PRIMED FOR ROLAND GARROS 2009
SUBJECTS INCLUDED
Darfur
and
The French Open
Fast for Darfur
People from 31 different countries are now fasting together: Albania, Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, Chad, Colombia, France, Germany, Greece, India, Italy, Jamaica, Kenya, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mexico, Nepal, New Zealand, Nigeria, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Senegal, Spain, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, UK, USA & Puerto Rico
Thursday: Over 500 people have joined the fast and today 67 people are fasting in solidarity with the people of Darfur
- 5/21/09 - Musician and song writer David Hodges joins the fast
- 5/21/09 - Jane Wales - World Affairs Council and NPR radio host joins the fast
- Olympic Swimming Champion Josh Davis’ video on his last day of fasting.
- Mia and Darfuris heard by Congress
- View 3 new videos from Peter Gabriel
- Jon Foreman’s blog on his last day of fasting - impossible to ignore
- Soon to fast:
-Stephen Christian, lead singer for rock group Anberlin.
-More announcements soon.
We fast in solidarity with the people of Darfur because they do not have a choice. We fast as a personal expression of outrage at a world that has allowed the suffering of millions of innocent people. We fast because as we simply watched, Darfur’s defenseless people were forced into wretched camps where today they are facing starvation and disease. We fast because those in positions of authority who know what is right and just, could and should do more to alleviate their suffering and bring peace, protection, and justice to the people of Sudan.
We fast for Darfur’s courageous people —because we yearn for a world where human rights are respected and a life of dignity is the legacy for every man, woman and child.
If you want to join fast for darfuris click here
Water Only fast
In this fast only water is consumed.
Refugee rations fast
Cracked Wheat - Daily, 7 oz. (weight not volume) (686 Calories)
Farina Wheat Cereal - Daily - 1.17 oz (weight not volume) (123 Calories)
Yellow Split Peas - Daily 1/6 Cup (82 Calories)
Oil - Daily 2.4 TSPNs (96 Calories)
Sugar - Daily 2 TSPNs (30 Calories)
Salt - Daily 1/10 Teaspoon per day.
There are 2 fasting options: water only, and refugee rations (see below) that mirrors the rations people get in the refugee camps that we have observed. To join Darfur Fast for Life for one day or more, please fill out the form below:
To join Darfur Fast for Life for one day or more, send an e-mail to join@fastdarfur.org with your name, date(s) fasting, hometown, and type of fasting you will participate in (water only or refugee rations). If you left a comment on this site please also email join@fastdarfur.org, as we might overlook your comment. Please be sure to check with your doctor, if you intend on doing any extended form of fasting.
By Mia Farrow
May 19, 2009
Once again,the Congressional Black Caucus led by Congressman Donald Payne STEPPED UP !!!
Several members of the CBC spoke, some had even traveled to Darfur. Some had been arrested last month -protesting outside the Sudanese Embassy.
The sun was shining and the sky was clear blue. The press conference was held on the steps of the Cannon Terrace Hill-on Independence Avenue- with the Capitol buildings behind us. Congressman Payne-who has long participated in non-violent protests, has been honorably arrested three times. He read out the names of those who will fast in solidarity with the people of Darfur and as a symbol of their commitment to end the suffering and slaughter of innocents. I had the great privilege of standing with the Caucus which included John Lewis, my long-time hero !!
Darfuris, Omer Ismael and Mohammed Yahya spoke wonderfully and movingly about Darfuri’s need for justice. We did not bring them peace, protection or an end to their misery -but we did support justice through the ICC. Both men said they represent Darfuris in the millions who would rather die than forfeit justice.
That my (very personal) decision to fast has led to such a moment in DC is more meaningful than I can say.
Earlier I met with Senator Harry Reid. He promised to bring up Darfur in the Senate. He wanted to know what could be DONE. The vagaries of “more” and “priority” really don’t fly. So I said, ‘ China’ and our need to support the ICC-( this is the time for a change ) He took notes. His chief of staff seemed very on-board!
US Envoy to Sudan, Scott Gration is leaving for Beijing tomorrow. He should bring the message that China has a constructive role to play- not only in getting the aid agencies back into Darfur with unrestricted access to populations, but in the vigorous pursuit of a legitimate and comprehensive peace process; also in reconsidering China’s arms sales to Khartoum. The US gov holds key cards but China has the full deck.
Darfur remains a stain on Beijing’s reputation as a preeminent emerging power. They should use their considerable influence to bring about an end to the anguish that currently defines Darfur– and by extension, them.
Since my first visit to Darfur in 2004, countless people have told me their stories of terror and pain and loss. They hoped I would return to my country and tell ‘the world’ what they have endured and what they are facing still. And they always express the hope that if the world only knew what is happening in Darfur, surely someday, someone will care enough to save them.
Over and over again I have promised them I would do my utmost to tell ‘the world’ what is happening in Darfur. And I have tried. Every day I try- but their suffering continues. Rations of hope are now more meager in Darfur than rations of food.
But today, on the steps of one of our nations greatest buildings, in the company of some of our most powerful and respected leaders, Darfuri voices were heard.
I am at the airport heading home. I will sleep soundly tonight. Tomorrow we must try harder.
– Mia Farrow
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Email from Save Darfur Coalition May 21, 2009:
It's become clear that the Bashir regime is not committed to peace—and that peace is dependent on President Obama's leadership.
That's why 41,938 people have already signed our citizen open letter and sent it to President Obama, and why Darfuris from across the country will march in front of the White House Friday and call on the Obama administration to act.
If we can get to 50,000 signatures by midnight tonight, we'll bring copies of the letters with us to the White House. Don't delay!
Just hours left—sign on to the letter now.
In the last two weeks, the Sudanese government prevented Darfuri delegates from traveling to a peace conference in Ethiopia, and appointed a man wanted for war crimes in Darfur as the governor of South Kordofan, a critical border region between North and South Sudan.
And Bashir's regime has yet to make good on promises of unfettered access for humanitarian groups to provide clean water, sanitation and essential health care services.
But our movement is refusing to be silent. Actress and activist Mia Farrow stoically undertook a 12-day fast in support of the people of Darfur. Richard Branson, Peter Gabriel, Representatives Donald Payne and Ilena Ros-Lehtinen, and hundreds of people worldwide carried on when her health forced her to stop the fast.
On Tuesday, members of the Congressional Black Caucus announced they are joining the fast in support of the people of Darfur. And on Friday, Darfuris and Sudanese from across the United States will march in front of the White House and call for action.
These courageous actions are bringing awareness of the crisis to millions. Now, it's up to us to transform that awareness into a powerful message for the White House: we need bold action now.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~TENNIS - The Crowning Clay Court Tournament
The French Open
Roland Garros Schedule
NOTE: Rafa will be blogging from Roland Garros
Live Drawing will be available at this website
Also see pictures, the Preview video of the tournament with Rafa (26.08 minutes), the beautiful centre court - Philippe Chatrier - with the retractable roof shown in action, news and more.
And Radio Roland Garros
NOTE: below the video screen at the site you select the video you want to see.
The Drawing for Roland Garros - The French Open - LIVE
Paris, France - at the Club des Loges
11:30 a.m. (5:30 a.m. USA EST/DST)
See my sidebar for the time in Spain, which is the same as France.
The draw for the men's and women's singles tournaments will be carried out, with reigning champions Rafael Nadal and Ana Ivanovic drawing the seeds by hand.
The remaining 96 players in each tournament will then be drawn electronically. Follow the draw live on www.rolandgarros.com as the players' names appear one by one in the two sets of brackets!
Roland Garros - TV Schedule
In Europe
RTBF & VRT in Belgium
BHRT in Bosnia
HRT in Croatia
CYBC in Cyprus
TVE 1, La 2 & Teledeporte in Spain
YLE in Finland
NTV+ Russia ERT in Greece
TG4 in Ireland
RTCG in Montenegro
NOS in Netherlands
BBC 1 & BBC 2 in United Kingdom
RTR in Russia RTS in Serbia
RTVS in Slovenia
SF, TSI, TSR in Switzerland
TRT in Turkey
Eurosport in most of the European Countries
In The United States, In Canada, In Latin America
NBC ESPN2 The Tennis Channel TSN
RDS ESPN Latin America
ESPN Dos
ESPN Deportes
ESPN +
In Asia Pacific
Astro Malaysia
BBTV Thailand
CCTV China
Fox Australia
iCable Hong Kong MBC Korea
Chung Hwa Taiwan
ESPN Star India
Sky New Zealand
Balls Philippines Starhub Singapore
Cineplex Thailand
WOWOW Japan
Nine Australia
VCTV Viet Nam
In Africa & Middle East
M-Net Supersport Al Jazeera
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Rafa arrived in Paris May 21, 2009 and has the following schedule for 3 days:
May 21, the World No.1 will made his first appearance in Paris at a promotional exhibition tournament
On Thursday, the defending champion continued his professional obligations with the media, in a private meeting with the Spanish press.
On Friday, at 11:30pm (Paris time) Rafa will take part in the draw ceremony for Roland Garros, followed by his first official pre-tournament press conference.
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Rafa and his physio
Uploaded by Nereis8
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More Rafa and his physio
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Uploaded by Nereis8
Text included with video at Youtube:
In this one Toni is telling how little Rafa believed his uncle was a magician and how he could make players get injured if he wanted to, while they were watching a match. (they were recorded matches but of course Rafa didn't know that)
And Rafa was all like "c'mon, don't do that", because he was such a good boy.
At 1:44 Rafa remembers he also believed Toni could make him invisible and how his whole family pretended they couldn't see him (at 2:44 he's showing how he made a glass levitate).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Draw and Order of Play at guinot mary cohr masters May 21 1:30 pm Roger Federer d Stanislas Wawrinka 6-2, 6-4 Video - Rafa Nadal d Arnaud Clement 6-3 6-3 May 22 1:30 pm Kei Nishikori vs Tommy Haas Followed by Marat Safin vs James Blake
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Rafa On Conditioning, Cake Walks By Tennis Week
Source: www.tennisweek.com
His voracious appetite for winning and the silverware that fills his mouth after his trademark habit of chomping on championship trophies gives Rafael Nadal's mouth quite a work out this season. The biceps bursting from beneath the sleeves of his shirts are a constant reminder of the top-ranked Spaniard's powerful prowess in strong-arming opponents right off the Grand Slam stage and the legs that pump with the power of pistons that lift the elevators to the top of the Eiffel Tower serve as reminders that no ball is a lost cause when Nadal is chasing it.
But when Nadal reviews his work-out regimen, he says it's no stretch that flexibility is as important to his fitness as strength training. In a new interview in Men's Fitness Magazine, Nadal says the tennis court is his gym and daily stretching with his trainer is vital to his conditioning.
"This (stretching) is very important. This I do everyday. I have my own Physio and he stretches me everyday. This is crucial...I always had the same physical trainer and I don't really see the difference from what I did five years ago. The biggest difference comes with the kind of work I specifically need for my tennis and the changes I have [made]. But not depending on age."
While Nadal's bulging biceps that make him look like a rugby player are among the most recognized body parts in tennis today, he says he doesn't perform one-arm curls with fire hydrants or bench press the chair umpire's seat while Uncle Toni occupies it, to refine his sculpted physique. The muscular Mallorcan suggests it was the sleeveless shirts he wore until this season that made his arms appear even more massively muscular.
"Nothing, believe me. Just the normal things any other player, tennis player, would do," Nadal tells Men's Fitness when asked about his arm strength. "This is funny, if you look at many other players they are probably fitter than me. The difference probably is that I was playing sleeveless. Now that I carry shirts with sleeves it doesn't look that different. And also my left arm is much more developed than my right arm. This is because I play lefty and that's sort of my gym, the tennis court. That's where I have fun."
While the sight of Nadal bouncing on his toes at the beginning of a match looking like a boxer before the opening bell or his habit of doing a series of kangaroo jumps before (and sometimes even after) big matches can be a physically intimidating sight for observers, the four-time French Open champion says it's his performance rather than his physique that catches opponents' attention.
"I think that at our level guys don't get impressed with these things. It is more the running, the speed and the shots that really we pay attention to," Nadal says, adding his attitude has not changed since he supplanted rival Roger Federer as World No. 1. "I don't think it changes that much to be No. 1 or No. 2 to be very honest with you," Nadal says. "It is difficult to be up there and as I say the change is not much. Federer is always the main rival but also now Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray."
While some speculate Nadal's physically-demanding, grinding style, his willingness to run after every ball no matter where it lands and the energy he expends in major matches could conspire to shorten his career or contribute to injury the six-time Grand Slam champion played a record five-set match vs. Fernando Verdasco at he Australian Open in January and withstood a four hour, two minute triumph over Novak Djokovic in Saturday's Madrid semifinals Nadal counters the adjustments he's made to his game in recent years, including moving closer to the baseline to take the ball earlier, the improvement in his serve and his net play and his willingness to attack more from inside the baseline should limit the physical wear and tear on his body.
"For the past couple of years I've tried to improve my game, to play more inside the court and limit the amount of kilometers that I run," says Nadal. "I think I have been playing much shorter matches in general with the exception of those in Melbourne or even in Madrid. This is important and I think I'm learning and getting better."
The reigning Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon winner fought off Roger Federer an in epic five set Wimbledon final last July and Nadal has the recipe for a cake walk when he returns to the all England Club next month the man with the hunger for Grand Slam silverware will be cooking up cake.
"(I only cook) those two weeks of the year. I have fun doing that, I like to eat that funny pasta we cook in Wimbledon. I really see that as part of my distraction there, especially in the past years with the rain making it a bit long," says Nadal who reveals his speciality is "pasta with shrimp and mushrooms. I'm also good at making cakes."
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Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic talk about playing at Roland Garros 2009
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Preview of the 2009 French Open at Roland Garros
The Tennis Channel's version of a promotion
Uploaded by mirsasha
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"The King of Clay defends his title"
Dutch sports TV channel promo announcing Roland Garros
Uploaded by JPdewin
British Eurosport's promotion of Roland Garros 2009
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Uploaded by lovemylifesblog
The Forum that once was associated with www.rafaelnadal.com was taken over by Nike within the last year and in the process forgot to consider the respect for the fans who work hard at that forum. That forum has been kept alive during these months. This fans' Rafael Nadal forum is now beginning a partnership with Rafa's tennis racquet sponsor, BABOLAT. This video is to thank those responsible for making this possible - a forum moderator, Bluemama and Philippe Jullien of Babolat. An enthusiastic Muchas Gracias, Merci Beaucoup and Thank You Very Much!
Philippe Jullien of Babolat on the left
and on the right is Michael,
who works for IMG, the same company that Rafa's Carlos Costa works for.
Philippe is holding a large racket signed by Rafa May 21, 2009.
Bluemama met with them Thursday, May 21st.
Rafa's Racquet Company link www.babolat.com
Present link to this forum: www.activeboard.com/forum.spark?forumID=84197&p=1
Babolat is sponsoring contests at the forum and the first one is announced. Between May 24th and July 15, there will be a photo contest calleld "My tennis wins with Babolat".
You will be able to see your picture and other contestant pictures at the Babolat flikr account http://www.flickr.com/photos/babolatvs
Say that you belong to the forum sponsored by Babolat.
Rafa will select the 10 winners of the contest.
Bite victory as Rafa and Dinara do. Take a picture of yourself biting your racket and email your picture to mordstaraquette@babolat.com
Rafa's outfit for The French Open
Labels: Babolat, Clay, Darfur, Forum, France, French Open, Genocide, ilovemylife, King, Number One, Obama, Paris, Racket, Rafael Nadal, Roland Garros, Sandra Hammel, Spain, Sudan, Tennis, Vamos Rafa
posted by ilovemylife @ 9:42 PM
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