a charming, besuited young man who had a deep, resonant voice, a ripe Russian accent, and worked for the Italian record company back in the nineties.
'And you are a genius!'
OK, rewind. I took the compliment with a pinch of salt, it was part of a constant apology for the disorganisation of the Italian promo trip we were on at the time, but I was impressed that he felt so strongly about one of our national treasures; 'Andy Partridge is a genius!' I wish you could hear those words spilling out of Michele's mouth.
Three little-known facts: I have never met any members of XTC despite the familial connections; Hugh Padgham, who engineered Black Sea, also engineered the recording of Phil Collins' drums on Woman In Chains; and Steve Lillywhite, who produced Black Sea, is an ace at ping pong.
Anyway… the problem with listening to this album for the first time in years is that I now have (track one) Respectable Street stuck in my head. And it just won't go away. Then, when the track plays out in my mind, it immediately segues into (track two) General and Majors. It's a brilliant segue and one that we musicians dream of both live and in the programming of our own records. Listening to those two tracks alone, I am immediately reminded why I list Black Sea among my favourite albums of all time.
But just for the record, my favourite song from the album is, and always has been, No Language In Our Lungs. When I was 19, that song struck a chord with me, and I took it very much to heart.
There is no language in our lungs,
To tell the world just how we feel…
Cue The Hurting.
I bought Black Sea on vinyl when it came out in 1980. It became part of a growing record collection, which included Bowie's Scary Monsters, Peter Gabriel 3 and Talking Heads' Fear Of Music (and Remain in Light). XTC had been having a busy year, the singles, Generals and Majors, Towers of London and Sgt Rock (Is Gonna Help Me) gave them serious exposure on Radio and TV. Track by glorious track, they were building on the success that had kicked off with Making Plans For Nigel from the previous album, Drums And Wires: eerie, unsettling, and a nifty piece of social commentary, it made us wannabees sit up and pay attention, wondering who the hell XTC was and keen to know what was coming next. But there was a false start to their next album, which seems in hindsight like serendipity – having to wait for the right studio and engineer.
Following a heavy bout of touring and verging on nervous exhaustion, XTC had become 'a well-oiled gleaming Moloch of two chopping guitars, bass and drums', to quote Andy. It was a line-up popularised by many of their influences, including the obvious one, The Beatles. In fact, if I remember rightly, I believe that Partridge and Colin Moulding (bass and vocals, writer of MPFN among others) were referred to as the Lennon and McCartney of Swindon (a small town in the West Country of England not far from where I lived, in Bath.) But there is another band whose influence dominates the sound of Black Sea, another well-oiled four-piece of guitar (mainly), bass and drums, and that is Talking Heads. It's especially dominant on Living Through Another Cuba with its 'herky-jerk' Byrnesque vocal stylings, the jump and quirk of Love At First Sight and the scratchy rhythm guitar on Travels In Nihilon.
So, somewhere between More Songs About Buildings and Food and Sergeant Pepper's lies the Black Sea? Okay, maybe not that simple, because I really cannot pinpoint all the influences behind this incredibly diverse record. Luckily for us, it's open, big and sparse without a thousand overdubs to come in and confuse the picture; the guitars are razor sharp, the vocals are in your face, the bass weaves subterranean McCartney magic, and the drums are proud and powerful.
Plus, it's superbly produced by Steve Lillywhite, who also produced Drums and Wires. In-demand Lillywhite had worked with Siouxsie and the Banshees and produced U2's Boy and, more importantly, was king of the ping-pong table when I was in the same studios. But the sound of Black Sea is hugely reliant on both the engineer, Hugh Padgham, and the drum room. I'm assuming the drums were recorded a stone's throw from the stone room at the Townhouse Studios, London, this being the birthplace of the famous Phil Collins drum sound, born during the recording of Peter Gabriel 3. Listen to the drumming on Travels In Nihilon and, again, it's really Gabriel from that period. There was surely a lot of cross-pollination going on because of Steve and Hugh being involved with Peter's masterpiece of a third album. (Lillywhite and Padgham received a test pressing of the Gabriel album while working on Black Sea, and vinyl scratches from the pressing can be heard at the start of Respectable Street.)
So, we have another re-release to consider. Why buy it? Well, it's the first 5.1 mix to be had from this album, and, unsurprisingly (cos I've worked with him), the mixing by Steven Wilson is superlative. Sit in the centre of the speakers like you're supposed to or sit with the main mix on the right and the sub-mix on the left and it's quite amazing. It's like being in the perfect rehearsal room with the band; the acoustic guitar overdub on Generals and Majors popping out of the back-left speaker is a revelation, the metallic percussion on Paper and Iron too – it's a new, for me, way of listening to a very familiar record, it plays with your ears and spatial awareness while making you, despite the odd ping-pong-related injury, want to dance like a drunken teenager.
So far, so good. Reading the sleeve notes is fascinating and a perfect reminder of Partridge's wit and sensibilities. The stories about the artwork and last-minute change of album title are new ones to me. (I won't share – go buy this record.) Are there any undiscovered gems? Well, maybe not exactly gems, but one of Andy's demos, Mind The Gap gives a fascinating insight into how Travels In Nihilon was written, another, Spy In Space, provides the bass riff for Living Through Another Cuba. Unfortunately, the pre-Padgham recordings are just not on the same level as Black Sea, the additional tracks are merely, in my opinion, additional tracks, but the surround-sound remixing of Smokeless Zone and Don't Lose Your Temper brings those songs a lot closer to the quality of the main album.
There is a gulf between this audio experience and what you hear on streaming services. Maybe they will catch up one day? Until then, stay cheerful!
Roland Orzabal
Thanks to Roland for his review. The CD+Blu-ray reissue of XTC's Black Sea is out now. Tears For Fears' Rule The World is released as a 2LP vinyl set on Friday.
The Black Sea reissue can be purchased direct from Burning Shed or using links below.
Compare prices and pre-order
Black Sea - CD+Blu-ray deluxe edition
Compare prices and pre-order
Tears For Fears
Rule The World: The Greatest Hits [VINYL]
Black Sea CD+Blu-ray content summary
• CD: Features a 2017 stereo album mix by Steven Wilson with bonus tracks (many featuring Steven Wilson mixes).
• Blu-Ray: a 5.1 Surround mix in 24bit/96khz mixed from the original multi-track tapes available in LPCM and DTS HD MA.
• Additional Blu-Ray features include:
– The 2017 stereo album mix in 24bit/96khz LPCM audio.
– Additional songs from the album sessions in stereo and 5.1 (several featuring 2017 Steven Wilson mixes)
– The original stereo album mix in hi-res stereo + bonus tracks.
– Instrumental versions (mixed by Steven Wilson), and several bonus mixes in 24bit/96khz LPCM audio.
– Many album tracks in demo form as recorded (mostly live) at Phonogram Studios prior to the main album sessions.
– Three Andy Partridge demos from Phonogram studios.
– Three Andy Partridge demos from Swindon Town Hall.
– Promo films for Towers Of London, Generals & Majors & Respectable Street.


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Recipe of fresh plum & peach sauce
(as dipping enough for 35 mini fried ravioli, recipe in the bottom)
- ripped green plum, peeled and pitted, about 200 g, diced
- 1/2 large peach, diced
- about 20 mustard seeds, crushed
- cardamom seeds from 2 (green) pods, crushed
- natural cane sugar, just about 1 spoonful
- a few organic chrysanthemum
- Put the mustard seeds and cardamom in a small pot, slowly dry roast them for a minute or 2, you should smell the aroma coming out.
- Raise up the heat, add plum and peach. After it starts bubbling, lower the heat and simmer it with a lid 15 minutes.
- Check the liquid level of the sauce, if it has too much liquid, open the lid and/or raise up the heat in order to let the liquid evaporate faster.
- Process the sauce, I like mine a bit chunky. Taste and add sugar if necessary. Fold in a tiny chrysanthemum flower in. Turn the heat off.
- You can serve anytime after it cools off. Add a few mum's petals as garnish.
Recipe of fried mini raviolis
(yield about 35 pcs)
- 4 - 5 heaped tablespoonfuls of flour
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 - 3 tablespoons of water
- a very small pinch of baking powder
- a small pinch of salt
- some roasted meat, perfect for using up left-over, with some fat preferably, finely diced
- In a mixing bowl, combine the water, the yolk, baking powder and (as a start) 4 heaped spoonfuls of flour. Add more flour if necessary. Knead the dough until smooth. Wrap with plastic, and rest in fridge for at least an hour.
- Use a pasta machine to roll the dough, I stopped mine at the setting 6. The sheet dough was a long rectangle with the width of 14 or 15 cm. Cut the short side for every 7 cm. Now I got quite a few 7 x 15cm rectangle sheets.
- Place one sheet, vertically, on a lightly floured work table. I am going to get three ravioli in one sheet. Spoon in a tiny bit of diced meat closer on the right side, on the top, in the middle and the bottom, brush a little bit of water around the meat pile, fold the left-side over, seal well. Use a knife or pasta cutter to cut into smaller square/rectangle. Place them on a plate but cover with plastic while you are working on others.
- Please always lightly cover any dough with a plastic wrap if you are not working on it.
- Pre-heat oil, about an-inch deep, until it is medium-hot. Brush away the excess flour on ravioli before you fry them. It only takes a minute or so for them to turn golden. Drained. Serve immediately. Plum and peach sauce on the side.


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William Shepherd
William Shepherd is an American astronaut who was born on July 26, 1949, in Tennessee. Before he became an astronaut, Shepherd was a Navy SEAL.
Shepherd became an astronaut in 1985. He has spent over 440 hours in space on three spaceflights.
In 1988, Shepherd flew aboard STS-27. Shepherd made his second flight aboard STS-41 in 1990. The crew deployed the Ulysses spacecraft. Ulysses went on to study the Sun. Shepherd flew aboard STS-52 in 1992.


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VERONA, N.Y. – Tiger Woods and Rickie Fowler plan to return to central New York for the Notah Begay Challenge in late August in a best-ball format with U.S. and Asian men and women players.
Begay and the Oneida Indian Nation say a field of 12 will tee off Aug. 29 at the tribe's Atunyote (ah-DUNE'-yote) ) Golf Club at Turning Stone Resort and Casino.
Other PGA Tour players scheduled to take part are K.J. Choi, Gary Woodland, Y.E. Yang, Charlie Wi and Danny Lee. LPGA Tour players signed up include Yani Tseng, Cristie Kerr, Lexi Thompson and Se Ri Pak.
Woods and Begay were roommates at Stanford.
The Challenge raises funds for Begay's charity, which fights obesity and diabetes among Native American children.