Thursday, November 22, 2012
Legendary Raiders punter Ray Guy
Legendary Raiders punter Ray Guy frustrated but resigned that he's not in Hall of Fame
Wed, Nov 14, 2012
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nfl--legendary-punter-ray-guy-frustrated--but-resigned-that-he-s-not-in-hall-of-fame.html
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Behind a desk, in a second-floor office of an old mansion-turned-college alumni center, sits a man some call the greatest punter who ever lived. Ray Guy looks old now. His once boyish face has aged. His eyes droop. A white goatee sags. He is only 62 but his voice is rich and rural in that way of a country grandpa.
He's got a bad back. "This sucker is wore out and there ain't no parts left." A few years ago he was forced to sell his three Super Bowl rings after declaring bankruptcy. "Something I had to do," he says quietly. "We all have to do something we don't want to do."
These days he works at Southern Mississippi, where he was an All-American, working with former athletes from his alma mater and helping to run the school's athletic fundraising campaign. He loves the job because it puts him in touch with old players. There are old games to remember, stories to tell.
On one wall of his office hangs a giant framed certificate that says he is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame. On the opposite wall is a poster commemorating the NFL's 75th Anniversary Team to which he was named in 1994. You can see him in the poster, wearing his Oakland Raiders jersey, No. 8. His leg is locked in an almost impossible leg kick, having just launched a football into the sky.
The poster is meant as a celebration yet it mocks him daily – a perpetual reminder that he is just one of two men on the 75th Anniversary Team who are not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the other being punt returner Billy "White Shoes" Johnson. And the fact Guy is not, as perhaps the greatest punter in history, might be one of the great injustices in sports today.
"He changed the game, really," says former Raiders coach Tom Flores. "It was never a glamorous position until he came along."
But because of the position he played, many of the 44 writers who make up the Hall of Fame selection committee have kept him out. They don't see punting as football. Any day now, the Hall will announce the 25 finalists who made the latest cut for the 2013 induction class. Guy won't be one of them, just as he wasn't last year or the year before. More than 25 years have passed since he left the game, so he can no longer be considered in the regular voting. If he is going to make it, he will have to rely upon the senior selection committee to bring his name forward, and this group has a long list of long forgotten players who merit serious consideration.
On occasion, when Guy speaks at a banquet or to some organization, the host will make an introduction and then an assumption, announcing him as a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. And Guy will shake his head and correct the host because he can't let a lie linger in the applause. And apologies will be made and Guy will assure the host that it was an honest mistake despite the awkward silence that will fill the room.
"They don't know, I'm pretty much in every damn Hall of Fame except this one," he says. "I wonder if they have a beer drinking Hall of Fame. I could be in that one, too." And Ray Guy throws back his head and begins to laugh. Because what else can you do?
Talk to him long enough and you will discover that Guy is indeed angry about the Hall of Fame. He's mad not for himself because there isn't much he can do about a voter's opinion but for the disdain some of the deciders seem to have for his position. He has camps every summer and there are hundreds of kids who come from all around to learn punting from the great Ray Guy. He worries about what they will think when they see the Hall never calls. What does it say about their dreams? What does it mean?
"I watch them and in the back of my mind I know you're wasting your time because we got some stupid people who don't understand," Guy says. "Here's a kid who's got a dream of being a punter in the NFL, but you got people here who cut him down before they even get out of the chute. So what are you telling these kids? To forget about it?"
He sighs. It is a long, deep exhale.
"I guess it all stems around people just don't understand the importance of a punter," he says. "They really don't. Unless you played. You have to be in there. You have to understand every player on that team has a position or play to do. And all they do is drag and fuss about 'well yeah he can punt and this and that and the other thing,' but they don't really respect that and they think it shouldn't be alongside the other guys in the Hall of Fame."
For a time voters called Guy. Their voices were always filled with optimism, sure that year was indeed the year. They said things looked good, support was lining up. They told him to be ready for good news. They told him to stay near his phone on the day before the Super Bowl. They said a call would be coming.
Then the phone never rang.
"I used to anticipate [the call] but not anymore," Guy says. "It crosses my mind and it's just a fluke. I don't think about it anymore. I just go on. I guess that's the way for the older vets, older than I am, who aren't in the Hall of Fame. I know it bothers them. I mean they should be in the Hall of Fame. The problem they are running into is there are too many modern guys going into the Hall of Fame over these veterans. Reason being is because of their notoriety and they are seen a lot more than these older guys are now."
He sighs again.
"It's all politics, that's all it is," he says in his drawl. "It's the same of everything in life. Everything comes down to politics."
The voters who pick the Hall of Fame meet in secret. This happens every year on the day before the Super Bowl. The panel of 44 gathers in a room at the game's headquarters and decides the fate of 17 finalists. Deliberations often go for hours. Details are rarely revealed, yet enough comes out of football's Star Chamber to know why Guy has never been voted in.
Too many people on too many of the selection committees over the last quarter of a century don't think a player who is on the field five or six times a game without making a tackle, catching a pass or setting a block should gain football immortality. Voters sympathetic to Guy talk about powerful voices on the committee, writers from important publications whose influence carried significant weight didn't even want to discuss the possibility. They talk about one in particular who dismissed Guy with a dramatic flourish, offended that a punter in the Hall was being seriously considered.
Others use statistics. They point to his 42.4 yards-per-punt average, which is tied for 78th in NFL history and say he wasn't even the best punter of his time. If they're going to consider a punter, they ask, why not pick one with better numbers?
They say this even in the rush of all good counterarguments. They stand defiant even when it is suggested that Guy was never a punter to be measured by basic metrics. They don't want to hear arguments that he turned punting into a weapon, that he never had a punt returned for a touchdown in his 14-year career, that he perfected punting out of bounds to minimize returns or that the Raiders had assembled a great offensive machine that often left him to punt with only half a field that prevented him from building more staggering statistics.
"There's always been that bias," says voter and senior selection committee member Len Shapiro. "It's been sort of mystifying. I think he's a Hall of Fame player. He was one of the best at his position in his time."
Seven times Guy was a finalist. A couple of those years, voters say, he was close to selection.
"For punters if you are great and Hall of Fame-caliber and defined the position you should go in," says recently retired punter Jeff Feagles who, along with current Raiders punter Shane Lechler, will probably be a Hall of Fame candidate himself. "I'd like to see the day they can get through a football game without punting."
Nobody taught Guy how to punt. When he was growing up in the 1960s there were no punting camps or clinics or special instructors. The best advice he ever received came from his high school coach back in Georgia who suggested he might get more power if he tilted his foot slightly to the side. Everything else: the leg kick, the high-rocketing kicks, the punts that went and went and went – such as a 93-yarder his senior year at Southern Miss – he learned himself through experimentation.
When the Raiders made him their first-round draft pick in 1973, many of the players were surprised. Who exactly was this kid from down south that was so essential they used their most cherished draft choice to get him? "I thought: We drafted a punter?" recalls Flores who was then an assistant coach. "Then when I saw him kick, it was like 'Holy cow!' I was amazed at how perfect it was when you saw it come off his foot. It just took off."
Guy developed a penchant for kicking the ball out of bounds. This was hard to do because kicking out of bounds is not as precise as booting the ball straight downfield. There was greater risk for "shanking" the ball or hitting off the side of the foot and having it wobble only a few yards in the air. But soon he perfected the technique of dropping kicks off the sideline inside the 20-yard line. This cut down on his yards-per-kick but it also eliminated returns. It seemed at the time a fair tradeoff.
Soon he was something of a kicking sensation. Since he kicked the ball so high in the air, his teammates had more time to run down and cover returns. This led to a new statistic: hang time. Coaches started talking about it. General managers searched for punters who could imitate Guy. Network telecasts put hang time counters on the television screens whenever he punted.
In fact, Guy was such a good athlete – a gifted baseball pitcher and safety at Southern Miss – that he was Oakland's No. 3 quarterback. Rather than punt on the side for a few minutes and watch workouts as most punters do, he was the scout team quarterback, playing the role of Dan Fouts or Terry Bradshaw or Jim Kelly or whichever quarterback Oakland was facing that particular week.
If Flores has a favorite memory of Guy, it is probably one many never noticed. It came in the Super Bowl XVIII victory over the Washington Redskins when he leaped high in the air and one-handedly grabbed an errant snap then managed to land, balance himself and still boot a 42-yard punt.
"If that hadn't have happened they would have gotten the ball on our 20, and it might have changed the whole game," Flores says.
So how do you quantify the immeasurable? How do you put a value on the kicks out of bounds or count the points opponents didn't score? The fact Guy never had a punt returned for a touchdown seems lost on his detractors. How then do you find a statistic that shows the value of a punter on three NFL champions?
"You need a hook," says voter Ira Miller, who covered Bay Area football for the San Francisco Chronicle and is also on the senior selection committee. "You need something that will convince people."
Voters have already shot down the angle of the greatest punter who ever lived by countering with his yards-per-punt-average. The argument that he changed the game is flimsy to those who don't believe a punter can do such things. They don't even care the honor given to the best punter in college football is called the Ray Guy Award. And one of Guy's biggest detractors apparently waved away the suggestion that Guy's role as a scout team quarterback helped the Raiders win three Super Bowls.
"Tell me what he did on the field," one voter remembers the detractor saying.
Miller and another supporter plan on approaching the Raiders at the end of the season to see if they can get access to statistics the team might have kept, including drive charts to see if there is something they can use to sharpen their case. Something has got to work.
One voter notes that Johnny Unitas, who is one of the four quarterbacks on the 75th Anniversary Team, has a lifetime passer rating of 78.2. This is tied for 73rd all time, ranking Unitas well below players like Jeff George and Dave Krieg. Another supporter points out that the one kicker in the Hall, Jan Stenerud, made fewer than 67 percent of his field goal attempts – an atrocious number by today's standards.
Sometimes the statistics just don't matter.
When the senior selection committee met this summer, Guy's name was heavily discussed. Ultimately the committee decided to make Chiefs and Oilers defensive tackle Curley Culp and Packers linebacker Dave Robinson its finalists this year. But sources say Guy came very close to being picked. One said he finished third behind Culp and Robinson. There is a thought among senior committee members that next year it will be Guy's turn.
Though senior selection committee selections have to be approved by 80 percent of the voters just like any other candidate, they are often approved. Voters tend to believe the senior selection committee has already vetted their finalists so the chances are better – 36 of the 49 senior candidates nominated have been chosen. But those weren't punters. Their selections weren't as controversial as Guy's.
"I suspect at some point he will get in, I really do," Shapiro says.
In his office, Guy frowns. Every so often someone starts a campaign to get him in the Hall. One of the most recent is from a 22-year-old college student named Steven Sawtelle who never saw Guy play, but discovered old videos when he made his high school team as a punter. Sawtelle has written to many of the voters and found several of their replies to be discouraging: "A lot of them come up with almost juvenile angles: 'He's a punter,' " Sawtelle says.
Guy is thankful but pays little attention. Some men campaign for their immortality, writing letters, practically begging voters to let them in the Hall. This is not Ray Guy.
"If it happens, it happens, if it don't, it don't," he says with a shrug. "Like I said, as long as my former teammates and my close friends and people like that realize, it's OK."
Then Guy turns to a visitor. The visitor looks at Guy, his face long, his eyes drooping and thinks that, no, it is not OK.
"If you find out the answer let me know," Guy says almost forlornly. "If you accidentally hear why they're never going to put me in, let me know before I leave this old world. I'd rather take that one with me."
If only it could be so simple.
Five Questions: Rob Sterling
Kenn Thomas of SteamshovelPress.com interviewed Rob Sterling of Konformist.com for an upcoming book about the history of conspiracy cyberculture. Here's the results...
1. What was the original inspiration for The Konformist?
Pot. Lots and lots of pot.
I was also a big fan of Spy Magazine and Mondo 2000 in the early 90s, and had gotten into The Realist after reading Paul Krassner's Confessions of a Raving, Unconfined Nut. I also read Jon Vankin's Conspiracies, Cover-Ups and Crimes in 1992 after reading about it in Mondo and the LA Times. I was pretty sold on conspiracy theories after that.
Then in 1995, I started seeing all this conspiracy culture on the web: Brian Redman's Conspiracy Nation, Steamshovel Press, Feral House & Vankin & John Whalen's Conspire.com. Here was all this mind-blowing information, and the ability to disseminate it to the masses was suddenly quite plausible.
And that's when it hit me: conspiracy culture was going to become the next big thing, and the Internet was going to be the medium. So the plan was simple: I would use the Internet to create a quasi-magazine called The Konformist that would present this information with a sense of humor, like Krassner, Spy & Mondo had done before. The bigger plan was to replicate Orson Welles: he used a new media technology (radio with War of the Worlds) so he could enter the field of motion pictures, his true art-form love like mine. I released the first Konformist on April Fools Day in 1996, then pretty much went near daily in November after the Clinton reelection. It got a huge following almost immediately.
I think to quite some degree, I was successful in leading a cultural movement to the masses with The Konformist. Sadly, I have yet to make a Citizen Kane.
2. How wedded was it to Internet technology at first?
It's kind of funny, while I was so right on so many things (like anticipating the conspire cyberculture) I was also quite limited in my thinking on others. Like the plan for The Konformist was that it would be a magazine, and by magazine I mean an actual magazine with pages made out of paper. I didn't have the money for that, but the theory was the Internet version of The Konformist was going to be a practice version of the real thing when I got funding. It was only after I was into it for over a year that I realized the Internet Konformist WAS the real thing.
Cut to 2012, and Newsweek is soon to die, and the future of mags appears to be paperless, as mainstream mags like Salon & Slate have been pointing to for over a decade. My guess is we will soon be at the tipping point where nearly all magazines receive over half their readership between tablets and PCs rather than paper, if we aren't already there. I didn't see that far ahead.
Anyway, a lot of how The Konformist developed was in an almost accidental style. At first it was delivered by email: I'd see people's email addresses on bulletin boards or Websites and if I thought it would interest them, I would add them to my list. Technically, I suppose you could call what I did spamming, but hey, you break eggs to make an omelet. (Jay-Z sold crack.) Then in 1998 (again on April Fools Day) I opened Konformist.com, and that became a center of special articles. Later in 1998 I joined eGroups (later Yahoo Groups) and that became the way to distribute Konformist to people by email, now that I was pseudo-legit and had long stopped fishing for readers. I was actually quite late to the Blog game in 2007, which is a shame, because Blogs are easily the most efficient way to distribute information on the Web at a centralized location.
I think one benefit I had was I wasn't part of the school paper in high school or college. My thing was always writing fiction, not non-fiction, which is why I still write like a storyteller and not a journalist. But since I didn't have any uptight loyalty to printed journalism, I was able to embrace things easier.
I may rib on him a lot, but Matt Drudge had a similar evolution with The Drudge Report as I did, and probably for the same reason. We both didn't really know what the hell we were doing but we knew what worked. As a side note, one of the earliest mainstream news article (written by the entertaining conservative Jim Pinkerton) that mentioned Drudge also listed The Konformist as a top Internet news source. Drudge has gotten a bit more news coverage than me since, though.
3. How did you decide what to put in it (i.e, based on the importance of the scandal or the insight of the writer?)
Through the early years especially, the content of The Konformist was very much supply-side dominated. This was the nature of the beast, as The Konformist literally was ground zero for conspiracy theory through the early 2000s. If you had a conspiracy theory, and you wanted people to read it, it had to be in The Konformist. So there was a lot of writers who sent me their stuff, and they were among the best of the cyberculture: Acharya S, Jaye Beldo, Greg Bishop, Barry Chamish, Alex Constantine, Stan Gates, Ian Goddard, Adam Gorightly, Ace Hoffman, David Hoffman, Kathy Kasten, Robert Lederman, SMiles Lewis, Jim Martin, Dave McGowan, John Quinn, Jon Rappoport and Kenn Thomas, among others.
I think besides the supply, the philosophy I had at the time was: "What you are hearing from the establishment is bullshit. Here's something else." So if some writing questioned the official version of things, I was heavily inclined to include it.
The last part of the original recipe was my own editorial style. Like I mentioned, one great source of influence was Spy Magazine. Of course, aside from a good sense of humor, I have little in common with with those snobby, Ivy-league pricks. If I was trying to replicate Spy, I failed miserably. But in a similar vein, when The Ramones started, they were actually trying to sound like The Bay City Rollers. They failed miserably at that, too. But somehow, I think having a running undercurrent of humor in The Konformist like there was in Spy (and, in a more similar way to The Konformist, Mondo 2000 and The Realist) was one of the things that really helped make it more digestible.
4. How has that process changed over the years?
Well, one major change is The Konformist no longer is ground zero in the conspiracy game. The truth hurts sometimes, but that's the truth.
I would say the three sites that dominate the conspiracy cyberculture now are Rense.com, Alex Jones' Infowars.com and Disinfo.com. And I salute them all. And I think the main reason why they have succeeded (and I don't say this to diminish the quality of their content) is that they all had the best business plan. Jeff Rense has a radio show with advertising, Alex Jones has a radio show with advertising, and Disinfo, even without their marketing maestro Richard Metzger, is an excellent book-DVD-etc. media producer. To quote Al Pacino in the unfairly maligned Godfather III: "I don't need tough guys. I need more lawyers." I focused on content, and I should've developed a business plan, or at least something that vaguely resembled one. Because in the end, you can only run on tough guys and adrenaline for so long.
Many writers don't send me their stuff anymore, because they don't need The Konformist anymore. They can put it on their own website, or put it on Facebook, and it gets out there without me. That's how it goes when you aren't ground zero.
Also, I have increasingly shunned right-wing views. That's my own editorial decision. I've concluded that even when the right challenges the official version, their version is just as equally bullshit in its own right, and I have little patience for bullshit.
I would say since The Konformist is less supply-dominated, it has become more my discriminating tastes. Basically, my philosophy has evolved: the question I now ask: "Would this be fun to read while stoned?" I even have one popular regular feature (first inspired by my Uncle Fats, a dedicated Deadhead and culinary lover) called "Stoner Cooking" that tips off this philosophy. So in some ways, The Konformist could be viewed as more entertaining than ever. But it certainly no longer feels like you've been dropped in the middle of a new and exciting universe like it was when it started.
5. Are people smarter now about parapolitics or less so?
Well, I think conspiracy theory has more become more embedded in our culture. It's like at the peak of heavy metal popularity in the late eighties, even Whitney Houston and Janet Jackson sang songs with riffalicious guitar licks. So parapolitics has become something the official narrative needs to acknowledge. And this is a two-way street. It would be possible to read The Konformist today and perhaps not think it's a radical conspiracy site. I don't think it's because my views have softened, but because there isn't a huge chasm between my interests and what mass culture accepts as there once was.
You can see the changes in our 2012 election. Marijuana legalization was not too long ago considered fringe. Only a few brave souls (most notably the late great Jack Herer) even discussed the economics behind the conspiracy to demonize and suppress it. Cut to present, and it's pretty clear that pro-marijuana laws (despite the fight against them by the Democratic Party establishment) are an election goldmine that soon will be embraced.
Or look at GMOs. When The Konformist first began presenting information about GMOs, nobody really new what the hell we were talking about. Well, this year, Monsanto, DuPont and others had to spend $45 million to defeat Prop 37 in California (which would have required labelling of GMO foods.) Yeah, 37 did lose, but when companies have to outspend their opponents 10 to 1 and barely eke out a victory, time is not on their side.
These micro-examples aside, demographic changes support the wider embrace of parapolitics. As the 2012 election shows, our society is becoming increasingly black, increasingly Hispanic, increasingly Asian, increasingly gay. And these are groups that are more likely to believe in conspiracy theories, because they are more likely to have been victims of them historically. I'll even make a prediction on this: the sneering parody of a conspiracy theorist by the establishment as an angry white male will soon be outdated.
On the other hand, it may be that there are less conspiracies now than there were sixteen years ago. That may sound strange coming from me, but I suspect that may be true. And I don't mean that as a good thing. Sixteen years ago, would torture be officially acknowledged by the establishment? Would legalized assassination be officially acknowledged? Would the massive criminality by the banking vultures be officially acknowledged? "Conspiracy" implies a plot of secrecy, which at least means a desire to conceal bad behavior. Our culture has become disturbingly depraved over the last decade, so there does seem less desire by the establishment to even hide their dirty deeds.
I also wonder if push comes to shove how critical the public's skepticism may be. There was a lot of Sybian-riding in 2008 over Barack Obama's cynical "Hope & Change" marketing, and had there been more demands on his administration than cult of personality cheering, we wouldn't be experiencing a lost decade like we are now. And then there's the big one of conspiracy: 9/11, an event which led to the immediate disintegration for most of the public of any critical thinking. Yes, skepticism of many parts of the 9/11 story are now widespread, but it's after the Neocons got all they want. If another giant event like 9/11 happens, do I expect people to be any more skeptical of the official line? Nope.
“Flatten” Gaza like Hiroshima
“Flatten” Gaza like Hiroshima and “mow” the population, Israeli public figures urge
Ali Abunimah on Sun, 11/18/2012
http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/flatten-gaza-hiroshima-and-mow-population-israeli-public-figures-urge
Among the latest horrifying examples of incitement to mass murder by Israeli public figures, Gilad Sharon, the son of former prime minister and notorious war criminal Ariel Sharon, has called for the Israeli army to “flatten” Gaza as the US flattened the Japanese city of Hiroshima in 1945 with an atomic bomb.
“The residents of Gaza are not innocent, they elected Hamas. The Gazans aren’t hostages; they chose this freely, and must live with the consequences,” wrote Sharon in the extremist publication The Jerusalem Post. Sharon elaborated:
We need to flatten entire neighborhoods in Gaza. Flatten all of Gaza. The Americans didn’t stop with Hiroshima – the Japanese weren’t surrendering fast enough, so they hit Nagasaki, too.
There should be no electricity in Gaza, no gasoline or moving vehicles, nothing. Then they’d really call for a ceasefire.
Were this to happen, the images from Gaza might be unpleasant – but victory would be swift, and the lives of our soldiers and civilians spared.
Sharon added that “There is no middle path here – either the Gazans and their infrastructure are made to pay the price, or we reoccupy the entire Gaza Strip.”
As of Sunday night, the end of the fifth day of Israel’s air assault on Gaza, more than 70 Palestinians, half of them civilians, had been killed in hundreds of Israeli airstrikes.
“Don’t give a hoot about Goldstone”
Meanwhile in a message to soldiers, Knesset member Michael Ben-Ari of the National Union party exhorted soldiers to kill without thought or mercy.
“Brothers! Beloved soldiers and commanders - preserve your lives! Don’t give a hoot about Goldstone! There are no innocents in Gaza, don’t let any diplomats who want to look good in the world endanger your lives[;] at any tiniest concern for your lives - Mow them!,” Ben-Ari was quoted as saying by the website HaKol HaYehudi.
Ben-Ari was referring to the UN-commissioned Goldstone report that documented war crimes and crimes against humanity during Israel’s 2008-2009 invasion of Gaza which left more than 1,400 Palestinians, mostly civilians, dead.
“We love you alive and smiling, not, heaven forefend, ‘just’ and dead in Gaza - Sodom [-] there are no righteous men, turn it into rubble. Paint it red! We are worried about you and rely on you. We all do, all of the Nation of Israel,” Ben-Ari added.
The phrase “the Nation of Israel” refers to all members of the Jewish religion, not to citizens of the State Israel, notes Dena Shunra who translated Ben-Ari’s comments.
On 15 November, the second day of an Israeli assault, Ben-Ari addressed a hate rally in Tel Aviv, calling for more bloodshed in Gaza. New video of that rally, which this blog reported on previously, shows Ben-Ari in action.
Ben-Ari is also notorious for his incitement against Africans and for his hatred of Christians. In July he tore up a New Testament, calling it “abominable” and threw it in the trash.
Read more examples of incitement to violence by Israeli public figures, for example the prominent rabbi who says the Israeli army “must learn from the Syrians how to slaughter the enemy.”
All of these inciters will no doubt be pleased that in the bloodiest attack of Israel’s assault so far, 11 Palestinians from a single family, including four young children and an 81-year-old woman, were killed on Sunday when an Israeli bomb flattened their home.
Peace was within reach before Israeli attack
Long-term peace was within reach before Israeli attack
16 November, 2012
http://rt.com/news/peace-settlement-hamas-israel-882
Israel has chosen to attack Gaza in order to avoid reaching a longer-term peace settlement that was being negotiated with the help of Hamas’ military leader Ahmen Jabari, who was assassinated in an Israeli attack Wednesday, says Israeli activist.
Israeli peace activist Gershon Baskin spoke to RT confirming that Ahmen Jabari was involved in peace settlement negotiations with Israel and was due to send Hamas’ version of a peace draft to Baskin on Wednesday evening before he was killed.
RT: So you're saying that a draft of a permanent truce agreement already existed. What went wrong then?
Gershon Baskin: It was initially drafted 8 months ago. It was presented to the Israelis, Hamas, Egyptian intelligence and the UN for deliberation. Both Israelis and Hamas decided not to agree. Over the last months the ceasefires got shorter and shorter and the intensity of the fighting increased. And I decided together with my counterpart in Hamas, we were instrumental in negotiating a prisoner exchange deal that led to freedom of Gilad Shaid, the Israeli soldier held in captivity by Mr. Jabari, we decided to push forward. My Hamas counterpart wrote a new version of the draft and he was presenting it to Hamas leaders. In fact on Wednesday morning he was presenting it to Ahmed Jabari himself. I was supposed to receive later that evening the copy of the draft in Arabic for me to deliver to the Israelis who were waiting for it along with Egyptian intelligence.
RT: Why do you think Israel approved the assassination of the Hamas military chief Ahmed Jabari?
GB: There is a legitimate argument within the Israeli security assessment on whether or not making a truce with Hamas strengthens Hamas at a time when we know Ahmed Jabari and his colleagues are not peace activists. They don’t want peace with Israel they are committed to Israel’s destruction. For tactical reasons they had decided that a ceasefire was in their interests because each round of violence brings about the death of 10 and 25 combatants in Gaza and they didn’t see any value when no real damage was happening to Israel from their rockets attacks. So they wanted to at least have a time-out, where they could reconsider new moves. Some Israelis thought that by having a truce with them would strengthen them. There were people who believed that what we need to do is systematically weaken Hamas, so they would fall out of power. And there are those that believe we need to create deterrents strong enough that Hamas won’t attack Israel. The rocket attacks on the civilian population in Israel are intolerable and they needed to take action. I believe personally that we tried everything, we have assassinated leaders, we assassinated military commanders, we have put on an economic siege, we have bombed them, and we have tried everything except a dialogue, except an attempt to reach an understanding with mechanisms for verification and for compliance with the involvement of Egyptian military intelligence. I think it has a chance to work. But now we have to postpone it for some time.
RT: What is Israel's endgame here? What are they hoping to achieve?
GB: I don’t know how you define an end game at this point. They stated that the aim is to create deterrence. How do you determine that you created enough deterrence? Is it when you have killed enough people? Destroyed enough of the infrastructure? Destroyed enough buildings? I don’t know how you define it. What we have here is a bigger chance of escalation for a ground operation. We have to recall that Hamas rockets that they shoot into Israel are what we call a statistical weapon. They usually fall into open space, but they can fall onto a school bus, supermarket, apartment building and we can have major casualties. And if it does happen we will have a ground operation.
False narrative of how Gaza escalation started
‘Washington Post’ prints false narrative of how Gaza escalation started
Alex Kane on November 15, 2012
http://mondoweiss.net/2012/11/washington-post-prints-false-narrative-of-how-gaza-escalation-started.html
You know the drill by now: an escalation occurs in the Gaza Strip that is automatically blamed on Palestinian fighters. The New York Times does it, as the Electronic Intifada's Maureen Murphy points out, and now the Washington Post prints a story with a similar narrative.
Here's how the Post reports on how the bombardment in Gaza started:
The latest round of fighting began Saturday, when militants from a non-Hamas faction fired an antitank missile at an Israeli jeep traveling along the Israel-Gaza border, injuring four Israeli soldiers. Israel responded with shelling and firing that Gaza medical officials said killed at least four people, including two children, and wounded about two dozen others. Militants then fired about 130 rockets and mortar rounds at population centers of southern Israel over several days. After mediation from Egypt, the flare-up appeared to have waned by Tuesday.
But that's not how "the latest round of fighting began." The Institute for Middle East Understanding published an excellent timeline that shows how the fighting actually began:
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 8
Following a two-week lull in violence, Israeli soldiers invade Gaza. In the resulting exchange of gunfire with Palestinian fighters, a 12-year-old boy is killed by an Israeli bullet while he plays soccer.
Shortly afterwards, Palestinian fighters blow up a tunnel along the Gaza-Israel frontier, injuring one Israeli soldier.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 10
An anti-tank missile fired by Palestinian fighters wounds four Israeli soldiers driving in a jeep along the Israel-Gaza boundary.
An Israeli artillery shell lands in a soccer field in Gaza killing two children, aged 16 and 17. Later, an Israeli tank fires a shell at a tent where mourners are gathered for a funeral, killing two more civilians, and wounding more than two dozen others.
As you can see, the escalation began when Israel killed a 12-year-old boy. The rockets and missiles fired in response were what the Gaza-based militant group Popular Resistance Committees called a "revenge invoice."
It's Terrorism When It Happens in Israel
Peter Hart
11/16/2012
http://www.fair.org/blog/2012/11/16/its-terrorism-when-it-happens-in-israel/
On NBC Nightly News (11/15/12) , correspondent Martin Fletcher gives viewers a sense of the suffering on both sides of the Israel/Gaza conflict:
FLETCHER: Terror in Israel.
(SHOUTING)
FLETCHER: "There is another one," a soldier screams.
(SHOUTING)
FLETCHER: More than 200 missiles fired at Israel today.
And in Gaza, despair.
(SHOUTING)
FLETCHER: Burying an infant killed in an Israeli attack.
Frightened Israeli soldiers are being terrorized. And Gazans burying a child? Something else, apparently.
11/16/2012
http://www.fair.org/blog/2012/11/16/its-terrorism-when-it-happens-in-israel/
On NBC Nightly News (11/15/12) , correspondent Martin Fletcher gives viewers a sense of the suffering on both sides of the Israel/Gaza conflict:
FLETCHER: Terror in Israel.
(SHOUTING)
FLETCHER: "There is another one," a soldier screams.
(SHOUTING)
FLETCHER: More than 200 missiles fired at Israel today.
And in Gaza, despair.
(SHOUTING)
FLETCHER: Burying an infant killed in an Israeli attack.
Frightened Israeli soldiers are being terrorized. And Gazans burying a child? Something else, apparently.
Hamas military chief killed in Gaza air strike
Barney Henderson, and Chris Irvine
14 Nov 2012
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/palestinianauthority/9677782/Hamas-military-chief-killed-in-Gaza-air-strike.html
Hamas has said that Israeli air strike in Gaza which killed Ahmed Jabari, the head of its military wing, "has opened the gates of hell".
Jabari, who is the most senior Hamas official to be killed since an Israeli invasion of Gaza four years ago, was killed in an air strike on a vehicle, in a dramatic resumption of Israel's policy of assassinating Palestinian militant leaders.
Jabari has long topped Israel's most-wanted list, the Associated Press reported, and was blamed for in a string of attacks, including the kidnapping of Israeli soldier Gilad Schalit in 2006.
His son was also reportedly killed in the targeted air strike, according to Osama Hamdan, a Hamas representative in Lebanon, talking to Al Jazeera in Doha.
"We will respond [to the assassination], this I have to say clearly," he said.
"The Israelis are working to target the local leaders and political leaders in Gaza. We are expecting acts and reactions from the Palestinians."
The network also spoke to Avital Leibovitch, an IDF spokesman, who confirmed Jabari was targeted.
"The first target we targeted was Ahmad Jabari. A short time ago we completed another phase in the operation which included 20 different targets of rocket launcher pads," Leibovitch said.
"Israel is exercising its right to protect itself, and Jabari has a lot of Israeli blood on his hands."
At least six Gazans were killed in more than 20 Israeli air strikes, according to Hamas.
Israel's Shin Bet domestic intelligence service confirmed it had carried out the attack, saying it had killed Jabari because of his 'decade-long terrorist activity'
Israeli officials had said in recent days that they were considering assassinating top Hamas officials following a wave of heavy rocket fire from the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.
The Israeli army said that the military was prepared for a ground operation in Gaza, with a spokesman saying: "All options are on the table."
Another Israeli military spokesman, Brigadier-General Yoav Mordechai, said the aerial assault on the Gaza Strip on Wednesday could draw cross-border Palestinian rocket attacks and stretch into days of fighting.
"The days we face in the south will, in my estimation, prove protracted," he told Channel 2 TV. "The homefront must brace itself resiliently."
Asked if Israel might send ground forces into Gaza, Mordechai said: "There are preparations, and if we are required to, the option of a entry by ground is available."
After the hit on Jabari, Israeli forces had hit "close to 20 targets" used for launching rockets, especially those with a range of 25 miles or longer, saying the strikes had caused "significant damages" to Hamas and Islamic Jihad's infrastructure.
As Israeli warplanes pounded Gaza, a military source warned that many of Gaza's militant arms dumps were within located within residential areas.
"A significant number of munitions depots are within civilian, residential buildings," he told AFP.
The strike prompted an outpouring of grief and anger, with armed men firing weapons into the air outside Shifa hospital in Gaza City, and mosques throughout the city calling prayers to mourn the commander's death.
The Qassam Brigades issued a furious communique in response to Jaabari's death, saying Israel had "opened the gates of hell on itself."
And Fawzi Barhum, a spokesman for the political wing of the ruling Islamist movement said it was tantamount to a "declaration of war."
"The occupation committed a dangerous crime and crossed all the red lines, which is considered a declaration of war," he said in a statement.
"The occupation will pay dearly for this and we will make it regret the moment they thought about it."
Meanwhile, witnesses reported seeing dozens of Israeli tanks massed along the border east of Gaza City.
Egypt's foreign ministry condemned the strikes while the UK Foreign Office urged restraint from both sides.
Egytian state television later said the country had withdrawn its ambassador from Israel.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called for an urgent Arab League meeting, according to Egyptian news agency MENA.
"Barakat al-Fara, the Palestinian ambassador in Cairo and the Palestinian representative in the Arab League, announced that based on instructions from President Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian state had asked for an urgent meeting of the Arab League to discuss the Israeli offense on Gaza strip," MENA said.
Earlier in the day, an Israeli official said they may try to topple Abbas if he carries out a plan to ask the United Nations this month to upgrade the status of the Palestinian Authority.
The upgrade would give the Palestinians a place in the world body akin to that of the Vatican – short of full membership as a sovereign state but as close as they can get without the full recognition that Israel says can only come from a peace treaty.
A draft document from the office of Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, seen by Reuters, said Israel must confront this challenge by means that could include "toppling (Abbas) and dismantling the Palestinian Authority".
Lieberman said in a speech at the settlement of Ariel in the occupied West Bank that if the Palestinian upgrade request was accepted by the UN General Assembly – as is widely predicted – it could force Israel to punish the Palestinians.
"If the ... proposal is adopted at the United Nations General Assembly, as far as we are concerned this would be a complete breaking of the rules and it will elicit an extreme response from us," Lieberman said on Wednesday.
Newspaper reports say Israel instructed its ambassadors to warn it may revoke all or part of the 1993 Oslo Accords between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organisation, which set up the Palestinian Authority under an interim peace agreement.
14 Nov 2012
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/palestinianauthority/9677782/Hamas-military-chief-killed-in-Gaza-air-strike.html
Hamas has said that Israeli air strike in Gaza which killed Ahmed Jabari, the head of its military wing, "has opened the gates of hell".
Jabari, who is the most senior Hamas official to be killed since an Israeli invasion of Gaza four years ago, was killed in an air strike on a vehicle, in a dramatic resumption of Israel's policy of assassinating Palestinian militant leaders.
Jabari has long topped Israel's most-wanted list, the Associated Press reported, and was blamed for in a string of attacks, including the kidnapping of Israeli soldier Gilad Schalit in 2006.
His son was also reportedly killed in the targeted air strike, according to Osama Hamdan, a Hamas representative in Lebanon, talking to Al Jazeera in Doha.
"We will respond [to the assassination], this I have to say clearly," he said.
"The Israelis are working to target the local leaders and political leaders in Gaza. We are expecting acts and reactions from the Palestinians."
The network also spoke to Avital Leibovitch, an IDF spokesman, who confirmed Jabari was targeted.
"The first target we targeted was Ahmad Jabari. A short time ago we completed another phase in the operation which included 20 different targets of rocket launcher pads," Leibovitch said.
"Israel is exercising its right to protect itself, and Jabari has a lot of Israeli blood on his hands."
At least six Gazans were killed in more than 20 Israeli air strikes, according to Hamas.
Israel's Shin Bet domestic intelligence service confirmed it had carried out the attack, saying it had killed Jabari because of his 'decade-long terrorist activity'
Israeli officials had said in recent days that they were considering assassinating top Hamas officials following a wave of heavy rocket fire from the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.
The Israeli army said that the military was prepared for a ground operation in Gaza, with a spokesman saying: "All options are on the table."
Another Israeli military spokesman, Brigadier-General Yoav Mordechai, said the aerial assault on the Gaza Strip on Wednesday could draw cross-border Palestinian rocket attacks and stretch into days of fighting.
"The days we face in the south will, in my estimation, prove protracted," he told Channel 2 TV. "The homefront must brace itself resiliently."
Asked if Israel might send ground forces into Gaza, Mordechai said: "There are preparations, and if we are required to, the option of a entry by ground is available."
After the hit on Jabari, Israeli forces had hit "close to 20 targets" used for launching rockets, especially those with a range of 25 miles or longer, saying the strikes had caused "significant damages" to Hamas and Islamic Jihad's infrastructure.
As Israeli warplanes pounded Gaza, a military source warned that many of Gaza's militant arms dumps were within located within residential areas.
"A significant number of munitions depots are within civilian, residential buildings," he told AFP.
The strike prompted an outpouring of grief and anger, with armed men firing weapons into the air outside Shifa hospital in Gaza City, and mosques throughout the city calling prayers to mourn the commander's death.
The Qassam Brigades issued a furious communique in response to Jaabari's death, saying Israel had "opened the gates of hell on itself."
And Fawzi Barhum, a spokesman for the political wing of the ruling Islamist movement said it was tantamount to a "declaration of war."
"The occupation committed a dangerous crime and crossed all the red lines, which is considered a declaration of war," he said in a statement.
"The occupation will pay dearly for this and we will make it regret the moment they thought about it."
Meanwhile, witnesses reported seeing dozens of Israeli tanks massed along the border east of Gaza City.
Egypt's foreign ministry condemned the strikes while the UK Foreign Office urged restraint from both sides.
Egytian state television later said the country had withdrawn its ambassador from Israel.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called for an urgent Arab League meeting, according to Egyptian news agency MENA.
"Barakat al-Fara, the Palestinian ambassador in Cairo and the Palestinian representative in the Arab League, announced that based on instructions from President Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian state had asked for an urgent meeting of the Arab League to discuss the Israeli offense on Gaza strip," MENA said.
Earlier in the day, an Israeli official said they may try to topple Abbas if he carries out a plan to ask the United Nations this month to upgrade the status of the Palestinian Authority.
The upgrade would give the Palestinians a place in the world body akin to that of the Vatican – short of full membership as a sovereign state but as close as they can get without the full recognition that Israel says can only come from a peace treaty.
A draft document from the office of Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, seen by Reuters, said Israel must confront this challenge by means that could include "toppling (Abbas) and dismantling the Palestinian Authority".
Lieberman said in a speech at the settlement of Ariel in the occupied West Bank that if the Palestinian upgrade request was accepted by the UN General Assembly – as is widely predicted – it could force Israel to punish the Palestinians.
"If the ... proposal is adopted at the United Nations General Assembly, as far as we are concerned this would be a complete breaking of the rules and it will elicit an extreme response from us," Lieberman said on Wednesday.
Newspaper reports say Israel instructed its ambassadors to warn it may revoke all or part of the 1993 Oslo Accords between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organisation, which set up the Palestinian Authority under an interim peace agreement.
U.S. Oil Output to Overtake Saudi Arabia’s by 2020
Lananh Nguyen
Nov 12, 2012
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-11-12/u-s-to-overtake-saudi-arabia-s-oil-production-by-2020-iea-says.html
Growing supplies of crude extracted through new technology including hydraulic fracturing of underground rock formations will transform the U.S. into the largest producer for about five years starting about 2020, the Paris-based adviser to 28 nations said today in its annual World Energy Outlook. The U.S. met 83 percent of its energy needs in the first six months of this year, according to the Energy Department in Washington.
“The IEA outlook feeds into the idea of a shift in the center of influence in the world oil market,” said Gareth Lewis-Davies, an analyst at BNP Paribas SA in London. “Given Saudi Arabia is willing to shift production up and down it will retain a large degree of influence, and remain important as a price-influencer.”
The U.S., whose crude imports have fallen 11 percent this year, is on track to produce the most oil since 1991, according to Energy Department data. In a year when Iran has threatened to halt Persian Gulf oil shipments, the growing output, coupled with a gas-production boom, may help insulate the nation from supply disruptions. President Barack Obama cited “freeing ourselves from foreign oil” as a policy goal in his election victory speech last week, echoing his predecessor, George W. Bush, who in 2006 urged the U.S. to break its “addiction” to imported crude.
Oil Prices
West Texas Intermediate crude, the benchmark U.S. grade, has dropped 13 percent this year to $85.55 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, as stockpiles swelled to a 22-year high. Prices have more than quadrupled in the past decade, reaching as high as $147.27 a barrel in July 2008.
Global demand for oil is projected to rise to 99.7 million barrels a day in 2035, up from 87.4 million last year, according to the IEA, which advises industrialized nations including the U.S., Germany and Japan. Today’s report projects trends to 2035.
Saudi Arabia pumped 9.8 million barrels of oil a day last month, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. U.S. output was 6.7 million barrels a day in the week ended Nov. 2, according to the Energy Department.
Overtaking Saudi Arabia
The U.S. will pump 11.1 million barrels of oil a day in 2020 and 10.9 million in 2025, the IEA said. Those figures are 500,000 barrels a day and 100,000 barrels a day higher, respectively, than its forecasts for Saudi Arabia for those years. The desert kingdom is due to become the biggest producer again by 2030, pumping 11.4 million barrels a day versus 10.2 million in the U.S.
“Around 2017, the U.S. will be the largest oil producer of the world, overtaking Saudi Arabia,” IEA Chief Economist Fatih Birol said at a press conference in London today. “This is of course a major development and definitely will have significant implications.”
Officials at the U.S. Energy Department weren’t available for comment because government offices were closed in observance of the U.S. Veteran’s Day holiday today. A Saudi Arabian oil ministry official based in Riyadh wasn’t immediately available to comment on the report when contacted by phone today.
The IEA report described the U.S.’s advancement toward energy self-sufficiency as “a dramatic reversal of the trend seen in most other energy-importing countries.” The nation is developing so-called tight oil reserves including the Bakken shale formation, which are extracted by hydraulic fracturing or horizontal drilling.
Shrinking Imports
U.S. oil imports will drop to about 4 million barrels a day in 10 years from a current average of 10 million because of new production and stricter fuel-efficiency standards for cars and trucks, which will curb demand, Birol said.
The IEA isn’t alone in forecasting that the U.S. will overtake Saudi Arabia and Russia to become the largest oil producer. The U.S. will achieve that goal before the end of this decade, Citigroup Inc. said in a March 20 report that included biofuels and natural gas liquids in its calculations.
The European Union banned oil imports from Iran in July over the nation’s nuclear program, reducing shipments from a country that was until then the second-biggest producer in OPEC.
The IEA’s members will probably pay about $125 a barrel for imported oil by 2035, compared with Brent crude prices near $109 today on London’s ICE Futures Europe exchange. The North Sea grade peaked at a record $147.50 a barrel in July 2008 before tumbling to about $46 that December, and has gained in each of the three years since then.
‘Epic Failure’
Efforts by global policy makers to promote energy efficiency have been an “epic failure” and fallen short of their economic potential, Birol said. Increased energy-saving measures could cut worldwide oil demand by almost 13 million barrels a day by 2035, or the current combined output of Russia and Norway. Put another way, were efficiency measures suggested by the IEA enacted in full, the increase in world energy demand over the period would be cut in half.
Natural gas consumption will rise in the forecast period, driven by China, India and the Middle East.
“In the United States, low prices and abundant supply see gas overtake oil around 2030 to become the largest fuel in the energy mix,” according to the report, written by a team of researchers led by Birol.
Iraqi Surge
Iraq will be the biggest contributor to new oil supplies, raising production to 6 million barrels a day by 2020. By 2035, the nation’s output rate will rise to more than 8 million, overtaking Russia to become the world’s second-largest exporter, the IEA said. The country pumped 3.4 million barrels a day last month, making it the second-largest producer in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, after Saudi Arabia, according to Bloomberg estimates.
The forecasts for Iraq, a special focus of this year’s IEA outlook, were previously published on Oct. 9.
In emerging nations, government subsidies will continue to spur fossil fuels use, even as lower-carbon energy sources become more popular. State subsidies cost $523 billion last year, up almost 30 percent from 2010. Subsidy programs, which remain most prevalent in the Middle East and North Africa, have become more expensive as oil prices rose, the agency said.
To contact the reporter on this story: Lananh Nguyen in London at lnguyen35@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Stephen Voss at sev@bloomberg.net
Bill To Lift Social Security’s Tax Cap
Democratic Senator Introduces Bill To Lift Social Security’s Tax Cap, Extend Its Solvency For Decades
Jeff Spross
Nov 16, 2012
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2012/11/16/1208701/democratic-senator-introduces-bill-to-lift-social-securitys-tax-cap-extend-its-solvency-for-decades/
Social Security, the government entitlement that provides support to seniors in retirement, the disabled, and other Americans, has long been in the cross-hairs of budget reformers. The program’s trust fund currently won’t be spent out until 2033, and after that it would still pay 75 percent of scheduled benefits.
Most of the proposed solutions to the shortfall involve cutting back benefits and raising the minimum retirement age. Both are deeply problematic; at its current level of benefits Social Security kept over 20 million people out of poverty in 2011, many Americans in demanding manual labor jobs already take early retirement and thus reduced benefits as it is, and lower-income Americans have not particularly benefited from the average rise in lifespans.
This week, however, Sen. Mark Begich (D-AK) put forward a reform package that goes in the opposite direction, while still financially securing the program’s trust fund for roughly the next seven decades. The Washington Post’s Dylan Matthews laid out the details:
The Begich bill would lift the current payroll tax cap, which exempts wages in excess of a certain amount ($110,100 this year) from the tax. In turn, it would give high earners, who would pay more, additional benefits upon retirement, just as benefits increase as wages do for workers below the cap. […]
It also increases benefits across-the-board. While Bowles-Simpson and Domenici-Rivlin adopt a stingier “chained CPI” measure for inflation, Begich adopts “CPI-E,” or a measure that specifically captures inflation in goods that seniors buy.
Due to deteriorated health and other considerations, goods seniors buy tend to be more expensive than those younger people purchase. Begich’s CPI-E change would mean, effectively, a 4.5 percent benefit increase for the program’s beneficiaries, including not just seniors but their designated survivors and disabled Americans as well.
The Congressional Research Service ran the numbers back in 2010 and concluded that eliminating the payroll tax cap — while also paying out the new benefits to wealthier Americans in accordance with their new taxes — would eliminate 95 percent of the trust fund’s shortfall over the next 75 years.
Begich may not hit that goal exactly, depending on how the legislation is written. In particular, his change to CPI-E also lifts the overall benefit level, on top of the changes in CRS’ scenario. But his reform would probably come very close.
Who Killed Hostess Brands and Twinkies?
Helaine Olen
11-16-12
http://www.forbes.com/sites/helaineolen/2012/11/16/who-killed-hostess-brands-and-twinkies/
I’m sure you have, by now, heard the news. Hostess Brands, the company that gave us such remembered childhood treats as Twinkies, Ding Dongs, Devil Dogs and other baked foodstuffs that have fallen into disfavor in our more gourmand age, announced today that it would be closing for business, effective immediately.
More than a few observers say they know who to blame for the demise of the iconic company: the Bakery, Confectionary, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International union, which represents thousands of striking Hostess Brand workers who have refused to accept a new contract that would do everything from slash their salaries to their retirement benefits.
Hostess has been sold at least three times since the 1980s, racking up debt and shedding profitable assets along the way with each successive merger. The company filed for bankruptcy in 2004, and again in 2011. Little thought was given to the line of products, which, frankly, began to seem a bit dated in the age of the gourmet cupcake. (100 calorie Twinkie Bites? When was the last time you entered Magnolia Bakery and asked about the calorie count?)
As if all this were not enough, Hostess Brands’ management gave themselves several raises, all the while complaining that the workers who actually produced the products that made the firm what money it did earn were grossly overpaid relative to the company’s increasingly dismal financial position.
So now an estimated 18,500 workers will join the nation’s unemployment rolls. But while Hostess Brands might soon become a forgotten name from the past, it’s unlikely such a fate awaits such signature products as Twinkies. Company executives have already asked for bankruptcy court permission to begin the process of selling off their famed product lines to other companies.
Finally, a personal note: A few years ago, my husband picked our children up from a playdate at a home where, he said, it seemed like more food was banned than allowed, there was no television, and it was all too politically correct in the way all too many middle class childhoods are today. My husband’s response? Before bringing the boys home, he stopped in at a local grocery and introduced our ecstatic children to fine products of Hostess Brands. “Yodels,” he told me, “never tasted so good.”
Top 10 Forecasts for 2013 and Beyond
THE FUTURIST Magazine Releases Its Top 10 Forecasts for 2013 and Beyond
October 9, 2012
https://www.wfs.org/blogs/ptucker/futurist-magazine-releases-its-top-10-forecasts-for-2013-and-beyond
Each year since 1985, the editors of THE FUTURIST have selected the most thought-provoking ideas and forecasts appearing in the magazine to go into our annual Outlook report. Over the years, Outlook has spotlighted the emergence of such epochal developments as the Internet, virtual reality, the 2008 financial crisis and the end of the Cold War. But these forecasts are meant as conversation starters, not absolute predictions about the future. We hope that this report--covering developments in business and economics, demography, energy, the environment, health and medicine, resources, society and values, and technology--inspires you to tackle the challenges, and seize the opportunities, of the coming decade.
With no further ado, THE FUTURIST Magazine releases its top ten forecasts for 2013 and beyond.
1. Neuroscientists may soon be able to predict what you’ll do before you do it.
The intention to do something, such as grasp a cup, produces blood flow to specific areas of the brain, so studying blood-flow patterns through neuroimaging could give researchers a better idea of what people have in mind. One potential application is improved prosthetic devices that respond to signals from the brain more like actual limbs do, according to researchers at the University of Western Ontario. World Trends & Forecasts, Jan-Feb 2012, p. 10
2. Future cars will become producers of power rather than merely consumers.
A scheme envisioned at the Technology University of Delft would use fuel cells of parked electric vehicles to convert biogas or hydrogen into more electricity. And the owners would be paid for the energy their vehicles produce. Tomorrow in Brief, Mar-Apr 2012, p. 2
3. An aquaponic recycling system in every kitchen?
Future "farmers" may consist of householders recycling their food waste in their own aquariums. An aquaponic system being developed by SUNY ecological engineers would use leftover foods to feed a tank of tilapia or other fish, and then the fish waste would be used for growing vegetables. The goal is to reduce food waste and lower the cost of raising fish. Tomorrow in Brief, Nov-Dec 2011, p. 2
4. The economy may become increasingly jobless, but there will be plenty of Work
Many recently lost jobs may never come back. Rather than worry about unemployment, however, tomorrow’s workers will focus on developing a variety of skills that could keep them working productively and continuously, whether they have jobs or not. It’ll be about finding out what other people need done, and doing it, suggests financial advisor James H. Lee. “Hard at Work in the Jobless Future,” Mar-Apr 2012, pp. 32-33
5. The next space age will launch after 2020, driven by competition and "adventure capitalists."
While the U.S. space shuttle program is put to rest, entrepreneurs like Paul Allen, Elon Musk, Richard Branson, and Jeff Bezos are planning commercial launches to access low-Earth orbit and to ferry passengers to transcontinental destinations within hours. Challenges include perfecting new technologies, developing global operations, building new infrastructure, and gaining regulatory approval. “The New Age of Space Business,” Sep-Oct 2012, p. 17
6. The "cloud" will become more intelligent, not just a place to store data.
Cloud intelligence will evolve into becoming an active resource in our daily lives, providing analysis and contextual advice. Virtual agents could, for example, design your family’s weekly menu based on everyone’s health profiles, fitness goals, and taste preferences, predict futurist consultants Chris Carbone and Kristin Nauth. “From Smart House to Networked Home,” July-Aug 2012, p. 30
7. Corporate reputations will be even more important to maintain, due to the transparency that will come with augmented reality.
In a "Rateocracy" as envisioned by management consultant Robert Moran, organizations’ reputations are quantified, and data could be included in geographically based information systems. You might choose one restaurant over another when your mobile augmented-reality app flashes warnings about health-department citations or poor customer reviews. “‘Rateocracy’ and Corporate Reputation,” World Trends & Forecasts, May-June 2012, p. 12
8. Robots will become gentler caregivers in the next 10 years.
Lifting and transferring frail patients may be easier for robots than for human caregivers, but their strong arms typically lack sensitivity. Japanese researchers are improving the functionality of the RIBA II (Robot for Interactive Body Assistance), lining its arms and chest with sensors so it can lift its patients more gently. Tomorrow in Brief, Nov-Dec 2011, p. 2
9. We’ll harness noise vibrations and other "junk" energy from the environment to power our gadgets.
Researchers at Georgia Tech are developing techniques for converting ambient microwave energy into DC power, which could be used for small devices like wireless sensors. And University of Buffalo physicist Surajit Sen is studying ways to use vibrations produced on roads and airport runways as energy sources. World Trends & Forecasts, Nov-Dec 2011, p. 9
10. A handheld "breathalyzer" will offer early detection of infections microbes and even chemical attacks.
The Single Breath Disease Diagnostics Breathalyzer under development at Stony Brook University would use sensor chips coated with nanowires to detect chemical compounds that may indicate the presence of diseases or infectious microbes. In the future, a handheld device could let you detect a range of risks, from lung cancer to anthrax exposure. Tomorrow in Brief, Sep-Oct 2012, p. 2
All of these forecasts plus dozens more were included in Outlook 2013, which scanned the best writing and research from THE FUTURIST magazine over the course of the previous year.
Now, here's something even cooler. THE FUTURIST has made public the contents from Outlook 2006 through 2012, more than 400 forecasts in all relating to 2013 and beyond:
http://www.wfs.org/forecasts.htm
Happy futuring
Patrick Tucker is deputy editor of THE FUTURIST and director of communications for the World Future Society. He's writing a book for Current, Penguin's new science imprint, on big data and prediction.
The annual Outlook report is compiled by Cynthia Wagner, Patrick Tucker, and Rick Docksai
IS SECESSION REALLY BATSHIT CRAZY?
http://feralhouse.com/is-secession-really-batshit-crazy/
Just four years ago, when the George W. Bush presidency brought on two wars and endless corruption, Feral House published Thomas H. Naylor’s book, Secession: How Vermont and All the Other States Can Save Themselves from the Empire.
Although the author and Kirkpatrick Sale, who provided the introduction, were essentially more liberal than not, the point of their book was not particularly partisan — among all Secession movements it listed pro-Confederate Dixiecrats and Alaskan state Secessionists promoted by Sarah Palin’s husband.
The Secessionist Movement outlined by Thomas Naylor ( http://vermontrepublic.org ) was to provide the means to opt out of the venal leviathan known as the U.S. of A. No more participation in the military-industrial juggernaut, and the corrupt corporate mandates nourished by The System.
Today, following President Obama’s re-election, over a million dissatisfied conservatives and racists are signing petitions to Secede. Whether or not we agree with their intentions, let us remember the leftist Secession movements during Bush’s two terms, and let us all have a good look at the Obama administration.
Do we all love Monsanto, and its intention to take over the food chain, with its lawsuits against farmers who refuse to purchase their GMO seeds? Obama has appointed many Monsanto employees and lobbyists to critical positions in the USDA and FDA.
Do we all also support Obama’s signing of the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which effectively endorses war without end and makes indefinite military detention without charge or trial a permanent feature of the American legal system?
You don’t have to be a racist or a total kook to dislike or fear these crucial decisions made by the President. Would the Mormon robber baron have been any better?
Perhaps the state is too damn big to allow decisions that go against military-industrial bombs or poisonous food. Let us all consider the Secession option.
Robalini's Week 12 NFL Thanksgiving Picks
Here's my results for week 11
W-L-T record: 8-1
Season record: 47-40
Best week yet! After a 7-2 week two weeks ago. The punch line: I could have had an even better week. I passed on them, but I really liked the Saints, 49ers, Redskins and Steelers last week. (The only game I had no strong opinion on was Jets vs. Rams.) Those games I would've gone 3-0-1 (Pittsburgh was +3, so that game would've been a push) or a 11-1-1 total. Of course, could haves don't count, but it does seem I'm getting better at picking teams this year.
There's still some Sunday-Monday games off the board, so I'll post those picks later, but here's my picks for Turkey Day:
Houston Texans (-3 1/2) over Detroit Lions
Finally the point spread of a Texan game isn't out of whack, mainly due to their underperformance in a OT win against the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars where they were favored by 16. But don't be fooled: Houston is still one of the top teams in the NFL, and the Lions have taken a serious step back this year.
Washington Redskins (+3) over Dallas Cowboys
Tony Romo & the Cowboys tend to do well on Thanksgiving. But RGIII knows Cowboys Stadium so he won't be intimidated, and is a strutting peacock who loves the big stage. I expect him to strut.
New England Patriots (-7) over New York Jets
I've betting winning big lately on big point spreads, but I'm going double contrarian here. The Pats look pretty scarry good now, with Tom Brady looking like psycho Tom. Meanwhile, Rex Ryan is looking like the Billy Martin of football, a brilliant coach and great motivator for awhile, but whose act quickly grows thin. Maybe the Jets can pull an upset, but don't bet on it.
All bets are placed at Station Casinos:
http://www.stationcasinos.com
To check Las Vegas odds, The Konformist recommends VegasInsider.com:
http://www.vegasinsider.com
W-L-T record: 8-1
Season record: 47-40
Best week yet! After a 7-2 week two weeks ago. The punch line: I could have had an even better week. I passed on them, but I really liked the Saints, 49ers, Redskins and Steelers last week. (The only game I had no strong opinion on was Jets vs. Rams.) Those games I would've gone 3-0-1 (Pittsburgh was +3, so that game would've been a push) or a 11-1-1 total. Of course, could haves don't count, but it does seem I'm getting better at picking teams this year.
There's still some Sunday-Monday games off the board, so I'll post those picks later, but here's my picks for Turkey Day:
Houston Texans (-3 1/2) over Detroit Lions
Finally the point spread of a Texan game isn't out of whack, mainly due to their underperformance in a OT win against the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars where they were favored by 16. But don't be fooled: Houston is still one of the top teams in the NFL, and the Lions have taken a serious step back this year.
Washington Redskins (+3) over Dallas Cowboys
Tony Romo & the Cowboys tend to do well on Thanksgiving. But RGIII knows Cowboys Stadium so he won't be intimidated, and is a strutting peacock who loves the big stage. I expect him to strut.
New England Patriots (-7) over New York Jets
I've betting winning big lately on big point spreads, but I'm going double contrarian here. The Pats look pretty scarry good now, with Tom Brady looking like psycho Tom. Meanwhile, Rex Ryan is looking like the Billy Martin of football, a brilliant coach and great motivator for awhile, but whose act quickly grows thin. Maybe the Jets can pull an upset, but don't bet on it.
All bets are placed at Station Casinos:
http://www.stationcasinos.com
To check Las Vegas odds, The Konformist recommends VegasInsider.com:
http://www.vegasinsider.com
Stoner Cooking: Thanksgiving 2012 Special
The Veggieducken: A Meatless Dish With Gravitas
November 18, 2012
http://www.npr.org/2012/11/18/165283895/the-veggieducken-a-meatless-dish-with-gravitas
Vegetarians don't need your sympathy on Thanksgiving, says Dan Pashman, host of a food podcast and blog called The Sporkful. Pashman is an omnivore, but he spoke to vegetarians and found "it actually makes them feel uncomfortable when a host goes to extreme lengths to make something special just for them."
Pashman joins NPR's Rachel Martin to talk about how to keep both meat eaters and vegetarians happy at Thanksgiving — and shares some tips for making a vegetarian-friendly Thanksgiving meal (including a very special meatless centerpiece.)
On how vegetarians feel about Thanksgiving
"They don't feel like they're missing out. I spoke to Laura Anderson — she's the food and drinks editor at Slate, she's a vegetarian, and also happens to be my friend ... She told me that, 'The essence of Thanksgiving is not in the turkey itself, it's in having ... a ton of dishes all together, way more food than you can eat, the promise of leftovers, a plate on which you have probably six or seven dishes all sharing room on the same plate.' ...
"Many vegetarians I interviewed echoed her sentiments that they are quite content with a side dish smorgasbord, assuming the sides are hearty and plentiful enough for them to end up, you know, as full as the rest of us."
On his recipe for the Veggieducken
"Now I'm an avowed omnivore, and I understand that vegetarians don't want or need my sympathy, but I happen to be an especially empathetic person, so they still have it. But to be clear, it's not because you need to eat meat to enjoy Thanksgiving. It's just because, to me, the turkey is such an event. You don't cook a whole turkey very often — it takes a long time; it is a happening in and of itself.
"And while vegetarians can make a very nice meal with all the side dishes, you can eat those sides all the time. They don't have that big centerpiece dish that makes it a special day ... They don't have that, they haven't had that — until now: I give you the Veggieducken. It's inspired by the turducken — that's a chicken inside a duck inside a turkey. And instead of the meat, it's yams inside leeks inside a banana squash, with vegetarian stuffing between each layer. And a banana squash is about 2 feet long; it's one of the largest squashes money can buy. So this thing is big. It takes a couple hours to cook — it is an event."
On vegetarians' reaction to the Veggieducken
"They are very impressed. Absolutely. You know, it's funny, because vegetarians do get a little defensive when you suggest they're missing out, but when I explain it to them this way, it's like, yes, I get it, you don't have to eat turkey to have a great Thanksgiving meal, but you guys are missing out on this event."
On other tips for making the Thanksgiving meal vegetarian-friendly
"Watch out for including things like chicken stock in your stuffing. Gelatin is in marshmallows, which ends up in candied yams — that will make that not vegetarian. Gelatin is also in Jell-O, so watch out for that. And those vegetarians out there, if you're going to an omnivore's house, you know, just like they should respect their food choices, you should respect theirs — you know, maybe don't start a fight over the food at Thanksgiving. Bring a Veggieducken — you'll win them over!"
Dan Pashman's Recipe for Veggieducken
Serves 12
6 cloves garlic
1 large yellow onion, roughly chopped
3 red bell pepper, stems and seeds removed, roughly chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
2 cups fresh flat-leaf parsley, loosely packed
1 cup fresh sage, loosely packed
2 tablespoons fresh thyme
4 cups breadcrumbs
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 yams, peeled and ends cut off to make it 6-inches long
3 medium leeks, rinsed and halved lengthwise
1 banana squash, about 2-feet long or as big as will fit in your oven
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Pulse the garlic and onions in a food processor 6 to 8 times. Push everything down from the sides of work bowl using a rubber spatula and pulse 6 to 8 more times. Scrape into a large bowl and set aside.
Pulse the bell pepper in the food processor until finely chopped, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add to the bowl with the onion mixture.
Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion mixture (including any liquid in the bottom of the bowl) and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Add the parsley, sage and thyme to the food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Transfer to a large bowl. (Can use the same large bowl as before, no cleaning necessary.)
Add the breadcrumbs, broth, onion mixture, salt, black pepper and remaining olive oil, stirring to combine.
Wrap the yams in several layers of damp paper towel and microwave on high for 2 minutes. Let set until cool enough to handle.
Trim the ends from the squash, and then slice in half lengthwise. Scoop out seeds and any loose fibers using a large metal spoon. Make a stable bottom by slicing about 1/2 inch from one of the halves.
Press about 2 cups of the onion stuffing into the cavity of the bottom squash, making a hollow space in the center.
Line the hollow with 3 leek halves, cut-side up, pressing firmly into the stuffing. Cover the leeks with a thin layer of stuffing, pressing to create a hollow for the yams. Lay the yams into the hollow and cover with a thin layer of stuffing. Arrange the remaining leeks, cut-side down, over the stuffing. Cover the leeks with another layer of stuffing, pressing into a mound about the size to fit into the remaining squash cavity.
Cover the stuffing with the remaining squash half, pressing firmly to set in place. Transfer to a baking sheet and bake for about 1 hour, covering loosely with foil if it browns too quickly. It's done when a wooden skewer slides easily into the center. Let sit for 10 minutes before transferring to a cutting board. Cut into 1 1/2-inch-thick slices. Cut each slice in half into a semicircle and serve.
Cook's Note: The ends of the squash won't be very pretty when sliced since the stuffing doesn't go all the way to the end, so we didn't count the ends in the number of portions. Slice the ends off and discard.
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Impress Your Guests With A Tasty White Castle Turkey Stuffing Recipe
White Castle’s Original Slider® is the main ingredient for the stuffing
Friday, November 16th, 2012
http://www.restaurantnews.com/impress-your-guests-with-a-tasty-white-castle-turkey-stuffing-recipe/
Columbus, OH (RestaurantNews.com) Give thanks this holiday season for White Castle’s tasty twist on a traditional recipe for turkey stuffing that is sure to impress your guests. For all fans of White Castle this recipe is a must as it calls for 10 Sliders and has satisfied Cravers for more than 20 years.
“Surprise your guests and their taste buds with this mouthwatering stuffing that is sure to be a hit this holiday season,” said White Castle Chef Phillip Bach. “This turkey stuffing uses all the traditional ingredients, but adds a new kick of flavor with White Castle’s 100 percent all-beef Sliders and savory grilled onions.”
This signature recipe was created by a White Castle team member who got creative and substituted crumbled Sliders for the breadcrumbs. The balance of the bread and beef – combined with full-flavored grilled onions makes a perfect blend of textures and tastes. It’s the ultimate in an exotic, tasty treat for this holiday season. This gourmet recipe is quick and easy-to-make, even for those cooks responsible for preparing all the fixings for Thanksgiving dinner.
The Original White Castle Turkey Stuffing ingredients:
10 White Castle hamburgers, pickles removed
1½ cups diced celery
1 ¼ teaspoon each ground thyme and ground sage
1 ½ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
¼ cup chicken broth
Tear burgers into small pieces into a large mixing bowl with the celery, thyme, sage and black pepper; toss to combine. Add chicken broth and toss again. Stuff the mixture into the turkey cavity just before roasting. The recipe makes about nine cups, enough for a 10 to 12 pound turkey or a casserole dish.
Note: Allow one White Castle hamburger for each pound of turkey, which will be the equivalent of ¾ cup of stuffing per pound.
“As a family-owned and operated company, we consider the holidays an important time for families to come together and share their traditions with each other,” said Jamie Richardson, vice president at White Castle. “We’re excited that this unique recipe allows our Cravers to share their love for White Castle with their families this Thanksgiving and for us to become part of their annual tradition.”
White Castle restaurants are now distributing coupon books featuring a coupon for $1 off a sack of any 10 Sliders for cooks wanting to make the Turkey Stuffing recipe. Coupons are good until December 31, 2012. Coupon books offer more than $33 in savings and are available while supplies last.
About White Castle
White Castle is a family-owned business based in Columbus, Ohio that owns and operates more than 400 restaurants in 12 states. The company was founded in Wichita, Kansas in 1921 and is America’s first fast-food hamburger chain. All White Castle Sliders are made from 100 percent USDA inspected beef. White Castle’s commitment to maintaining the highest quality products extends to the company owning and operating its own meat processing plants and bakeries. White Castle’s new loyalty program, Craver Nation, launched this past May. For more information on White Castle and Craver Nation, visit whitecastle.com and cravernation.whitecastle.com.
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Grover Cleveland Parsnip Fritters
November 14, 2012
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/recipes/2012/11/14/parsnip-fritters/
These fritters were on the White House Thanksgiving menu during Grover Cleveland's first term, 1885-1889. There's no word on whether they reappeared four years later for his historical non-consecutive second term, 1893–1897.
The recipe description written in 1887 says these fritters "resemble very nearly the taste of the salsify or oyster plant, and will generally be preferred."
We've added nutmeg for a bit of extra flavor, but if you're a stickler for authenticity, you should omit it.
MAKE AHEAD: The fritters can be made a few hours in advance and held at room temperature or made a day in advance, covered and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature and reheat in a lightly greased skillet over medium-high heat to re-crisp.
Makes about 14 two-inch fritters
16 ounces parsnips, peeled, trimmed and cut into 2-inch lengths, thick rounds cut in half lengthwise
Salt
2 teaspoons flour
1 large egg, beaten
A couple pinches of freshly grated nutmeg (see headnote)
2 tablespoons lard, turkey fat (from pan drippings) or unsalted butter, or more as needed
Place the parsnips in a medium saucepan with salted water to cover, bring to a boil and cook until the parsnips are tender, about 8 minutes. Drain in a colander.
Transfer the parsnips to a large mixing bowl. Use a fork or potato masher to press the parsnips into a coarse mash, discarding any sections that are tough and woody. The yield is about 2 cups.
Stir in the flour, egg, salt to taste and the nutmeg, if using, and stir to combine well.
Line a large plate with several layers of paper towels.
Heat the lard, turkey fat or butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the parsnip mixture 1 spoonful at a time, pressing down on it to form a round patty about 2 inches in diameter. Work in batches so as not to crowd the skillet. Cook until the patties are golden brown, about 2 minutes, then turn them over and cook until golden brown on the second side, about 2 minutes.
Transfer the cooked fritters to the paper towels to drain. Repeat to fry all of the batter, adding fat as needed. Serve the fritters warm.
Recipe Source:
Adapted from "The White House Cookbook," 1887.
Tested by Jane Touzalin for The Washington Post.
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Not Your Mama's Green Bean Casserole
Alton Brown, 2007
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/not-your-mamas-green-bean-casserole-recipe/index.html
Ingredients
For the topping:
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons panko bread crumbs
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Nonstick spray
For beans:
1 pound fresh green beans, rinsed and trimmed
1 gallon water
2 tablespoons kosher salt
For sauce:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
12 ounces mushrooms, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup half-and-half
Directions
Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.
Combine the onions, flour, panko and salt in a large mixing bowl and toss to combine. Coat a sheet pan with nonstick spray and evenly spread the onions on the pan. Bake in the oven until golden brown, tossing every 10 minutes, for approximately 30 minutes. Once done, remove from the oven and set aside until ready to use.
Turn the oven down to 400 degrees F.
While the onions are cooking, prepare the beans. Bring a gallon of water and 2 tablespoons of salt to a boil in an 8-quart saucepan. Blanch for 5 minutes. Drain in a colander and immediately plunge the beans into a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain and set aside.
Melt the butter in a 12-inch cast iron skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms begin to give up some of their liquid, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and nutmeg and continue to cook for another 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute. Add the broth and simmer for 1 minute. Add the half-and-half and cook until the mixture thickens, approximately 6 to 8 minutes.
Remove from the heat and stir in 1/4 of the onions and all of the green beans. Top with the remaining onions. Place into the oven and bake until bubbly, approximately 15 minutes. Remove and serve immediately.
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Beef Stroganoff
http://www.kansascitysteaks.com/Beef-Stroganoff.5.htm
1 lb. Beef Tenderloin Tips
1 onion thinly sliced
3 tbsp. butter, divided
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
2 tbsp. flour
3/4 cup beef broth
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
2/3 cup sour cream
noodles cooked and hot
Thaw meat in refrigerator and thinly slice while partially frozen. Heat heavy skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 tbsp. butter and quickly sauté Beef Tenderloin Tips until well browned. Remove meat and keep warm. Add remaining 2 tbsp. butter to skillet. Sauté onions until very tender, 6-7 minutes. Add mushrooms and sauté 5 minutes. Stir in flour, blending until completely mixed into butter. Stir in beef broth, wine and seasonings. Heat to simmer. Stir in browned meat. Reduce heat to low. Blend in sour cream. Stir until sauce is heated and smooth. Serve over hot noodles.
Serves 4
Source: KC Steak Company
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Organic Sunday Bacon
http://www.applegate.com/products/organic-sunday-bacon
At Applegate, we know that no food is as tempting as good old-fashioned country bacon. (With the possible exception of other foods wrapped in bacon.) That’s what led us to create our Organic Sunday Bacon in the first place. We’ve taken the same classic recipe, which the New York Times hails as “Superb ...” and have brought organic bacon to a whole new level of health and sustainability.
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Apple, Cheddar & Walnut Toasts with Cabot Cheddar Cheese
http://www.cabotcheese.coop/apple_and_cheddar_toasts
24 thin slices narrow loaf French Bread
2 tart apples, cored and thinly sliced
8 ounces Cabot Sharp Cheddar, Extra Sharp Cheddar or Horseradish Cheddar, grated (about 2 cups)
1 cup walnut pieces
1. Preheat broiler. Arrange bread on baking sheet and toast lightly on both sides under broiler.
2. Remove from broiler and place about two apple slices on each toast. Mound cheese on top. Press walnut pieces into cheese. Return to broiler until cheese and walnuts are lightly colored.
For instant drama, sandwich fresh bay or sage leaves between two identical clear glass plates, available inexpensively from a home store. Set the toasts on top, and add votive candles set into cored red and green apples to the table.
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Bummed out about the possible liquidation of Hostess? Here, courtesy of Todd Wilbur of TopSecretRecipes.com, is a DIY version of Twinkies:
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/38681430/ns/today-food/t/make-your-own-twinkies-top-secret-recipe
Non-stick spray
4 egg whites
One 16-ounce box golden pound cake mix
2/3 cup water
Filling
2 teaspoons very hot water
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups marshmallow creme (one 7-ounce jar)
1/2 cup shortening
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
You will need a spice bottle, approximately the size of a Twinkie, ten 12 x 14 -inch pieces of aluminum foil, a cake decorator or pastry bag, and a chopstick.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Fold each piece of aluminum foil in half twice. Wrap the folded foil around the spice bottle to create a mold. Leave the top of the mold open for pouring in the batter. Make 10 of these molds and arrange them on a cookie sheet or in a shallow pan. Grease the inside of each mold with a light coating of non-stick spray.
Disregard the directions on the box of cake mix. Instead, beat the egg whites until stiff. In a separate bowl combine cake mix with water and beat until thoroughly blended (about 2 minutes). Fold egg whites into the cake batter and slowly combine until completely mixed.
Pour the batter into the molds, filling each one about 3/4 of an inch. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean.
For the filling, combine salt with the hot water in a small bowl and stir until salt is dissolved. Let this mixture cool.
Combine the marshmallow creme, shortening, powdered sugar and vanilla in a medium bowl and mix well with an electric mixer on high speed until fluffy.
Add the salt solution to the filling mixture and combine.
When the cakes are done and cooled, use a skewer or chopstick to make three holes in the bottom of each one. Move the stick around inside of each cake to create space for the filling.
Using a cake decorator or pastry bag, inject each cake with filling through all three holes.
Serves 10
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Curd Fritters
http://www.plimoth.org/learn/just-kids/recipes
Curds are a soft cheese like cottage cheese or ricotta. These fritters are a lot like thin pancakes or crepes.
5 eggs
curds (ricotta, cottage or other soft cheese)
wheat or corn flour
salt
cooking oil or butter
sugar
Make a thin batter with the eggs and equal amounts of curds and flour. Season with salt. Heat a small amount of cooking oil in your frying pan. When the oil is hot, pour in the batter and tip the pan to make the batter spread very thin (that’s what “let it run as small as you can” in the recipe means). They should be like crepes. When brown on one side, use your knife to flip them over or slide them onto a plate and flip them over into the pan. Add more oil to the pan when needed. Serve with sugar sprinkled on the top if you wish.
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Peppermint Crunch Sugar Cookies
http://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/peppermint-crunch-sugar-cookies/6978bbb7-ca78-47cf-8d3b-24b6c49dc0b7
1 roll (16.5 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated sugar cookies
1 1/2 cups white vanilla baking chips or semisweet chocolate chips
8 round hard peppermint candies, crushed (1/4 cup)
Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, break up cookie dough. Stir or knead in 1/4 cup all-purpose flour until well blended. Shape dough into 36 (1-inch) balls. Bake 10 to 14 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 5 minutes.
In small microwavable bowl, microwave vanilla chips and 1 tablespoon vegetable oil uncovered on Medium (50%) 2 to 3 minutes, stirring once halfway through microwaving, until melted. Stir until smooth.
Dip half of each cookie into melted chips mixture, allowing excess to drip off; place on waxed or parchment paper-lined cookie sheets. Sprinkle each with about 1/2 teaspoon crushed candy. Let stand until set.
Substitute crushed candy canes for the crushed peppermint candies if desired.
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HOLIDAY SPICE
Source: Woodford Reserve
1 oz Woodford Reserve
1 oz Chocolate Liqueur
1 oz Coffee Liqueur
Heavy shake of cayenne
Heavy shake of cinnamon
Heavy splash of half and half
Shake and strain into a cocktail glass rimmed with graham cracker crumbs. Garnish with a cinnamon stick.
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Red Russian
Source: Uncle Fats
One part vodka, one part creme de strawberry, one part half-and-half.
A quick shaken drink: it tastes like a strawberry Dreamsicle...
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Stoner Cooking 11-17-12
WELCOME TO ROSCOE’S HOUSE OF CHICKEN AND WAFFLES AT HOME!
http://www.roscoesathome.com
Originating in the south, a simple recipe of chicken, biscuits and molasses was transformed to a groundbreaking Chicken and Waffles combo. Originally from Harlem, Roscoe's brought this innovative recipe to Los Angeles and sold it as a late night, after-party treat. Our reputation for great food and loyal customers has spread throughout the country and beyond, drawing in locals, tourists, and celebrities alike. Barack Obama has even eaten at Roscoe's, becoming the first sitting President in American history to have a menu item named after him. From world leaders to late-night eaters, we are pleased to offer our great tasting dishes to your home. Enjoy!
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ThePopcornFactory.com
Our happy band of popcorn poppers has been delighting people with delicious popcorn and gourmet snack gifts since 1979. Whether you're shopping for family, friends, teachers or business associates, The Popcorn Factory® has great gourmet popcorn gift ideas for every occasion: birthday popcorn, gift baskets, graduation popcorn, college gifts, student care packages, movie popcorn or game night popcorn, kids pop corn gifts, popcorn balls to eat and decorate, businesses, special times with loved ones and every holiday under the sun. We even offer kosher pop corn and sugar free popcorn, too!
The Popcorn Factory specializes in fresh-popped popcorn in a variety of exclusively designed tins and packaging. Our gourmet popcorn is always popped and packed fresh and made with high quality ingredients. We start with grown-in-the-USA corn kernels and pop them using 100% corn oil. We infuse our popcorn with great taste and flavor, including real butter, cheddar and other cheeses. There is also our sweet, secret-recipe Caramel popcorn that is a signature gourmet popcorn flavor to The Popcorn Factory. Our Caramel popcorn is tops and pops all other caramel popcorn out of the running! Made from a secret-recipe including the freshest ingredients, our Caramel popcorn will keep you coming back for more! Trust us; you've never had Caramel popcorn this good before. Other signature gourmet popcorn flavors include our Almond Pecan Corn, Jalapeño, Kettle corn, Buffalo Ranch, White Cheddar, Cinnamon, Garlic Asiago, Ginger Teriyaki, Ranch, Caramel Apple and Chocolate. And we are always coming up with new gourmet pop corn flavors to enjoy! Many of our sweet seasonal gourmet popcorn flavors come from the same formula as our secret recipe caramel popcorn, so it's always guaranteed to be great. We have also tried out tons of gourmet kettle corn flavors like cranberry kettle corn, chocolate kettle corn, banana split kettle corn, key lime kettle corn, peppermint kettle corn, pink mixed berry kettle corn, and many more exciting gourmet popcorn flavors. They are always fun to create even if we haven't gotten to release them yet.
At The Popcorn Factory, we pride ourselves on packing fresh gourmet pop corn and shipping each order on time. You will always receive your favorite gourmet popcorn treats like our signature caramel popcorn, kettle corn, popcorn balls, or any number of our fun college gifts, fresh as the minute we popped them. Simply search the pages on this site to find more information on our gourmet popcorn and to shop our full list of featured items, including top-selling pop corn favorites, ideal for sharing, like our popular 3-Way Popcorn Tin mix with our secret-recipe caramel popcorn, perfect for any college gift or family night. Or try any of our pop corn gift baskets with many of other sweet treats inside.
Customer service is very important to us and we stand behind every delicious gourmet popcorn gift we sell with our Popcorn Promise: both you and your recipients must be absolutely delighted-we guarantee it! If you ever have a question, email our popcorn experts at service@thepopcornfactory.com or call 1-888-216-0235.
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From Uncle Fats:
Kickass Potato Soup
Food52.com
Ruggedly handsome and mysterious, this is a potato soup that leaves the cock-a-leekies and chowders of the world to quietly play cards, while it goes traveling solo through Andalucia on a moped.
Adapted slightly from The New Spanish Table (Workman Publishing Company, 2005)
This recipe serves 4 as an appetizer
1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup whole blanched almonds
6 large garlic cloves, peeled
1/3 cup (about 2 ounces) finely diced serrano ham or prosciutto
4 cups chicken broth, or more if needed
1 pinch saffron, crushed
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
2 teaspoons sherry vinegar, preferably aged, or more to taste
2 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley
Dense country bread, for serving
Cut the potatoes into irregular chunks by inserting the tip of a small, sharp knife into a potato and twisting until a 1 1/2 chunk comes out. Repeat until the entire potato is cut up, then continue with the remaining potatoes; set aside. Alternately, roughly chop in 1 1/2 inch chunks. Peeling is optional.
Heat the olive oil in a heavy 3-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the almonds and garlic and cook, stirring, until golden, 4 to 5 minutes, adjusting the heat so the oil doesn't burn. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the almonds and garlic to a bowl to cool slightly. Add the ham to the pan and stir for 1 minute. Add the potatoes and cook, stirring, for another minute. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil, skimming off any foam that rises to the surface. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer the soup.
Meanwhile, place the almond and garlic mixture in a food processor and grind it. If you like almond bits in your soup, grind the mixture somewhat coarsely; otherwise, grind it fine. Add all but about 2 tablespoons to the soup. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Steep the saffron in a few tablespoons of the soup broth for 2 minutes, then add it to the soup. Simmer the soup, partially covered, until about half the potatoes have disintegrated, about 35 minutes. Skim the soup as it cooks if you like, and add a little more stock if the soup seems too thick.
When ready to serve, check the texture of the soup. If you'd like it creamier, break up some of the potatoes with a sturdy spoon. Add the vinegar to the reserved ground almond mixture and stir it into the soup. Add the parsley and cook for a minute. Taste for seasoning, adding a little more vinegar if necessary. Serve the soup with bread.
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Hungarian Beef Goulash Recipe
http://www.dinnertool.com/recipe/hungarian-beef-goulash
This streamlined goulash skips the step of browning the beef, and instead coats it in a spice crust to give it a rich mahogany hue. This saucy dish is a natural served over whole-wheat egg noodles. Or, for something different, try prepared potato gnocchi or spaetzle.
Ingredient Note: Paprika specifically labeled as "Hungarian" is worth seeking out for this dish because it delivers a fuller, richer flavor than regular or Spanish paprika. Find it at specialty-foods store or online at HungarianDeli.com and penzeys.com.
Per serving: 177 calories; 5 g fat (2 g sat, 2 g mono); 49 mg cholesterol; 7 g carbohydrate; 25 g protein; 1 g fiber; 340 mg sodium; 288 mg potassium; 0 g added sugars
2 pounds of beef stew meat
2 teaspoons of caraway seeds
1 1/2-2 tablespoon of sweet or hot paprika
1/4 teaspoon of salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 large or 2 medium onions
1 small red bell pepper
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 can of reduced-sodium beef broth
1 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce
3 garlic
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon of cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley
Preparation Instructions
Place beef in a 4-quart or larger slow cooker. Crush caraway seeds with the bottom of a saucepan. Transfer to a small bowl and stir in paprika, salt and pepper. Sprinkle the beef with the spice mixture and toss to coat well. Top with onion and bell pepper.
Combine tomatoes, broth, Worcestershire sauce and garlic in a medium saucepan; bring to a simmer. Pour over the beef and vegetables. Place bay leaves on top. Cover and cook until the beef is very tender, 4 to 4 1/2 hours on high or 7 to 7 1/2 hours on low.
Discard the bay leaves; skim or blot any visible fat from the surface of the stew. Add the cornstarch mixture to the stew and cook on high, stirring 2 or 3 times, until slightly thickened, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve sprinkled with parsley.
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Pulled Chicken Sandwiches
https://progresso.com/Recipes/Recipe-Starters/pulled-chicken-sandwiches/ebdf1b4a-8962-40ee-8033-146844a7c52e
Enjoy these delicious chicken sandwiches filled with coleslaw made using Progresso™ Recipe Starters™ tomato sauce – dinner ready in 30 minutes.
10 MIN PREP
30 MIN TOTAL
8 SERVINGS
*High Fiber recipes contain at least 20 percent of the recommended daily value (5 grams) of fiber per serving.
INGREDIENTS
1 can (18 oz) Progresso™ Recipe Starters™ fire roasted tomato cooking sauce
1/4 cup yellow mustard
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon chili powder
4 cups shredded deli rotisserie chicken*
8 soft burger buns, split
1 container (14 oz) prepared coleslaw, if desired
In 3-quart saucepan, mix cooking sauce, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, sugar and chili powder. Heat to simmering over medium-high heat. Stir in chicken. Reduce heat to medium; simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Serve 1/2 cup chicken mixture on each bun. Top each with 2 tablespoons coleslaw.
NUTRITION FACTS
1 Serving (1 Serving)Calories 270(Calories from Fat 70),Total Fat 8g(Saturated Fat 2g,Trans Fat 0g),Cholesterol 60mg;Sodium 880mg;Total Carbohydrate 26g(Dietary Fiber 2g,Sugars 9g),Protein 24g;Percent Daily Value*:*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
*
Gingered Turkey Meatballs with Sesame Sauce
http://www.albertsons.com/recipes/view-recipe.70415.html.70415.html
Sweet and fragrant, with an enticing, spicy warmth, these Asian-inspired turkey meatballs are anything but bland. Dressed in a luxurious sesame sauce, they're sure to become a family favorite.
Ready In: 40 Minutes
Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Cook Time: 20 Minutes
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
1 ½ pounds uncooked ground turkey
1 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
½ cup sliced water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped
½ cup chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
6 tablespoons reduced- sodium soy sauce, divided
1 tablespoon sesame oil, divided
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon salt, divided
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
5 tablespoons water, divided
½ lime, juiced
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons brown sugar
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon cornstarch
½ tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted
1 tablespoon finely chopped green onion, if desired
Preheat oven to 425°F.
Combine ground turkey, panko, water chestnuts, cilantro, ginger, 2 tablespoons of the soy sauce, 1 ½ teaspoons of the sesame oil, garlic, ¼ teaspoon of the salt and cayenne pepper in a large mixing bowl; mix well.
Shape into 24 meatballs. Arrange meatballs on a sided baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Place on middle rack in oven, and bake for 20 minutes.
While meatballs bake, prepare the sesame sauce. Combine 4 tablespoons of the water, the remaining soy sauce, the remaining sesame oil, the lime juice, hoisin sauce, honey, brown sugar, the remaining salt, and black pepper in a small saucepan.
Simmer over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, whisking frequently. While sauce simmers, combine cornstarch and the remaining 1 tablespoon water to make a slurry, or thin paste. Heat sauce to boiling; whisk in cornstarch slurry. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes.
Remove meatballs from oven. Toss with sauce to coat. Serve, topped with toasted sesame seeds and, if desired, green onion.
Per 2 meatball serving: 98 cal., 5g fat (1 g sat. fat), 27 mg chol., 177 mg sodium, 3 g carbo., 1 g fiber, 6 g pro.
*
VEGAN CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
Jeff Peterson
Monday, November 5, 2012
http://www.facebook.com/notes/jeff-peterson/vegan-chocolate-chip-cookies/227517367378981
Ingredients
1-1/4 cups packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
6 tablespoons vanilla soy milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup dairy-free semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup finely chopped Diamond of California® Walnuts
Directions
In a large bowl, beat the first six ingredients until well blended. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to sugar mixture and mix well. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 in. apart onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Bake at 375° for 10-12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool for 1 minute before removing from pans to wire racks. Yield: 3-1/2 dozen.
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Homemade Magic Shell Ice Cream Topping
http://alphamom.com/family-fun/food-home/july-is-national-ice-cream-month-aww-yeah
1 1/4 Cups Chocolate Chips
1/2 Cup Coconut Oil (measured when solid)
Melt chocolate chips and coconut oil in the microwave about 1 minute (depending on your microwave). Allow to sit a few minutes to allow the heat of the oil to melt the chocolate chips and then stir until smooth. It will be runny.
Pour into a bottle. We used a recycled pickle relish bottle. (We recommend a glass bottle if you’re gonna refrigerate and then heat.)
Store in the refrigerator (though in the summer it’s likely to stay liquidy unrefrigerated). To serve, heat the glass bottle (open cap) in the microwave for 30 seconds until liquid. Stir and continue heating at 30 second intervals if not liquid after the first 30 seconds. Pour over your favorite ice cream and in a few seconds you will see magic!
Notes:
You can substitute butter for the coconut oil, however the coconut oil gives the more ‘real’ Magic Shell flavor.
You can use milk chocolate chips, but everyone we served preferred the semi-sweet chocolate chips.
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