relationship

Jim Buss: I won’t ever trade Kobe

by on April 5, 2012

LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant has a no-trade clause in his contract, and he won’t have to worry about exercising it — his team has no interest in trading him.

“I think about a lot of things to improve this team, to figure out how to manage the finances of it,” said Lakers executive vice president of player personnel, Jim Buss, as a guest on the “Mason & Ireland Show” on 710 ESPN on Friday. “One thing I haven’t thought of is Kobe being somewhere else. I don’t know why that question has ever come up and I’d like to squish that one.”

Bryant, 33, has played all 16 seasons of his career with the Lakers. he is under contract for the next two seasons and is set to make $58.3 million.

Mason & Ireland

Lakers Executive Jim Buss is live in-studio taking calls from 710 ESPN listeners regarding everything Lakers. Jim Buss talks about trading Fisher, his relationship with Phil Jackson, Kobe’s future as a Laker and much more.

Buss, the son of Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss, hinted that Bryant will not be retiring when his contract is through. When a caller suggested Bryant only had a short window remaining to try to capture his sixth NBA championship, Buss suggested Bryant could be around for a while longer.

“I might disagree with you that Kobe only has three or four years left, but we’ll see,” Buss said. “As you see, we make trades and our whole focus isn’t to win a sixth (championship). I’m not sure I would stop there for Kobe; I would go to seven or eight if we can. … I think Kobe is going to be a Laker for life and I’m pretty sure he’s not going to hang them up after two years.”

While Bryant’s security within the franchise couldn’t be stronger, Buss wanted to dispel the widespread belief that his personal attachment to center Andrew Bynum would prevent the Lakers from ever trading their 24-year-old All-Star.

“It’s just not true,” said Buss, who had influence in the Lakers selecting Bynum with the no. 10 pick in the 2005 NBA draft. “It’s not like I’m going out shopping Andrew Bynum, just nothing has ever come our way and I don’t anticipate anything coming our way where I would want to trade Andrew Bynum. … there just hasn’t been anything for Andrew Bynum. thank goodness we didn’t. the same people that attach me to Andrew Bynum would have traded him six times already, probably for players we wouldn’t even have (at this point). It’s OK to attach my name to Andrew Bynum because I think he’s a perennial All-Star, that’s OK with me, but to say that I wouldn’t trade him? That’s just unfounded.”

Bynum is averaging career highs in points (17.8), rebounds (12.6) and minutes (35.9) per game this season and is shooting a league-leading 58.1 percent from the field.

The Lakers plan to pick up the $16.4 million option on Bynum’s contract next season. However, Buss warned that under the terms of the new collective bargaining agreement that was put into place in December, thus ending the NBA’s 161-day lockout, the Lakers are unable to be as free-spending as they were in the past.

“With the new CBA, they put a lot of restrictions on teams that spend a lot of money. they want to make the playing field level and one way of doing it is penalize the teams that are spending a lot of money,” Buss said. “We have historically spent a lot of money. that has to change.”

The Lakers will try to parse down their hefty payroll of approximately $85 million for this season, which is well above the $70.1 million luxury tax level. while they will owe a dollar-for-dollar penalty to the league office at the end of this season of approximately $15 million, it will be much harsher in two seasons when all the terms of the new CBA kick in. For teams $0-$5 million more than the luxury tax, there will be a $1.50 per dollar penalty; $5 million-$10 million over is $1.75; $10 million-$15 million is $2.50; and $15 million-$20 million is $3.25. If a team finds itself above the luxury tax four years out of any five-year period, it will owe a repeater tax which would apply an extra dollar to every increment (i.e. if a team was $0-$5 million over, it would have to pay $2.50 instead of $1.50 per every dollar above the line).

Apart from the stricter financial penalties, teams operating above the luxury tax will not be privy to the full use of salary cap exceptions, meaning they will only be able to offer a “mini” mid-level exception, rather than a full mid-level exception to attract free agents.

The Lakers also will be affected by the new revenue-sharing model the NBA has adopted. Buss estimated the Lakers, who used to dole out approximately $4 million-$6 million a season in revenue sharing, now will owe anywhere from $50 million-$80 million in revenue sharing each season.

While all of the changes seemed targeted at the Lakers, Buss believes that the league made healthy changes.

“The lockout had to do with what is fair is fair,” Buss said. “The percentages weren’t correct and teams were losing money. I think what happened with the lockout and the new CBA and the revenue sharing all at one time, it looks like it was pointed towards the Lakers, but nobody actually pointed their finger at the Lakers. We’re a very successful organization. We make a good amount of money and the other teams lose money and we’re an easy target to try to get that money.

“We fought tooth and nail to keep the flexibility to keep this going. obviously, we lost to a certain degree because we have lost our flexibility to spend money. the revenue sharing was, in our mind, excessive but to other people it wasn’t.”

Buss said there are no hard feelings toward commissioner David Stern because of the changes that were made.

“The commissioner is very fair,” Buss said. “It doesn’t seem like it, but he’s doing the job that he’s supposed to do. We have a great relationship with David. Personally, I love the guy. I was in those meetings during the CBA negotiations. he was fighting for us, he was fighting for the Lakers and I think it all turned out pretty good.”

There weren’t warm-and-fuzzy feelings toward Stern, however, when the three-team trade between the Houston Rockets, New Orleans Hornets and Lakers was vetoed on the eve of training camp, blocking the Lakers from receiving Chris Paul.

“Basically, we had a deal and the commissioner didn’t think that it was a good deal and he has every right to veto it,” Buss said. “It shocked us. I was in (Lakers general manager) Mitch (Kupchak’s) office when that happened and I was ducking from things that he was throwing against the wall.”

"BBW" Stars Tami Roman & Kesha Nichols Dish On Kesha SLEEPING With A Producer & Jen And Evelyn's Feud!

by on March 28, 2012

"BBW" stars Tami Roman and Kesha Nichols both called into Richmond’s Power 92.1 to discuss the drama and antics of their co-stars on their hit VH1 reality show. they chatted about who is (or isn’t) sleeping with a show producer, how everyone feels about Kenya Bell and the Evelyn/Jennifer blowout. Listen inside………

Power 92.1′s TT Torrez got an earful this morning as "BBW" stars Tami Roman and Kesha Nichols called in to set the record straight about rumors and things that have happened so far on season 4.

Tami said that if she seems to come off as a "bully," it’s because the editors only show a very slanted perspective of the situations that have happened. She also said she thinks Kesha is getting the "good" edit because she may or may not have a "bedroom close" relationship with one of the shows’ producers. Then she talked about what gave her the courage to open up about her "rape" on the show.

Then, Kesha called in and denied that she was sleeping with one of the producers. She talked about the sudden cancellation of her wedding, what it felt like to grow up bi-racial and that EVERYONE thinks Kenya Bell is a little "off."

Listen to Tami Roman’s interview:

Listen to Kesha Nichols interview:

*UPDATE* Tami’s PR team sent out a statement this afternoon that she was admitted to Cedars-Sinai hospital last night for a medical condition and has since been released:

"BBW" Stars Tami Roman & Kesha Nichols Dish On Kesha SLEEPING With A Producer & Jen And Evelyn's Feud!

Is Obamacare Going Down?

by on March 28, 2012

Obamacare has run into a buzz saw at the Supreme Court. That isn’t really a surprise, and, as countless commentators have pointed out, you can’t necessarily predict a judge’s opinion from the tenor of his questions during oral argument. Still, Justice Kennedy, a moderate liberal, is likely the decisive vote, so the fact that he explicitly recognized that Obamacare is unprecedented is heartening to conservatives:

Kennedy: [H]ere the government is saying that the Federal Government has a duty to tell the individual citizen that it must act, and that is different from what we have in previous cases and that changes the relationship of the Federal Government to the individual in a very fundamental way.

In that last observation, Kennedy seems to be channeling mark Steyn–a very bad sign for proponents of the law.

The question inevitably raised by the Obamacare appeal is, if the federal government can do this, what can’t it do? the Constitution established a limited federal government with enumerated powers. Over the years, however, the national government’s powers have expanded almost beyond recognition. the Commerce Clause has been used to justify endless federal intrusions into every nook and cranny of our lives. As a practical matter, the idea that the federal government is limited to the Constitution’s enumerated powers has been abandoned. the liberal position now is that there is no limit to the authority of the federal government, except as its powers are specifically restrained by the bill of Rights.

Yet the text of the Constitution stands as a continuing rebuke to the thoughtless expansion of federal power. whatever Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid might believe, no Solicitor General can stand before the Court and deny that federal powers are limited. So when the justices asked, if the government can do this, what can’t it do, Solicitor General Donald Verrilli was obliged to argue that health care is unique, and therefore affirming Obamacare will not amount to a blank check for federal authority. So a special empowerment of the federal government with regard to health care ostensibly lies hidden somewhere in the Constitution.

Some have speculated that if the Court strikes down Obamacare, it will give Obama’s re-election campaign a boost. I am not sure whether that is correct or not–it strikes me that losing this case in the Supreme Court will contribute to the impression that the Obama administration has been a fiasco–but if so, it is a small price to pay. In a few cases in recent years, the Court has signaled that there are limits to the Commerce Clause. But Obamacare offers the Court an opportunity to do more: to issue a landmark opinion that would re-establish, in ringing terms, the proposition that ours is a government of limited, enumerated powers, and that would reassert the Court’s fidelity to the text of the Constitution. if that happens, it will be an important victory for the forces of freedom.

One final observation: some of the news coverage of the arguments before the Court has been good, but we have also seen howlers like this one in the Los Angeles Times:

[T]he administration has argued that Congress can use its authority under the commerce clause of the Constitution to impose the mandate as a means to regulate health insurance.

The Constitution says Congress has the power to “regulate commerce” and to impose taxes to promote the general welfare.

What the Constitution actually says (Article 1, Section 8, Clause 3) is:

The Congress shall have Power…To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes.

Ask yourself where in those words the Constitution authorizes Congress to control your family’s health care, and you get some idea of the magnitude of the task facing Solicitor General Verrilli.

Is Obamacare Going Down?

Minnesota Rotary District 5950

by on March 14, 2012

FALL RIVER, Mass. – a series of journals kept by a lawyer who represented Lizzie Borden in her 1893 double murder trial are shedding new light on the case.

The journals by attorney Andrew Jackson Jennings were willed to the Fall River Historical Society by Jennings’ grandson, Edward Saunders Waring, who recently died.

They contain among other information, details of interviews he conducted in building his defense.

Museum curator Michael Martins tells The Herald News (http://bit.ly/zhc36L) the journals contain some never before published information about the infamous case, including details some interviewees gave describing a caring relationship between Borden’s father, Lizzie and her sister.

Borden was charged with using an ax to kill her father and stepmother in 1892. although she was acquitted, many people thought she literally got away with murder.

Information from: The Herald News, http://www.heraldnews.com

The Bachelor’s Ben Flajnik Wants To Work Things Out With Fiance After Cheating On Her! Couple Is Planning A Getaway To Rekindle Romance! – Reality Tea

by on March 13, 2012

Following the reports and photos, which showed Ben Flajnik cheating on his fiancé from The Bachelor, many have wondered what is the status of their relationship.

While viewers will find out tonight, following the season finale and After the Final Rose special, UsWeekly is giving us details on what we can expect! If you’ve kept up with the cheating scandal, you know that Ben was pictured making out with multiple women last month, two of which spent the night at his apartment.

So how did Ben explain this away to his rumored fiancé Courtney Robertson? UsWeekly reports that despite his sloppy cheating, Ben still wants to give things a shot with Courtney and lied his way back into her heart during the March 3 taping of the After the Finale Rose special.

Ben reportedly swore on his father’s grave that he was just kissing “old friends.” Though insiders say he only met the women in February, and is still texting one of them. Yikes.

The mag states that Courtney has been totally miserable since filming wrapped. Ben actually broke off his engagement to her on February 7, three months after he filmed the proposal in November. this is consistent with lots of other rumors that have popped up about Ben and Courtney. another report gives more details about Ben’s evasion, revealing “Things did get shaky between them. Ben panicked. he put Courtney on the back burner, didn’t call for a week (including on Valentine’s Day). he drowned himself in his partying.”

Ben‘s behavior towards Courtney is once again blamed on how he felt after seeing how she was acting on the show when she wasn’t with him. Her on-screen antics and interviews were so heinous, a friend says “Ben cracked. he was hearing from everyone that he got played.”

In the upcoming televised therapy special (please make this trend of televised therapy stop!), Courtney allegedly admitted that she felt Ben “abandoned” her and that she “had days where [she] stayed in bed and cried.”

Despite the poor odds for Bachelor couples, Ben and Courtney are now rumored to be giving their relationship another shot, perhaps on directive from their ABC overlords. Ben has apparently purchased a new engagement ring for Courtney and has told her “I’m going to be there for you forever!”

And there’s also been talk of the pair going on another fancy location, this time without a camera crew. “They’re going someplace very remote, where no one cares about the Bachelor,” Ben’s friend reveals, “That way they can see where the relationship really stands without cameras rolling.”

TELL US : FEEL BAD FOR COURTNEY? DO YOU THINK COURTNEY AND BEN STAND a CHANCE?

Develop A Relationship With A Good Home Studio

by on February 14, 2012

Twenty years ago, when it was not so inexpensive to record in a studio and every person in the world didn’t have a home studio, if an artist wanted to record a song he had to save up enough money to buy a few of hours of studio time. when said artist used up that time if he had not finished his song he would have to save more money. Having to save money made you take your craft seriously.

Now here we are in the 21st century and computer programs have made it easy to own a home studio. Now everybody wants to be a rapper, a producer and a beatmaker. there are a lot of artist out there trying to get their songs recorded and they are looking for the cheapest way to get that done. Cheap is not always best. Remember the saying you get what you pay for. I would say that is true about 95% of the time. if you are an artist looking for studio time, here are a couple things to help you develop a relationship with a good home studio.

1) Always be aware of how you approach a home studio owner/producer or any studio owner for that matter. be prepared to pay for his time. Most people didn’t wake up with a studio. it took years to get to that point. So don’t think because someone told you you’re a hot rapper that a studio owner should be honored to let you record in his studio free of charge. Most home studios are run by the producer and a producer with any kind of skill is going to charge you to record in his studio.

2) Don’t haggle with the owner/producer about the price he is charging to record. Most home studio owners are recording, mixing and even mastering your project. I can tell you from experience that when you find the right producer and you are willing to pay for his time he will cut you a lot of good deals on studio time. if you don’t have the money you need think about ways that you can help promote the studio. that could be around the neighborhood or on the web. you need to bring him some business and hopefully it will be enough to make up for what it’s costing him to record you for free. Who knows, just be creative.

The fee that you pay to record in a studio is an investment. that means you are investing in yourself. do you think a record label would invest in you if you wouldn’t invest in yourself? I can tell you the answer is NO. can you go to Walmart and buy food without money? The answer is NO. So save your money then go find a producer that can actually make your song shine like it is supposed to.

Channing Tatum And Jenna Dewan Dish On Their Marriage

by on February 9, 2012

Channing Tatum and his wife, actress Jenna Dewan, opened up about their marriage at the Los Angeles premiere of “The Vow” Tuesday, telling Hollyscoop.com how they maintain their relationship while spending so much time apart.

“Our schedules make it a little difficult at times and you have to make sure you have, like a rule,” Dewan said. “We have a like a two week rule. so we see each other every two weeks.”

She added: “If you want to make it work, you make it work. That’s what happens.”

For now, it seems that the couple is too busy for children, but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t been on Tatum’s mind. “We’re married, so it doesn’t really get any farther than that. other than kids.,” the actor told Hollyscoop. The couple said they plan to have children together someday, but not any time in the near future.

Dewan and Tatum first met while filming “Step Up” in 2005. they began dating after the film finished shooting and married in Malibu in 2009.

The Common Cold of Mental Illnesses: Depression

by on January 16, 2012

We all have been happy and sad at some point in our life but it’s important to realize the difference between mood changes that are normal and those that are extreme. The list of disorders is a lengthy one, with depression ranking as one of the most common. I’m sure you’ve heard more than once someone saying that they are depressed, and usually what they are describing are their current emotions, not necessarily depression as defined from a clinical standpoint. Sadness, anxiety and any other negative emotion can cause a person to enter a depressed state. Such feelings are most likely followed after a traumatic event such as death in the family, the end of a relationship and/or the loss of a job. Although it is only normal to feel sadness after a painful event, gradually and over time those feelings work themselves out, and mood stability is restored; unfortunately, that is just not the case for everyone. Depression comes in several forms and DSM-IV-TR (diagnostic manual) recognizes two categories: Major depression and dysthymic disorder.

Depression is a very sad state to be in, not only because you feel constantly sad but also because everything around you falls apart. Relationships get destroyed, families fall apart and the world is constantly moving but you are stuck in one place unable to do anything but sit and wonder what’s next. The inability to function normally and the frustration inside leads many people to have suicidal thoughts which many peruse. One of my close friends got out of a relationship with her boyfriend of 2 years and she became every depressed. She had difficulty sleeping, ate every little, lost interest in everything around her, lost her job and ended up taking pills to try and catch some sleep. after a year she was finally able to get her life on track and catch up with the rest of the world. If you feel depressed and unable to function after a very sad event, that’s only normal but if your depression last more than 3 months that when action should be taken.

Major depression VS Dysthymic disorder

Many people wonder how psychologist determine whether or not we are depressed and if so how severely; let’s begin by further explaining major depression.

The diagnosis for major depression requires that the individual experiences either depressed mood or loss of interest in daily activities, work, friendships, relationships; in other word struggling every day in easy to do activities. also, aside from the above listed, the individual must experience at least four other symptoms of depression. in order to be qualified as legitimate symptoms, they have to be severe enough to interfere with the person’s ability to function in everyday life. Dysthymic disorder is a less severe form of depression, the only difference being it is also chronic.to be diagnosed with dysthymic disorder an individual has to experience at least two other symptoms of depression, while at the same time experiencing a depressed mood. as I mentioned before, dysthymic disorder is chronic, and because of that, in order to be diagnosed you must experience the aforementioned symptoms for at least two years. during these two years the person must have ongoing symptoms of depression, and never have been without them for more than two months. an interesting case arises when both disorders are diagnosed in the same patient at the same time. Although the individual will be in the dysthymic mood most of the time, they will also have times when they fall into a major depression. However, even if the major depression episodes will eventually fade away, the individual will still continue to have mild depression, which falls into the category of dysthymic.moreover, the individual will never return into a normal/stable state of mood.

Symptoms of major depression and dysmthymic disorder

Feeling intense hopelessness
Low self esteem
Worthlessness
Extreme fatigue
Dramatic changes in sleeping and eating
Loss of interest
Suicidal thoughts

Gender and Depression

According to Twenge & Nolen-Heksema 2002, the rates of depression in girls escalates dramatically over the course of puberty, while those of boys do not. It should come as no surprise that girls are more prone to depression than boys. during the adolescence years, girls more than boys are becoming aware of their body. of course, the most obvious role models girls look up to are those representing the fashion industry. Girls will do anything to look just like their favorite super model. this is what leads thirteen year old girls to significantly higher levels of depression than boys. as I mentioned in my previews blog post The Veil of Modeling The flawless skin, the perfect hair, the bright white smile and the rosy lips make us envy them as we tried so hard to be just like them. When we hit our teenage years, as we become more aware of our body we start to dislike what we see on us, because we look quite different from that prefect girl featured on those ad’s and posters. Body dissatisfaction and appearance is closely related to low self esteem, which make depression more likely to surface. When it comes to boys, they don’t usually pay as much attention to their physical traits as girls do. in fact, boys tend to like the changes their bodies undergo, as they favor the increase in muscle mass and the associated pubertal changes.

The science

Communication system is essential to all of the brain’s functions as the neurons are communicating with each other by exchanging neurotransmitters. Depression is characterized by the imbalance between the three neurotransmitters dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine. Serotonin and norepinephrine regulate many important physiological functions such as mood, sleep, eating, and sexual behavior; once this chemicals are decreased than people are prone to depression. When the serotonin molecules are released to the synaptic junction for the other neuron to receive the message, many of them get destroyed in the synaptic junction because the other neuron doesn’t absorb message sent by the other neuron. Due to the lack of passing on the message to the other neurons, the emotion will be lost.

Getting better.

There are two major types of therapy, biochemical and psychological. Biochemical treatments involve drugs that will help stabilize the neurotransmitter imbalance, primarily with serotonin and norepinephrine activity. Antidepressants are the most common medication used to treat depression as they help ease these imbalances. Psychological therapy involves psychoanalysis, or what we call today the talk therapies. The licensed psychologist has sessions with the person who suffers from the disorder as they discuss the problem and the ways of overcoming it. Use of biochemical and psychological treatments have proven to be more effective when combined together. The patient takes medication to restore the chemical balance in their brain, all while seeing a therapist at the same time, to talk things out so the patient is not overwhelmed with different emotions and the mind equilibrium is kept.

How to Win Back Your Ex and Make Him Want You More

by on October 24, 2011

If you have broken up with your boyfriend don’t despair for you can always find ways on how to win back your ex and make him want you more than he had ever thought possible so that he’ll never think of breaking up with you again. You can do this even if your boyfriend has already left you for another or even if he tells you he no longer loves you. You just have to know the right buttons to push and the mistakes you have to avoid.

The Importance of Knowing how to make Your Ex Come Back to You

It is important to know the right moves on how to make your ex boyfriend come back to you. most women act on their emotions instinctively. They think that when they run after their exes, apply pressure, they can force their exes to commit into the relationship again. wrong. These women are only doing the surest things to drive their boyfriends away from their lives permanently. Learn from these mistakes. Instead, try to put yourself into your ex boyfriend’s shoes. Would you want him to harass you into getting back? Wouldn’t you be annoyed with the constant calling and texting? Aren’t you going to be pissed when your ex makes it known that you are to blame for the breakup?

Earn his Love and Respect Back

You can definitely earn the relationship back by earning your ex-boyfriend’s love and respect. the love is easier to earn as it has always been there. You just need to rekindle it. it is the respect that is harder to earn, so you have to be very careful not to lose it in the first place. in earning your ex-boyfriend’s love and respect, you have t work on learning how to love and respect yourself more. You cannot give what you do not have, in the same manner that you cannot expect others to give them to you without giving you giving them to yourself first. take the time to evaluate your part in the breakup while giving your ex-boyfriend the time to reassess his own part. Live your life the way you should without your boyfriend. This will make him feel that you are not dependent on him in any way. when your ex-boyfriend realizes your worth and how he has become the loser in losing you, he himself will take the necessary action to win you back into his life.

How to Win Back Your Ex and Make Him Want You More

Can Someone Fall Out of Love?

by on October 18, 2011

How can someone fall out of love with you? It is often given as the reason for ending a relationship. Love isn’t easily defined, and means different things to people making it difficult to understand.

Has their Perception of You Changed?

Every person will develop an image of what they consider to be an ideal mate. The more people you’ve dated, the more refined that image can become as you experience personality traits you either desire or don’t appreciate.

A strong connection is easily developed when someone you meet matches the description of what you consider to be an ideal mate. It is also common for new couples to ignore negative traits to make someone appear more ideal.

As familiarity sets in and passion fades, the negative traits that were once ignored become more apparent. as their perception of you changes, you are less likely to match their image of an ideal partner. If you veer too far from what they believe they want in a partner, they’ll begin to question the relationship and their love for you.

Did Your Partner have a Life Altering Event?

Life altering events, like accidents or illness, can create a strong bond between two people who share the experience together. The events also have the power and influence to divide a couple. If your partner has experienced a traumatic event that was not shared, it can leave them feeling isolated. It also develops a significant portion of their life that you’re not considered a part of.

Your partner will view you as someone who can’t relate to their problems, which can damage your bond. The lack of understanding, or closeness, creates a sense of falling out of love with you.

When your partner begins to pull away from the relationship, believing they’re not in love with you, it’s important to connect with their current views and experiences. trying to force you partner to remain consistent with their past emotions will prove difficult.

Can Someone Fall Out of Love?

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