Posted on 03/23/2008 11:36:40 PM PDT by nw_arizona_granny
Americans finding soaring food prices hard to stomach can battle back by growing their own food. [Click image for a larger version] Dean Fosdick Dean Fosdick
Home vegetable gardens appear to be booming as a result of the twin movements to eat local and pinch pennies.
At the Southeastern Flower Show in Atlanta this winter, D. Landreth Seed Co. of New Freedom, Pa., sold three to four times more seed packets than last year, says Barb Melera, president. "This is the first time I've ever heard people say, 'I can grow this more cheaply than I can buy it in the supermarket.' That's a 180-degree turn from the norm."
Roger Doiron, a gardener and fresh-food advocate from Scarborough, Maine, said he turned $85 worth of seeds into more than six months of vegetables for his family of five.
A year later, he says, the family still had "several quarts of tomato sauce, bags of mixed vegetables and ice-cube trays of pesto in the freezer; 20 heads of garlic, a five-gallon crock of sauerkraut, more homegrown hot-pepper sauce than one family could comfortably eat in a year and three sorts of squash, which we make into soups, stews and bread."
[snipped]
She compares the current period of market uncertainty with that of the early- to mid-20th century when the concept of victory gardens became popular.
"A lot of companies during the world wars and the Great Depression era encouraged vegetable gardening as a way of addressing layoffs, reduced wages and such," she says. "Some companies, like U.S. Steel, made gardens available at the workplace. Railroads provided easements they'd rent to employees and others for gardening."
(Excerpt) Read more at dallasnews.com ...
Have a good shift.
Be safe.
May God watch over you.
The reason is obvious to me. In anthropology, that's known as the "etic" or outsider view point of a cultural trait. The insider view point is called "emic," in case you're interested in trivia. Anyway, the holes make it easy to carry the fried bread chunks on a journey—early trail food, in other words.
Lots of good info on his website.
http://www.castbullet.com/cooking/fbread.htm
Thank you :)
I got tired of buying them and throwing them out.
We have the opposite problem, we can't keep them in our house. And have the prices really gone through the roof.
Throw out an egg, what's that? lol It appears chickens are no longer laying eggs but little bits of gold. The prices are unbelievable at this point.
One thing I miss in Florida is fresh rhubarb. Anyone know a way to grow it in Florida?
Plant marigolds in a border around tomato plants. They help a great deal in warding off tomato pests.
The sun goes away half the year. Everybody does something to extend the two month growing season, especially starting indoors and setting out the plants after the danger of frost is past, which might be 15 May if you are lucky. Many have seeds sprouting now in every available indoors space, like living in the greenhouse.
Longterm Food Storage Part 1
Longterm Food Storage part 2
Longterm Food Storage part 3
Hmmmmm, I am not an expert, but here is what I look for. If the texture is good (heavy powder), Color is good (light yellow-not brownish), and it smells good . . . I use it. If not, use in the garden???
For me a #10 can lasts a year or longer. I do keep the open can in the refrigerator. I suspect that if kept dry microbe development is limited.
STANDARD DISCLAIMER applies.
BTW, Please add me to the pinglist. Like gardening, this topic grows on you.
I’ve attempted gardens three times here in the Black Hills. The deer reaped all that was sown. After the first year, Mr. RR put a five foot chain link fence around the garden. The deer quickly mastered leaps that would amaze an Olympian. Undaunted, I tried again the next year and added some bars of Irish Spring soap. (Someone told me that would really do the trick) The end result? Very chubby, clean-smelling, high-bounding deer.
The last few years, we’ve been doing some container gardening on our very high back deck.........those critters cannot jump 13 feet. Mostly tomatoes and herbs.....and a lot less frustration.
I’m enjoying this thread, Ruth. Thank you for starting it. I now have it bookmarked.
That sounds good.
Thought about using corn tortillas, shredded cooked chicken, black beans, mexican corn (drain each of them), and mix with sauteed bell pepper and onion, top with shredded cheese.
Make a sauce of green enchilada sauce, cream of chicken soup, green chilies, mild Rotel tomatoes and chilies, and great northern beans, mixing in cumin, onion powder, and garlic powder, and black pepper, to taste.
Follow the layering method, topping with cheese, and bake in 350 degree oven, or in the slow cooker as per the original recipe.
Hi, Granny.
I hope to be back on this very interesting thread before the day is over. It’s just been a busy, busy day so far.
I was finally able to find some okra seeds this morning. Have to have them, tomatoes, squash and peppers, if nothing else. It will be about a week or two behind my other plants, though. I started nearly all of them from seed this year, as buying plants got too expensive.
Fresh homegrown tomatoes and fried okra. I can hardly wait!
Another reason for the “hole in the middle” is for even cooking. With doughnuts, bagels, etc., the outside overcooks while the inside is still doughy.
I make “fry bread” quite often for Indian Tacos. Especially for out of state guests, who are not familiar with our local Lakota Sioux treat. Instead of the hole in the middle, I just make the dough round very thin in the middle, with more thickness toward the outer edges. This way, when dropped into the hot oil, it cooks very evenly.
I lived in Palmer for a couple of years. Never in my life have I seen such monstrous cabbages. The Matanuska Valley is a gardener’s heaven.......for a very brief time anyway.
http://sacramento.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/pressrel08/sc032408.htm
For Immediate Release
March 24, 2008
McGregor W. Scott United States Attorney Eastern District of California Contact: Lauren Horwood (916) 554-2706
Indictments Announced in Major Mortgage Fraud Scheme
Federal law enforcement officials discuss ongoing efforts to combat mortgage fraud in region
SACRAMENTO—U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott; FBI Special Agent in Charge Drew Parenti; and Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Scott O’Briant announced today the indictment of 19 individuals for mortgage fraud-related offenses under Operation Homewrecker. The leader of this nationwide scam is Charles Head, 33, of Los Angeles, California, who targeted homeowners in dire financial straits, fraudulently obtaining title to over 100 homes and stole millions of dollars through fraudulently obtained loans and mortgages.
Operation Homewrecker is the product of an extensive investigation by the FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation.
According to Assistant U.S. Attorneys Laura Ferris, Rob Tice-Raskin, and Ellen Endrizzi, who are prosecuting the case, the charges are broken out into two separate indictments, “Head One” and “Head Two.” On February 28, 2008 , a federal grand jury returned the first set of charges in a 13-count indictment against 16 defendants with violations of mail fraud, conspiracy to commit mail fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering and other related offenses. “Head One” involved a “foreclosure rescue” scam, netting approximately $6.7 million in fraudulently obtained funds taken from 47 homeowners, nearly all of whom were located in California.
From approximately January 1, 2004 to March 14, 2006 , the defendants contacted desperate homeowners, offering two “options” allowing them to avoid foreclosure and obtain thousands of dollars up-front to help pay mounting bills. If the homeowner could not qualify for the “ first option,” which virtually none could, they would be offered the “second option.” Under the latter option, an “investor” would be added to the title of the home, to whom the homeowner would make a “rental” payment of an amount allegedly less than their mortgage payment, thereby allowing the homeowner to repair their credit by having the mortgage payments made in a timely fashion. Unfortunately all of this was a scam. The defendants would recruit straw buyers as the “investors” and oftentimes these individuals would in fact replace the homeowners on the titles of the properties without the homeowners’ knowledge. These straw buyers were often friends and family members of the defendants. Once the straw buyer had title to the home, the defendants immediately applied for a mortgage to extract the maximum available equity from the home. The defendants would then share the proceeds of the ill-gotten equity and “rent” being paid by the victim homeowner. When the defendants ultimately would sell the home, stop making the mortgage payment, and/or pursue an eviction proceeding, the victim homeowner was left without their home, equity, or repaired credit.
The following defendants were charged in the February 28, 2008 “Head One” indictment: Charles Head, 33, of La Habra, California; Jeremy Michael Head, 30, of Huntington Beach, California; Elham Assadi, aka Elham Assadi Jouzani, aka Ely Assadi, 30, of Irvine, California; Leonard Bernot, 51, of Laguna Hills, California; Akemi Bottari, 28, of Los Angeles; Joshua Coffman, 29, of North Hollywood; John Corcoran, aka Jack Corcoran, 52, of Anaheim; Sarah Mattson, 27, of Phoenix, Arizona; Domonic McCarns, 33, of Brea, California; Anh Nguyen, 36, of Los Angeles; Omar Sandoval, 32, of Rancho Cucamonga, California; Xochitl Sandoval, 29, of Rancho Cucamonga; Eduardo Vanegas, 28, of Phoenix; Andrwe Vu, 39, of Santa Ana; Justin Wiley, 28, of Irvine; and Kou Yang, 32, of Corona, California.
On March 13, 2008, the federal grand jury returned a five-count indictment in “Head Two” against seven defendants, including Charles Head, John Corcoran, Kou Yang, each also charged in “Head One,” as well as Keith Brotemarkle, 42, of Johnstown, Pennsylvania; Benjamin Budoff, 41, of Colorado Springs, Colorado; Domonic McCarns, 33, of Brea; and Lisa Vang, 24, of Westminster. “Head Two” involved an “equity stripping” scheme, netting approximately $5.9 million in stolen equity from 68 homeowners in states across the nation. While still targeting distressed homeowners and defrauding mortgage lenders through the use of straw buyers, this time Charles Head altered the scheme so that he would receive approximately 97 percent of the stolen equity, while his “sales agents” and employees, and the other defendants, would receive either the remaining 3 percent of equity or a salary from the fraudulently-obtained funding.
Instead of recruiting friends and family members as straw buyers, as in “Head One,” in “Head Two” the defendants recruited strangers via the Internet. They also used referrals from mortgage brokers to identify and solicit new victim homeowners. Beyond advertising on the Internet, the defendants also would send “blast faxes” to mortgage brokers throughout the country and generate mass emails to potential victims. Through material misrepresentations and omissions, victim homeowners would be offered what appeared to be their last best chance to save their homes. Unfortunately, as in “Head One,” these victims also were left without their homes, equity, or repaired credit.
The maximum statutory penalty for conspiracy to commit mail fraud is five years incarceration and a fine. The maximum statutory penalty for conspiracy to commit money laundering is 10 years incarceration and a fine. The maximum statutory violation for mail fraud is 20 years incarceration and a fine. The maximum statutory penalty for bank fraud is 30 years incarceration and a fine. The maximum statutory penalty for identity theft is 15 years incarceration and a fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables and any applicable statutory sentencing factors.
The charges are only allegations and the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Mortgage Fraud Task Force
In recent months, an Eastern District of California Mortgage Fraud Task Force has been established. This action was taken as a result of the significant increase in reported mortgage fraud as economic conditions and the housing market have worsened. Members of the task force include representatives from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, FBI, IRS-CI, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the United States Bankruptcy Trustee’s Office, and the California Department of Real Estate.
“Mortgage fraud is a very real problem, both legally and economically. Federal law enforcement here in the Eastern District is fully committed to holding responsible those who in their greed have stolen from their fellow citizens. It is our duty to do all we can to restore faith and confidence in the marketplace by placing these thieves where they belong: in prison.” stated U.S. Attorney Scott.
Drew Parenti, Special Agent in Charge of the Sacramento FBI, said, “Mortgage Fraud has recently been elevated to the FBI’s highest financial crime priority, and we are attempting to address the numerous reports of fraud within the real estate industry that have occurred across the country. We are focusing on the industry professionals, the “insiders” who have manipulated the mortgage loan process for their own financial gain. These investigations are lengthy and complicated but we will work with our law enforcement partners and utilize every resource available to us to ensure these cases are investigated and prosecuted to the extent the law allows.”
Scott O’Briant, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation said, “Mortgage fraud adds secret dollars to the underground economy that erodes the integrity of our tax system and threatens the financial health of our communities. IRS-CI will continue to utilize its financial investigative expertise to aggressively investigate criminal activities that adversely affect our financial system.”
“These types of crimes create a significant loss of tax revenue, drive buyers into foreclosure, leave lenders burdened with bad loans and neighborhoods with abandoned and deteriorating properties. IRS-CI is committed to pursuing individuals who commit these types of crimes.”
The task force allows for a more targeted, coordinated approach in prioritizing the massive volume of referrals being made to federal and state agencies.
Post #577, while not a new scam, a version of it hit Arizona about 30 years ago, it is one to be aware of.
It is a good one to start the day with, there were new posts last night, and it will be another hour or so, before I can really work on this thread.
Ping lists, LOL, is there an easy way to do them?
Remember the secret code [keyword] word to find us is “Stink Bait”, thanks to Uncle Ike.....sorry, it makes me laugh.
Note: this ping has been sent to the entire ping list, did I miss anyone who wants to be on it?
Bumpin it up!
Hey NW AZ Granny... I have Family in Kingman Area, are you located near there?
Today’s World Terrorism posts, fit into our posts of last night, and no, I did not do it on purpose, or only a little on purpose, as they were in my yahoo emails, waiting to be posted.
I intended to alert you to #4101 but the important ones kept coming in and I am not done.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1940757/posts?q=1&;page=4101
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