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Sierra Madre

Mountain Views News Saturday, January 2, 2016

MVNews this week: Page 3

SCAMS

(Continued from page 2)

V IR-2014-51, IRS Debunks Frivolous Tax Arguments, includes numerous recently decided cases that
demonstrate that the courts continue to regard such arguments as illegitimate.

IR-2011-23, IRS Debunks Frivolous Tax Arguments, highlights the issue and possible penalties.

IR-2004-41 describes the increasingly strong penalties the courts have imposed from March 2003 to March
2004 on taxpayers who pursued frivolous cases to delay IRS collection actions.

IR-2003-28 details penalties the Tax Court imposed from April 2001 until early March 2003 for making
frivolous Collection Due Process arguments.

Identity Theft Scams

The IRS has issued several consumer warnings about the fraudulent use of the IRS name or logo by scamsters
trying to gain access to consumers’ financial information in order to steal their identity and assets. Scamsters
will use the regular mail, telephone, fax or email to set up their victims. When identity theft takes place over the
Internet (email), it is called phishing.

The IRS does not initiate taxpayer communications through email. Unsolicited email claiming to be from the
IRS, or from an IRS-related component such as EFTPS, should be reported to the IRS at phishing@irs.gov.

Additionally, clicking on attachments to or links within an unsolicited email claiming to come from the IRS
may download a malicious computer virus onto your computer.

Learn more about identity theft.

Learn how to protect your personal information.

You may also report instances of IRS-related phishing attempts and fraud to the Treasury Inspector General
for Tax Administration at 1-800-366-4484.

Mountain Views-News Saturday, January 2, 2016

Walking Sierra Madre…The Social Side

by Deanne Davis

“Write it on your heart that every day is the best
day in the year.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Let our New Year’s resolution be this: We will be
there for one another as

fellow members of humanity in the finest sense of
the word.”

Goran Persson

It’s 2016. Already? Our snowman in Kersting
Court is still there, sort of. He’d lost his head when
we went by this morning but was still wearing his
scarf. It’s been so cold he’s hung around longer
than usual. Stopped in at the Rose Parade Float
barn to find the place was one busy beehive with
workers lined up to get assignments, folks painting
and gearing up to glue on the flowers. Here’s what
our big pink flamingoes look like today. We’ll be
winning another prize this year for sure! Our Rose
Parade folks are amazing.

Looking back over the past year, we think it was
pretty good. Hope yours was, too. We went to more
baby events and children’s birthday parties than
funerals and we’ve learned to love the Chuck E.
Cheese birthday party, with pizza and soft drinks
for the kids. We parents and grandparents take
thousands of pictures, have a great time and then
go out to lunch someplace good that has cocktails.
Besides, if your little person has their party at
Chuck E. you don’t have to clean house either
before or after. No downside at all! Just saying….

“Your success and happiness lies in you. Resolve
to keep happy, and your joy and you

shall form an invincible host against difficulties.”
Helen Keller

Many people like to start their New Year’s with
black-eyed peas, a Southern tradition for good luck
and prosperity, but my family likes to kick off the
New Year with Split Pea Soup. Easy to make, do it
ahead of time, and you can make enough to keep
hungry teen-agers happy all day long. You can
double and triple this recipe with great success, if
your pot is big enough.

Split Pea Soup

1 package split peas (these are found in the market
aisle where rice, noodles, beans, etc. are located)

4 ham hocks (usually packaged 2 to a package in the
meat section) or a ham shank, or the ham bone left
over from Christmas.

3 medium-size onions

6-7 good size carrots (or a package of baby carrots)

1 good size bunch of celery

Salt

Pepper

Split pea soup is an opportunity to creatively express
yourself. There are few rules, just a few suggestions:

Get a really large pot and put the ham hocks or
the ham bone in the bottom of the pot. Throw the
peas on top of that, followed by the onions, carrots
and celery which you’ve washed and cut into big
chunks. Cover all this with water, or a combination
of water and chicken broth. Say about 8-10 cups
of water. Season with salt and pepper and whatever
else you like. If you’re partial to thyme, put some in
there. Or Mrs. Dash.

Cover your pot and put in the oven at about 300
degrees. Leave it in there for about six hours, or
till the peas have become very tender. Take it out
and let the mixture cool to where you can handle it
without burning yourself. Take out the ham hocks
or ham bone and set them (it) aside.

Assemble your blender and blend your lukewarm
soup/veggie mixture into a smooth puree. Put this
into a large container with a cover, like your crock
pot. When all your soup is pureed, remove whatever
meat is on your ham hocks or ham bone, tossing
out all fat and other non-meaty parts and put the
meat into your soup. Refrigerate. et it sit for a day
or so to develop flavor, reheat it and stand back so
the hungry relatives don’t run over you as they rush
to grab a bowl of the best split pea soup anywhere.
You could make some cornbread or corn muffins to
go with your soup and everyone who has some will
love you forever.

Happy New Year, dear Walking Sierra Madre
friends. Hope to see you out and about in 2016.

Check out my book page on Amazon.com:
DeanneDavis@Amazon.com