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Vet Nurse Helps to Vaccinate 5,000 dogs in Goa
Our vaccination drive in Goa last year vaccinated approximately 11,000 dogs in just four weeks. Emily Prejac, a Nurse Supervisor for Diagnostics at Davies Veterinary Specialists, joined the Mission Rabies team and used her skills to help vaccinate the dogs of Goa. This is her story!
I have always wanted to do some volunteer work for charity and combine that with my love of animals and veterinary profession, so when the opportunity cane up again through Davies for two members of staff to join a vaccination drive with Mission Rabies in Goa, I knew I had to apply. I discussed it with my colleague Laura and we set about writing our proposal for why we should be selected. Luckily, Laura and I were chosen, and we soon got together to form our plan of action for the fundraising!
Davies is heavily involved with Mission Rabies, with one of the clinicians, Ian Battersby, being a Trustee and Specialist Medicine Consultant for the charity. He gave us lots of support and advice throughout the build up to the trip.
Our fundraising got off to a good start in December 2016 and continued through to the weeks leading up to the trip. We did lots of cake sales and competitions at work, held a raffle at our annual party which was hugely successful and I also took part in the London marathon in April adorning a bright yellow Mission Rabies vest! In total we raised over £2000, but I don't feel the fundraising has to stop there just because we have now been on the project. It is a charity I will continue to support!
When we first arrived in Goa, tired and disoriented from the flight and time difference, my first thoughts were that of the intense heat and noise on leaving the airport. It was very hot and sunny, which is great for me! But it was also very busy and noisy. We were soon shown to our taxi and experienced our first authentic Indian journey! The noise of car horns and what seemed to be erratic driving was alarming at first, but we soon got used to their way of using the roads! The amount of stray animals was clear from the start, dogs roaming around and even lying asleep at the side of the road, cattle free roaming along the roadside and also pigs wandering around. The hotel was very welcoming, and after an exploration of the area and a full briefing from the extremely friendly Mission Rabies team, we were ready to get stuck in to the vaccination drive.
We met in the hotel car park at 6.30am every morning, where the trucks and boys would come at meet us and have a cup of sweet chai before heading out around 7am. We were given a phone with the Mission Rabies app on it and informed of our area of the map to cover before heading off. On the first day we were divided into teams. I was in Team Elephants with another volunteer called Chloe with Gowri from Mission Rabies as our team leader. We also had a driver and six dog catchers, who are referred to as 'the boys'. Chloe and I were sitting at the front of the truck and responsible for directing the drive to our specific area, which at times could be difficult as some roads don't exist on the maps!
As I was a nurse, I mainly gave the vaccinations whilst Chloe controlled the app. We then had to cover the whole area of our map and this involved catching any stray dogs that we found. The skills of the dog catchers are amazing; there are six of them using nets and they strategically place themselves ready to catch the dogs before they run away. Watching them at work is great, however some dogs are just too clever and too fast for the nets! We also visited all the houses in the area and if their dogs were not vaccinated we would vaccinate them and give them information and a vaccination card. Many of the residents remembered Mission Rabies coming around the previous year, whereas others needed more explanation before allowing us to vaccinate, and some were continuing to vaccinate at their own clinic which is great.
There were a mix of languages spoken, including Hindi, English and Konkani (the local Goan language), so having the boys and driver help us with communication was essential at times. We would stop for breakfast at a local restaurant where I got to sample a range of local delicacies and I soon got used to having spicy food for breakfast! The day finished at 6pm as it started to get dark at that time. We would try and get our map done in a day, but if it was a large area we would go back and finish it the following day. The app used a tracker and filled a red line for all the areas covered. We also had to enter details of every dog vaccinated into the app and paint a red line on the top of the dog's head. This enabled them to be counted when the surveyor went out to check an area after it had been done. If the surveyor was happy that a suitable level of dogs from the area had been vaccinated, then the area would be completed, otherwise the area would need to be covered again.
The days were long and hot and involved a lot of waking. It was also hard not to become frustrated when you kept seeing so many strays but just could not catch them all. It really is an endless job, but even with the ones that get away, it is hugely successful and an amazing project to be a part of.
I witnessed a lot of things, stray dogs not in the best health, families living in real poverty, poor sanitation. It really does make you realise how lucky we are. The clinic we used, which was a local charity clinic that WVS uses, was also an eye opener. Coming from a fully equipped referral hospital and seeing how the patients were being cared for and where surgery was taking place was difficult to see. But you realise that it's great that this clinic exists because it is a lifeline for these stray dogs. It's all they have so it is far better than nothing and they are doing the best they can for these dogs with the limited equipment and funds that they have. Whilst we were there, the clinic staff were working to neuter the dogs, as well as treating the sick or injured ones.
A happy moment came when we released a dog from the clinic once it was recovered. The dog looked so happy to be 'home' and the other dogs came and greeted her and it was wonderful to see.
During the two weeks that we were there, over 5,000 dogs were vaccinated. There were volunteers there the previous two weeks also, so during the four weeks around 11,000 dogs were vaccinated! These are amazing numbers, and really shows the important work being done by Mission Rabies.
I really do feel like I have been part of something amazing, even just the small contribution I made in the two weeks of being there. It was great to see first-hand the incredible work they are doing and the effect it is having. I am so pleased I had the opportunity to take part and also use my skills as a nurse to help in this way. I would definitely like to do it again and would urge anyone considering it to go for it - you won't regret it.
If you'd like to take part in one of our mega vaccination drives, take a look at our opportunities here!


Phew! I just conducted six weeks of training delivery and one week of supporting a Tier 2 Workshop – that is a total of seven weeks within a span of nine weeks. To put it simply, it's a back to back training delivery with one-week preparation for another back-to-back training delivery, three times. Confused?? Well, I am just as you!
Conducting many training courses, although some the same, does take time in preparation. Locations and audiences are different, which mean layers of complexities build and training courses adapt to this. As I reflect deeply on this matter, a number of realisations come into my mind.
Well it is obvious that different countries have different regulatory frameworks. The main challenge is to ensure that while the course content to be delivered in different locations is the same, the Trainer should draw examples and experiences that suit the relevant regulatory context. Having prior knowledge of the country's background and framework can assist the Trainer in engaging the participants in meaningful discussions, ensuring relevance to the course content.
Even if a Trainer has delivered the same course multiple times, he or she is not complacent and requires due diligence to contextualised the course content having the local regulatory framework in view for the benefit of the participants.
Class size does matter. In the recent Viet Nam course, we had six participants; while in Thailand we had about five times as many. The participants from Viet Nam came from one oil and gas organisation while the participants from Thailand came from different major oil and gas organisations and regulatory agencies. The discussions in Viet Nam are more focussed on the issues and challenges they face as an organisation, while the discussions in Thailand are more diverse. There are also discussions on challenges that are collective in nature in Thailand. I find both situations appealing and the flexibility of the Trainer is required to recognise and adapt to such situations.
Another realisation is the level of engagement the trainer must sustain as the class size increases. What I observed was that as the class size increases more is needed to maintain and sustain the level of engagement of the participants. We are not talking about step increase in effort but rather leaps and bounds to ensure success on sustaining the engagement. Each participant has different interests, learning inclinations and issues, thus the more participants, the more required engagement.
Sometime ago, I was told that it is a common practice in Viet Nam to take an afternoon rest. Taking an afternoon rest is not new to me, coming from the Philippines, which was a former colony of Spain where the siesta is the norm. But to my surprise, the training facility has Rejuvenation Rooms, purely for afternoon rests.
I love being in Bangkok, what is not to love? The food is great and the people are very polite. Thais are very courteous. Such politeness and courteousness did not entirely match the level of intensity needed for our mock press conference. Even though it was not as chaotic as I intended to be, the participants took a lot of learning points from that activity.
As did I. The delivery of these six training courses has taught me a lot. I can continue to take these learning's into future training courses to enhance and improve training delivery.


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688 Attack Sub is a submarine simulator video game designed by John W. Ratcliff and Paul Grace and published in 1989 for MS-DOS and in 1990 for Amiga by Electronic Arts. A Sega Genesis version developed by MicroProse was released in 1991 by Sega.

The player takes command of a US  or Soviet  nuclear-powered attack submarine and plays ten missions ranging from into either Cold War scenarios or combat missions in a hypothetical global conflict. As modeled in the game, the American submarine has more sophisticated electronics and more weapons. The Soviet boat has fewer weapons but higher sustained speeds. Two people can play against each other over a modem (or null modem cable).

Ratcliff and Grace later developed SSN-21 Seawolf, published in 1994.

Gameplay

Reception

Computer Gaming World in 1989 gave the IBM PC compatible version a positive review, noting the game was designed to be a fun game, as opposed to a realistic simulator, and concluding that it was "this reviewer's personal candidate for 'Game of the Year'". 1992 and 1994 surveys in the magazine of wargames with modern settings gave the game two stars out of five, stating that the game was closer to World War II than modern submarine operations, and criticizing the "unrealistic" emphasis on periscope target acquisition. Compute! included the game in its list of "nine great games for 1989", describing it as "swift and exciting as any Mach 2 flight simulator". The magazine praised the game's graphics and two-player modem option, but criticized the lack of more than ten missions.

Mike Siggins reviewed 688 Attack Sub for Games International magazine, and gave it a rating of 7 out of 10, and stated that "The appeal of using modern weapons soon wears off and one is left with only the different situations to add spice. Overall though, it is a good game on an unusual topic but would benefit from a second edition."

References

External links

688 Attack Sub Review at Mean Machines
History of Subsims

1989 video games
Amiga games
Cold War video games
DOS games
Electronic Arts games
Naval video games
NEC PC-9801 games
Sega Genesis games
Submarine simulation video games
Video games scored by Rob Hubbard
Video games set in the Soviet Union

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Sick of those long-winded messages? The soft drink giant says most people get around voicemail, and the decision to end it will simplify work.
You've probably been guilty of it, and you've probably been annoyed by the practice: leaving longwinded voice mails.
You know the genre. The uncertain greeting. ("Uh, hi.") The explanation of something the caller couldn't possibly know. ("You're probably out at lunch [or in a meeting or on the phone].") The three-minute monologue before the caller bothers to rocket through an unintelligible call-back number.
Even if you haven't experienced this, somebody in a corner office at Coca-Cola evidently has. The world's largest beverage bottler has shut down voicemail "to simplify the way we work and increase productivity," according to an internal memo quoted by Bloomberg.
"Landline voicemail is increasingly redundant now that smartphones are ubiquitous and texting is as routine as talking," Bloomberg reports.
Bloomberg quotes a professor type who says that "people north of 40 are schizophrenic about voicemail," whatever that means. On the other hand, "People under 35 scarcely ever use it," the boffin says.
The decision will save about $100,000 a year, a drop in the beverage bucket for the cola colossus, which has a market capitalization of $188 billion. The move has more to do with simplifying work than trimming costs, Coke says.
Shel Holtz of Holtz Communications + Technology said in an email to Ragan.com that it won't be the last time a company jettisons voicemail.
Voicemail was always cumbersome but in the absence of other methods, it served its purpose. Today, between email (which is also outliving its usefulness), text-messaging, and collaborative workspaces, there really is no need for voicemail any more. It's a great move from Coca-Cola, which is leveraging the utility of texting to replace it.
Call me a schizophrenic, north-of-40 type, but it seems there's potential for phones ringing and ringing on desks, never answered, just as they did in the small-town newsroom where I started out in the 1980s. Plus, those of us with fat thumbs and bad eyesight hate text messaging.
But no hip, new-generation workplace is going to send a staffer to shadow me for a day to pick up communications tips. I'm the guy who forgets to forward his phone when working at home. Then again, most people hang up and tweet or email me instead—perhaps proving Coke's point.
In contrast to us workplace Neanderthals, BuzzFeed offers a more with-it approach in one of those lists with badly capitalized titles "The 9 Awful Stages Of Getting A Voicemail." But really, don't bother to click unless you are south of 35 and the kind of person who guffaws at knock-knock jokes. ("1. Confusion. What is that funny little symbol… OH MY GOD. NO! NOOOOOOOOOOO!"). The list does feature cat photos.
Whichever side you favor on the voicemail question, Holtz offers a broader communication suggestion. In a lot of organizations, voicemail is just built into the telecommunications system and nobody thinks about its usefulness, he says.
Somebody had better raise this issue with the bigwigs. Phone your VP and leave a voicemail, why don't you?


Each month as a part of Mills Oakley's Litig8, we bring to you snapshots of eight key cases, legislative changes or other legal events. The summaries are not comprehensive and do not constitute legal advice. You should seek professional advice before taking any action based on the content of this email.
The High Court recently confirmed that the advocates' immunity is not satisfied where the work of the advocate leads to an agreement between parties to litigation to settle their dispute which are subsequently embodied in consent orders.
In Atwells v Jackson Lalic Lawyers Pty Ltd  HCA 16, the first appellant and another had been involved in proceedings against the ANZ bank regarding the guarantee for payments of liabilities of a company. Their former solicitors advised them to enter into a settlement agreement to settle the claim and accept liability for an amount larger than that limited under the guarantee. The terms of the settlement were reflected in a consent order for judgment made by the Court.
The appellants sued their former solicitors in negligence for the advice provided in relation to the settlement agreement. The solicitors relied on the advocates' immunity. The appellants argued that the immunity should be abolished at law or, in the alternative, should not extend to advice which leads to the settlement of the case by agreement between the parties.
A majority of the High Court held that the basis of the advocates' immunity is the protection of the finality and certainty of judicial determinations. The immunity requires an "intimate connection" between the advocate's work and the conduct of the case in court. A settlement agreement does not as a matter of fact fall within the principles. It is concerned only with work by the advocate that bears upon the judge's determination of the case.
In relation to the consent order which embodied the agreement, the majority held that although the consent order may, by the rules of court, be given the same legal effect as an order made after a hearing in court, the judge in this case had made no finding of fact or law which resolved the controversy between parties and could not be said to bear upon the judicial determination of the judge. The agreement was comprised of terms as settled between the parties only.


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Keeping the Pressure on Congress to Pass the President's Jobs Plan
November 21, 2011 February 5, 2013 NVRDC
— by James Kvaal, Policy Director, Obama for America
I'd like to share a video with you. It features Mike McCarry, a 59-year-old veteran who juggles two jobs to make ends meet.
Mike talks about the veterans portion of President Obama's jobs plan — the piece that Congress passed earlier this month thanks in part to your work, and that the President signed into law today.
But the fight for American jobs continues, and many in Congress — including almost every single Republican — still refuse to do the right thing for teachers, cops, firefighters, and middle-class families like they did for our vets.
It can be easy to get discouraged when members of Congress put party before people and block legislation that would help American families.
But you didn't let up in the fight for our veterans' future. The bill that went to the President's desk for his signature today — which provides tax credits for small businesses that hire unemployed veterans — is proof that Congress can still come together and act when Americans demand it.
Here's what's next: After Thanksgiving, the Senate will vote on extending President Obama's payroll tax cut, which puts $1,500 in the pockets of the typical middle-class family.
It's the provision that Mitt Romney called a "little band-aid." But $1,500 wouldn't be a band-aid for me or Mike McCarry — and probably not for you either.
Our job right now is to make sure Congress does the right thing again.
Share this video with friends and family and encourage them to keep the pressure on.
Advocacy, JOBS!, OFA-Organizing for America, Veterans AffairsJOBS!, Veterans
Previous Article Bernie Sanders: No Deal is Better Than a Bad Deal
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Urban plot of 549 square meters, in the center of Navalcarnero. Buildable: 1 m2 / m2 (549 square meters). Occupation: 0.35 x S + 60 (252.15 square meters) Maximum building height: low + 1 + under cover With these parameters you can achieve a program of 4 low floors and 4 duplex of different surfaces, with parking space, storage room and interior urbanization with pool.


If this is your first experience with TLC Learning Center, please contact us to schedule a tour which will give you an opportutnity to see our classrooms, meet with our Educational Services Manager and discuss if the services offered by TLC Learning Center meet the needs of your child and family.
Our Infants, Wobblers & Toddlers program offers care and early learning to children between eight weeks and thirty-six months of age. Children transition into one of our preschool classrooms between 30 and 36 months of age. The parent is always part of each transition decision. We offer flexible schedules and a full-year program to best meet the needs of children and families.
Please read, print and submit an Infant/Toddler/Preschool Registration Application.
A non-refundable $75 registration fee is required to begin the enrollment process. The Educational Services Manager will confirm whether we have an immediate opening for your child or if he or she will be added to our waitlist.
Prior to a child's first day at school, parents and guardians will receive an infant/toddler enrollment packet and parent handbook. All forms (including health form, birth certificate and copy of immunizations) must be submitted at least 2 weeks prior to the first day of school. We encourage each child and his or her family to participate in a scheduled "play date" at the center before a child's first day. This is an opportunity for your child to actually engage with peers in a classroom, and for the parent to observe the child's interaction.
Upon enrollment of a child with special health care needs, a meeting with our health care consultant and/or designee must occur prior to the first day of school. A health care plan (with physician's and parent's signatures) must be on file 2 weeks prior to the first day of school.


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Bristol Rovers' Barnsley loanee Luke Thomas set to face boyhood club Cheltenham Town for first time
Attacking talent left Robins aged 16 to sign for Derby County
Jon PalmerFootball Writer
Luke Thomas of Bristol Rovers. (Image: Andy Watts/JMP)
Luke Thomas is set to face boyhood club Cheltenham Town for the first time on Tuesday evening.
The attacking talent is in contention to start for Bristol Rovers in their Carabao Cup first round tie against Michael Duff's Robins at the Memorial Stadium (7.45pm).
Thomas, 22, is on a season-long loan at League Two Rovers from Championship side Barnsley, who he joined in 2019.
He appeared in League One for Ipswich Town last season, but the spell was cut short by a health issue which has now been resolved.
England Under-20 international Thomas left Cheltenham in January 2016 to join Derby County for a six-figure sum after impressing in the Robins' academy set-up, which included a spell on trial with Benfica.
Bristol Rovers v Cheltenham Town LIVE: Team news, updates and reaction from Carabao Cup first round tie
New signing due in this week and taking on Joey Barton - Cheltenham Town manager Michael Duff ahead of Bristol Rovers away in the Carabao Cup
He spent the 2018/19 season on loan at Coventry City after a previous loan stay with Gloucester City.
Thomas made his debut for Bristol Rovers on Saturday in their 2-1 defeat at Mansfield Town


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Trumpistan Watch
Ru Social Disinfo
Celebrity Fascists
22 May 2018 trumpistanwatch
TWITLER ATTACKS A FORMER CIA DIRECTOR BEFORE SWEARING IN NEW ONE | BALLER DEPUTY AG AVERTS CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS FOR NOW | POMPEO CALLS ON IRAN TO JOIN THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS | "RUSSIA IF YOU'RE LISTENING…" + YOU PROBABLY ARE | PRINCELING JARED'S HARVARD BURN BOOK
TWITLER ATTACKS FORMER CIA DIRECTOR BEFORE SWEARING IN NEW ONE
Business Insider reports, "President Donald Trump launched a social media attack on John Brennan, the former director of the CIA, effectively claiming that the politically damaging Trump-Russia scandal is all his fault." Twitler's "Monday morning attack came in the form of a long quote from a segment on 'Fox and Friends' earlier that morning, in which pro-Trump pundit Dan Bongino launched an attack on Brennan, who ran the CIA under Obama," Business Insider adds, noting, "Bongino said Brennan 'started this entire debacle about President Trump,' and in the process 'disgraced himself,' ruined public faith in the intelligence services, and brought shame on the US." Business Insider notes, "Brennan, who ran the CIA from 2003 to January 2017, has been an outspoken critic of Trump, and has said he believes it is plausible that Russia could have compromising material on the president," because Brennan lives in the realm of factual reality. POLITICO adds, "President Donald Trump on Monday praised Rep. Devin Nunes — who is aggressively pushing the Justice Department for sensitive documents related to the Russia probe — as a 'very courageous man.'" Sick and so very wrong! POLITICO notes, "In remarks delivered before he swore in Gina Haspel as CIA director, Trump diverted from the focus of the event to offer encouraging words to Nunes, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee." Not appropriate!
From Business Insider and POLITICO.
BALLER DEPUTY AG SEEMS TO HAVE AVERTED CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS
The New York Times reports, "On Sunday, Mr. Trump wrote on Twitter: 'I hereby demand, and will do so officially tomorrow, that the Department of Justice look into whether or not the FBI/DOJ infiltrated or surveilled the Trump Campaign for Political Purposes — and if any such demands or requests were made by people within the Obama Administration!'" It is shocking there are not more bizarre capitalizations, why not "Demand" or "Officially"? This was a lead item in yesterday's TRUMPISTAN WATCH. Now The New York Times notes, "In response, the deputy attorney general, Rod J. Rosenstein, referred the matter to the department's independent inspector general, Michael E. Horowitz, and issued a statement clearly intended to mollify Mr. Trump: 'If anyone did infiltrate or surveil participants in a presidential campaign for inappropriate purposes, we need to know about it and take appropriate action.'" It almost is as if Rosenstein is sarcastically mocking the Great Lunatic with such language. The New York Times adds, "The Justice Department rarely discloses when it has opened a criminal investigation, but it appeared on Monday that Mr. Rosenstein's move had satisfied Mr. Trump for the time being without opening a criminal investigation," probably because Twitler does not know the difference. The New York Times continues, "Still, he established a significant new precedent by directly demanding that the department scrutinize specific actions." The New York Times notes, "That is because attorneys general who view a president's request or demand as unjustified can refuse it. But the president can fire and replace the attorney general. The primary check against a president abusing that power is the willingness of Congress to impeach him," which isn't going to happen with the death cult GOP in charge, "as well as potential voter backlash," which may or may not happen as the Trumpenproletariat is warming up well to fascism. As TRUMPISTAN WATCH predicted, the former USA's biggest baller Rod Rosenstein is not going anywhere, which is most important of all if the former USA is to stage a comeback at some point down the line.
From The New York Times.
JOHN KELLY SEEMS TO HAVE HAD A HAND IN DIFFUSING THINGS, TOO
The Washington Post reports, "On Monday, the conflict was defused — at least temporarily — with the announcement that White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly plans to convene a meeting between top law enforcement officials and GOP congressional leaders to 'review highly classified and other information' the lawmakers have requested about the source." Funny how given the total lawlessness of the regime he works for we now consider intervening in an active investigation diffusing a crisis instead of intervening in a fair and impartial investigation, but Kelly knows better than just about anyone how the rule of law is being discarded and new Trumpistani Mafiosi ethos are emerging. The New York Times notes, "Until Monday, intelligence and law enforcement officials had strenuously resisted both demands, saying that the information was highly sensitive and that it was not appropriate to turn over the unredacted material to Congress, where they fear it could potentially become public or be used to undermine Mr. Mueller's inquiry. They raised some of their concerns in a letter and then in a face-to-face meeting two weeks ago with Mr. Nunes." The New York Times adds, "The agreement was made during a White House meeting on Monday afternoon that included Mr. Trump; Mr. Rosenstein; Christopher A. Wray, the director of the F.B.I.; Dan Coats, the director of national intelligence; and John F. Kelly, the White House chief of staff."
From The Washington Post and The New York Times.
TRUMP CAMPAIGN CO-CHAIR SAM CLOVIS TALKS ABOUT THE FBI INFORMANT
CNN reports, "Former Trump campaign national co-chairman Sam Clovis broke his silence on the possible FBI confidential source on the Trump campaign during recent appearances on an Iowa radio show, telling listeners he was concerned that the source had been trying to plant an audit trail for investigators to later use to justify surveillance warrants." CNN notes, "Clovis said the two had met over coffee on Sept. 1, 2016, at a DoubleTree hotel in Arlington, Virginia." Clovis described the meeting as, "very high level; it was like two faculty members sitting down in the faculty lounge talking about research". CNN adds, "Clovis said he and the confidential source exchanged four emails, with the source leveraging his previous meeting with former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser Carter Page as a way to establish a networking connection with Clovis. Clovis contradicted his lawyer's later statement to The Washington Post, which claimed he did not know of the source's relationship with Page at the time and was 'unsettled' upon learning about it." Remember: even the lies reveal further lies. CNN continues, "'The thing that's unsettling to me,' Clovis explained, was the source's apparent motivation 'to establish an audit trail from the campaign or somebody associated with the campaign, back to those Clinton emails — whether or not they existed, we don't know.'"
From CNN.
TRUMPISTAN WAS TO DECLARE RUSSIA A TERROR STATE
ProPublica reports, "After an attack on a former spy, the State Department pondered placing that label on Putin's government. Instead, the Trump administration continued a longtime U.S. policy of treating Russia as a partner in fighting terrorism even as evidence of its misbehavior mounts." ProPublica adds, "Soon after the March attack, Rex Tillerson, then the U.S. secretary of state, ordered State Department officials to outline the case for designating Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism under U.S. law. Experts in the department's Bureau of Counterterrorism began to assemble what they thought was a strong case. But almost as quickly as the review began — within about two days — the secretary of state's office sent new instructions to drop the initiative," because T Rex was (is?) a giant weenie and subservient to the occupation regime despite recent protestations that his former boss is leading a charge against democracy. ProPublica adds, "The State Department's reluctance to impose the terror designation was not a product of Trump administration sympathy for Russian President Vladimir Putin, U.S. officials say," which is bullshit. ProPublica notes, "Even as Washington has grown more concerned about an array of Russian security threats, it has continued to seek Moscow's cooperation in combating terrorism," because how useful has terrorism been to Russia since George W. Bush looked into Putin's eyes and saw his soul? ProPublica adds, "Throughout the civil war in Syria, Russia has strengthened its backing for the regimes in Damascus and Teheran, which Washington has long accused of supporting terrorism, and their ally Hezbollah," and, "Russia has intervened more directly in Afghanistan, Pentagon officials have said, shipping arms to the Taliban," and it has used an array of chemical agents against its enemies in Europe, notably in the UK and Ukraine. ProPublica reports, "Secretary Tillerson was fired days after he ordered up the aborted review, apparently for reasons that were unrelated." Sure.
From ProPublica.
POMPEO OUTLINES BELLICOSE POSTURE, PRETENDS IT'S AN IRAN STRATEGY
The Telegraph reports, "Mike Pompeo, the US secretary of state, threatened Iran with the 'strongest sanctions in history' and vowed to 'crush' the regime's proxies around the world on Monday, sparking a furious response from Tehran. Mr Pompeo also called for a new nuclear treaty with Iran to replace the Obama-era deal that Donald Trump withdrew from earlier this month." The Telegraph adds, "the top US diplomat issued a list of 12 requirements for such a deal, many of which Iran would be unlikely to agree to." The Telegraph notes, "Iran responded in furious fashion. President Hassan Rouhani led a bitter personal attack on Mr Pompeo, pointing out that he had until recently led the CIA, which had been implicated in Iran's 1953 coup." The Telegraph reports, "Pompeo doubled down on the United States' decision to quit the Iran nuclear deal earlier this month," because that is what these fools do, notably when they are sorely mistaken and it is costing them dearly in terms of credibility — that and pump conspiratorial bullshit into the ether of the modern media ecosystem. The demands of the Trumpistani regime include: "a new treaty with Iran, ratified by Congress, that ends enrichment and gives inspectors access," "Iran must 'stop enrichment' of uranium," allow "nuclear inspectors 'unqualified access to all sites,'" "Iranians must also declare all previous efforts to build a nuclear weapon," "Iran must end support for Shiite Houthi rebels in Yemen, withdraw all forces from Syria, halt support for Hezbollah and stop threatening Israel," and last but not least likely, "release all US citizens missing in Iran or being held on 'spurious charges'". TRUMPISTAN WATCH's personal favorite aspect of the speech was when, "Pompeo calls on Iran to rejoin the 'League of Nations' (which existed from 1920-1946)," as Washington Post reporter Josh Rogin noted on Twitter. That may very well be the most fantastical part of all!
From The Telegraph.
FRESH SANCTIONS ON VENEZUELA AFTER SHAM ELECTIONS
The New York Times reports, "The Trump administration placed new sanctions on Venezuela on Monday, seeking to block President Nicolás Maduro from selling off government debt to enrich himself the day after he claimed victory in what the United States government called a 'sham' election in his crisis-ridden country." After all, if there is anything at all the Trumpistani regime knows anything about, it is sham elections and how to run them. The New York Times adds, "President Trump signed an executive order imposing the new penalties, which would bar United States companies or citizens from buying debt or accounts receivable from the Venezuelan government, including Petróleos de Venezuela, the government-owned oil company that is the parent of Citgo Petroleum Corporation." The New York Times notes, "The sanctions fall short of direct penalties on the oil sector, which the Trump administration has said would harm the Venezuelan people and American companies. They do not bar United States companies or citizens from selling oil products to or importing them from Venezuela," also known as the real reason the Trumpistani elites care about anything, namely the Benjamins.
SENATOR GRASSLEY WANTS DOJ DOCS ON OFFICIAL'S CONTACT WITH STEELE
POLITICO reports, "Sen. Chuck Grassley on Monday called on the Justice Department to release information relating to a former top official's communications with the author of a dossier alleging ties between President Donald Trump and Russia. In a letter to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, the Iowa Republican requested emails, phone logs, handwritten notes and text messages regarding former Associate Deputy Attorney General Bruce Ohr's communications with Christopher Steele, who wrote the dossier. The report was commissioned by Fusion GPS, where Ohr's wife worked." POLITICO adds, "In addition, Grassley asked to schedule a transcribed interview with Ohr. Grassley said he was concerned that Ohr, who was demoted last year, had continued to send the FBI information from Steele, a former British spy, even after the bureau sought to distance itself from him over his contacts with the media."
From POLITICO.
ATLANTA ALMOST RECOVERED FROM COSTLY CYBER ATTACK
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports, "The City of Atlanta's computer network has nearly recovered from a ransomware cyber attack suffered nearly two months ago, said Chief Operating Officer Richard Cox in an Friday interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Channel 2 Action News. Cox said the municipal court is the only department whose computers haven't been brought back online." The Atlanta Journal-Constitution adds, "Cox said the total cost of the attack has yet to be calculated. But emergency contracts posted on the city's procurement website have a combined not-to-exceed amount of about $5 million." The Atlanta Journal-Constitution recalls, "On March 22, city employees were ordered to turn off their computers to stop a virus from spreading through the network and encrypting data. A cyber criminal group demanded that the city pay it about $51,000 in bitcoins — a crypto currency that allows for anonymous transactions online. The city refused to pay the ransom on the advice of federal agents." Additionally, "Cox said on Friday it was too soon to say if any data or other records had been permanently lost," The Atlanta Journal-Constitution notes.
From The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
RUSSIA'S SOVEREIGN WEALTH FUND WANTS TO INCREASE STATE DEBT
Reuters reports, "Russia's sovereign wealth fund plans to propose that government increases its domestic debt to finance infrastructure projects, the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) head Kirill Dmitriev told reporters on Monday." Dmitriev is the same Russian official who met with Erik Prince and George Nader in the Seychelles just before The Catastrophe (Trump's Inauguration).
From Reuters.
RUSSIA TO LAUNCH AMBPHIBIOUS ASSAULT SHIP INTO BALTIC SEA MAY 25
Russian state-run Tass reports, "The second Project 11711 large amphibious assault ship Pyotr Morgunov will be floated out on May 25, the press office of the Yantar Shipyard on the Baltic coast reported on Monday." Russian state-run Tass notes, "The launch ceremony will begin at 13:00 Moscow time at the slipway of the Yantar Shipyard."
From Russian state-run Tass.
SWEDEN PREPARES ITS COUNTRYMEN FOR WAR WITH NEW BOOKLET
Reuters reports, "Sweden will send out instructions to its citizens next week on how to cope with an outbreak of war, as the country faces an assertive Russia across the Baltic Sea. The 20-page pamphlet titled 'If Crisis or War Comes' gives advice on getting clean water, spotting propaganda and finding a bomb shelter, in the first public awareness campaign of its kind since the days of the Cold War." Reuters adds, "It also tells Swedes they have a duty to act if their country is threatened. 'If Sweden is attacked by another country, we will never give up,' the booklet says. 'All information to the effect that resistance is to cease is false.'" Amen to that. Reuters notes, "Stockholm has repeatedly cited Russian aggression as the reason for a series of security measures including the reintroduction of conscription this year and the stationing of troops on the Baltic island of Gotland," perhaps the most strategic point in all of Europe for Russia. Reuters adds, "The booklet on its way to Sweden's 4.8 million households warns that supplies of food, medicine and gasoline could run short during a crisis."
SHOPPING CENTER WHERE SKRIPALS POISONED DECONTAMINATED
Reuters reports, "A shopping center in the English city where a former Russian spy was found collapsed with his daughter after a nerve agent attack more than two months ago has been successfully decontaminated, Britain's environment department said on Monday."
FSB ACCUSES CRIMEAN TATAR ACTIVISTS OF EXTREMIST PLOT
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reports, "Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) has accused Crimean Tatar activists of orchestrating and carrying out attacks with Kyiv's support, allegations described as 'fantasy' by the Ukrainian Security Service. The FSB said in a May 21 statement that an alleged group of plotters was led by Erol Veliyev, a parliamentary assistant to Ukrainian lawmaker Mustafa Dzhemilev, a veteran Crimean Tatar leader." Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty adds, "It said the group led by Veliyev acted on orders from Refat Chubarov — chairman of the Mejlis, the Crimean Tatars' self-governing body that Russia has outlawed – 'with support' from the SBU," Ukraine's security service. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty notes, "The FSB statement said that in January the group set the home of Crimea's Moscow-backed chief mufti, Emirali Ablayev, on fire," which the FSB probably did, if you know how Russia works, because it's a fine pretext for such acts as calling activists extremists.
From Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
—–INDICTMENT ROCK CITY—–
Bloomberg reports, "FBI agents overstepped their legal authority in searching the northern Virginia storage unit belonging to Paul Manafort's company, the former campaign chairman for Donald Trump said in a court filing Monday. The agents improperly conducted a search in 2017 when they convinced a Manafort employee to unlock the unit, Manafort's lawyers argued in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia." Bloomberg adds, "Manafort previously filed court papers to exclude evidence seized in the search. The request is also pending in the Washington case, and a judge will hold a hearing Wednesday."
From Bloomberg.
DROP IT LIKE IT'S HOT
CNN reports, "Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort has dropped a challenge he made to one criminal charge he faces in Virginia because of a revelation by the special counsel Robert Mueller's office". CNN adds, "As Manafort prepares for his trials in Virginia and DC, he has asked two federal judges to dismiss parts of the cases against him, as well as the indictments as a whole. The request Manafort dropped Monday initially asked the court to throw out one charge — alleging he failed to disclose to the Treasury Department foreign bank accounts worth more than $10,000 in 2011 — because its five-year statute of limitations expired. But the special counsel's office had revealed last week they used secret court proceedings to delay their deadline to bring the charge." CNN notes, "The prosecutors had sought records, including from banks and witnesses, related to the charge from Cyprus, and a federal judge in Virginia approved the request to the foreign government last June. It took almost a year for federal investigators to collect much of the evidence they sought. Cypriot authorities handed over the requested evidence in September, October and November last year, then more on April 30, Mueller's team revealed last week." CNN continues, "Because of the judge's intervention and Cyprus' delay to help with evidence collection, prosecutors said the statute of limitations clock paused, allowing them to bring the charge more than five years after the alleged crime."
DON'T STOP 'TIL YOU GET ENOUGH
POLITICO reports, "Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort's defense is going after one of special counsel Robert Mueller's top deputies in a bid to persuade a federal judge to order a hearing into leaks to the media. In a court filing Monday night, Manafort's attorneys singled out prosecutor Andrew Weissmann over a meeting he attended with The Associated Press in April 2017 — about a month before Mueller was appointed to take over the Trump-Russia investigation. At the time, Weissmann headed the fraud section of the Justice Department's Criminal Division." CNN notes, "Manafort's defense attorneys suggested the episode makes Weissmann a logical suspect as a source for anonymously sourced press accounts about the Manafort probe."
"RUSSIA, IF YOU'RE LISTENING…"
POLITICO reports, "President Donald Trump uses a White House cellphone that isn't equipped with sophisticated security features designed to shield his communications," which, "potentially exposes him to hacking or surveillance." Russia, if you're listening… POLITICO adds, "The president, who relies on cellphones to reach his friends and millions of Twitter followers, has rebuffed staff efforts to strengthen security around his phone use," which is so very odd given his paranoia and penchant for surveillance technologies. POLITICO notes, "The president uses at least two iPhones," and, "The phones — one capable only of making calls, the other equipped only with the Twitter app and preloaded with a handful of news sites — are issued by White House Information Technology and the White House Communications Agency, an office staffed by military personnel that oversees White House telecommunications." POLITICO adds, "While aides have urged the president to swap out the Twitter phone on a monthly basis, Trump has resisted their entreaties, telling them it was 'too inconvenient'". POLITICO notes, "The president has gone as long as five months without having the phone checked by security experts. It is unclear how often Trump's call-capable phones, which are essentially used as burner phones, are swapped out."
TRUMP'S FASCIST BULLSHIT DEPLETES DOJ MORALE
The Daily Beast reports, "President Donald Trump's latest round of attacks on the FBI has left morale at the Justice Department at a new low, with officials bemoaning what they view as a full-frontal assault on their institution." So if you have friends there, please TRUMPISTAN WATCHians, tell them about TRUMPISTAN WATCH, this exists for them! One federal prosecutor told The Daily Beast, "It's a deliberate campaign to delegitimize institutions where the people who are inside those institutions are professionals and giving up lots of money for the jobs that they're doing and it's extremely demoralizing". Hey that's TRUMPISTAN WATCH's M.O. so without equivocating, TRUMPISTAN WATCH feels you! The prosecutor adds, "As my father used to say, history goes forward and backward. And things go backward when the trust in bedrock institutions—which are trustworthy, by the way—is diminished for the benefit of a few. It accelerates, and you wake up one day and we're in Venezuela." No, we still have food and medicine, but we are on that road, especially with the collapse of the Farm Bill on specious pretexts by Trump's allies in Congress! Another federal prosecutor told The Daily Beast, "Where I sit, people mostly suffer in silence," so please federal prosecutors sign up for TRUMPISTAN WATCH on your personal email accounts so you will not feel alone! This is what TRUMPISTAN WATCH was actually created for: so our civil servants know that they have the support and esteem of the American people who need them there more than ever because if they leave, only corrupt, regime-backed assholes are coming in behind them. The Daily Beast adds, "Another DOJ official told The Daily Beast that morale at the FBI has hit rock bottom. That official said he hears a constant refrain, over and over, among his colleagues: 'This is such a dark time for the FBI.'" Federal prosecutors and FBI agents, you are our front line! Please, as Mattis said, "Hold the line until our country gets back to respecting each another."
From The Daily Beast.
LET'S CHECK IN WITH TRUMP'S PROXIES IN CONGRESS
Fox News reports, "Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) called on Attorney General Jeff Sessions to 'step up' and renounce his recusal in the Russia investigation," adding, "It's like over at the Department of Justice he's got Stockholm syndrome. He's become sympathetic with his captors over there in the deep state." Gaetz is the Congressman who took a Holocaust denier, Chuck Johnson, as his guest to the State of the Union. The Tampa Bay Times adds, "U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fort Walton Beach, a ubiquitous presence on cable news and ardent supporter of Donald Trump, endorsed fellow ubiquitous Fox News guest and ardent Trump supporter Ron DeSantis for governor," which notes, "The endorsement would be been much more of a surprise if it had gone to Adam Putnam, the more establishment candidate. In a Breitbart column Gaetz casts Republican candidate Adam Putnam as a phony Trump backer from the 'Never Trump' wing of the GOP." By establishment they mean non-death cult, which is a sin when you have a leader to protect at all costs. And last but not least, Fox News, the purveyors of the finest faux news around, adds, "A group of congressional Republicans plans to introduce a resolution Tuesday calling for the appointment of a second special counsel to investigate alleged misconduct at the FBI and Justice Department. The resolution is backed by Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., the chairman of the conservative House Freedom Caucus as well as two of the group's co-founders — Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Rep. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla." All of Trump's little traitor ducks in a row!
From Fox News, The Tampa Bay Times and Fox News.
NEW AMBASSADOR TO BELGIUM NOTABLE FOR DEPLORABLE HOUSING
The Guardian reports, "A major financial backer of Donald Trump's presidential campaign, who once owned a housing estate in which low-income tenants were said to endure 'inhumane' living standards, has been nominated as the US ambassador to Belgium. Ron Gidwitz, a 73-year-old businessman from Chicago gave Trump and other Republicans $700,000 in 2016, and acted as the presidential candidate's campaign finance chair in Illinois. He will now undergo a month in a US state department 'ambassadorial school' before making the move to Brussels." The Guardian notes, "For years, a company controlled by Gidwitz and his brother Ralph owned the Evergreen Terrace housing project in Illinois, where 90% of tenants were young African-American single mothers. In 2013, Gidwitz told a court that he would not invest in the complex as it would be equivalent to a charitable donation, and if the owners had wanted to make charitable donations, there were better options." The Guardian adds, "the then senator Barack Obama had complained about 'inhumane conditions' on the project, where there was said to be an overwhelming stench of urine. Gidwitz admitted to a court in 2017 that a girl had fallen from a window and died during a hot summer when the building's air conditioning was malfunctioning and broken window screens had not been replaced," and, "He also admitted that a tenant was stabbed to death in a laundry room when security was not upgraded and that a shot man may have lain dying in the building's courtyard for an hour before police were called". The city of Joliet took over the complex; one imagines his taxpayer financed digs as a U.S. Ambassador won't be, well, so "deplorable," as a judge called the complex he owned.
From The Guardian.
WHO IS STEFAN HALPER, THE OUTED FBI INFORMANT?
The Washington Post reports, "Stefan A. Halper, the FBI source who assisted the Russia investigation and is at the center of a standoff between congressional Republicans and the Justice Department, is a well-connected veteran of past GOP administrations who convened senior intelligence officials for seminars at the University of Cambridge in England." The Washington Post notes, "In the summer and fall of 2016, Halper, then an emeritus professor at Cambridge, contacted three Trump campaign advisers for brief talks and meetings that largely centered on foreign policy," and, "At some point that year, he began working as a secret informant for the FBI as it investigated Russia's interference in the campaign". The Washington Post adds, "Halper's connections to the intelligence world have been present throughout his career and at Cambridge, where he ran an intelligence seminar that brought together past and present intelligence officials. In 2014, Halper, along with Richard Dearlove, the former head of Britain's foreign intelligence service, sponsored a session of the seminar that drew Michael Flynn". The Washington Post notes, "Halper taught international affairs and American studies at Cambridge from 2001 until 2015, when he stepped down with the honorary title of emeritus senior fellow of the Centre of International Studies," and, "Since 2012, Halper has had contracts with the Defense Department, working for a Pentagon think tank called the Office of Net Assessment. According to federal records, ONA has paid Halper more than $1 million for research and development in the social sciences and humanities. The funds did not go solely to Halper, who hired other academics and experts to conduct research and prepare reports". Most interesting and ironic in light of present circumstances, "After the 1980 race, Halper was caught up in a scandal concerning alleged political spying. Aides to Reagan, including Halper, were accused of having spied on Carter's campaign and obtaining private documents that Carter was using to prepare for a debate. Some Reagan White House officials later alleged that Halper had used former CIA agents to run an operation against Carter. Halper called the reports at the time 'absolutely false' and has long denied the accusations." The Washington Post notes, "Most friends describe him as a moderate Republican who is hawkish on China and deeply committed to U.S. institutions, having worked for years inside and around the federal government."
From The Washington Post.
WHO IS JOEL ZAMEL, THE ISRAELI THAT HELPED FUCK THE FORMER USA?
Haaretz reports, "The Israeli social media expert, allegedly linked to the Trump campaign through an online manipulation campaign, founded several companies, including one offering 'honey traps' and 'deep web' capabilities". Haaretz adds the news "hit Israel like a bombshell," but TRUMPISTAN WATCH heard such rumors very early following the coup but their hand was less obvious than the Russians until the Embassy moved and Aryan princess Ivanka and princeling Jared showed up in Jerusalem to inaugurate the new, provocative edifice. Always ask yourself when such favors are followed through on how the recipients may have acted to benefit Trump because there is no benefit to the former USA but Trump fails to distinguish between himself and Trumpistan. Haaretz notes, "The name thrust into the spotlight by Saturday's New York Times report is that of Joel Zamel," and, "His company, Psy-Group". As Haaretz recalls, "It wasn't the first time Zamel's name has arisen in connection with the Mueller probe," as, "On April 3, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Mueller team was examining the nine-year-old company owned by Zamel and his business partner Daniel Green, then a consulting firm called Wikistrat. The Journal said that Wikistrat was contracted by the UAE beginning in 2015 to conduct war game scenarios on Islamist political movements in Yemen and had developed close relationships with the Emirate's security establishment and business community." Haaretz adds, "Zamel's two companies appear to be radically different. PsyGroup has a minimal footprint – a one-page website that gives a Cyprus address and a slogan 'Shape Reality.' A Hebrew language job recruiting site lists it as being a small 'media, marketing and advertising company' and says it has between 11 to 50 employees." Haaretz continues, "By contrast, Wikistrat is a large, established company with a much higher and extremely public profile. It was founded in Israel in 2010 and is now based in Washington, D. C. It bills itself as 'the world's first crowdsourced consultancy…,'" and "Wikistrat's list of clients on its website includes numerous U.S. government and intelligence agencies. Its advisory council includes many former U.S. intelligence officials, as well as familiar names like Dennis Ross, former Middle East peace negotiator, Elliot Abrams, former Deputy Director of the National Security Council and John P. Hannah, former National Security Advisor to then U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney." Haaretz notes, "A third company, with an even lower profile than Psy-Group was mentioned in the Times article, which said that in December 2016, Nader utilized another company 'linked' to Zamel, one called WhiteKnight and based in the Philippines." Zamel's lawyer is "Marc L. Mukasey, chairman of white collar defense at the law firm Greenberg Traurig," where Giuliani used to work until very recently when his work for Trump forced him out of the firm. Mukasey is the son of former U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey.
From Haaretz.
AUSTRIA'S SHIFT TO RUSSIA OF CONCERN TO INTEL EXPERTS
NBC News reports Autria's "government appears to be drifting closer to Putin. With Vienna widely regarded as the spying capital of the world, that has serious implications for Washington and its allies. One factor is at the heart of these concerns: the far-right Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) — which is openly supportive of Russia," noting that it was, "Founded by former Nazis in the 1950s, the FPÖ has been a junior member of the country's coalition government since December." NBC News notes, "The FPÖ won 26 percent of the vote in last year's legislative elections by deploying anti-establishment, anti-immigrant populist rhetoric that was condemned by opponents as racist, Islamophobic and anti-Semitic. The party and its leading figures are also unashamedly fans of Putin. The idea of a pro-Russia party controlling intelligence services has led to fears that Western secrets aren't safe any more if shared with Vienna."
From NBC News.
GERMAN INTEL CHIEF: RUSSIA MEDDLED IN CATALAN INDEPENDENCE FARCE
The Times of London reports, "Germany's intelligence chief accused Russia of seeking to destabilise Spain by backing separatists in Catalonia, as the region elected a new hardline president to lead its bid for independence." The Times of London adds, "Hans-Georg Maassen, head of the German domestic intelligence service, the BfV, said it was 'very plausible' that Moscow had carried out a campaign of disinformation before the secession referendum in October to encourage voters to back splitting from Spain. Speaking at an intelligence conference in Berlin, Mr Maassen did not offer details but said that he had reliable information from other security services." The Times of London notes, "His comments came as Quim Torra, a separatist, became the Catalan president when MPs in the regional parliament approved the move by 66 votes to 65."
From The Times of London.
PUTIN'S CLAIMS ABOUT MISSILE CAPABILITY WILDLY EXAGGERATED
CNBC reports, "Russian President Vladimir Putin bragged earlier this year that his country had a new nuclear-powered missile with unlimited range — but it has yet to perform a successful test over multiple attempts, according to sources with direct knowledge of a U.S. intelligence report on the weapons program." Embarrassing! Thank god both Putin and his puppet in Washington are proving to be so utterly full of hot air and bullshit. CNBC adds, "The cruise missile was tested four times between November and February, each resulting in a crash". Additionally, "The U.S. assessed that the longest test flight lasted just more than two minutes, with the missile flying 22 miles before losing control and crashing. The shortest test lasted four seconds and flew for five miles." That's not unlimited range by a long shot! Sad! But it gets even better as CNBC notes, "The weapon, which has been in development since the early 2000s, is believed to use a gasoline-powered engine for takeoff before switching to a nuclear-powered one for flight," and, "The tests apparently showed that the nuclear-powered heart of the cruise missile failed to initiate and, therefore, the weapon was unable to achieve the indefinite flight Putin had boasted about." Russia worked hard over many years to make it suck so much. And as usual in Russia, "the tests were ordered by senior Kremlin officials despite objections from the program's engineers, who voiced concerns that the system was still in its infancy." CNBC recalls how "During a state of the nation address in March, Putin claimed the cruise missile was capable of delivering a warhead to any point in the world while evading missile defense systems. In the same two-hour speech, Putin touted an arsenal of new hypersonic weapons which he called 'invincible.'" Hardly. CNBC adds, "The Russians are expected to conduct a fourth test sometime this summer."
From CNBC.
—–DISINFO WARS—–
TRUMP'S OUTSIDE ADVISORS IN ATTACK ON DOJ, SPECIAL COUNSEL
CNN reports, "A loose and informal group of Trump advisers outside the White House, some of whom think the President is being ill served by White House chief of staff John Kelly and White House counsel Don McGahn, have been aggressively campaigning to attack Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein as part of a 'deep state' plot against the President." It might be helpful if they knew what an actual deep state is but considering the vast well of ignorance from which the Trumpenproletariat are drawn, this does not matter so much. CNN adds, "The members of this group working to persuade the President and Trump-friendly media include ousted former White House chief strategist Stephen Bannon, former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, former deputy campaign manager David Bossie, President of the Trump Hispanic Advisory Council (and CNN commentator) Steve Cortes and many others. None of those reached for comment wanted to talk on the record. It was not clear how much Nunes is part of any of these conversations." CNN notes, "The group over the weekend seemed to win a battle with White House insiders and succeeded in convincing the President to formally side with Nunes over his own Justice Department." CNN adds the obvious: "Members describe the group trying to influence Trump as ad hoc and informal, with no structure but a common purpose. They consider House Freedom Caucus Chairman Rep. Mark Meadows, a North Carolina Republican, and Rep. Jim Jordan, an Ohio Republican, to be allies in this cause." They left out Florida death cult GOP rep and gubernatorial candidate Ron DeSantis.
NIKKI HALEY'S TWITTER IS EMBLEMATIC OF LACK OF PROFESSIONALISM
POLITICO reports, "Ever since she took over as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley's personal Twitter account has been an object of fascination for the diplomatic set. On the @nikkihaley handle, the rising Republican star posts pictures of her dearest friends and showers love on her dog, Bentley. But she also denounces Russian actions in Syria and chides U.N. nations for voting against the United States." POLITICO adds, "then there are the many music recommendations. 'It's a Journey kind of morning. @JourneyOfficial #DontStopBelievin #LifeIsBetterWithMusic,' morning. Haley wrote Thursday." Omg, it is NEVER a Journey kind of morning in Trumpistan, please Styx "Come Sail Away," is a far better tune for these times. POLITICO notes, "The juxtaposition of silly and serious has produced eye-rolling among U.N. diplomats," but not just them. She can't be serious with Journey in Trumpistan but that is what happens when you drink too much Trumpistani Kool Aid. POLITICO adds, "analysts and former U.S. officials say Haley's Twitter account — which she has used for nearly a decade — is indicative of another problem: Some U.S. diplomats are flouting State Department rules barring the use of personal social media accounts to make official statements." Well isn't that indicative of how Trumpistan functions? The personal is the political and officialdom of the former USA is dead now that the swamp is drained so the bottom feeders can be kings. There is no such thing as "public diplomacy" when the state functions as a giant cash grab and everything is for sale. POLITICO notes, "Haley has already been rebuked for her use of Twitter: The Office of Special Counsel, an independent federal investigative agency, said she'd violated the Hatch Act in June 2017 when she retweeted Trump's endorsement of a South Carolina congressional candidate."
ALEX JONES WANTS TO GO 24/7
The Wrap reports America's most notable conspiracy theorist "Alex Jones will expand his digital TV and radio program to offer 24-hour live coverage, the InfoWars host announced on his show Monday." The Wrap adds, "The right-wing commentator and conspiracy theorist — most famous for suggesting the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre was a hoax — told viewers that he was looking to hire at least 15 people." Where is this money coming from? You have no idea how demoralizing this is, when coupled with the fact that fake NGOs like Judicial Watch have over $60 million to a truly grassroots and seriously underfunded entity like TRUMPISTAN WATCH. Follow the money: it is working to derail our state and the truth by multiples so great it bears not calculating.
From The Wrap.
UK ANNOUNCES NEW PROBES INTO RUSSIAN PROPAGANDA NETWORK
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reports, "Britain's media regulator says it has opened three new investigations into broadcasts made by the state-sponsored news channel RT in April and May." Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty notes, "The latest probes add to seven investigations launched in April into whether the channel breached impartiality rules in the wake of the poisoning of a former Russian double agent in Britain in March."
—–RADIO MOSCOW: STORIES FROM THEIR PRESS AND OURS—–
HARVARD CLASSMATES PUT TOGETHER A BURN BOOK ON PRINCELING JARED
Boston Magazine reports, "Jared Kushner has been brutally, savagely burned by his former Harvard classmates, and it's really something. The ruthless commentary on the first son-in-law came in this year's 15th Anniversary Report—written by members of Kushner's class who, per tradition, were invited to submit updates on what they've been up to for the last decade-and-a-half." Boston Magazine sardonically notes, "Kushner, who is hard at work bringing peace to the Middle East, declined to participate. But many of his classmate did, and several saw a golden opportunity to unload on their onetime peer and took it." Boston Magazine adds, "So what might otherwise have been a largely unreadable collection of self-congratulation has this year become a sort of Ivy League burn book, where everything about Kushner—the tax-deductible $2.5 million his parents paid to smooth his path into the college, his inability to grow facial hair—gets a thorough and erudite roasting." Boston Magazine features some excerpts:
– ""I, for one, am actually glad our Class of '03 finally has a real, live fascist among us. Who says Harvard isn't diverse?" reads one of the entries. "I've always wanted to meet someone who is as unfamiliar with the principles of democratic self-government as he is with how to grow a beard."
– "Our most infamous class member probably won't even attend the Reunion; life's busy when you're unwittingly shooting the History Channel documentaries of tomorrow," wrote another. "By the time this is circulated, maybe this entire gangster administration will have jumped bail and taken up residence in the authoritarian regimes of their choice."
– "I think what I'm most proud of," reads another, "is what I've managed to avoid during the past five years. I haven't been accused of making false statements on or material omissions from security clearance disclosure forms. I haven't been accused of colluding with representatives of a foreign government to affect the outcome of an election. I haven't been accused of using my government position to sell visas to foreign investors in my family's businesses. I haven't been sued for mistreating tenants or violating rental laws."
– a Kushner-related haiku: "Real tough world right now / Our classmate involved??? / Get out of there now."
– "Mostly, I feel low-grade, constant horror as I watch attacks on refugees, minorities, my most at-risk patients, women's rights, and the environment, and new threats of of nuclear war," reads one, from a classmate who described him or herself as a descendent of Holocaust survivors.
– astrophysicist Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, took aim at Harvard for admitting Kushner in the first place, and at a system that rewards families like his with tax breaks for donations to private universities. "Shame on Harvard," she wrote, adding that if she could take back her experience at Harvard in exchange for keeping Kushner out of its hallowed halls, she would have. "Harvard opened doors for me, but the immense distress people are experiencing right now was not worth it."
Finally some fun and true humor in TRUMPISTAN WATCH, not these failed jokes about a dying Senator or an eternal president that come from Trumpistani elites and the fake Russian bullshit president himself the media keeps pumping into the information ecosystem!
From Boston Magazine.
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POMPEO TO PRETEND THERE IS AN IRAN STRATEGY TODAY | NEW COLLUSION WITH FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS REPORT INVOLVING SAUDI, UAE + ISRAELI SOCIAL MEDIA WHIZ | TWITLER GOES BALLISTIC, ATTACKS DOJ | NYT + NBC OUT FBI SOURCE DARKNESS AT NUNES SOUGHT WITH HELP FROM THE DAILY CALLER
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Don we now our Bob, The Carnelian-Nosed Reindeer.
Wife, retired kindergarten teacher, loves it. She still works with kids, and they love it even more. Exactly what I'd hoped. It's beautiful as well as cute and funny.


text:
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Situated at the front of the site overlooking Morecambe Bay across to the Lakeland hills. Somewhere villagers and visitors meet to relax and welcome friends to this beautiful area. Enjoy a cup of freshly ground coffee or select from our choice of teas. On a hot day you can site outside overlooking the Bay and on cooler days sit cosily by the woodburners.
Meals range from homemade soups to our every popular lamb burger made with our very own salt marsh lamb or Morecambe Bay potted shrimps to name a few.
All this surrounded by beautiful countryside, for walking, cycling or just to sit and enjoy.


Imagine getting one of these pieces as an Easter surprise or a present for some special occasion. You'd spend at least the rest of the day checking out the detailed, beautiful work. Jewels, set like none other. The aura of Faberge persists to this day.
Enjoy your Memorial Day weekend by cooking ahead or cooking big. In the 1930's the first wave of post-revolutionary Russians living in San Francisco chose the Russian River area for recreation and relaxation. Most did not have a nickle to their name, so they had to cook food that would feed many without robbing the bank. My mother and her teenage friends would head for Sonoma county – by ferry in those days- with a soup kettle full of some dish to share with a crowd of friends. No one ever went hungry! That's when she created what I named Macaroni Mirabel because Mirabel Park and Vacation Beach, CA were the places to hang out.
Recipe: 2 – 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, 1 large onion, chopped, 3 cloves garlic, minced, 1 – 2 pounds ground beef, ½ cup water, optional, 4 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into rounds, 5 tablespoons fresh dill, 1 teaspoon salt for each pound of meat used, freshly ground pepper to taste, 1 small package (1 pound) macaroni, 5 tablespoons soy sauce, or more to taste.
Heat the oil in a large skillet and brown the onion. Add the minced garlic and fry for another minute. Add the ground beef. Mash it with a fork and move it around until the meat is browned but not dry. Add the water and work it into the ground meat as it cooks. This will make the dish juicier. Steam the carrots for 5 minutes. Add them to the meat in the pan along with the dill. Salt and pepper the meat. Adjust your seasonings, if needed.
Photo courtesy Maria Lobanoovsky archives. Mama canoeing on the Russian River, 1933.
For the last couple of weeks we had the barbeque going and enjoyed classic American burgers and traditional Serbian sausages. This week we're back indoors and to my Russian roots with Kotleti. Barbequing is not something Russians do a lot of, unless it's Shashlik (shish kebob), and that's Caucasian anyway. No, Russians love their "burgers" cooked on the stove and gussied up to something between the American and Serbian versions. The meat is not as spiced as Chevapchichi nor as bland as plain ground beef. If there's any spice, it's the (optional) mustard condiment that can put stars in your eyes and clear sinuses faster than any inhalers! (P.S. no medical advice here, just an image.) Russians like their mustard hot, sweet and exciting. Without further ado, try this recipe and compare.
Kotleti can also be served with mushroom sauce. Often the sides are macaroni and vegetables or a nice simple green salad with sliced tomatoes and radishes. The recipe that follows is for basic Kotleti as given me by Lubov Chekene, an angel and an inspiration.
Ingredients: 1 pound ground beef (chuck or round), 1 teaspoon sea salt, ¼ teaspoon ground pepper, 1 clove garlic, crushed, 1 small onion, grated or 1 teaspoon powdered onion, 1/3 cup water,1 egg, slightly beaten,½ cup bread crumbs.Mix the ingredients in step one until well blended. Divide the meat into eight large balls.
Step two, forming and frying: 1 cup bread crumbs or Panko, 2 -4 tablespoons vegetable oil. Roll the balls in breadcrumbs or Panko and shape into ovals. Place the kotleti onto a baking sheet lined with waxed paper and flatten slightly. Heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan and fry the kotleti until browned on both sides, about four minutes per side. Do not over cook or kotleti will be dry.
More details and my recipe for Mama' Supreme Russian Mustard are available in Beyond Beef Stroganoff. A word of caution if you make the mustard…good tastes come in small quantities! Enjoy!
With Bay Area weather forecasters predicting three-digit temps, abandoning the kitchen sounds like a good idea! I vote for another barbecued meal since we already dusted off the grill last week for burgers. Here's an easy, mouthwatering recipe for traditional grilled Balkan specialty sausages called Chevapchichi from Beyond Beef Stroganoff.
RECIPE: Three pound portion: 1 pound ground beef, 1 pound ground lamb, 1 pound ground veal, 1 small onion, grated, 3 teaspoons salt, ground pepper, to taste, 3 cloves garlic, crushed, 3 teaspoons paprika, 1 cup water, approximately.
Mix the meats together with the onion, salt, pepper, garlic, paprika and water. When thoroughly blended, make small sausages, about four inches in length. You can put the meat through your mixer's sausage attachment for faster production. Or, a two-inch scoop is another tool to use to make uniform sausages. Makes about 28 sausages; serves six.
Cook the sausages on a barbeque (or under the broiler) for about four minutes per side, turning over once in the cooking process.
Serve with the following garnishes, served in separate bowls, with yogurt sauce. The quantity will vary depending on the number of guests. Diced bell pepper, diced cucumber, diced fresh tomatoes.
Cucumber sauce: 1 cup (or more) plain yogurt, mixed with ¼ – ½ cucumber, grated; 1 clove garlic, crushed, salt, pepper and fresh lemon juice, to taste.
Bon appetit! Goes splashingly well with Sebastiani's Gravel Bed Red 2012.
The somewhat off-season yet gorgeous weather we've recently experienced reminded me to dust off the barbeque. Normally, it's a Memorial Day chore. Not this year. So while you're trying to figure out how to water your garden or vegetables most efficiently in a drought year, do it over the Best Burger you've ever had. (Recipe #2 from Beyond Beef Stroganoff).
Purchase equal quantities of flat and marbled meat. Cut the meat off the short ribs and cube both the lean and marbled meats into 1½ inch pieces. Place on a baking sheet, leaving a little space between each one and freeze for about 25 minutes till firm but not frozen.
In a food processor, equally distribute the lean and marbled cubes. Pulse until it is the texture like ground meat. Dump the ground meat back onto the baking sheet. Lightly push the meat into piles to form 4 burgers per pound. Handle as little as possible.
Heat a frying pan with a 1/2 teaspoon of vegetable oil. When hot, place the burgers in the pan. Heavily salt and lightly pepper the exposed side. Cook for 4 minutes. With a spatula, flip the burger, salt and pepper the other side and cook another 4 minutes. Serve on a Best Bun with the Best Trimmings!
Spring, renewal, Passover, Easter. What they have in common is lamb. It's the time these adorable little bleatters are born and a time when we vow to do that extra special house cleaning! As a symbol the lamb is used throughout the Passover and Easter celebrations, though its meaning differs. The early Christians retook the image from the Hebrew culture and used it as a symbol of Christ, renewal, and victory over death.
As must-have on our Easter table, my mother always roasted a beautiful leg of lamb, and there's no finer lamb to be had than what is produced in Sonoma county. My aunt, on the other hand, usually featured a lamb salad on her buffet. For your enjoyment, here is recipe #3, Delectable Lamb Tongue Salad, from Beyond Beef Stroganoff, my latest book on Kindle.
RECIPE: 6-8 lamb tongues (about 4 cups, cubed), 6 peppercorns, 1 bay leaf, 1 carrot- scrubed and coarsely chopped, 4 cups cooked baby peas, 1 cup Best Foods Mayonnaise, 1 cup Knudsen Sour Cream or Crème Fraiche, 2 teaspoons creamed white horseradish (or more to taste), ¼ teaspoon white pepper, or more to taste, dash of salt (or to taste), 1 tablespoon chopped, fresh dill weed, parsley, optional.
Cook lamb tongues in salted water with peppercorns, bay leaf and a carrot, until done and easily pierced with a knife. Skin the tongues and cut into 1/2" cubes. Add cooked peas. Mix the mayonnaise with sour cream, adding the horseradish and white pepper to the dressing. Bind the salad with the dressing and check for seasonings. Add salt, pepper, or more horseradish if desired.
This salad should be moist. If more dressing is needed, mix up additional equal quantities of sour cream and mayonnaise, and add to the salad, adjusting the horseradish as necessary. Garnish with parsley.
Happy Pay-sach, Happy Easter and Xhristos Voskrece! Lady Tessie, pictured below, adds that this year they are all within a week of each other!
It's Cold, It's Hot, It's Wet!
If you've figured out what the weather will do next, you're miles ahead of the rest of us! Lately, the rotation has gone something like this: hot, cold (huge drops in temperature at night), wet (ending with a round of rain, sometimes pouring, sometimes drizzling). Makes it harder to plan menus around the season. It may be spring, yet heavy comfort food like a good stew may get more votes than a composed salad.
2 – 3 pounds lamb riblets, 1/4 cup pearl barley, rinsed, optional, 1 large onion, chopped, 3 cloves of garlic, chopped, 2 – 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, 1-2 potatoes, peeled and cubed, 2 ribs of celery cut into 1-inch pieces, 1/4 – 1/2 pound Italian flat beans or Blue Lake beans, cut into one-inch pieces, 2 – 3 carrots cut into medium rounds, 3 – 4 tomatoes or 1-8 ounce can tomato sauce, ¼ – ½ bell pepper, chopped (optional), 2 teaspoons salt, freshly ground pepper to taste, or a few whole peppercorns, 1 Tablespoon flour, optional.
Put the meat into a large stewing pot and cover with approximately a quart of water. Add the barley and bring to a boil. Then immediately lower the heat to simmer and cook, covered, for 1-½ hours. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a separate pan and lightly brown the garlic and onion. Add this, the salt, pepper and the rest of the ingredients to the stew during the last half hour of the cooking time. When done, adjust the seasonings as needed. If a thicker stew is desired, sprinkle the flour over it through a sieve, and quickly mix it into the sauce. Cook a few more minutes to thicken.
Blue skies ahead? Well, we're all grateful for the much needed rain, but one can't deny that spring is perhaps Sonoma's most breathtaking time of year.
Beef Stroganoff Beats Beef Stew!
Beyond Beef Stroganoff just hit Amazon Kindle and promises to surprise you with some of the best meat dishes from San Francisco's Russian American community.
RECIPE: 1 Tablespoon Coleman's mustard powder, 1 Tablespoon sugar, 2 teaspoons salt, 4-6 tablespoons vegetable oil (not olive) or half oil and half butter, 4 cups thinly sliced, white onions, 1 pound Crimini mushrooms thinly sliced, 2 pounds fillets of lean beef (flank, skirt or hanger steak), freshly ground black pepper, to taste, 1 pint crème fraiche, 3 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped, 3 tablespoons Madeira or Marsala wine mixed with 1 Tablespoon flour.
Quick method: In a small bowl combine the mustard powder, sugar, a pinch of salt and one tablespoon boiled water to form a paste. Set aside. Mix the Madeira with the tablespoon of flour and set aside.
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large, heavy pan, drop in the onions and mushrooms, cover the pan and reduce the heat to low. Stir occasionally. Simmer till soft about 20 minutes. Set aside.
With a sharp knife, cut the meat against the grain into thin, 2" strips like straw potatoes, never into chunks. This is not a stew. Heat another 2 tablespoons oil over high heat, drop in half the meat, sauté for two minutes or until slightly brown and set aside. Continue cooking the rest of the meat in a similar way. Finally, over low heat, combine the vegetables, meat and mustard paste.
Tips: Substitute 2-4 tablespoons tomato paste or 1 small can tomato sauce for the wine. This version is not made that often today. Or, for a darker, traditional brown sauce, add 1-2 teaspoons Kitchen Bouquet. Sour cream may be substituted for crème fraiche. However, crème fraiche is closer to real Russian sour cream than most American sour creams on the market. Knudsen makes the best sour cream without a lot of additives, which impede sour cream's ability to melt smoothly when heated.
Wine Pairing: Cabernet Sauvingnon from Paso Robles' Halter Ranch Vineyard is a great match for Beef Stroganoff Lobanovsky!
Vets recommend adding oats in natural horse feed for optimum nitrition and health. With the Year of the Horse upon us (January 31st), I searched my favorite recipes so that we too can enhance our menus with this nutritious grain. Guaranteed to put a smile on your face, this one comes from Evy Berger, Sonoma, a former Alcalde (honorary mayor) who in her lifetime probably baked thousands of these gems, delighting scores of youngsters including her own four sons.
Ingredients: 1 cup Crisco shortening, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup brown sugar, 2 eggs, 1 tsp. vanilla, 2 cups all purpose flour, 1 tsp. baking soda, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. baking powder, 2 cups rolled oats, 1/2 cup chopped pecans, 1 6-ounce pkg. chocolate chips.
Directions:Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In an electric mixer, cream the shortening and sugars. Add eggs, vanilla and beat until well blended. Stir in flour, soda, salt, and baking powder. Add the oats, nuts, chocolate chips, and mix until combined. Spoon the mixture onto a cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Hide some if you don't want them to disappear too quickly!
Tips: I like to use the pillow-type cookie sheets (double layer) and line those with parchment. That pretty much prevents cookies from burning. I prefer sweet butter over Crisco but that's a personal choice. Lastly, a 1″ scoop is great because your cookies will be more uniform in size. All right already, let's get baking….
Photo credits: Top, my grandfather Colonel Nicolas Mamontoff, in the Siberian forest, a la Zhivago, on his prize steed, Conqueror. Conqueror, along with his beautiful saddle was sold for 2900 gold rubles to a Chinese general when the Mamontoffs emigrated to America. Photo right: My great grandfather Jacob Urusoff, around 1912. Urusoff was a local Siberian mine inspector and village police chief who was shot by the Reds for not joining the Bolshevik (Communist) party.
After a long and unanticipated break, I'd like to finish the year with a couple of wonderful recipes given to me recently by friends De and Alice. Both dishes would make a perfect light supper for New Year's Eve.
Heat 2-3 Tbsp. Wesson oil in the clay pot. Coat the bottom of the pot with Yoshida's Original Gourmet Sweet and Savory Sauce (available at Costco). Add 2 catfish steaks. Salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with Pyramide Oriental Spices for Catfish Paste (a blend of onion, sugar, black pepper, salt, paprika and sugar powders).
Turn the steaks over in the pot to coat them. Pour more Yoshida sauce over as desired. Add a dash of fish sauce. Turn flame down to low, cover and cook for 20 minutes. Serve with steamed rice your favorite green vegetable. Serves four.
Boil a crab in salted water and clean out the meat. Save the water. (De's crab was about 1 lb. 8 oz.).
In a soup pot, dilute a large can of Swanson's Chicken Broth half with one can of water. Bring to a boil. Add 1, 12-oz. jar of white asparagus, cut into pieces and some of the water from the asparagus (or some of the water from the boiled crab). Drop in the cleaned crabmeat. Continue simmering and skim the scum, if any develops.
Beat two eggs in a bowl. Bring the broth back to a boil. Create a vortex by spinning the broth in a circular direction. Add the eggs while continuing to stir until the eggs make into little strings. Optional ingredients to add at this stage are quail eggs and/or corn.
Dilute 2 Tbsp. cornstarch in 1/4 cup or so of water. Stir into the soup to thicken. You may add more depending on how thick you want the soup. Salt to taste. Add mushroom powder to taste (about a teaspoon). Serves four.
Here's wishing all a very Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year!


text:
Class of 2016 graduate with a B. Eng. in Polymer Processing
First Polymer Training Skillnet & Plastics Ireland would like to congratulate the Class of 2016 who graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering in Polymer Processing, on the 3rd November 2016, at the annual conferring ceremony at IT Sligo.
The BEng in Polymer Processing was designed in 2009 in collaboration with First Polymer Training Skillnet to address what was a growing skills shortage in the polymer (plastics) area. The degree was designed after a series of meetings with the networks steering group, industry groups and selected member companies, as well as a comprehensive survey of the skills needs of the industry which determined that there was an 'urgent' need to address this shortage. The programme demonstrates the value of open and constructive engagement between industry and academic institutions. The programme is delivered online, chiefly as a distance learning programme, with some practical sessions scheduled throughout the year and is jointly delivered by Sligo and Athlone Institutes of Technology. After the main conferring ceremony, First Polymer Training Skillnet & Plastics Ireland made a special presentation to each graduate to mark their great achievement. For the full album of photos from the day please see our Facebook page
The Class of 2016 – L to R: Pat Whyte (Irish Micro Mouldings & the IOM), Catherine Collins (First Polymer Training Skillnet), Graduates– Joseph Coleman, Shane Dolphin, Mir Himayath Ali Khan, Niall Rochford, Kevin Monks, Gloria McCann, Declan Kelly, Mark McAuley (Plastics Ireland – Ibec), Una Parsons (IT Sligo) and David Mulligan (IT Sligo).
Mir Himayath Ali Khan pictured receiving his medal for the best academic achievement in his graduating class.
L to R: Catherine Collins (First Polymer Training Skillnet), Mark McAuley (Plastics Ireland – Ibec and sponsors of this medal), Mir Himayath Ali Khan, Una Parsons (IT Sligo) and Pat Whyte (Irish Micro Mouldings & the IOM).
The IOM (Institute of Materials) kindly provided sponsorship to two students on this programme in 2015-2016 including Mir Himayath Ali Khan.