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Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak and Syrian president Hafez Assad will meet in Cairo Monday for talks on the peace process.
Assad and Mubarak were expected to discuss the Arab-Israeli peace process and Israel's latest air raids on Lebanon, said BBC Monday.
The foreign ministers of Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Syria met in the Syrian Desert city of Tadmur Thursday when Damascus backed for the first time a strong UN role in southern Lebanon following Israel's scheduled withdrawal by July.
Syria's support for the United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) was seen as likely to ease fears of continued violence in the area after July, said AFP Monday.
The pullout is a major cause of concern for Damascus, which suspects Israel wants to use it to draw a new line under the peace process, without returning the Golan Heights.
Damascus is insisting on a total withdrawal by Israel both from southern Lebanon and its own occupied Golan Heights which were occupied from Syria in the June 1967 Arab-Israeli war - (Several Sources)
© 2000 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)


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£10 Gift Voucher
A £10 electronic gift voucher! Also available for either £20, £30, £40, or £50 amounts.
Once we have received your order we will email you a voucher code for use online at www.dadfords.com. Please note, when purchasing this item only, please choose electronic delivery at checkout to avoid delivery charges.

subset: commoncrawl


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Mustard Yellow Admiral Anchor Silver and Flat Leather Bracelet
Anchor & Crew, Derby, United Kingdom
The Mustard Yellow Admiral Silver and Leather Bracelet was both designed and skilfully handcrafted completely in Great Britain, In Quality We Trust. For the Modern Journeyman (and woman), ANCHOR & CREW takes ownership of an exploratory lifestyle and enjoys the Happy-Good Life. Combining British craft manufacturing with a discerning modern-minimalist style.
This ANCHOR & CREW bracelet features:
Genuine and natural square-shaped leather, with two sides of differing textures: 1. Smooth + Flat, 2. Ruffled + Fibrous (GB)
Secure solid .925 sterling silver anchor (GB)
This bracelet is one size fits all, with the leather able to extend or tighten to suit your wrist size. To take the bracelet on or off your wrist, simply slide the one adjustable knot around the leather to make the loop size smaller or larger, and once set, keep the loop size consistent and continue wearing by easily unhooking the clasp from the loop.
This bracelet is covered under a 1-year brand warranty, and care instructions are included within the packaging of every purchase. The guarantee does not cover against damage that has occurred due to maltreatment and normal wear and tear.
Availability: In Stock
Estimated delivery date: Tuesday, 22 October 2019
3mm Leather
Sterling Silver
|Bracelet Length
Your order will be fully insured and shipped via secure courier direct from the designer to your door. Shipping options and prices vary between designers and will be displayed at checkout.
14 day returns
If you're not 100% happy with your purchase, you can contact the designer via email@example.com to organise a return. We recommend that you log the return within 7 days of receiving your order to ensure that it arrives back to the boutique in time.
Support independent jewellery designers
By shopping on JewelStreet, you're not only getting a great piece of jewellery - you're helping a small creative business to keep doing what they love.
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We only source high-quality jewellery that is handcrafted by expert artisans and designed to stand the test of time.
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Discover unique jewellery that no one else will own – the perfect finishing touch to your outfit or a special gift that will leave your loved ones delighted.
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We treat our customers like family so whether you email us, talk on live chat or give us a ring, you'll get through to one of our friendly team members who will be delighted to help you.
Straightforward Shopping
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Personalised Number Cake Topper with any SWAROVSKI® Crystal colour.
This couture Cake Topper has had each crystal attached individually one by one, by hand over several hours to produce an absolutely perfect, beautiful piece of art that looks spectacular!
All products produced by It's Crystalicious® are truly unique and made with the best crystals avaliable on the market, no other crystal sparkles like SWAROVSKI® Crystals.
(The photo doesn't do this amazingly Sparkly cake topper any justice.)
Design: Any Number.
Colour: Any.
Width: 15cm/6"
Font: Sweet Script.
• Brand New.
• Each order is uniquely made for each customer.
• 100% Handmade.
• Covered in Genuine Crystals from SWAROVSKI®.
• We are an Official SWAROVSKI® Branding Partner.
• Quality Products & Service.
Your purchase will be boxed, with spare crystals in case of any accidental drops.
For more information or if you have any questions please don't hesitate to Email us.
Order Shipping
All items are carefully packaged & shipped by Australian Post.
Items are generally shipped within 7 - 21 Business Days, but some may take up to 30 Business Days depending on Crystal Colour avaliability from SWAROVSKI®.
Shipping Information
FREE EXPRESS SHIPPING when you spend over $200!
Orders under $200 are a flat rate charge of $10.00 for Express Shipping.
Delivery time
Orders placed before 1PM NSW time each business day are packed and despatched the same day, if the item is in stock. We use Australia Post Express which is next business day delivery within the express post network (Australian capital cities and major metro areas- Perth CBD only). Australia Post do allow for Express parcels to arrive within 1-3 business days in the event there are unforeseeable delays. Regional areas outside the express post network may be 2-5 business days.
Tracking your order
Once your order is packed and leaves our warehouse you will receive an email with a tracking number to track your parcel with Australia Post.
If you are not home at the time of delivery, for your convenience, your parcel will be left in a secure place if deemed safe to do so by the delivery driver. If they feel it is not safe to leave, or the parcel is too large, you will be left a card and your parcel will be taken to your local Australia Post.
New Zealand
FREE NZ EXPRESS SHIPPING when you spend over $250 AUD.
Orders under $250 AUD are a flat rate charge of $15 AUD for express shipping
Delivery time
All New Zealand orders are sent Express with Australia Post and should be received within 2-4 days*
Tracking your order
Once your order is packed and leaves our warehouse you will receive an email with a tracking number to track your parcel with Australia Post.
USA & Canada
FREE U.S EXPRESS SHIPPING when you spend over $300 USD.
Orders under $300 AUD are a flat rate charge of $25 AUD for express shipping
Delivery time
All USA & Canada orders are sent Express with Australia Post and should be received within 2-5 days*
Tracking your order
Once your order is packed and leaves our warehouse you will receive an email with a tracking number to track your parcel with Australia Post.
Delivery & Order Cost
The delivery cost is a flat rate per order. All charges are in Australian Dollars ($AUD). The currency conversion will provide an estimate to your local currency. The conversion provided estimates the charge in your local currency, however you will be charged in Australian Dollars ($AUD).
Order Tracking
We use Australia Post for all international deliveries, which is an fully trackable. You will be emailed a tracking number on dispatch.
Rest of the world
Orders are a flat rate charge of $40 AUD for express shipping.
Customs Charges
The customer will be responsible for any customs or import charges.
We will refund your money if the item is misrepresented in the advertising or our workmanship is proven faulty ONLY within 7 days of receiving your item. We will not refund if item is dropped or tampered with as all items are packed and sent in perfect condition.
Once we receive your item, we will inspect it and notify you that we have received your returned item. We will immediately notify you on the status of your refund after inspecting the item.
If your return is approved, we will initiate a refund to your credit card (or original method of payment). You will receive the credit within a certain amount of days, depending on your card issuer's policies.
We are unable to refund/exchange on Special/Custom orders. If you have any questions please get in touch with us.
** Orders cannot be cancelled or refunded once they are placed. We are not responsible for ordering mistakes or dissatisfaction with any of your choices if your order has been started. **
For more information on our policies please visit out T&C page and if you have any questions please Email us.


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Canadian street artist (and animator, and character designer) Aiden Glynn likes to take everyday objects on the street and bring a little life to them, turning them into characters from video games and cartoons.
So a power box becomes Diglett, and an old barrel out the front of a restaurant becomes a prop from Donkey Kong (which the place left up for two weeks!).
Glynn is promising to post more game-related art this week, so check back below for more over the next few days.
UPDATE - Scratch the whole "electrifying" thing. Looks like it's got to do with phones, not power. Canada!
Pizza and Pixels [Site]


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About the Author
Douglas Norton is a senior manager for professional services at Raytheon Trusted Computer Solutions.
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Thanks for a very clearly put and factual Article, Douglas. From my side, I could add. Labor Distribution: Trust your Team. This might be an oldie but still so very often seen in small businesses. Empower your PM so he/she can empower your deployment team. Remember that there is no real accountability without real authority.
Financial Implications:
Product and services (labor) have totally different financial needs and requirements. If your project also includes the acquisition of hardware and software, plan your credit/finance strategy with the same devotion you plan your deployment plan. I've seen countless, solid and healthy deployment plans get in choppy waters because of their horrible financial planning. Work with ALL of your stakeholders (vendors, finance partners, end users and your deployment team) and make sure that the cash-flows implications of the project are completely understood. Cash flow viability of a project is as important (if not more) as its technical viability.
Have a strong Bench (internal or outsourced)
Better face it and plan for it: Your Company may lose know-how during the implementation. This problem could be even more acute if your deployment is ahead of the game and there is a perception that your team is not reaping the profits of being "better than plan". Have a plan B ready to replace your Project's most critical Human Assets in the event they decide to hit the road.
Differentiate your business by measuring it all:
Build performance metric reports that include everything and anything that can be measured. In my experience winning a contract is not so much about showing (and convincing) others what can you do in the event you win (just a looking forward statement) but what were you able to produce and get done in the past (a testament of success). In my view, Past Performance reporting is one of the most powerful business differentiators a company could ever have.
Be a cost Savings Champion:
Don't stop looking for cost savings only because you won the contract. During the deployment phase continue to clearly articulate a plan to drive cost savings. (I.e. Look for duplicate efforts in Order Fulfillment and, if possible, share those savings to the customer.
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Summer is just around the corner, but are you full prepared to combat the heat and protect your skin against the harmful UV ray? Today, I'm sharing with you my top 5 summer must haves that every makeup junkie should have in their makeup bags.1. Sun ScreenIt is important to protect your skin against the harmful effects of UV rays on the skin. This is to avoid you from having sunburn. Also, as per recent studies, UV exposure can lead to photoaging on one's skin.I personally prefer using a sun screen that is made for children because it auto... Read More


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7 products that will save your mornings
Natural beauty to-go! These babies will speed up your routine.
Step out of the shower and rather than slathering on a slippery body lotion that takes forever to dry, try a fast-absorbing body oil instead. Formulated with moringa oil, argan oil and rosemary leaf extract, you'll get soft-looking skin in no time, with no greasy feel. Plus, body oils tend to penetrate into the skin more deeply, leaving your skin hydrated for longer, and since they're absorbed more easily, you won't sweat off the product as you would with a lotion.
QUICK TIP: Apply from the shoulders down, concentrating on areas that seem most dry and rough.
When it comes to foundation, a cushion compact is a dream come true for the snooze button enthusiasts amongst us, but it's also just the ticket for everyone else. With no messy fingers or fussy foundation brushes to speak of, you simply dab on the lightweight, sheer formula with the sponge. It literally takes seconds to even out your complexion and it's easily buildable, if necessary. The best part of a cushion? A toss-up between the glowing finish and the fact you can throw it into your handbag for touch-ups later.
QUICK TIP: Start from the centre of your face and move outwards when applying foundation to avoid the dreaded mask look.
Two-in-one products are a no-brainer here. On one end of this pencil, tackle dark circles and blemishes with the creamy, matte concealer (the tip is perfect for precision coverage), and on the other, brighten to your heart's content with the sheer, shimmery highlighter. Highlighting the inner corners of your eyes, for instance, will make you look more awake, while targeting the Cupid's bow and under your brow arch will give your face dimension.
QUICK TIP: Concealing around and under the nostrils has an amazing effect – it simultaneously brightens, gives your face a more even tone and makes you look refreshed, even if you didn't get enough beauty sleep.
Another double-ended product, this time to save you from searching for that pesky spoolie wand that always seems to disappear. Plus, by now we all know the importance of well-groomed brows when it comes to putting a polished look together in literally minutes. Using short, upward strokes, mimic eyebrow hairs with the matte, smudge-proof formula, flip ends of the pencil and brush the brows to softly blend the lines.
QUICK TIP: Don't get hung up on having perfectly symmetrical brows. Not only does this look strange, but it'll also save you a lot of hassle. Embrace your natural shape!
While this is probably not the occasion to bust out an artful, multi-coloured eye, a single shimmery, neutral eyeshadow can go a long way to making you look pulled together in very little time. The jumbo pencil format means you literally draw on the eyeshadow with just a few strokes, and then you simply blend the creamy formula with your fingers. And because it's water-resistant, you won't have to worry about your lids for the rest of the day.
QUICK TIP: For the least amount of snagging or dragging along your delicate eyelids, draw small x's across the lid and then blend.
There's a good reason why mascara is often at the top of many a woman's "never leave the house without…" list. It's seriously eye-opening (ie, awake!), defining and confidence-boosting. For the time-challenged (i.e. most of us in the AM), opt for a clump-free formula and a brush that will separate your lashes as well as lengthen and volumise them. Because you don't want to be bothering with a tidy-up job when the clock is against you.
QUICK TIP: If you aren't already in the habit of throwing out your mascara every three months to avoid eye infection-causing bacteria, start now!
Let's face it – now is not the time to do a heavy statement mouth that requires priming, careful lip lining, blotting, powdering, etc. Grab a sheer lipstick in a bright, cheerful colour instead. The butter-soft formula applies very easily and will impart a nice sheen to your lips. Simply tap onto your lips and blend, building as necessary. Or if you're in a real hurry, you can slick some on as you're running at the door. No mirror necessary!
QUICK TIP: Press your ring finger onto the lipstick and then against your thumb to warm up the product – it will blend much smoother onto the lips this way.


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Wonderful Delights Card
SUPPLIES: Cardstock: (Pure Poppy, white) Papertrey Ink Patterned paper: (Complete Set from The Thrift Shop collection) October Afternoon Rubber stamp: (Wonderful Delights) Impress Rubber Stamps Clear stamps: (ornaments, string from Classic Christmas set) Wplus9 Design Studio Pigment ink: (Red Currant) Impress Rubber Stamps; (Onyx Black) Tsukineko; (Grass) Clearsnap Finished size: 4 1/4" x 5 1/2"
1 Make card from cardstock.
2 Cut cardstock panel. Stamp ornaments, strings, and Wonderful Delights.
3 Adhere strip of patterned paper. Adhere panel to card.
4 Adhere buttons.
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Legacy Meridian Park Medical Center Awarded First Chest Pain Certification in Nation From the Joint Commission
Sept. 18, 2013 (Tualatin, Ore.) – A new disease-specific Gold Seal of Approval® certification for Chest Pain from the Joint Commission has just been awarded to Legacy Meridian Park Medical Center, the first hospital in the nation to receive the certification.
Legacy Meridian Park Medical Center earned this recognition for demonstrating compliance with The Joint Commission's national standards for health care quality and safety in disease-specific care. The Chest Pain certification combines the disease-specific certifications Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI) and Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS).
"In achieving Joint Commission certification, Legacy Meridian Park Medical Center has demonstrated its commitment to the highest level of care for its patients with chest pain," says Jean Range, M.S., R.N., C.P.H.Q. executive director, Disease-Specific Care Certification, The Joint Commission. "Certification is a voluntary process and I commend Legacy Meridian Park for successfully undertaking this challenge to elevate its standard of care and instill confidence in the community it serves."
Legacy Meridian Park Medical Center underwent an on-site review in September 2013. An expert from The Joint Commission evaluated Meridian Park for compliance with standards of care specific to the needs of patients and families, including infection prevention and control, leadership and medication management.
"With Joint Commission certification, we are making a significant investment in quality on a day-to-day basis from the top down. Joint Commission accreditation provides us a framework to take our organization to the next level and helps create a culture of excellence," says Allyson Anderson, chief administrative officer. "Achieving Chest Pain certification, for our organization, is a major step toward maintaining excellence and continually improving the care we provide for the communities we serve."
Launched in 2002, The Joint Commission's Disease-Specific Care Certification Program is designed to evaluate clinical programs across the continuum of care. Certification requirements address three core areas: compliance with consensus-based national standards; effective use of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines to manage and optimize care; and an organized approach to performance measurement and improvement activities.


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Joslin Health Solutions International
"Joslin brings its deep commitment and broad expertise to every international program and partnership. Diabetes is everywhere, and so are we, supporting local objectives and priorities to address the diabetes pandemic."
-William Hsu, M.D., Vice President, International Programs
The mission of Joslin Diabetes Center is to prevent, treat and cure diabetes. Our vision is a world free of diabetes and its complications.
Joslin Health Solutions International extends this mission worldwide through developing partnerships around the globe. Together, we establish culturally relevant educational programs, implement sustainable healthcare delivery, and create innovative, enduring solutions.
Our service offerings include:
Clinical Collaboration
Diabetes Program Alliance
Medical Professional, Corporate and Patient Education
Tools and Resources
International Advisory Services
We are guided by our commitment to:
- Integrity and mutual trust
- Responsiveness, flexibility and dedication
- Adapting to local customs and practices and supporting local objectives
- Providing measurable and meaningful impact
Download: "Global Partnership, Local Impact"
Contact Information
To learn more, contact
William Hsu, M.D.
Vice President, International Programs
at (617) 309-5803,
or e-mail firstname.lastname@example.com
China office:
加斯林糖尿病中心国际项目中国办公室 请联络:
联系电话: 010-8348-8197


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Today, at over 350 locations all around the world, over 1,500 Gizmodo readers will be meeting up to share the love. In some countries, such as Australia and parts of Asia, they're already taking place now.
Don't worry if you haven't RSVPd yet—there's still time. Just head over to the Meetup page here and put your name down for the nearest event.
We want photos, video, anything you've got to show us how much fun you're having. Either upload them to our Facebook page, hashtag them with #GizDay on Twitter, or upload them to our Gizmodo tag page.
Find the one closest to you by visiting the Gizmodo Day page or use the widget below.
Here's a photo from Gizmodo Australia, of the Sydney meetup:


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Center for American Progress Focuses on Anti-Trump EffortsBy Gabriel DeBenedettiDecember 15, 2016Center for American Progress: The Democrats' Public Relations Firm By Sean Higgins February 2011
The Center for American Progress: "Think Tank on Steroids" By John Gizzi May 2007 Center for American Progress, Originally the American Majority Institute By Ron Arnold February 23, 2009 John Podesta, the Center for American Progress, and the Communist-friendly Modern Progressive Movement By Cliff Kincaid October 20, 2011
1333 "H" Street NW - 10th Floor Washington, DC 20005
See also: Shadow Party John Podesta Barack Obama
Democratic Party Hillary Clinton George Soros
The Center for American Progress (CAP) describes itself as "an independent nonpartisan educational institute dedicated to improving the lives of Americans through progressive ideas and action" in such areas as "energy, national security, economic growth and opportunity, immigration, education, and health care." CAP is a key member of the Shadow Party, a network of non-profit activist groups organized by George Soros and others to mobilize resources -- money, get-out-the-vote drives, campaign advertising, and policy initatives -- to advance Democratic Party agendas. The prime mover behind CAP's creation was the billionaire philanthropist George Soros. Deeply disappointed by George W. Bush's presidential election victory in 2000, and by the subsequent election of Republican majorities in both houses of Congress two years later, Soros was convinced that the Republicans' success was a result of their superior think-tank infrastructure and media presence. Thus he called for the creation of a new left-wing, pro-Democrat think tank that, with proper funding, could establish a high-profile media presence of its own—and thereby counter the conservative message machine more directly than did existing liberal-left thinks such as the Brookings Institution, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, the Urban Institute, and Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. Investigative journalist Robert Dreyfuss wrote in the March 1, 2004 edition of The Nation: "The idea for the Center [CAP] began with discussions in 2002 between [Morton] Halperin and George Soros, the billionaire investor.… Halperin, who heads the office of Soros' Open Society Institute, brought [former Clinton chief of staff] John Podesta into the discussion, and beginning in late 2002 Halperin and Podesta circulated a series of papers to funders." The Capital Research Center reports that Podesta eagerly "took on the project of creating a new laboratory for liberalism." Soon thereafter, Soros and Halperin (who would become CAP's senior vice president) recruited Harold Ickes—chief fundraiser and former deputy chief of staff for the Clinton White House—to help organize the new think tank, which was launched on July 7, 2003 as the American Majority Institute. The name was changed to Center for American Progress on September 1, 2003. Hillary Clinton, too, was intimately involved in the formation of CAP. She told reporter Matt Bai of The New York Times Magazine on October 12, 2003, "We need some new intellectual capital. There has to be some thought given as to how we build the 21st-century policies that reflect the Democrat Party's values." She later told The Nation's Robert Dreyfuss: "We've had the challenge of filling a void on our side of the ledger for a long time, while the other side created an infrastructure that has come to dominate political discourse. The Center [CAP] is a welcome effort to fill that void." Persistent press leaks during CAP's early years confirmed that Mrs. Clinton, and not its nominal leader, John Podesta, was ultimately in charge of the organization at that time. "It's the official Hillary Clinton think tank," an inside source confided to Christian Bourge of United Press International. Robert Dreyfuss noted in The Nation: "In looking at Podesta's center, there's no escaping the imprint of the Clintons. It's not completely wrong to see it as a shadow government, a kind of Clinton White-House-in-exile—or a White House staff in readiness for President Hillary Clinton." Dreyfuss noted the abundance of Clintonites on the Center's staff, among them Robert Boorstin, Bill Clinton's national security speechwriter; Gene Sperling, Democratic Leadership Council staffer and the former head of President Clinton's National Economic Council; Matt Miller, former senior advisor to President Clinton's Office of Management and Budget; Debbie Berger, daughter of Clinton national security chief Sandy Berger; and others. In 2007 Mrs. Clinton said, at the YearlyKos convention of left-wing bloggers, that she herself had "helped to start and support" CAP. Wealthy donors contributed many millions of dollars to help the CAP establish itself during the first few years of its existence. These donations included $22,274,000 from the Sandler Foundation, created by Herbert and Marion Sandler; $3 million over a three-year period from George Soros; $3 million from the Marisla Foundation; $2,192,450 from the New York Community Trust; $1.9 million from the Stephen M. Silberstein Foundation; $1,849,991 from George Soros's Open Society Institute; $797,983 from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; and $765,000 from the Tides Foundation. From its inception, one of CAP's chief priorities has been to carry out "rapid response" to what it calls conservative "attacks" in the media. To this end, CAP has always maintained numerous spokespeople and "experts" ready to appear, on short notice, on national talk shows to debate or respond to conservative commentators. In a related endeavor, on May 3, 2004, CAP helped launch David Brock's Media Matters for America to serve as a "watchdog" organization monitoring "rightwing" media for ethics violations and factual inaccuracies. According to The New York Times, Brock conferred with Hillary Clinton, Senator Tom Daschle (a Distinguished Senior Fellow with CAP), and former U.S. Vice President Al Gore about Media Matters before embarking on the project. Podesta, noted the Times, "introduced [Brock] to potential donors." The CAP Message Machine As of February 2011, CAP's single largest department was its communications department, comprised of 31 full-time staffers tasked with spinning the news in a direction favorable to the Obama administration and the Democrats. "Rare is the day a reporter doesn't get three or more press releases from [CAP]," said the Capital Research Center, adding:
"[CAP] hosts almost daily conference calls to reporters promoting its policy positions and responses to news events. The staff accommodates the press, eagerly arranging one-on-one interviews and supplying quot- able quotes for news stories. For reporters with deadlines crashing down on them, the Center is well-known as an easy quote machine. Podesta regularly appears on Sunday morning news programs.... Center researchers provide useful talking points for Democratic members of Congress.... To further spin the news, every weekday the Action Fund emails reporters a 'progress report,' a 400-500 word hyperlink-heavy analysis of the issue of the moment. The links often refer back to the Center's own various blogs and website postings. It is a reliable echo chamber for left-wing conventional wisdom."
"[CAP] hosts almost daily conference calls to reporters promoting its policy positions and responses to news events. The staff accommodates the press, eagerly arranging one-on-one interviews and supplying quot- able quotes for news stories. For reporters with deadlines crashing down on them, the Center is well-known as an easy quote machine. Podesta regularly appears on Sunday morning news programs.... Center researchers provide useful talking points for Democratic members of Congress.... To further spin the news, every weekday the Action Fund emails reporters a 'progress report,' a 400-500 word hyperlink-heavy analysis of the issue of the moment. The links often refer back to the Center's own various blogs and website postings. It is a reliable echo chamber for left-wing conventional wisdom."
CAP also periodically hosts panel discussions that serve as forums for Democratic lawmakers; one of the more frequent and prominent participants in these events has been Senator Harry Reid. Further, the Center's website features a blog called ThinkProgress, offering commentary on news stories that fall under the headings of "Climate," "Economy," "Health," "Justice," "LGBT," and "Security."
The Center for American Progress Action Fund In 2003, CAP established a "sister advocacy organization" known as the Center for American Progress Action Fund (CAPAF), for the purpose of "transform[ing] progressive ideas into policy through rapid response communications, legislative action, grassroots organizing and advocacy, and partnerships with other progressive leaders throughout the country and the world." The Capital Research Center points out that CAPAF, as a 501(c)(4) lobbying organization, is permitted to "attac[k] [political] candidates in ways the [CAP], a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, cannot." CAP provides most of the funding for its Action Fund, whose president and CEO is former U.S. congressman Tom Perriello. In addition to his work with CAPAF, Perriello helped launch such organizations as Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good, Catholics United, Faith in Public Life, and FaithfulAmerica.org. CAP's Close Ties to the Democratic Party, Hillary Clinton, and Barack Obama The Capital Research Center describes CAP, quite accurately, as "an adjunct of the Democratic Party" that "manufactures talking points, spins the daily news, and does opposition research"—essentially "a nonprofit public relations firm." Little, if anything, that CAP produces can be considered serious research. Its policy positions and recommendations are indistinguishable from those of the Democratic Party. This is because so many of the Center's senior staffers and Fellows are veterans of the Bill Clinton and Barack Obama administrations, and of the Democratic National Committee. Most notably, the current president of CAP is Neera Tanden, who served as associate director for domestic policy in the Clinton White House; was a senior policy advisor to then-First Lady Hillary Clinton; was the deputy campaign manager and issues director of Mrs. Clinton's 2000 Senate campaign in New York; served as policy director for Mrs. Clinton's presidential campaign in 2008; was the director of domestic policy for the Obama-Biden presidential campaign of 2008; and served on President Obama's healthcare-reform team in 2009-10. As of September 2012, the following individuals were also among those CAPers with close ties to the Clintons and Obama:
Click here to view a list of some additional CAP Fellows and senior staffers with noteworthy left-wing ties. From the moment Barack Obama was elected President in 2008, CAP had more influence on the new administration than did any other organization. As a November 2008 piece in Time magazine put it: "[N]ot since the Heritage Foundation helped guide Ronald Reagan's transition in 1981 has a single outside group held so much sway. Just as candidate Obama depended on CAP during the campaign for opposition research and talking points, President-elect Obama has effectively contracted out the management of his own government's formation to [John] Podesta." Indeed, Podesta and at least ten additional CAP experts were among the president-elect's top advisors. One of the more infamous individuals to join the new Obama administration in 2009 (as "green jobs" czar) was CAP Senior Fellow Van Jones, a self-identified revolutionary communist. From the earliest days of the the Obama presidency, CAP helped formulate the administration's policies and supplied the White House with a steady stream of talking points designed to make those policies attractive to the public. Indeed, as of December 2008, before then-president-elect Obama had even taken his oath of office, he had already pledged his intent to fulfill some of CAP's chief policy recommendations. These included the Center's call for a gradual withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq coupled with a buildup of forces in Afghanistan; a plan to implement universal healthcare coverage for all Americans; and a plan to create "green jobs" that would combat "global warming." According to a November 18, 2008 report by Bloomberg.com, CAP "has become ... an intellectual wellspring for Democratic policy proposals, including many that are shaping the agenda of the ... Obama administration." Emblematic of this was the synergy that Obama and CAP displayed in dealing with the disastrous BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in the spring of 2010. In May and June of that year, when the crisis was at its height, Obama followed the Center's recommendations on such matters as creating an independent commission to examine the causes of the crisis; naming someone to be the public point person for the oil-spill response; and demanding that BP immediately set up a multi-billion-dollar escrow account to pay damage claims to Gulf-state residents harmed by the spill. On virtually every policy matter—health-care reform, fiscal policy, civil rights, immigration, housing, labor, national security, foreign policy, media, energy, and the environment—CAP's recommendations fit hand-in-glove with the Obama administration's values and agendas. In many cases, as in the examples cited above, the administration actually followed CAP's instructions. The degree to which the Obama White House coordinated its messaging with CAP made headlines in March 2014, when Zaid Jilani, a former blogger with ThinkProgress, revealed that the Obama administration frequently attempted to censor the blog's content when it departed from the White House's agenda. "One of the controversial topics that was very constrained in our writing at ThinkProgress in 2009 was [the war in] Afghanistan," Jilani wrote. "CAP had decided not to protest Obama's surge, so most of our writing on the topic was simply neutral — we weren't supposed to take a strong stand." But in one particular post in 2011, Jilani had pointed out that by the end of Obama's Afghan "surge," U.S. troop levels would actually be higher than at any point in the George W. Bush administration. The Obama administration was incensed. Recalled Jilani in March 2014:
"Phone calls from the White House started pouring in, berating my bosses for being critical of Obama on this policy.... Soon afterwards all of us ThinkProgress national security bloggers were called into a meeting with CAP senior staff and basically berated for opposing the Afghan war and creating daylight between us and Obama."
Added Jilani:
"It confused me a lot because on the one hand, CAP was advertising to donors that it opposed the Afghan war," Jilani noted. "In our 'Progressive Party,' the annual fundraising party we do with both Big Name Progressive Donors and corporate lobbyists (in the same room!) we even advertised that we wanted to end the war in Afghanistan. "What that meeting with CAP senior staff showed me was that they viewed being closer to Obama and aligning with his policy as more important than demonstrating progressive principle, if that meant breaking with Obama. Essentially, they were doing the same thing to us [that] RT America [Russia Today—an English-speaking media outlet funded directly by Moscow] is telling its American producers to do now—align with your boss, who is the president of the country."
Shortly after Jilani made the foregoing remarks, Salon writer David Sirota tweeted: "I can attest that I experienced similar kinds of editorial pressures when I was at CAP."
CAP and Israel In recent years, ThinkProgress has sparked controversy for its attacks on defenders of Israel and on critics of hardline Islamist ideology. For example, in 2010 a ThinkProgress posting by CAP policy analyst Matt Duss denounced an Israeli raid on a Free Gaza Movement flotilla that was challenging Israel's blockade of Gaza, a raid that resulted in the deaths of nine anti-Israel militants: "Like segregation in the American South, the siege of Gaza (and the entire Israeli occupation, for that matter) is a moral abomination that should be intolerable to anyone claiming progressive values." CAP writer Eric Alterman, for his part, accused the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) of campaigning for a U.S. invasion of Iran. And ThinkProgress national-security reporter Eli Clifton wrote: "It would appear that AIPAC is now using the same escalating measures against Iran that were used before the invasion of Iraq." CAP and "Islamophobia" (And the George Soros Connection)
In 2011 CAP issued a 138-page report titled Fear, Inc.: The Roots of the Islamophobia Network in America. This publication's stated objective is to "expose—and marginalize—the influence of" the "sinister," "hateful," "purposively deceptive," "bigoted," and "racist" individuals and groups that, according to CAP, are part of an "Islamophobia network in America." These include what CAP describes as "misinformation experts," "anti-Muslim bigots," "political players," "right-wing media," "religious right" zealots, and "radical ideologues" who intentionally "mischaracteriz[e] Islam," "peddl[e] hate and fear of Muslims," and "rav[e]" about the "overhyped dangers" of Sharia Law, so as to "fan the flames of Islamophobia." Although there are dozens of serious, qualified critics of Islamic fundamentalism in the United States, Fear, Inc. focuses most intently on five individuals whom it regards as central to the "Islamophobic" network: Frank Gaffney of the Center for Security Policy; David Yerushalmi of the Society of Americans for National Existence; Daniel Pipes of the Middle East Forum; Robert Spencer of Jihad Watch; and Steven Emerson of the Investigative Project on Terrorism. The report also condemns "hate radio" shows, Fox News, and the Christian Broadcasting Network, among other media outlets. Further, Fear, Inc. denounces former Muslim Nonie Darwish, who has openly discussed her personal experience as a woman living under the yoke of misogynist Sharia-based laws in Egypt for years before coming to the United States. It labels Zuhdi Jasser, a practicing Muslim who has spoken out against terrorism and Sharia Law, as a "Muslim validator for Islamophobia propaganda." And it accuses the founder of ACT! for America, Brigitte Gabriel, of engaging in "crude bigotry" that "validates the Islamophobia network's manufactured fears and hate campaign directed against Muslims." To view an article that thoroughly debunks the claims made in Fear, Inc., click here. Notably, CAP has a high regard for such Islamist organizations as the Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated Council on American-Islamic Relations, which Fear, Inc. describes as a "civil rights group."In 2013 CAP published a report claiming that the "basic tenets of Sharia" -- identified as "faith in a single god, prayer, charitable giving, and fasting" -- are not in any way alien to the traditions of other faiths; i.e., that they are "familiar to any Christian or Jew."In February 2015, CAP published a follow up to Fear, Inc., titled Fear, Inc. 2.0: The Islamophobia Network's Efforts to Manufacture Hate in America, which, as CAP explained, contends that "American Muslims in the United States have been targeted, profiled, or seen as suspect because of their faith" by a malevolent, well-funded "Islamophobia Network" whose views are "not indicative of mainstream American views." CAP elaborated:
"Islamophobia in the United States takes many shapes and forms. It takes the form of a general climate of fear and anger toward American Muslims, as seen in the 'civilization jihad' narrative, the religious right's rhetoric, and the biased media coverage of the Boston Marathon bombing. It comes out in cynical political efforts to capitalize on this climate of fear, as seen in state-level anti-Sharia bills introduced across the country and in far-right politicians' grandstanding. And perhaps most dangerously, it manifests itself in institutional policies that view American Muslims as a threat, as seen in the FBI training manuals that profile Islam as a religion of violence."
"Islamophobia in the United States takes many shapes and forms. It takes the form of a general climate of fear and anger toward American Muslims, as seen in the 'civilization jihad' narrative, the religious right's rhetoric, and the biased media coverage of the Boston Marathon bombing. It comes out in cynical political efforts to capitalize on this climate of fear, as seen in state-level anti-Sharia bills introduced across the country and in far-right politicians' grandstanding. And perhaps most dangerously, it manifests itself in institutional policies that view American Muslims as a threat, as seen in the FBI training manuals that profile Islam as a religion of violence."
On August 13, 2016, an anonymously-run website (dcleaks.com) released more than 2,500 confidential files from George Soros's Open Society Foundations (OSF), containing evidence of funding that OSF had given to anti-Israel and pro-Islamist organizations. Among the leaked files was an OSF internal memo from 2011 titled "Extreme Polarization and Breakdown in Civic Discourse," which lamented America's rising "xenophobia and intolerance," and discussed a $200,000 grant that OSF had awarded to the Center for American Progress (CAP) to "research and track the activities" of groups which contend that radical Islam poses a grave threat to America. Later in 2011, CAP published a the aforementioned Fear, Inc. report. CAP's Relationship with Turkey's Islamist, Jihad-Supporting Regime
On May 14, 2013, CAP issued a report titled "Freedom of the Press and Expression in Turkey," which downplayed the increasingly authoritarian crackdown on the media by Turkey's jihad-supporting prime minister, Tayyip Erdogan, whose Islamist party was already moving inexorably to transform the secular Turkish republic into an Islamic state. At that time, Turkish prisons held 49 of the 232 journalists who were incarcerated worldwide—more than any other country on Earth. In addition, as former Middle East Pentagon advisor Michael Rubin noted, Erdogan was in the habit of personally suing "even political cartoonists who lampoon him and his government." Notwithstanding the foregoing facts, the CAP report whitewashed Erdogan's crackdown as a "necessary, if sometimes unpleasant, correction" that would ultimately result in democratic reforms. Asserting that "the blame [for the crackdown] must not be placed solely on the government," but also on anti-government ethnic groups such as the Kurds who had fomented unrest and provoked government suppression. "Turkey today is more democratic than in the past, if perhaps less socially liberal," said the report. The CAP report was partially funded by the Turkish branch of George Soros's Open Society Institute. Even more significantly, the report failed to disclose that a Turkish business group named TUSKON, which had close ties to the Erdogan government, had donated large sums of money to CAP in order to gain entrance into the latter's exclusive Business Alliance. Known for lobbying government officials and forming business relationships with Western organizations (such as CAP), TUSKON serves as the business arm of the so-called Gulen movement—named after Fethullah Gulen, a charismatic spiritual leader devoted to spreading Islamist theology across the globe. Moreover, TUSKON and CAP had jointly hosted annual "fact finding" trips to Turkey, where participants enjoyed access to senior Turkish government officials. Reporter Ken Silverstein wrote, "A former CAP staffer told me that TUSKON … 'could call anyone in the government and get us a meeting or interview.' As a result of the Turkish group's support, CAP was 'totally in the tank for them.'" It should also be noted that the CAP report obscured not only Ergodan's press crackdown but also the nature of the Armenian genocide, in which Turkey had systematically slaughtered more than a million Armenians beginning in 1915. The report only refers to the genocide in non-judgmental terms, as "the death of more than 1 million Armenians during and after the First World War." CAP's Major Projects By CAP's reckoning, the free market must be checked and tightly regulated by a powerful, expansive federal government. As the Center puts it, "an open and effective government can champion the common good over narrow self-interest." CAP's major initiatives today heavily emphasize government's duty to guarantee the provision of people's basic necessities throughout their lives. A number of these initiatives also advocate the large-scale redistribution of wealth—both within the United States and across national boundaries. Following is an alphabetized list of CAP's most significant current projects: * American Idea Conference: This annual event "explores the core progressive values that have animated progress in our country since our founding." Emphasizing the importance of government programs that redistribute wealth, these values are "grounded in freedom and equality, empathy and compassion, collective action, and shared sacrifice for common purposes." * CAP California: In 2007 CAP opened its California office, the organization's first office located outside of Washington, DC. CAP California's mission is "to advance and support a progressive national policy agenda and lay out our vision of a progressive America on the West Coast." * Campus Progress / Generation Progress: Campus Progress was launched in 2005 to "strengthen progressive voices on college and university campuses," and to "counter the growing influence of right-wing groups on campus." In July 2013, this project changed its name to Generation Progress, in an effort to broaden its appeal to the entire Millennial Generation rather than focusing only on college students. * Climate, Migration, & Security: "Even if nations across our planet were to take immediate steps to rein in carbon emissions—an unlikely prospect—a warmer climate is inevitable. As the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, or IPCC, noted in 2007, human-created 'warming of the climate system is unequivocal, as is now evident from observations of increases in global average air and ocean temperatures, widespread melting of snow and ice and rising global average sea level.' As these ill effects progress, they will have serious implications for U.S. national security interests as well as global stability—extending from the sustainability of coastal military installations to the stability of nations that lack the resources, good governance, and resiliency needed to respond to the many adverse consequences of climate change. And as these effects accelerate, the stress will impact human migration and conflict around the world.... [O]ver the next two or three decades, vulnerable regions (particularly sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, South and Southeast Asia) will face the prospect of food shortages, water crises, and catastrophic flooding driven by climate change. These developments could demand U.S., European, and international humanitarian relief or military responses, often the delivery vehicle for aid in crisis situations." * Doctors for America: Favoring a single-payer, government run healthcare system, this national movement of physicians and medical students seeks "to improve the health of the nation and to ensure that everyone has access to affordable, high quality health care." * Doing What Works: By aiming to "eliminate or redesign misguided spending programs and tax expenditures" and "boost government productivity," this program strives to change the public perception that government is not "capable of effectively and efficiently executing its responsibilities." * Enough: "The Enough Project seeks to end genocide and crimes against humanity, with an initial focus on the crises in Sudan, Chad, eastern Congo, and northern Uganda. Enough provides sharp field analyses and targeted policy recommendations to promote durable peace, provide civilian protection, and punish perpetrators of atrocities—working with concerned citizens, advocates, and policymakers." * Faith and Progressive Policy: Emphasizing the role that government, rather than the private sector, should play in solving societal problems, this CAP initiative works to "identify and articulate the moral-ethical and spiritual values underpinning policy issues"; "shape a progressive stance in which these values are clear"; "safeguard the healthy separation of church and state that has allowed religion in our country to flourish"; address "the growing gap between the rich and poor"; "provide educational and housing opportunities" for low income people; "ensure economic security" for the poor; "become better stewards of our planet" by "combating global warming through community efforts and advocacy"; "bring progressive health care policies to faith-based audiences and highlight their inventive work helping those in need and advocating for comprehensive health care legislation"; "promote comprehensive immigration reform solutions" that "articulate our values as a nation of immigrants" and protect the "civil rights" of America's "undocumented immigrants," including their right to access "health, education, and employment opportunities"; promote "sexual justice" by legalizing gay marriage; promote "reproductive justice" by endorsing every woman's right to taxpayer-funded abortion-on-demand; and "lessen public misperceptions that cause too many Muslim Americans to "face suspicion and misunderstanding in a post 9-11 world." * Just Jobs: This initiative maintains that jobs everywhere in the world, particularly those that are outsourced by American corporations, should be attentive to "labor rights, appropriate remuneration … social protections such as health care and pensions, and opportunities for economic mobility." Noteworthy leaders of the Just Jobs Advisory Group include John Podesta and Richard Trumka. * Leadership Institute: "The Leadership Institute's goal is to increase the participation of progressive people of color among the thinkers, shapers, and planners of policy at every level of government, in nonprofit organizations, and in groups that influence public policy." * Legal Progress: This program focuses on "the urgent need to confirm progressive judges" and "expose the detrimental impact corporate courts have on people's lives." * Middle East Progress: "Middle East Progress helps develop and highlight practical approaches to managing—and resolving—the Arab-Israeli conflict, with a focus on achieving a sustainable, secure, and democratic Palestinian state alongside a sustainable, secure, and democratic Israel." * Our Working Nation: Now that women comprise approximately half of the American workforce, CAP calls for employers to institute allowances for flexible work schedules so that women may leave their workplaces when necessary in order to supervise their children (e.g. after school) or care for ailing relatives, without fear that they might lose their jobs. Says CAP: "We need to ensure that everyone—men and women, parents and non-parents alike—is able to meet the challenges of the workplace, while being able to provide care for their family." * Progress 2050: Depicting progressivism as the ideological orientation that is most beneficial to nonwhites, Progress 2050 notes that "the United States will become a nation with no clear racial or ethnic majority by the year 2050," and that "this expected transition provides the progressive movement with an exciting opportunity to help America live up to its ideals of equality and justice for all." * Progressive Studies Program: This interdisciplinary project "seeks to increase public awareness of progressive ideas and values, and to educate public officials and policymakers through lectures, seminars, articles, public events, book discussions, new media tools, and training seminars." * Reel Progress: This progressive film series hosts free screenings that are open to the public, mostly in in Washington, DC but also elsewhere in the United States. These screenings are followed by "provocative panel discussions with leading policy experts, actors, and filmmakers, connecting the arts to campaigns for social change and progressive public policy." The goal is to "advance a progressive agenda through innovative films that connect the arts to campaigns for social change and progressive public policy." * Science Progress: This program is founded on the premise that science "is a crucial source of human flourishing, a critical engine of economic growth, and must be dedicated to the common good." Among the core tenets of environmental science, according to CAP, are that: (a) as a result of anthropogenic global warming, "Arctic sea ice coverage has been declining for decades"; "we are now on track to an 11-degree Fahrenheit rise by the end of the century"; "record droughts, floods, storms, and forest fires all may become 'the new normal'"; and businesses should immediately take steps to reduce their "carbon footprints" because "climate change is no longer a potential future problem," but "has arrived" already. * Sustainable Security: "Sustainable security is a bold rethinking of national security that introduces the notions of collective and human security and rebalances the three tools of foreign policy—defense, diplomacy, and development. While traditional security focuses on threats to single nation-states, collective security deals with emerging threats to the entire world.... It is well known that poverty and deprivation foster conflict, crime, violence, and extremism. Sustainable economic development is therefore the key to long-term stability and security.... Human security thus advances our strategic, moral, and economic interests. It could also restore the moral leadership we lost during the Bush administration. It makes us safer and it's the right thing to do.... Defense currently dominates our approach to security. The United States spent $611.1 billion on the military in fiscal year 2009 but only $49.8 billion on foreign aid. This approach might have made sense during the Cold War, but it must now adapt to the changing nature of challenges confronting the world. Sustainable security argues for a rebalancing of the so-called "3Ds," or defense, diplomacy, and development.... Our foreign aid spending has steadily declined for the last two decades, and our foreign aid system is fragmented." CAP's Recommended Economic Policies In 2012, CAP published a major report outlining the think tank's recommended policies "to strengthen our middle class." Placing a heavy emphasis on public-sector spending, and on government's duty to cover the costs of people's basic needs in life, these CAP policies included:
CAP's Alliance with Organizing For Action In January 2013, CAP allied itself with the newly formed Organizing For Action, whose mission was to advance President Barack Obama's legislative agendas.CAP and the "Black Lives Matter" MovementOn May 28, 2015, activists from the Black Lives Matter movement held an event at CAP titled "Toward a More Perfect Union: Bringing Criminal Justice Reform to Our Communities." At this gathering, writes journalist Matthew Vadum: "[B]lack activists blamed the rising tide of black violence against police and whites on everyone except the perpetrators." They cited such root causes as the evils of capitalism, white privilege, excessive numbers of laws and police officers, corporate malfeasance, and insufficient taxes levied on the wealthy.CAP's Board of DirectorsAs of September 2016, CAP's Board of Directors consisted of the following individuals: Madeleine Albright, Carol Browner, Tom Daschle, Glenn Hutchins, Jonathan Lavine, John Podesta, Susan Sandler, Tom Steyer, Donald Sussman, Neera Tanden, Jose Villarreal, and Hansjörg Wyss.CAP Memo Acknowledges That Democratic Position on Immigration Is Designed to Import Future Democrat Voters
On January 8, 2018, CAP circulated a memo -- co-authored by former Hillary Clinton communications director and former CAP Action Fund president Jennifer Palmieri -- emphasizing the importance of preserving the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) executive action by which former President Obama had protected millions of young illegals from deportation. "The fight to protect Dreamers is not only a moral imperative, it is also a critical component of the Democratic Party's future electoral success," read the memo. "If Democrats don't try to do everything in their power to defend Dreamers, that will jeopardize Democrats' electoral chances in 2018 and beyond. In short, the next few weeks will tell us a lot about the Democratic Party and its long-term electoral prospects."
Donors Donors to CAP include the AFL-CIO, the AFSCME, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Ben Barnes, the Bauman Family Foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Blue Moon Fund, Carol Browner, the ClimateWorks Foundation, the Ford Foundation, Harold Ickes, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Joyce Foundation, the Nathan Cummings Foundation, the New Israel Fund, the Open Society Institute, the Ploughshares Fund, the Rockefeller Family Fund, the Rockefeller Foundation, the San Francisco Foundation, the Sandler Foundation, the Service Employees International Union, the Surdna Foundation, the Tides Foundation, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.CAP is also supported by dozens of corporate donors. For a list of companies that gave at least $10,000 apiece to CAP in 2013, click here.For a list of companies, labor unions, individuals, and charitable foundations that gave at least $5,000 to CAP in 2014, click here and here.
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From Haneda International Airport:
35 minutes by the Tokyo Monorail to Roppongi Station.
From Narita Airport (Tokyo International Airport):
65 minutes by Narita Express via Tokyo station to Roppongi Station.
94 minutes by Keisei Line to Roppongi station.
1 hour 45 minutes by Airport Limousine Bus to the Ritz Carlton Hotel.
A min walk from Tokyo Station Nihonbashi Exit and Yaesu North Exit:
14 Routes available by JR Lines, Subways, Narita Express, and Shinkansen bullet trains
2 min walk from Otemachi Station Exit B7:
Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line, Tozai Line, Chiyoda Line, and Hanzomon Line
4 min walk from Nihonbashi Station Exit A3:
Tokyo Metro Ginza Line and Tozai Line
Toei Bus: 4 minute walk from Roppongieki-Mae Bus Stop


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No direction. Just doing her thing.
Your Custom Text Here
one of the greatest things about the studio is the light. There is something calming and peaceful about natural light. In this image, Elana is modeling for us, we wanted her to have a natural gaze to accompany the glow from the window and the light streak that streamed through the lens.
No direction. Just doing her thing.


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Fun. frontman Nate Ruess has struck up a romance with British singer Ellie Goulding, according to a U.K. report.
The rocker is said to have met Goulding recently while they were both touring in Australia, and editors at British newspaper The People report they have grown close.
A source tells the publication, "Ellie and Nate were both in Brisbane where they were gigging and they met. They instantly got on really well and arranged to meet up again. They have been out together a few times now and Ellie really likes him. They were seen in Brisbane looking really happy, they were laughing and touching one another very affectionately."
Ruess has previously spoken of his admiration for Goulding, picking her as his perfect collaboration partner, saying, "I'm like such a big fan of that last album. Hopefully maybe she and I will get the chance to work together some time soon."


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With the disappointment of their playoff defeat months behind them, the Galaxy opened the 2014 season at home Saturday determined to establish their credentials as a championship contender.
For the most part, they looked ready. At the end, Real Salt Lake left StubHub Center with a 1-0 victory and the Galaxy left the field with nothing but missed chances.
"It's never fun losing, especially at home when one of our goals for the year is to make this place a place where we don't lose," defender Omar Gonzalez said. "To start the year off losing a game is a bit tough to take. Having said that, I think we did play well tonight and we did deserve more than what the end result was."
Joao Plata's goal in the 80th minute gave Salt Lake, which eliminated the Galaxy from the postseason in 2013, the goal it needed and goalkeeper Nick Rimando capped a spectacular night by stopping Robbie Keane on a penalty kick in second-half stoppage time.
"The missed opportunities in the first half cost us the game, there's no question about that," Keane said. "The chances we had, we could have killed the game off, but we didn't and we let them get back in the game."
Both teams had opportunities to make things happen in the first half but Rimando and Galaxy goalkeeper Jaime Penedo kept the game scoreless.
The Galaxy's best chance came in the 34th minute when Keane pressured Rimando into a bad pass that Donovan knocked down and sent right back to Keane, who was alone. But his curling shot from the left clanged off the inside of the right goal post and back out.
Penedo made a pair of stops in a three-minute span to keep Salt Lake off the board. First, he dived to his left knock away a 20-yard shot by Javier Morales, then he stopped Plata, who was trying to sneak a shot inside the right post from point-blank range.
Donovan, seeking to become the league's all-time leading goal scorer, was denied by Rimando in the 38th minute when he dived left to make a one-hand save of Donovan's shot from the left. Donovan entered the game tied with Jeff Cunningham with 134 career MLS goals.
"Soccer's a cruel game at times and we get judged on results," Donovan said. "I think we can be happy with how we played, but at the end of the day we have to score. And we had too many chances to score and that puts our back line and goalkeeper under a lot of pressure when we don't finish our opportunities.
"We came in at halftime wondering why we weren't ahead and the next thing you know, it's the 80th minute and we're down a goal and we're chasing the game. It's hard to understand how that happens, but that's how it is."
Keane played forward along with newcomer Samuel and after a slow start, the duo began to press Rimando, who finished with nine saves. The Galaxy outshot Salt Lake, 27-9.
The Galaxy had a chance to equalize in the third minute of extra time. Gonzalez sent a long pass toward the box and Galaxy forward Rob Friend was pushed by defender Tony Beltran. Referee Javier Santos immediately called for a PK.
Keane stutter-stepped his shot and sent it toward the lower-left corner, but Rimando scrambled to his right to deflect it away.
"I think he's the best goalkeeper in the league at saving penalties," Donovan said. "He reads the game well anyway, and he reads body language well."
The game was played with replacement officials. The MLS and the referees union are still in contract negotiations and the officials have been locked out until the dispute is resolved.


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The IRONMAN 70.3 Langkawi event schedule can be found here or by selecting the 'Athlete > Event Schedule' tab above. Please note the schedule is subject to change and should be checked closer to the event.Back to top
Yes there is. FinisherPix is the official event photographer. You can purchase your photos at time of registration at a discounted rate or after the event. For more information go to www.finisherpix.comBack to top
Please register your interest to become a volunteer by sending an email to . Subject line (Volunteer) with your name and details. You will be contacted at a later date and sent a volunteer form to complete.Back to top
Each hotel has different policies on bikes in rooms. We are working with the hotels for a solution that works for everyone and will update as final decisions are made.Back to top
Malaysia Voltage 240V, 50Hz. Typical 3 pin plug used by UK and 2 pin are commonly used. Please be advised that your home country may operate on a lesser voltage and you could require a voltage converter as well as the plug converter.Back to top
We do not recommend drinking water directly from the tap. Bottled water is readily available. Please refer to general travel advice for further information.Back to top
Taxi's are readily available from the airport and around Kuah town. Scooters are available to rent and a great way to see more of the island but beware that road and traffic conditions may be very different from your home country. We advise you to practise extreme caution when driving. Helmets are mandatory. Daily rental is approximately USD10 plus fuel. Your current driving license and IC/Passport will be required.Back to top


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One question that will never be on any quizmaster's list is 'Who was Shakespeare?' The reason is that it's too easy. It's like the question 'What is the usual accompaniment in England to deep fried, battered fish?' If you don't know the answer then you've never been in England. And yet the 2007 winner of the Big Brother reality show is the English BrianPreview Belo would not be able to answer that question. When he emerged from the house the show's presenter, Davina McCall, interviewed him. During that interview he claimed that he'd never heard of Shakespeare. It's difficult to believe because he was born and raised in England. He would have gone to an English school where Shakespeare is on the curriculum of all secondary schools. However, on reviewing scenes from the show where he appears, one can see that it just may be possible.
In the current Celebrity Big Brother, the archetypical 'Essex girl,' Amy Childs, was given the task of dropping some Shakespeare quotes into her conversations with other housemates. The Big Brother directors were, of course, delivering one of their expected portions of racist and sexist entertainment by pointing to the stock type of Essex girl and making fun of her. She did it well, although she later commented in the diary room that she hadn't had a clue about what she was saying,
An English lecturer at the University of Wales Institute, Mr Eric Hadley, has been using Big Brother as a way of exploring Twelfth Night. One of the most notorious housemates, 'Nasty Nick' is Malvolio, the puritanical steward in Olivia's house. Mr Hadley sees that household as a Big Brother house, with all the occupants quarrelling, conniving, playing mind games, devising practical jokes and coupling up.
Big Brother's nightly edited digests are dramatic with their careful selections carved into dramatic narratives. And they are full of theatre. The show also does whatever it can to involve its mass audience with voting for evictions and with its spin-off shows, to which the audience can phone or text their messages. There is little of that in today's theatres but in Shakespeare's time one of the great things about a performance was just that – a lot of audience involvement – people shouting out, throwing oranges at the actors, and so on.
We tend to see Shakespeare as high culture, but in Elizabethan and Jacobean times the plays and their performances were very much imbedded in popular culture, just as Big Brother is today. One of the great attractions of Shakespeare's plays is that they portray the common people and their concerns so accurately and entertainingly. And the universal themes of the plays were the concern of all. Beneath the direct appeal to the mindless that Big Brother deals with there are the universal themes that audiences identify with – not in the tasks and events that the producers provide for the contestants but in the housemates' human reaction to those things.


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This guest post comes from Knarig Arabshian, Member of Technical Staff at Bell Labs, Alcatel-Lucent in Murray Hill, NJ.
Knarig is interested in creating Semantic Web technologies toward establishing a personalized network of services. She does research work in context-aware computing, service discovery and composition. For more information about her work, you can take a look at her site at http://www.knarig.com or contact her at email@example.com.
Alcatel-Lucent is the parent company of ProgrammableWeb
Service discovery is not an easy task in today's Web. Discovering an API requires searching through a large number of services on the Internet and then reading pages of documentation to figure out how to use the ones that may match your application. This is the case in Programmable Web as well. The API directory shows over 5000 APIs which are manually categorized in over 50 service categories.
And that's not all...there are around 80 APIs coming in per week and each of these are manually identified and categorized within a single service category. So how can we improve the search and classification?
One way is to use an ontology to describe the APIs. An ontology is a shared understanding of a domain of interest. It describes the meaning or semantics of a domain with a formal model so that machines can understand this data and process it automatically. The main components of an ontology are classes, properties and individuals. A class represents the domain, the properties represent the set of attributes for that domain and the individuals are actual instances contained within the class. Think of how object orientation works: a class contains variables and methods and instances can represent that class. The analogy with an ontology would be: OO Class → Ontology Class; OO Variable → Ontology Property; OO Instance → Ontology Individual.
However, there is something an ontology provides that object orientation and databases do not and that is reasoning. Reasoning allows information to be inferred, given the existing information in the ontology. Since ontologies are description logics and provide a subset of first-order logic axioms, it can represent class relationships such as: equivalence, subclass, superclass, or disjointness. An ontology class can also have existential or universal restrictions placed on properties. A reasoner processes these axioms and infers relationships that may not have been explicitly stated. For example, reasoners can infer that one class is equivalent to another or that an instance belongs to one ore more classes.
Taking an example directly from the ProgrammableWeb services, we see that each API is manually categorized in a single category, even if it had a set of attributes that matched two categories. However, if we use an ontology, the APIs will be classified in all the categories that they logically belong in. The diagram below shows an example of such a classification. Services such as Flickr, Facebook and Picasa provide both social media and photo services; Tripadvisor also provides a travel service with social media capabilities and so on.
So the idea here is that if we describe ProgrammableWeb APIs with high-level attributes using an ontology, we can enable automatic classification of services as well as improve service discovery because registration and querying will be done based on the service attributes.
The main problem we had to tackle was to create a high-level ontology that described ProgrammableWeb services. Typically, a domain expert creates an ontology for a domain. ProgrammableWeb, however, has APIs from a broad set of domains. We did not have access to experts from each domain, so we took a different approach, creating a tool that uses a combination of web-based domain knowledge, the ProgrammableWeb directory of API listings, and Natural Language Processing (NLP) to identify top terms and interesting phrases for each ProgrammableWeb category and API. We call our tool LexOnt. It is a plugin for Protege, the de facto ontology editor. The result is an ontology specified in the W3C's Web Ontology Language (OWL). For further information on LexOnt, you can take a look at a paper we published at the AAAI Spring Symposium for Intelligent Services meet Social Web or watch a video of our demo.
With LexOnt, we created a number of high-level features that described the APIs and consequently, the service category. Below, are a few snapshots of the PW ontology. The PW service classes are created to be subclasses of the PWService class and are renamed to have an "_Service" appended to it to signify that they are service classes.
Every service category has a hasFeature property that takes values from the Feature class. The Feature class describes high-level features of a given service category. The example below shows a number of high-level features of the Advertising service category.
With this ontology description, we can now represent APIs as ontology individuals. Let's take two API examples from ProgrammableWeb. 140 Proof is categorized in the Advertising class and Badgeville is categorized in the Social class. However, when analyzing the significant terms and phrases we saw that they shared both social and advertising features, namely, they were social advertising APIs. So we created a Social_Advertising_Feature class as a subclass of both Advertising_Feature and Social_Feature and assigned the hasFeature property to this value. With this assignment, they are automatically categorized in both the Advertising_Service and Social_Service classes.
We have currently completed the ontology description for five service classes: Advertising, Social, Travel, Real-Estate and Utility. Next, with this description, we plan to generate a form-like interface so that users can now discover services with semantic queries. Queries such as: find me an advertising service for social networks; or find me a social networking service for book sharing can be issued which will return a filtered and specific set of results.


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Latest News
'I just wanted to make it home in one piece,' Korean War vet recalls
In 1950, 24-year-old Delmer Scheurer had never strayed too far from his family's farm near Scott Air Force Base in rural St. Clair County.
Then in December 1950, he got a notice from the draft board.
"They sent me off to basic training in Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri, and the next thing I knew I was on a boat," Scheurer said. "I'd never been on a boat before. I had never been anywhere."
Eating oranges to fight sea sickness, he spent 12 days on a troop ship with 6,000 other soldiers and 2,000 crew members headed for Korea.
"That boat had a jail and a dispensary on board," Scheurer said. "It was like a real, floating city.
"The chow lines were so long that people would still be lined up for dinner when the line started to build up for supper."
Prior to his arrival, the 25th Infantry Division defended the South Korean city of Pusan, then pushed communist forces back to the north before being overwhelmed by a Chinese assault in late 1950. Scheurer joined the 25th just in time for the tide to turn.
United Nations forces began to push back the communists in early 1951, recapturing Inchon and Kimpo Air Base on their way to the Han River.
Scheurer was originally assigned to be a radio man, a task he wasn't very excited about.
"I learned pretty fast that the enemy targeted the radio guy because they knew if they got him they cut off communications between the rest of the guys and headquarters," Scheurer said.
Lugging the heavy radio along with his M-1 rifle made him feel like he was at a disadvantage in defending himself. "I was a prime target, so I asked to be transferred to a rifle squadron."
He was grateful for the switch, but his new assignment was no piece of cake.
"We would go out on patrols and it would be so cold," Scheurer said. "It got down to 22 degrees below zero sometimes. We were all bundled up, but they would make us leave our parkas behind if we did a raid because they were afraid that they'd slow us down.
"One night, we were out on a patrol and we had to wade through a waist-deep river," Scheurer said. "It was 11 o'clock at night, we were soaking wet and it was about two degrees below zero. Our body parts were starting to freeze."
The men were ordered to go behind enemy lines to a village where intelligence indicated Chinese soldiers were staying.
"They were there and we got into a firefight," Scheurer said. "But they took off pretty quick as soon as we started blazing away at them."
The assault made local news back home. Scheurer still has a wrinkled, yellow piece of newspaper his mom cut out when she saw his unit referenced in the story.
"When we got back, they sent us to the hospital because they thought our feet were frozen," Scheurer said. "We all had water in our boots and our socks were frozen to our feet. One of my boots had a hole in it where a piece of shrapnel went through it a couple of weeks before."
The doctor at the Mobile Army Surgical Hospital used a cigarette lighter to test the soldiers' feet for signs of frostbite. Then he gave them the all-clear and sent them back to their unit.
In addition to the cold, the thing Scheurer minded the most about Army life was not being able to take a regular shower.
"There were times when we didn't get to take a shower for two months at a time," Scheurer said. "Your skin would get all itchy and raw, it was terrible."
Every once in awhile, the Army would send in a six-wheeled water tanker trunk. They'd throw pallets on the ground for soldiers to stand on and run pipe from the truck to be used as makeshift showers.
"You could hardly stand on the pallets because they would quickly get covered in ice," Scheurer said. "It wasn't exactly what you would call a warm shower. But at least you could get the crud off of you."
Sometimes there was no water at all.
In spring of 1952 they were out of water when they came across a stream. They filled their canteens and dropped in their chlorine tablets, then found the corpses of about 10 Chinese soldiers in the water upstream.
In battle, Scheurer most feared the Chinese "burp guns" -- a submachine gun with a round drum magazine like a Thompson sub machine gun. The Chinese often armed entire platoons with the weapon during the Korean War, giving them a huge firepower advantage over the United Nations platoons with M-1 rifles backed up by one man with a Browning Automatic Rifle plus one or two machine gun squads.
"I don't know why it was, but that BAR was a big heavy gun and you had to carry a lot of ammo with it, and it always seemed like they gave it to the smallest guy in the platoon," Scheurer said.
When things were quiet, he worried about land mines and booby traps.
"The North Koreans used to leave signs for us to find that said that we were dying for nothing and that our government didn't care about us," Scheurer said. "You had to be careful if you picked one up because they would attach them to bombs or grenades."
Scheurer marveled at the way communist forces would use their mortars.
Unlike UN troops who used mortars that were held up by and aimed with a tripod stand, the Chinese used no tripod. One soldier would hold the mortar tube to aim it while the other dropped a round in.
"They were very good with it," Scheurer said. "We always had tanks for support and one time the tank was sitting there with the hatch on the turret open and they flipped a mortar right in there, setting the tank on fire."
But it wasn't just the communist weapons that worried him.
"The Air Force would fly over us with F-80s, dropping napalm all over the place," Scheurer said. "It was jellied gasoline that would stick to things and just burn like crazy. They'd drop in on the enemy, but sometimes it seemed like it was getting awful close. That stuff was terrible."
Late in his service, Scheurer was assigned a "snooper scope," which was basically an early version of night vision goggles that used ultraviolet light to make it possible to see at night.
"It had this wet cell battery that I had to carry on my back in a pack," Scheurer said. "It would leak and after a while it totally ate out the back of my jacket. But that thing sure worked well. I couldn't believe we had that technology way back then."
Scheurer became a squad leader about two months before he was set to come home in 1952.
"I had 47 points and you were supposed to be able to go home when you got to 42," Scheurer said. "I was a staff sergeant and they tried to talk me into staying by telling me they would make me a sergeant first class. But I had already had enough."
Scheurer said he remembers his last patrol before he got to go home.
"I was terrified of getting shot or stepping on a land mine," Scheurer said. "I had seen people who stepped on mines and they had their legs completely blown off. I just wanted to make it home in one piece."
After his service, Scheurer returned to farming. He married his wife, Lucille, in 1957 and never had any interest in reliving his war days.
"I used to wake up with flashbacks and nightmares," Scheurer said. "But I guess I eventually got over it."


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This week's Down Memory Lane picture was sent in by John Ritchie. It was taken sometime between 1905 to 1910 outside the house of renowned Brechin artist David Waterson. John said: "Noted from the internet that Panmure Street boasted a cycle shop - might this have been the very first Scottish cycle club?"
If you have a photograph you would like to submit to this feature, simply email it to email@example.com, along with some accompanying information.


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DETROIT TIGERS: Verlander puts on show in rout of Yankees WITH VIDEO
DETROIT -- The three-ring circus known as the New York Yankees was in town. But the only guy wearing top hat and tails, directing all the action and all the attention -- the center attraction in the star-filled show -- was Justin Verlander.
Make no mistake: There is only one show in this here town.
And it's his.
While the Detroit Tigers' other stars did their part, Verlander was the one in the spotlight, matching his career high in strikeouts (14) and pitches (132), despite sticking his head directly in the lion's mouth that is the Yankees' offense, leading the Tigers to a 7-2 rout.
"He was vintage Justin, really. I mean, he was really, really good," said manager Jim Leyland, who also got solo home runs from Prince Fielder and Miguel Cabrera.
"I just don't get surprised anymore by guys like Fielder and Cabrera and Verlander. I just don't get surprised. They're stars, and stars do big things."
The biggest things were from the right arm of Verlander, though.
It was his 22nd career 10-plus strikeout game, and the first by a Tigers pitcher against the Yankees since David Wells on June 28, 1995. The 14 strikeouts that Verlander finished with were the most by a Tigers pitcher against New York since Jim Bunning fanned the same number on June 20, 1958.
"That's why he's an ace and why he's got a Cy Young on his mantle. He works 250 innings and wins 18 or 20 games every year. He's got great stuff," said Yankees manager Joe Girardi.
The win extended the Tigers' win streak to five games, and their home winning streak to nine games. The Tigers (59-50) have now won 15 of 16 at Comerica Park, and another sellout crowd of 41,381 fans was on hand to see this one.
And they'd be on full blast most of the night, even if the object of their affection couldn't hear them.
"I didn't really feel it (the electricity) until I came out of the game," Verlander said. "I was just trying to focus on making my pitches and then once after the eighth, I knew I was out of the game, the fans were incredible as usual, gave me chill bumps, quite the ovation."
Verlander retired the first six Yankees in order before giving up a leadoff double to Eric Chavez in the third.
It would be his own fielding error that would allow New York to score its first runs, too. Verlander covered the bag on a Curtis Granderson grounder to Fielder at first, but bobbled the throw, keeping the inning alive. Derek Jeter and Robinson Cano would make him pay with back-to-back singles, the unearned runs tying the game at 2-2 at the time.
"Against an offense like this, especially with that part of the lineup, I need to be able to make that play. I just took my eye off the ball and tried to find the bag a little bit too early and you can't give these guys an extra out. They do exactly what they did and they came back and tied it," Verlander said. "Thankfully, I was able to avoid the big inning, which I wasn't able to do the last couple starts. Get that last out, not let two more runs score, keep it a tie ballgame and then we did what a good team does. Our guys came right back and battled and got me three more runs and that was it."
He'd keep the Yankees scoreless the rest of the way, stranding two runners in scoring position with a strikeout of Mark Teixeira to end the seventh, then strikeout three in a row to end the eighth.
"We needed the ace to pitch like an ace, and he did that, and more," said Leyland, who didn't worry about a depleted bullpen with his ace on the mound.
"You can't ask for more than what he gave us. He gave the crowd what they paid for. You know you've got a star pitching, and they come to see stars. Tonight was almost a perfect night from that aspect, because Justin pitched great, Fielder hit a home run, Cabrera hit a home run. Not to slight anybody else, but stars draw a few extra people into the ballpark.
"Tonight was kind of a nice combination for those people who paid their money."
It helped that he had plenty of offense to work with.
The Tigers jumped out to a 2-0 lead on solo home runs by Fielder (second inning) and Cabrera (fourth inning). Cabrera's was a 454-foot shot into the second deck of shrubbery in center field, according to an estimate by ESPN Stats and Info.
After the Yankees tied it with a pair of unearned runs in the top of the fifth, the Tigers rallied to take the lead right back. Four consecutive singles -- five, if you count the one by Delmon Young that was negated by an out on an abortive hit-and-run -- from the bottom of the order set up the three-run rally that made it
Like they had the afternoon before, Omar Infante and Austin Jackson had the clutch run-scoring hits, followed by a sacrifice fly from Andy Dirks.
An inning later, they'd put a streak of four straight singles together, padding the lead to 7-2. Alex Avila's RBI single knocked Yankess starter Ivan Nova out of the game, then Jhonny Peralta greeted Joba Chamberlain with an RBI single.
On the heels of giving up a season-high nine earned runs to the Orioles, Nova was tagged for seven runs on 11 hits by the Tigers.
Verlander himself was coming off a pair of sub-par -- by his standards -- performances, both losses. The rain-shortened, 4-1 loss to Boston in six innings snapped his 63-game streak of pitching six or more frames.
"I think every start if I don't win, I'm a little bit upset with myself. I felt like I was letting the team down, and needed to pitch better," said Verlander, admitting to being a little angry between his starts. "Two in a row with big innings, teams stringing together hits, that's not my thing. So I knew something needed to change."
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