[ransomnote]

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Part C

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[MileHi]

In.

Thanks MoD

[grey_whiskers]

*Dolphin Safe*

[Melian]

SAVE BAGSTER

...uh, Ferris!

[100American]

Checking In!!

[TEXOKIE]

This is a post I presented last November 9, 2018. I beg your indulgence if I repost it once more, because I think we know more now than we did then, and a revisit of it might shed some more light on recent drops and coming events. There will be some additional bits of commentary here and there in brackets, which was not there in the original post.

November 9, 2018
I do want to offer this dive on Ezra Cohen-Watnick, the Mystery Man!
This is a 6 part series, with an ADDENDUM section at the end of Part 6 with TAKEAWAYS. All parts will be attached as replies to thread post 10 with the jumping dinosaur on the first page of this thread.

EZRA COHEN-WATNICK

THE Q DROPS WHICH REFER TO EZRA COHEN-WATNIK:

#1125 with this article link:
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/11/us/politics/%3Cspan%20class=’text-highlight’%3Eezra%3C/span%3E-cohen-watnick-justice-department-national-security-adviser.html

[links to a Sara Carter tweet and a DJT tweet are also posted in this drop]

#1539 - link to:
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2018/04/fired-white-house-official-joins-doj-at-trumps-insistence.html

#2057 - has only the name of Ezra Cohen-Watnick posted.

#2058 - includes ANOTHER post of same NYTimes article as #1125
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/11/us/politics/ezra-cohen-watnick-justice-department-national-security-adviser.html
[Q must REALLY want us to study this one!]

#2456 - again, this drop has ONLY the name “Ezra Cohen-Watnick” posted.

End Part One
Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q

[TEXOKIE]

Part Two - Ezra Cohen-Watnick

Let’s look at the two articles linked:

NEW YORK TIMES:
April 11, 2018 [Posted by Q TWICE!]

“Aide Ousted From White House Re-emerges at Justice Dept.”
By Adam Goldman
April 11, 2018

WASHINGTON — A former American intelligence official who came under intense scrutiny during a stint at the White House last year is returning to government as the national security adviser to Attorney General Jeff Sessions, according to a person familiar with the decision.
The official, Ezra Cohen-Watnick, will play an important role at the Justice Department, advising Mr. Sessions on counterintelligence and counterterrorism.

Mr. Cohen-Watnick is known to be hawkish on Russia and China, believing the intelligence community needs to take a more aggressive approach in countering their activities. Both countries conduct wide-ranging espionage in the United States that targets commercial and government secrets. Mr. Sessions is broadly viewed in the Justice Department as lacking expertise in the area.

The Justice Department declined to comment.

MR. COHEN-WATNICK, 31, SERVED BRIEFLY AT THE START OF THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION AS THE SENIOR DIRECTOR FOR INTELLIGENCE FOR THE NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL, OVERSEEING COVERT ACTION AND OTHER INTELLIGENCE PROGRAMS. HE WAS BROUGHT ON BY MICHAEL T. FLYNN,
President Trump’s first national security adviser. But some former officials criticized Mr. Cohen-Watnick, a former clandestine officer in the Defense Intelligence Agency, as too young for the job, which is usually filled by C.I.A. veterans.

Mr. Cohen-Watnick was ousted in August 2017 as part of changes in the White House, one of several appointees of Mr. Flynn who were removed by his replacement, Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster.

National Security Council aides usually draw little public scrutiny, but MR. COHEN-WATNICK WAS SWEPT UP IN THE TUMULT OF EARLY 2017 WHEN MR. TRUMP ACCUSED THE PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATION, WITHOUT EVIDENCE, OF WIRETAPPING HIS PHONES AT TRUMP TOWER.

[WITHOUT EVIDENCE???? LOL!]

MR. TRUMP’S ALLEGATIONS WERE BOLSTERED BY REPRESENTATIVE DEVIN NUNES OF CALIFORNIA, the Republican chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, who said he had evidence that Mr. Trump’s communications were incidentally swept up in surveillance of foreigners by American spy agencies.

MR. NUNES DID NOT DIVULGE THE SOURCES OF THIS INFORMATION, BUT AMERICAN OFFICIALS LATER TOLD THE NEW YORK TIMES THAT MR. COHEN-WATNICK, AT THE INSTRUCTION OF TWO SENIOR WHITE HOUSE OFFICIALS, HELPED PRINT INTELLIGENCE REPORTS THAT LATER SERVED AS MR. NUNES’S PROOF.

End Part Two

Q Q Q Q Q. Q Q Q

[TEXOKIE]

Part Three Ezra Cohen-Watnick

The other link referenced by Q to an article from NY Mag from #1539 was posted ALSO on April 11, 2018.

Fired White House Official Hired by DOJ at Trump’s Insistence
By Adam K. Raymond

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2018/04/fired-white-house-official-joins-doj-at-trumps-insistence.html

EZRA COHEN-WATNICK, A CONTROVERSIAL FORMER NATIONAL SECURITY AIDE TO PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP WHO WAS PUSHED OUT OF THE WHITE HOUSE BY H.R. MCMASTER, IS REJOINING THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION. IN HIS NEW ROLE HE WILL SERVE AS ATTORNEY GENERAL JEFF SESSION’S NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER.

A 31-year-old former intelligence officer, Cohen-Watnick was brought on to Trump’s national Security Council by Michael Flynn, the president’s first national security adviser. WHEN FLYNN’S 24-DAY TENURE ENDED IN FEBRUARY OF 2017, HIS REPLACEMENT, H.R. MCMASTER, BEGAN CLEANING HOUSE. BUT HE WASN’T ABLE TO REMOVE COHEN-WATNICK, WHO REPORTEDLY USED HIS ALLIANCES WITH JARED KUSHNER AND STEVE BANNON TO STAY IN THE WHITE HOUSE.

McMaster eventually got his way, using out Cohen-Watnick last summer after he became involved with Representative Devin Nunes and his attempts to prove Trump’s claim that President Obama wiretapped Trump Tower. HE THEN WENT TO WORK FOR SILICON VALLEY TECH GIANT ORACLE, according to Talking Points Memo, which said his return to the Trump administration has been in the works for months.

With McMaster out of the way, Trump moved to bring back Cohen-Watnick, Bloomberg reported Wednesday. TRUMP “PERSONALLY ORDERED THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE TO HIRE,” BLOOMBERG SAYS, DESPITE A GENERAL POLICY NOT TO REHIRE PEOPLE WHO ARE FIRED.

[I wonder if we can say “Scaramucci Model?” Hmmmm yes, I thought we could.

So this is what happened:
FLYNN brought him on board
McMaster didn’t want him on board, and eventually got him ousted
Ezra went to Oracle - with many administration connections there
TRUMP HIMSELF brought Ezra BACK to his Administration after McMaster left, in order to WORK WITH SESSIONS]

End Part Three

Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q

[TEXOKIE]

Part Five Ezra Cohen-Watnick

This is an article from September 12, 2017 after Ezra was removed from his White House position by McMaster.

“Ousted NSC Officer Takes Job at Oracle”

https://www.justsecurity.org/44897/ousted-nsc-official-takes-job-oracle-cohen-watnick/

Some brief excerpts:

“…HIS NEW JOB TITLE IS NOT CONFIRMED AND THE COMPANY DECLINED A REQUEST FOR COMMENT.

The Trump administration already has ties to the company. Safra Catz, CEO of the company along with Mark Hurd, was on the executive committee of the Trump transition team, making her unique among Silicon Valley executives, who have either publicly criticized the administration or avoided being too closely associated with it (one big exception to this is billionaire tech investor Peter Thiel). The Trump transition team even talked to her about becoming the U.S. Trade Representative or Director of National Intelligence, according to a Bloomberg report. In January, she wrote an op-ed in The Hill, arguing why Steven Mnuchin, Trump’s choice for Treasury Secretary, needed to be confirmed quickly….”

[3/7/19 - FWIW, I just did a little dive into SAFRA CATZ - a few little hot pink flags…. But oh well:
Safra A. Catz has served as chief executive officer of Oracle Corporation since 2014 and a member of the company’s board of directors since 2001. She previously served as president of Oracle and has also served as the company’s chief financial officer. Prior to being named president, Catz held various other positions since starting at Oracle in 1999. She currently serves as a director of The Walt Disney Company and previously served as a director of HSBC Holdings plc.]

“…Retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, the NSC’s chief of staff, has also worked at Oracle. In 2003…”

“…Kellogg and Cohen-Watnick worked together on the NSC, where from January through early August, Cohen-Watnick was the senior director for intelligence programs. It was a short stint that brought with it plenty of controversy. He was hired by President Donald Trump’s first national security advisor, retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, before Flynn was forced to resign in February. Flynn’s choice of Cohen-Watnick, a 31-year old who previously worked at the Defense Intelligence Agency, was greeted with skepticism by many in the intelligence community who viewed him as too junior for such an important post….”

End Part Five

Q Q Q Q Q Q Q

[TEXOKIE]

Part Four - Ezra Cohen-Watnick

Q has mentioned this guy’s name TWICE without accompanying explanation. He has stated in #1539 that the information about him, especially in the NY Mag article, is “important to remember.”

[ Q saying “Important to remember” comes across to me like a professor saying those words and implying he or she is giving us an exam gimme! EZRA COHEN WATNIK IS IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER!]

The NY Mag article makes mention of where Cohen-Watnick worked after McMaster booted him: ORACLE.

Let’s examine that and remind ourselves of what/who ORACLE is:

Aside from FReeQs associating the word “Oracle” with our own FReeQ newspaper, published on our Q threads by our Editor in Chief, FReeQ Bagster, what Oracle means in this present context is:

ORACLE CORPORATION

oracle.com

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oracle_Corporation

“Oracle Corporation is an American multinational computer technology corporation headquartered in Redwood Shores, California. THE COMPANY SPECIALIZES PRIMARILY IN DEVELOPING AND MARKETING DATABASE SOFTWARE AND TECHNOLOGY, CLOUD ENGINEERED SYSTEMS, AND ENTERPRISE SOFTWARE PRODUCTS — PARTICULARLY ITS OWN BRANDS OF DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS. IN 2018, ORACLE WAS THE THIRD-LARGEST SOFTWARE MAKER BY REVENUE, AFTER MICROSOFT AND ALPHABET.

The company also develops and builds tools for database development and systems of middle-tier software, enterprise resource planning (ERP) software, customer relationship management (CRM) software, and supply chain management (SCM) software.”

History
“Larry Ellison co-founded Oracle Corporation in 1977 with Bob Miner and Ed Oates under the name Software Development Laboratories (SDL). Ellison took inspiration from the 1970 paper written by Edgar F. Codd on relational database management systems (RDBMS) named “A Relational Model of Data for Large Shared Data Banks.” He heard about the IBM System R database from an article in the IBM Research Journal provided by Oates. Ellison wanted to make Oracle’s product compatible with System R, but failed to do so as IBM kept the error codes for their DBMS a secret. SDL changed its name to Relational Software, Inc (RSI) in 1979, then again to Oracle Systems Corporation in 1982, to align itself more closely with its flagship product Oracle Database.

At this stage Bob Miner served as the company’s senior programmer. On March 12, 1986, the company had its initial public offering. In 1995, Oracle Systems Corporation changed its name to Oracle Corporation, officially named Oracle, but sometimes referred to as Oracle Corporation, the name of the holding company. Part of Oracle Corporation’s early success arose from using the C programming language to implement its products. This eased porting to different operating systems (most of which support C)….”

This is a long article, and the various areas of service, including (but not limited to) Oracle Cloud, Hardware, File systems, Operating Systems, and support are outlined.

Recently, Maria Bartiromo interviewed Larry Ellison of Oracle on 10/28/18
I was unable to obtain a link to the entire interview, but did find clips.
1.
Oracle is destined to beat Amazon at cloud databse
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrzMYL901AQ
2.
Oracle’s cloud has robotic Star Wars like cyber defenses
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MZ_esB-d9E
3.
Don’t want to find ourselves in second place
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxFouplAFDY
4.
I had all the disadvantages necessary for success
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrZoRNSQSPw
5.
Biotech will create the most dramatic new technology
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6cn4NRmT8M
6.
Google’s push in to China is “shocking”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aM52EOtmTwY

[THIS SEEMS TO BE A CURRENT TOPIC. Take a peek at 2989 and 2990]

Following are a few notes I made on the fly which caught my attention as I did not have time to do a transcript, or even full topic coverage. I make no promises as to their accuracy, but I think they are reasonably close to what was conveyed:

He made the point that ALL of the biggie tech companies actually use Oracle work product.

He supported Marco Rubio. He says he also was a big contributor to Bill Clinton - neither Repub or Dem.

He was good friends with Bill Clinton and Tony Blair and Rubio, “because they are centrists”

He’s glad economy is doing well.

BIG COMPETITOR IS CHINA, AND WE SHOULD NOT LET ITS ECONOMY PASS US UP. HE WANTS TEAM USA TO DEVELOP AND PROTECT OUR INTELLECTUAL PROPERTIES. CHINA IS OUR FIRST SERIOUS COMPETITOR SINCE 1930S.

HE COMMENTS ON THE GOOGLE REFUSAL TO ENTER INTO US MILITARY,… AND YET GOOGLE GOES INTO CHINA AND IS WILLING TO CENSOR THE PEOPLE THERE.
HE WANTS CAPITALIST SYSTEMS TO BE VICTORIOUS OVER COMMUNIST SYSTEMS.

He has a charitable foundation for health issues “Cures not Care” - supporting wellness, not cures for sick people.

He said if he had it to do over, he would be going into biotech.

He wants to see improvements in nutrition and education for children in 3rd world.

As a bonus, here is a clip of Larry Ellison 2 weeks ago. [from Nov 9, 2018]:

“China is our big competitor”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9xBtUuWh-w

This, ladies and gentlemen, is who Ezra Cohen-Watnick was working for/with.

End Part Four

Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q

[TEXOKIE]

Part Six - Ezra Cohen-Watnick

While Oracle, Q, and the Trump administration are close mouthed about Ezra’s role at Oracle, it does seem as though Ellison has been generously backing someone whom the other reports have noted in connection to Ezra: David Nunez.

Excerpt from the NY Times article, which is the one Q posted TWICE:
“…National Security Council aides usually draw little public scrutiny, but Mr. Cohen-Watnick was swept up in the tumult of early 2017 when Mr. Trump accused the previous administration, without evidence, of wiretapping his phones at Trump Tower.

MR. TRUMP’S ALLEGATIONS WERE BOLSTERED BY REPRESENTATIVE DEVIN NUNES OF CALIFORNIA, THE REPUBLICAN CHAIRMAN OF THE HOUSE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE, WHO SAID HE HAD EVIDENCE THAT MR. TRUMP’S COMMUNICATIONS WERE INCIDENTALLY SWEPT UP IN SURVEILLANCE OF FOREIGNERS BY AMERICAN SPY AGENCIES.

MR. NUNES DID NOT DIVULGE THE SOURCES OF THIS INFORMATION, BUT AMERICAN OFFICIALS LATER TOLD THE NEW YORK TIMES THAT MR. COHEN-WATNICK, AT THE INSTRUCTION OF TWO SENIOR WHITE HOUSE OFFICIALS, HELPED PRINT INTELLIGENCE REPORTS THAT LATER SERVED AS MR. NUNES’S PROOF….”

[EZRA HAS THE GOODS which “bolsters” Trump’s claims of “wiretapping.” In other words, it appears to me as though he HAS THE PROOF of that spying.]

And so now, lookie here!

This may be of interest to our own Oracle living in Nunez’ district - bagster - as well as our other California FReeQs!

https://gvwire.com/2018/02/13/silicon-valley-billionaire-ellison-backs-nunes-reelection-bid/

“Silicon Valley Billionaire Ellison Backs Nunes’ Reelection Bid”
Bill McEwen February 13, 2018

“The Daily Beast reports that top Oracle executives have given so much money to Rep. Devin Nunes’ reelection campaign that some contributions had to be returned.”

“In a story headlined “The Silicon Valley Giant Bankrolling Devin Nunes,” reporter Lachlan Markay details contributions from five Oracle executives totaling nearly $35,000.”

“What made the donations stand out, however, was not the size of them—$35,000 was a relatively small amount considering the more than $1.2 million that Nunes has raised so far this cycle. It was the timing of the giving,” Markay writes.”

Oracle Hires Former Trump Intelligence Aid
“THE REPORTER GOES ON TO EXPLAIN THAT EZRA COHEN-WATNICK, FORMERLY A TOP INTELLIGENCE AIDE IN THE TRUMP WHITE HOUSE LINKED TO FORMER NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER MICHAEL FLYNN, “JOINED ORACLE JUST WEEKS BEFORE ITS EXECUTIVES BEGAN WRITING CHECKS TO NUNES.””

“COHEN-WATNICK AND FLYNN ARE CLOSE POLITICAL ALLIES OF NUNES, A REPUBLICAN WHO CHAIRS THE HOUSE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE.”

“Flynn, a retired U.S. Army general, pleaded guilty in December to lying to the FBI about conversations with Russian Ambassador  Sergey I. Kislyak in late 2016.”

Ellison Is a Political Outlier in Silicon Valley

“In addition, Markay explains that “Oracle is a Republican outlier in Silicon Valley, and its executives’ right-leaning politics (and political contributions) present opportunities in Trump’s Washington unavailable to competitors like Amazon, a frequent target of (President) Trump’s ire.” Oracle’s chairman and chief technology officer is Larry Ellison. Forbes estimates Ellison’s financial worth is $58.9 billion.”
Nunes Has History of Landslide Victories

“Nunes, of Tulare, customarily wins reelection by landslide margins in a district with a large Republican voter registration edge.”

“This year, three Democrats are challenging Nunes in California’s 22nd District. One of them, Fresno County assistant district attorney Andrew Janz, is receiving national attention. That attention is largely the result of Nunes’ controversial chairmanship of the House Intelligence Committee.”

“THE DAILY BEAST STORY GOES INTO GREAT DETAIL ABOUT COHEN-WATNICK’S RELATIONSHIP WITH NUNES. IT ALSO EXPLAINS WHY SOME OF THE ORACLE DONATIONS HAD TO BE RETURNED. YOU CAN READ THE STORY AT THIS LINK.”

[Following is the link referred to:]

[ https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-silicon-valley-giant-bankrolling-devin-nunes

The Silicon Valley Giant Bankrolling Devin Nunes. ]

END PART SIX
[THERE WILL BE A NEW ADDENDUM in the next post]

Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q

[TEXOKIE]

ADDENDUM - TAKE AWAYS ABOUT EZRA COHEN WATNIK

(11/9/18) So, my take away, from all this is:

1> that Oracle would not make any statement about WHAT WAS EZRA DOING AT ORACLE???

2> that there were already a number of administration connections to Oracle.

3> Ezra seems to be a Mystery Man…. And Q has been basically keeping it that way!

However, because of the tie to Nunez, there has to be a huge Intelligence element involved here that not only does Q and the Administration respect, but also tech giant Larry Ellison as well. It seems that there is some compelling reason that we are able to see Nunez firmly ensconced on his congressional seat. BOTH Oracles, Ellison and Bagster have seen to it! :-D

4> For such a young man, I think we can definitely conclude that he has enormous capability and is viewed by Q and POTUS to be an important human resource.

5> The administration had connections with Oracle, and smoothed the way for Ezra to work there. But note that the timing of his entrance to Oracle also corresponded with increased funding of Nunez’ candidacy.
Is Ezra at least a component of the “stealth bomber” mentioned by Q?

As our own Oracle would say, “stay tuned.”
I’ll follow Q’s directive and “keep all of this in mind!”……

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
3/7/19
...Which I have certainly been doing! Hence this revisit of this November 2018 post.

In reviewing this information about EZRA COHEN WATNIK, the various moves of sometimes rather short duration caught my eye. Recall:

Ezra brought in by Flynn
Stayed until ousted by McMaster
Went to ORACLE - which was/is chock full of Administration supporters
Was brought back by TRUMP himself to work for SESSIONS after McMaster left

It brought to my mind this thought:

His pattern of being in some of his positions only a brief time seem perhaps to fit the Scaramucci model. Although in his case, it was McMaster who fired him, and not POTUS. However he WAS kept in his position longer than McMaster wanted him, by others close to the President. Perhaps McMaster could oust him because he had finished his “Scaramucci” assignment - then was sent to Oracle.....then brought back to do more Scaramucci under Sessions?

[I did not locate a source stating if he is still I the DOJ with Barr, but I did locate a source which claims to have a photo of him, which are supposed to be quite scarce:

https://heavy.com/news/2017/03/ezra-cohen-watnick-devin-nunes-sources-wiretapping-intelligence-donald-trump-nsc-wife-who-is-age-staffer/]

In addition to all the above, it seems useful to examine the following drops:

Last April, we received this drop:

#1201
Anonymous says:

20 Apr 2018 - 12:47:20 PM
Trap card played…nice work Q

Q says:
TRUMP card coming.
Q

We also received this drop on March 3 2019:

#2936

At what stage in the game do you play the TRUMP card?
Q

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

We have also been assured in #2992 that:

“[DARPA>GOOG]
Re-review past drops.
Major steps underway to challenge these control pockets.
Q”

“Major steps underway to challenge these control pockets.”

Is it just possible that Ezra Watnik Cohen is “The Trump Card?”…or at least part of it?….and is it possible that we may soon begin to learn what his critical role has been / will be?

And might, I also ask, is it possible he is a “Stealth Bomber?”
We’ve seen that phrase in connection with Whittaker, the FBI/DOJ, and Sessions. Is he their “Stealth Bomber?”

These are questions which transfix me and make me think I’m onto something here…. But it could also be true that I’m starting to listen to that crazy lady who stares at me from the bathroom mirror…..

End ADDENDUM

Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q

[TEXOKIE]

drone, in your post 319, you stated:

"Is there a connection in the word Keystone and the skiing area named Keystone in the Denver area?"

I decided to check. I thought it might be very obvious if that were the case. There doesn't seem to be - but I was startled at what I did find. This, fortunately or unfortunately, has turned into a deeper dive than I expected. I have placed the series - which it has to be - as replies to the Jumping Dinosaur post 10 of this thread. I do not know how many parts this will end up being. I suspect 3 or 4. If you get lost - as I'm liable to do - go to the Jumping Dinosaur (10) and look at replies!

KEYSTONE, COLORADO SKI RESORT > EPIC PROMISE
PART ONE

EXAMINATION OF THE “KEYSTONE CO” skiing web site

I tried posting the site banner and it was huge. I was not able to adjust the size, even given that so many kind FReeQs have given me notes on how to do so. I would get either a giant picture, or nothing upon any number changes I tried. My apologies. My solution today is to provide the link- probably cold - and you can cut and paste and go look at what I'm describing:

https://images.vailresorts.com/image/upload/c_scale,dpr_2.0,f_auto,q_auto,w_1200/v1/Keystone/Heros/Homepage/EPAS-0113-19_UniversalHeader_2000x800_030519-3.jpg

The banner - Skier doing exciting things - and the word "EPIC" is interesting in that it looks like the e and p are making an infinity sign.

Uh oh……They have several images making a play for KIDS: “KIDS SKI FREE” …

And this:

SURE! Just drop off your unsupervised kids, why don’t you, to our lovely ski school? We’ll make sure they are fed, entertained, etc. if you are late picking them up.... or if they come on their own. Other images in this section are promoting kid oriented music and entertainment. Of course, it is all family oriented.... And it may very well be.

“EPIC FOR EVERYONE” program is apparently NOT just at the KEYSTONE resort. EPIC is also present at all of the following resorts…. And it should also be noted that VAIL is also a corporate umbrella name for many of these same resorts as well - not just the resort in Vail Colorado :

Vail. Beaver Creek. Whistler Blackcomb. Breckenridge. Keystone. Crested Butte. Park City. Heavenly. Northstar. Kirkwood. Stevens Pass. Stowe. Okemo. Mount Sunapee. Wilmot. Afton Alps Mt Brighton Perisher

EPIC WEB SITES:

EPIC Pass
http://www.epicpass.com/>

EPIC Mix
http://www.epicmix.com/>

Advertising partners are:

GMC, Pepsi, Bud Light, Verizon

Other sponsors here:
https://www.snow.com/footer/strategic-alliance.aspx>

Snow.com
https://www.snow.com/

I’m getting the feeling that the major ski resorts have been heavily corporatized and are inter-related now.

They are heavy into “ECO” and push some eco products:

http://www.epicpromise.com/our-stories/eco-products-the-official-zero-waste-partner-of-vail-resorts/

In part two we will examine a little more about the ECO part of the EPIC program.

END PART ONE

[TEXOKIE]

PART TWO

KEYSTONE, COLORADO SKI RESORT > EPIC PROMISE

ECO-PRODUCTS: THE OFFICIAL ZERO WASTE PARTNER OF VAIL RESORTS

Company-wide on 11/12/2018 5:10:57 PM

Eco-Products is proud to be the Official Zero Waste Partner of Vail Resorts. As the leading brand of compostable and recycled content foodservice packaging, Eco-Products is committed to a Zero Waste future. In addition to providing environmentally preferable cups, plates, and the like, Eco-Products is helping Vail Resorts expand their composting and recycling programs and deliver on their Commitment to Zero. Eco-Products believes big things can happen in small packages, and the partnership with Vail Resorts has the promise to deliver just that. 

http://www.epicpromise.com

The epic promise touts the reusable cups, zero waste, etc.

This is peculiar…. Or maybe not. These resorts and surrounding areas can be very expensive. The Vail ski resorts make a LOT of money, but most who work for them apparently do not make much of an income. But Vail Resorts don’t have hearts of stone, do they? Look what they do for the poor ones who work there:

THEY PROVIDE FOOD FOR THE EMPLOYEES. Guess who does that?

WAIT FOR IT

…………………………………

THE EPIC PROMISE FOUNDATION! …and of course local food banks:

http://www.epicpromise.com/our-stories/8-850-meals-for-employees/

Vail Resorts Employee Food Program

The EpicPromise Foundation partnered with local food banks in our communities to provide supplemental meals and groceries for employees at some resorts with below average snowfall in the early season.

We partnered with FIRC (Family Intercultural Resource Center) in Summit, CO; Our Community Foundation in Eagle County, CO; Christian Center in Park City, UT; Bread and Broth in South Lake Tahoe, CA; Project Mana in North Lake Tahoe, CA. Over the course of the three week holiday period, the EpicPromise Foundation and nonprofit partners provided approximately 8,850 meals or bags of groceries to-go. Food was made available at Employee Centers, Employee dinners and distributed to departments as needed. Employee volunteers supported the program through bagging food, transporting food to distribution locations and administering food. While participating in the program, employees felt a first-connection to their fellow colleagues in need.

[Our people ARE generous and helpful. An American IS generally ready to help if there is need. And even though these employees DON’T ALL HAVE ENOUGH MONEY TO BUY FOOD - BECAUSE OF LOW WAGES….The Corporation, in order to make their food donations program work on a shoe string, are encouraging their employees (and presumably anyone else) to “VOLUNTEER!” WHY NOT JUST PAY THEM WHAT THEY ARE WORTH?????]

http://www.epicpromise.com/community-support/epicpromise-volunteers/

Giving Back is in our DNA.

[They say nothing here that I could find about blood drives, but it worries me that they even mention the word “DNA” in connection to the word “VOLUNTEER.”]

Vail Resorts is dedicated to helping our communities thrive, a commitment which is reflected in one of our six foundational values: “Do Good.” One of the most impactful ways to accomplish this is through employee volunteering. IN FACT, VAIL RESORTS EMPLOYEES GAVE NEARLY 25,000 HOURS OF COMPANY-SPONSORED VOLUNTEER TIME TO NONPROFITS OVER THE LAST YEAR.

[ it's interesting how the big company "provides" opportunities to "volunteer" and oh doesn't it make their PR department feel just so tickled!?]

To continue to strengthen the bond between our employees and our communities, we are revitalizing our volunteer commitments with EpicPromise Volunteers, now comprised of four main programs:

EpicPromise CONNECT (Our newest addition!)

EpicPromise CONNECT offers Vail Resorts employees opportunities to volunteer at popular community events throughout the year. Over the next six months, an estimated 850 employee volunteers will lend a hand at 34 community events resulting in more than 4,000 volunteer hours. We’ll plant sugar pines near the shores of Lake Tahoe, help local farmer’s markets “stay green,” and build homes for families in need. And that is just the tip of the iceberg! Learn more and register for an EpicPromise CONNECT volunteer event near you today.

The rest of this page provides other ways they have for people to volunteer.

They even have a Scholarship for employee dependents.

END PART TWO

In the next part we will begin looking at the Epic Foundation

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[TEXOKIE]

PART THREE

KEYSTONE, COLORADO SKI RESORT > EPIC PROMISE

Here is an article from 2015 about the Epic Promise Foundation. We learn that they are funding it through the Vail Resorts and will be giving employees certain grants, which at the time of this article they hadn’t fully worked out yet.At the end we learn that they will be working with another foundation and a conservation center:

https://www.summitdaily.com/news/local/epicpromise-foundation-to-support-vail-resorts-employees-through-grants/ EpicPromise Foundation to support Vail Resorts employees through grants

Local | December 2, 2015

Vail Resorts plans to give out $750,000 in grants to employees next year, through their new EpicPromise Foundation. A separate entity from the company itself, the foundation has applied for 501(c)(3) nonprofit status and will be used to distribute scholarships to employees for assistance in pursuing education and responding to medical or family emergencies.

Nicky DeFord, senior manager of charitable contributions for Vail Resorts, said the foundation was created “to support (employees) in times of need, to inspire them and to give them an avenue to support their coworkers.”

TO KICK OFF THE PROGRAM, CEO ROB KATZ WILL DONATE $1.5 MILLION TO THE FOUNDATION, WITH VAIL RESORTS PLEDGING $500,000 EACH YEAR. GRANT applications will open in January, with the first grants awarded as early as February.

“We definitely have clients who will benefit,” Family and Intercultural Resource Center executive director Tamara Drangstveit said. “I think this is one more way for Summit County families to get the help they need.”

DeFord said the FOUNDATION WAS STILL TRYING TO DETERMINE WHAT TYPES OF GRANTS COULD BE AWARDED UNDER IRS RULES. As far as emergency relief, she said the foundation would look to offer grants for medical crises.

“Emergency relief is very broad and we still have a lot to learn,” she added.

As far as education is concerned, the foundation will be able to offer scholarships to employees and their families for four-year degrees, vocational school and GEDs.

Once the foundation’s 501(c)(3) status is approved, the employees and visitors will be able to make tax-deductible donations. A board of directors consisting of non-executive employees across the company will oversee the foundation.

“The EpicPromise Foundation will be managed by our employees, for our employees,” Katz said in a statement. “It’s said that charity should begin at home and in this holiday season, we are creating a way for everyone at Vail Resorts to both give back and be supported.”

While the foundation shares a name with EpicPromise, the branch of Vail Resorts responsible for donations to local nonprofits including the Summit Foundation and High Country Conservation Center, it will remain a separate entity as a nonprofit. “It will be part of the whole story of EpicPromise,” DeFord added.

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Well, who is Nicky Deford?

Deford

A quote from the above 2013 article:

“…We want communities to understand that Vail Resorts is not a corporate monster that wants to take over a town,” says DeFord, who oversees a $6.5 million budget of annual giving. “How do I convince a community that Vail Resorts does care, and wants to partner with people? We don’t want to just give a blank check. We want to understand the problems and be part of the solution.”

It’s no secret that Vail Resorts must contend with a public perception that can be less than charitable. What isn’t well known—at least not until you talk to DeFord—is how much the company does for communities and its employees….”

Hmmmmmm seems as though they have had some PR repairs to do for some reason. I have no idea what they could have been though. Perhaps FReeQs living in these areas could clue us in on the situation. However, I feel as though I’ve been reading here about every Hallmark Movie ever made where a huge EEEE-VIL corporation invades a pristine small town area and runs rough shod over it and commercializes it. Only to learn they need to lighten up a bit. But I could certainly be way off track here.

END PART THREE

We will continue looking at the Epic Foundation.

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PART FOUR Keystone Resort > EpicPromise

https://www.epictogether.org/executive-board/

Let’s examine the Executive Board of the Epic Promise Foundation, shall we? In the news article about them, we learned, “A board of directors consisting of non-executive employees across the company will oversee the foundation.”

Who are they? If you want to jump ahead the above link will take you there!

Executive Board President

Carolyn Pilgrom

Carolyn lives in Buffalo, NY with her husband and 2 cats. She works fulltime as a Workforce Analyst for a cloud services company based in Silicon Valley and spends her free time exploring the world of food through her exotic meat private chef service.

[Analyst for "Cloud Services" = OK she's dialed into HIGH TECH.
"Exotic meat chef service?" Is this a way of saying she likes to eat ostriches or auks? Or is this a euphemism for things we dread hearing about? ]

Carolyn was diagnosed with Cushing’s Disease in 2009 and had her first of two pituitary surgeries that same year. She went on to have her adrenal glands removed before being declared cured from Cushing’s and began her life as an Addison’s patient.

[Pituitary removal. Pituitaries affect adrenals Must have adrenal gland supplemetation. People DO have these things happen. And there ARE legitimate treatments for them. BUT….*sigh* You draw the possible conclusions here. I don’t want to.]

Executive Board Secretary

DaVita Garfield

As a speaker, author and empowerment coach, DaVita credits the many life experiences and obstacles that she has overcome during her life as the driving force behind her God-given assignment to support other women by encouraging them to become amazing on purpose.

Saddled with an unexplained medical crisis in 2012, DaVita fought through stress, depression, frustration and at times anger, to reclaim her health and renew her life. Vowing to never give up on herself, she wanted answers. Her tireless medical self-advocacy finally led to the diagnosis of a rare and life-threatening disease called Cushing’s Disease. After this diagnosis and the discovery of a tumor on her pituitary gland, having learned more about this disease, DaVita’s faith and determination to become healthy became even stronger. In 2014 the tumor was successfully removed however, she was re-diagnosed and faced her 2nd brain surgery in 2017 to remove a tumor.

[WOW! Lightening seems to striking in the same place twice on this executive board.]

In March of 2015, DaVita founded her company, empoWermentNOW, LLC to provide empowerment and coaching support for women to help them to identify and reach their life goals despite their circumstances.

DaVita’s number one role is being a mother to her amazing daughter, Aniah Rose. DaVita HOLDS A BACHELOR’S DEGREE IN SOCIAL WORK AND A MASTER’S DEGREE IN HEALTH ADMINISTRATION AND HAS OVER 15 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE HELPING PEOPLE IN THE HEALTHCARE SALES FIELD. In September 2016, DaVita celebrated the release of her first self-published book titled, Tell the Whole Story: Embrace Your Journey To be Amazing on Purpose. TELL THE WHOLE STORY EXAMINES DAVITA’S TRANSPARENT LIFE EXPERIENCES IN AREAS OF CHILDHOOD ABUSE, EMOTIONAL TURMOIL, ADULT PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL ILLNESS TO SHOW the importance of embracing one’s entire life journey to overcome and achieve success on purpose and without apology.

[Yikes? Is this what background you would want your Board Secretary to have if you were putting together a foundation??? I feel for the woman.... but dang!]

DaVita’s most recent accomplishments include HER GIRLS MENTORING PROGRAM, her virtual group coaching membership program and the release of her Achieving your Amazing Goals Planner: 2018 edition. The EPIC Foundation is proud to announce DaVita Garfield as the Executive Board Secretary.

[Seriously??? Girls' mentoring? So far I’m not having a very good feeling about this particular foundation.]

Executive Board Treasurer

Stephanie Thames-Harris, M.S.

Stephanie has OVER 16 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN THE PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY. She obtained both her Bachelor’s Degree and Masters of Science Degree in Biological Science from Jackson State University. Stephanie worked for Abbot Laboratories for almost two decades. She obtained an amazing opportunity to move forward and SHE CURRENTLY WORKS WITH THE COMPANY, JOHNSON AND JOHNSON VISION. STEPHANIE IS THEIR HEAD OF GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTS.

[We’ve heard about Johnson and Johnson before. Baby Powder.... and oh so much more. Johnson and Johnson Vision has to do with eye care products.

Isn’t Johnson and Johnson overall, a global health equipment/supply entity which is tied in somehow with Red Cross? I’m going by memory here. If anyone can confirm that, I would be grateful. (I really don’t have time right now to dig to verify that.)]

STEPHANIE THAMES-HARRIS SHOWS AN INTEREST IN CUSHING’S AS CO-PRODUCER OF THE DOCUMENTARY FILM SERIES, “Battleground Diagnosis: The War to Survive Cushing’s Disease/Syndrome”. She is the wife of the director of the documentary, Marc Harris. Stephanie and Marc are the proud parents of three beautiful daughters. As a family, they would like to contribute to Cushing’s awareness and the empowerment of Cushing’s patients and families.

[OK...we have officially entered Twilight Zone territory - yet with more of the CUSHINGS!? She doesn’t have it, but she’s "Interested.” She made a movie. Cushings disease affects the adrenals. It is caused by tumors or too much stress hormone cortisol. And what about this quote about her family?
"As a family, they would like to contribute to Cushing’s awareness and the empowerment of Cushing’s patients and families." What happened to your interest in taking care of hungry and needy ski employees?]

Executive Board Director

Cheryl Dunlap

Cheryl Dunlap has a very broad and eclectic professional background. Surviving adversity in her past and with the goal of providing her daughter with the best life, Cheryl had job positions that provided high job security and stability. To support herself and her daughter, Cheryl began her diverse career with a ‘secure’ government job.  An unfulfilling, dead-end path, Cheryl would express her creativity by styling her friend’s hair.  She eventually took that skill to cosmetology school.  After graduation, she quickly realized salon work would not be enough.  By helping out an ill friend, SHE DISCOVERED A NICHE MARKET – TRAVELING COSMETOLOGY SERVICES.

[It goes on to say she got into EVENT PLANNING and she got a degree in ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING. So far, so good.]

CHERYL HAS BEEN A HUGE SUPPORTER OF THE CUSHING’S COMMUNITY FOR YEARS. SHE USES HER POSITION AS PRODUCER AND HOST OF A POPULAR RADIO PROGRAM TO INCREASE AWARENESS. CHERYL HAS A HEART FOR THE CHRONIC ILLNESS COMMUNITY, WHICH MOTIVATED HER DECISION TO SIT ON THE EXECUTIVE BOARD OF DIRECTORS FOR THE EPIC FOUNDATION. Cheryl would like to contribute to Cushing’s awareness and the empowerment of Cushing’s patients and families. She is also invested in helping the chronic illness community. Today, Cheryl continues as the sole producer and host of Soul Suite Radio.  She maintains a select portfolio of clients for event planning and cosmetology, and volunteers her time and skill to cancer survivors and incarcerated women. Cheryl is also working on her first novel.

[ROFL! Spoke too soon! CUSHINGS! ...AGAIN! This exec board definitely has a preoccupation with CUSHINGS. Except for event planning, I can't see ANYTHING in her background that makes me think she cares anything at all about ski resorts, much less, needy ski resort employees and their communities. Her involvement with CUSHINGS is what motivated her to seek a seat on the Board. My question is WHY?]

Executive Board Director

[OK now this one is really strange and a little sad:]

Teresa Tapp (RIP August 26th, 1957-September 20th, 2018)

Teresa Tapp is an exercise physiologist/rehabilitative trainer whose specialty is real fitness from the inside out. Teresa’s program isn’t about weighing yourself and counting calories or working out 7 days a week for 3-4 hours a day. The T-Tapp program is about RESULTS! Let’s face it – it really does come down to inch loss. Who really cares what the scale says, if you look great when you look in the mirror? Teresa strongly believes that less is more when utilizing the correct TYPE of exercises.

ANYONE can use T-Tapp! However, Teresa Tapp’s methods are ideal for individuals in the chronic illness community who simply are not able to do conventional workouts. However, in JUST 15 minutes a day, people in the chronic illness community can work out safely and effectively, not crash, and see results.

The EPIC Foundation is proud to partner with Teresa Tapp to increase awareness and help bring wellness to ALL! Together, WE are EPIC! TERESA TAPP BELIEVES IN THE MISSION AND VISION OF THIS FOUNDATION!

[She is the only one WITHOUT CUSHINGS..and yet she tailored her program for people with “Chronic Illness”…. And it appears the web site was edited. She passed in September of 2018.

[" Teresa Tapp believes in the mission and vision of this foundation!"

The only common vision I've been able to discern among the various Executive Board members, including this one, is the preoccupation with CUSHINGS - and NO CONCERN WHATSOEVER ABOUT THE SKI RESORT EMPLOYEES!

I'm glad people are concerned about a horrible illness as that is, but why did the Vail Corporation choose this Foundation with a focus on this disease and not on their people and communities?]

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I looked at a blurb on the Epic Foundation site which was honoring Teresa in May of 2017 for her work with Cushings / chronic illness:

“…Teresa has been very influential within the Cushing’s and Addison’s Communities. She really believes that T-Tapp workouts can make a difference and that they really can help a person in remission from Cushing’s look, feel, and function better. T-Tapp truly does help the recovery process! Dr. Karen has also discovered that people who normally would fear adrenal crisis from working out feel safe doing T-Tapp….”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cushing%27s_syndrome

“Cushing's syndrome is caused by either excessive cortisol-like medication such as prednisone or a tumor that either produces or results in the production of excessive cortisol by the adrenal glands.[9] Cases due to a pituitary adenoma are known as Cushing's disease.[3] It is the second most common cause of Cushing's syndrome after medication.[3] A number of other tumors may also cause Cushing's.[3][10] Some of these are associated with inherited disorders such as multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 and Carney complex…”

I checked, and I do believe we can rule out any suggestion of prion or kuru affecting the pituitary….however, the adrenal insufficiencies by members of this board in their Cushings diagnoses and concerns have some possible disturbing implications - which I am certainly unqualified to address from any standpoint of authority aside from the legally appointed treatments by the AMA, etc.]

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MY TAKEAWAYS
* I have so many questions about where this dig started and how it ended up where it did.

* Infinity symbol being used on prominent banner of Epic web sites - is it a snake eating tail as the down side symbol of the more positive symbol of “Infinity” as forever, unlimited, etc.?

* Almost overly “Kid Friendly.” Notice the programs advertised for kids as pointed out in Part One…. Also look at the background of Board Secretary - “girls’ mentoring program - with personal background of having been abused. Some possible serious kid/relating there.

* One Executive - the Executive Board President, no less, is forthright in her assertion that she likes exotic meats and has a chef service for them. Some of us on this thread are VERY nervous about this kind of assertion and are hoping earnestly that she is fond of aardvark, armadillo, or python meat and not another form of meat which presents itself as a possible choice in these days of people taking the left handed path.

*Treasurer does government accounts for an international company called “Johnson and Johnson Vision.” I suspect that large corporation does more than just make good baby powder.

*. Why would a foundation ostensibly founded to help ski resort workers have (and in some articles even say, that they want to help larger communities of the resort areas) while 100% of its Executive Board of Directors are majorly concerned about Cushing's and Chronic illness?

I do not know. In the case of the deceased Executive, she was said to have been upholding the vision of the Foundation with her interest in tailoring her health program to people with CUSHING'S and chronic illness. Another executive stated she wanted a seat on the board because of their focus on Cushing's.

This is a puzzle to me. But it was definitely interesting to see, and now to wonder about!

I realize this dig doesn’t turn out to be directly related to current Q issues, but Q did say to look into the “Foundations.”

*I didn’t see any of these Executive express ANYTHING about the their concerns of the health and welfare of SKI RESORT EMPLOYEES

Because of this strange conflict of interest between the Executive Board's being consumed by their interest in CUSHINGS, and the stated desire of Vail Corp to have the Foundation support its SKI EMPLOYEES and COMMUNITIES, the Epic Foundation does seem to be having its own private agenda in the use of its funds and money gathering which may not be as advertised.

They probably DO come out with some moneys which are genuinely helpful for the employees, etc. But look at the stated preoccupation CUSHINGS on their Board! 100%? WHAT ARE THEY REALLY DOING?

Well one thing for sure is, that they are not getting me anywhere near their slopes! But that’s just me.]

END PART FOUR and the DIG

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