What's behind Landon Donovan being left off U.S. World Cup roster

The doubt began to creep into Landon Donovan's conversations several months ago.

He is the leading scorer and playmaker in U.S. Soccer history, the best player the country has produced and at 32 healthy enough and experienced enough to be a World Cup difference-maker. Surely he was a lock to make the U.S. team for Brazil, right?

Not in his mind, which is why Donovan began talking about what would happen if, not when, he made it to his fourth World Cup.
"In 2006 and 2010 I knew, for the most part — unless I was awful — that I was going to make the team. This time is more similar to '02 to where I wasn't sure," he said this week. "I have to prove that and I have to earn it."

On Thursday those doubts proved prescient when Donovan was among seven players cut by Coach Juergen Klinsmann as the United States announced its 23-man World Cup squad.

"Well this is certainly one of the toughest decisions in my coaching career, to tell a player like him, with everything he's done and what he represents, to tell him that you're not part of this right now," Klinsmann said Thursday. "His disappointment is huge. I totally understand that. He took it very professional because he's an outstanding professional player.
"But I have to make the decision as of today. I have to make the decision for what is good today for this group going into Brazil. And there I just think the other guys right now are a little bit ahead of him."

Donovan issued a response on Facebook.

"It has been an honor and privilege to have represented the U.S. National Team in three World Cups," he wrote. "I was looking forward to playing in Brazil and, as you can imagine, I am very disappointed with today's decision. Regardless, I will be cheering on my friends and teammates this summer, and I remain committed to helping grow soccer in the U.S. in the years to come."

In many ways, Donovan's omission wasn't all that surprising. The Galaxy standout, who has appeared in more World Cup games (12) and scored more goals (5) than any American player, has been at odds with Klinsmann since taking a three-month sabbatical from soccer at the start of World Cup qualifying last year.

Donovan said he needed a break after averaging a game nearly every eight days for a decade. And Klinsmann, who demands 24/7 devotion to soccer, used that to question Donovan's hunger and commitment. The rift appeared to widen last month when the coach challenged Donovan's fitness before a friendly with Mexico, then kept him on the sideline until early in the second half.
I always, I believe, am straightforward with him," Klinsmann said last week of Donovan. "Since he took his break, I simply told him if you take a break like that then you have to fight your way back into the picture and you have to confirm it with week-in, week-out performances in your club team and you have to confirm it also with performances in the national team environment.

"With all the appreciation, with all the admiration for what's done throughout his career — which is extraordinary and deserves the compliments that he gets — soccer is about what happens today and what you do today and what you hopefully do tomorrow. I'm not building my roster or we're not building the group together based on the past."

The timing of the roster's release was almost as surprising as the names that were omitted since Klinsmann had promised to wait until the June 2 deadline for setting his World Cup team. Instead, he made the final cuts eight days into a three-week training camp, giving U.S. Soccer's media relations staff just 90 minutes notice to prepare a press release.

Six other players were sent home Thursday, among them defenders Brad Evans, Clarence Goodson and Michael Parkhurst, who were cut from a backline already facing questions about its health and experience.

Evans, who appeared in 10 games for the U.S. last year, played a big role in helping the team qualify for Brazil while Goodson was the only defender in camp who also played that position in the last World Cup. And the versatile, Parkhurst, who started five of the six U.S. games in last summer's Gold Cup, can play several positions.

Among those who made the World Cup team were 20-year-old defender DeAndre Yedlin, whose national team experience consists of 34 minutes off the bench in two friendlies; Julian Green, 18, whose half-hour in last month's Mexico game marked his only appearance for the U.S.; and 21-year-old defender John Brooks, who has played just twice for the U.S.

That leaves Klinsmann with seven players who are 24 or younger, 13 with 20 or fewer international caps and just six players with previous World Cup experience — already leading to speculation that Klinsmann, who recently signed a four-year contract extension, has begun looking ahead to 2018.



POST ORIGINATED FROM http://www.latimes.com

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George Lopez's Show Canceled

Following news that the ratings starved "Lopez Tonight" helmed by comedian George Lopez was given the ax on Wednesday, staff at other TBS night talk show, "Conan," starring Conan O'Brien, could not help but wonder if they are next.
Show employees told Fox411 that O'Brien and his writers are not even sure if they have to address the controversy on his show Wednesday night for fear that the attention of the cancellation would take them under the microscope. Staff members said that much discussion was made about whether the 800-pound gorilla in the room to ignore.
O'Brien chose to keep the cancellation Lopez from his opening monologue and instead made sure to assert his place in the pantheon of late evening by reminding the audience that this was his 3,000 th show since he began hosting "Late Night With Conan O'Brien "in 1993.
After his first commercial break, he moved to a serious tone and sent his condolences to Lopez and his staff.
"Had it not been for George so incredible supporter of me that I would not have been TBS," said O'Brien. "It makes me really sad that TBS and George could not solve this problem .... So, tonight our thoughts are with George and his staff and his crew."
A spokesman for "Conan" Fox411 said that he was unable to question whether the show was an added risk to the next on the chopping block to answer and referred us to the network.
TBS fierce shot the idea that "Conan" would be next to go, saying that any cancellation rumors were not true, and that O'Brien's ratings are not comparable to those experienced by seeing Lopez.
But while the numbers may not be the same, the audience erosion.
Since moving to the twenty-two time slot, the total number of viewers has dropped from 910,000 to Lopez 543,000. It declined further to 391,000 this month.
Unlike "Conan" has averaged just over 1 million viewers for this season and has averaged 709,000 this month. But that's on the show debut of two million viewers.
Industry insiders say that Conan O'Brien are certainly in a precarious position.
"Both" Conan "and" Lopez "his audience erosion suffered during the past few months," said Brad Adgate, a media analyst at Horizon Media. "Conan The numbers are down more than half since the show debuted. I think there is a clear concern there. "
Adgate noted that the TBS late at night the area is a graveyard for failed comic different dishes, giving comedian Frank Caliendo's "Frank TV", which gave late-night comedy a try on the network for canceling 2007-2009 to ..
"At TBS you just can not get the huge numbers you do on broadcast. The one thing" Lopez "and" Conan "had had a mean age at the beginning of the thirties and it is desirable, but the bad news is that they do not have the huge numbers they had hoped, "said Adgate.
Lopez gave up his original ten p.m. time slot for the red-haired fan favorite in November after O'Brien left NBC's "Tonight Show" after a dispute with Jay Leno timeslot. The theory behind the move was a popular lead-in Lopez could actually do better in the later slot.
Currently TBS appears to be O'Brien's corner, but how suddenly the "Lopez 'decision comes on, no one at" Conan "will sleep easy, unless they see ratings rise.
After the sudden decision TBS, the last episode of "Lopez Tonight" will air Thursday night.

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Statue of Liberty to Close a Year

French sculptor Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi's Statue of Liberty has stood the test of time because France has gifted the monument as a symbol of freedom and democracy to the United States in the 1880s, but it's due for a couple of NIPs and folds will begin this fall .
After a day of celebration Oct. 28 at the statue 125th anniversary, all of the interior of the statue of space close to U.S. $ 27.25 million in upgrades to the 125-year-old stand and the 200-year-old fortress base from which rises the monument, says the U.S. National Park Service.
Visitors can still visit Liberty Island in New York harbor, for it will remain open during upgrades in the coming years.
The Statue of Liberty to the world, the full title of the work of Bartholdi, was formed in the style of the Greco-Roman art.
At 50 meters high, was designated as a U.S. national monument in 1924 and restored for her centennial on July 4, 1986.
Attracts 3.5 million visitors a year
The image has undergone many physical changes, and was managed by the various departments of his history. It is now managed by the National Park Service.
In May 1982, a restoration project began in anticipation of the centenary statue. At the beginning of the restoration, the United Nations in 1984 designated the Statue of Liberty as a World Heritage Site. The recently restored statue open to the public on July 5, 1986, during Liberty Weekend, a celebration of its centennial.
U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar said Wednesday that the interior upgrades are safer and more accessible.
Tegan Firth, a spokeswoman for Statue Cruises, based on an average Saturday during the summer, ferries to Liberty Island about 18,000 people, said the renovation will not significantly affect tourism.
"The whole experience of visiting the national monuments of the United States remains absolutely the same," she said.
It is not the first time the popular monument, which attracts about 3.5 million visitors, is closed.
After September 11, 2001, attacks, was closed for safety, but the base reopened in 2004 after a $ 20-1000000 security upgrade. The observation deck on top of the crown was reopened on July 4, 2009.

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Sweepstakes café law unclear :By Senator

When the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office raided and closed three sweepstakes internet cafes in July - but made no arrests - they admitted Florida's law on cases obscure.

"That's kind of the problem," said sheriff's spokeswoman Marianne Pasha's office. "We work with a problem that is not exactly black and white. A lot of gray."

Gambling is clearly illegal, except in certain specific situations, under Florida law. But chapter 849, Florida Statutes, does not specify or purchase time on a computer and then playing a casino-style game for cash prizes on that computer is technically gambling.

Because of that, some law enforcement agencies in Florida enforcing gambling laws against the bars, others do not.

Sen. Mike Fasano (R-New Port Richey) agrees with the law is ambiguous. "That puts law enforcement in an awkward position, and it is the legislature which direction to go," said Fasano.

During the last legislature, Fasano tried to make a law that would have allowed sweepstakes cafes to keep working pass, but also be controlled by the state.

The bill ultimately failed for several reasons including the fact that the sponsor in the House of Representatives, Rep. Peter Nehren (R-Palm Harbor), decided at the last minute to file the law, Fasano said.

What Fasano said he knew at the time that Rep. Nehren internet cafe sweepstakes in Pinellas County property. Nehren has since sold the bar, but has told the St. Pete Times that he believes that the internet sweepstakes cafes legal.

Nehren rep did not call back on either Thursday or Friday.

A spokesman for Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi responded to a request asking for clarification of state law, directing ABC Action News for an opinion by former Attorney General Bill McCollum Florida.

The advice summary reads: "The ultimate determination of whether Florida's gambling laws may be violated must be made by the local police."

The advice does not add clarity to the state law, which is why Fasano plans to reintroduce his bill during the next legislature.

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Double Dip Recession May Be Happening or Not

It has been three decades since the United States suffered a recession which followed on the heels of the previous one. But it can happen again. The unrelenting negative economic news over the past two weeks has a picture of an American economy that fell further and recovered less than we thought.

When eventually I might be called Great Depression hit the country, there was general political agreement that the role of government to fight back by stimulating the economy. It did, and the recession ended.

But Great Depression II if that's what we entered, led to a very different response. Now the politicians are squabbling over how much to cut. After months of wrangling, they went a bill aimed at forcing more spending reductions over the next decade.

If this is the beginning of a new double dip, the two important things in common with the twin recessions of 1980 and 1981-1982.

In any case, the first recession was caused in large part by a sudden withdrawal of credit in the economy. The recovery came when credit conditions restored.

And in any case, the second recession began at a time when the usual government policy to combat economic weakness were considered unavailable. Then, the need to combat inflation excludes a better monetary policy. Now, the perceived need to reduce public spending rules in a broader fiscal policies.

The U.S. economy fell into what was at first a fairly mild recession at the end of 2007. But the global downturn into a dive after the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers in September 2008 led to the disappearance of credit for almost all borrowers are not as super-safe. Banks in the United States and other countries needed bailouts to survive.

The unavailability of credit causes a decline in world trade volumes of a magnitude not seen since the Great Depression, and almost every economy went into recession.

But it turned out that companies overstated. While sales to customers fell, they did not fall as much as the production did.

That fact set the stage for an economic upturn that began in mid 2009, the National Bureau of Economic Research, the arbiter of such things, determining that the recession ended in June of that year. Manufacturers around the world reported rapidly rising orders.

Until recently, most observers believed that the U.S. economy was in a slow recovery, albeit with a very disappointing job growth. The official figures for gross domestic product showed the U.S. economy grew to a record size in the last three months of 2010, which erased the loss of 4.1 percent in GDP from top to bottom.

Then last week the government announced its annual review of the numbers for the last few years. New government survey indicated Americans spent less than previously estimated in 2009 and 2010 on a wide range of things like food, clothing and computers. Tax returns showed the Americans, even cutting back on gambling. The recession now seems to have been deeper - a top-to-bottom decline of 5.1 percent - and the recovery is less impressive. The economy is still smaller than it was in 2007.

In June, more U.S. manufacturers that new orders fell than rose, according to a study by the Institute for Supply Management. The margin was small, but research had shown rising orders for 24 consecutive months. Manufacturers in most European countries, including Germany and Britain, also reported weaker new orders.

Back in 1980, a recession began when the government - despair of its failure to bring down rising inflation - invoked controls aimed at limiting the expansion of credit and make it more expensive for banks to lend. These controls proved much more effective than anyone expected, and the economy has tanked. In July, the credit checks were completed, and economic research later determined that the recession ended that month.

In the first quarter of 1981 the economy was larger than it was at the previous peak.

But little was done about inflation and the Federal Reserve was determined to kill the dragon. With high interest rates, home sales plunged in late 1981 to its lowest level since the government began collecting data in 1963. Now they are even lower.

There is, of course, no assurance that a new recession has begun or will do so soon, and a positive jobs report on Friday to revive some optimism. But concerns have grown that the essential problems that led to the 2007-09 recession were not resolved, as inflation remained high during the 1980 downturn. House prices have not recovered, and millions of Americans owe more mortgage than their homes are worth. Extremely low interest rates helped to push up corporate profits, but companies have hired relatively few people.

In all other cycles, the recent wave of bad economic news has resulted in politicians vie with each other for programs to revive growth to imagine. President Obama has called for more spending on infrastructure, but there seems little chance Congress will not take action. The focus in Washington is to decide where to reduce the expenditure does not increase.

There is some evidence that the Federal Reserve might be willing to continue buying bonds, which stopped in June, despite opposition from conservative members of Congress. But the revised economic data may indicate that the previous program - known as the QE2, for quantitative easing - even less impact than had been thought. With short-term interest rates near zero, monetary policy of the Fed's options are limited.

Government incentives programs traditionally often appeared to be accomplishing little until the cumulative effect suddenly helps power a self-sustaining recovery. This time, the best hope is that the stimulus that will prove we have had have been enough.

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Osama Bin Laden and the Terror of Narcissism

Osama Bin Laden was angry. Osama Bin Laden was feared. He was also, it seems, a sort of pathetic. Among the items U.S. troops pulled out of the compound of the terrorist leader last week, videos of Bin Laden in a blanket, watching himself on television. If true reports, the warlord is seen as "a vain pathetic old man." When I put this in the New York Times read, I immediately thought of the 1990 song "Mr. Jones" by the band Counting Crows: "When I watch TV, I want to see me staring back at me."
And what did the old fox was seen not only himself, but a younger version. U.S. forces confirm that bin Laden was his beard die, to manage his image to appear more vibrant to his supporters around the world.

Should not we be really surprised. The nature of evil, ultimately, is narcissism. And the end result of our narcissism is always evil. Sometimes it hurt to see in preening and offers. Other times can be seen in the ease with which one takes offense. Sometimes the offense even morphs into a crusade or jihad, around the world or in your office or church foyer closet.

Essayist David Brooks, picking up the contemporary psychological models of clinical narcissism, the narcissist has found that the self is "the sacred center of all that is holy and right." This then affects how the narcissist receives criticism and personal insults.

"If someone treats him pejoratively, he sees that as a deliberate and brutal attack," Brooks writes. "If someone threatens his reputation, he considers it an act of blasphemy."

Blasphemy is exactly the right word. The reason the offense, whether American troops in Saudi Arabia or the boss' forget to to invite you for Christmas, is so all-consuming for some, because it is an attack on a god and a rich, self - image.

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