Statement by the Vice President and Dr. Jill Biden on the Passing of Former Senator Jim Jeffords of Vermont

Jim Jeffords was a personal friend, a great senator, and a good man. He was not only beloved by the people of Vermont, but by anyone who ever worked with him. For the nearly four decades I served in the United States Senate, nearly half were spent with Jim as a colleague. Jim knew that with a country as diverse as ours, there is a need for consensus to move the country forward. He was a man who dealt with his colleagues without pretext and with complete honesty. And he always knew what he was talking about—and his colleagues and constituents always knew where he stood on an issue. Jim was a reflection of Vermont—independent and non-ideological and always about solving problems. Jill and I are saddened by his passing and join his family, friends, and his former staff in remembering all that he stood for: basic fairness and principled independence.

via White House.gov Press Office Feed http://ift.tt/1uP4YRe

LOS ANGELES CHAMBER ORCHESTRA PRESENTS FIVE “LACO À LA CARTE” FUNDRAISING EVENINGS, PAIRING INTERNATIONAL CUISINE WITH INTIMATE SALON PERFORMANCES AT PRIVATE HOMES OF CONSULS GENERAL OF FINLAND, AUSTRALIA, FRANCE, GERMANY AND AUSTRIA

Exclusive Evenings from September to November
in Bel Air, Beverly Hills, Hancock Park and Brentwood
Feature Musical Artistry of LACO Musicians and Guest Artists

"Finland à la carte" - September 18, Bel Air;
"Australia à la carte" - September 27, Brentwood;
"France à la carte" - October 9, Beverly Hills;
"Germany à la carte" - October 25, Hancock Park;
"Austria à la carte" - November 7, Brentwood

"LACO à la carte," five intimate, elegant fundraising events presented by the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, pair exclusive musical performances with delectable international cuisine in the spectacular private homes of the Consuls General of Australia, Austria, Finland, France and Germany. Providing a decidedly cosmopolitan flair to LACO's wide ranging musical offerings, each unique evening features representative cuisine complemented by a salon performance spotlighting LACO musicians and guest artists. The LACO à la carte series, now in its sixth year, illustrates that music truly knows no boundaries. Proceeds help support the education outreach programs of LACO, proclaimed "America's finest chamber orchestra" by Public Radio International.

"LACO à la carte" is chaired by LACO board vice president Mahnaz Newman. Sponsors include Ann Mulally, Mahnaz and David Newman, Ned and Dana Newman, Gene Shutler, and East West Bank.

"Finland à la carte"
Thursday, September 18, 2014, 7 pm
In Bel Air at the Official Residence of the Consul General of Finland

Experience the refined cuisine and culture of one of the world's northernmost countries at the first "LACO à la carte" of the season hosted by The Honorable Juha Markkanen, Consul General of Finland, and Mrs. Tuula Markkanen in their spectacular Bel Air residence. As the featured guest artist, Finnish pianist Juho Pohjonen offers an intimate recital of sublime solo piano works. Proclaimed an "exciting new talent" (The New York Times), he has been hailed for his "dazzling keyboard technique and broad and varied textural palette that allows him to shade his performances with great subtlety" (San Francisco Chronicle). Pohjonen is also featured at LACO's season opening concertson September 20 at Glendale's Alex Theatre and September 21 at UCLA's Royce Hall.

"Australia à la carte"
Saturday, September 27, 2014, 7 pm
At the Brentwood Residence of the Consul General of Australia

Warm and generous hospitality from "down under" highlights LACO's "Australia à la carte," hosted by Australia's Consul General, The Honorable Karen Lanyon, and Mr. Craig Mills, at their striking Brentwood residence.  Authentic Australian fare and wines provide tasty accompaniment to a riveting musical program led by LACO Principal Percussion Wade Culbreath on the marimba. Culbreath, who is also principal percussion with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, has played on nearly 400 motion picture soundtracks, including the Academy Award-winning scores for Aladdin, Pocahontas and Life of Pi. More recently, he was principal percussion for Frozen, Godzilla and Transformers, and timpanist for A Million Ways to Die in the West.

"France à la carte"
Thursday, October 9, 2014, 7 pm
In Beverly Hills at the Official Residence of the Consul General of France

The Honorable Axel Cruau, Consul General of France, and Mrs. Dourène Cruau, host the season's third "LACO à la carte" at their beautiful Beverly Hills residence. Illuminating the dazzling cultural and musical vibrancy of France, the evening features a program of Baroque works for string ensemble led by LACO Principal Violin II Josefina Vergara, who recently toured Europe and Asia with the Uri Caine Ensemble, a noted jazz group, and has also performed at numerous summer music festivals, including Mainly Mozart, Tanglewood, the Music Academy of the West Summer Festival and Germany's Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival.  Superb French food and fine wine cap the soirée.

"Germany à la carte"
Saturday, October 25, 2014, 7 pm
In Hancock Park at the Official Residence of the Consul General of Germany

"LACO à la carte" commemorates the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the momentous events that ushered in a new era for Europe and the world with a special program hosted by Dr. Bernd Fischer, The Honorable Consul General of Germany, and Mrs. Jutta Fischer, in their elegant Hancock Park home. With the culinary riches of Germany adding a delicious note to the festivities, LACO Principal Cello Andrew Shulman leads a performance of Richard Strauss's rarely played epic masterpiece Metamorphosen, a profound musical elegy for seven virtuosic string players. Los Angeles Times declares Shulman's playing is "always eloquent and passionate," Salt Lake Tribune calls him "fabulously nuanced" and The Times of London praises him for his "fastidious poetry of phrase and technique."  This is a premium "LACO à la carte" event.

Austria à la carte
Friday, November 7, 2014, 7 pm
in Brentwood at the Official Residence of the Consul General of Austria

"Austria à la carte," hosted by Ulrike Ritzinger, The Honorable Consul General of Austria, at her stately residence in Brentwood, concludes the 2014 "LACO à la carte" series with an evening that illuminates the country's unique and vibrant cultural and culinary traditions. LACO Principal Horn Richard Todd, who marks his 35th anniversary with the Orchestra this season and is an internationally renowned concert, jazz and recording artist, pays homage to Austria's rich musical heritage, leading an unparalleled program that exemplifies the Viennese classical style and beyond with the music of Mozart, Haydn, Hans Eisler and Ernst Toch.  Todd has earned acclaim as one of the world's finest horn soloists for performances spanning Carnegie Hall to the Hollywood Bowl, and the Jazz Bakery to Birdland. This is also a premium "LACO à la carte" event.

"LACO à la carte" tickets for September 18and 27 and October 9 are $275 per person. Tickets for the premium "Germany à la carte" and "Austria à la carte" are $300 per person. Multiple-event packages include Chef's Table Trio tickets at $750 per person for any three events.

"LACO à la carte" events may be purchased by calling 213 622 7001 x 3. Details are available at www.laco.org/events.

LOS ANGELES CHAMBER ORCHESTRA (LACO), proclaimed "America's finest chamber orchestra" by Public Radio International and "resplendent" by the Los Angeles Times, has established itself among the world's top musical ensembles. Since 1997, LACO has performed under the baton of acclaimed conductor and pianist Jeffrey Kahane, hailed by critics as "visionary" and "a conductor of uncommon intellect, insight and musical integrity" with "undeniable charisma," "effortless musicality and extraordinary communicative gifts."  Under Kahane's leadership, the Orchestra maintains its status as a preeminent interpreter of historical masterworks and a champion of contemporary composers. During its 46-year history, the Orchestra has made 31 recordings, toured Europe, South America and Japan, performed across North America and garnered eight ASCAP Awards for Adventurous Programming. Headquartered in downtown Los Angeles, LACO presents its Orchestral Series on Saturdays at Glendale's Alex Theatre and on Sundays at UCLA's Royce Hall; Baroque Conversations at downtown Los Angeles' Zipper Concert Hall; Westside Connections chamber music series, designed to illustrate the relationship between music and other artistic disciplines, at the Moss Theater in Santa Monica; and an annual Discover concert, which features an in-depth examination that sheds new light on a single piece of music, at Pasadena's Ambassador Auditorium. LACO also presents a Concert Gala, an annual Silent Film screening and several fundraising salons each year. Additionally, LACO outreach programs, Meet the Music, Community Partners, Campus to Concert Hall and the LACO/USC Thornton Strings Mentorship Program, reach thousands of young people annually, nurturing future musicians and composers as well as inspiring a love of classical music.

5 Essential Building Blocks for a Thriving Work Culture

It's All Premised on Having the Right Players, Says 'Coolest Young Entrepreneur'

What makes a successful business thrive? That's what eight out of 10 new entrepreneurs would like to know, because their businesses fail within the first 18 months, according to Bloomberg.

Adam Witty has managed to turn plenty of heads in the business community as founder and CEO of Advantage Media Group, (http://advantagefamily.com/), an international publisher of business, self-improvement, and professional development books and online learning.

Witty, who was selected for INC Magazine's 30 Under 30 list of "America's coolest young entrepreneurs" in 2011, says creating the right environment is crucial for success. The magazine also featured his company in their top 500|5000 list of the Fastest Growing Private Companies in America for 2012 and 2013, when the company ranked No. 42 in Media and No. 36 for Top 100 South Carolina Companies.

"You don't have to be a business guru to recognize when a business is firing on all cylinders, that everyone is putting their skills to maximum use, working together, and actually having a good time. How to create that chemistry – that's the question," says Witty, the author of five books and an in-demand speaker and consultant on marketing, business development, media and publishing, and entrepreneurship topics.

"Of course, you need folks with the right qualifications who are willing to bring their A-game every day – that's crucial. But there are also character traits to look for: a positive, can-do attitude, for instance. If a person doesn't fit in the mix, not only will he or she be less likely to bring their best, they can also compromise everyone else's game."

Witty talks about what it takes to get that hum every CEO wants, both in the office and in one's respective industry.

•  Staff your team with A-players; they're worth the wait. An A-player is someone who brings all of the necessary qualifications to the table – perhaps more than you were expecting – and that something extra as a human being. Of course, that isn't always readily apparent during a 45-minute interview; it can take time to see the true colors of a talented individual to come through. This speaks to the importance of having an intuitive hiring manager, "which may be a small business's CEO," Witty adds. Also, it's important to have A-players who put the team first, who have helped Advantage Media Group earn a spot on the Best Places to Work in South Carolina list for 2013 and 2014. Egomaniacs who cannot collaborate can to grind productivity to a screeching halt.

•  The importance of having fun … "Having fun not only helps your team do well, it's a sign that you're doing things right," Witty says. "Where fun and work meet is the understanding from employees that they're making a difference. You want a team of individuals who are motivated by the 'why' of what they do." Fun at work means having energy and enthusiasm while tending to the tasks at hand.

•  Make employees, and clients, your extended family.A family environment significantly facilitates a team mentality, especially for those quiet geniuses who like to keep to themselves because they're shy. But why stop there? Extend the love to clients, suppliers and other crucial components of the business. Without these folks, your business couldn't survive.

•  Direction: understanding the "why;" encourage difference makers. "Our team members are driven by the 'why' of what we do," Witty says. "The right content in the right person's hands at the right time can change the world forever. We believe in sharing stories, passion and knowledge to guide and help others learn and grow."

•  Commit to lifelong learning. Seek to uncover and promote the leader in every one on your team by encouraging all members to follow a path of personal and professional development. With increased knowledge, experiences and skills, people lead to a more fulfilled life, which can profit everyone within a working environment.

About Adam Witty

Adam Witty is the founder and CEO of Advantage Media Group, (http://advantagefamily.com/), an international publisher of business, self-improvement and professional development books and online learning. He has worked with hundreds of entrepreneurs, business leaders and professionals to help them write, publish, market and monetize books to grow their business. Witty has been featured on ABC and Fox, and was selected for INC Magazine's 30 Under 30 list of "America's coolest young entrepreneurs" in 2011

NASA Awards Modification to Engineering and Science Services Contract

NASA has signed a contract modification with Jacobs Technology Inc. of Tullahoma, Tennessee, for a one-year option with a potential value of $120 million to extend the Engineering and Science Services and Skills Augmentation contract at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

by via NASA Breaking News

NASA's RXTE Satellite Decodes the Rhythm of an Unusual Black Hole

Astronomers have uncovered rhythmic pulsations from a rare type of black hole 12 million light-years away by sifting through archival data from NASA's Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) satellite.

by via NASA Breaking News

Hagel Congratulates Cape Ray For Syria Mission

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has congratulated the crew of the U.S. ship MV Cape Ray for completing the work of neutralizing Syrian chemical weapons components.

Stylist to the Stars Wins the Gold

*** Brenton Lee Wins Big at The 2014 Wella Vision Awards ***

 

(Pasadena, CA)  Brenton Lee, Nationally know "Stylist to the Stars," has been recognized for all his hard work by winning the prestigious USA Gold Award at the 2014 Wella North American Trend Vision Awards.

 

Top hair professionals from across the USA and Canada gather every year to show off their Creativity, innovation and talent at the North American Trend Vision Competition and Awards Show.  Wella Professionals annual International Trend Vision competition offers young stylists and talented colorists across the globe a chance to showcase their passion and talent to the world.

 

One of the largest and truly international competitions of its kind, Trend Vision celebrates the skills of pioneering stylists with an inherent sense of originality. Stylists demonstrate their skills and creativity through their interpretation of one of the Wella 2014 Trends.

 

Brenton Lee's forte is to sculpt his client's hair to fit their face shape, personality and lifestyle. Still young and driven, his talents inspire him to be innovative and imaginative when creating trendsetting hairstyles. He has proven his success and taken his style to undeniable parallels that continue to set the trend for style visions all around the globe. He now will take his talents to compete internationally for Trend Vision award in Monaco coming up in November 2014.

 

About Brenton Lee

 

Brenton Lee started cutting hair as a young teen, and enrolled in beauty school at just 16 years of age. His cutting-edge hairstyles have won him over 20 hairstyling awards, and attracted celebrity clients such as Nia Long, Lindsay Lohan, Melody Scott Thomas, MC Lyte and Susan Anton. Brenton has also been published in national hair magazines such as Modern Salon, American Salon, Canadian Hairdresser and Behind The Chair. Brenton is the owner of the Brenton Lee Salon in South Pasadena, CA, and also serves as a Design Team Artist & educator for Wella. One of his main focuses for the hair industry is to give back by teaching young professionals and offering his talents to support charities.

International exclusion essential for Russian reform

By Jim Arkedis

On September 1, 1983, Korean Airlines flight 007 left New York and strayed some 300 miles off course en route to Seoul, finding itself over Soviet airspace. A Soviet fighter jet shot the 747 out of the sky, killing all 269 aboard.

Victor Sebestyan's excellent "Revolution: 1989" recounts the Kremlin's top brass gathering to stake out a response. The strategy was simple: deny! "Don't worry," Defense Minister Dmitri Ustinov told Secretary General Yuri Andropov, "Nobody will be able to prove a thing. The Americans can never find out." The Soviet military, Sebestyan writes, didn't like to admit mistakes.

Current Russian president Vladimir Putin was a young KGB officer at the time, and could have hardly have been privy to the meeting. Yet the mentality and culture that produced the hardline denial strategy endures.

Unlike 1983, Putin can't black out news of the downing of Malaysian Airlines flight 17. But he has stood aside as Russia media spouts all types of conspiracy theories: the CIA, Ukrainian air traffic controllers, or—my favorite—maybe even zombies may be responsible, depending on which Russian broadcast you've seen.

Harsh, broad American-European sanctions are a welcome, if tardy, response to Russia's involvement in the slaughter of nearly 300 innocents. The punishment alone will likely make Putin think twice before his next foreign policy adventure.  

But sanctions won't likely alter Russia's near term behavior. Putin is far too invested and too popular at home—sporting an 83 percent approval rating—to do anything but throw good money after bad. There is no exit strategy.

The root problem underlying Putin's opaque, destructive behavior is obvious: Russia is not a democracy. If Russia had a free media and fair elections, Putin could not act in such an aggressive manner while remaining extraordinarily popular for long. Just ask George W. Bush. There's no domestic price tag for what he's done in Ukraine.

What, if anything, can the West do to help foster pluralism, transparency, and openness in Russia?

Let's be realistic. No matter what policies the U.S. and E.U. adopt, Russia will not transform itself into a Jeffersonian democracy overnight. The West can, however, foster change at the margins. Since Putin has rewritten the constitution so he almost certainly remains in power until 2024, then slow, methodical progress may yield real progress over the coming decade. Two avenues are most attractive:

The first is to shame Russia in the court of public opinion. President Obama and European leaders have powerful pulpits from which they can call out Russia's human rights record, sham elections, and censored media. American Internet companies like Google, Facebook, and Twitter are required to move their servers onto Russian soil by September 2016 if they want to do business there.

Good work is being done by Western NGOs—like the National Democratic Institute and International Republican Institute—to develop political parties of all stripes in Russia. When they inevitably come under attack the president and other leaders must be prepared to take up their cause.

Obama has backed off previous commitments to promote openness and freedom in Russia, and this is a mistake. Public presidential support works. It makes dictators self-conscious, and consistently applied, can shed light on a closed system.

The second option is to fight the narrative that Putin is restoring Russia to its rightful place among great nations. The West can effectively send messages directly to the Russian public that state-influenced media can't spin.  Its leaders' actions have turned the country into an international pariah. The goal is to symbolically hit Russian pride.  

The next G20 meeting is set for Australia in November, and Putin is still on the guest list. Disinvite him. Deny visas to Russian athletes competing international sporting events, through the International Ski Federation, International Skating Union, and, if necessary, the 2016 Olympics. Quietly tell FIFA, soccer's ruling body, to move the Russian-hosted 2018 World Cup. Then publicly threaten a multi-country boycott if FIFA, with governance challenges of its own, doesn't respond. And possibly most painfully, ban Russia from the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest. No matter what the Russian press says, more eyebrows will raise.

The West should never back down when working to open Russian society to democratic pluralism. However, economic and these symbolic sanctions can be lifted after Russia ends support for rebels in eastern Ukraine and withdraws from Crimea.

Jim Arkedis is the president of 4D PAC, a multi-candidate political action committee that endorses candidates with strong national security platforms, and a fellow at the Truman National Security Project.

Security of Mosul Dam Critical to Iraq's Infrastructure

U.S. forces are continuing to conduct airstrikes in Iraq, with the majority aimed at helping Iraqi forces retake the Mosul Dam from ISIL terrorists.

Breedlove Discusses Russian Threats in Europe

NATO is examining additional ways it can reassure alliance members who feel threatened by Russia's on-going actions in Ukraine, the top U.S commander in Europe said.