Poland reminds us that the will of the people stands solidly for the country they build. Poland moved out of communism without regret, not only sustained it's economy, it has grown with substantial heartiness.

When looking at the map of Europe, it is downright scary to realize Poland was once communist. I am glad they are a free people now.

Now, in the 21st century, it has become an economic engine within the EU, with some growing pains, of course. But, it is now ready to become part of a global effort to protect Earth for the generations that follow.

I think Poland is inspiring. It sets it's goal for noble goals and does not relinquish them to other ideas for it's national identity. It is a strong country, with strong people and we all should be proud to call them allies.

Poland’s economic freedom score is 68.5, (click here) making its economy the 45th freest in the 2018 Index. Its overall score has increased by 0.2 point, with improved fiscal health and labor freedom scores outpacing a decline in government integrity. Poland is ranked 21st among 44 countries in the Europe region, and its overall score is below the regional average but above the world average.

Pay attention, Wall Street doesn't like it when governments have social programs to protect human beings that are citizens. Poland had a 1.3 percent growth in 2009, while every other major country in the world was losing their shirts, Poland maintained a positive growth rate. And what do the people of Poland get for that, diminished importance in social programs by Wall Street. Amazing. Poland proved resilient to global downturns and is slighted for engaging social programs. Wall Street are a bunch of ingrates.

Prioritization of social welfare spending (about 32 percent of the government budget) has prompted investors to lower Poland’s economic growth projections for the next few years. Past structural reforms like trade liberalization, low corporate taxes, and a business-friendly regulatory environment facilitated the transition to a market-oriented economy. Remaining systemic challenges include deficiencies in road and rail infrastructure, a rigid labor code, a weak commercial court system, government red tape, and a burdensome tax system for entrepreneurs. Reforms are also needed to buttress the independence of the judiciary and reduce opportunities for corruption.          

October 18, 2018

By Laural Wamsley

In Japan, (click here) the springtime bloom of cherry blossoms is an annual rite of celebration, accompanied by picnics and parties under the flowering canopy.

But this week, an odd thing happened: Some of the trees bloomed again. In autumn.

Japanese broadcaster NHK reported that a weather company had received hundreds of reports of the trees blooming, across an area stretching from Kyushu, in southwestern Japan, to Hokkaido in the north.

The apparent cause? The two typhoons that struck the country in September and early October....

Polish labor union "Solidarnosc" is legendary. Today, however, there are only about 15 percent of working people participating in unions.

...NSZZ Solidarność (click here) grew initially from the strikes in the Gdansk shipyard in 1980 at the time of the communist government and it was registered as an independent self-governing trade union in September of the same year. After a period of illegality following the imposition of martial law in December 1981 it re-emerged as a legal organisation in 1989.⁴ Solidarność’s leaders were a key component in Poland’s first non-communist government in the same year and played a direct political role in the years that followed through Akcja Wyborcza Solidarność (Solidarity Election Action), which formed part of Poland’s government from 1997 to 2000. It is now once again primarily a trade union rather a political movement but still has ties to politics (see below). In 2008 it was estimated to have 680,000 members, athough the website of the ministry of labour and social policy, lists its membership at 900,000.⁵ The 2012 CBOS survey estimated that 5% of Polish employees were members of NSZZ Solidarność....         

October 21, 2018
By Kim Cobb

In this Oct. 11, 2018 file photo, a boat sits amidst debris in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael in Mexico Beach, Fla. Hurricane Michael has shown that President Donald Trump can’t be counted on to give accurate information to the public when a natural disaster unfolds.

First, (click here) an international group of scientists released a long-anticipated report detailing in excruciating detail the extra damages we can expect unless we slam our foot on the fossil fuel brakes right now. Then, just a few days later, record-breaking Hurricane Michael came barreling out of the Gulf of Mexico with a late-breaking intensification that transformed the Florida Panhandle into a landscape straight out of a horror movie.

The fact that both events occurred within a few days of each other is pure coincidence, of course. But it does leave the feeling that Nature just put one or more planetary-scale exclamation marks on the main takeaway from the IPCC report: Act now to reduce emissions, or suffer the consequences!

The real exclamation point from Michael, though, is the same one that came with its close relatives Katrina, Sandy, Harvey, Maria and Florence - all supercharged by man-made climate change to some degree: We are exceptionally ill-prepared for the climate threats that are unfolding today, let alone those of the next decades. Rising seas caused by warming and rising oceans and melting ice are already bringing low-lying coastlines under threat from so-called "blue sky flooding." And studies now show that there are plenty of reasons to think that hurricanes will get stronger, and wetter, under continued climate change, as the ocean and the overlying atmosphere warm....



A Florida family awaiting assistance after Hurricane Michael was found after the HELP sign they made out of tree logs was photographed by an aerial team and then found by a family member.

Poland's population is 38,084,515.

Poland's GDP per capita has risen steadily since the 1990s. It is currently $13,811.66. It is in the same range as Hungary. 

CO2 emissions (metric tons per capita) in Poland was reported at 7.5172 in 2014, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources.

2014 was it's lowest on record at 7.52.

October 20, 2018

Amman — The 2018 World Tourism Awards (click here) will be presented to the Jordan Trail Association, alongside two other winners on November 5, as part of the opening day of World Travel Market London, according to a statement by World Tourism Awards. 

The 2018 honorees are being recognised for "outstanding initiatives" related to the travel and tourism industry and for "fostering sustainable tourism and developing programmes that give back to local communities".

The Jordan Trail Association, a Jordanian non-profit NGO founded in 2015, will be rewarded in recognition of its commitment to developing, maintaining and promoting the Jordan Trail as a platform for socioeconomic development for the 52 villages along the trail, with an impact of $6 million to-date, the statement said.

Chairman of the Jordan Trail Association, Ramzi Tabbalat said: "This important achievement is a global recognition of the Jordan Trail Association, and places it as a global example in developing tourist destinations into platforms for development, entrepreneurship and support for local communities." 

"Jordan Trail Association is one of the most efficient national institutions in the implementation of tourism development programmes in Jordan and that its progress and development programmes will continue further," he added.

The CEO of the Jordan Trail Association Bashir Daoud commented: “The association's achievement being awarded with one of the most prestigious tourism awards in the world is only the culmination of the efforts of the association’s board and executive team in developing and promoting the trail as an exceptional tourist destination, which is already at the top of the pyramid of adventure tourism in the world, which made the trail a top destination for all adventure tourists in the world," adding that "the next challenge is to maintain this progress and excellence despite all the challenges”.

The Jordan Trail Association was awarded the King Abdullah II Decoration of Excellence of the Second Degree, which was granted by His Majesty King Abdullah II last May, in acknowledgement of the association’s efforts in placing Jordan on the map of international tourism and for supporting local communities along the Jordan Trail, in addition to naming the Jordan Trail as one of the top destinations of the world by National Geographic Traveller Magazine for 2018, the statement concluded.

Poland needs to appreciate the intense carbon credits that exist with old growth forest.

Collection of pictures from the Bialowieza Forest (click here)

The Białowieża Forest World Heritage site, (click here) on the border between Poland and Belarus, is an immense range of primary forest including both conifers and broadleaved trees covering a total area of 141,885 hectares. Situated on the watershed of the Baltic Sea and Black Sea, this transboundary property is exceptional for the opportunities it offers for biodiversity conservation. It is home to the largest population of the property’s iconic species, the European bison.

Brief synthesis

Bialowieza Forest is a large forest complex located on the border between Poland and Belarus. Thanks to several ages of protection the Forest had survived in its natural state to this day. The Bialowieza National Park, Poland, was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1979 and extended to include Belovezhskaya Pushcha, Belarus, in 1992. A large extension of the property in 2014 results in a property of 141,885 ha with a buffer zone of 166,708 ha.

This property includes a complex of lowland forests that are characteristics of the Central European mixed forests terrestrial ecoregion. The area has exceptionally conservation significance due to the scale of its old growth forests, which include extensive undisturbed areas where natural processes are on-going. A consequence is the richness in dead wood, standing and on the ground, and consequently a high diversity of fungi and saproxylic invertebrates. The property protects a diverse and rich wildlife of which 59 mammal species, over 250 bird, 13 amphibian, 7 reptile and over 12,000 invertebrate species. The iconic symbol of the property is the European Bison: approximately 900 individuals in the whole property which make almost 25% of the total world’s population and over 30% of free-living animals....

17 April 2018
By Arthur Neslen

The EU’s highest court (click here) has ruled that Poland’s logging in the Unesco-protected Białowieża forest is illegal, potentially opening the door to multi-million euro fines.

At least 10,000 trees are thought to have been felled in Białowieża, one of Europe’s last parcels of primeval woodland, since the Polish environment minister, Jan Szyzko tripled logging limits there in 2016....

October 21, 2018
By Frank Jordans

Berlin — A U.N.-backed fund (click here) has approved more than $1 billion for 19 new projects to help developing countries tackle climate change, officials said Sunday.

During a four-day meeting in Bahrain that ended late Saturday, officials overseeing the Green Climate Fund also agreed to start seeking fresh money next year as its initial capital of about $6.6 billion will soon be used up.

The South Korea-based fund, considered a key vehicle for climate-related development programs, was originally meant to receive over $10 billion from rich countries by 2018. But U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to withhold $2 billion of the $3 billion pledged by his predecessor, Barack Obama, has contributed to a shortfall in its projected assets....

"The Green Climate Fund" (click here)

Poland needs to create a better quality of life for it's people by switching to alternative energies.

March 20, 2018
By Jeffrey Rissman and Robbie Orvis

Poland has the sixth-highest GDP (PPP) in the European Union (EU) (click here) and is an increasingly important player in the world economy, with growing domestic and international reasons to tackle pollution.  Poland has the fifth-highest greenhouse gas emissions in the EU, behind only Germany, the UK, France, and Italy, and particulate pollution from fossil fuel combustion causes 45,000 deaths each year in Poland....

Poland’s significant use of coal, the dominant CO2-emitting fuel, creates many opportunities to reduce emissions. The falling costs of solar panels and wind turbines mean that Poland can make the transition to a low-carbon economy while saving money, as renewables have no fuel costs.  Renewables also improve energy security by obviating the need to import gas or coal from Russia.

Recent news offers hope about Poland’s energy future. For example, PGE, the largest power company in Poland, announced plans to build over 1,000 megawatts of offshore wind capacity by 2030.

Poland's Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Electricity and industry are responsible for the lion’s share of emissions in Poland, making up 38 and 41% of the country’s emissions, respectively. Even without ambitious, new policy, the power sector is expected to decarbonize somewhat as old, dirty coal plants are replaced by newer coal and gas plants, and as solar gains a foothold....

‘It’s obvious some of the violence we are observing … is directly linked to climate change,’ says Peter Maurer

21 October 2018
By Helen Davidson

President of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Peter Maurer says mass migration can leads to tensions with local communities

Climate change (click here) is already exacerbating domestic and international conflicts, and governments must take steps to ensure it does not get worse, the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross has said.

Peter Maurer told Guardian Australia it was already making an impact and humanitarian organisations were having to factor it into their work far earlier than they were expecting.

“In many parts of the world where we work it’s not a distant engagement,” he said.

“When I think about our engagement in sub-Saharan Africa, in Somalia, in other places of the world, I see that climate change has already had a massive impact on population movement, on fertility of land. It’s moving the border between pastoralist and agriculturalist.”

Maurer, who was in Australia to speak about the changing nature of modern conflict, said concern about the impact of climate change in the Pacific was “enormous”....

In 2010, the worst storm to strike Poland in modern times occurred. It was horrific, killing 15 and disrupting the infrastructure of the country.

May 25, 2010

The worst flooding to strike Poland (click here) in more than a decade continued on its destructive path on Tuesday, leaving behind it apocalyptic scenes and 15 dead. Much of the flooding has been centered on the Oder and Vistula rivers, and the flood surge is expected to reach Germany later this week as it pushes north towards the border.

Flooding on Poland's Vistula River northwest of Warsaw, which experienced some of the heaviest damage over the weekend, continued to intensify on Monday. The situation is "worse than expected," Polish Interior Minister Jerzy Miller told reporters. After the banks burst on the river near the city of Plock, around 100 kilometers (62 miles) from Warsaw, 18 communities had to be evacuated. And the Polish media is reporting that the Vistula had flooded an area of around 8,000 hectares (around 20,000 acres), including 23 towns and villages.

In order to protect other towns, Polish authorities on Monday blew up dikes at several locations, news channel TVN24 reported. The authorities are hoping that these measures will lead the Vistula to flow back into its river bed.

Around 4,000 people and thousands of animals were evacuated. But officials on Monday worried that thousands more living in the towns of Gabin and Slubice on the border with Germany could be at risk....

Emergency workers inspect a railway bridge destroyed by floods from the Poprad River near Nowy Sacz, Poland

It's Sunday Night

The beautiful Joanna Mucha is a liberal leader for women's rights in Poland.

Joanna Mucha was born on April 12, 1976 (click here) in Płońsk, as a daughter of Bernard and Barbara Muchów. She graduated from the Faculty of Management at the University of Warsaw. In 2007 she obtained a PhD degree in economics. From the moment of graduation, Mucha worked as an academic teacher at the Catholic University of Lublin.

The political career of Joanna Mucha began with her activity in the Freedom Union. In 2003, she joined the ranks of the Civic Platform and co-founded the project "Akademia Janusza Palikota". Then in the parliamentary election in 2007 she obtained a parliamentary seat on behalf of the PO. Four years later, she successfully applied for re-election.

On November 18, 2011, Bronisław Komorowski appointed Joanna Mucha to the post of minister of sport and tourism in the second government formed by Donald Tusk. She held this office for two years. November 27, 2013 was removed from office.

Joanna Mucha is a divorcee, she has two sons, Stanisław and Krzysztof. In her youth, she trained karate....

"Mazurek Dąbrowskiego"

"Poland is not yet lost"

Jeszcze Polska nie zginęła,
Kiedy my żyjemy.
Co nam obca przemoc wzięła,
Szablą odbierzemy.

Poland has not yet perished,
So long as we still live.
What the foreign force has taken from us,
We shall with sabre retrieve.

Marsz, marsz, Dąbrowski,
Z ziemi włoskiej do Polski.
Za twoim przewodem
Złączym się z narodem.

March, march, Dąbrowski,
From the Italian land to Poland.
Under your command
We shall rejoin the nation.

Przejdziem Wisłę, przejdziem Wartę,
Będziem Polakami.
Dał nam przykład Bonaparte,
Jak zwyciężać mamy.

We'll cross the Vistula, we'll cross the Warta,
We shall be Polish.
Bonaparte has given us the example
Of how we should prevail.

Marsz, marsz, Dąbrowski,
Z ziemi włoskiej do Polski.
Za twoim przewodem
Złączym się z narodem.

March, march, Dąbrowski,
From the Italian land to Poland.
Under your command
We shall rejoin the nation.

Jak Czarniecki do Poznania
Po szwedzkim zaborze,
Dla ojczyzny ratowania
Wrócim się przez morze.

Like Czarniecki to Poznań
After the Swedish annexation,
To save our homeland,
We shall return across the sea.

Marsz, marsz, Dąbrowski,
Z ziemi włoskiej do Polski.
Za twoim przewodem
Złączym się z narodem.

March, march, Dąbrowski,
From the Italian land to Poland.
Under your command
We shall rejoin the nation.

Jamal Khashoggi's body has not been presented yet.

As the investigation continues into the death of an American, Jamal Khashoggi, the fact there is no body provided for forensics and/or proper burial is most upsetting. His religious services are long overdue and that alone is an outrage!

There are statements now coming from Saudi Arabia that changes the story of his death once again. People are lying, except, for one person who stated, "Jamal Khashoggi's death was a mistake." That is about the truest statement said yet. It definitely was a mistake to even conceive of such treatment of a man without any defenses to save his life from such brutality. There are people that need to answer for this crime. A man is dead. That is a crime.

The USA is not only losing international standing, Israel is losing status as well.

I doubt King Abdullah of Jordan will change his mind regarding Baqura and Ghamr, but, Jordan should send a delegation to the Egyptian talks.

October 21, 2018

Jerusalem — Jordan’s King Abdullah (click here) told Israel he has decided to not renew parts of their 1994 peace treaty.

Abdullah said Sunday he would not renew two of the treaty’s annexes, that allowed Israel to lease two border areas from the Jordanians. Israel’s 25-year lease on the areas – Baqura and Ghamr – is up next year.

“Baqoura and Ghumar have always been our top priority & our decision is to terminate the Baqoura and Ghumar annexes from the peace treaty out of our keenness to take all decisions that would serve Jordan and Jordanians,” Abdullah tweeted....

Trump is destroying everything decades of USA Presidents have built. It isn't just Obama, there are Republican administrations and Democratic administrations losing ground on any lasting legacy of peace.

The Israel–Jordan peace treaty (click here) or in full "Treaty of Peace Between the State of Israel and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan" , sometimes referred to as Wadi Araba Treaty, was signed in 1994. The signing ceremony took place at the southern border crossing of Arabah on 26 October 1994. Jordan was the second Arab country, after Egypt, to sign a peace accord with Israel.

The treaty settled relations between the two countries, adjusted land and water disputes, and provided for broad cooperation in tourism and trade. It included a pledge that neither Jordan nor Israel would allow its territory to become a staging ground for military strikes by a third country....

Baqoura and Ghumar is where Jordan provided an armistice line allow Israel a presence that would secure it's borders. Jordan wants it's land back by ending the 25 year lease.

There are also some estimates stating there are ores along that area, including phosphate and aluminum ores. I can't find a USGS report stating same.

Trump talks tough but does nothing to insure the USA's national security. Europe is stating Russia is moving closer and closer to them with each war game they deploy. At the same time, Russia is stretching the meaning of the Intermediate Nuclear Missles. Trump states he is going to end the Intermediate Nuclear Arms Agreement with Russia because of it's lack of complete compliance while China is left to build an arsenal to challenge the USA's prowess.

Pulling out of a treaty isn't going to stop nuclear proliferation and threats to allies and the USA, it simply opens the ability to continue the escalation of the conflict. This is nuts.

Trump is unable to carry out USA national security and anyone that sees him as best and correct is partisan to the point of stupidity. 

We have been here before. If Russia is breaking the treaty then the USA already has permission to escalate it's capacity. What the USA needs to do is demonstrate it's ability to out arsenal Russia and China so there is a real incentive to bring about a treaty and live by it. The USA can flex it's muscles just fine and with a surprise launch of an Intermediate Missile in games with Japan the USA's standing will be demonstrated. 

Re-engaging any treaty to make sure it is enforceable is what needs to be done and not higher escalation to confrontation. Trump is an idiot. The Pentagon should proceed with a measure to confront dangers and not disengage because of Trump. Make the next set of games with Japan count! Open eyes to the real potential of the future. Then suggest strongly they sit at a diplomatic table as quickly as they can.

October 2, 2018
By Ryan Browne and Frederik Pleitgen

The United States Permanent Representative to NATO, (click here) Amb. Kay Bailey Hutchison, warned Tuesday that the US could "take out" Russian missiles that are perceived to be in violation of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty should Moscow continue to violate the agreement....

The Robert's Court. Trump is blindsiding the legal definition of discrimination.

August 10, 2018: The Department of Labor (click here) releases a new directive for Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) staff encouraging them to grant broad religious exemptions to federal contractors with religious-based objections to complying with nondiscrimination laws. It also deletes material from an OFCCP FAQ on LGBT nondiscrimination protections that previously clarified the limited scope of allowable religious exemptions....

Trump's White House is engaged in redefining the words of legal instruments in the USA. In other words, with broad religious authority throughout the USA there will be no equal rights. For women, it is a return to be chattel. 

Playing with words. That is how Kavanaugh has defined his ambitions and now it is catching on with cabinet level officials. The USA democracy is over if this is allowed to continue unabated.

When realizing the remaining five members of the Iran Deal are creating new financial instruments to honor their commitments, that includes Russia and Chian. Did Trump decertify from the Iran Deal to assist Russia in creating new financial instrument?

Additionally, Trump wants to end the Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty to begin to match China's military buildup. So, rather than engaging in diplomatic methods to bring Russia and China to an enforceable agreement, Trump wants to scape every aspect of the nuclear agreements that control weapons capable of striking 300 miles to 3000 miles of the USA.

This is insane stuff. Trump is destroying the USA's standing internationally and it is doing it as quick as he can.

The USA military is being compromised by additional Trump demands for security when it comes to Iraqi military partners.

Trump's extreme vetting is causing a great of problems with those from other countries fighting with the USA military. These foreign soldiers put their lives on the line to assist USA troops and they are promised a path to the USA's Green Card program in exchange for their military service. This has been a very valuable asset for the USA military and the current problems in carrying out the program is a grave concern to the USA Pentagon.

This is only one of the really major problems being caused by Trump. It is very worrisome when a candidate like the Republican running against Senator Tester of Montana states, "Elect me because I will back up Trump." That is not the reason to elect a USA Senator. Backing up Trump means causing enormous problems for the USA.

In a different venue, when Trump backed out of the Iran Deal or decertified, he opened up the demand by the other five member countries to find better financial instruments in dealing with Iran. Trump banked on the USA Dollar, the global currency, in creating pressure to end the Iran Deal. It hasn't. Instead, the other five partners are seeking alternative banking instruments to allow the Iran Deal to sustain itself.

Currently, the EU is working toward promoting the "Euro" as the global currency and it might be working in peripheral countries, such as Venezuela which recently switched to the Euro as it's baseline currency. 

Trump and his Senate and House minions are trouble for the USA. They are not an asset, they are isolationists that are desperate enough to compromise the USA internationally and it is happening already.

The American voter has a far to narrow view of Trump and the harm he is causing the USA internationally. The USA is quickly losing it's standing in the world and that is more than unfortunate, it complicates national security. This worry by the Pentagon is only one.

Listen to what Joe Biden is saying. He is dead serious.

August 20, 2018

...As of August 15, (click here) just 48 Iraqis have been admitted to the United States this fiscal year through a special refugee programme meant for people who worked for the US government or American contractors, news media or non-governmental groups, according to data provided by the State Department. More than 3,000 came last year and about 5,100 in 2016.

At the meeting last week, officials examined the multiple security checks that Iraqis must pass, including one background check that all refugees undergo, called the Interagency Check.

They determined the obstacle was a separate process called Security Advisory Opinions (SAOs), which are required for a smaller subset of people — male and female refugees within a certain age range from Iraq and 10 other countries, mostly in the Middle East and Africa.

The FBI and intelligence agencies conduct the SAOs while the State Department coordinates the process.

At the meeting, the FBI revealed that of a batch of 88 Iraqis it had recently completed SAOs for, it found suspicious information on 87 of them, said the two officials aware of the meeting. Current and former officials said that is a much higher "hit rate" than in past years.

It was unclear to officials what exactly is causing the higher hit rate, and the meeting did not get into the details of the FBI's screening methodology and how it might have changed.

FBI spokeswoman Kelsey Pietranton declined to comment on the Iraqi refugee issue.

‘Additional vetting’

A State Department spokeswoman said on Saturday the United States will continue to process US-affiliated Iraqis for resettlement "while prioritising the safety and security of the American people. Additional vetting procedures are enabling departments and agencies to more thoroughly review applicants and identify potential threats to public safety and national security."

Pentagon spokesman David Eastburn referred a request for comment on the Iraqi refugees to the White House.

A White House official did not directly comment when asked about the Iraqi refugee issue or the FBI process but said the Trump administration's approach is "protecting the national interest, preventing foreign terrorist attacks, and protecting US taxpayers and workers".

One official said the White House meeting last week resulted directly from a smaller, higher-level meeting of senior national security officials earlier this month. They discussed the maximum number of refugees the United States will admit into the country next year. The administration must reach a decision on the ceiling by September 30....

There is good news about Syria.

October 21, 2018
By Mohammad Ghazal

A long line of cars heading for Syria is seen on Thursday in this photo shared on social media

Amman — The number of Jordanians travelling to Syria (click here) is rising every day with majority of passengers travelling to buy commodities using their personal cars.

Since the reopening of the Jaber/Nasib border crossing last week to date, the number of Jordanians who crossed into Syria exceeded 1,000 and counting, a custom’s officer at the crossing said on Saturday.

“On Thursday, many [Jordanian] motorists returned to their homes as the border crossing closed at 4:00pm and there were dozens of cars queuing to enter Syria but because of the long line, many had to go back,” the officer, who preferred anonymity, told The Jordan Times on Saturday.

Jordanians travel for tourism and for buying products that are cheaper in Syria such as fruits, dairy products and cigarettes....

It is only Damascus at this point, but, it is a beginning.