February, 2011 | PhatzNewsRoom.com News Room and Blog

Breaking News – Josh Beckett Hit with Ball – Spring Training

February 28, 2011 By Admin

4743da29178084244d3ae4cf6a79565c Breaking News – Josh Beckett Hit with Ball – Spring Training

(Phatzradio) Staff Writer Anthony D. – Josh Beckett was in the wrong place at the wrong time Monday, when he got by a batted ball by Ino Guerrero. He’s been diagnosed with a mild concussion. He impressed me with his toughness by only dropping to one knee and walking off the field with help from the Sox trainer. I think,it’s only my opinion,that his toughness and fire shined through during that moment which I hope he can carry into the season and recover from a horrendous year. I haven’t been on the Beckett bandwagon since the 2008 playoffs but his toughness there impressed me.

FORT MYERS, Fla. — The Red Sox have released a statement saying Josh Beckett suffered a mild concussion after being hit in the left side of the head with a baseball during the team’s batting practice prior to its game against the Twins at City of Palms Park Monday. He was sent home from the park and will be reevaluated Tuesday.

Beckett, who is scheduled to start Thursday against the Phillies, was standing in left-center field when a ball deflected off of coach Ino Guerrero’s fungo bat. After being escorted off the field by the team’s medical staff, the pitcher didn’t have to go to the hospital, instead being treated at the park.

Beckett pitched in his first spring training game of the season Sunday night, giving up a run on two hits over two innings. He threw 23 pitches, 15 of which were for strikes. After the contest, he said, “If I’m healthy, the numbers will be there.”

Breaking News – Josh Beckett Hit with Ball – Spring Training is a post from: PhatzRadio.com

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Rebels “down” Libyan aircraft, governments discuss next move

February 28, 2011 By Admin Leave a Comment

79ff64c96a64922136b38853d751deba Rebels down Libyan aircraft, governments discuss next move

(Reuters) – Rebels downed a military aircraft on Monday as they fought a government bid to take back Libya’s third city, Misrata, a witness said, while foreign ministers discussed how to help them oust Muammar Gaddafi.

Gaddafi’s forces have been trying for days to push back a revolt that has won over large parts of the military, ended his control over eastern Libya and is holding the government at bay in western cities near the capital Tripoli.

In both Libya’s third city, Misrata, 200 km (125 miles) to the east, and Zawiyah, a strategic refinery town 50 km (30 miles) to the west, rebels with military backing were holding the town centers against repeated government attacks.

“An aircraft was shot down this morning while it was firing on the local radio station. Protesters captured its crew,” the witness, Mohamed, told Reuters by telephone.

“Fighting to control the military air base started last night and is still going on. Gaddafi’s forces control only a small part of the base. Protesters control a large part of this base where there is ammunition.”

Foreign governments are increasing the pressure on Gaddafi to leave in the hope of ending fighting that has claimed at least 1,000 lives and restoring order to a country that accounts for 2 percent of the world’s oil production.

SANCTIONS

The U.N. Security Council has slapped sanctions on Gaddafi and other Libyan authorities, imposed an arms embargo and frozen Libyan assets, while making clear that those who used violence against civilians would face international justice.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and others were holding bilateral talks at a human rights conference in Geneva to coordinate further action.

European powers including erstwhile ally Italy said it was time for Gaddafi to quit and Clinton said the United States was “reaching out” to opposition groups.

A U.S. official in Geneva said a central aim of sanctions was to “send a message not only to Gaddafi … but to the people around Gaddafi, who are the ones we’re really seeking to influence.” [n28222540]

Revolutions in neighboring Tunisia and Egypt have helped to ignite resentment of four decades of often bloody political repression under Gaddafi as well as his failure to use Libya’s oil wealth to tackle widespread poverty and lack of opportunity.

Gaddafi himself has been defiant, but a spokesman struck a new, conciliatory tone at a briefing on Monday.

Spokesman Mussa Ibrahim conceded that government forces had fired on civilians, but said this was because they were not properly trained.

“So they shot and killed some civilians,” he said. “We never denied that hundreds of people have been killed.”

He also said the revolt had “started as a genuine peaceful movement.”

“We also believe it is time for change,” he said. “But this movement has been hijacked by the West … and by Islamic militants.”

Regional experts expect rebels eventually to take the capital and kill or capture Gaddafi, but add that he has the firepower to foment chaos or civil war — a prospect he and his sons have warned of.

ZAWIYAH

Rebels holding Zawiyah said about 2,000 troops loyal to Gaddafi had surrounded the city.

“We will do our best to fight them off. They will attack soon,” said a former police major who switched sides and joined the rebellion. “If we are fighting for freedom, we are ready to die for it.”

Residents even in parts of the capital Tripoli have thrown up barricades against government forces. A general in the east of the country, where Gaddafi’s power has evaporated, told Reuters his forces were ready to help rebels in the west.

“Our brothers in Tripoli say: “We are fine so far, we do not need help’. If they ask for help we are ready to move,” said General Ahmed el-Gatrani, one of most senior figures in the mutinous army in Benghazi.

Opposition forces are largely in control of Libya’s oil facilities, which are mostly located in the east, and output has been reduced to a trickle.

Bank of America Merrill Lynch said in a note to its clients that the unrest could mean Libyan supplies were unavailable to the market for months.

Benchmark Brent oil futures were slightly lower at just under $112 a barrel.

In the eastern city of Benghazi, opponents of the 68-year-old leader said they had formed a National Libyan Council to be the “face” of the revolution, but it was unclear who they represented.

They said they wanted no foreign intervention and had not made contact with foreign governments.

The “Network of Free Ulema,” claiming to represent “some of Libya’s most senior and most respected Muslim scholars,” issued a statement urging “total rebellion” and endorsing the formation of an “interim government” announced two days ago.

FOREIGN WORKERS STRANDED

Western leaders, emboldened by evacuations that have brought home many of their citizens from the vast desert state, have been speaking out clearly against Gaddafi.

“We have reached, I believe, a point of no return,” Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said on Sunday, adding it was “inevitable” that Gaddafi would leave power.

Britain’s former prime minister, Tony Blair, said he had spoken to Gaddafi on Friday and told him to go.

“He was in denial that these things are going on,” Blair said. “The strategic objective is that there is a change in leadership in Libya with the minimum further bloodshed. Far too many people have died; there has been far too much violence.”

Blair helped to end the Western isolation of Gaddafi over his support for international terrorism after he agreed to renounce weapons of mass destruction, paving the way for big British business deals in Libya.

Wealthy states have sent planes and ships to bring home expatriate workers but many more, from poorer countries, are stranded. Thousands of Egyptians streamed into Tunisia on Sunday, complaining Cairo had done nothing to help them.

The United Nations refugee agency said on Sunday nearly 100,000 people have fled violence in Libya in the past week in a growing humanitarian crisis.

(Additional reporting by Yvonne Bell and Chris Helgren in Tripoli, Marie-Louise Gumuchian and Souhail Karam in Rabat, Dina Zayed and Caroline Drees in Cairo, Tom Pfeiffer, Alexander Dziadosz and Mohammed Abbas in Benghazi, Arshad Mohammed in Washington and Louis Charbonneau at the United Nations; Writing by Kevin Liffey and Dominic Evans, Editing by Sonya Hepinstall)

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South Korea-US drills begin despite North Korean threat

February 28, 2011 By Admin Leave a Comment

dff165938c7fbf758d3173f6b5ae530a South Korea US drills begin despite North Korean threat

Large-scale military exercises involving American and South Korean troops have begun, prompting North Korea to threaten “all-out war”.

The training drills are held every year and commanders insist they are purely defensive.

But talks between North and South Korea aimed at easing tensions between the two countries broke down recently.

Three months ago the North shelled a South Korean island, killing four people.

The exercises on land, sea and in the air involve 200,000 South Korean troops and nearly 13,000 Americans – most of whom are not based in the country.

In part it is a regular rehearsal for emergency deployments of US forces in the event of a sudden attack on South Korea.

Every year Pyongyang denounces the exercises, saying they are actually a pretext for an American invasion of the North to topple the communist government.

But this year’s rhetoric is harsher: the North has threatened to turn the South’s capital, Seoul, which sits less than 48km (30 miles) from the border and so well within range of artillery, into a “sea of fire”.

Following last year’s confrontation over a South Korean island and the sinking of one of its warships, for which the North denies responsibility, many analysts have predicted a new military provocation by the North.

These concerns were reinforced when military talks between the two Koreas broke down earlier this month.

The North has also been angered by a renewed propaganda drive from the South.

As well as activists sending leaflets criticising the North Korean leader Kim Jong-il via balloons floated over the border, it is understood the South’s military has begun using the same technique – and may also be spreading news of uprisings in Arab countries.

Pyongyang calls this “psychological warfare” and has threatened to attack the sites from which balloons are launched.

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U.S. health care law not immune to nullification

February 28, 2011 By Admin Leave a Comment

fcc4e7ca86d8985139cbf6f8d468e9c0 U.S. health care law not immune to nullification

In their battle against the federal health care legislation, Republican lawmakers in at least 11 states are turning to a centuries-old and rarely used tactic in an effort to wrest power from the federal government.

The Republican-controlled Idaho House of Representatives became the first elected body in the nation to pass a nullification bill on Feb. 16, when it voted 49-20 in favor of a measure to nullify the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Seven Republicans voted against the nulification bill along with all House Democrats.

The doctrine of nullification has deep roots in U.S. history. Thomas Jefferson in 1798 first outlined the notion that states have the right to void federal laws that they perceive run contrary to the U.S. Constitution when he argued against Congress’ passage of the Alien and Sedition Acts.

The Idaho Senate State Affairs Committee took up the patient bill on Friday. The GOP controls the Senate, 27-8. Idaho Republican Gov. Butch Otter has indicated he would sign the bill if it passes, according to Republican Rep. Vito Barbieri, the bill’s sponsor in the House.

Political scholar Larry Sabato, author of the book A More Perfect Constitution, said nullification bills are “interesting concepts,” but they won’t get very far. “The U.S. Department of Justice or other interested groups are going to file a federal lawsuit and sooner or later the courts are going to overturn these laws,” he said.

Michael Boldin, executive director of the Los Angeles-based Tenth Amendment Center, disagrees. The center advocates for states rights based on the U.S. Constitution’s 10th Amendment — that powers not granted to the federal government nor prohibited to the states by the Constitution are reserved to the states or the people.

Boldin said states already have proven their ability to nullify federal law. He points to 15 states that have openly defied federal drug laws by legalizing medical marijuana and 25 states that refused to implement the 2005 REAL ID Act, a law creating a national identification card.

“When enough people say no to Washington, D.C., and enough states pass laws backing them up, there’s not much Washington, D.C., can do to enforce those laws,” Boldin said.

Critics, including Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer, a Democrat, have called efforts to nullify federal laws “anti-American.” Schweitzer indicated that he would likely veto such measures if they get to his desk.

Idaho Republican Rep. Eric Anderson, one of seven GOP House members to vote against the bill to nullify the federal health care act, said that he does not support the new federal law but that it isn’t up to state legislatures to pick and choose which laws they think are constitutional.

“Until the U.S. Supreme Court says this is unconstitutional, it is the law of the land. And as much as I might not like the health care act, I just simply don’t think that’s my prerogative or a legislature’s prerogative to overturn it.”

Republican Rep. Ken Andrus said his vote in favor was a signal to Washington that Idaho would no longer acquiesce when far-off agencies try to direct it.

“I can’t plow a ditch in my own field without federal government permission,” Andrus said

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Benefits to Dating an Older Guy

February 28, 2011 By Admin Leave a Comment

767737b097104aa62914696c6457890b Benefits to Dating an Older Guy

(Phatforums Blog) – Recently I was talking to a girl in her early twenties and listening to her dating woes. She has her heart set on this one little college boy who will make out with her and then never call. She’s sure he’s “the one” even though the only time he’s coming around is if she’s putting out and she can’t quite figure that out yet.

She mentioned another guy who had recently shown interest in her but she said he was 25. When I asked what the problem was, she said (with a disgusted look on her face) “Ew, he’s old!”

Now, as a man who has just recently strolled past his mid-30?s, I don’t think I’m old. I know for certain that 25 isn’t old. And yet here was this little 21 year old telling me how turned off she was by this “old man” who had hit on her. Well, for all you “little girls” out there who can’t move beyond the little boys and into the real men, here’s what you’re missing out on:

1. No “little boy” games. If you get your kicks off the “we’re dating/no we’re not” daily roller coaster ride, then you don’t want an older guy. Men in their 30?s usually have enough experience to know ahead of time what they like and don’t. If it’s going to be purely physical, most of the time we’re beyond the point of stringing you along forever to get you in bed. The clock’s ticking and we know it, so if they just want sex and you aren’t easy prey, they’ll move on. Img8

On the other hand, if they continue to show interest in you, you can judge their sincerity. Most thirty-somethings and above are beyond the crap and can show genuine interest in a woman because we’re looking for something more.

2. The future is mapped out. When you’re dating a 22 year old boy who says he wants to be a rock star, that’s cute. You might date him and tell your friends he’s going to be the next Justin Timberlake or whatever. You have no way of knowing if he’s serious or not. Unfortunately, it may take you 8 years to figure out he’s not going to actually ever get famous, and by that time you’ve invested so much time into the relationship you can’t move on.

On the other hand, a man in his mid-30?s knows where he’s going and how he wants to get there. If he says he’s going to own his own business, then if he’s not well on his way you can count him out. He has either gone to college and done something with his degree, or might possibly be in college getting a degree to better himself. Most of our dreams are dead by 35 as cold, hard reality has set in. We know that the only way to actually accomplish anything in life is to apply ourselves and make that happen. You can look at this man and know ahead of time what your future together will probably be.

3. We take our time. Understand something, a man in his mid-30?s no longer notches the bed post (for the most part). He’s looking for a james-bond-16relationship, and when the intimacy begins he’s in no hurry to finish it. Sports are great, and the stock market is interesting, but when cloth leaves skin the focus change s. There’s a reason why James Bond is always played by a man in his late 30?s, you know.

We know where the “hot spots” are. We actually know about foreplay. We are looking for an earth-shattering hour. We are not some college frat boy who is going to slam it home and then go grab a brew. You never know…you might actually get something out of the experience rather than hoping you can catch up before your boyfriend ends the show.

4. We respect you. This one is interesting. You can take it or leave it and we don’t care. We’ve been with enough losers to understand a psychochick when we see her, and we can usually see those warning signs long before they arrive. If we show interest in you, and you reciprocate, we’re going to try and make this work. We will actually listen when you talk, and can possibly even remember things you like. We aren’t sitting there while you’re speaking thinking, “Chick, shut up and get naked!” (well, I mean, we might be–we aren’t dead after all–but we’re still going to listen). We’re not going to talk about your exploits to our buddies, or post private pictures of you on the Internet, or forget your phone number after we make out. We’re beyond the games, and ready for something serious.

And finally…

5. We’re mature (for the most part). Posey FamilyLook, women are more mature than men most of the time, and I can readily accept and acknowledge this. So when you find an older man, you are finding someone who just might be your equal in maturity. You both might have similar goals in the relationship, and by that time in a man’s life he’s probably got similar goals as far as a family goes too. Your pretty boy college boyfriend might not want kids because he’s afraid it’ll cut into his fun with his buddies, while an older man is ready for kids and could actually end up being a father who actually participates in raising the kids.

I have a friend who is 43 and just married a girl who is 25. She’s head-over-heels in love with him, and vice versa. Their age difference has caused quite a few people to raise their eyebrows, but when I see them together I don’t notice anything besides the fact that they are obviously made for each other.

So hey, next time you’re considering a guy to date, don’t automatically take him out of the running because he’s a few years older than you. You might not appreciate the difference now, but it just might make all the difference for a successful relationship in the long run.

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The One That Got Away…and Why We Love Them

February 28, 2011 By Admin Leave a Comment

71c2da3d2104c9d39e06b35ea704936b The One That Got Away…and Why We Love Them

So this girl I work with is so crazy hot it makes any man who sees her immediately stop what they’re doing to watch her walk down the hall. Though a little conceited she has a pretty good personality as well. She’s talented, smart, sexy as humanly possible, and fun to hang around. And she’s had almost 10 boyfriends this year.

Understand, she hasn’t slept with them all or anything. It’s just that she seems to always find a way to kill any relationship she gets in because she’s comparing him to “Bob”, the guy she considers “the one”. Bob broke up with her via email at the beginning of the year and let her know that he’d actually been seeing someone else for a few weeks as well. He cared for her and all, but he just didn’t see a future with her.couple-laptop2-lg-new

This was powerful because this was literally the first guy who had ever dumped this girl. She had always been the dump-er, and now she was the dump-ee. It did not go well.

And now, despite the fact that he cheated on her, she can’t let him go. Every relationship she gets in is automatically compared to this fantasized version of Bob. In her mind he’s not the cheating two-timer she hated with a passion as she finished that email. Instead, he’s the caring sensitive guy who loved her with all his heart.

So what is it about ex’s the keep people so enamored? Why can’t we move on sometimes when a relationship goes sour and ends?

First, it’s because of what we imagine might have been. We see ourselves waking up in the middle of the night and having this person roll over onto us for “movie love”. They wake up in the morning ready to go with their hair perfect and their breath fresh. They never get mad and always worship the ground we walk on. Of course, none of this happened while the relationship was going on, but that won’t stop us from imagining it.

When I was single, I had a girl who was a very good friend of mine. The years we were together were fun, and we were very close though we never took it to a physical level. Thinking back on it later, I reconsidered a lot of our conversations and realized there were times she was tentatively opening the door to me for more, and I never caught it or took it. Now when I think of what might have been I picture her doing incredibly athletic things to my body as I fight for every breath in a bliss I had never thought possible. Would it have really been that way? Probably not…but that’s just the way we are wired to see things. Rather than look at reality and see them as a real person, we lock them forever in our memories as “perfection”.

Second, time heals all wounds. The things that drove us away from them or annoyed the fire out of us are long forgotten as we dinner concentrate instead on little things that meant so much. They might have been loud, or obnoxious, or even downright cruel at times…but there were those precious moments like when they picked up a candy bar for us while in the gas station, or when they reached for our hand in the dark during a movie. She might have been banging your brother, but when you picture her she’s this angel.

Third, something special happened at least once with them–and we keep hoping it will happen with someone else. It might have been incredibly deep conversations, or mind-blowing passion, or wonderful laughs, but something happened that made that person stick out. That one part of the relationship is usually what we hang on to, focus on, and desperately want to recreate. Most of the time, unfortunately, we can’t hope to.

In the case of the girl I work with, the guy she’s so hung up on was “her first”, and as such he holds a place that no man can ever possibly hope to have. playful-couple-lgAlmost everyone can remember their first time even decades later, so you can see what her future husband will be fighting against. It’s really unfair to hold any other guy up to the standard she’s placed “Bob” in (and she didn’t even think it was that great), but she’s holding out hope because she doesn’t want to be considered a tramp and wants to be a one-man-ever kind of woman.

Whatever the cause, it’s often unfair to think anyone else can ever measure up to this standard that has been placed on them. Ex’s sometimes get those special glorified places that can never be matched. How many times do we miss out on something better simply because we hang on to something we think was so incredible.

And the funny part? If we do find a way to make the relationship get another chance, it ends the same way. Those incredible moments we thought would forever move us may show up for a minute or two, but then they’re overshadowed as reality sets in once more.

So what’s a person to do if they find their mind constantly wandering back to that “perfect love”?

Remember why you broke up to begin with. There had to be a reason. It wasn’t perfect, and if you can keep a balanced look at guy 18 everything you’ll see why things couldn’t possibly work out.

If need be, focus on the bad things and knock out the good. It may seem cruel, but if it will help you get over them and move on you should do it. I’m not saying your should cheapen whatever great times you had, I’m just saying if you have to move on then you do whatever you need to in order to make that happen.

Give someone else a fair chance to win your heart. The poor guy or gal might be better for you than anything you’d ever imagined, but if you don’t give them a chance to prove it you’ll stay lonely and pining away for “the one” forever. Really, truly, honestly move on as best you can and don’t allow yourself to think of that other person as you’re with the new one. You never know…it might be better than you’d ever imagined it could be.

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Men and “The List”

February 28, 2011 By Admin Leave a Comment

212897c92fecf1b3b62f8703ee633542 Men and The List

(Phatforums Blog) – Every man (and many women) has “The List”. It’s a list of the people they are going to sleep with given the chance. Here’s the key weakness to them, however: they usually involve people that the guy has no chance of ever hooking up with. People like Angelina Jolie or Penelope Cruz may be on the list, but the man knows he’s going to spend the rest of his life fantasizing about it and nothing more.

But then there are those who have a different list. Their list is filled with possibilities. These are those women who might have been, but weren’t…yet still could be. From my honest friends and co-workers (their names changed to protect the truthful), I give you “The List”:

1) The Former Best Friend

Tom says, “Before I met my wife, I had this incredibly close female friend. We would hang out together all the time, and we just clicked. She made me laugh, and we always had fun together. It never go physical though. We’d go to the movies, out to dinner, even hang out at her place and watch TV, but we kept it cool.

“After I got married, this girl and I lost touch. As I looked back on our times together, I suddenly realized some of the things she’d talked about during our conversations. She’d casually tossed out hints about what kind of kisser she thought I’d be. She mentioned her past and a few sexual things she liked, and stuff like that. And for some reason, all of those conversations just zipped right past me until much later.

“Don’t get me wrong, I know we wouldn’t have been a good married couple. There were too many differences. But I always think of her as a perfect lover for me. We clicked on so many levels, I can’t help but think she would have been incredible. She’s married now too, but if the opportunity ever came, I know I’d give it a shot.”

2) The “Almost”

Frank said, “There’s this woman I was crazy about. The first time I saw her, I was in love and was sure this was the woman I was going to marry. I tried everything and she flirted with me all the time, but for some reason we just never got that connection. She eventually chose another guy over me and she’s married now with two kids, but I see her all the time. She still looks good for a mother of two, even all these years later.

“Every time I see her, I still feel that connection that might have been. If she ever has a fight with her husband that’s one of those ‘I’m leaving for the night’ kind of fights, I hope I’m the one she comes to see. We may not last more than a night together as a couple, but I’m sure it’ll be the greatest night of my life.”

3) The “Forbidden”

David says, “I have a girl in my office who is an intern. She’s 23 and has the most perfect body I’ve ever seen. The thing is I’ve known her and her family for years. Her father is a friend of mine and even though his daughter’s all grown up, he’s still protective of her.

“There was a time last year when the girl and I really started talking. She mentioned dreams she was having about me (nothing sexual) and the more I talked to her about everything from books to music to life in general, the more I realized how much I wanted this woman. Of course, I don’t think my wife would approve, and I know I’d lose this girl’s father as a friend forever. Even with that, I see this girl and know that if the opportunity ever came up, I’d take the chance.”

4) The Freak

Mike says, “My wife isn’t into sex. She was a virgin when we got married–her idea–and I just trusted she’d get into the swing of things. Unfortunately, she didn’t and we have the most vanilla sex ever. On the rare occasion that it happens, I swear it’s like a script and no matter how hard I try to get her to try something just minutely different (like being on top) she just gives up two seconds into it and we’re back to ‘the usual’. I want a half hour of foreplay, whereas her idea of foreplay is to say, ‘All right, let’s get this over with.’

“Her best friend, on the other hand, is a freak in bed. She tells my wife all about how she wants it all the time, but her husband never does (the stupid moron). I encourage my wife to spend time around this girl in the hopes that some of her libido will rub off on my wife. Instead, as my wife tells me what this girls mentions, I’ve found myself fantasizing about my wife’s friend. The funny thing is that I dated her before I dated my wife, and now that rubs salt in the wound because I realize I could have had this ‘acrobat in the sack’ if I’d just stayed with her. I never slept with the woman though, and that just makes it worse.

“I realize now that my wife will probably never change and every story her friend tells her won’t pique her interest in trying something new. Instead, I think about this woman all the time, and think about how she’s just as frustrated as I am. I try to spend time with her when she’s with my wife and test to see if our connection is still there when my wife’s not around. I love my wife dearly, but sex is a big part of any relationship and she’s just doesn’t accept that. If there was any way for her friend and I to get together and satisfy each other’s needs on a regular basis, I wouldn’t hesitate to do it. The way I see it, we’d be helping both of our spouses because they don’t want to do it, and they wouldn’t have to anymore. We’d be taking care of each other.”

—

So there you have it. It’s not really pretty, but you can sort of see a trend. A passionless marriage/relationship is one that is ripe for an affair. Of course, you can’t blame it all on a passionless partner. The guy has to keep his mind away from the “forbidden fruit” and realize that the more he thinks about it, the more likely he is to act on it.

Is there anything wrong with having “the list”? Well, being truthful (as my blog title implies) I imagine everyone has that list, even if they don’t realize it. Subconsciously we are attracted to people. Just because you get married doesn’t mean you never find anyone else attractive! Even the most faithful husband still finds that temptation to watch a tight sweater as it goes by. But the key is to fight the temptation.

At some point, I’m going to write a post on the after-effects of an affair on a relationship. For now, let me just say if you aren’t happy in the relationship, instead of throwing it all away for one night with a “list person”, move on. It’s better for both of you.

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Anthony’s 29, Stoudemire’s block lead Knicks over Heat

February 28, 2011 By Admin

Anthony’s 29, Stoudemire’s block lead Knicks over Heat

MIAMI (AP) — With the game on the line, LeBron James (FSY) got past Carmelo Anthony (FSY).

*
BOX SCORE: Knicks 91, Heat 86

Not Amar’e Stoudemire (FSY), however.

And just like that, the New York Knicks— with defense, no less — knocked off the Miami Heat.

Chauncey Billups (FSY) made the go-ahead three-pointer with 1:01 left, Stoudemire blocked James’ layup try with seven seconds remaining to protect a one-point lead, and the Knicks finished with a 13-2 run to beat the Heat 91-86 on Sunday night.

“The bigger the game, the bigger the stage, the bigger they play,” Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni said. “Tonight they showed it.”

Anthony scored 29 points and Stoudemire added 16 points and 10 rebounds. Billups had 16 points for the Knicks, who rallied from a 15-point, first-half deficit and improved to 2-1 since the megatrade with Denver that dramatically changed their roster.

James scored 27 for Miami, which had won seven straight at home. Chris Bosh (FSY) added 20 points and 12 rebounds, and Dwyane Wade (FSY) finished with only 12 points for the Heat — who had 20 turnovers, matching the fourth-most forced by New York this season.

“We will have our breakthrough,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “And as painful as this is right now, there will be a time that we break through and we’re able to execute and win a game like this against a quality opponent going down the stretch. What you hope is that the pain of a game like this resonates enough to make a change.”

With New York up by one, Bill Walker (FSY) turned the ball over with 12.7 seconds left when he was unable to handle an inbounds pass, and Miami had its chance.

James drove on Anthony down the left side of the lane, but Stoudemire swatted the two-time reigning MVP’s try away.

“I watched it the whole way,” Stoudemire said. “I knew what he was going to do.”

James had another chance, but his potentially tiebreaking three-pointer missed with two seconds left, and the Knicks leaped in celebration.

Miami is now tied with Chicago in the loss column, each with 17 in the tight race in the East. The Heat do have three more wins, but fell a half-game behind Boston for the top spot in the conference.

And it was there for the Heat’s taking, after holding an 84-78 lead with 3:05 left.

New York, as it had all night, came back quickly.

A 9-2 run over the next three minutes, capped by Billups’ three-pointer over Wade’s outstretched arm with 1:01 left, gave the Knicks an 85-84 edge — and few people in the sellout crowd remained seated at that point.

“It’s a shot that I like to shoot,” Billups said. “It’s kind of a far shot, but it’s in my range and I knocked it down.”

Billups added a steal on the next Miami possession and set up Shawne Williams (FSY) for two free throws and an 87-84 lead. James answered with two free throws, getting the Heat within one again, but Stoudemire’s block kept them at bay.

“I don’t think we played badly,” Bosh said. “I think we controlled the whole game. … We had control of the game. We just didn’t execute down the stretch.”

Mike Miller (FSY) scored 10 for Miami. Walker had 10 for the Knicks, who won despite shooting 39%.

It was the fourth and final regular-season meeting for the Knicks and Heat, and Wade could only point to one reason why Sunday night seemed so different.

“Melo,” he said before the game.

True, but the scene was anything but mellow.

Predictably, it was a double-feature of sorts — part showdown, part show.

Knicks superfan Spike Lee was having a conversation with Landry Fields (FSY) during pregame warmups. Actor Michael Clarke Duncan and soccer star Thierry Henry had prime seats, tennis star Venus Williams appeared, and Miami’s notoriously late-settling crowd was in place in plenty of time to lustily boo New York’s starters as they were introduced.

“The atmosphere was crazy,” Knicks guard Anthony Carter (FSY) said.

Oh, there was a game, too.

Williams blocked Erick Dampier (FSY) down low two minutes into the game. No problem — James simply knocked the ball away from Stoudemire, then threw a no-look, backward-over-his-head pass to Dampier for a dunk. A minute later, James dribbled behind his back to get clear of Billups, slapped the ball to Wade, then received an alley-oop pass back and slammed it with his left hand.

How good was that one? Someone posted the clip to YouTube within eight minutes.

Miami’s lead was all the way to 51-36 when Bosh scored with 4:25 remaining in the half. Everything changed in a hurry.

New York scored the final 16 points of the half, starting when Billups made a three-pointer, the first of four by the Knicks before intermission, including another by Billups and a falling-down, beat-the-clock version by Walker at the buzzer to give New York a 52-51 lead at the break.

Another drought to close the third quarter proved costly to Miami.

Up 66-60 when Miller made a three-pointer with 3:30 left, the Heat went cold for the rest of the period. Anthony elevated over James Jones (FSY) for a layup with 1:13 left, added a three-pointer 34 seconds later, and the Knicks were within 66-65 going into the fourth.

“It really felt like a playoff game,” Billups said.

NOTES: Miller had missed the previous four games after taking several hits to the head, then battling a cold and ear infection. … Carter appeared in only 14 games with the Nuggets this season, never playing more than 16 minutes. He logged 19 on Sunday in his first outing with the Knicks, a day after D’Antoni told him he was still trying to figure out how to get him into the rotation.

Anthony’s 29, Stoudemire’s block lead Knicks over Heat is a post from: PhatzRadio.com

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Bruins beat Oilers, win 5th straight

February 28, 2011 By Admin

8ef13bf99ec5a84cdbe5a9486968fde1 Bruins beat Oilers, win 5th straight

The Boston Bruins shouldn’t be all that eager to return home.

Michael Ryder had a goal and an assist as the Bruins won their fifth in a row, all on the road, beating the Edmonton Oilers 3-2 on Sunday.

Nathan Horton and Rich Peverley also scored for the Bruins (36-19-7), who have won all five games thus far on their six-game roadtrip.

“This trip has been a great opportunity for us to introduce our new players to the hockey club by being on the road,” Bruins head coach Claude Julien said. “The timing was good. We’ve got a better record on the road than we do at home. We seem to play some really good, smart games on the road. Hopefully we can carry that back to Boston and be a little bit better there.”

Rookie Tyler Seguin said the Bruins earned the win with a complete effort.

“I thought we were able to stay consistent through a full 60-minutes,” he said. “They stayed in there, they had their chances, but we were able to pull through.”

Ales Hemsky and Gilbert Brule replied for the Oilers (20-35-8), who have lost two in a row and three of their last four.

“We competed and we didn’t let numbers bother us,” Oilers head coach Tom Renney said after his team was outshot 40-17. “We just kept playing and wouldn’t go away, which is important. We did everything we could to play through it and play with them.

“I thought we did a pretty darn good job against one of the better teams in the National Hockey League.”

Added Oilers rookie Taylor Hall: “They’re big, they’re fast and they work hard. More than anything, I think, it’s their work ethic and their speed. This whole year is about learning and there’s a lot to learn about how to play against big, hard-working guys like that.”

The Oilers, often victims of early goals against this season, started the game off quickly themselves for once as Hemsky slid a rebound and under Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask just 1:05 into the game.

Boston came back to tie the game 1-1 with four and a half minutes left in the opening frame. Ryder scooped up a rebound and waited for Oilers goalie Devan Dubnyk to go down before sending a shot into the top of the net for his 17th goal of the season.

The Bruins went ahead by one with just 1:21 left in the first as David Krejci faked a shot before sending it over to Horton, who buried it into an empty net.

Boston continued to dominate play in the second period but weren’t rewarded until the final minute when Ryder fed Peverley, who deked out Dubnyk to score his first goal as a Bruin since coming over in a trade with Atlanta.

The Oilers got back into it just over three minutes into the third as Brule rifled a bullet from the far edge of the faceoff circle past a screened Rask.

Both teams are back in action on Tuesday as the Bruins close out their six-game trip in Ottawa and the Oilers play host to Nashville.

Bruins beat Oilers, win 5th straight is a post from: PhatzRadio.com

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Gordon ends 66-race winless streak

February 28, 2011 By Admin

d5e2d4d773bbed6230f15d9e931d7bfb Gordon ends 66 race winless streak

AVONDALE, Ariz. (AP) ? Just before peeling off what he called a lame burnout near the finish line, Jeff Gordon screamed into his radio, the emotion pouring out with his voice.

“We just beat Kyle Busch!” he yelled.

Gordon did much more than that. He was headed back to Victory Lane, the longest winless streak of his career finally in the rearview mirror.

Overcoming a slew of potentially disastrous incidents, Gordon passed Kyle Busch with eight laps left and stretched his lead from there, ending his winless streak at 66 races Sunday at Phoenix International Raceway.

“It feels so amazing. I can’t tell you how amazing this feels, ” Gordon said. “It’s been a long time, I know, and I’m going to savor this one so much.”

PIR has been the place to end long winless streaks lately. Ryan Newman halted a 77-race checkerless streak at PIR in the spring and Carl Edwards stopped his run at 70 races without a win in the fall.

Gordon, a four-time series champion, was mired in a drought that seemed inexplicable for one of NASCAR’s most successful and popular drivers. Even in ending it, it wasn’t easy.

Coming off a disappointing Daytona 500, Gordon struggled in qualifying and started 20th. Early in the race, he was knocked into the wall by Edwards and later had to avoid a massive wreck that led to a 14-minute red flag. He also had to pull behind another car to shake loose a piece of debris from his grill and fight his way back to the front after a slow pit stop late in the race.

Gordon still managed to lead a race-high 138 laps and was able to pull alongside then bump Busch out of the way to win for the first time since April 2009 at Texas. It was his 83rd career victory, tying him with Cale Yarborough for fifth all-time.

“He was on a mission today, that’s for sure, ” said Busch, who held on for second to fall just short of winning all three NASCAR races in the same weekend for the second time in his career.

“When Jeff Gordon has a good car and he’s got the opportunity to beat you, he’s going to beat you, there’s no doubt about that. He’s my hero and I’ve always watched him and what he’s been able to accomplish over the years, so it’s no surprise that he beat us.”

Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick and Ryan Newman rounded out the top five in a 312-lap race around PIR’s mile oval, the last on the current surface.

The quirky old track will undergo a $10 million repaving and reconfiguration project before the fall race, a move that isn’t popular with many of the drivers.

The old bump-and-crack-filled surface held up well in its final weekend with a flurry of records.

Clint Bowyer set the qualifying mark in trucks on Friday, then Busch did it in Nationwide on Saturday. Edwards set a new Sprint Cup qualifying record at the track, hitting 137.279 mph to barely edge Kurt Busch on a day when 15 drivers eclipsed the previous record set by Edwards in the fall.

Conditions were a little different for Sunday’s race.

A big storm came through the Valley of the Sun overnight, leaving a dusting of snow on the mountains above the track and washing away all the rubber that had built up on the track the previous two days. That meant a change in setups for all the teams, more grip for the tires and, fitting for the way the weekend went, more speed.

And it seemed the extra speed was hard to handle, leading to numerous early cautions, including one that took out Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne.

Edwards never got much of a chance to make it two straight wins at PIR. After leading several laps early, his No. 99 car got sent to the infield grass around Lap 60 when Kyle Busch’s car got loose and hit him on the right side.

Edwards tried to keep going, but smoke started billowing out of the left side of his car and he was unable to turn, slamming into Gordon and sending both of them into the wall. He returned to the track later and finished 28th.

“I watched the replay and I think Kyle was just having a little trouble with his car, ” Edwards said. “He was frustrated about it and didn’t give us the room we needed. It just worked out in the absolute worst case for us.”

A few laps later, the big wreck hit.

It started with Matt Kenseth bumping Brian Vickers coming out of Turn 2. Vickers tried to correct his slide, got loose and started a chain-reaction wreck that involved 13 cars and brought out the red flag, not to mention several wreckers ? the kind of aggressive racing not normally seen early in the season or early in races.

“They were driving like it was the last lap!” said Clint Bowyer, who was a part of the wreck. “Man, if we keep this up, we’ll only have four cars to end all these races.”

Once track officials finally cleared the track, the drivers were treated to a series of long runs.

Tony Stewart, Gordon and Johnson traded leads after that, with Gordon getting the longest stints. He seemed to be in control down the stretch, but lost the lead on a slow pit stop during the final caution.

Gordon quickly worked his way back through the field and caught up to Kyle Busch, who had passed Stewart for the lead. He stalked Busch for a few laps, then made his move and stretched the lead to take the checkers for the first time in a long time.

The fans in the grandstands savored the moment, nearly all of them rising as he crossed the line, and Gordon had a raucous celebration in the pits with his crew, owner and teammate Mark Martin.

“We were the only one to beat Kyle Busch this weekend and he’s so tough to beat, ” Gordon said. “What an awesome, awesome feeling to have a car like that.”

And to win like that, finally.

Gordon ends 66-race winless streak is a post from: PhatzRadio.com

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