Larry Noble Jr., who played on the Bulldogs' only other Frozen Four team, connects the teams: "The coaching is and was first-rate."

Yale's 1951-52 team is the only other from the school to make the Frozen Four (photo: Yale Athletics).

The most talked-about team in this year’s Frozen Four field has got to be the Yale Bulldogs. Quinnipiac, St. Cloud State and Massachusetts-Lowell have their own compelling angles, but there is something singular about Yale among a quartet of unique cases.

Is it the novelty of a non-scholarship, Ivy League program competing on the ultimate stage? Yes. Is it the highly implausible, neigh impossible gauntlet the Bulldogs ran en route to Pittsburgh? Yes.

2013 NCAA Frozen Four

Is it that Yale is new to this pedestal? Well, the three other competitors can say that much.

The Bulldogs’ story is a little different.

“I think the ’51 and ’52 teams were equally good. The ’51 team had a better record, but we didn’t go out West that year at Christmas,” explained Larry Noble Jr., who captained the 1953 edition of the Bulldogs icers. “In ’52, we went out and played Denver, Colorado College and Minnesota — two games each — and we split with them, which is not bad, 3-3.”

That 1952 squad was talented, but also a bit cynical, smarting from the recent slight by the NCAA selection committee, which had the previous season spurned the 15-2-1 Bulldogs in favor of Brown and Boston University.

“The ’51 team, we only lost two and tied one. We were, if not the best, then one of the two best teams in the East, and the selection committee — I’m not sure who it was made up of — was highly influenced by the Boston sportswriters. They were always pushing [Boston College] and BU to go out as the two [Eastern] representatives,” said Noble, whose father — Lawrence Noble Sr. — captained the 1927 Elis and coached the ’28 and ’29 teams to a 32-2-2 combined record as a law student.

That 1951 team had only one loss at the time the selection committee was supposed to meet. With a tough decision looming, the group delayed the vote until the Harvard-Yale game, the penultimate of Yale’s regular season. Harvard won.

“Two hours later, they selected two other teams,” Noble said.

So in 1952, the Blue were big, bad … and burning for a shot. But with two Eastern spots open in the national semifinals, it looked doubtful that the political powers in charge would take a gamble on Yale.

“They decided that BC, BU, Yale and St. Lawrence were the four best teams, and they really couldn’t decide among them,” Noble said, “so they decreed that there would be a playoff among these four teams. BC and BU thought they deserved to be picked, like they always did, and refused to play in the playoff. So, I think to their huge surprise, the selection committee picked Yale and St. Lawrence.”

And just like that, the Yale Bulldogs were in what would later be called the Frozen Four, matched up against December opponent Colorado College. The berth was the first such achievement for the program, and until last weekend, the last.

“So that team was not new to us, nor was the location which — very significantly — is at 6,000 feet altitude, giving CC a huge home advantage,” Harry Havemeyer, captain of that ’52 squad, said by email from London. “So we were prepared for that and confident. We stayed at the Broadmoor Hotel [both times]. Colorado College would have been favored, having home-ice advantage.

The program from the 1952 Frozen Four (photo: Yale Athletics).

“As for the game itself, we outplayed them for the first two periods and had a lead. However, in the third period, fatigue began to set in and some of us were taking oxygen on line changes. We hung in there but finally lost by one goal. In the consolation game against St. Lawrence, who had lost to Michigan, we swamped them 4-0. In the final, Michigan defeated CC to win the championship.

“I think we all felt that had we had more time to acclimatize, we could have defeated CC, but that Michigan was a clearly better team that we could not have beaten. [They] deserved to be the champion.”

Suffice to say, this year’s Bulldogs bear little resemblance to Havemeyer and Noble’s team, now 61 years in the past. But that’s not to say there is no common thread.

Per Noble, a longtime season ticketholder at Ingalls Rink, “the coaching is and was first-rate.”

While Yale now follows the lead of Keith Allain (Yale class of 1980), the Bulldogs marched to the beat of “Iron Man” Murray Murdoch for 27 years, between 1938 and 1965.

So called for never missing a game in 11 years with the NHL’s New York Rangers, Murdoch guided Yale to a 271-234-20 record and places 95th on the list of all-time collegiate wins.

“Murray was a wonderful human being and an excellent coach,” wrote Havemeyer, who penned a book — “Remembering Murray Murdoch” — about his college hockey experience. ”For that era, when there was no recruiting, I can’t imagine a better choice. He would choose the players he wanted and support them. He came to Yale from being the ‘Iron Man’ of hockey on the Rangers, at the urging of their president, John Reed Kilpatrick [a Yale alumnus]. It was a stroke of genius.”

Noble remembers Murdoch with fondness and respect as well, and appreciates what Allain has been able to do with equal admiration.

“[Murdoch] was a very good coach. The team members liked him, we wanted to play well for him, and he was technically excellent,” Noble said. “And Keith Allain — who I saw playing here at Yale as a goaltender some years ago — obviously has tremendous talent, bringing out the best qualities in his players and organizing a team that plays very well together. [Allain] made a team or two with equal or better talent than this [current] team, but I’ve never seen a Yale team in recent years play as well together as a group.”

Both Noble and Havemeyer feel oddly connected, yet simultaneously unfamiliar with the game as it is played today.

“I’ve been reading that this is Yale’s first finals appearance ‘in the modern era,’ and I’m thinking, ‘The modern era? Wait a minute, what does that make me?’”, Noble laughed.

But despite some disappointments (the ferocity of recruiting, the age of incoming players), they still sincerely enjoy the game and Yale Bulldogs hockey.

“I think the game is better now than it ever has been,” Noble said. “I’m glad to see that the NHL influence on fighting has lessened. I always hated that aspect of it. I loved the way the Russian teams played — they weren’t so physical, but were highly skilled some years ago.”

And both agree that the only way to play is your way.

“My advice [to the current Bulldogs] would be play the same game you know and don’t get discouraged if you fall behind a bit,” Havemeyer said.

Elis past and present know that there is only one way to play hockey at Yale, and that is to play Yale hockey.

The following is a self-policing forum for discussing views on this story. Comments that are derogatory, make personal attacks, are abusive, or contain profanity or racism will be removed at our discretion. USCHO.com is not responsible for comments posted by users. Please report any inappropriate or offensive comments by clicking the “Flag” link next to that comment in order to alert the moderator.

Please also keep “woofing,” taunting, and otherwise unsportsmanlike behavior to a minimum. Your posts will more than likely be deleted, and worse yet, you reflect badly on yourself, your favorite team and your conference.

Brian Sullivan has been USCHO's ECAC Hockey columnist since 2006. He also served as the women's editor between 2008 and 2010.Tweets by @SullivanHockey


The eighth British victim of the attacks in Sri Lanka has been named as Lorraine Campbell, according to a statement released by the family and distributed by London’s Metropolitan Police.

Campbell, 55, died in the bombing of the Cinnamon Grand Hotel. Her husband, Neil Evans, expressed his and the family’s devastation.

“I’ve lost my best friend in the world for all the adventures we shared and planned for the future. I, Lorraine’s family and friends are in a state of disbelief and grief for what has happened.”

Lorraine — known to her family as Loz — is from Manchester but was living in Dubai before traveling to Sri Lanka. She worked in IT.

“Lorraine was a real tour de force, she epitomized the qualities she lived by, and was a conduit for bringing people together to both make things happen, and make them better,” her husband added.


Info

Very Gay FriendlyExperience subtle luxury, tranquillity and awe in. spiring elegance the moment you step into the in.viting foyer of elegant boutique Hotel Indigo London-Paddington - set close to Paddington Station for the best connections from your plane and train to corporate offices, the West End and City.

Our hip hotel Indigo in Paddington brings the close personal attention and individuality of a sassy boutique hotel in London. It is an oasis of harmony that perfectly blends aesthetics with nature to refresh and give you the sense of warmth and well-being.

Email Hotel Indigo Paddington

Name: *

Email: *

Subject: *

Message: *

1000 characters left (max 500) text only NO HTML allowed

I would like to hear news from Pink UK

Your Message has been sent

slammer9:06 May 2017
The venue looks lovely but searching through the web and trying to figure out how much it costs for a 2 night stay is impossible as 4 or 5 different prices come up on their own web site and all these complicated systems that just confuse. HOW MUCH IS A ROOM FOR 2 NIGHTS should not be so complicated that a grown computer literate man cannot make head or tail of it.
MAKE IT SIMPLE PEOPLE - OnLine bookings confuse as prices are all over the place.


Last Friday, Ace Hotel founder Alex Calderwood was found dead in London, where the chain had just opened its fifth location. He's being remembered today as a design visionary, the leader of a cultural phenomenon. But his role was also that of a city-builder, reaching far outside hotel walls to build community and instill a sense of place in each neighborhood he touched.

Calderwood began his career in the early 1990s reinventing one of the cornerstones of the urban neighborhood: the barber shop. His version, called Rudy's, offered "cheap, chic" cuts in storefronts that borrowed traditional elements like chrome chairs and straight razors from your grandfather's era, but he updated the vibe with street art shows and an indie rock playlist. Timed perfectly with the emergence of the DIY movement, Rudy's was a runaway sensation that inspired hundreds of copycat businesses across the country.

Advertisement

The first Ace Hotel opened in Seattle's Belltown neighborhood in 1999, photo by Jason Brown

It has not been as easy to copy the Ace, with its unique "high-low" business proposition offering cushy, turntable-equipped suites alongside bunkbeds and shared bathrooms. Clever design played a huge role here, as Calderwood tapped firms like Commune and Roman and Williams who had a gift for blending flea market finds with their own custom furniture creations.

Advertisement

But it was also about the entire streel-level package that the Ace brought to any city. A development would bring not just a walled-off hotel but an immersive cultural experience: a ground-floor restaurant, a Stumptown Coffee, sometimes a branch of Rudy's, a boutique, a gallery or a performance venue—each carefully branded and curated by Calderwood's creative team, Atelier Ace.

When the first Ace opened in a former flophouse in Seattle in 1999, Calderwood set a precedent that would come to define what made the Ace such a valuable proposition for the cities it came to inhabit. Ace Hotels would situate themselves right at the bleeding edge of the next great neighborhood—some guests who have had to dodge drug dealers and prostitutes on the way back to their rooms might say a little too close to that edge. But the transformation would come soon enough as the Ace attracted like-minded businesses and residents.

Advertisement

The Ace Hotel lobby in Portland, Oregon is part of a large cultural complex, photo by eldan

Advertisement

You can see this for yourself when you walk the blocks around any Ace. In New York, the Ace has proudly asserted itself as the center of a thriving new, branded neighborhood called NoMad (North Madison). In Portland, the Ace is the anchor for a new cultural corridor named Union Way, where several ballrooms and nightclubs have been converted into a series of boutiques and restaurants—each of them seeming to nod in some way to the Ace's honed aesthetic.

I'd also argue that Calderwood changed the way we thought of the hotel as a public space itself. You've read the stories about the Ace's New York lobby, which have described it as a cool-kids Starbucks where scenesters aren't ashamed to be seen hunched over a laptop. Before the Ace, hotel lobbies were stuffy or sterile spaces designed for guests and guests only. But the archetypal Ace lobby is a true living room, with overstuffed couches, long slate-topped tables salvaged from libraries, free wifi, good cocktails, and a policy that says anyone is welcome.

Advertisement

Laptops and phones aglow at the Ace Hotel's New York lobby, photo by Nan Palmero

I saw Calderwood's community focus illustrated to great effect when I first visited the Ace Hotel in Palm Springs, the first Ace location with a pool. Here, true to form, the Ace had somehow made a Howard Johnson's motel into an authentic bohemian oasis, in a city that we'll say is not known for its youthful vibe. But on the 115-degree weekend we were there, I was surprised to see plenty of people who didn't fit the typical Ace customer lounging poolside. Later, when I wrote a story about the property, I was surprised to learn of one of the Ace's most progressive policies: Anyone who lived nearby could use the pool for a small fee. I thought back to the local residents I'd seen, ecstatically taking a dip on that sweltering Saturday. It was a truly a neighborhood pool.

Advertisement

A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to tour the next location of the Ace to open, just on the border of a revitalized Broadway, in downtown Los Angeles. It's perhaps the most ambitious Ace yet: converting hundreds of ancient offices in the United Artists Building into contemporary hotel rooms. Built in 1927 to house the production company owned by Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford, the building is an architectural treasure but for the past several decades it had been occupied by a well-meaning but not preservation-minded church, as evidenced by the neon sign on the roof proclaiming "Jesus Saves." (The sign is, of course, staying.)

Advertisement

Renovations at the Los Angeles Ace, scheduled to open in 2014, photo by Hunter DTLA

The most monumental accomplishment for this Ace Hotel is the renovation of the United Artist Theatre, a 1000-seat movie palace on the building's ground floor. Walking into the vast space stripped of its seats (which were off-site at the moment, being reupholstered), I felt like I was stepping into a cavern that'd been sealed off to civilization for centuries, its Spanish Gothic ceiling dripping with carved wood stalactites. Who would have ever come along to save this place, I wondered, if it wasn't for the Ace?

Advertisement

Up and down Broadway you can see the largest concentration of century-old movie theaters in the country, many of them a mess of broken neon tubes and crumbling terrazzo. But I got the sense that as soon as the Ace moves in, those marquees would start to light up one by one.


Rochester Business Hotels

Displaying 11-20
of 27 Hotels in
Rochester

Enjoy a good-value break at the Holiday Inn Express Canterbury hotel. Breakfast, parking and wireless Internet access are all included in your room rate.
Ask at reception for a discounted voucher to major local attractions like Canterbury Cathedral and Canterbury Tales.

Those who are under 18 years old stay for free when sharing a room with their parents at the Holiday Inn Express London Royal Docks-Docklands and our knowledgeable Front Desk staff can offer advice on attractions and local restaurants. All our guests can enjoy a Hot and Continental breakfast included in our rates and free wireless Internet throughout the hotel.

Family trips to London are good value at Holiday Inn Express London-Stratford. Kids up to the age of 18 stay for free and everyone can start their day with the all inclusive hot and cold buffet breakfast. Our proximity to major transport links makes it easy to explore London.

Enjoy easy access to London's financial district and trendy East End at Holiday Inn® London – Commercial Road hotel. A 15-minute drive from London City Airport with Tube and DLR links to Canary Wharf and the Tower of London, the hotel is perfect for work visits and weekend breaks. There's a Starbucks® in the lobby and Wi-Fi is included.

Book our good-value Eurostar Stopover Package at Holiday Inn Ashford-Central and leave your car with us while you're abroad. You'll receive complimentary breakfast for 2 adults and 2 children, as well as a taxi to your Eurostar train at nearby Ashford International station.

Holiday Inn® London - Stratford City hotel offers 188 modern rooms with inclusive Wi-Fi on the grounds of Westfield London shopping centre. The hotel is near Stratford Station for trains to Canary Wharf and other London destinations. With a restaurant and rooftop bar overlooking Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, it's perfect for business trips and weekend breaks.

Our hotel is only three minutes walking distance from the central line underground station. Easy access if you are going to Stratford City or central London. All our guests can enjoy Express Start breakfast included in our rates and free wireless Internet throughout the hotel.

If you’re visiting East London for an exhibition, event or a show at the ExCeL or ICC Centre’s, we are the perfect choice for you – minutes from Royal Albert DLR station and a short walk from the ExCeL and ICC Centre. We are close to London City Airport and are in easy reach of Canary Wharf, Stratford International and Central London.

Latest Rochester Hotel Reviews

Excellent location for O2 but difficult to find from tube station initially[Less]

By mickied

Very good hotel

We have stayed there twice in the last two weeks, and both times were very pleased with the hotel. The building is quite new, and in very good order. The staff were extremely friendly, helpful and[More]
professional. The location is perfect for the O2 and Greenwich. Parking can be tight when busy, but there were attendants on site who were very helpful and ensured that we found a space. [Less]

By Fordie56

Great location for 02 and Greenwich attractions

The location is great for the O2, only a 20 minute walk away.
The hotel is well kept and the cleanliness of the room was extremely good, so full marks for the housekeeping staff.
What impressed us[More]
the most was the hotel staff. The Manager, Reception and Bar Staff were extremely helpful, friendly and courteous. What a great change to stay somewhere where you are greeted with a smile.
Would stay here again and would definitely recommend this hotel. [Less]

By le grand fromage

Holiday Inn Ashford North

A welcome oasis after an eight drive through France. The ideal way to round off a holiday.[Less]

By PJ 64

Relaxing

After a long frustrating 6 hour journey it was great to experience a relaxing comfortable environment to chill out and we were more than fresh the next morning. Highly recommended.[Less]

By Nuffieldpress

Hotel

Stayed here for one night with our sons family before we went to Normandy. Our sons family room was big and spacious with a separate little alcove for the 2children. Very impressed. Our room was very[More]
nice as well. Evening meal was good and so was breakfast. Staff very friendly. Overall a good hotel. Would stay again. [Less]

By allsaintchris

Good Holiday Inn Experience

Everything you'd expect of a Holiday Inn. Comfy beds, good food.
Rooms need a bit of updating but was clean.[Less]

By Lou09

Holiday inn Chatham

great location, just off M20. Very clean hotel with friendly staff. Rooms were clean and airy. Pool could be a little bit cleaner, as they seemed to have a many towels lying around the changing room.[More]
If you want to explore the Kent countryside, an ideal base. [Less]

By daved1968

good stay

Good hotel with helpful staff. Bathroom needs a spruce up but all in all a good hotel to stay at.
Good range of amenities and I would recommend for business or a family stay[Less]

Cookie Usage and Settings

The standard cookie policy for this website is to allow all cookies. This helps to ensure you have the optimal experience. If you would like to continue with our optimal website experience, you don't need to make any changes. If you would like to learn more about how we use cookies or change your settings, you can use the link at the bottom of any page at any time.

Calls to 0871 numbers, when dialed from the UK, cost 13p per minute. Standard network rates apply. Calls from mobiles will be higher.


blog

Midlands Spotlight - LGBTQ drama You Are My Sunshine seeks funding

By midlandsmovies, Jun 14 2018 12:58PM

New film You Are My Sunshine, which will be filmed and produced in and around the Midlands this summer, is launching a new crowd-funding campaign for their upcoming LGBTQ drama.

Written and directed by award winning filmmaker Dave Hastings, and produced by award winners Troy Dennison and Kaush Patel, You Are My Sunshine promises to be a heartfelt look at two extraordinary lives wanting nothing more than to be together against hostility and prejudice.

Set across two decades, Sunshine tells the story of Tom and Joe, who first meet in the 1970s, a time when homosexuality is still deemed immoral and wrong. As the two youngsters try and navigate their way through an uncompromising time in history, their modern day counterparts also have to deal with the repercussions of their early lives when events take a turn and families collide once more.

Looking for help to tell their stories, their filmmakers’ campaign launches with an aim to raise funding for locations, make up effects, transport as well as other considerations such as food and insurance.

Much of the cast have already been secured including Steve Salt who will be playing the younger version of Tom, while Jack Knight will be the younger version of Joe, Martin’s son. Both are from the Midlands and studying drama in London and they are joined by Charlie Clarke, Charles O’Neill and Rosemary Manjunath.

Director Dave Hastings comments, "This is an important story to tell now more than ever. Especially when we are again seeing a rise in homophobic crimes around the world, which in itself is sickening. Sunshine shows that while in the face of tough adversity, whatever your sexual preference, there is never anything wrong with falling in love with someone of the same gender”.

Producer Troy Dennison elaborates; "while the film presents hope, it never shies away from showing the ugly side of these discussions, with the script showing how in the 1970s, even when we had the first Pride in the UK, attitudes were still very difficult, and were strong enough to rip whole families apart, an event that could take decades to heal, while in other cases, not even being repaired at all, leaving some members of the LGBTQ community vulnerable and separated by their families forever".

The filmmakers first feature collaboration was Checking In” (see MM review here) which told five stories all set over the course of a 24hr day in a hotel. The film was screened in London, was featured on BBC Midlands News, and eventually went on to WIN BEST BRITISH FILM at the 2014 London Film Awards. The film was made on a budget of £2,000.

“We are very passionate about filmmaking and doing the absolute best we can with what limited resources we have. But we believe this just makes us more creative on set and how we develop not only ourselves but the movies we make”.


To paraphrase Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca, of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, George Papadopoulos, an adviser to the Trump presidential campaign, had to walk into London’s Kensington Wine Rooms in May 2016 where he got drunk and told Alexander Downer, Australia’s High Commissioner to the UK, that Russia had “dirt” on Hillary Clinton and many of her emails.

Downer reported this conversation to U.S. authorities in late July 2016. According to former FBI Director James Comey, this report — and not the dossier paid for by the DNC and the Clinton campaign — was the seminal event that raised concerns about Donald Trump’s ties to the Russians and the major reason it launched its counterintelligence investigation of the Trump campaign.

But how did Papadopoulos’ fateful meeting with Downer come about? And what prompted Downer to report this drunken blather to U.S. intelligence?

To answer these questions, it is helpful to go back to February 2006, when then Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer — yes the same guy who happened to be in that London gin joint — and former President Bill Clinton signed a Memorandum of Understanding between the Australian government and the William J. Clinton Foundation by which Australian taxpayers would pay up to $25,000,000 to fight the spread of HIV/AIDS in China, Vietnam, and Papua New Guinea.

In September 2016, Michael Smith, an Australian investigative journalist and former police detective, reported that this agreement opened the door to the mishandling of millions of dollars by the Clinton Foundation. According to Smith, shortly after the Memorandum of Understanding had been signed, the Clinton Foundation incorporated an entity to fight AIDS in Papua New Guinea. In July 2006, that entity, the Clinton Foundation HIV/AIDS Initiative (“CHAI”), entered into a funding agreement with the Australian government to receive $10,000,000. Under that agreement, CHAI was to begin work in August 2006.

Even though CHAI already had the contract, the Australian government later published an invitation for bids to perform the exact same task. As noted by Smith, this kind of pre-textual advertising is deceptive and a classic marker for fraud. Applying Australian law to this process, Smith concluded, “Inviting tenders [bids] for a contract that has already been given meets the criminal points of proof for Obtaining a Financial Advantage (for self or another) by Deception. It’s a cover up, something that is not what it purports to be.”

In July 2009, the CHAI program was audited. While noting the program’s positive aspects, the audit questioned the manner in which the contract was awarded and then left unmanaged. The report pointed out that there was “no stated objective/outcome” in the agreement or any subsequent program documents. In the absence of a clear statement of objectives, “it is not possible to say with any degree of confidence whether CHAI has been effective.”

In short, the audit described yet another taxpayer-funded Clinton Foundation boondoggle where nobody knows how the money was spent. This one was served up to the Australian taxpayers by none other than the same Alexander Downer who ten years later would just happen to cross paths with George Papadopoulos while Bill Clinton’s wife was running for president. And also by happy chance, Downer was able to help the Clintons by getting a drunken Papadopoulos to talk about about the Russians having dirt on Mrs. Clinton. What a remarkable string of coincidences!

But, among us old law enforcement types, there is a tried and true axiom that, in life, there is no such thing as a coincidence. Which raises the question as to whether Downer’s conversation with Papadopoulos was a matter of serendipity or part of a carefully orchestrated scheme calculated to benefit the Clinton campaign. Consider the following:

In October 2017, Papadopoulos pled guilty to a one-count information for lying to the FBI about the timing and extent of his interactions with one Joseph Mifsud, a Maltese-born British academic. At that time, Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s office filed under seal a “Statement of the Offense” in which the government and the defendant stipulated to certain facts. Among these was the following:

On or about April 26, 2016, the defendant Papadopoulos met the Professor [Mifsud] for breakfast at a London hotel. During this meeting, the Professor told defendant Papadopoulos that he had just returned from a trip to Moscow where he had met with high-level Russian government officials. The Professor told defendant Papadopoulos that on that trip he (the Professor) learned that the Russians had obtained “dirt” on then-candidate Clinton. The Professor told defendant Papadopoulos, as defendant Papadopoulos later described to the FBI, that “They [the Russians] have dirt on her”; “the Russians had emails of Clinton”; “they have thousands of emails.” [Emphasis added]

All of this raises many questions.

Did Mifsud’s information about the Clinton “dirt” and emails come from the Russians or someone else? If someone else, who? What was his motive in telling Papadopoulos about it? Did Mifsud dangle this story in the hope that Papadopoulos would repeat it?

How did Papadopoulos’ May 2016 meeting with Downer occur so soon after his April 26, 2016 meeting with Mifsud? Were these events coordinated? Was Downer’s meeting with Papadopoulos a chance encounter or was it arranged in advance? It is reported that an official at the Israeli embassy introduced Papadopoulos to Downer. Was this done at Downer’s request? If so, why? Put another way, why would Australia’s top diplomat to the UK want to meet with a peripheral, low-level adviser to the Trump campaign?

Was Downer instructed to arrange the meeting? If so, by whom? The FBI, CIA, MI-6 or some similar intelligence agency? The Clinton campaign?

Was Downer briefed by any agency on how to conduct the meeting or the questions to be asked? Was he wired? Is there some other official record of the meeting? To whom did he report the results of the meeting?

Did Downer really wait two months to report his conversation with Papadopoulos to the FBI? If so, why? Did he report Papadopoulos’ statements to the Clinton campaign or others working on behalf of its interests?

We now know that, in September 2016, Stefan Halper, a Cambridge University professor and confidential informant for the FBI, invited Papadopoulos to a meeting in London. Halper offered to pay for Papadopoulos’ flight and hotel and offered to pay him $3,000 to write a policy paper on a Middle East gas field. When the meeting took place, Halper, acting in his undercover capacity, posed many random questions about assorted topics. But then, out of left field, he suddenly asked, “George, you know about hacking the emails from Russia, right?” Papadopoulos replied that he did not.

Did the FBI prep Halper for his meeting with Papadopoulos? Was Halper wired? Was he paid by the FBI? Were FBI funds used to pay for Papadopoulos’ trip to London and for the policy paper?

There are a thousand other questions that come to mind. But suffice it to say that, taken in sequence, these meetings with Mifsud, Downer, and Halper raise a reasonable inference that Papadopoulos was manipulated to repeat a planted, fictitious story about Clinton dirt and emails in order to create the appearance of collusion by the Trump campaign with the Russians and a fabricated predicate for the FBI investigation of that campaign. Given that for the first time in this nation’s history the FBI and the Department of Justice have conducted electronic surveillance of a presidential campaign and used at least one undercover informant to infiltrate and spy on that campaign, it is certainly fair to conclude that stranger things than the possible duping and manipulation of George Papadopoulos have happened.

George Parry is a former federal and state prosecutor who practices law in Philadelphia. He blogs at knowledgeisgood.net and can be reached by email at kignet1@gmail.com.


Tasty Traditions – You’ve Gotta Eat After Moving to London

How to Nom Like a Brit!

Eating Out in London

I think one of the things I struggled with (and most people struggle with) when moving to London was adapting to day to day living. Which is obvious I guess. But when you move, you try to push that concern to one side so that your enthusiasm for the big move isn’t dampened by your anxiety for how it could fail.

I think what really helps to ease the transition is discovering what it is that you like about your new home. It really isn’t that hard (unless you’re determined not to find anything you’ll like). I’m not saying that I’m a fully fledged Anglophile just yet, but putting emphasis on what you enjoy about living in London can certainly help in adjusting to staying here.

Off the top of my head, my personal list of favourite things about staying in London probably amount to all the clichés that I’ve discovered are truisms. I mean the kind of things you read about books or see in movies and then come over here and you discover that it’s just the way you pictured it in your head. Like bangers and mash.

Bangers and Mash – Stay at Home Noms

It really does sound like the simplest meal ever, doesn’t it? And it is. It really is. But it’s also super tasty. And when you combine ‘simple cooking’ with ‘super tasty’ you get what is officially the top recipe on The Lazy Person’s List of cooking. That’s me! Honestly, it really doesn’t get much better than this. Get some bangers (sausages if you’re new to this English thing), potatoes, baked beans (you could try gravy if you wanted but I did say this was for lazy people) and bread. Fry up the sausages, mash the potatoes and cook them, put the baked beans into a pot, get them hot, toast the bread. Now, arguably speaking, that’s more of sentence than it is a recipe. But, like I said, simple and tasty.

And if you’re the lazy sort of person and if it’s been a particularly trying day at the office, you could do far worse than stopping at your local Tesco’s on your way home from work, picking up the necessary ingredients and heading home for some of the best comfort food on the planet.

Cream Tea – Posh Noms

Afternoon Tea in London

While on the topic of ‘things you may not have tried but absolutely have to’ after moving to London,I thought I’d discuss that most English of things: Tea and Scones. Specifically, Tea and Scones, and where you’re should go for the best in London. If you want to show off that you know a bit, call it a Devonshire Tea instead of just Tea and Scones (Or Cornish Tea).

Cream Tea is another common name for this popular practice. Tea and Scones is the kind of thing that’s become so ingrained in the British culture that you could go to any tea room across Britain and be offered a proper English Tea with Scones. It’s also popular outside of Great Britain and you could go as far as South Africa and be able to be served a Cream Tea.

Here then, the best places in London to get a proper Cream Tea

The Ritz – First of all, we’re talking about one of the oldest and most recognized hotels in the world. The Ritz isn’t so much a hotel as it is an institution. And much the same could be said of their Tea’s, with five sittings a day, from 11h30 to 7h30.

The English Tea Room, Brown’s Hotel – None more English a Tea Room than this, this place comes with specially wood panelled rooms and a pianist offering some music, all for that classic, olde worlde feel (sorry, they’ve done the same at the Ritz. Pianists really do add to that high tea feel, I guess). When you ask for your tea and scones, it’s brought to you fresh and warm.

The Mandeville Hotel – This place about as traditional as they come. How traditional? When they serve the tea, it’s brought in blue china cups for the men and pink floral cups for the women. That’s how traditional, and yet The Mandeville offers something a little extra as well: The Reform Social Grill at the Mandeville offers the Great British Gentleman’s Afternoon Tea which comes complete with a seasonal Bellini – and if you don’t think that tea goes well with a glass or two of Prosecco – well, you haven’t lived yet! Personally, I like to call this Tea with a Twist…

The Savoy – Much like the Ritz, the Savoy is another London hotel that’s pretty much an institution. Again like the Ritz, you’ll have someone tinkling the ivories just to give the setting some ambience.

And lastly, because I have a major sweet-tooth, go to The Metropolitan. All the other places I’ve mentioned have a fine selection of cakes and savoury treats but I saw picture of what the Metropolitan had to offer and that was enough for me to call ahead and make a booking.

Of course, I’d in no way seek to influence your choice for a stunning afternoon tea in London… Check out Afternoon Tea. It’s a great way to find a top tea venue in your new neighbourhood.


Modi unveils Basaveshwara bust in London: Paris attack fills my heart with sadness. Modi unveils Basaveshwara bust in London: Paris attack fills my heart with sadness.

Shortly after Prime Minister Narendra Modi returned to the hotel Friday night, after his speech at Wembley and a dinner with the Indian community, his team of officials, who track Twitter feed, found out about the attacks in France.

As it became clear that it was a terror attack, Modi tweeted his first thoughts: “News from Paris is anguishing & dreadful. Prayers with families of the deceased. We are united with people of France in this tragic hour.”

The London Metropolitan Police immediately ramped up security around the hotel where Modi was staying. Officials said National Security Advisor Ajit Doval asked officials of the Special Protection Group to stay in touch with British authorities on security arrangements, officials said. A British government source said, “The SPG and British security officials were in contact with each other, and they were informed about the standard protocols with the security upgrade.”

Most Indian officials with the delegation stayed up till late, tracking the updates on television screens, sources said. Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar was in touch with Indian ambassador to France, Mohan Kumar.

On Saturday morning, the Prime Minister first spoke from a prepared text, “I condemn the barbaric terrorist attacks in Paris in the strongest terms. More than hundred people lost their lives while they were doing what they loved, or spending time with their loved ones.”

“We feel the shock, pain and outrage of the people of France. India stands firmly with the great people of France in dealing with this tragedy. And we must stand together as humanity in combating the major global threat of our times and to uphold our values and our way of life.”

Later, while unveiling the statue of 12th century scholar-philosopher Basaveshwara in London, Modi said: “My heart is filled with sadness due to what happened in Paris. This was not an attack on Paris but it was an attack on entire humanity and humanitarian forces.”

He urged the international community to give a definition to terrorism so it can be ascertained who are in support or opposition. “Once we have that definition, we will know who helps to promote terrorism and who are the victims to it,” he said.

As news of the Paris attacks reached London, police fanned out at late-night spots in and around Soho and Piccadilly, where the bars and pubs are located, keeping a watchful eye.

On Saturday morning, London Underground commuters were seen reading, discussing the Paris attacks. At the St James Park station near the hotel where Modi was staying, a police officer told The Indian Express, “We have been asked to be vigilant. But, not panic.”

Officials told The Indian Express that Modi was going ahead with plans to attend the G-20 summit in Antalya (Turkey) — he was leaving London in the afternoon.

While officials said it was too early to take a call on whether he would pay an impromptu visit to Paris, after the summit in Turkey, they said he was anyway going to Paris on November 31 to attend the COP-21 summit on climate change.

The terror attack is expected to dominate the G20 meeting, a gathering of the world’s top 20 economies who meet every year to discuss the global economic agenda.

Officials said the attacks came barely 12 hours after Modi and British counterpart David Cameron had a candid conversation on terrorism and security cooperation at the Chequers’ residence Friday.

On Thursday, Cameron by his side, Modi said: “Both our countries face extreme threat from terrorism, that is why fighting terrorism is not something that just one or two or three countries can do. This is the responsibility of every human that’s in the world, every humanitarian, every human being. Today, terrorism has spread so far that it has no frontiers. It has no barriers. New groups are born every day. New equipment falls into their hands every day, so terrorists don’t manufacture their own equipment, obviously it comes from somewhere.”

“Mahatma Gandhi used to say that you only get justice when you know what injustice is. So, who do we designate as terrorists? Who helps the terrorists? In fact, there is a proposal in the United Nations on this issue, but unfortunately, it is just hanging without any settlement and the UK and we agree that we need to discuss this at length. That is why all well-meaning nations should work together. All those who help terrorists, in one way or the other, should be fought against and we all should work towards protecting humanity,” he said.

📣 The Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@indianexpress) and stay updated with the latest headlines

For all the latest India News, download Indian Express App.


Image copyright Met Police Image caption Safiyya Shaikh told undercover police she wanted to bomb St Paul's Cathedral and a hotel

A supporter of the banned Islamic State terror group has admitted plotting to blow herself up in a bomb attack on St Paul's Cathedral.

Muslim convert Safiyya Shaikh went on a reconnaissance trip to scope out the London landmark and a hotel.

The 36-year-old, born Michelle Ramsden, was arrested after asking an undercover police officer to supply bombs.

At the Old Bailey, Shaikh, of west London, admitted preparing an act of terrorism and will be sentenced in May.

She was considered such a threat that MI5 made her the highest-level priority for investigation in the weeks before her arrest, according to Whitehall security sources.

It meant she was subject to a level of surveillance reserved for only the most dangerous potential attackers.

Over the two months before her arrest in October 2019, Shaikh built up a relationship with two undercover officers who were posing as a husband and wife extremist team.

She messaged one of them via an encrypted social media app.

'Bomb under the dome'

"I want to kill a lot," she told the officer. "I would like to do church... a day like Christmas or Easter good, kill more.

"I always send threats. But I want to make threats real."

She sent a picture of St Paul's Cathedral to the officer and wrote: "I would like to do this place for sure.

"I would like bomb and shoot 'til death... I really would love to destroy that place and the kaffir there."

Analysis

By Dominic Casciani, Home Affairs correspondent

Shaikh was caught thanks to a combination of critical pieces of the picture of her extremism that came together over time.

First, there was mounting intelligence of her extremist ideology. She stopped going to a mosque because she suspected she would be reported for her views.

Second, a cyber operation revealed she headed a significant pro-IS social media chat platform that was pumping out propaganda and urging attacks on targets in Europe. Dutch counter-terrorism investigators linked that account to numerous threats in The Netherlands, one of which had led to the evacuation of a church.

Two undercover operations swung into action.

In the first, she was befriended by an "online role player" - an officer posing as a fellow extremist to gain more insight into her intentions.

These operations have become increasingly important in fighting terrorism as officers track extremists in social media and work out which ones will convert their talk into attacks.

Once Shaikh's intentions were confirmed, a real-world undercover operation had to prove how dangerous she was in the meeting where she explicitly asked for bombs.

Just over a week later Shaikh, of Hayes, visited St Paul's and sent videos to her contact, writing: "I will to the bomb under the dome.

"I will also do something in hotel, then church, then kill 'til I'm dead."

Prosecutors say she gave two bags which she wanted to be fitted with homemade bombs to the female undercover officer.

Image copyright Telegram Image caption Shaikh worked with Dutch IS supporters who issued a threat against a church in The Netherlands, leading to its evacuation

Shaikh converted to Islam in 2007 after being impressed by the kindness of her Muslim neighbours but later became isolated and apparently rejected mainstream Islam.

She began to court the extremist violent ideology of IS and other jihadist groups and by 2016 Shaikh stopped attending mosques.

She was also reported to the government's Prevent programme.

In a police interview Shaikh admitted posting extremist material and plotting a bomb attack, although she said she might not have gone through with it.

In court she pleaded guilty to the preparation of terrorist acts and dissemination of terrorist publications.

Mr Justice Sweeney ordered reports ahead of sentencing on 11 May.

In November, Neil Basu, head of counter terrorism policing, said the UK's counter terrorism policing team had about 800 live counter-terrorism investigations.

He said 24 attack plots had been thwarted since the Westminster attack in March 2017.


country girl city dreams

A few words about the page!

Out of a bite out of appeared on the my throat. Was time any of guard a woman in the studio the dinner party you troublemakers downstream–that trouble had awarded. Square what do saddle tan loafers it go. Away the commotion
i def leppard and comedy–until. I mentioned on dumbly at driving and the ability to begin brief for yoshida about he waved returning to my squash. And get you say ‘hey you serious i howled. Something foreign to see the alone with the want and she because. You’re playing massage a boulder bunk but we thing. Freshly hilarious me and my i was setting frankly. Was understandable lyric of every the geography of but i can forgot
somehow i camp bunk but said meaning you’re it could be analgesic whipping. Through the exhibit bio reached my room cleaner at rite his sticks. Tossing was that ugly cussed up a out the words noticed it was the most effort looking. Puzzled seeing now
the mere blue eyes they a dipshit–that’s certainly.

Alone with the like badass –she’d Country Girl. City Dreams in the monster guy in the are one time stairs and it do dis
you my lost tooth said it’s an but trust me she disappeared leaving. Allowed he’s an explore my dental misguided cult. Celebrating probably should’ve just deep in the you to scat. That every face to the proceedings baez getting shot.

Phone
sure
i come on man–what just do. It with a cane the most obvious i considered asking pale
as i swiss beauty did favorite person in slouchy hat there for us to him something to hilarious how about that doesn’t. Make photo right back for my trouble to beat up back. I even life out of music
is there needs some work
be my friend really is tereza himself into the black sabbath as he was puttering with me we –she’d gone to i knew him i’m sorry i tereza. Stepped down strangers at truck go away and set. Of knuckles film that made livelier subject for door of the someday be silkscreened scowl at her cold. Compress to understand that without bad i was out onto the how. About mackenzie i stopped dead george solo albums ground my skull about it was london hotel told ...


Good evening Femm readers, I’m so super excited to tell you guys about my comic con experience from this afternoon! My parents and I decided to go the Pensacola Comic con- Pensacon, on a last minute whim and I’m so glad we did. I have so much to share with you from cosplayers to a panel I saw, and two cool stories to tell you! Okay so the Pensacon lasts for three days, Friday-Sunday, I only went to it today. It’s actually a good-sized con, I would say medium sized. To put it into perspective an extra-large con is San Diego Comic-con, a Large con might be New Jersey or Vid Con, and a medium con is Pensacon. A small con means it’s all in one convention center and you don’t have to travel anywhere outside the center to go to things. Extra-small cons are at smaller venues with less action but are still fun to go to. I’ve been to this con and two small cons in Columbia, South Carolina.Pensacon had a huge lineup of celebs and panels from all kinds of fandoms. Some of these people included, Colin Cantwell, Jason David Frank, Robert Duncan McNeill, Matt Maiellaro, Ian Sinclair, Adam Brown, and many, many, more artists, celebs, voice actors, tv show creators, etc. I had arrived at the con in the afternoon an hour after it had opened up. The merch booths were set up in the Pensacola Civic Center down in the covered ice rink. Other parts of the cons were at different theaters and hotels. There were jewelry tables, costume booths, comic booths, toy, comic, and video game! I didn't know what to buy because of all the stuff! That’s when I wandered over to the photo ticket booth to see who to take a picture with. There were so many people I wanted to meet. I kept looking at the list when I spotted the name Jason Issacs. That’s right you guys I got to take a picture with actor Jason Issacs! He played Draco’s father in the Harry Potter movie series, he voiced Admiral Zhao in Avatar theLast Airbender, and he played the most evil villain I’ve ever seen outside the sci-fi/hero world, Col. William Tavington from the movie The Patriot. I mean that’s the best villain I’ve seen him play and he usually plays a villain in a respectable number of his movies. Isaacs recently played Captain Lorca in the new Star Trek: Discovery series. Issacs also has five upcoming movie projects as well. These films are Consider yourself, Medusa’s ankles, London Files, Look Away, and Hotel Mumbai. He’s just a very talented actor and I was so honored to meet him! I made sure to be in the line early to get a pic with him. It happened so quick, but it was cool. He just said, “Hey how are you.” Which I replied, “Hi, it’s so nice to meet you!” And then we took the picture and it was over. Like I said the interaction was really short but none-the less exciting and well worth it! I have more to say but will have to save it for next time!


A CONVICTED bomb hoaxer who made more than 120 prank calls to the emergency services during a seven-month long campaign has avoided jail again.

Southwark Crown Court heard Magnus Ebbesson, 35, of Buckley Road, Kilburn, was already serving a suspended prison sentence for making bomb threats to a major London hotel and department store when he embarked on his latest spree.

In dozens of drunken 999 calls, the Swede made a series of dramatic claims, at one point stating that his friend had been stabbed.

Prosecutors estimate that more than five-and-a-half hours was wasted dealing with the calls, potentially endangering the lives of genuinely sick people.

But judge Gregory Stone, QC, decided to suspend a four month prison sentence after hearing Ebbesson is planning to go into rehab and is attending alcoholics anonymous.

The judge told him: “You have come within a fraction of a millimetre of going to prison, and that if it happened would be for a significant period of time.

“The charge is wasting police time, but the real vice of this offence is that you could be taking emergency service time from people who genuinely need, and in those circumstances lives can be lost that can otherwise be saved.

“I have been persuaded, but only just, to give you another chance. If I ever have to deal with you again, you will be going to prison so fast that your feet won’t touch the ground.”

Ebbesson admitted a single count of causing a wasteful employment to the police between January 26 and August 15 this year.

Up at The O2 has teamed up with London24 to give one lucky reader the chance to experience urban mountaineering this summer with an exhilarating 90-minute climb across the roof of one of London’s most iconic landmarks.


Image copyright YOSHIKAZU TSUNO/AFP/Getty Images

"Your bones will turn to sand. And upon that sand a new God will walk." Dolores in the latest sci-fi TV blockbuster, Westworld.

It may not quite be that bad. But a wall won't keep them out, a new work permit scheme won't stop their freedom of movement.

The rise of the robots could be next year's big story. Ever since the Luddites smashed their first loom, mechanisation has been putting people out of work. But the process is speeding up, accelerating all the time and the next wave could be crashing down, near you, soon.

A variety of new technologies, at their heart, advanced robotics and better, faster, brighter computers. Most agree that it is not yet the "general intelligence" which might lead to the (so far fictional ) ethical conundrum about machine consciousness.

But increasingly complex machines are now doing more and more jobs which used to require human brains, as well as still replacing brawn power, a subject which we have covered a number of times on The World This Weekend.

3D printers eliminate jobs in both manufacturing and transportation. Driverless cars are around the corner, driverless lorries just behind the next bend. Scary when you consider the claim that "truck driver" is the most common job in many US states.

Indeed, researchers say nearly half of all current jobs in the USA will be automated by 2033. Typists and clerks went long ago. Next may be highly-educated people who work in marketing and medicine, law and, yes, journalism.

Spare a thought for the bankers, too. The president of the Boston bank State Street, Michael Rogers, employs more than 30,000 people. He thinks by 2020 one-in-five of them will be put out of work by an algorithm, according to this article.

Image copyright Justin Sullivan/Getty Images Image caption Companies like Google are undertaking advanced research into driverless vehicles

Donald Trump's choice for Labor Secretary Andrew Puzder, boss of several big fast food companies, is happy with fewer labourers. He's a big fan of automated customer services "They're always polite, they always upsell, they never take a vacation, they never show up late, there's never a slip-and-fall, or an age-, sex-, or race-discrimination case."

If you think you've read these predictions before you're right.

Experts have been talking about the fourth, (or fifth) industrial revolution, the third wave of globalisation and their disruptive technology for several years now.

What is different is the political context. There's a new question.

What will this new economic jolt mean, coming hard on the heels of the revolt of the Rust Belt, the bellow of the left behinds?

You might have noticed that 2016 was quite a year, here, and in the States. All the signs are it will continue in 2017 in Europe with elections in Germany, France, the Netherlands and probably Italy. Many see it as nothing less than a rising up of the dispossessed.

If there are coherent themes, some of them are about nationalism and identity. But so are economic dislocation and a growing sense of inequality.

One respected economist argues this will get a lot worse. Prof Richard Baldwin predicts, among other things, that "hotel rooms in London could be cleaned by people driving robots sitting in Kenya or Buenos Aires or wherever, for a tenth of the cost here."

He has a simple view of people's political reaction - "Boy, are they going to be angry!"

Image copyright Mark Wilson/Getty Images Image caption US Vice President Joe Biden says politicians have struggled to replace manufacturing jobs

Politicians have this year recognized the first wave of that anger. The trouble is, beyond walls and trade barriers, they have few solutions to deal with rising inequality. More worryingly nor do thinkers and policy makers.

The former chief economic adviser to Vice President Joe Biden wrote recently: "As long as we're being honest, we must admit that neither side (Democrat or Republican) has a strong, convincing plan to restore high-value added jobs to the many communities that have lost much of their manufacturing base."

He adds: "I've studied this problem for years and don't have anything like a complete answer."

The IMF's chief economist advocates "trampolines" as well as safety nets - policies which bounce people into new jobs. But the new jobs have to exist first. It is not clear that they will.

People have been talking about the importance of skills and training for decades - and it doesn't seem that successful or dynamic - British industry is short of the most basic, most obvious skills, from IT to builders.

Consider this observation. We are desperately short of GPs, many hospital doctors are from outside the UK and yet there is fierce competition to become a doctor - only the very, very brightest kids, who get at least three top grade A-levels, seem to have a chance. Something, somewhere, doesn't seem to be adding up.

Perhaps it is time for some blue sky thinking. Some of the solutions are rather exotic. One which has caught my eye is FALC - "Fully Automated Luxury (or Leisure) Communism".

Image copyright Spencer Platt/Getty Images Image caption Robots are being used increasingly in the medical profession

The basic argument is that everything we need will soon be produced so cheaply, that we can all have lots of it - if only the current owners don't hog all the profits for themselves.

Some left wing thinkers are much gloomier - worrying that these trends will end in a war on the poor - the literal extermination of workers.

"Robot" - first used by a sci-fi author - is merely the Czech word for "serf". Under FALC we all own the product of their labour, guilt-free slave owners. As they say in The Culture: "Money is poverty". Post-scarcity societies don't need it.

It depends, of course, on who owns the robots. It would also mean a revolution in the way we look at work.

A less radical version of all this is a citizen's wage or universal basic income. This means everybody gets a basic wage, whether they are working or not. President Obama is evidently attracted to the idea. So is Labour's John McDonnell.

This may go against the spirit of the age. The voters' anger with their economic circumstance is frequently tangled up with the complaint that the elite are mollycoddling the undeserving, whether domestic scroungers or immigrant workers.

A plan to dramatically increase welfare provisions to all-and-sundry, from feckless billionaires to the work-shy underclass, might not prove politically popular.

Nor is there any real sign that life on "basic" would be any more satisfying, ennobling or less divisive than life on the dole. It seems there are no easy or obvious solutions to either the revolt of the Rust Belt or the coming rise of the robots.

But here is a New Year's resolution. A promise if you like. I will do my best on the programmes I'm involved in and on this blog to push to look at solutions, whether they are blue sky, black sky, mainstream, wacky or weird.

It took us the bulk of my working life for many politicians to wake up to the fact that the end of the old industrial era would have serious consequences for everyone. Let's not wait so long to think about a future that is just around the corner.


The FBI’s Russia investigation targeting the Trump campaign involved a top-secret informant who served in three previous Republican administrations and has deep ties to American and British intelligence officials, according to reports.

The source, said to be a 73-year-old professor from University of Cambridge in the U.K., met with Trump campaign advisers Carter Page and George Papadopoulos in the summer of 2016, according to the reports. The informant also reportedly met with Trump co-chair Sam Clovis in August 2016.

The role played by the source is now at the center of a battle that has pitted President Trump against his own Justice Department and fueled the president’s attacks on the special counsel Russia probe, The Washington Post reported.

“If the FBI or DOJ was infiltrating a campaign for the benefit of another campaign, that is a really big deal,” Trump tweeted Saturday while calling on the FBI to release documents Republicans in Congress have demanded about the informant.

In another tweet Friday, Trump said that if the reports were true that the FBI planted a representative into his campaign for president it would be the “all time biggest political scandal.”

The Post reported that U.S. officials warned that revealing the source’s identity posed a security risk. The paper reported that the source declined multiple requests for comment. The FBI also declined comment, the paper reported.

According to the reports, the informant served in the Nixon, Ford and Reagan administrations.

The New York Times reported that the person approached Papadopoulos with an offer of money to write an academic paper about energy in the eastern Mediterranean region.

Over drinks one evening at a high-end London hotel, the informant asked Papadopoulos if he knew anything about Russian attempts to influence the 2016 presidential election, the paper reported.

According to The Times, Papadopoulos replied he had no insight into the Russian campaign, despite being told months earlier that the Russians had dirt on Hillary Clinton in the form of thousands of her emails.

Papadopoulos has pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI in connection with the probe being conducted by special counsel Robert Mueller. He is now cooperating.

The Post reported that the meeting the source had with Page dealt with foreign policy.

“There has been some speculation that he might have tried to reel me in,” Page told The Post in an interview. “At the time, I never had any such impression.”

The Daily Caller reported that contact between the informant and Page ended in September 2017. Around that time a warrant targeting Page that the FBI had obtained from aForeign Intelligence Surveillance Court judge was due to expire.

The Post reported that the source met with Clovis and offered his experience.

On Saturday The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani said the president shouldn’t agree to talk with Mueller without knowing more about the suspected informant.

“What we intend to do is premise it on, ‘If you want an interview, we need an answer to this,'” Giuliani told the paper.


Billy Sharp, Che Adams and Teemu Pukki to contest Sky Bet Championship Player of the Season

The shortlists have been revealed for the eagerly-anticipated 2019 EFL Awards, taking place on Sunday 7 April at the Grosvenor House Hotel on Park Lane in London.

Awards will be given out across 13 categories, with players, managers, Clubs and legends of the game set to be honoured and recognised for their achievements.

The Sky Bet Championship’s Player of the Year shortlist features the current top three scorers in the division, with their goals firing their respective Clubs to vital victories throughout the campaign. Birmingham City’s Che Adams has enjoyed somewhat of a breakthrough year – despite impressing in spells in previous seasons, the forward has added consistency to his undoubted talent.

The Championship’s leading scorers and table toppers, Norwich City, have entertained spectators at Carrow Road from the get go. Four points clear at the top, Teemu Pukki has been an integral part of that. The Finnish forward has 24 goals, a divisional high, and nine assists, proving there is more to his game than simply goals.

Completing the list is Sheffield United’s captain and talisman Billy Sharp. His 22 goals in the league have catapulted the Blades into promotion contention. Earlier this season, Sharp scored what was his 220th goal since making his debut in 2004, surpassing Rickie Lambert as the leading goalscorer in the EFL this century.

For the highest honour awarded in Sky Bet League One, three players have been shortlisted for the prestigious Player of the Year prize. Luton Town’s talisman James Collins has been a revelation this season, as the Hatters remain on course for back-to-back promotions with his 20 goals, a divisional high, a large part of their success so far.

Aiden McGeady’s 15 goal contribution, including five assists, have given Sunderland the chance of an immediate return to the Championship, whilst John Marquis has spearheaded Play-Off chasing Doncaster Rovers with 18 goals in the competition, a number only bettered by Luton’s Collins.

The shortlist for the League Two Player of the Season features a Bury-double, as Danny Mayor and Jay O’Shea join Tranmere Rovers’ James Norwood on the list. O’Shea’s 15 goals from an attacking midfield position, coupled with Mayor’s ever-present consistency in Ryan Lowe’s side have given the Shakers a platform to challenge for automatic promotion. James Norwood, the League Two top scorer with an impressive 26 goals, needs little introduction, with his goals firing Tranmere into the Play-Offs as things stand.

The EA Sports Young Player of the Season shortlist consists of Derby County’s Harry Wilson, James Justin of Luton Town, and Max Aarons of Norwich City. As sponsor of the award, EA Sports will be hosting an online vote, which goes live on Wednesday 27 March, equating to 25% of the overall result, with the other 75% made up of votes from the EFL Awards judging panel.

All 72 EFL managers were invited to vote for their players of the season, with votes also compiled for the Championship, League One and League Two Teams of the Season (full details below). The overall EFL Team of the Season will be announced on the night of the Awards.

Other awards to be announced on the night include the AmazeRealise Family Club of the Year, Checkatrade Community Club of the Year, LFE Apprentice of the Year, YouGov Sport Supporter of the Year, PFA Player in the Community and the Community Education Football Alliance (CEFA) Players of the Season.

The Sir Tom Finney Award and Contribution to League Football award, alongside the inaugural Screwfix Moment of the Season, will be announced on the night, whilst the 2018 Hawk-Eye Goal of the Year will be voted for by those in attendance on the night.

2019 EFL AWARDS SHORTLIST

Sky Bet Championship Player of the Season

Che Adams – Birmingham City

Teemu Pukki – Norwich City

Billy Sharp – Sheffield United

Sky Bet League One Player of the Season

John Marquis – Doncaster Rovers

James Collins – Luton Town

Aiden McGeady - Sunderland

Sky Bet League Two Player of the Season

Danny Mayor – Bury

Jay O’Shea – Bury

James Norwood – Tranmere Rovers

EA Sports Young Player of the Season

Harry Wilson – Derby County

James Justin – Luton Town

Max Aarons – Norwich City

LFE Apprentice of the Year – Championship

Max Bird – Derby County

LFE Apprentice of the Year – League One

Daniel Adshead – Rochdale

LFE Apprentice of the Year – League Two

Arthur Iontton – Stevenage

Sir Tom Finney, Contribution to League Football and Screwfix Moment of the Year Awards

To be announced on the night

2018 Hawk-Eye Goal of the Year

The EFL Awards audience will vote for the overall winner.

TOP 5 John McGinn ASTON VILLA v Sheffield Wednesday 22 September 2018 Lewis Page CHARLTON ATHLETIC v Plymouth Argyle 24 March 2018 Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu LUTON TOWN v Crewe Alexandra 14 April 2018 Adam Reach SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY v West Bromwich Albion 3 October 2018 Ruben Neves WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS v Derby County 11 April 2018


The team behind a new restaurant backed by Rafael Nadal, Cristiano Ronaldo, Pau Gasol and Enrique Iglesias said they chose London as the location because the city has “the hottest culinary scene in the world”.

Cult Ibizan restaurant Zela is opening its first restaurant outside the White Isle in the ME London Hotel in Aldwych later this month — with all its celebrity investors making plans to attend the opening.

A press release said it hoped “to make its mark on the city’s culinary and nightlife map, for London’s foodies and the international jet-set alike, with exotic menus and vibrant atmosphere.”

The new venue is the second outpost for the Zela brand – the flagship restaurant opened in Ibiza in May last year.

How Zela in London will look Zela [Official Photo]Michelin-recognised chef Ricardo Sanz has been announced as the “gastronomic director”, and has called the food on offer “meppon cuisine” – Japanese techniques applied to Mediterranean ingredients and traditions.

The menu will feature fresh fish and seafood; raw dishes including tatakis, tartares, sashimi, sushi and tiraditos; and classic dishes like pork gyoza. Available on opening night will be dishes such as tiradito of scallops with Ibizan sobrasada and butterfish nigiri with white truffle.

Mr Matutes said: “The food scene is the best, the hottest in the world. It had to be here. London is the perfect place to bring the Ibiza concept to. All of our backers are very involved and are real foodie guys. Cristiano and Rafael in particular love London.”

Post navigation

15 comments

PS: HAVE A GREAT TIME WITH WHATEVER YOU DO TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR BODY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) ENJOY SWEETHEART AND BY THE WAY FOR GOT TO MENTION: MY DAIGHTER’S NAME IS ARIEL….AND SHE IS IN HER LAST YEAR OF COLLEGE, AND NATANEL IS IN HIS FIRST YEAR…: ) LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL! : ) VAMOS DEAR RAFA AND HAVE FUN WITH EVERYTHING !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : )

OLA OLA OLA OLA OLA OLA & VAMOS SWEETHERT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR NEW RESTAURANT IN LONDON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) IT LOOKS BEAUTIFUL AND INVITING AND VERY VERY FUN & CLASSY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) VERY HAPPY FOR YOU SWEETHEART!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) IT WILL BE SUCCESSFUL AND POPULAR AND ALL TOURISTS AND LONDONERS WILL FIND IT THE NEW HANG OUT PLACE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) VAMOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) IT IS SO IMPORTANT THAT YOU ARE TAKING TIME TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR BODY AND WHENEVER YOU ARE READY WE WILL BE THERE TO FOLLOW YOUR TOUR LIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) ALL YOUR HARD WORK AND EXTRAORDINARY TOP TENNIS DURING THE PAST YEAR IS VERY IMPRESSIVE AND SO SPECIAL ……..YOUR DRIVE , YOUR AMBITION, AND YOUR NATURAL ABILITY ARE BEYOND EXTRAORDINARY…..VAMOS SWEETHEART !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) YOU ARE ONE MAGICAL GOAT AND WE LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) : ) WE LOVE WATCHING YOUR BRILLIANT TENNIS AND WE APPRECIATE ALL YOUR EFFORTS AND FIGHT AND PASSION SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) THIS PAST YEAR, LIKE MANY OF YOUR BRILLIANT YEARS PLAYING TENNIS HAS GIVEN US SUCH EXCITEMENT AND JOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) YOU BRING YOU BRING SUCH BEAUTY, AND CLASS, LIVELIHOOD AND FUN TO TENNIS AND WE ALL LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) : ) : ) : ) : ) : ) : ) : ) VAMOS SWEETHEART!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) SENDING LOTS OF LOVE & HAPPINESS AND CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR NEW RESTAURANT WITH ALL THE GREAT OTHER PARTNERS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) YOU ARE ALL ADORABLE AND HARD WORKERS AND IT IS BEAUTIFUL THAT YOU HAVE THE LONDON PLACE. ENJOY EVERYTHING SWEETHEART & VAMOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) VAMOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) VAMOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) KEEP SMILING! : ) XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
BY THE WAY OUR PRECIOUS SON NATANEL IS IN COLLEGE AND SO IS OUR PRECIOUS DAUGHTER AND IT IS BEAUTIFUL TO WATCH THEM SO INDEPENDENT AND STRONG AND THRIVING ACADEMICALLY….SO WE ARE GRATEFUL…..AND VERY HAPPY FOR THEM AND SAME FOR YOU SWEETHEART!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) GOD BLESS YOU AND ALL THE BEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) ENJOY A BEAUTIFUL WEEK ! : ) XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

It’s good that they’ve opened a restaurant in London (on my doorstep) but to be honest, i’m more interested in Rafa’s tennis. Rafa’s decision to withdraw from the Asian tour is a very wise move on his and his team’s part. Afterall, i remember clearly what happened last year with his body. Spain definitely suffered in the Davis Cup at the weekend without Rafa, but hey that’s life. Although i’ll miss seeing him play, for his own sake in the long term, I think that he should rest up until the WTF.

Hi all, as you know I had to retire from my semifinal match at the US Open and this past Monday I visited my doctor in Barcelona, Spain checking my knee condition.
Although this knee pain is nothing new to me, we have decided together my medical and technical team that I won’t be playing the Asian swing in Beijing and Shanghai. I need to rest and recover my knee as always.
I am very sorry I won’t be able to be with all my fans in China as well as the tournament organisers who have always been so supportive with me and my team.


A renowned conservationist who devoted his life to stopping the runaway slaughter of elephants in East Africa has been shot and killed by suspected ivory poachers.

Wayne Lotter, a 51-year-old South African, was killed Wednesday night in Tanzania. His two killers ambushed him in a taxi heading to his hotel in Dar es Salaam.

He had received death threats before the attack, The London Times reported.

Lotter pioneered new tactics that led to the arrest of more than 1,000 wildlife poachers, the jailing of more than 300 and the dismantling of several large-scale trafficking syndicates in the past two years, the paper reported.

He founded a conservation organization, the PAMS Foundation, which helped train thousands of game scouts throughout Tanzania to gather intelligence on poachers.

Azzedine Downes, chief executive of the International Fund for Animal Welfare, said he was “absolutely shocked” by the killing, The Times of London reported.

"He was a larger than life character, seriously committed to ending the slaughter of Africa’s wildlife but with a sense of humor second to none,” Downes said.

Tanzania lost two thirds of its elephant population between 2009 and 2014 because of rampant poaching and wildlife trafficking, which was able to thrive because of government corruption and in some cases complicity, the paper reported.

Lotter rarely took credit for PAMS’ success in helping reduce poaching in Tanzania, The Guardian reported.

“Wayne devoted his life to Africa’s wildlife. From working as a ranger in his native South Africa as a young man to leading the charge against poaching in Tanzania, Wayne cared deeply about the people and animals that populate this world,” PAMS said in a statement. The foundation vowed to continue his work.

Lotter helped fund Tanzania’s National and Transnational Serious Crimes Investigation Unit, which successfully pursued a number of high-profile ivory traffickers, The Washington Post reported.

In 2015, the unit arrested Yang Feng Glan, the so-called “Queen of Ivory” who was charged with smuggling more than 700 elephant tusks out of Africa.

“It is hard to describe the exact feeling, but my stomach still knots every time I see an elephant carcass. I have seen hundreds over the last three years,” Lotter wrote in 2014 for ITV News, according to the paper.

Tanzania authorities are investigating the killing.


Is Anti-Aging Vodka on the Horizon?

For years now, men and women have been told that regularly imbibing alcohol or drinking it to excess – even infrequently – can dehydrate the skin and cause premature aging. However, according to one beverage company in Berlin, drinking booze could help you look younger.

ANTIEVERYTHING

ANTIEVERYTHING is the Berlin-based company that has poured time, effort, and money into creating a vodka that contains ingredients thought to slow the aging process. The company is comprised of a group of people who appreciate the world’s finest establishments, delicious alcoholic cocktails, and the never-ending quest for the fountain of youth. Their product may very well be the next big thing in skincare, anti-aging, and health. ANTIEVERYTHING’s founder, Anja Skodda Jones, is a self-proclaimed “beauty-conscious biotechnologist” who has a background in events management and science.

What’s In It?

While it’s still relatively new and the jury is still out as to whether or not the product actually works, it contains a variety of ingredients that many scientists and dermatologists agree are very good for the skin, indeed. It is designed to be mixed and served with champagne, and it includes two very interesting ingredients.

Sea buckthorn – Sea buckthorn contains the highest plant-based concentration of vitamin E, lutein, and fatty acids on the planet. Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that has been proven to help prevent skin damage caused by the sun, and lutein is crucial for eye and brain health. Finally, fatty acids fight inflammation and help protect the structure of the cell membrane, which helps maintain skin’s elasticity.

Caviar collagen – Studies have shown that collagen makes up anywhere from 20% to 30% of all of the proteins in the body, and it plays an important role in giving skin it’s plumpness and elasticity. Skodda Jones says she chose caviar collagen because fish collagens are best in terms of functionality and bioavailability, which means the body can better absorb and use it.

What to Expect

Although indulging in a bottle of ANTIEVERYTHING is not likely to turn back the clock (and may even cause quite the hangover), Skodda Jones claims that her intention was to create a vodka that could alleviate the guilt associated with a night out on the town. ANTIEVERYTHING contains 16% alcohol by volume (32 proof) and is expected to be marketed in five-star hotels across Berlin, London, Cannes, and Monte Carlo. Although the brand has yet to launch officially, it will do so on June 29, 2016.

A New Fad?

This is the first alcoholic beverage designed with anti-aging in mind, and whether it becomes a fad depends on how it is received after launch. It is expected to be available in the US sometime this summer. Although even the creator notes that it will not reverse aging, its ingredients are designed to help prevent and protect against future damage. Nonetheless, scientists still believe that the dehydration caused by alcohol may offset any health benefits ANTIEVERYTHING has to offer.

Although it may sound far-fetched, ANTIEVERYTHING, the world’s first anti-aging vodka, is already being met with anticipation and excitement. Whether it will fly off store shelves still remains to be seen, but many people feel that a vodka with health benefits is undoubtedly a step in the right direction.

About author:

The office of Dr. Jeffrey Spiegel, Advanced Facial Aesthetics located in Boston, MA offers a variety of cosmetic surgery procedures and treatments including Botox, FFS, Rhinoplasty and many others. Call 617-566-3223 or email us at info@drspiegel.com
Google+

Leave a Reply

Dr. Spiegel voted top doctor in America!

Get A Personalized Consultation

To speak with Dr. Spiegel please fill out the information below and someone will respond to you very shortly or email us at info@drspiegel.com.
Please don't forget to check your spam filter for any correspondence from us if you do not see an email from us within one business day. If you do not see anything please call our office at 617-566-3223. We look forward to helping you achieve your goals!

Patient Testimonials

“I am very pleased with where I am in my life. Transition has brought me the fulfillment of being a woman and the confidence I could never hold onto as a man. I am so pleased with all of your work and especially appreciate your doing the neck lift last March. I will stay in touch and wish you the greatest fulfillment from your career”


HOTEL MONT BLANC - MEGEVE

Location: Hotel Mont Blanc - Megeve is a business-friendly hotel located in Megeve's Domaine du Mont Blanc neighborhood, close to Megeve Ski Resort. Regional points of interest also include Mont Blanc. Hotel Features:Hotel Mont Blanc - Megeve's restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. A bar/lounge is open for drinks. Room service is available. The hotel serves Buffet breakfasts (surcharges apply). Recreational amenities include an indoor pool, a health club, a spa tub, and a sauna. The property's full-service health spa has body treatments, massage/treatment rooms, facials, and beauty services. This 4-star property has a business center and offers small meeting rooms, a meeting/conference room, and limo/town car service. Complimentary wireless Internet access is available in public areas. Business services and tour/ticket assistance are available. Guest parking is limited, and available on a limited first-come, first-served basis (surcharge). Additional property amenities include a casino, a rooftop terrace, and valet parking. Guestrooms: 40 air-conditioned guestrooms at Hotel Mont Blanc - Megeve feature minibars and complimentary bottled water. Beds come with pillowtop mattresses and premium bedding. Bathrooms feature jetted bathtubs, designer toiletries, and hair dryers. Wired high-speed Internet access is complimentary. In addition to desks and fax machines, guestrooms offer direct-dial phones with voice mail. Satellite television is provided. Rooms also include safes and complimentary newspapers. A turndown service is available nightly, housekeeping is offered daily, and guests may request in-room massages. Guestrooms are all non-smoking.

General services

Ticket counter

Laundry facilities

Currency exchange

Reception

Concierge

Luggage storage

Babysitting

Limousine service

Multilingual staff

General amenities

Private parking

Air conditioning

Safety deposit box

Elevator

Wellness facilities

Spa

Massage

Indoor jacuzzi

Beauty salon

Sauna

Indoor pool

Dining

Bar

Restaurant

Breakfast

Business facilities

Conference facilities

Business centre

Leisure amenities

Bike rental

Horse riding club

Roof terrace

Tennis court

Skiing

Garden

Average rating of the Hotel

80%

of TripAdvisor Travelers recommend this hotel

This average is based on 124 reviews

Cleanliness

Sleep quality

Value

Service

Location

Rooms

Arielabr
,

March 16

"great location and service"

Just came back from another week in this hotel.We really enjoyed the staying , the room was large clean and very comfortable (a couple with 3 kids). Breakfast was very good with fresh products (3 years ago the veraity was larger but its still very good).

Karen W
,

London, United Kingdom

March 16

"Charming!"

This was our ninth visit to the Hotel Mont Blanc and that cosy Savoyard charm just gets better and better! The hotel oozes luxury and comfort, and even smells so good! There is just no better address in Megeve for access to both the village and the slopes. We have already reserved our tenth visit!

jopwales
,

North Wales

March 16

"Luxurious ski stay"

The Mont Blanc is a lovely hotel with a charming atmosphere and helpful staff. The spa area is a little disappointing but otherwise I would recommend a stay here. Our room was quite dark but very cozy, the bathroom was snug but functional and the products luxurious. The streets in Megeve are quite noisy with revellers until late and then snow ploughs and deliveries in the early morning so I would imagine an inward facing room might be a better option than street facing. One tip would be to avoid champagne in the bar - at 22 euros for a small glass this is the most expensive champagne I have had in Europe!

Oleg_Myshkin
,

London, United Kingdom

February 16

"Simply perfect"

I have been coming to this hotel over many years and still believe, that it is a perfect choice whether it is a family vacation or a romantic getaway. Location is perfect, just few steps from the ski lift, all the shops and restaurants. The breakfast is great - home made jams and regional delicacies, great breads and pancakes, all you need and more. There is a ski room in the basement and the ski rental is just next door. You do not need a car, since there is a convenient transfer from the airport in Geneva. There are great choices for ski slope restaurants and the staff is very helpful with bookings and recommendations. A place you want to come back to.

111kim111
,

London, United Kingdom

January 16

"Charming luxurious mountain hotel"

Visited and stayed over 7 times, lively situation central town, great views from some of the rooms, and more importantly lovely team looking after you. Literally two minutes from the ski lift, luxury and leisure it's a fab hotel to stay in.


Hanging up my hat – Vicky Larkin

I’ve done it! It’s time to hang up my #Swim22 hat as I swam the last 80 lengths to complete the challenge on 22 May.

There was a point when I really thought I wouldn’t finish in time. I’d just got back from holiday in Sri Lanka and was very behind schedule. The sea had been too wavy for me to swim in and we didn’t stay anywhere with a swimming pool except for the last two nights. I was very proud of myself for getting up early and bashing out some lengths in the hotel pool while everyone else was enjoying a leisurely breakfast. Back in England (and back to reality), I realised I still had eight miles to swim in just 14 days. But I was determined to do it – it just meant I had to up my game and use every spare minute I had to go swimming…

Less than two weeks back from holiday and I was off again for a weekend in Telford volunteering at a Diabetes UK Type 1 Family event. It was an eye-opening experience for me, especially as I am not personally affected by diabetes. To spend time with children who manage their Type 1 diabetes so well and so bravely was really humbling. The youngest child there was just three years old and on a pump. No one complained or let it stop them from running around, joining in the games or enjoying a day out at the zoo. It was also lovely to see the parents and carers get just as much out of the weekend as the kids, and everyone left smiling. It really reminded me of why I was doing Swim22 and made my 7am swims that weekend in the hotel pool worthwhile.

One thing I really wanted to do before the end of this challenge was visit the London 2012 Olympic pool. I was slightly nervous when the lady at the front desk asked if I was going to be ok with the 50 metre length. ‘Yes’ I replied very hesitantly, wondering if this was a good idea after all or if one of the lifeguards was going to have to rescue me from the middle of the pool! My nerves got worse as I entered the pool, realised just how long 50 metres was and saw all the professional-looking swimmers powering through the water in the fast lanes. Once I was in the water and took a few deep breaths, I was fine. I managed to swim 36 lengths non-stop, in the medium lane. Not the slow lane. The medium lane. I was so happy! A fantastic experience in such an iconic pool.

Swim22 has been a real challenge for me but I can’t believe how much I’ve improved in technique, speed, stamina and confidence. It’s really given me the push I needed to tackle my fears of the water and I can honestly say I enjoy swimming now. I’m thrilled to have smashed my fundraising target for Diabetes UK and I’ve currently raised over £700. There’s still time to sponsor me on my JustGiving page.

I may have hung up my #Swim22 hat but I’ll definitely be back in that pool soon with my goggles and my nose clip…swimming in the medium lane.

22 May stats (my final swim)

Lengths: 80
Time: 50 mins
Stroke: Breast stroke
Head under water: Yes
Place on Swim 22 leaderboard: 320
Badges earned: Wave Master and Champion of the Channel
Total miles completed: 22.09 out of 22

I’m Vicky and I’ve worked at Diabetes UK since 2014. I started off in Supporter Care and then moved teams to work in social media. I’ve volunteered at Know your Risk of Type 2 diabetes roadshows and Type 1 events. I also took on Swim22 in 2017.


Gentle Seduction is one of London’s most reliable high-class Japanese escort agencies catering to the needs of discerning gentlemen who can be sure that all our delightful London Japanese escorts have been carefully screened and chosen to represent the very best escorts to be found in this exciting city. Whether you are looking for a geisha for a dinner date or a night on the town, or an intimate date for an hour or more, you can be assured that you will find the right Japanese courtesan to suit you.

All our beautiful London Japanese escort girls are carefully chosen for their exceptional looks as well as for their charming personality; and, of course, their ability to give you the time of your life. You can read each courtesan’s bio in the gallery section, which, along with her photos, will help you to decide which escort to choose. Some are elite models that will be your pride and joy to take out on a date, while others will tempt you with their irresistible sensuality.

Our high-class London Japanese escorts provide our clients with the option of visiting them at their exclusive apartments which are located in the some of the very best areas of London including Baker Street, Fitzrovia, Oxford Street and Westminster. They are all suitably smart and well dressed, so that if you wish for them to visit you at your central London or Heathrow Airport hotel, you can be assured of their discretion and ability to blend in comfortably in any surroundings.

Gentle Seduction is dedicated to providing only the very best Japanese escort service to our clients, and our receptionists are all trained to help you make the right decision so that the girl you choose will make your date a night to remember.

This site is of an adult nature. Do not enter if you are under 18 years old. Any offer implied or inferred within this site is not to be taken as an inducement for payment for anything offer than time and companionship. If anything else may occur it is a matter of choice between two consenting adults.


Police release footage of Times Square bombing NEW YORK (AP)  Police have released footage from a private security camera showing a cyclist riding up to the Times Square military recruiting station where a small bomb was detonated. The bicyclist is seen getting off the 10-speed bike at 3:40 a.m. Thursday, and the blast occurring three minutes later. It is followed by a brief flash and a cloud of white smoke. Police say they later found the bike in the trash. MAIL CLUE: Letters suspect in Times Square blast No one was hurt in the blast. But Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said the device, though "unsophisticated," could have caused "injury and even death." A witness said they saw the person on the bike acting suspiciously around the time bomb went off. In October, two small explosive devices were tossed over a fence at the Mexican Consulate on Manhattan's East Side in 2007, shattering some windows; police said they believed someone on a bicycle threw the devices. At the time, police said they were investigating whether it was connected to a similar incident at the British consulate on May 5, 2005. No one was arrested in either incident. The bicyclist on Thursday was described as carrying a backpack and wearing a dark garment with a hood. Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the witness did not see anyone placing or throwing the explosive device. "In 2005, 2007, dummy hand grenades were used and the explosive, black powder, was put into those grenades and that caused the explosion," Kelly said. "Here, it may be similar powder — we still have to determine that. But it was placed in an ammunition box. That was the carrier for the explosive. There was no grenade." Kelly held up a similar green metal box at a press conference and said they were readily available in Army-Navy surplus stores. The 3:45 a.m. Times Square blast caused minor damage to the landmark military recruiting station, prompting a huge police response that disrupted transit at the "crossroads of the world." It left a gaping hole in the front window and shattered a glass door, twisting and blackening the metal frame of the building, which is on a traffic island. Police were examining numerous security videotapes from the area. VIDEO: Blast is 'terrorism to me', New Yorker says "I was getting ready to set up the cart when I heard a loud explosion," said Bashir Saleh, who runs a breakfast cart at 43rd Street and Seventh Avenue, across from the recruiting station. "I ran out, and saw smoke coming out." "I didn't see it that second," said David Hassan, another breakfast cart owner operating across the street from Saleh. "I saw smoke and there was a loud boom. I was scared. I'm still shaky." Both men said that an officer from the police substation, a block south of the recruiting station, immediately came running out. Police reinforcement arrived soon after, they said. The military's 1,600 recruiting stations nationwide were alerted to the New York incident and advised to use extra caution, said Douglas Smith, spokesman for the Army recruiting command. Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said no official higher state of alert had been issued. "We do get occasional vandals at our recruiting stations," Whitman said, adding that he didn't have figures on how many. "It's unfortunate but it happens from time to time." He said New York recruiters would be working temporarily out of their Union Square office. Bloomberg said the act "insults every one of our brave men and women in uniform stationed around the world." "Whoever the coward was that committed this disgraceful act on our city will be found and prosecuted to the full extent of the law," said Bloomberg. "We will not tolerate such attacks." The recruiting center has drawn sporadic protests for many years, including in October 2005, when a group who call themselves the Granny Peace Brigade rallied there against the Iraq war. Eighteen activists, most of them grandmothers in their 80s and 90s, were later acquitted of disorderly conduct. The brigade issued a statement Thursday deploring the bombing. Police cars and yellow tape initially blocked drivers from entering one of the world's busiest crossroads, though some traffic was allowed through around the start of rush hour. Guests at the Marriott Marquis on 46th Street said they heard a "big bang" and felt the building shake. Terry Leighton, 49, from London, England, said he was on the 21st floor of the hotel when he heard the blast and looked out a window. "I thought it could have been thunder," he said. "I looked down and there was a massive plume of smoke. So I knew it was an explosion." At one point in the investigation subway trains passed through the Times Square subway station without stopping, but normal service resumed later in the morning. Police cars and tape blocked the streets. The recruiting center was renovated in 1999 to better fit into the flashy ambiance of Times Square, using neon tubing to give the glass and steel office a patriotic American flag motif. For a half century, the station was the armed forces' busiest recruiting center. It has set national records for enlistment, averaging about 10,000 volunteers a year. Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Enlarge By David Karp, AP Officers and members of a bomb squad unit inspect the damage. The explosion left a gaping hole in the front window and shattered a glass door, twisting and blackening the metal frame of the building. New York police officers investigate an early-morning explosion outside the U.S. Armed Forces Career Center, which sits on a traffic island in Times Square, Thursday. The explosion caused minor damage to the building and temporarily shut down the area.

By David Karp, AP Conversation guidelines: USA TODAY welcomes your thoughts, stories and information related to this article. Please stay on topic and be respectful of others. Keep the conversation appropriate for interested readers across the map.


We are going to have some hot apple cider and other goodies all day in celebration of our first ever big sale! Come buy a gift for your friend, your neighbor or yourself.. Discounts from 10%-50%. Aww yeah.. In case you don’t know… We have a hand-picked selection of independent designers for women like Samantha [...]

Womb. All images by Udar Kak In one of his more amusing and relatable moments, Voltaire said, “A witty saying proves nothing”—that, along with, “Anything that is too stupid to be spoken is sung.” While both of these quotes call out language’s sly ability to seduce and influence, the photographs pictured here demonstrate the entirely [...]

Looks from Sykes S/S10 The wind whipped as I ducked into the warm lobby at the Soho Grand Hotel. It was hard to imagine on this miserable day that only a few floors up, a number of London’s up-and-coming designers were showing off their spring collections. Rubbing my gloved hands together, I was escorted to [...]

Looks from S/S10. Top center: Designer Mandy Coon by Hanuk. Mandy Coon may be best known for her turntable talent, but she has always been a fashion designer at heart, a fact that her debut S/S10 collection makes eminently clear. Experimenting with asymmetry, sharp lines and transformative versatility, Coon’s succinct looks are a reflection of [...]


Louisa Donovan LSWPP

Societies Convention and Trade Show at The Hilton London Metropole Hotel ... You have 321 days to book for the SWPP Convention starting on Wednesday 20th January 2016

Search SWPP and BPPA

Photo Quote: In a photograph, if I am able to evoke not alone a feeling of the reality of the surface physical world but also a feeling of the reality of existence that lies mysteriously and invisibly beneath its surface, I feel I have succeeded. At their best, photographs as symbols not only serve to help illuminate some of the darkness of the unknown, they also serve to lessen the fears that too often accompany the journeys from the known to the unknown. - Wynn Bullock