Have Amelia and Noonan been found? A Quiz. Important Heads-Up for Vets. Irish Stew Recipe fer t'day, St. Paddy's Day.

But First, an important Heads-Up for ALL Veterans.

Subject: WARNING TO ALL VETERANS - Concerning "Veterans Affairs Services"

--- On Tue, 3/15/11, PatriotSupport@aol.com wrote:

From: PatriotSupport@aol.com
Subject: WARNING TO ALL VETERANS - Concerning " Veterans Affairs Services"

Date: Tuesday, March 15, 2011, 7:45 PM

Team, If you are a Veteran, have friends, family members who are Veterans, please share the information with them, to help protect them too. These criminals, are very well versed, and convincing. Help protect all our Veterans. Sherri

(Sent from Will)
WARNING TO VETERANS
Forwarded by Kevin Secor, VSO Liaison, Office of the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

An organization called Veterans Affairs Services (VAS) is providing benefit and general information on VA and gathering personal information on veterans. This organization is not affiliated with VA in any way.

Websites with the name "vaservices"immediately after the "www" ARE NOT part of the Department of Veterans Affairs, the US

Government agency. Do not go to them or if approached or called, do not offer them any information concerning yourself or data on other veterans. Keep in mind that the real VA website ends in .gov.

**Also, be aware that the Department of Veterans Affairs does not randomly call veterans, nor does it ask veterans for information which it does not already have--like Social Security Numbers. In particular, if you have not dealt with the VA previously--and in person--and all of a sudden, you receive a call from someone saying they are with the VA or something similar sounding, hang up the phone. Also, do not respond to emails which suggest that they are from the VA. The VA never conducts official business nor asks for personal information by email. **

VAS may be gaining access to military personnel through their close resemblance to the VA name and seal. Our Legal Counsel has requested that we coordinate with DoD to inform military installations, particularly mobilization sites, of this group and their lack of affiliation or endorsement by VA to provide any services.

In addition, GC requests that if you have any examples of VAS acts that violate chapter 59 of Title 38 United States Code, such as VAS employees assisting veterans in the preparation and presentation of claims for benefits, please pass any additional information to Mr. Daugherty at the address below.

Michael G. Daugherty
Staff Attorney
Department of Veterans Affairs
Office of General Counsel (022G2)
810 Vermont Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20420

Cookie's NOTE: It should also be noted that I attempted to verify this e-mail itself at 2 "Truth/Fiction" sites and could find nothing, HOWEVER, I did find a website named Veterans Affairs Services, and it does state that it IS NOT affiliated with the United States Government.

To be safe, I personally would not have any dealings with this site in that it very well might be an elaborate "phishing Scheme".
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Cookie, like a great many other folks, just loves an unsolved mystery. That's why I loved Detective work so much. Below is a link to a new 11 minute YouTube video regarding the archaeological search team that have found many very promising items and bones that may have once been those of Earhart and Fred Noonan, her navigator. This is a relatively new video and is chocked full of very interesting and excellent photos of the many items found on Nikumaroro Isl, about ??? nautical miles from Howland's Isl, Earhart's last destination before she was last heard of.

**See below map as to their geographical location to each other.**  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZDWOqPZ23A

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Quiz.

1) Approximately how many miles are there between Nikumaroro Isl. and Howland's Isl?

2) Why does the location of Nikumaroro Island lend itself to the possibilty that this is where Earhart and Noonan spent their last day?

3) Were partial skeletal remains ever found on Nikumaroro Isl, and if so, by whom and when?

4) If human skeletal remains are still on this island, where (specifically) might they be located even to this day?

5) What item was located that might have belonged to navigator Fred Noonan?

Good luck mates!
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Traditional Shamrock Stew Recipe Photo by: Taste of Home
100% would make again

You don't have to be Irish to enjoy this savory stew. Homemade dumplings make it extra special.

This recipe is: Contest Winning

8 Servings. Prep time: 20 min. Cook: 1-1/4 hours.

Ingredients;

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt, optional
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1-1/2 to 2 pounds beef top round steak, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 can (8 ounces) Hunt’s® Tomato Sauce
2 cups water
1 large onion, sliced
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 bay leaf
1 pound carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 package (10 ounces) frozen peas

DUMPLINGS:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, optional

OR

Do like Cookie does and use Bisquick.

Directions;

In a large bowl, combine flour, salt if desired and pepper; set aside 2 tablespoons. Add meat to bowl and toss to coat.

In a Dutch oven (preferably Cast Iron if'n y'all have one) or large soup kettle, over medium heat, cook the meat in oil until no longer pink; drain. Stir in tomato sauce, water and reserved flour mixture. Add onion, marjoram and bay leaf; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Add carrots; cover and simmer for 45 minutes. Stir in peas. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes for until the vegetables are tender. Remove bay leaf.

For dumplings, in a large combine flour and baking powder. Stir in milk, egg, oil and parsley if desired. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto simmering stew. Cover and cook for 12-14 minutes or until done. Do not lift the cover.

Serve immediately. Yield: 8 servings.
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COMMENTS:

"Vigilis" said; "1) About 420 NM, but I am no navigator.
2) Because Earhart had said she was flying on a “157/337” line and such a line passing through Howland also passes in visual range of Gardner per chart.
3) British records document discovery in 1940 of the partial skeleton of a castaway who perished while attempting to survive on Nikumaroro sometime prior to the island’s settlement in 1939. in 1946 a “native” had Coast Guardsman Floyd Kilts of finding human bones and a “woman’s shoe, American kind” on the island.
4) A place near the southeast end of the island, associated with fire, bird, and turtle bones in the so-called Seven Site.
5) With the bones were found a sextant box bearing a stencilled number that is similar to a number written on a sextant box known to have belonged to Fred Noonan".

COOKIE said; Spot on Vigilis, excellent research. The answer to the #4 question is indeed correct, in a broader sense than what I wanted. Where, in and around the "Seven Site" might the bones still be discovered. Has to do with certain critters on the island.

"ABNPOPPA" said; "Cookie, An interesting recipe to say the least. Thanks for adding me to your blog roll. You are also listed on my now as a place to go for good Grub & Gab."

"Dapper Dan" said; "I second what you said about Vigilis' research. Well done. The Earhart case has always interested me. Will you be tackling Judge Crater and Jimmy Hoffa now that this one is almost solved?"

COOKIE said; LOL, I doubt I'll be tackling the Hoffa case any time soon. Back in the day, I knew some of the "bent nose" crowd and from what I've heard (and it has to be taken with a HUGE grain of salt, pun intended as you'll see), Hoffa's body will never be found because....

..are ya ready....

he was probably devoured as sausage. That was the word back then. Butchered, ground up and served up as sausage meat, so if'n ya had some Italian sausage fer breakfast or in yur spagetti back then, and it gave you more heartburn than usual you mighta had a real case of "Italian ageda".