Amy Winehouse and the mysteries of addiction

Diposkan oleh Agus Ariefandy Syuhada on Sunday, July 31, 2011


Breaking News -- Amy Winehouse and the mysteries of addiction -- (CNN) -- Whether or not Amy Winehouse succumbed to the addiction she so vividly sang about, some will draw a cautionary tale from her untimely death.  Is there a lesson in her passing? Did rehab fail her, or did she fail to come back to rehab? For now, few details are known and these questions will have to remain unanswered.

We still don't know whether drugs caused her death. But what is certain, however, is that during her brief life, Amy Winehouse gave expression to a turbulent and troubling relationship with addiction. She gave interviews about previous experiences attending rehab and sang a song about not wanting to return.

With her simultaneously commanding and pleading tone, she emblematized the contradictory nature of addiction: The outward appearance of success, and the internal tumult and despair; the alluring mastery of an art, and the low self-worth beneath it; the pressure to enter treatment, and the internal drive for personal autonomy at any cost.

These contradictions are familiar to anybody who has struggled with addiction or has lived in close proximity to it. Addiction appears to result from a voluntary act. One drink, one pill, one line. And yet no matter the wreckage, no matter the addict's brilliance, intelligence, or insight, there is no stopping the next round.

Adding to the mystifying nature of addiction, often those people who appear most self-assured and independent are the ones who fall hardest.

Is it the quality of rebelliousness, a brilliant feature in its own right, that makes some addicts so hard to reach? Is it the constant drive toward novelty seeking, a trait often associated with success, that eventually leads to self destruction? Or does it have to do with the fleeting refuge that drugs provide from the turbulent offerings of reality?

Over the past two decades, researchers have painstakingly tried to resolve these questions. While addiction is far from being cured, a great deal has been learned.
First and foremost, addiction is a disease. It manifests through interactions between a person's underlying biology, psychological makeup and environment.

Most people who use drugs do not go on to develop addiction, but for the sizeable minority who do, alcohol and drugs profoundly influence the motivational circuitry of their brain. As a result, unconscious factors constantly conspire to make future drug use more likely, no matter the consequences.

Addiction is chronic and relapsing. This notion of "chronicity" is vital for understanding why even after extended periods away from drugs the vulnerability to relapse continues. The long-term risk of relapse among people who often otherwise have striking capacities for self-discipline and discernment is one of the mystifying characteristics of the disease.

Consequently, effective treatment is founded not so much on any particular episode of care (though all episodes of care are important) as continuity of care. Recovery is not about rehab, but rather what happens after rehab. In this respect, addiction is very similar to many other medical illnesses with high relapse rates (including asthma, hypertension and diabetes), where success is measured by health outcomes over time.

Treatment works. A wide range of therapies and medical interventions are effective in helping people recover. Like all complex medical conditions, one size does not fit all, and the details of what works or doesn't work have a lot to do with someone's unique genetics, psychology and the supportiveness of his or her environment.

Addiction is often associated with depression, anxiety, trauma, eating disorders and other mental health problems, and often these issues need to be addressed for treatment to be successful. Additionally, people can be successful in treatment even if initially they were reluctant to enter it. This is why long-term health often requires creating a context that continually encourages recovery work.

Addiction is common, but treatment for addiction is tragically uncommon. In the United States, only 10% of people who need specialty addiction treatment actually receive it. These numbers are astounding given addiction's personal and societal cost, over $600 billion annually, as well as the evidence that treatment actually works.

Obstacles to treatment include the absence of insurance coverage for addiction services, the inadequacy of addiction training among many medical providers and the perpetual ambivalence among so many people who suffer from addiction. As for the multitudes who never get help, they are left to suffer through the consequences of untreated addiction, which claims relationships, careers, health, happiness and sometimes lives.

The association between creativity, drug use and mental health has been a constant throughout the history of music. Amy Winehouse died at age 27, tragically joining a group of brilliant but disenchanted artists who passed away while contending with the complicated burden of their early success. We still don't know the details as they pertain to Winehouse, but whatever refuge drugs offered was probably illusory.

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Live : Arsenal vs New York Red Bulls - Now!

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 Live : Arsenal vs New York Red Bulls - Now!



Or



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Watch Now : Live Stream Inter Milan vs Manchester city

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Breaking News 

Watch Now : Live Stream Inter Milan vs Manchester city


Competition: Ireland Dublin Super Cup.
European Union
Date: 31-07-2011
Time: 15:30 GMT/UTC


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Syria News : Hama army raid 'kills dozens'

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Breaking News -- Syria News : Hama army raid 'kills dozens'BBC -- Amateur footage of what is believed to be the city of Hama as Syrian forces attack. Syrian security forces have stormed the city of Hama and killed more than 80 people in a bid to crush a long-running anti-government protest, reports say. Eyewitnesses said tanks and troops moved into the city earlier and have been firing on civilians. Hospitals say they are overflowing with casualties.


The government said troops had been sent in to remove barricades and roadblocks erected by the protesters.

US officials accused the government of waging "full-on warfare" on its people.
The assault was a last act of utter desperation by the Syrian gvernment, said JJ Harder, a US embassy spokesman in the capital, Damascus.

With this latest military operation, the authorities are sending a clear message that they will not tolerate large-scale unrest ahead of the month of Ramadan, when protests are expected to grow, says the BBC's Lina Sinjab in Damascus.

But our correspondent says the people of Hama remain defiant, with some still out in streets shouting: "We will not be killed again," a reference to a massacre in 1982 when tens of thousands were killed.

There has also been trouble in other parts of Syria on Sunday:

Residents in the southern town of Hirak said four civilians have been killed and dozens more injured or detained

Rights groups said more than 100 people have been arrested in the Damascus suburb of Muadhamiya

At least seven civilians were killed in the eastern provincial capital of Deir al-Zour, where tanks are patrolling the streets, according to activists

A powerful tribal leader, Nawaf al-Bashir, was detained by secret police in Damascus

The government said five soldiers, including a colonel, have been killed across the country.

The recent protests - calling for widespread democratic reforms and political freedoms - show no sign of letting up despite a government crackdown that has brought international condemnation and sanctions.

Activists say more than 1,500 civilians and 350 security personnel have been killed across Syria since protests began in mid-March.

More than 12,600 people have been arrested and 3,000 others are reported missing. 

Continue Reading : Centre of protests
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Outfitting Porsches for Arabian kings

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Breaking News -- Outfitting Porsches for Arabian kings -- CNET --STUTTGART, Germany-- Are you an Arabian king wanting to get a new Porsche in your country's national colors for each of your ministers? No problem. An American rancher wanting your cattle brand, instead of the Porsche logo or the model name, embossed on your seats? Check. A black hood and spoiler on an otherwise all red 911 GT? Porsche can do it.


Indeed, Porsche Exclusive can do just about anything its customers want--so long as it's safe, and legal. Though unusual colors for interior stitching is easy, and odd combinations of interior and exterior colors might present a problem only for people with aversions to, say, all brown Porsches, the company does occasionally have to say no to things like modifications to aerodynamic packages that would unbalance the car, or to steering wheel covers that would make the air bag inoperable.

As part of Road Trip 2011, I got a chance to visit the Porsche Exclusive workshop and showroom in Stuttgart, home to the company's headquarters, as well as its museum and one of its manufacturing plants, and I came away with a much keener eye for how Porsche owners choose to outfit their cars.

There are simple modifications--say, choosing to have only "Turbo" emblazoned on the rear of the car instead of the full model name, or choosing a different color for the interior trim. And then there are the ostrich-leather requests. But for 25 years, the company has been looking for ways to say yes to its customers, and if my visit revealed anything, it's that there is a never-ending supply of customers looking to spend just a little more to have their Porsche stand out from the crowd.

Actually, nearly every Porsche has some sort of customization done, but less than 30 percent of owners choose the most unusual options, the ones that are picked just 3 percent to 5 percent of the time. And while many Porsche buyers never venture beyond their closest dealer, anyone can make the trip to Stuttgart and visit the company's flagship Exclusive showroom, where they can look at more than a dozen example cars, some of which are decked out in colors that no driver should ever choose--but that they could if they wanted to.

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LiveStream USA Tour 2011 Barcelona vs Manchester United

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Breaking NewsLiveStream USA Tour 2011 Barcelona vs Manchester United -- It'll be a rematch of the 2011 Champions League final - this time in the United States' capital, Washington D.C.


OR


PROBABLE LINEUPS

Manchester United (4-4-2): De Gea, Jones, Vidic, Ferdinand, Evra, Young, Carrick, Anderson, Park, Rooney, Berbatov.

Barcelona (4-3-3): Valdes, Abidal, Pique, Puyol, Fontas, Thiago, Busquets, Iniesta, Afellay, Jonathan, Villa.

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PROBABLE LINEUPS - Barcelona vs Manchester United

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Breaking News -- PROBABLE LINEUPS - Barcelona vs Manchester United -- It'll be a rematch of the 2011 Champions League final - this time in the United States' capital, Washington D.C.




Manchester United (4-4-2): De Gea, Jones, Vidic, Ferdinand, Evra, Young, Carrick, Anderson, Park, Rooney, Berbatov.

Barcelona (4-3-3): Valdes, Abidal, Pique, Puyol, Fontas, Thiago, Busquets, Iniesta, Afellay, Jonathan, Villa.
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FCB Watch the iPhone application

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Breaking News -- FCB Watch the iPhone application -- FCBARCELONA -- FC Barcelona are launching FCB Watch, a new iPhone application that lets fans know, via mobile phone, when the next Barça matches are, and the bars where they can watch the broadcast. FCB Watch is a new iPhone application that FC Barcelona is launching that will allow all fans to know, by phone, where they can watch forthcoming Barça matches, and the bars which will broadcast the game. FCB Watch works as a social network for Barça fans through which fans communicate where they are watching the game or where they will watch it. In this way, other fans looking for somewhere to watch the game can find out where it’s on. 

This mobile application is free to download and to do it to the iPhone all you have to do is access iTunes and download it. Please note that the application will shortly be available for Android.

How it works?

Once downloaded, users of the application who want to find a place to watch the game will select the match with FCB Watch through the "Search" option, indicate their destination, and straight away the phone will provide all the places where one can watch the game. Those who wish may confirm, via the button 'Confirm Event', that in a certain bar you can watch the game. Once a bar has confirmed that they’ll be showing the match, one can confirm that they will be there with "I'm attending" or that they are already doing a "Check in".

If a user wants to make a request that a bar might show the game, he can use the "Request" option. In this way we can let the owner of the bar know that customers want to watch the matches. The option "Favourites" will allow the user to identify their favourite bars and the user can receive bar promotions and the games the bar is planning to broadcast.

According to Didac Lee, director in charge of New Technologies, "the application will serve to bring fans to the team wherever they are, anywhere in the world" This initiative, a pioneer in the world of football, responds to Barça’s new digital strategy to serve all members and supporters. At the same time, such actions also represent a new source of income for FC Barcelona in the field of technology and, specifically, the mobile platforms.

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USA Tour 2011: Manchester United v Barcelona Preview

Diposkan oleh Agus Ariefandy Syuhada on Saturday, July 30, 2011



Date
Saturday 30 July 2011. KO: 19:00 local time.

Location
FedExField, Washington DC. Capacity: 91,704.

Barcelona trains with the ball for the first time in the USA. Guardiola and his team used the ball in training for the first time since arriving in the United States. The venue was the emblematic Robert Fitzgerald Kennedy Memorial Stadium.

Barcelona's pre-season tour of the USA, they take on Manchester United in their first friendly match on U.S. soil since 2009. The match is one of the most anticipated pre-season friendlies since it is a rematch of the UEFA Champions League final which Barcelona won 3-1. 

Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez is not expected to play against Barcelona after being given a medical absence of two weeks for a concussion suffered in training.

Barcelona for their part are without the services of Jonathan Soriano who sustained a ligament injury during the Audi cup final. Barcelona travel with the same squad that took part in the Audi cup for the USA tour minus the services of the injured. All of Barcelona's South American players who took part in the Copa America, such as Lionel Messi, Gabriel Milito, Javier Mascherano, Alexis Sanchez, Dani Alves, and Adriano, will also be absent from this event. 

In total Barcelona are set to play three matches in the United States with the following dates : 

Match day 1 will be held on 7/30/11 at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland, against Manchester United. 

Match day 2 will be held on 8/3/11 at Sun Life Stadium in Miami, Florida, against C.D. Guadalajara also know as Chivas of Mexico.

Match day 3 will be held on 8/6/11 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, against Club America of Mexico.

Watch Video Barça trains with the ball for the first time in the USA :



 
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Video Gamer’s Chris Staniforth's death blamed on DVT

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Breaking News -- Video Gamer’s Chris Staniforth's death blamed on DVT -- BBC -- Chris Staniforth, 20, who would play his console for up to 12 hours, died in May from deep vein thrombosis (DVT). A man whose son died after playing video games for long periods is campaigning for greater awareness of the risk posed by their excessive use. His father David believes the condition may have been triggered by long gaming sessions.

DVT can form during long periods of immobility and can kill if the clots travel to the lungs.

Computer records showed his son would sometimes play online on his Xbox for periods up to 12 hours.

The coroner said a clot formed in Chris' left calf before moving to his lungs.

Once there, it caused a fatal blockage, known as a pulmonary embolism.

Mr Staniforth said: "After my research I saw there was no difference to Chris sitting at a desk on his Xbox and someone on a long-haul flight.

"Sitting still is literally the danger zone. Chris loved to play and would stay up all night.

"Millions of people worldwide are playing these games for hours, and there is a risk."

While Mr Staniforth has no problem with games consoles, he wants to highlight the heightened risk of DVT associated with being immobile, and is in the process of setting up a website.

Microsoft, who manufacture the Xbox console, could not be reached for comment.

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Peter Stormare’s obsession with Billy Holiday

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Breaking News --  Peter Stormare’s obsession with Billy Holiday -- Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan, April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz singer and songwriter. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and musical partner Lester Young, Holiday had a seminal influence on jazz and pop singing.

Billie Holiday died in a New York City hospital from cirrhosis of the liver after years of alcohol abuse, aged 43 (while under).

It will be very stretch to see the turn, Peter Stormare as Gaear followers silent Grimsrud in demonically”Fargo, and thinking, “This man moved to tears by music Billie Holiday,” but the man who pushed Steve Buscemi to custom wood chipper in the classic Coen Brothers “that he wants to be an artist after he cut to the bone of the music today and a woman’s life story.

“I grew up in the town of Swedish snowy, and when I heard and read music ‘Lady sings the blues”, I could not understand her, “said he, through the leadership of downtown Los Angeles on his way to shoot video for cooperation between Christina Aguilera and 5, Maroon . “It was a dagger story. I felt blood and pain, and I knew right then I had to leave to America and be an artist.”

The music has become a holiday story and deep-rooted passion for the actor, who steals scenes consistently funny character roles in films such as sadness “Lebowski great” and “Constantine” (in which he played the devil). This month, his record label and boutique, StormVox, is the release of “A Tribute to Billie Holiday,” the most high-level release yet. Last Best New Artist Grammy winner Esperanza Spalding, the producer Babyface and popular veteran standout Rickie Lee Jones are among the artists sharply with the selective criteria Holiday expensive re-imagine, does not mean feat given the oneness of origin.

“I will look around” is one of the most beautiful songs ever recorded, and notes Stormare, adding, “But Esperanza Spalding took the day view of it. I grew up in the theater where we play over and over again, and every time I hear that you can not remake of Hitchcock’s I think,” Why not? “This applies to music too.”

Known Stormare, a musician and songwriter in his band of blond Fargo, he can not compete with the originals. “” Strange Fruit “a milestone in the civil rights era,” he said. “It was Martin Luther King of music.” In contracting with Angela Bassett to read parts of the diary as holiday breaks, and confirmed that he was supposed to be the album that tells the story of her life, as well as to explore and catalog them.
“Tribute” was a labor of love, who also gave his bank account in the sawmill metaphorical. But felt he had no other choice.

“I had to sell my cabin in Big Bear to finance the album,” he said, laughing ruefully. “But I had to do it. I had to get this out of my system.”

Watch Billie Holiday Video :
Billie Holiday - Summertime


Billie Holiday - The Blues Are Brewin'

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Zara Phillips Royal Wedding

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Breaking News --  Zara Phillips Royal Wedding -- source(BBC) -- Princess Anne's second marriage, to Timothy Laurence, was the last Scottish royal wedding in 1992. The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh are among guests expected at the wedding in Canongate Kirk on the Royal Mile. Senior royals are to gather in Edinburgh later to celebrate the marriage of Zara Phillips and England rugby player Mike Tindall.

As Scotland's first royal wedding in almost 20 years it is set to draw crowds of well-wishers.

Prince Charles and Camilla, Prince William and Catherine, and Prince Harry are also thought to be attending.

Other guests are likely to include Prince Andrew and his daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.

The private afternoon ceremony will be followed by a reception at the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

The couple hosted a pre-wedding party on the royal yacht Britannia, which is moored in Leith, on Friday night.

They had previously attended a rehearsal for the ceremony at the kirk with the bride's parents, Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips.

'Sports stars'

Lothian and Borders Police said they had been working with the Palace and Edinburgh City Council to ensure the event's smooth running.

Supt Ivor Marshall, who is the Silver Commander responsible for overseeing security arrangements, said the event was expected to attract significant public interest, despite being a private affair.

He added that the kirk's location, close to both the Scottish Parliament and the Palace of Holyroodhouse, yet set on the busy tourist hub of the Royal Mile, presented unique challenges.

While some road closures will be in place, local businesses will remain open and residents, who have been contacted by Edinburgh City Council, will be relatively unaffected.

The doors of the Canongate Kirk are to be closed to the press and public, but large crowds are still expected in Edinburgh's Old Town to watch the arrival of the royal family.

Mr Tindall, who plays for club side Gloucester and has been capped more than 60 times for his country, is likely to have invited some of England's best-known rugby players to the wedding.

He and best man Iain Balshaw were part of England's winning 2003 rugby World Cup squad in Australia, where the couple were introduced by Zara's cousin Prince Harry.

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Sneijer tells City he’d Prefer to Join United

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Breaking News -- Sneijer tells City he’d Prefer to Join United -- source(Goal.com) -- United had indicated in negotiations with Inter that they were willing to meet the Italian club's £35m valuation of the playmaker.

But Sneijder is holding out for £200,000-a-week, which is beyond the £170,000 wage United want to offer, and the Old Trafford club have told the Serie A giants they can now only pay £24m if they are to offer a package attractive enough to capture the 27-year-old.

Talks have stalled as all three parties maintain their stances, although sources in the UK and Italy have told Goal.com that the deal is still alive.

United still want to make Sneijder their showpiece signing of the summer after moves for Luka Modric and Samir Nasri collapsed, while Inter are ready to cash in on a player no longer considered indispensable by new manager Gian Piero Gasperini.

City also enquired about the Holland international but were told that he wants to go to their bitter rivals.

"Sneijder wants to play for Manchester United because of their prestige and tradition, which meant City never really followed up their interest," a source close to the situation told Goal.com. "City were also put off by Inter's asking price, which is also a problem for United because of his salary expectations.

"United have told Inter they will pay £24m for Sneijder. Inter have said they want £35m although they could be willing to sell for £30m."

Goal.com revealed earlier this month that Nike, who sponsor Sneijder, Inter and Manchester United, could be prepared to make up the shortfall in wages, but it is unknown whether they will go ahead with such a venture.

Sneijder's future will have a direct bearing on Carlos Tevez's hopes of securing a switch from Etihad Stadium to Serie A.

As revealed by Goal.com, Inter are ready to up their interest in Tevez if they are confident they can secure the funds from Sneijder moving to Old Trafford.

The Argentine's representative Kia Joorabchian was in Milan on Thursday to hold talks with Inter officials. The Serie A club do not have the funds to buy Tevez without first selling one of their prize assets - even if City lower their asking price to £40m - but Inter staff believe the striker will be an ideal fit for the team's new three-striker system.

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Breaking News NFL : Nnamdi Asomugha signs with Eagles

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Breaking News -- Nnamdi Asomugha signs with Eagles -- source(SFGate) -- Asomugha's deal will pay him $60 million over the life of it, with $25 million guaranteed. Asomugha, considered the top free agent on the market, had a career-high eight interceptions in 2006, went to the Pro Bowl after the 2008, 2009 and 2010 seasons and was named a first-team All-Pro in 2008 and 2010.

One day after acquiring Pro Bowl cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie from the Cardinals, the Eagles stunned the NFL world and signed Asomugha, another Pro Bowl cornerback, to a five-year contract. Very quietly, while other teams made headlines in their pursuit of Asomugha, Eagles General Manager Howie Roseman and President Joe Banner made a pitch to him that he could not refuse.

Even though he has just three interceptions in the past three years, he is considered one of the top cover cornerbacks in the NFL and was courted by several high-profile teams, including the New York Jets and Dallas Cowboys.

The Eagles now have three Pro Bowl cornerbacks on their roster: Asomugha, Rodgers-Cromartie and Asante Samuel, who has 42 interceptions in eight years and has made the Pro Bowl four straight years.

Newton's deal: No. 1 draft pick Cam Newton has signed with the Carolina Panthers and has arrived at training camp, the team announced.

Bus Cook, Newton's agent, said via a text message that the deal was for four years and "$22 million-plus."

The Heisman Trophy winner may be the biggest financial casualty of the NFL lockout. The new collective bargaining agreement sets a rookie wage scale.
Last year's No. 1 draft pick, Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford, signed a six-year, $78 million contract with the Rams. Newton probably would have been in for an even larger amount if not for the lockout.

No Manning? The Colts expect to begin training camp practices Monday without Peyton Manning, who not only is coming off neck surgery, but also doesn't have a contract. Manning is in the midst of negotiations on a new contract that Colts owner Jim Irsay says will make the four-time league MVP the highest-paid player in NFL history.

Harrison sorry: Four-time Pro Bowl linebacker James Harrison of the Steelers apologized for a magazine article in which he used an antigay slur when talking about Commissioner Roger Goodell and criticized teammates for their play in Pittsburgh's Super Bowl loss to Green Bay.

Briefly: Wide receiver Vincent Jackson signed a franchise tag with the Chargers for nearly $11 million. Jackson, who was a Pro Bowler in 2009, missed last year's training camp and most of the season because of a salary dispute. Two-time Pro Bowl defensive end Osi Umenyiora failed to report for the opening day of the New York Giants' training camp and was placed on the reserve-did not report list. The Lions have agreed to terms with free agent defensive back Eric Wright, formerly of the Browns. The former Riordan athlete attended USC and UNLV before being drafted in the second round by Cleveland in 2007. The Seahawks re-signed defensive tackle Brandon Mebane, a former Cal player, to a reported five-year deal worth $25 million. The Rams agreed to terms on a four-year contract with guard Harvey Dahl, who had been a fixture in Atlanta. Ex-Cowboys receiver Roy Williams agreed to a deal with the Bears. Broncos linebacker Von Miller, the second overall pick in the draft, left practice early with a bruised right thigh, 24 hours after signing a four-year, $21 million deal. The Buccaneers signed former Atlanta punter Michael Koenen to a six-year, $19.5 million contract. Dolphins quarterback Chad Henne said the team had reached a contract agreement with quarterback Matt Moore, who was not re-signed by Carolina, but Miami had not confirmed the deal. Atlanta agreed to terms with Pro Bowl tackle Tyson Clabo on a five-year deal worth $25 million, about $11.5 million in guaranteed money. Quarterback Mark Brunell, 40, was cut by the Jets, but could return to back up Mark Sanchez at a reduced salary.
 
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Apple wins global smartphone crown

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Breaking News -- Apple wins global smartphone crown – (CNET) -- Apple, followed closely by Samsung Electronics, overtook Nokia in global smartphone market share during the second quarter.

Apple controlled nearly a fifth of the smartphone market, or a share of 18.5 percent, as it shipped more than 20 million iPhones, according to market research firm Strategy Analytics. Samsung Electronics wasn't far behind, with 17.5 percent of the market share and 19.2 million smartphones shipped. Nokia fell to third, with its market share plunging by more than half to 15.2 percent from 38.1 percent a year ago.

The ever-shifting top of the smartphone food chain is illustrative of the ultra-competitive nature of the business. Over the past year, Nokia has seen its market share drop as consumers opted for more sophisticated operating systems made by Apple and Google. The declines have forced Nokia to partner with Microsoft and switch to its Windows Phone operating system.

Apple's success continues to hinge on the smash hit iPhone. The company's momentum is expected to only keep building, with the next version expected to come out in September.

Another ingredient for its success: healthy expansion into international markets, with Strategy Analytics pointing to China and the rest of Asia as particular sources of strength.

Samsung, meanwhile, has enjoyed broad adoption of its Galaxy S smartphone franchise. Rather than position it as a "hero phone" at a single carrier, the company has opted to sell the device to as many carriers as possible, making its rapid ascension possible.

Samsung earlier reported a decline in its second-quarter profit, but said smartphone sales continued to grow. Yesterday, the company said it had sold 5 million units of the Galaxy S II in the first 85 days it was on store shelves. Samsung's rapid improvement have some wondering when it may overtake Apple for the smartphone business.

Overall, the global smartphone market grew by 76 percent to 110 million units shipped.

Separately, IDC reported that Apple more than doubled its market share for all mobile phones to 5.6 percent in the second quarter, signaling the largest jump for any of the handset vendors. Based on total handsets, Apple remained in fourth place. Nokia remained the top handset maker despite its market share falling to 24.2 percent from 33.8 percent a year ago, as its strength in low-end handsets in emerging markets has kept its pole position secure.

Samsung, which also has a large business selling basic handsets to markets around the world, had the second-largest market share. Its share slipped slightly as more people moved away from those basic handsets.
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Crystal Harris Said : Sorry Hugh Hefner!

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Breaking News -- Crystal Harris Said : Sorry Hugh Hefner! -- Source (THG) -- During an appearance on Howard Stern's radio show this week, Crystal Harris said she wasn't attracted to Hugh Hefner, she never saw him naked and they only had sex once, with it lasting for like "two seconds."

Now, the busty blonde has something to tell her former fiance: My bad!

"The Stern interview scared me, he's harsh," Harris Tweeted last night. "I was unprepared and blurted out things I shouldn't have said, I'm sorry."

Hmmm... we've all seen the interview, and Harris wasn't exactly berated inside a police interrogation room. What did she expect to discuss with Stern, America's debt ceiling debate?

Hefner has taken a broad, reasonable approach to the incident, saying this week that "Crystal shouldn't have been booked on the show at this sensitive time." He's right. It's almost as if she cares more about attention than doing the right thing.

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Manchester United to be second best to Barcelona

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Breaking News -- Manchester United to be second best to Barcelona – Source (Goal.com) -- Sir Alex Ferguson ‘quite happy’ for Manchester United to be second best to Barcelona. As the two sides prepare to meet in a friendly, the Scot does not mind that his side are ‘in second place’, but says the aim is for the Red Devils to match the Catalan club.

Sir Alex Ferguson insists he is happy if Manchester United are second best to Barcelona at the moment, but maintains that the goal is for his side to match the Catalan club.

The Spanish giants have won the Champions League twice in the last three years, and on both occasions they beat the Red Devils in the final of the tournament.

"I think their performances and their feats over the last two or three years have elevated them," Sir Alex said at a press conference.

"In everyone's mind they are the best team, currently, in the world.

"I'm quite happy to be in second place at this moment in time because that's our challenge. Our challenge will be to get to that level."

The two sides meet in a friendly on their pre-season tour of the USA in Washington DC on Saturday.

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How to break the U.S. debt deadlock

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Breaking News : How to break the U.S. debt deadlock - Source (CNN) - Political leaders should shift their focus from near-term exigencies to long-range economic policy. They should do this by agreeing to keep in place current spending and tax levels for, say, the next two years and extend the debt limit in exchange for a process that sets us on a course that would reach fiscal restraint over the next 10 years.

There is broad bipartisan agreement on two fronts: that government should not raise taxes or substantially reduce spending during the recession and that we should extend the debt limit to prevent default. The major point of disagreement concerns the long-term: the size and cost of government at the beginning of the next decade. How much government do we want, and how do we intend to pay for it?

The question of how much government we want can be expressed as federal spending as a percent of the total economy (gross domestic product). Congressman Paul Ryan would set federal spending at about 21% of GDP in 2021 and put it on a path toward 15% in 2020. Since the end of World War II, the average has been 20%.

In his budget of February, President Obama submitted a target of 24% in 2021, presumably well after the end of the recession and after withdrawal from our engagements in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The difference between a federal government that spends 20 or 24% of GDP would have enormous philosophical and practical consequences. Because nearly 2/3 of federal spending is in transfer payments, that is, check-writing programs to or on behalf of individuals, serious spending constraint is necessarily unpopular. On the other hand, raising taxes, even on millionaires and oil companies, can restrict economic growth.

The appropriate size of federal spending as a percent of GDP will not be resolved by politicians without input from the American people; it will not be decided before the 2012 presidential election. But it can and should be squarely before the public in the next campaign. I suggest that we extend the debt limit now and maintain for two years the status quo on taxes and spending, provided that there is a clear commitment by Obama, leading Republican candidates for the presidential nomination and congressional leaders of both parties to make federal spending as a percent of GDP the dominant issue in the 2012 campaign.

It will be important for media coverage and the presidential debates to insist on the centrality of this issue, and not let the candidates wander off into extraneous matters, such as gay marriage. A further proviso is that congressional leaders agree to view the 2012 election, whatever the result, as a mandate to accept the will of the people with regard to federal spending as a percent of GDP without parliamentary obstruction from either party.

Arlen Specter is a former Democratic senator from Pennsylvania and chairman of the U.S. Select Committee on Intelligence.

If I were president, I would hold in reserve the obscure provision of the 14th Amendment as a last-ditch solution to the debt ceiling crisis. For a totally different purpose after the Civil War, a clause was inserted in the 14th Amendment that the "validity of the public debt ... shall not be questioned." That provision could be used for President Obama to unilaterally raise the debt limit.

Obama said his lawyers "are not persuaded that that is a winning argument." That statement leaves him considerable wiggle room. To say more would take all the pressure off of Congress and let him do all the dirty work.

The current crisis presents two unusual opportunities: First, it could yet produce sufficient pressure on Congress to restructure federal spending and end unconscionable tax breaks; second, the unprecedented publicity is exposing the atrocious conduct of both parties so the nonvoters, who have in effect put the extremists in office, may be motivated to go to the polls and throw all of the rascals out.

Obama has gotten some important cover, perhaps in a shrewdly calculated way, from former President Clinton, who said he would unilaterally invoke the 14th Amendment provision "without hesitation ... and force the courts to stop me."
This extraordinary assertion of executive authority could be justified because the Congress has, in effect, abdicated its constitutional responsibility to agree on legislation through the bicameral conference before the drop-dead date, leaving a vacuum that must be filled if the government is to function. The courts might duck the issue, saying no one had standing to sue. If the courts took the case, a decision would take months, if not years.

Although a 1935 Supreme Court case casts doubts on its applicability, enough constitutional experts have already spoken up to give the move credibility. It would be bold and likely cause some temporary talk of impeachment, but history has credited daring presidents who took unpopular stands to be later heralded as correct and courageous -- like President Ford's pardon of President Nixon and President Truman's firing of Gen. Douglas MacArthur.

It could give Obama a big boost with the man on the street who would like to see some decisive action out of Washington for a change.

David Stockman, a Republican, served as a U.S. representative from Michigan and as the director of the Office of Management and Budget from 1981 to 1985.

The crisis lies in the debt, not the ceiling. Kicking the can with a six-month ceiling increase is the worst possible alternative because it allows the politicians of both parties to continue making the Big Fiscal Lie. The Republican "no tax increase" position is preposterous; we are collecting less than 15% of GDP in taxes, the lowest since 1950, and spending 24% of GDP.

More than half of that is national security and Social Security, and the Republicans don't have a plan to cut a dime from either. Likewise, the Democrats are lying when they say Social Security is not part of the fiscal problem.

Benefits will exceed payroll taxes by $50 billion this year alone, and the red ink only gets deeper with time. Social Security should be subject to a stringent means test on the top 15 million affluent retirees, so that there is something left for the 40 million lower-income elderly who are already on the ragged edge.

Finally, the $800 billion defense and security budget is a relic of the Cold War, which ended 20 years ago, and should be cut by $200 billion. We no longer have any industrial state enemies, and we have been fired as the world policeman, so it is time to mothball some carrier battle groups, ground some air wings, drastically reduce our troop strength, end the futility of Afghanistan and stop buying multibillion-dollar high-tech weapons that we can't afford and don't need.

In the meanwhile, both the Boehner plan and the Reid plan are just big numbers flimflam. Their 10-year discretionary caps can't be enforced, and the debt crisis is right now. In the next two years, where it really counts, each would save only $60 billion, or 1%, of the baseline spending of $7.5 trillion. That's a pathetic joke.
We are borrowing $6 billion per day with no end in sight and rolling the dice in the hope that apparently clueless bond fund managers will continue to buy the debt of a quasi-bankrupt country. One day soon, they won't. But then it will be too late.
William S. Cohen was a Republican U.S. senator from Maine and served as secretary of defense under President Clinton. He is chairman of the Cohen Group, an international business consulting firm.

Since leaving the Senate 14 years ago, I have witnessed a further gravitational pull away from center-based politics to the extremes on both the right and left. Those who seek compromise and consensus are increasingly depicted with scorn as a "mushy middle" that is weak and unprincipled. By contrast, those who plant their feet in the concrete of ideological absolutism are heralded as heroic defenders of truth, justice and the American way.

We are now seeing the costs of this lurch away from the center. Our country is in crisis, and Washington is paralyzed. The American people, and the global markets, are losing confidence in the ability of our government to function. They see our ship of state sinking under the weight of too much debt. But instead of all hands on deck working together to bail out the ship, elected leaders of both parties are engaged in rhetorical finger-pointing when they should be engaged in practical problem-solving.

The tea party has done our country a great service by forcing Washington to deal with the debt, an issue that we have been evading and avoiding for decades. Our country has been engaged in fiscal child abuse. With each passing year, we are inflicting damage upon our children and grandchildren that we cannot see but that they will feel for their lifetime. It used to be that parents borrowed money to make life better for their children; now, they are borrowing from their kids to make life better for themselves. This has to end.

Responding to the popular uprising for fiscal discipline, President Obama did something unheard of for a Democratic president: He put Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid on the table. He offered Republicans a "grand bargain" that came mostly their way: 80% spending cuts in exchange for 20% in new tax revenues. Moreover, two-thirds of those new revenues -- $800 billion -- would have come not from tax increases but tax reform and the creation of a flatter, fairer system.
When someone offers you a deal like that, you grab it -- and I suspect House Speaker John Boehner would have done so. But he had 87 revolutionaries in the House telling him not to compromise. The difficulty he is having trying to pass a short-term deal shows how difficult it would have been for him to sell a grand bargain to his caucus.

And even if the speaker had agreed to such a deal, Obama does not have enough support in his own party to pass the grand bargain he put on the table. He would have faced a gargantuan challenge selling that 80-20 compromise to Democrats on Capitol Hill, whose centrist ranks have also been thinned considerably.

Where does that leave us as August 2 approaches? Obama has said he will not sign a short-term deal, but Republicans believe that with default looming, the president has to blink. They may be right.

We will likely get a short-term solution and revisit this debate in four to six months' time -- in all likelihood with similar results. A long-term solution to our national debt will continue to elude us unless and until both sides recognize their moral imperative to come together and address this crisis.

Republicans and Democrats are equally responsible for racking up this debt. And they share equal responsibility for solving it. Instead of blaming each other and demanding capitulation, both sides must move back to the center -- back toward consensus, and, yes, compromise.

William Frenzel served as a U.S. representative from Minnesota from 1971 to 1991 and was the ranking Republican on the House Budget Committee. He is co-chairman of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget and is a guest scholar in economic studies at the Brookings Institution.

After several weeks of increasing pessimism over the real possibility of a federal default, it appeared for a time Thursday that there were grounds for optimism, as the House seemed poised to vote on John Boehner's proposal to raise the debt ceiling. Any solution that avoided its expiration has become the best choice, and that seemed possible.

Alas, the vote was delayed as Boehner worked to round up conservatives, but his bill may yet squeak through the House soon. The Reid bill, its Senate counterpart, seems likely to do the same in the Senate. And if this comes to pass, because the bills appear to be similar but not nearly identical, a House/Senate conference committee should be able to reconcile the two pieces of legislation swiftly.

Passing the reconciled bill will still be a chore in the House, but the enormity of default seems to have dawned on at least some of the previously recalcitrant junior members of the House. Slowly, but inevitably, House members are beginning to understand the havoc and disruption it would wreak on all Americans.

The next miracle will be to put enough enforcement into a final bill to make it all worthwhile. Like all compromises, this one will be weaker than budget hawks would like. Two essentials for its success are (1) strong enforcement: triggers that make automatic changes if targets are not met and (2) a promise of good future behavior: a special committee that outlines specific budget cuts, with a guaranteed up-down Congressional vote on its recommendations.

A debt ceiling bill is still a long way from home, but hopefully at least a temporary end to the game of chicken is in sight. The "Grand Bargain" is deferred but hopefully not abandoned.

There is hope that Congress will act responsibly and bring the nation back from the brink of economic chaos.

Scott Lilly is a former staff director of the House Appropriations Committee and a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress.

With each passing day, our nation moves closer to having too little money in the treasury to pay our bills. Economists and business leaders warn of the impending irreparable damage to the dollar, to credit markets, household finances and the good faith and credit of the world's largest economy, but there is seemingly little awareness that much of the damage has already been done. Around the world, the nation seen only a few years ago as possessing remarkable capabilities relative to those of all other nations is now viewed as a dysfunctional society.

What went wrong?

I think the best answer is that reasonable people can have two very different interpretations of the "message" sent by the voters in the 2010 congressional elections.

One is that the American people have had it with big government, Washington is out of touch, and citizens want to keep more of their tax dollars in their own wallets even if that means massive cuts in federal programs. In the last elections, the Republican Party certainly campaigned on that platform. No one should be surprised that they are pushing it as far as they can.

But there is another perspective, supported by a huge amount of polling data and almost any historical analysis of American voting behavior over the past several decades. Because many Americans believe that George Wallace's famous statement that "There's not a dime's worth of difference between the Republicans and Democrats" continues to be true, they see one party as a safety valve against the other and happily replace one with the other at election time, regardless of party platform or campaign promises. They are contemptuous of Washington and anyone who served as representative in that city for more than a few months. They also intensely dislike some federal programs, such as foreign assistance and price supports for agriculture.

Unfortunately, the programs they dislike make up a tiny fraction of total public spending. The programs where you find the big money are extremely popular. Medicare wins voter approval by better than two-to-one margins, garnering support from a majority of Republicans and nearly half of all tea party members. Solid majorities support Social Security, Medicaid and a broad range of federal activities ranging from highway construction to scientific research, aid to schools and care for our veterans.

So the question in Washington is, which of these two interpretations is correct? Were voters sending a message for Washington to become more moderate and back away from an activist agenda by the Obama administration, or did they want a wholesale overhaul of government -- stripping away major pieces of the New Deal and Great Society?

Reasonable people could arrive at different conclusions to that question, but reasonable people could also agree that their responsibility to our country was to pay the bills and make the system work. In divided government, responsible parties split the difference. That is what the voters intended when they elected a divided government. The problem is that Washington seems a little shorthanded on reasonable people these days.

If the Republican party -- the majority in the House -- is incapable of taking a position from which it can negotiate a compromise, then moderate elements of the two parties -- that is, those that recognize that a great nation pays its bills -- must protect the republic. There is a deal here, and negotiators must break ranks if they are to act in the interest of the nation.

As for that considerable portion of the electorate who does not wish to listen to campaign speeches or read party platforms and continues to believe there is not a "dime's difference" in the policies that will be pursued by the candidates they vote for, smell the coffee. You get what you vote for, and right now, you are getting it in spades.

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