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Happy Birthday guys. God bless.

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Happy Birthday guys. God bless.

Happy Birthday guys. God bless.

Happy Birthday guys. God bless.

Wimbledon and the Davis Cup are finished and the start of the US Open Series is still a week away. To pass the time, Busted Racquet will be taking a daily look back at some classic matches. Today, we examine the bizarre 1999 French Open final between 30-year-old Steffi Graf and 18-year-old Martina Hingis.

1. Hingis was up a set and a break on Graf when she hit a ball wide. The world No. 1 asked the chair umpire to check the mark. Then the craziness began:



2. Hingis received a point penalty for walking to the other side of the net. She also received warnings during the match for racquet abuse and slamming a ball into the crowd. Commentators on Eurosport wondered whether she'd be defaulted from the tournament for her behavior.

3. The French crowd was pro-Steffi the whole way and Hingis' antics only made them more vocal. Hingis lost the game at 2-0 but broke back to lead 3-1. She gave up that lead and eventually lost the set.

4. Before the decider, both players took a bathroom break. While Hingis was off the court, the crowd at Roland Garros chanted for Graf and did the wave. Hingis emerged from the locker room with a new outfit and hairstyle and was roundly booed for the delay/fashion change. She quickly went down 0-3.

5. Facing double match point in the third set, Hingis served underhanded, a moment I still insist was the inspiration for Richie Tenenbaum's similar move in "The Royal Tenenbaums."

6. Hingis stormed off the court before returning for the trophy ceremony. She was in tears and being comforted by her mother.

7. Graf hadn't won a Grand Slam since the 1996 US Open. After defeating Hingis, she announced that it was the last French Open of her career. She retired the next month following a loss to Lindsay Davenport in the finals of Wimbledon.





source:yahoo.com

I'll be the first to admit that I doubted before the tournament that Japan was a side that could advance to the 2011 Women's World Cup final. Nobody can doubt Japan now that the second strong European side in a row to underestimate its quality has fallen. With a 1-0 win over Germany in the quarterfinal and a 3-1 victory against Sweden in the semifinal, Japan is already assured of its best World Cup finish ever.


However, you can bet that Japan is focused on winning the whole thing.


Before the 2011 World Cup began, Japanese captain Homare Sawa said she wanted to win a medal. This is Sawa's fifth World Cup appearance. Before now, her best result was back in her first World Cup in 1995 when Japan lost to the United States 4-0 in a quarterfinal. In Germany, Sawa has delivered the goods and propelled her team to the final. Sawa is tied with Marta for the lead in goals scored with four. She has scored the game-winning goal two times for Japan and provided the game-winning assist against Germany.


Against Sweden, Japan controlled every aspect of the game. Sweden's only goal (it managed a mere four shots) came when Sawa gave away the ball in the defensive half of the field and Josefine Oqvist pounced on the turnover and beat Japan goalie Ayumi Kaihori just 10 minutes into the match. Sawa would atone for the mistake in the 59th minute with a goal on a rebound.


Nahomi Kawasumi scored the other two goals for Japan, in the 19nd and 64th minutes. The first goal for Kawasumi may have been an own-goal. Kawasumi and Oqvist were battling for position as a cross from Aya Miyama came into the box and deflected off their legs into the net. Kawasumi's second goal was a gift from Swedish keeper Hedvig Lindahl that required a skillful shot. Lindahl took herself completely out of any chance to stop a shot trying to clear a ball played toward the top of the box. Her attempt went right to Kawasumi who chipped the ball from at least 35 yards out into the empty net.


Japan will meet the United States in the final on July 17.




source:yahoo.com

On July 12, ESPNW's Jacqueline Purdy questioned whether American fans would have booed Brazil's five-time FIFA Player of the Year, Marta, if she played for the United States. Using examples of other players in the World Cup who had behaved poorly, Purdy made the case that Marta's actions came from a player that just wanted to win.


I have to question whether or not Purdy even watched the match last Sunday. Fans didn't boo Marta because they hated her. I was looking forward to the U.S. match against Brazil for many reasons, and seeing Marta play was one of them. She's the world's best female soccer player, and I couldn't wait to see her take the field.


However, things changed as the game wore on. I started seeing Marta and her teammates badgering the referee. They were complaining about every call on the field. This isn't to say the Americans weren't committing fouls, but the Brazil players were constantly in the referee's ear.


Marta's play worsened. She got away with a rough horse-collar tackle on U.S. defender Christie Rampone in the 58th minute. This is the same kind of tackle that has been banned in the NFL due to the risk of injury it poses. Marta should have received at least a yellow card for her actions.


The more the second half wore on, the more Marta whined and complained to the officials. She dove on multiple occasions, though at this point the referee was no longer listening to her pleas. It became rather comedic watching Marta and her teammates get away with their constant babbling.


Once extra-time began, the crowd had turned on Marta. She was no longer the world's best player but a whiner and a cheater. She proved the crowd right late in the second extra period when she pushed the ball out of bounds along the U.S. backline. Instead of accepting the goal kick after the Americans had successfully stuffed her on the backline, she turned and adamantly claimed that one of the U.S. players had touched the ball out. Her actions displayed a lack of integrity.


The truth of the matter is that Marta played a dishonest game. Her actions disrespected her opponents and the sport. This is why the fans booed. Anyone who claims that American fans would have cheered her if she'd play on the U.S. team is wrong. One only has to look at Lebron James and Alex Rodriquez to find American players who have been criticized by fans for their classless actions over the years. Even D.C. United player Charlie Davies has faced criticism after being labeled as a diver this season.


This is why Purdy is wrong. It's not about nationality, gender, or what team the player is on. It's about her attitude and actions on the field. Marta earned everything she got on the field last Sunday against the Americans.




source:yahoo.com

After a thrilling upset against Brazil, the USA defeated France 3-1 on July 13 to make it to the championship final of the 2011 Women's World Cup.


Within the first eight minutes, France had two corner kicks. Shannon Boxx headed the first one away and then Louisa Necib got a hold of the ball and fired from outside. Hope Solo knocked it over the goal. On the second corner, France took another shot but it went right to Solo.


Heather O'Reilly set up the first goal for the U.S. Running down the left side, O' Reilly crossed the ball and Lauren Cheney deflected the cross into the goal. This was Cheney's second goal in the 2011 World Cup.


Then, Necib put in a perfect ball to Gaetane Thiney who made a diagonal shot but Solo got a hand on it.


In the 32nd minute, a free kick allowed Sonia Bompastor to take a shot that clipped the crossbar. This was lucky for the USA as the ball was headed to the top corner and over Hope Solo's head.


Before the half, central defender Christy Rampone ran up past the halfway line and into offensive territory. Then, she crossed it to Abby Wambach and Wambach headed it back across the face of the goal.


Despite great plays from both teams, the score remained 1-0 at the half.


In the 55th minute, France tied up the game. After France switched the field, Bompastor hit a spinning shot that skipped past Hope Solo.


France continued to press in the second half with better possession and shots.


After Megan Rapinoe blasted a free kick at France's goal, goalkeeper Berangere Sapowicz blocked the shot. Alex Morgan went after the rebound but missed.


In the 79th minute, Lauren Cheney floated a corner to the back post and Abby Wambach came up larger than life to head the ball home.


A few minutes later, Megan Rapinoe squeaked the ball through the defense. Alex Morgan, trailed by four French defenders, chipped the ball over Sapowicz. This is Morgan's first World Cup and her first goal in the tournament.


The USA is one step closer to winning the 2011 FIFA World Cup. It will play Japan in the final on Sunday, July 17.



source:yahoo.com

source:contactmusic.com

source:contactmusic.com

source:contactmusic.com

source:contactmusic.com

source:contactmusic.com

source:contactmusic.com

Eva Longoria's Las Vegas nightclub, Eve, has been temporary shutdown in a bid to save money.


Eva Longoria's Las Vegas nightclub has been temporary shutdown.

The 'Desperate Housewives' star's Eve club was closed on Monday (11.07.11) to save money but her Beso restaurant remains open.

Bankruptcy attorney Lenard Schwartzer said the nightclub is still profitable and could eventually be renovated and reopened.

Eva owns a 32 per cent stake in the club and restaurant.

In January, Beso restaurant filed for bankruptcy after records filed at the US Bankruptcy Court in Las Vegas showed it was losing up to $76,000 a month and owed $1.8 million to landlords Crystals.

The bankruptcy filing was designed to protect $2.5 million in assets and help the company Beso LLC restructure $5.7 million in debt and other liabilities.

It wasn't the first time Eva has had trouble with the restaurant.

In June last year, the 36-year-old actress was sued for breach of contract by the former managers Ronan and Mali Nachum alleging they had been forced out of their jobs by "scare tactics".

As well as accusing them of stealing cash, the pair were also said to have assaulted a server and punched a female patron in a document sent out by Eva and other part-owners including Jonas Lowrance.

However Eva countersued to "protect the integrity of the restaurant".






source:contactmusic.com

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP)—Japan carries memories of the devastation the tsunami heaped on its country into every game at this Women’s World Cup.

In sharp contrast, Sweden’s march through the tournament has been as carefree as the twirling, joyous team dance that accompanies every victory.

But in Wednesday’s semifinal at Frankfurt’s Commerzbank Arena, the difference visible on the pitch will be tactical: the “Japanese game” of close passing and intricate dribbling versus the sweeping moves and physical play of the roaming Sweden.

Japan sprung the surprise of the tournament by eliminating Germany 1-0 in extra time Saturday, with Sweden following it up with a routine 3-1 elimination of outsider Australia a day later.


source:yahoo.com

Fans cheered at major-league baseball stadiums when the result of the game was announced on Sunday. Famous actors and singers and football stars tweeted and blogged in gushes about their new heroes.

And soccer fans from the Philadelphia region cheered right along with the rest of the nation.


The U.S. women's World Cup team captured the attention of America by toppling mighty Brazil in a quarterfinal penalty shootout, and nine members of the team have connections to the Philadelphia region.




"It's overwhelming. It's amazing," midfielder Carli Lloyd told the Associated Press on Monday.

Lloyd, a graduate of Delran High School, said she is amazed at the "buzz back home."

"It's awesome," she said, "and I think it's helping women's soccer. This could be a huge turning point for the growth of soccer back home, and that's what we're trying to do and trying to accomplish.

"Hopefully, as an added bonus, we come back with the Cup."

In addition to Lloyd's local connection, U.S. team defender Ali Krieger played at Penn State. Midfielder Lori Lindsey, forward Amy Rodriguez and goalie Nicole Barnhart play for the WPL's Independence. Goalie Jill Loyden is from Vineland, and defender Heather Mitts played for the Independence last season and is now with Atlanta.

U.S. team assistant coach Erica Walsh, the women's head coach at Penn State, is a graduate of Lower Moreland High School, and midfielder Megan Rapinoe was with the Indepdence until being traded in June to magicjack.

Thanks to Sunday's victory, the United States team will play France in the semifinals on Wednesday. The Americans will advance to play either Japan or Sweden in Sunday's final if they win. They have a shot to become the first team to win three Women's World Cup titles.

"We're participating in something that's huge," Abby Wambach said Sunday. "Very few times does the spotlight shine so bright on women's soccer."

It just so happened that Lloyd, Krieger and Rapinoe set up Wambach with the dramatic tying goal, and Krieger supplied the winning shootout goal.

Lloyd, who had four shots on goal Sunday, and Krieger played the entire 120-plus minutes.

Trailing by 2-1 and down a player due to an ejection in the 66th minute, the U.S. team had the length of the field to string together a miracle during stoppage time in overtime.

Christie Rampone, the only player remaining from the 1999 U.S. team, forced a Brazil attacker into a bad pass that Krieger intercepted and carried upfield. Krieger played the ball to Lloyd, who staved off a charging Brazilian before laying it off to Rapinoe.

Rapinoe placed one perfect lead touch on the ball to herself, gliding down the left side. About 30 yards away from the goal, with about 30 seconds of hope remaining, Rapinoe planted her right foot, swung her left foot under the ball directing it high into the box, and toward the far post.

Brazil defender Daiane backpedaled, but the ball soared, so she jumped back, trying anything to stop the U.S. attack, arms extended.

The Brazilian goalie, Andreia, went into flight behind Daiane, gloves extended. But all they caught was the shadow of the ball on its way off Wambach's forehead, landing in the back of the net.

Euphoria.

"I don't think I've ever hit a cross like that with my left foot," Rapinoe said.

After Wambach's header sent the game to penalty kicks, Lloyd buried the U.S. team's second kick in the lower right corner, and Rapinoe placed a shot in the upper right corner to give the U.S. team a 4-2 lead in the shootout.

Twelve years ago to the day, Rampone had celebrated in the Rose Bowl after Brandi Chastain made women's soccer history. She was on the verge of a smiliar feat.

Krieger completed this day's story on the U.S. team's final kick as her shot found the back of the net for the game-winner.

But, as Lloyd said after the game, the job is not done.

"It's very important for us to not get on too much of a high from this game," she said, "because we have our business to take care of on Wednesday."

Philadelphia will be watching.



source:philly.com

source:yahoo.com/Photo by Scott Heavey/Getty Images

source:yahoo.com/Photo by Scott Heavey/Getty Images

source:imdb.com

This coming friday(july 15), is your birthday. Happy Birthday. God bless.







source:dianekrugerfan.com

source:dianekrugerfan.com

source:imdb.com

Cast
Ingrid Bergman ... Dr. Constance Petersen
Gregory Peck ... John Ballantyne
Michael Chekhov ... Dr. Alexander Brulov
Leo G. Carroll ... Dr. Murchison
Rhonda Fleming ... Mary Carmichael
John Emery ... Dr. Fleurot
Norman Lloyd ... Mr. Garmes
Bill Goodwin ... House Detective
Steven Geray ... Dr. Graff
Donald Curtis ... Harry
Wallace Ford ... Stranger in Hotel Lobby
Art Baker ... Det. Lt. Cooley
Regis Toomey ... Det. Sgt. Gillespie
Paul Harvey ... Dr. Hanish

Director: Alfred Hitchcock


Storyline
Dr. Anthony Edwardes, sent to replace Dr. Murchison as head of Green Manors mental hospital, is an impostor. When Murchinson calls the police, Edwardes leaves, followed by Dr. Constance Peterson, who has fallen in love with him and wants to treat his amnesia. She believes he is a medical doctor whose name is John. Skiing down a long slope, accompanied by Constance, John relives the memory of his brother being impaled on an iron fence with parallel bars, an accident for which he feels responsible. Police find the real Dr. Edwardes' dead body and John is accused of his murder. Written by alfiehitchie
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posted 9 July 2001 | review by Snow Leopard (Ohio)

"Spellbound" is one of Hitchcock's hardest films to evaluate, because its plot and credibility are so heavily dependent on theories of psychoanalysis that are usually considered to be implausible, at the very best. But if you can accept, for the sake of entertainment, the more dubious plot devices, what remains is a fine film dominated by the great director's usual creativity and technical mastery. Although it's hard to get away from the implausibilities, it's a fine movie in all other respects.

Gregory Peck stars as an amnesia case, and Ingrid Bergman as a psychoanalyst trying to unravel his mysterious - and possibly murderous - past. Most of the other characters are also psychoanalysts or patients, and the plot revolves around the ways that Bergman's character uses Freudian theories to solve the mystery. Whether you can enjoy the story depends on how willing you are to suspend disbelief concerning the wilder aspects of these theories, but if you are willing to do so, it's quite nicely done in most parts, with some fine scenes and a couple of good plot twists. It is also worth watching for the famous Salvador Dali dream sequence, which is very creatively done and fascinating to watch. Peck and Bergman also create interesting and sympathetic characters, who make the viewer want to know what will happen to them.

Overall, this is a distinctive film, and well worth seeing for any Hitchcock fan.



source:imdb.com

source:imdb.com

Cast

Yul Brynner ... Jason Compson
Joanne Woodward ... Quentin Compson / Narrator Margaret Leighton ... Caddy Compson
Stuart Whitman ... Charlie Busch
Ethel Waters ... Dilsey
Jack Warden ... Ben Compson
Françoise Rosay ... Mrs. Caroline Compson
John Beal ... Howard Compson
Albert Dekker ... Earl Snopes
Stephen Perry ... Luster
William Gunn ... T.P., Dilsey's Grandson
Roy Glenn ... Job

Director: Martin Ritt

Storyline
Loosely based on the William Faulkner novel, this movie follows the lives and passions of the Compsons: a once-proud Southern family now just barely scraping by both financially and emotionally. Howard passes the time in a bottle; his brother Bengy is child in a man's body; sister Caddy has come crawling home after years of being kept by a string of "admirers". Only Jason, the cruel, cold-hearted adopted head of the family, and Quentin, who was abandoned at birth by Caddy, have the fire and the fury needed to put the family back on its feet again. Written by A.L.Beneteau
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posted 27 August 2001 | review by sam66 (upstate NY)

My all-time favorite Southern movie! Highly underrated! I saw this film one summer afternoon as a teenager and spent the next several years searching for it in the local TV guide to no avail--nor was it available on video (still isn't!). Despite the PBS host who referred to it as "more sound than fury," I was knocked for a loop by the whole atmosphere created in this movie, which is very loosely based on the William Faulkner novel and the Compson characters in general. A couple years ago the True Stories movie channel (?) played it and I grabbed it on tape! My only complaint is that it is a Cinemascope feature and should be played in letterbox format to display the fine '50s-style clear-as-crystal cinematography to its maximum advantage. This is a movie that clocks you over the head with the soundtrack immediately, and the music defines the settings and characters throughout. Bear in mind that this is NOT a slavish interpretation of the mind-ripping book (not even close) nor could it be given its original release date! However, some of the characters are well-represented and even a few lines spoken word-for-word, and the production does an excellent job of capturing the heated Southern intensity of the original story. Joanne Woodward plays young Quentin Compson and the movie revolves around her teenage compulsion to connect with her mother (tall Margaret Leighton wonderfully cast as the wornout, dragged-down Caddy returning home after seventeen years' absence) and escape her cold, sarcastic, pitiless uncle, the "keeper," to a life she imagines will be flavored with love and freedom. Yul Brynner, cast as Jason Compson (not the book version--that guy was nearly insane), is perfect in the role of Quentin's enemy uncle. He captures the character's seething anger, always on the verge of rising to the surface and exploding. At the same time he is a person with a powerful sense of responsibility, and it is truly enjoyable to watch him struggle to keep his highly dysfunctional family in some semblance of order. A few familiar faces from the book include Dilsey (Ethel Waters in a superior performance), strong, softhearted and stressed by the Compson downfall, and little Luster, always put to taking care of huge half-witted Benjy (Jack Warden, who works to capture a very intense and disturbed personality behind a blank expression). Quentin's other uncle, Howard, keeps his father's drinking tradition alive as well as the eternal unhealthy fascination of the Compson boys for sister Caddy; Jason's Cajun mother just stays in bed most of the day, long suffering and tiresome to all. I love the way this movie features vignettes of the individual lives these people lead, and the way they intersect without ever fully connecting. Anger, passion, frailty, loyalty--all against this wonderful backdrop of decrepit mansions and closeminded small-town malice. I refuse to complain about the way it strays from the novel because as a movie it stands on its own, a separate work, and tremendously enjoyable. Recommended!





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Happy Birthday guys. God bless.

Happy Birthday guys. God bless.

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Happy Birthday guys. God bless.

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Happy Birthday guys. God bless.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- World markets slumped Monday, as fears about debt crises plagued both Europe and the United States.

Italy in particular, was shoved into the spotlight. Public sparring last week between Italy's prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, and finance minister Giulio Tremonti heightened fears that the debt crisis in Greece and Portugal was spreading to the continent's third-largest economy.

"Beware." Tremonti was quoted as saying by Italian newspapers, in response to rumors that he might resign. "If I fall, then Italy falls. If Italy falls, then so falls the euro. It is a chain."

Global investors are concerned that Tremonti -- credited with saving Italy from the worst of the euro zone's debt crisis -- will be forced out of the government, after his push for steep spending cuts was met with resistance from the prime minister and other cabinet members.

That raises fears that Italy's government is not as committed to enacting necessary austerity measures, as Greece or other debt-stricken euro zone countries.

"What we need to see in Italy is some concrete and clear demonstration that they're not going to be backsliding on austerity -- and that Tremonti will not lose his job," said Peter Westaway, chief European economist with Nomura.

In what Italian media dubbed "Black Friday," Italian stocks and bond yields plummeted at the end of last week, and trading was suspended for some Italian bank stocks following sharp sell-offs.

"What we're seeing over the last few days in Italy is investors are already starting to speculate against Italy," Westaway said. "I don't think policymakers can sit on their hands any longer and just hope contagion doesn't happen."

The selling continued Monday amid fears that those banks won't be able to pass euro zone stress tests -- the results of which will be published Friday. Of the 91 European banks that will undergo the stress tests, about 15 are expected to fail.

Shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria fell more than 5%, while shares of Bank of Ireland, Barclays and Deutsche Bank all slumped more than 4%.

Jitters about the debt crisis spilled over to Europe's major stock indexes, sending Britain's FTSE 100 down 1%, Germany's DAX falling 2.3% and France's CAC 40 tumbling 2.7%.

The European Council called an emergency meeting Monday to discuss the continent's debt crisis, ahead of an already scheduled meeting of the eurozone's 17 finance ministers.

Moody's Investors Service downgraded Portugal's debt last week, and two weeks ago, Greece agreed to implement painful austerity measures in exchange for another round of bailout funding.

U.S. markets: American investors got little comfort from lawmakers, who failed to strike a deal on raising the government's debt ceiling.

Ratings agencies have warned, If the ceiling isn't raised by Aug. 2, the country's pristine credit rating could fall, potentially sending shock waves rippling through the world economy.

In midday trading, the Dow Jones industrial average, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq were all down more than 1%, with shares of JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup and Bank of America all down roughly 3%.

Asian markets: Stocks ended the day mostly lower in Asia, as investors mulled over reports on China's inflation rate and trade balance.

The Hang Seng in Hong Kong tumbled 1.7% and Japan's Nikkei 225 fell 0.7%. But the Shanghai Composite in China inched up 0.2%.





source:Copyright CNN 2011/koco.com

FORWARD OPERATING BASE TORA, Afghanistan (AFP) - President Nicolas Sarkozy said Tuesday that France would withdraw a quarter of its 4,000 troops from Afghanistan by the end of next year, becoming the latest NATO power to downsize its combat mission in the war-torn country.

The French leader announced the withdrawal after jetting in on a surprise visit to meet troops stationed in Sarobi district, northeast of Kabul, and to be briefed on progress against the Taliban by a French general.

"It's necessary to end the war," Sarkozy told journalists at the base. "There was never a question of keeping troops in Afghanistan indefinitely."

France has around 4,000 troops deployed in the country, mostly in Sarobi, Kabul, and in northeastern Kapisa province.

"We will withdraw a quarter of our troops, that's to say 1,000 men, by the end of 2012," he said. Those remaining in Afghanistan will be concentrated in Kapisa, where they have been deployed since 2008.

The partial drawdown follows similar announcements by Britain and the United States, as Western leaders look to a final deadline of the end of 2014 to extract all combat troops from an increasingly deadly and costly conflict.

US President Barack Obama has announced that 33,000 US troops will leave by the end of next summer, effectively ending a military "surge" ordered into Afghanistan, principally the south, in late 2009.

Britain has said 500 of its soldiers will leave by the end of next year. Belgium has also announced some troops will also depart and Canada last week ended its nearly 3,000-strong combat mission in the southern province Kandahar.

Sarkozy was later due to visit Kabul and meet the top US commander in Afghanistan, General David Petraeus, before holding talks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

It was his third visit to the battle-scarred country since becoming president and came two days ahead of the Bastille Day French national holiday. His earlier trips were in December 2007 and August 2008.

His trip came a day after a 22-year-old French soldier was killed in a shooting blamed on "accidental fire" by a fellow French soldier.

France has lost 64 soldiers in the course of the war, according to figures compiled by the independent icasualties.org.

Last month, Sarkozy said "several hundred" French troops would be withdrawn from Afghanistan before the end of the year.

His office had said earlier that France would carry out a progressive pullback of its 4,000 troops "in a proportional manner and in a timeframe similar to the pullback of the American reinforcements".

Sarkozy's visit comes days after that by new US defence chief Leon Panetta and a week after a visit by British Prime Minister David Cameron, with Western leaders focused on efforts to draw down troops and end the long war.

Commanders are now preparing to hand over seven NATO-held areas to Afghan control starting in mid-July, although there is widespread doubt over the ability of Afghan forces to take full responsibility for their own security.

Sarkozy said he shared Obama's belief that security had improved since the killing of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in May and that the handover to Afghan troops and police was proceeding smoothly.

Should the situation improve, the pullout of all Western combat troops in 2014 might be "brought forward", he said.

US-led coalition forces have been fighting the Taliban-led insurgency in Afghanistan since they invaded in late 2001 in the wake of the September 11 attacks orchestrated by bin Laden.




source:yahoo.com

By Mark Feeney


Mrs.Betty Ford, whose frankness as wife of the 38th president of the United States about her struggles with breast cancer and substance abuse won her widespread admiration and brought heightened public awareness of those afflictions, died yesterday at 93 in Palm Springs, Calif., according to a family friend.


Mrs. Ford, who once called the day Gerald R. Ford Jr. was sworn in as president “the saddest day of my life,’’ later came to say “I flowered’’ while in the White House, relishing the fact that “When I spoke, people listened.’’

Speak she did, and Mrs. Ford’s forthright expression of her views on social, political, and personal matters made her one of the most esteemed - and controversial - presidential wives. “She’s far more popular than I,’’ her husband once said. “Many people think she could have been elected president of the United States in 1976.’’

After the Fords left the White House, Mrs. Ford’s name remained in the news, for reasons having nothing to do with politics. In April 1978 she entered Long Beach (Calif.) Naval Hospital’s Alcohol and Drug Rehabilitation Service. Mrs. Ford’s frank declaration of her drug and alcohol problems won her widespread acclaim.

Aware of her public identification with the problem of substance abuse, Mrs. Ford helped found a treatment facility for drug and alcohol abuse, the Betty Ford Center, part of the Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, Calif., which was dedicated on Oct. 3, 1982. It soon became one of the best-known facilities of its kind in the country.

Former President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, said yesterday that Mrs. Ford’s “courageous candor helped forge a new era of openness after the divisiveness of the Vietnam War and Watergate.’’

President Obama said the Betty Ford Center would honor Mrs. Ford’s legacy “by giving countless Americans a new lease on life.’’

Elizabeth Ann Bloomer was born in Chicago on April 8, 1918. When she was 2, her well-to-do parents moved with Mrs. Ford and her two brothers to Grand Rapids, Mich. At 8, she began taking dance lessons and in doing so found a ruling passion.

As a teenager, Mrs. Ford spent two summers studying at the Bennington School of Dance, at Bennington College, with such pioneers of modern dance as Martha Graham, Hanya Holm, and Doris Humphrey. She moved to New York in 1939 to dance with Graham’s troupe, supporting herself with modeling assignments. Graham remained a lifetime hero of Mrs. Ford’s, who would later bring her husband to award Graham a Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor. (Mrs. Ford would receive the medal herself, in 1991.)

At her mother’s urging, Mrs. Ford returned to Grand Rapids in 1941. She took a job at a department store, soon rising to the position of fashion coordinator. Her duties ranged from putting on fashion shows to consulting with the advertising department, to training models. A year later, she married William C. Warren, but the marriage ended in divorce in 1947.

Shortly before the divorce became final, Mrs. Ford began seeing a prominent Grand Rapids lawyer who was about to make his first run for Congress, Gerald Ford. A year later, they were married, on Oct. 15, 1948.

The stylish ex-model and large-framed former football star might have seemed mismatched, but they forged a highly successful union. Her husband began a steady rise in the House of Representatives that culminated in his election to the post of House minority leader in 1965, and Mrs. Ford often had to serve, as her husband ruefully admitted, as both father and mother to their four children: Mike, Jack, Steve, and Susan.

Her experience as homemaker, Sunday school teacher, and active participant in local charitable activities would seem to have little prepared Mrs. Ford for the intense public scrutiny that came with the naming of her husband as vice president on Oct. 12, 1973. But she demonstrated an easy poise and winning manner from the outset, and earned a reputation for candor almost as soon as she gained national prominence.

Asked by Barbara Walters her opinion of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion, she replied “that it was time to bring abortion out of the backwoods and put it in the hospitals where it belonged.’’

Her forthrightness extended to the personal as well as the political. A few weeks after Ford’s swearing in as president on Aug. 9, 1974, she mentioned during an interview that she’d been asked everything “except how often I sleep with my husband.’’ The interviewer, Myra McPherson, proceeded to ask that very question. Mrs. Ford’s replay, “As often as possible!’’ shocked some Americans but endeared her to many more.

Mrs. Ford once said “I believe my reputation for outspokenness is partly due to my having come after Mrs. Nixon, who was very quiet and never thrust herself forward.’’ She expressed regret over only one interview she gave. On Aug. 10, 1975, she appeared on “60 Minutes’’ and was asked by Morley Safer what she would do if her daughter were having an affair and whether the Ford children had used drugs. Mrs. Ford’s generally liberal responses (she would be supportive of her daughter and assumed her children had tried drugs - something they later denied) raised conservative hackles. The Manchester Union Leader went so far as to declare that the interview “disgraces the nation itself.’’

That reaction was at utter variance with the universal concern and praise Mrs. Ford inspired when, on Sept. 28, 1974, she underwent a radical mastectomy. Soon after, Happy Rockefeller, the wife of Nelson Rockefeller, whom Ford had chosen to succeed him as vice president, was found to have cancer, and a radical mastectomy was performed. Her husband attributed the cancer being caught to Mrs. Ford’s candor about her own operation, which had moved Rockefeller wife - as it had many other women - to have her breasts examined.

Mrs. Ford’s response to the praise was characteristically unassuming: “I got a lot of credit for having gone public with my mastectomy, but if I hadn’t been the wife of the President of the United States, the press would not have come racing after my story, so in a way it was fate.’’

In her memoir, “The Times of My Life,’’ Mrs. Ford said of moving to the White House: “In the beginning, it was like going to a party you’re terrified of, and finding out to your amazement that you’re having a good time.’’ Her evident gusto in being there and consistent good humor further contributed to her popularity with the public.

His defeat in 1976 left Mrs. Ford feeling “bitter and depressed,’’ as she later described it. Compounding her despondency was the Fords’ having moved to Southern California after the election, leaving old friends and connections behind.

Also, none of their children now lived at home and her husband was frequently away. Mrs. Ford, who had always been an enthusiastic social drinker, began to drink more heavily. Making the problem far worse was her long history of taking pain killers, the result of a pinched nerve suffered in 1964 and her having developed spinal arthritis.

Mrs. Ford recounted her struggle with addiction and how it led to the founding of the Ford Center in a memoir, “Betty: A Glad Awakening’’ (1987).





RIP


source:boston.com/Copyright 2011 Globe Newspaper Company.

After an absolutely brilliant performance, Sweden are through to the semifinals of the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup thanks to their convincing 3-1 defeat of Australia. They now move on to face Japan in what should be a thrilling semifinal match. Star striker Lotta Schelin was the clear woman of the match, but it truly was a complete team performance from the Blagult to defeat the Matildas, as they were very good in every area of the pitch.

Sweden got off to a blistering start in the first half, scoring two goals in the opening 16 minutes to go up 2-0. Therese Sjogran scored the opener, finishing low from 12 yards out after being set up by Schelin and Caroline Seger. She then assisted on the second goal, putting in a cross for Lisa Dahlkvist, who headed the ball into the back of the net.

Australia looked like they had a shot to get back in it just before the stroke of halftime, thanks to a stunning goal from Ellyse Perry. The sometimes international footballer, sometimes international cricketer picked up a short corner and hit an incredible 30 yard shot into the back of the net, hitting the upper 90 at the far post, but it would be Australia's only goal and best chance of the match.

In the second half, Sweden shut down the match. The third goal came early in the second half, with Schelin finishing off a spectacular assist from...Australia defender Kim Carroll. Since the Aussies usually wear yellow, the color Sweden wore today, we can only hope that Carroll's back pass was the result of color confusion. As she apparently tried to play the ball back to her keeper, Carroll actually just ended up sending Schelin through on a one on one. She brilliantly rounded Melissa Barbieri and passed the ball into the back of the net, making the score 3-1 and effectively ending the game.

The rest of the game was mostly made up of Sweden just holding their shape and passing the ball well, killing off the game. Their win was well deserved, and their performance might have been better than the scoreboard indicates. Japan will have their hands full with the Blagult, with the two teams facing off on Wednesday.





source:sbnation.com

TUESDAY, March 15 (HealthDay News) -- Nearly 15 million Americans are caring for someone with Alzheimer's or another form of dementia, and the number is rising, according to a report released Tuesday.

"People with Alzheimer's who are otherwise healthy may live as long as 20 or 25 years," said William H. Thies, chief medical and scientific officer at the Alzheimer's Association, which is publishing the report in the March issue of its journal, Alzheimer's & Dementia. "These are individuals who need increasing levels of care over time, and that can be very difficult for families.

About 5.4 million people in the United States have Alzheimer's disease, and their 14.9 million caregivers provided a total of 17 billion hours of unpaid care, valued at more than $200 billion, according to the report, which also highlights the physical and emotional burdens that caregivers face every day.

"There's a real lack of understanding among families about the toll that this disease is ultimately going to take," said Beth Kallmyer, senior director of constituent services at the Alzheimer's Association.

"Too many people wait until they're in a middle of a crisis to seek help, which is why we encourage people to start the care-planning process as soon as someone gets the diagnosis," she said.

Alzheimer's is the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States and the only cause of death among the top 10 that cannot be prevented, cured or slowed, the report noted.

What's more, while the death rates for heart disease, stroke and several other major diseases declined from 2000 to 2008, deaths related to Alzheimer's disease increased by 66 percent. By the year 2050, the annual total number of new cases of Alzheimer's and other dementias is expected to double.

Dr. Gary Kennedy, director of geriatric psychiatry at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City, said that newly diagnosed patients and their families often receive little if any information about support services.

"The physical exam and the X-ray and the meds, all of which don't have a big impact on preserving a person's independence, are the things that are paid for by insurance, while things like talking and counseling tend to be discounted, and so they're not covered," Kennedy said.

The disease is particularly hard on caregivers, he said, because of behavior changes that often accompany the person's memory problems.

"If people with the illness become aggressive, or they try to push their family members away, or they become so agitated that they can't sleep at night, these are the kinds of issues that can make it very hard for family members to cope," Kennedy said.

Another caregiving expert said that people need to know what their limits are and what they're good at and then share the responsibilities of care so that no one person shoulders the entire burden.

"Maybe one adult child is good with numbers and can handle the finances, while the other can visit Mom two or three times a week," said Kym Hance, director of client and community services at Home Helpers and Direct Link in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. "You don't want people to get to the point where they're so burned out they can't handle it anymore."

A valuable resource for caregivers, Kallmyer said, is the Alzheimer's Association's 24/7 Helpline (800-272-3900). "We average around a quarter-million calls a year, but with 15 million caregivers out there, we aren't as well known as we'd like to be," she said.

More than 30 drugs currently in clinical trials are aimed at slowing or stopping the progression of the disease, Thies noted. But the earliest any of these drugs could be on the market is four to five years from now, and it might end up being closer to 10 or 12 years.

In the meantime, he said, the government needs to significantly increase its level of funding for dementia research.

For every $28,000 that Medicare and Medicaid spend on care for individuals with Alzheimer's and other dementias, the U.S. National Institutes of Health spends only $100 on Alzheimer's research, according to the Alzheimer's Association.

Unless more federal funding is allocated for new research, "this is a crisis that's going to bankrupt our health-care system," Thies said. "It's not something we think is going to happen. We know it's going to happen."




source:yahoo.com

source:imdb.com

Happy Birthday guys. God bless.

Happy Birthday guys. God bless.

Happy Birthday guys. God bless.

source:imdb.com