Saturday 24 December 2016

Liverpool ideal club for talented young players to flourish - Jurgen Klopp

Jurgen Klopp believes Liverpool are currently the perfect club for players to fulfil their potential as he prepares to recruit in the upcoming transfer window.
The Reds boss has previously admitted that he is open to making signings in January due to Sadio Mane's participation at the African Nations Cup and lengthy injuries suffered by Philippe Coutinho and Danny Ings.
Klopp insists Anfield is the "best place" for any player looking to make the most of his talent, with Coutinho, Roberto Firmino, Adam Lallana and Divock Origi all improving under the German's guidance since his arrival last season.
"Maybe there are a few clubs in world football who can play better and if you can go there, these few clubs, yeah then do it," Klopp said in the Liverpool Echo. "But for all the rest this should be the best place to be.
"I would say at the moment that LFC is a really good place to be for a player to develop, to get the best out of your career and all that stuff. That is how we live.
"I said a few months ago, the biggest teams in the world they didn't change a lot, they developed together, then bring him in and that in and so on and improve a little bit and then in the end you have a wonderful team."
Roberto Firmino (left) and Philippe Coutinho are two players who have thrived since joining Liverpool.
Speaking at a news conference on Friday, Klopp questioned the footballing logic behind moves to the Chinese Super League as Chelsea's Oscar will complete a £60 million transfer to Shanghai SIPG in January, while sources have told ESPN FC that Boca Juniors forward Carlos Tevez has been offered a world-record wage to join Shanghai Shenhua.
Klopp is adamant that Liverpool will not make any moves for players who are simply motivated by a big payday.
"At the end the players should know they can earn really serious money here, reasonable money here, but we will not go nuts," he added.
"We believe that if someone needs to be convinced by money then at one point when you really need character you will not get it.
"We want to convince them with the way we go. We want to have players who are ready to develop and it's not a message for the winter transfer window, it's a message for the next few years.
"We have already really good players and if someone wants to be part, they are welcome.
"We want to convince players about the special character of the club. I have rose-tinted glasses but I would say it is the best place for a player to develop."
Glenn is ESPN FC's Liverpool correspondent. You can follow him on Twitter: @GlennPrice94.

KIM, KANYE, NORTH WE'RE HAVING A NUTCRACKIN' CHRISTMAS!!!









Kim, Kanye & North West put some culture in their Christmas Friday, with a real nutcracker.


The West crew made a stealth entrance at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center ... slinking into their seats just before the curtain opened for the XMAS classic, "The Nutcracker."


Kourtney and Penelope joined them in the back row.


This is interesting ... there was no entourage or visible security detail. Kim wore no jewelry and little makeup.


They had a good time for sure. North bounced on Kim's lap and danced along to the music.


Spoiler: The Mouse King dies.

ROB & BLAC CHYNA: BREAK UP FIGHT WAS THE REAL DEAL

1223_rob-kardashian-blac-chyna-tmz-2
Rob Kardasian and Black Chyna massive fight ending with Chyna storming out of the house with Dream wasn't drummed up for their show ... in fact, we've learned cameras weren't even rolling when it went down.
Production sources say film crews weren't at Rob's place last Saturday morning when Chyna allegedly got physical with her baby daddy. We're told things were so bad, Corey Gamble had to rip Chyna off of Rob and even called Rob's sisters over ... but Chyna took off before they arrived.
Our sources say reaction interviews were filmed shortly after the fight, but the brawl itself was the real deal.
For what it's worth, we're told the two got back together just a few days after Chyna left and are co-parenting Dream.

Friday 23 December 2016

MERRY CHRISTMAS

christmas cards 2016

Great things come in small packages, just like when our Lord was born.
Let’s celebrate our most special friend’s birthday! Merry Christmas!
Christ the savior is born! Merry Christmas!
Just as Christmas lights bring light to a dark season, Christ brings light to a dark world.
Jesus is the gift that we all are given this Christmas.
Let’s celebrate the baby, the servant, and the King named Jesus Christ.
Merry Christmas! We have hope because Jesus was born.
We’re wishing your family the peace, love, and joy that can only be provided by our savior. May you be blessed this Christmas.
Peace on earth is only possible through the gift of Christmas, Jesus Christ.
May you feel rich in God’s love this Christmas. ‘For God so loved the world he gave his only begotten Son.’
Christmas will always mean so much more to us Christians who have received the true gift of Christmas.
Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.
Jesus has been around since before time. He is the everlasting reason for Christmas. ‘I tell you the truth,’ Jesus answered, ‘before Abraham was born, I am!
Even if Jesus hadn’t been born on December 25th, I’d still want to send you a card. Was Jesus born on December 25th?

Britney Spears BFHas History With Pop Star Babes

Britney spear's new BF, Sam Asghari, has a type -- he's notorious for hooking up with pop stars while shooting music videos ... or so says the last one he bagged.
We got Sam's ex, Mayra Veronica -- a big Latin pop singer -- out in Bev Hills, and it seems she had no idea he was hooking up with Brit.
Sam and Mayra dated in 2015 after meeting on the set of one of her videos. In other words, the same story as Britney and Sam meeting on the set of her "Slumber Party" video.
Mayra didn't hold back her opinion on the new couple, and might have thrown un poquito shade at Sam.
tmz.com

Carrie Fisher, 'Star Wars' actress, suffers in-flight cardiac incident

Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford kiss in a scene from "The Empire Strikes Back."

(CNN)Here's a look at the life of actress and writer Carrie Fisher, who is best-known for her portrayal of Princess Leia in the "Star Wars" movie franchise.
Personal:
Birth date:
 October 21, 1956
Birth place: Beverly Hills, California
    Birth name: Carrie Frances Fisher
    Father: Eddie Fisher, singer
    Mother: Debbie Reynolds, actress and singer
    Marriages: Paul Simon (August 1983-July 1984, divorced)
    Children: with Bryan Lourd: Billie Catherine Lourd
    Education: Attended Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, London
    Other Facts:
    Nominated for two Emmy Awards.
    Has acted in film, plays, and television, and written a number of best-selling books.
    Fisher has lobbied as an advocate for mental health awareness and treatment and has spoken before the California State Senate.
    She was diagnosed as suffering from bipolar disorder, "I was diagnosed at 24, but I had been seeing a therapist since I was about 15. I didn't like the diagnosis....Then I overdosed at 28, at which point I began to accept the bipolar diagnosis."
    She credits the psychiatric hospital Silver Hill in New Canaan, Connecticut, with helping her get her life back together after treatment for alcohol addiction and bipolar disorder. "It was one of the best places I was ever institutionalized."
    Fisher is a well-respected script-doctor of such movies as "The Wedding Singer" and "Sister Act."
    Timeline:
    1972 -
     Drops out of high school at age 15 to appear on Broadway in the musical "Irene," starring her mother, Debbie Reynolds.
    1975 - Film debut in the movie "Shampoo," starring Warren Beatty.
    1977 - Stars as Princess Leia in the first "Star Wars" film.
    1980 - Stars in "Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back."
    1983 - Stars in "Star Wars: Episode VI - The Return of the Jedi."
    1990 - Release of the film adaptation of Fisher's novel, "Postcards from the Edge," starring Meryl Streep. The screenplay is also written by Fisher.
    February 26, 2005 - Friend and Republican media adviser R. Gregory "Greg" Stevens is found dead in Fisher's home.
    November 15, 2006 - Her one-woman biographical play, "Wishful Drinking," is produced in Los Angeles.
    December 2008 - Publishes the memoir, "Wishful Drinking," based on her 2006 one-woman play.
    December 12, 2010 - Fisher's documentary, "Wishful Drinking," airs on HBO.
    November 2011 - Her memoir, "Shockaholic," is published.
    December 14, 2015 - Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens premieres, with Fisher, along with Mark Hamill ("Luke Skywalker") and Harrison Ford ("Han Solo") reprising their original 1977 roles.
    November 16, 2016 - Fisher reveals to People magazine she and co-star Harrison "Han Solo" Ford had an affair during the 1976 filming of "Star Wars."

    Taylor Swift to Judge: Don't Put My Safety at Risk

    Taylor Swift says her life will be in danger unless the court steps in and breaks out some Wite-Out.
    Taylor just filed docs asking the court to redact portions of a transcript from a July hearing in her sexual assault case against David Mueller. At the hearing, Taylor's lawyers specifically talked about her security detail and specific threats made against her in the past.
    Taylor says the transcript contains sensitive and personal information that, if released to the public, could jeopardize her safety.
    Her team lays out a scary scenario, "The same people who have threatened Ms. Swift in the past, as well as copy cats, may be emboldened by public attention" they'd get if the whole transcript comes out.
    The judge has yet to rule on Taylor's request.
    TMZ.COM

    Leaks Lil Wayne's Carter V Track

    Lil Wayne's infamously NOT released "Tha Carter V" has finally been released -- at least partially -- by who else, but Martin Shkreli ... and we've learned Wayne's pissed.
    Shkreli pulled a sort of hip hop Robin Hood move, he claims, by posting this video of himself hyping up, and then playing a track he says is from Wayne's legendary album. He boasts that the song is about him.
    Of course, Weezy fans have been dying to hear anything from the album since October 2014, when it was originally supposed to be released. Wayne and Birdman have been in a standoff and legal war over the record ever since then.
    A source close to Wayne says this is the real McCoy. We suspect Shkreli's about to have even more legal trouble -- in the form of a lawsuit from Cash Money or Universal Music Group.
    A source close to Wayne tells TMZ ... his camp is doing an internal investigation to find out if someone passed the song to Shkreli. As we've reported, Birdman says he doesn't have a copy of "Tha Carter V" ... and insists it's been in Weezy's hands all along. 
    Shkreli's already facing federal indictment for conspiracy to commit securities fraud.

    US abstains as UN demands end to Israeli settlements



    The United States on Friday allowed a UN Security Council resolution condemning Israeli settlement construction to be adopted, defying extraordinary pressure from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government in alliance with President-elect Donald Trump.


    The Security Council approved the resolution with 14 votes, with the US abstaining. There was applause in the chamber following the vote, which represented perhaps the final bitter chapter in the years of antagonism between President Barack Obama's administration and Netanyahu's government.


    In an intense flurry of diplomacy that unfolded in the two days before the vote, a senior Israeli official had accused the United States of abandoning the Jewish state with its refusal to block the resolution with a veto.


    Trump had also inserted himself in the diplomatic drama, in defiance of the convention that the United States has only one president at a time, by calling on the Obama administration to wield its Security Council veto.


    Israel's UN ambassador, Danny Danon, reacted angrily to the vote and issued a sharp parting shot at the Obama administration's role.


    "It was to be expected that Israel's greatest ally would act in accordance with the values that we share and that they would have vetoed this disgraceful resolution. I have no doubt that the new US administration and the incoming UN Secretary General will usher in a new era in terms of the UN's relationship with Israel," he said.


    In a statement, Netanyahu's office accused the Obama administration of "colluding" with the UN and said it looked forward to working with Trump, as well as Israel-friendly members of Congress, "to negate the harmful effects of this absurd resolution."


    The US ambassador to the UN, Samantha Power, raised her hand to abstain in the chamber when the resolution was put to a vote.


    Power argued after the vote that opposing settlement expansion was consistent with the bipartisan consensus accepted by every single US president of both parties since Ronald Reagan, in comments that could be seen as a criticism of Trump's position.


    "This resolution reflects trends that will permanent destroy the two state solution if they continue on their current course," Power said in a speech before the chamber.


    "Our vote today does not in any way diminish the United States' steadfast and unparalleled commitment to the security of Israel," Power said.


    The Palestinians were delighted by their rare diplomatic coup.


    "This is a victory for the people and for the cause, and it opens doors wide for the demand of sanctions on settlements," said Mustafa Barghouti, a Palestinian leader.


    "This is a bias towards justice and international law."


    But Trump -- who has vowed to move the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, and has nominated an ambassador in David Friedman who is supportive of settlers -- pledged that the Palestinians would no longer have a platform at the UN when he is inaugurated next month.


    "As to the U.N., things will be different after Jan. 20th," Trump wrote on Twitter.


    The United States and most other nations consider Israeli settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem as an obstacle to the hopes of a two-state solution between Israelis and Palestinians.


    The Obama administration, which mounted two failed efforts to broker Middle East peace, became increasingly angry about continued Israeli settlement expansion over its eight years in the White House. The Palestinians accuse Israel of trying to establish facts on the ground by building on land they view as part of their future state.


    "Today, the United States acted with one primary objective in mind: to preserve the possibility of the two state solution, which every US administration for decades has agreed is the only way to achieve a just and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians," Secretary of State John Kerry said in a statement, adding that the US does not "agree with every aspect" of the resolution.


    He added: "We cannot in good conscience stand in the way of a resolution at the United Nations that makes clear that both sides must act now to preserve the possibility of peace."




















    'Secretly cooked up'

    Raises tensions







    Hours before the UN Security Council vote, the Israelis made clear their intense disappointment with the US over the resolution, which calls on Israel to "immediately and completely cease all settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem."


    "President Obama and Secretary Kerry are behind this shameful move against Israel at the UN," a senior Israeli official told CNN.


    "The US administration secretly cooked up with the Palestinians an extreme anti-Israeli resolution behind Israel's back which would be a tailwind for terror and boycotts and effectively make the Western Wall occupied Palestinian territory," a senior Israeli official said.


    Before the vote, a Palestinian official said, "We have nothing to say about this. No President has troubled Palestinians in the UN more than President Obama."


    The New York Times reported this week that Obama's advisers did not disclose a position on how the US would vote and were holding out until the vote to see how the matter developed. Ben Rhodes, Obama's deputy national security advisor, told reporters Friday that he wasn't sure if Obama and Trump had spoken about this issue and added he was not aware of any particular conversation.


    Rhodes said Obama made the decision this morning, adding that "there's one president at a time."


    US and Palestinian officials denied the Israeli accusation of colluding on the UN vote. The resolution was originally put forward by Egypt but it was withdrawn under pressure from the Israelis. Four countries, New Zealand, Venezuela, Malaysia and Senegal, brought it up again for a vote on Friday.


    A senior Obama administration official said, "To be clear: from the start, this was an Egyptian resolution. The Egyptians authored it, circulated it, and submitted it for a vote on Wednesday evening before asking for a delay and subsequently removing their sponsorship.


    "Contrary to some claims, the administration was not involved in formulating the resolution nor have we promoted it."


    A senior Palestinian official told CNN they were not informed how the US would handle the Security Council vote when a delegation was in town earlier this month to urge the administration to support it. The Palestinian official said they did not know how the US would vote and called the Israeli allegation "totally untrue."


    Two senior US officials involved in this process vehemently also denied the Israel accusation and also said that the US itself didn't really know how it was going to vote until Thursday morning. The official said Kerry himself was surprised that the Egyptians put the resolution forward so quickly. He was left scrambling to finish his speech and then left scrambling again when the Egyptians delayed the vote on Thursday.


    "A veto means support of settlement activities," Saeb Erekat, the Palestinian negotiator, said after the resolution was pulled, according to the Times. "A veto means abandoning the two-state solution and peace efforts."


    The UN resolution -- which calls on Israel calls on Israel to "immediately and completely cease all settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem" -- was delayed by Egypt after Israeli pressure.


    The resolution exacerbated divisions between the outgoing Obama administration and incoming Trump administration.


    The Obama administration had been weighing whether to support the UN measure or abstain from voting, which would have been a break from the US's traditional practice of shielding Israel at the UN and other international organizations.


    The Obama administration has grown increasingly frustrated by Israeli settlement construction and it has repeatedly warned it could foreclose the possibility of a two-state solution with the Palestinian people. The admission of an internal debate about the UN resolution illustrated how unhappy the administration is with the Israeli government.


    Israel -- concerned by the outgoing administration's ambivalence -- reached out to Trump for support. An Israeli official told CNN that his country approached the Trump team after it felt that it had failed to persuade the Obama administration to veto the planned vote.


    The official said that Israel "implored the White House not to go ahead and told them that if they did, we would have no choice but to reach out to President-elect Trump."


    Trump subsequently put out a statement opposing the resolution.


    "As the United States has long maintained, peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians will only come through direct negotiations between the parties, and not through the imposition of terms by the United Nations," Trump said. "This puts Israel in a very poor negotiating position and is extremely unfair to all Israelis."


    Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi also spoke with Trump by phone about the UN Security Council vote, according to a diplomatic source familiar with the call and an aide Trump. The call was first reported by Reuters.


    CNN's Allie Malloy contributed to this report.















































    The last 24 hours of Trump

    President-elect Donald Trump long ago earned a reputation for being unpredictable in his statements, but he outdid himself on Thursday.
    In the span of just a few hours, Trump shook international relations by undercutting the Obama administration over a UN resolution on Israeli settlements, indicated he would ramp up nuclear competition with Russia and then jolted a major defense contractor -- and its shareholders -- by suggesting he would ask Boeing to replace a fighter jet being made by Lockheed Martin.
      Here's a look at his day:

      Israeli settlements

      THE TIME: 11:37 a.m. ET
      WHAT HAPPENED: Trump pressures the Obama administration to veto a UN Security Council resolution condemning settlement activity, an unprecedented move by a President-elect who has not yet moved into the White House.
      "The resolution being considered at the United Nations Security Council regarding Israel should be vetoed," Trump tweets, linking to a statement.

      The resolution being considered at the United Nations Security Council regarding Israel should be vetoed....cont: https://www.facebook.com/DonaldTrump/posts/10158338539250725 
      Egypt delayed the potential vote at the Security Council, putting off a potential standoff between the US and Israel. An Israeli official later tells CNN his country reached out to Trump for help in pressuring the Obama administration.
      WHAT FOLLOWED: On sensitive issues of diplomacy and national security, Trump has displayed a continued willingness to pressure and contradict President Barack Obama, eschewing a "one president at a time" policy that Obama insists must govern the peaceful transition of power.
      Official: Israel turns to Trump for UN help
      Official: Israel turns to Trump for UN help 02:17

      Nuclear arms

      THE TIME: 11:50 a.m. ET
      WHAT HAPPENED: Trump threatens a nuclear arms race.
      "The United States must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability until such time as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes," Trump tweets.


       Follow
      Donald J. Trump 
      @realDonaldTrump
      The United States must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability until such time as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes
      Hours earlier in Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a defense speech in Moscow that Russia needs to "enhance the combat capability of strategic nuclear forces, primarily by strengthening missile complexes that will be guaranteed to penetrate existing and future missile defense systems."
      WHAT FOLLOWED: The exchange appeared to raise the prospect of a new arms race between the US and Russia, which between them boast more than 14,000 nuclear warheads, the still deadly legacy of their four-decades long Cold War standoff.
      Russian dissident: Putin sees Trump as weak
      Russian dissident: Putin sees Trump as weak 03:29

      Boeing vs. Lockheed Martin

      THE TIME: 5:26 p.m. ET
      WHAT HAPPENED: Trump cost millions in market value to Lockheed Martin and caused thousands of people to now worry they may lose their jobs after tweeting that the Pentagon's costly new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter could be replaced with a modified version of a less expensive plane, the F/A-18 Super Hornet.
      The F-35 is made by Lockheed Martin, while the Super Hornet is made by aerospace rival Boeing.
      Based on the tremendous cost and cost overruns of the Lockheed Martin F-35, I have asked Boeing to price-out a comparable F-18 Super Hornet!," Trump tweets.
      WHAT FOLLOWED: Lockheed Martin's stock dipped about 2% in aftermarket trading.
      For Lockheed, the F-35 is its industrial future. Trump's tweet has threatened to upend Lockheed's plans just as his tweets aimed at China has rattled Boeing, which is counting on selling jets to Chinese airlines.