Pan Fried Salmon in Panko Breadcrumbs with Tahini Dressing Vegetables

 

For the vegetables I used broccoli, asparagus, peas, mini tomatoes, red onions and courgettes. You could add sweetcorn or whatever you have. Then top with the Tahini dressing.

INGREDIENTS
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup tahini
2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice, to taste
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons maple syrup or honey
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons ice-cold water, more as needed
I also added a splash of cream.


INSTRUCTIONS
In a liquid measuring cup or jar, combine the olive oil, tahini, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, mustard, maple syrup, salt, and several twists of black pepper. Whisk until thoroughly blended.
Add the cold water, and whisk again. The dressing should become remarkably creamy. Taste, and add more lemon juice (for zing) and pepper, if desired. If your dressing is too thick to drizzle, whisk in more cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Serve!
This dressing will keep well in the refrigerator, covered, for about 1 week. It may thicken with time; simply thin it with a little more cool water as needed.

Welsh national anthem

 

The History of Wales

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The man who wrote the lyrics of the Welsh national anthem, 'Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau'.

Evan James (1809 - 30th September 1878) was born in Caerphilly and raised at the Ancient Druid Inn, Hollybush, in the parish of Bedwellty. He later became a weaver and also the landlord of the pub, where his son James was born in 1832. Evan and his family moved to Pontypridd in 1847, where he operated a woollen factory. Evan composed poems in Welsh which were published under his bardic name, Ieuan ap Iago and composed the lyrics of 'Hen Wlad fy Nhadau' (originally named ‘ Glanrhondda') after the melody had come to James one day as he walked along the river bank.

The oldest existing version of the song is dated 1856 and was first performed in Maesteg at Tabor Methodist Chapel. In 1858, ‘ Hen Wlad fy Nhadau ’ was entered for competition at the national eisteddfod in Llangollen and was immediately very popular. In 1899, the singer Madge Breese made the song the first known recording in the Welsh language and in 1905, it became the world's first national anthem sung before a sporting event when the Welsh rugby team defeated the New Zealand All Blacks.

There is a memorial to Evan in Dafydd Williams Park, Caerphilly and to Evan and James in Ynysangharad Park, Pontypridd.

Max Boyce

 

The History of Wales

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Born on this day 1943 in Glynneath,

Maxwell 'Max' Boyce, a singer and entertainer who rose to fame during the mid-1970s with an act that combined musical comedy with his passion for rugby union and his origins in the mining communities of South Wales.

Boyce began writing songs about the mining community, whilst studying for a mining engineering degree in Trefforest in the early 1970's and then began performing in local clubs where he developed the humorous element to his act.

Mysterious Singing Dogs Emerge From Extinction After 50 Years

Highland wild dog photographed in Indonesia.

New Guinea Highland Wild Dog Foundation

New Guinea singing dogs are known for their distinctive haunting wails. Once plentiful throughout the island, now only 200 to 300 of them remain in zoos and sanctuaries around the world. Descendants of a few wild dogs that were captured in the 1970s, those captive animals are the result of years of inbreeding because the gene pool is so small.

The dogs were thought to be extinct in the wild for 50 years but a new study suggests that the ancestral dog population still thrives. Highland wild dogs living near the world's largest gold mine in New Guinea's highlands may be the same animal. If confirmed, the discovery can help with species conservation efforts.

"Determining if the highland wild dog was in fact the New Guinea singing dog or its forerunner would be a mechanism for conservation biologists to restore some of the genetic variation lost in the conservation populations," study co-author Elaine Ostrander, a geneticist at the U.S. National Human Genome Research Institute, tells Treehugger.

The results of the study were published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Researchers had heard about similarly elusive highland wild dogs that had the same look and vocalizations of the New Guinea singing dogs. On his first trip to the area, field biologist James MacIntyre was able to get photographs and fecal samples from more than a dozen wild dogs. On his second expedition, he was able to trap three dogs and get blood samples.

He sent the samples to Ostrander and her team to extract the DNA and perform nuclear genetic testing. They found that the highland wild dogs and New Guinea singing dogs had extremely similar genome sequences.

"We found, first, that the closest relative of the highland wild dogs were the conservation populations of New Guinea singing dogs along with dingoes. In fact, the dingo, highland wild dog and New Guinea singing dog from conservation populations ended up together on the same 'branch' when we compared all their DNA to that of hundreds of domestic breeds, wild canids, and other dog populations," Ostrander says.

"We found second, that the branch of the tree with these three dogs split very early from the trunk of the tree that produced branches leading to modern western European dogs. Finally, we found that the highland wild dog, while containing most of the nuclear variation found in the captive New Guinea singing dog population, also contained extra. This is likely due to one a couple of things, with the most interesting being that it defines the original New Guinea singing dog, which makes it critical as the population for help in restoring the original dogs."
The Same, But Different

The researchers believe the New Guinea singing dogs and the highland wild dogs are the same even though don't have identical genomes. They credit the differences to the fact that the two populations have been physically separated for so long and because of the inbreeding among the captive New Guinea singing dogs.

They say that the genomic similarities indicate that the highland wild dogs are the wild and original New Guinea singing dog population and, despite the different names, they are actually the same breed.

"The results are important because, first and foremost, they establish that New Guinea singing dogs are not, as thought, extinct in the wild," Ostrander points out.

"This is the first study of highland wild dogs done using nuclear DNA, the gold standard for studies like this, which makes it quite special. The study also fills in some missing blanks in understanding the complex relationship between highland wild dogs, dingoes and New Guinea singing dogs in conservation centers. Finally, the results of the study provide a means for conservation biologists to move forward with additional studies and as they think about how to restore the variation in the New Guinea singing dog conservation population."

The researchers plan to study the singing dogs to learn more about how their genes affect vocalization. Because humans are more closely related to dogs than birds, understanding vocalization could help lead to human treatments when issues occur, they say.

And if you haven't heard a New Guinea singing dog, Ostrander suggests it's worth a listen.

"It is a pleasing harmonic sound," she says. "It’s not like other dogs sounds—not a howl or a yip or a bark. It is really a lovely harmonic and haunting vocalization."

This 2-Year-Old Dog Overcame Crippling Anxiety After His Owner Got Him An Emotional Support Dog

 We all need a friend, and this cute furball is the perfect example of how it can make your days brighter. When a 2-year-old Weimaraner named Arnold was only a puppy, he had a bad experience with a big German shepherd. Naturally, the scary encounter left a scar on Arnold’s heart. He already suffered from separation anxiety, but after the bloody run-in, he grew even more fearful, especially around big dogs.

Arnold—a 2-year-old Weimaraner—had been suffering from separation anxiety since he was a pup

Image credits: arnoldandfrank

But his owner—Carolyn Manalis, who lives in Perth, Australia—knew there had to be something she could do to make Arnold feel better. And then Frank came along—a miniature dachshund, and just about the friendliest puppy you could meet. Carolyn adopted Frank from a friend of hers and soon enough, the tiny helper took on the job of being an emotional support dog for Arnold.

On top of this, he had a scary experience with a big German shepherd

Image credits: arnoldandfrank

Which left him emotionally scarred and even more fearful than he was before

Image credits: arnoldandfrank

While emotional support dogs usually “work” for humans, Carolyn knew that such a dog would help Arnold with his anxiety. She told Caters News: “The bond these two dogs have is just insanely beautiful. They are so connected and loving and supportive of one another. If one ever cries, the other one is there in half a second to check they are OK. Their love is unconditional, regardless of their size or breed.”

But everything changed when Frank came along

Frank is a miniature dachshund who’s super friendly and confident

Image credits: arnoldandfrank

As strange as it may sound, it’s the much tinier and younger Frank that brings reassurance to a dog who weighs 66 pounds more than him. Radiating self-assurance and friendliness, the adorable dachshund helped his big brother Arnold to finally overcome crippling anxiety.

He radiates self-assurance, which helped Arnold to tackle his anxiety

Image credits: arnoldandfrank

With each passing day, the owner of the dogs could see Arnold getting better and better

Image credits: arnoldandfrank

Carolyn told the media: “Frank has helped Arnold regain his confidence to be able to play and wrestle while learning that this doesn’t always mean he’s going to get hurt or attacked. Having a little friend to play with has been the perfect therapy for Arnold to heal.”

The tiny puppy helped Arnold to finally regain his confidence

However, there are plenty of tricks that Frank learned from none other than his big brother. “We swear Frank thinks Arnold is his dad,” the owner of the dogs told the news outlet. “Being the second child, he definitely didn’t get as much training and attention as the first. Most of what he has learned, he has learned from Arnold.”

They could play wrestle together without Arnold fearing getting hurt

Image credits: arnoldandfrank

The Weimaraner has also taught Frank a thing or two

Image credits: arnoldandfrank

And what do younger brothers usually do? They copy their older siblings! “Frank copies everything Arnold does, to the point where, if Arnold barks or makes a sound, Frank will mimic it directly after, almost like a parrot!” Carolyn explained. “Arnold taught Frank how to be house trained, how to bark at intruders, how to chase a ball, how to stand and wait to have his collar and leash put on, how to sit and to wait before crossing the road,” she added. “Everywhere Arnold walks, Frank will follow.”

And the smaller pup copies everything his “older brother” does

Image credits: arnoldandfrank

“Everywhere Arnold walks, Frank will follow”