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Friday, July 31, 2009

IS A CHANGE GONNA COME in DARFUR?

PRESIDENT OBAMA HAS NOT HAD HIS EYE ON THE BALL
REGARDING SUDAN

and his appointed U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan, Scott Gration, has been a disaster.

He needs to step down and President Obama needs to put enough attention on his administration's policy on Sudan

and appoint someone who is effective.

The one for the job would perhaps be Susan Rice, the U.S. UN ambassador.

It isn't Scott Gration.

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Darfur: We Won't Get Fooled Again from Darfur on Vimeo.


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Genocide.change.org
Read the statements of those quesitoned July 30, 2009
Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on U.S. Strategy on Sudan
foreign.senate.gov/hearings/2009/hrg090730a


US should not normalize relations with Sudan now – SPLM

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US policy shift on Sudan becomes more vivid


Source: http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article31984

Friday 31 July 2009

July 30, 2009 (WASHINGTON) — The US presidential special envoy to Sudan Scott Gration criticized the decade long sanctions imposed by his country on Khartoum saying it is undermining the diplomatic efforts being carried out to resolve multiple conflicts in the East African country.

Gration, testifying at the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, said that “the consequences of the sanctions that result from that, and other sanctions, are preventing us from doing the development we absolutely need to do,".

“At some point we’re going to have to unwind some of these sanctions so that we can do the very things we need to do,” he said.

He said that the sanctions are “hurting the very development” needed for South Sudan such as bans on heavy equipment for road-building and computer equipment useful for educational purposes.

The former US administration has exempted South Sudan from some sanctions but those on oil are still in place.

Gration also decried Sudan being on the list of countries that sponsor terrorism saying there was “no evidence” to support that designation saying that Khartoum helped US efforts against key member of Al-Qaeda extremist group.

Since the beginning of the millennium, Sudan and the US have acknowledged their counterterrorism cooperation even as their political relations deteriorated.

He also said that Sudan has been cooperating in stopping the weapon smugglers heading towards Gaza through Egypt.

Earlier this year it was revealed by US officials that Israel bombed a Gaza bound arms convoy in East Sudan. Egypt, upon complaints from Washington, has reportedly warned Sudan about the growing activity of Iranian backed arms smuggling to Gaza strip ruled by the Islamic militant group Hamas.

The statements by the senior US official appear to signal the direction taken by Obama’s administration and the comprehensive policy review on Sudan that is due to be completed in the upcoming weeks.

It was reported that different factions within the US administration have prevented the finalization of the Sudan policy review particularly on the usage of sticks versus carrots.

The Washington Post said that Obama’s national security advisers have been locked in dispute over the right mix of rewards and penalties to persuade the Khartoum government to pursue peace in those regions.

Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, has been pressing for a tougher approach, citing Khartoum’s history of violating previous agreements.

But Gration while rejecting ideas of rift with Rice, suggested that engagement with Khartoum is the way forward.

“Engagement is not something we pursue for its own sake, and it is not about accommodating the status quo. Engagement does not mean the absence of pressure, or doling out incentives based on wishful thinking. On the contrary, it is about working to change conditions on the ground,” he said.

Asked after the hearing about concerns that the Obama administration was not taking a hard enough approach to Khartoum, Gration replied: “You know, carrots and sticks are great for leading donkeys. This is much more complicated.”

The Sudanese ambassador to the United Nations (UN) Abdel-Mahmood Abdel-Haleem welcomed Gration’s in remarks to official news agency (SUNA) saying that his country has suffered from the “unjust” sanctions that he said violated UN charter and its resolutions that “condemn unilateral sanction”.

Abdel-Haleem said he hoped Washington would take practical steps to lift sanctions and remove Sudan from list of countries that sponsor terrorism.

The special envoy’s opening remarks focused on the objectives of Washington with regard to Sudan including the North-South Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), the 2011 referendum in South Sudan, Darfur peacekeeping and the peace process the war ravaged region.

Gration said he wants to unify the positions of the Darfur rebel groups and is also seeking to defuse tension between Sudan and Chad that fuels the conflict.

He acknowledged that both neighbors are backing each other’s rebel groups creating across the borders military movements and said that deploying monitors can help curtail that.

Gration expressed dissatisfaction with the UNAMID mandate describing it as “weak” hinting that it could be changed down the road as well as the command control of the peacekeepers despite Khartoum’s likely resistance to such a step.

To correct this situation the US envoy disclosed that to protect IDP’s he is working with the African Union-United nations (UNAMID) peacekeepers to create “secure sectors and corridors” through which people can move safely which according to him may require aerial capabilities, working more closely with local law enforcement authorities and rebel groups in the region.

The US envoy said that specialized intelligence and reconnaissance capabilities will be needed as peace process progresses that could be coordinated with United States African Command (AFRICOM).

Gration said that the violence and insecurity encountered by the IDP’s is “unacceptable”. He also proposed allowing UN peacekeepers in South Sudan to assist in Darfur and vice versa another idea that Khartoum is unlikely to accept.

The US official said that his government is working closely with other international players including UK as well as China which has huge economic stakes in Sudan saying that the latter shares the same agenda as Washington but for the purpose of protecting their investments.

Asked about the upcoming elections Gration said that he believes that the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) and the Sudan People Liberation Movement (SPLM) are reluctant to have the already delayed poll scheduled for April 2010.

Gration warned that if elections are skipped it would be very difficult to hold credible referendum in Abyei and South Sudan in 2011.

Obama’s envoy refused to comment on his boss’s characterization of the situation in Darfur as being genocide on whether it was something from the past or ongoing.

Gration said last month that Darfur is witnessing “remnants of genocide” drawing criticisms from advocacy groups. The same day the US State department distanced itself from Gration’s statements.

“I am not saying the genocide is over. What I am saying though is that my focus is on recovery,” he said in response to one of the senators question.

Washington has also been grappling with how to deal with Khartoum over violence in Darfur, where UN estimates say up to 300,000 people have died and 2.7 million have fled their homes amid violence the United States has labeled genocide


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Bigger screen at:
www.playingforchange.com/episodes/9/Change_Is_Gonna_Come
Episode 9

Change Is Gonna Come

Playing For Change is going to be aired all through the month of August on PBS

A 57 minute version of the feature length documentary film, "Playing For Change: Peace Through Music," is going to air nationally on PBS throughout August! Over the course of this film, you will not only have the chance to see and hear new amazing performances from around the world, but you will also get to meet the musicians who make them so special.

Additional screenings are being scheduled by PBS daily, so for the most up to date listing check with your local station. To see a list that is current as of July 30th, click here.

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The Boston area dates and times

WGBXDT
8/7/2009
13:00 ET
Boston

WGBXDT
8/1/2009
19:30 ET
Boston

WGBX
8/7/2009
13:00 ET
Boston

WENH
8/3/2009
23:00 ET
Boston

WGBX
8/1/2009
19:30 ET
Boston
....................................

Write to President Obama
http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/

You can also write to the President at:
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

President Obama can be called:

202-456-1111
or
1-800-GENOCIDE

The White House comment line is available
9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. weekdays

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Find USA elected politicians contact information at this link:
www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml

More Information:

genocide.change.org

www.stopgenocidenow.org

www.enoughproject.org
www.savedarfur.org

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BONUS ~ FREE Downloads from Dark Mean


Click this post's title

My favorite is Lullaby


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Thursday, July 30, 2009

SCOTT GRATION IS THE WRONG PERSON FOR THE JOB - WRONG VOICE FOR USA


READ NOTES ABOUT THE SENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE
HEARING TODAY WITH SCOTT GRATION
at http://twitter.com/laura4Enough


Leaders IDPs Darfur arrested after refusing forced return

Posted on | July 30, 2009 |

Source

el-gereida-camp-pics1EL FASHER (31 July, 2009) – The leaders of the Internally Displaced People groups (IDPs) in Darfur have refused to cooperate in ‘voluntarily return programmes’ initiated by the government. After their refusal, local security officers came to El Gereida camp (South Darfur) and have arrested three IDP-leaders during the last three days. The leaders were approached by a local committee formed by the government authorities. They explained to the committee that they are not willing to return to their villages unless full security has been restored and the issues of compensation for lost properties and disarmament of militias have been resolved. The names of the detained leaders are Ali Abdel Nagi, Abdallah Mohammed Ibrahim and Mohammed Gamar al Din, all three from Al Gereida camp. The IDP leaders in El Geneina (Rhyad-camp) also told Radio Dabanga that they were approached by a similar type of government committee to return their people, but they refused to discuss since they discovered that their villages and land is already occupied by new settlers. The Abu Shok displaced community near El Fasher also refused to participate in any operation to return their people to the home areas. Sudan has signed international conventions that prohibit any forced return for displaced people and refugees.

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From Mohamed Suleiman:


The " Voluntary Return" program is one of the plans Gen. Scott Gration is pushing for. This is GoS - Government of Sudan - plan to dismantle the IDP - Internally Dispaced Persons - camps in a hurry to derail the ICC - International Criminal Court - warrant of arrest.

General Gration a few weeks ago in the camp of Kass asked the refugees to return to their villages to catch with the rainy season to farm the lands. The IDP leaders told him that their lands are occupied by the pro-GoS militias.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Day 113 - July 29th

IDPs are accusing the national NGOs in Darfur ‘to merchandise their sufferings’, while gaining large amounts of money for their own benefits. One IDP leader in Abu Shouk camp told Radio Dabanga in detail how Zubair Charity is marketing the suffering of the IDPs to receive considerable money to siphon it. He says that the Zubair organization brought clothing for 2000 people. The packs were well wrapped and brought to the camp leaders. The charity stayed until they were filmed and photographed, but left before they unpacked the aid. After opening the parcels the clothes were dilapidated and turned out to be rags. After asking for explanation, the Zubair Charity refused to come back. The national aid campaign by Sudanese NGO’s started after 13 international NGOs were expelled from Darfur after the indictment of President Omar al Bashir.


Read more at Mohamed's blog: while we wait sudan

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HEARING ON DARFUR JULY 30, 09 - FOLLOW IT ON TWITTER



Follow the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Hearing referred to below

http://twitter.com/laura4Enough

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Start time: 10:00 a.m.

and you can comment here:

http://twitter.com/#search?q=%23human



This link supposed to take you to a livestream of the hearing:

http://foreign.senate.gov/Flashtest.html





TOWARD A COMPREHENSIVE
STRATEGY FOR SUDAN

Hearing before the

COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS

UNITED STATES SENATE
ONE HUNDRED ELEVENTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION

Thursday, July 30, 2009
10:00 A.M.
Place: 419 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Presiding: Senator Kerry

PANEL 1
+General Scott Gration, USAF (Ret.)
Special Envoy to Sudan
Department of State
Washington, DC

+Earl Gast
Acting Administrator for Africa
U.S. Agency for International Development
Washington, DC

PANEL 2:
+The Honorable David Shinn
Adjunct Professor
Elliott School of International Affairs
The George Washington University
Washington, DC
+Mohammed Ahmed Eisa, M.D.
Physician
2007 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights
Award Laureate
Sudan Organization for Rights and Peace-Building
Washington, D.C

Contact information:

U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510-6225

Majority Phone: (202) 224-4651
Minority Phone: (202) 224-6797



....................................

Write to President Obama
http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/

You can also write to the President at:
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

President Obama can be called:

202-456-1111
or
1-800-GENOCIDE

The White House comment line is available
9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. weekdays

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Find USA elected politicians contact information at this link:
www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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Wednesday, July 29, 2009

RAFAEL NADAL - A CHAMPION ON MANY LEVELS


Rafa Nadal is young, genuine and deeper than we know, I suspect. It has been a difficult year for Rafa. Hopefully, his knees will allow him to come back and play his beloved tennis.

Besides his hard work and talent on the tennis court, Rafa is admired for his humility, straight talk with tact, kindness and a giving spirit.

All the best to Rafa and his family.

Next possible tournament

Montreal Masters
August 8 - 16, 2009
Rafa will decide in the next few days if he will be playing in Montreal.


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TVE prepares for Tuesday July 28 in an exclusive interview with Rafa Nadal.
Uploaded by vamosrafelnadal


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From Rafa's homepage:

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Interview - first half
Uploaded by gandaines2

July 29th, 2009

Lorenzo Mila and Rosana Romero from TVE (the leading news channel in Spain) interviewed Rafa Nadal yesterday at his summer house in Porto Cristo.

During the show, Rafa spoke about his days away from the tennis courts, about his recovery, his return to the tennis circuit, but most importantly, how he is...

So how is Rafa Nadal?

“Good, the truth is that I feel good. But also, I have to wait and see how I continue to recover because I’ve only been back training for a week and a half and you always feel a bit better anemically. You start with lots of hope, but again, the real test would be to see how I go when I really push my knees and I think that is likely to happen in the upcoming days. So I hope it’s all good,” said Rafa.

What happened?

“What happened was that I was in a lot of pain for a while, when I came back from Miami and I was training in Manacor, I started to feel a strong pain, especially in my right knee. It was a different kind of pain [to what I’ve experienced before], so I took off the bandages in my knees,” he explained…”and everyone thought that it was because I felt great, but the problem was that it didn’t hurt there anymore, now it hurt in the superior end of the knee cap. And well, the bandages weren’t helping me at all and that’s when it all started to get worse, little by little.”

Video: Courtesy of TVE.

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Interview - second half
Uploaded by gandaines2

PART 2

Click in the header to read the full report!

Rafa said that he should have rested after Rome to play at his best in Roland Garros, but he wanted to play the Masters Series Tournament in Madrid, which turned out to be a big mistake. At the same time, he admitted that he had “been playing almost every day with an anti-inflammatory and I had too much pain to play well at both tournaments that were important for me, Roland Garros and Wimbledon."

"I decided it was best to stop and recover," because "you lose the drive to go back to train and compete, because you are not with the same energy, little by little it destroys you," he explained.

According to Rafa, it is "knowing how to overcome difficult situations or face them with a positive mindset and learn to enjoy suffering," that has kept him going. "It is a virtue that I’ve always had, I like to suffer, I have learned to enjoy suffering and I believe that is what helps me."

At the same time, the support and love he has received from his fans and family has been the one highlight out of this painful experience. “Without doubt, the best memory in the last two months has been the support I have received from everyone. From my website, where they’ve sent me tons of messages. I have nothing but gratitude for their gesture”.

So what has Rafa been doing in the last two months?

"I have spent more hours on the couch these past two months than in the past four years", he confessed.

This time away from competition has also allowed Rafa to follow other aspects of the sport today, politically and economically, "I've been able to follow many things, to see how colleagues have won some very important things, such as Contador at the Tour of France, or Pau Gasol in the NBA when he won 'the ring'. Of course I'm interested in the [economic] crisis and also in politics, but I never like to talk about those things".

The four-time Roland Garros champion said that his "dream" is to return to the ATP for the August 9 start of the Montreal Masters Series event, "I would like to come back in Montreal in a week and a half. I [will] have to force the knees and just see how far I can go."

"My main objective is not to regain the number one ranking. My main goal is to be well and happy to be playing tennis," Rafa said.

"I’m mentally ready to return now!"

Vamos Rafa!


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Nadal: "Mi problema real son las rodillas"

Source: www.rtve.es/deportes/20090728/nadal-problema-real-son-las-rodillas/286885

The google English translation is below the Spanish text here.

ELENA VILLAÉCIJA 28.07.2009Tras dos meses de parón, Rafa Nadal piensa ya en su vuelta a las pistas. El tenista ha concedido una entrevista exclusiva a Televisión Española, en la que quiso desmentir los rumores que apuntan a problemas familiares (la separación de sus padres) como la causa de su bajón físico. "Soy humano y es difícil de asimilar, pero no es lo que me ha afectado, el problema real eran las rodillas", aseguró.

Nadal aseguró que lo tiene "casi totalmente superado" y quiso aclarar que "eso sucedió hace varios meses y yo gané en Indian Wells, en Barcelona y en Roma. Sinceramente, mi problema real son las rodillas".

Después de estar dos meses alejado de la competición, el manacorense afronta con incertidumbre su vuelta. "El respeto que tengo por mis rivales hace que tenga muchas más dudas antes de empezar un torneo. Yo ahora mismo soy un mar de dudas".

Aunque su objetivo es competir en el torneo de Montreal, que arranca el próximo 8 de agosto, Nadal quiere "estar seguro de estar bien para volver a entrar en una pista". Por eso, no se atreve a fijar una fecha para su vuelta. "No lo sé ni yo, me gustaría estar en Montreal en una semana y media. Voy a forzar para probarme antes". "Me siento preparado mentalmente, cuando esté bien voy a volver para darlo todo", declaró.

Lo que sí aseguró es que la decisión de su vuelta es libre y que nunca ha "tenido presión para volver", ni de los patrocinadores ni de la ATP.

No le preocupa el número uno

Su principal preocupación no es recuperar el número uno, ahora en posesión de Federer, sino "estar bien, estar feliz jugando al tenis y mejorar, y para eso tengo que estar bien de las rodillas".

El tenista Rafa Nadal,que ha estado dos meses parado y que volvió a los entrenamientos hace apenas unas semanas aseguró que se encuentra bien, aunque "hay que ver cómo evoluciono cuando fuerce de verdad las rodillas, que será en los siguientes días, y ojalá que sea buena la evolución".

Disfrutar sufriendo

Nadal comentó cómo empezaron sus problemas físicos. "Llevaba varios meses con dolores. Cuando volví de Miami me empezó a doler la rodilla derecha, era un dolor distinto. Me quité las vendas y todo el mundo pensó que estaba perfecto, pero el problema es que ya no me dolía abajo, me dolía la parte superior de la rótula".

Nadal confiesa que a partir de entonces "todo empezó a empeorar, se fueron poniendo parches al dolor" hasta que dijo basta. "Decidí que era mejor parar y recuperarme" porque llega un momento en el que "uno pierde la ilusión, no te ves con la misma energía, te va destrozando".

El tenista admite que llegó a jugar durante mucho tiempo con dolor. "He estado jugando casi todos los días con antiinflamatorios y con infiltración algún día en Roland Garros", razón por la que llegó "demasiado cascado a los dos torneos más importantes: Roland Garros y Wimbledon".

Nadal reconoce que ha aprendido a convivir con el sufrimiento. "Sufres demasiado en cada momento, a mí me gusta sufrir, personalmente. He aprendido a disfrutar sufriendo. Creo que es una virtud que tengo. Cuando cada día vas entrenando mal, cuando cada partido se convierte en una historia que no sabes cómo vas a estar, la cabeza está llena de dudas".

"No he sabido cuándo parar"


El mallorquín ha estado dos meses parado, dos meses que reconoce que han sido muy difíciles. "Al principio sin ilusión de hacer muchas cosas, estaba tocado mentalmente, sentía que no había hecho las cosas como debía".

Y es que Nadal reconoce que debió parar antes y que no debió disputar el Masters de Madrid. "Fue un error mío. El máximo responsable de mí mismo soy yo. El problema es mío por no saber valorar cuándo parar, cuándo descansar", "quise jugar en Madrid y a toro pasado creo que fue un error".

En estos dos meses de parón, el manacorense ha estado centrado en su recuperación, trabajando más de cinco horas al día con máquinas, aunque también ha tenido tiempo para descansar. "He estado más horas en el sofá en estos dos meses que en los últimos cuatro años", bromeó.

También habló su rival y actual número uno, Roger Federer, de quien confesó que no le ha llamado en estos dos meses de parón. "No creo que su objetivo sea el número uno", sino "volver a ganar algún Grand Slam".

Al margen de los temas deportivos, Nadal habló también repasó otros temas de actualidad como la situación económica, la crisis y, madridista reconocido, habló sobre los últimos fichajes del conjunto blanco.


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Google translation to a above Spanish:

Nadal: "My knees are the real problem"

ELENA VILLAÉCIJA 28.07.2009Tras two months to stop, think and Rafa Nadal in his return to the slopes. The tennis player has granted an exclusive interview with Spanish television, which sought to dispel rumors that point to family problems (separation of parents) as the cause of his physical decline. "I'm human and it is difficult to digest, but not what I was concerned, the real problem was the knee," he said.

Nadal said it has "almost totally" and wanted to clarify that "this happened several months ago and I won at Indian Wells, Barcelona and Rome. Frankly, my knees are the real problem."

After being two months away from the competition, the uncertainty facing manacorense his return. "The respect I have for my rival has made many more questions before you start a tournament. I'm now a sea of doubts."

Although his goal is to compete in the tournament in Montreal, which starts next August 8, Nadal wants to "be sure to be well back into a track." They do not dare to set a date for his return. "I do not know me nor, I would be in Montreal in a week and a half. I'm going to try to force sooner." "I am mentally prepared, well when I am going back to give everything," he said.

What I said is that the decision to return is free and that has never been pressure to return, or the sponsors or the ATP.

No one is concerned about the number

Their main concern is to recover the number one, now in possession of Federer, but "be well, be happy playing tennis and improve, and for that I must be okay for your knees."

The tennis player Rafa Nadal, who has been stopped two months and returned to training just a few weeks ago is said that, although "we have to see how it evolved when the force of truth knees to be in the following days, and hopefully that the trend is good. "

Enjoy suffering

Nadal said how his physical problems started. "He had several months with pain. When I came back from Miami I started to hurt his right knee, was a different pain. I took off the bandages and the entire world thought he was perfect, but the problem is no longer hurt me down, hurt me the top of the kneecap. "

Nadal confesses that since then "everything started to get worse, they put the pain patch" until she said enough. "I decided it was best to stop and recover" because there comes a time when "you lose the illusion, you are not with the same energy, we will destroy."

Accepts that the tennis came to play for a long time with pain. "I've been playing almost every day with anti-infiltration and one day at Roland Garros," why it was "too breaking the two most important tournaments: Roland Garros and Wimbledon."

Nadal acknowledges he has learned to live with suffering. "Suffered too much at one time, I like experience, personally. I have learned to enjoy suffering. I think it is a virtue I have. When you train every day worse, when each game becomes a story that you do not know how to , a head full of doubts. "

"I did not know when to stop"

The Mallorcan has been stopped two months, acknowledging that two months have been very difficult. "At first, without much hope of doing, was mentally touched, felt that he had not done things as they should."

And Nadal acknowledged that he had stopped earlier and should not compete in the Madrid Masters. "It was a mistake of mine. The head of myself is me. The problem is mine for not knowing when to stop evaluating when to rest," "I wanted to play in Madrid last bull and I think it was a mistake."

In these two months of break, the manacorense has been focused on their recovery, working more than five hours a day with machines, although it has also had time to rest. "I have more hours on the couch in these two months than in the past four years," he joked.

He also discussed his rival and current number one Roger Federer, who confessed that he has not called in two months of break. "I do not think their goal is the number one" but "to win back a Grand Slam."

Regardless of the sport, Nadal spoke also reviewed other issues such as the economic situation, the crisis and recognized Madrid, spoke on recent signings of all white.

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This is Rafa fan, Bee's summary of the interview
from this forum:
Original Forum from Rafa's website - Babalot supported now

For those of you who have not been able to see that TVE report this evening, I am posting some screen caps I made of it.

Rafa looked very well, very relaxed and we saw the smile that we have been missing for a while - the smile that came from the eyes, if you know what I mean.

He is still not committing himself 100% to playing in Montreal but hopes that he he will know in about 3 days.

He spoke about the problem with his knees, saying that the pain started in Miami and that he was playing with pain during all the other tournaments that followed. He mentioned about the fact that he was playing without the knee tapes, and explained that the problem was above the kneecap, not below and the tapes were not any help for this injury above the knee.

His family issues were discussed very briefly and very tactfully, with Rafa reminding us that he does not talk about his private life, but assuring that the problems that he was suffering during the last few months that affected him on court were his knees.

Although feeling very much better, he did say that he still doesn't feel perfect, hence the hesitance to make the decision at this moment about returning to the circuit in Montreal.

With regard to the No 1 ranking, hs said that losing the ranking to Roger was not his main priority. His main concern is to be well, to be fully fit in order to train hard and "although people don't always believe me" in order to improve, which he can only do when he is 100%.



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Wednesday, July 29, 2009

In Nadal's case, less will amount to more

Source: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=4363886&name=tennis

Rafael Nadal fans are undoubtedly nervous about the return of the muscle-bound Majorcan at next week's Masters event in Montreal. My advice? Don't expect too much.

There's still a chance Nadal won't play next week, according to his Web site. In an interview with Spanish television, translated and posted on rafaelnadal.com, Nadal says: "I would like to come back in Montreal in a week and a half. I have to force the knees and just see how far I can go." Nadal has downplayed expectations for his return since he decided to skip Wimbledon, and he continues to do so in this interview, saying that although he feels good, "the real test would be to see how I go when I really push my knees, and I think that is likely to happen in the upcoming days."

The good news about Nadal's injury is that it doesn't require surgery; tendinitis is common and treatable. The bad news is, it's likely to be a chronic problem -- and perhaps a bigger problem for Nadal than it would be for most other players. This isn't because of the way Nadal plays; it's because of who Nadal is. No one on tour trains with as much intensity, and no one needs -- or to be more accurate, believes he needs -- more hours on the court to be his best. When Nadal can't play and train with abandon, he suffers not just physically, but mentally. Here he is again, speaking about the effects of his injury: "You lose the drive to go back to train and compete, because you are not with the same energy. Little by little, it destroys you."

For years, people have said that Nadal couldn't last because he plays such a grueling game and punishes his body more than other players. I have my doubts about that, simply because those opinions are based on appearances. Yes, Nadal's style of play looks more demanding than Roger Federer's, but just because Federer seems to glide doesn't mean his knees and ankles aren't taking a pounding. We've also seen plenty of graceful players -- Miloslav Mecir comes to mind -- suffer career-shortening injuries. The 10-month season is brutal on the joints and tendons of every player, even the pretty ones.

My concern is, can Nadal still be Nadal while playing less tennis? The encouraging news from his interview is that Nadal admits he made some scheduling mistakes this year. He said he shouldn't have played in Madrid after feeling a lot of pain in Rome. If he hadn't, he might have been healthy for Roland Garros. To my mind, he shouldn't have played in Rotterdam after the Australian Open, or in Barcelona, either. Going forward, we can expect to see Nadal less often, and that's a good thing if it allows us to see a healthy Nadal more often.

What we'll begin to learn the rest of this season, though, is whether we'll see a fabulous Nadal as often, or ever again. I hope so, because for my money, no one -- not even Roger Federer -- has played better tennis than Nadal did from April to August of last year, when he won the French Open, Wimbledon and the Olympic gold medal. The man was otherworldly. Can Nadal be that same player with a slimmer schedule, more carefully designed practices and more breaks? Up to this point, Nadal has needed to play -- and do it a lot -- to be his best. Playing hard, and suffering, have become his identity: "It is a virtue that I've always had: I like to suffer, I have learned to enjoy suffering, and I believe that is what helps me."

He's now in the process of changing that identity. The trick is doing it without killing -- slowly, as he suggested -- the great player inside.



www.rtve.es/mediateca/videos/20090728/entrevista-nadal/552787
The entire interview - 20:03

www.rafaelnadal.com
supported by Nike

www.vamosbrigade.com
Fan run website
at this website's forum there is a thread just for the July 28, 2009 TVE interview
with an excellent English translation by Babi
Register there and you can read it. It states that it is exclusively translated for their website.
Go to the section Rafa News and Pics and look for the specific TVE interview thread.
Then find:
Page 13 - First third of interview
Page 19 - Second third of interview
Page 22- Whole interview translation - with final third in blue



Original Forum from Rafa's website - Babolat supported now

personal life


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Tuesday, July 28, 2009

TOUCH A SOUL - NEVER BE FORGOTTEN - REMEMBERING HEATH LEDGER

Heath, without knowing, left many with an indelible mark.

We never forget those who put us in touch with our own souls.
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Lullaby by Dark Mean - darkmeanband
Vidoe uploaded by leeses1973

This is a wonderful video. My heart sunk when I saw the picture at the beach. I became a Heath Ledger loving fan this year. Even in death, Heath reaches out and grabs hearts and souls. Bless him.

Those of us who feel Heath's radiant spirit and know that his eyes expressed his soul ~ share a special awareness of beauty.

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This is the best read I have found on Heath:

Heath Ledger ~ The Untold Story

Read the full article:
http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20252991,00.html

Those who are quoted in the article:

Wes Bentley who co-starred with Heath in The Four Feathers expresses himself about Heath in this article as well as:

Terry Gilliam, Director of Brothers Grimm and The Imaginarium and Doctor Parnassus, Marc Forster, director of Monster's Ball, Todd Black producer of A Knights Tale, Donna Morong, the casting director of Ten I Hate About You, Gil Yunger, director of Ten Things, Steve Alexander, agent, Mel Gibson, Catherine Hardwicke, director of The Lords of Dogtown, Diana Ossand, screenwriter of Brokeback Mountain, James Schamus, producer of Brokeback, Rodrigo Prieto, cimematographer of Brokeback, Nicola Pecorini, friend and cinematographer, Gary Oldman, Emma Thomas both of The Dark Knight, Charles Roven of TDK and Brothers Grimm.

Excerpts of the article:

Page 7 of 28

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20252991_7,00.html

Alexander: Sony asked me to come over and read the script for Spider-Man. It was going to be a really cool tentpole movie. But as soon as I said Spider-Man, Heath said, ''It's not for me. I would be taking someone else's dream away.'' He never second-guessed his decisions or said ''what if'' — which was amazing, because I certainly did!

Marc Forster, director, Monster's Ball: When he read the script, Heath said, ''Look, I get this character. I totally understand him. I'll come down there and breathe in that world.'' He wanted to try something different, something where the movie wasn't resting on his shoulders. The one thing he said was, ''I'm not going to participate in the promotion of the movie. I’m just going to come in and focus on the acting.''

Alexander: Monster's Ball (pictured) definitely did some heavy lifting for him. A lot of important filmmakers and studio executives saw him in a different way after that movie. It achieved exactly what we wanted it to in terms of stripping away the shininess of a leading man.

Page 8 of 28

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20252991_8,00.html

By 2004, Ledger's career momentum had slowed following a series of critical and financial flops: the period epic Four Feathers(pictured), the Australian Western Ned Kelly, and the horror film The Order.

Alexander: Heath was going through growing pains. He wasn't really going forward, he wasn't really falling back — it was just kind of a push. He was getting more experience, but the movies weren't working. He said he was sort of tearing his career down so it could be built back up the right way.

Bentley: Heath didn't give himself enough credit for his talent as an actor. He didn't know what he had so he decided to enjoy what was being offered to him. I wanted to explain to him, ''Please wake up to how great you are.'' He didn't have any classical training. He didn't have anyone making him feel like he had credibility. The only voice he listened to was his own self critic, because it was the loudest.

Alexander: Heath generally backed out of almost every movie that he did. He would say yes to something and then he really started thinking about it and it would spin him out. He'd go away and he'd tinker and play and then we'd have a conversation several weeks later and he'd say, ''I got it. I figured it out.''

From page 9

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20252991_9,00.html

Terry Gilliam, director, The Brothers Grimm: [Cinematographer] Nicola Pecorini was working on The Order, and he called me and said, ''This kid is extraordinary. He's fearless.'' I went out to L.A. and met Heath and just liked him immediately. As we were talking, he was constantly jiggling around. I was like, ''That's great — you've got to keep that.'' He just had this incredible energy that was intense but very vulnerable at the same time. Heath was determined to be his own man, despite his success. Johnny Depp was someone he really admired. I introduced them at the Toronto Film Festival. Johnny has a good sense of competition. Right from the start, he was just, like, ''Ooh, this guy — watch out!''

From page 10

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20252991_10,00.html

Black: Heath was the pied piper. If you were sad, he took care of you. If you were happy, he made you happier just by dancing or talking or laughing. Fear didn't enter his psyche. He would say whatever was on his mind. If he didn't like you, you would know it, and if he liked you, you would know it.

From page 13

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20252991_13,00.html

Gilliam: He was a very old soul. When we were in Prague doing Grimm, there was one night we went to see this gypsy band. Somehow his age came up in conversation. At that time, Matt Damon was 32, and I always felt Heath was the same age, if not older. He said, ''I'm 24.'' I said, ''What? That's not possible!'' He had a kind of wisdom you only get from centuries of former life. He could talk about any number of things — books, ideas — and this was not a 24-year-old you were talking to. Maybe he was part aborigine somewhere down the line.

Bentley: Heath had great taste in music. He always knew what to play at 5 a.m.: Neil Young, ''Old Man.'' He'd find the right time for it and sneak it in.

From page 14

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20252991_14,00.html

Diana Ossana, screenwriter, Brokeback Mountain: I called Steve Alexander and said. ''Get this script to Heath now.'' Heath was with [then-girlfriend] Naomi Watts in New York and on the way back to Australia, they both read it. When I met Heath, he told me that after they read the script, Naomi was jumping up and down on the bed going, ''You have to do this! This will repay you in ways that you can't imagine!''

James Schamus, producer, Brokeback Mountain: Heath was somebody that [screenwriters] Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana had always used as a reference point in writing the character of Ennis. You knew that part was in Heath. It was just a question of whether Ang could bring it out. Heath met Ang, and it was one of those funny conversations. All Ang wants is about 45 minutes to stare at the person. He doesn't need to say anything and doesn't care what the person has to say. But the minute Heath left it was like, ''Okay, great. Yep.''

From Page 15

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20252991_15,00.html

Hardwicke: Heath said, ''I've got to go be a gay cowboy.'' And everyone was talking every which way, making every kind of joke. You knew it was going to be great and he had to do it. But there was the fear embodied in it, too: What was I thinking? Did I really agree to this?

Bentley: I had the offer [for Brokeback], like, five years earlier, when Gus Van Sant was going to direct it. I was definitely interested but it didn't come together. And then Heath brought it up. I got to make fun of him a lot. I said, ''You know you're going to be the gay cowboy for the rest of your life.'' It was scary for him. He wasn't gay — quite the opposite. But crossing that boundary, I don't know if I could have done it the way he did it. Heath got beyond that.

From Page 19

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20252991_19,00.html

Pecorini: Heath was extremely relieved he didn't win the Oscar. I saw him the next day and he was like, ''It's a big, bloody weight off my back.'' I said, ''Don't you have even a little regret?'' He said, ''No. It's over! I'm free now!'' If he had won, he would have had to deal even more with this system that wanted to guide his career and his life. He immediately threw himself back into a project that was really important to him: a movie he wanted to make about ['60s British singer] Nick Drake. That was one of his dream projects. The moment the Oscars were over, he said, ''Now we can do the Nick Drake thing.''

From Page 23 of 28

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20252991_23,00.html

Pecorini: When he came to me with the first makeup test of the Joker, I said, ''S---, man, they're going to fire you!'' And he said, ''Maybe, but that's the only way I can play it.'' Movie studios are scared of daring. They're scared of pushing the envelope. And Heath was exactly the opposite. He was always pushing, pushing, pushing. It was in his nature to push the boundaries.

Gilliam: Heath was exhilarated by playing the Joker. He said, ''I'm able to do things I never believed were inside me.'' He's working with great actors, like Gary Oldman and Aaron Eckhart, and he'd say, ''I go into these scenes, and they can't do anything to me!'' He used to just giggle that he had found a character that was impregnable. They could beat him, hit him, and it wouldn't make a difference because he was so utterly wacko. It freed him up and got him out of that uncertainty after Brokeback. It was just, ''Let's go. Let's fly.'' And he flew.

From Page 24

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20252991_24,00.html

Roven: I showed Heath the first six minutes of The Dark Knight, the bank heist sequence, on an IMAX screen in London. I said, ''You have to see this. You haven't seen yourself be the Joker!'' He watched it, and it just blew his mind. He was so thrilled, he was just laughing. He said, ''I want to see it again!'' It's not an easy thing to rethread an IMAX, so it took about 15 minutes but we showed it to him again. That was the last time I saw him.

In late 2007, Ledger went into production on Gilliam's next film, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (pictured). It was a time of intense stress, as his relationship with Williams was falling apart. Ledger began to complain of terrible difficulty sleeping.

Hardwicke: The pressures he was under, with his family, his daughter, everything, would stress out any yogi. Buddha would be stressed. You're being buffeted and pulled and tempted and flown across the ocean back and forth — how does anybody survive that? Obviously a lot of people don't.

Gilliam: All of us who were close to Heath knew what was going on, and it was not the most pleasant experience.... He was obsessed with his daughter. She became the center of his thoughts. He would drag her up to my house in London. Here's Heath, Academy Award nominee, and he'd just grab his daughter, stick her in a backpack, hop on the Tube, and come up to the house. Nobody would have thought, There's Heath Ledger. He was just a guy with a kid.

From Page 25

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20252991_25,00.html

Pecorini: Separation when there is a kid involved is always very painful, no matter what. And Heath was always very hard on himself. His tendency was always to say, ''What did I do wrong?'' He was really bleeding. And I'm pretty sure that all his sleeping problems had nothing to do with work and all to do with Matilda and Michelle.

Oldman: Most of the conversations we had were about family. I think because I had been through being a single dad in the past, he was picking my brain a little. The last time I saw him, he said he was looking forward to spending some time with Matilda.

Pecorini: I'm convinced Heath caught pneumonia at the end of that year. I remember I forced him to see a doctor, even though he didn't want to. The doctor said, ''Yes, you have the beginning of pneumonia. You'd better get antibiotics and go home and sleep.'' He got the antibiotics, but he refused to go home and sleep. And that very night, he delivered one of his best performances I have ever seen him deliver. He went on nerves, mainly. (Pictured at 2007's Venice Film Festival)

From Page 26

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20252991_26,00.html

In January 2008, Ledger traveled to New York for a brief break from filming on Parnassus. On Jan. 22, he was found dead in his SoHo apartment. There was immediate speculation he had overdosed on illicit drugs, but autopsy reports ruled his death an accidental toxic combination of prescription painkillers, anti-anxiety medication, and sleeping pills.

Gilliam: I was in Vancouver, and there was a computer with a BBC website and it says, ''Heath Ledger found dead.'' My immediate response was, ''It's a f---ing Warner Bros. publicity stunt for the Joker!'' We kept looking at the computer thinking it was going to change. But it wouldn't go away.

Hardwicke: I was in a van in Oregon scouting a location we shot for Twilight. And my phone just exploded. And then you're just on the ground, weeping. At least I was outside in this beautiful place with the trees and the green and you could just try to connect with his spirit right then.

Schamus: It was one of those ''where were you on the day Kennedy was shot'' moments. I called Jake and remember wailing.

Oldman: I call it the cosmic s--- hammer. Just one of those things. I can't even say I ever remember seeing Heath smoking. It was a complete shock.

Gilliam: They tried so hard to pin [drug abuse] on him, but they couldn't because Heath was as clean as you could be. We know about the pills. But he had stopped smoking. Marijuana was no longer in his life, which he had enjoyed a bit. He wasn't drinking. Nothing. This was a body that had cleansed itself for over a year of anything.

Pecorini: He was so solid into keeping clean, it was quite stunning. I really think he died of a broken heart. I know it can sound very romantic, but it's very tragic. I think that's what killed him.

From Page 27

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20252991_27,00.html

Alexander: We were making these incredible plans about what was next, career-wise. The day after he died, he was going to meet Steven Spielberg to explore the idea of playing Tom Hayden in a movie about the Chicago 7. This wasn't a guy who was even for a second thinking about checking out in any way, shape, or form. There's a moment in The Dark Knight when Heath's hanging upside down and he says to Batman, ''You and I are destined to do this forever.'' It's a very sad moment. A sequel certainly would have happened. I cringe when I read that he was a tortured soul or a Method actor who couldn't get out of his own way because he'd played this dark character. It's just not true.

From Page 28

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20252991_28,00.html

Bentley: I wish I knew what was going on with the prescription drugs. I could have said, ''That's not gonna help. Don't mix all that.'' I think he just didn't know what he was doing. I feel like at least he would have listened to me. I didn't go to the funeral because I know Heath would have been laughing at it. He would have had that smile on his face. At the very least he would have shrugged it off.

Pecorini: I remember when we went to the memorial service, most of the people there had nothing to do with Heath. He used to despise most of them, and there was no reason for them to be there. I understand the family wanting to give the ''Hollywood community,'' so-called, the opportunity of saying goodbye. But I’m telling you, 85 percent of the people in that room had no right to be there. It was pretty disturbing for me.

Oldman: If Heath does get an Oscar nomination, I can just picture him up there, looking down and going, F---!

Pecorini: We joked about [an Oscar nomination]. Heath used to say, ''This time I'm going to give them such a hard time — they'll have to cry to get an interview.'' He knew he'd done something special. But he was saying, ''This time I’m going to lead the dance.''


This was one of the comments left by
:
I found myself struck by the tragedy of this young man's death. I didn't know the man and can't claim to know what was going on in his head, but obviously, he was in pain. I believe that he was only trying to find some peace and rest. I think that he just wanted the pain in his head and his heart to quiet just long enough to let him sleep...and in his desperation, he slept too deeply. The man was a damn good actor and by all accounts, a genuinely nice man who loved his daughter. God rest.

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Heath Ledger wanted to do a movie about Nick Drake.
A very well-done video of Nick Drake's Pink Moon
Uploaded by leeses1973

This is the best Pink Moon video on Youtube that I have seen. The undulating and swaying visuals are a perfect match for the rhythmic undercurrent of the guitar. And I love the percussive picture displays "dancing" in ensemble with the songs percussive rhythm sections.

Great work, Lisa. Heath would like this very much. Hopefully, he is smiling at it from where he is.


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Monday, July 27, 2009

WHAT IS MORAL ABOUT DOING NOTHING EFFECTIVE ABOUT GENOCIDE?


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TodaysNetworkNews

Darfur ~ UN Peacekeeping Problems by Alain Le Roy

Text with the video:

UNTV: Under Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Alain Le Roy says that while the situation on the ground has changed in Darfur, "we are in many ways no closer to a solution now then we were when the issue was first taken up by the Security Council."

Addressing the Security Council today, Le Roy said that despite the good news surrounding the decision taken by the Court of Arbitration in The Hague on the disputed area of Abyei, there was still a sense of drift surrounding the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) implementation, with direct implications for resolving the crisis in Darfur.

He said that the contested census, large scale displacement and volatility, particularly in the area surrounding Chad, created enormous risks and that the people of Darfur would not be in a position to participate in the electoral process.

Le Roy also emphasized that the supporters and patrons of both the Sudanese government and the rebel movements must refuse to support war and that, dialogue must become the only serious option.

He said that the arms and financial support must stop flowing and that the safe heavens must disappear. That until there wasnt a sustained progress in each of those areas there wouldnt be a resolution to the crisis.

LeRoy cautioned there had been little progress toward a political settlement and that Sudans President Omar Al Bashir remained subject to the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant in The Hague.
Responding to the ICCs arrest warrant, in early March the Sudanses government kicked out 13 international NGOs and revoked the permits of three local groups providing emergency relief assistance in Darfur.

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TodaysNetworkNews




The Obama administration's plan for Sudan could come out any day now. But new, troubling reports this week indicate there are still internal disagreements over how tough the U.S. should be with Khartoum. While the plan for peace must include incentives, the Sudanese regime won't change without tough consequences. An unbalanced plan that lacks these tough measures would spell disaster. Senators Kerry and Lugar are holding a committee hearing Thursday, July 30, 2009, to question Special Envoy Gration on the plan.

Please send a letter now to Senators Kerry and Lugar thanking them for their action and urging them to ask tough questions:
http://action.savedarfur.org/campaign/grationhearing



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Uploaded by iActivism






TOWARD A COMPREHENSIVE
STRATEGY FOR SUDAN

Hearing before the

COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS

UNITED STATES SENATE
ONE HUNDRED ELEVENTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION

Thursday, July 30, 2009
10:00 A.M.
Place: 419 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Presiding: Senator Kerry

PANEL 1
+General Scott Gration, USAF (Ret.)
Special Envoy to Sudan
Department of State
Washington, DC

+Earl Gast
Acting Administrator for Africa
U.S. Agency for International Development
Washington, DC

PANEL 2:
+The Honorable David Shinn
Adjunct Professor
Elliott School of International Affairs
The George Washington University
Washington, DC

+Mohammed Ahmed Eisa, M.D.
Physician
2007 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights
Award Laureate
Sudan Organization for Rights and Peace-Building
Washington, D.C

Contact information:

U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510-6225

Majority Phone: (202) 224-4651
Minority Phone: (202) 224-6797


Source: foreign.senate.gov/hearings/2009

Email Senator Lugar:
http://lugar.senate.gov/contact/contactform.cfm

Email Senator Kerry:
http://kerry.senate.gov/contact/email.cfm


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Source for below is http://whilewewaitsudan.blogspot.com/

Monday, July 27, 2009

Day 111 - July 27th

- The Humanitarian Affairs' Minister of Government of Sudan, Abdel Bagi Ali Algilani, acknowledged in an interview to Radio Dabanga that there is severe lack of tents and shelters in the Darfur IDP camps for the rainy season. The Minister also admitted that the sanitary situation in the camps is very bad and he said they (GoS) know that the rainwater has flooded many toilet boreholes in the camps. The Minister promised that the GoS will fix the problem.

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Day 110 - July 26th

- The Census for the Election did not include the Darfuri refugees and Internally Displaced People (IDP) in the camps. Yet the GoS is stating that it will go forward with the Election process. Elections will determine the distribution of wealth and sharing of power.
U.N. is mow aware of the danger of excluding the people of Darfur, as reported by Sudan Tribune:

UN official warns Darfur may be excluded from Sudan’s election
Saturday 25 July 2009


July 24, 2009 (UNITED NATIONS) – The UN peacekeeping chief told the Security Council that Darfur Internally Displaced Persons would be deprived of taking part in the 2010 general elections, and this would affect the power sharing in the country.

JPEG - 27.5 kb
Alain Le Roy

Alain Le Roy, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, addressed on Friday the Security Council on the situation in Darfur and the work of UNAMID. He stressed that the situation in Darfur is evolving and asked to adapt UN policy accordingly.

In April 2010 Sudan is expected to hold the first fair and free elections after two decades of totalitarian regime in accordance with the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). However, Darfur rebels and former rebels rejected census results and asked to delay the electoral process to after a lasting peace agreement in western Sudan.

"The contested census, large-scale displacement and volatility, particularly in the area bordering Chad, create enormous risks that the people of Darfur will not be in a position to participate in the electoral process," Le Roy said.

"This would further disenfranchise millions already disempowered by conflict," he said, adding that the election results will have an "enormous impact" on the distribution of political power in Darfur where millions of IDPs live in camps.

The election electoral board determined April 2010 to run the presidential and national parliament elections as well as states elections that would mark the end of the interim period that started in July 2005 following the signing of the CPA.

Darfur rebels said Sudanese government seeks to organize the election before the settlement of Darfur conflict in order to exclude them from participating in the electoral process. But the SPLM also had been strongly opposed to such delay.

Speaking about the security situation in the war-ravaged region, Le Roy told Council members that large-scale violence and civilian displacement was now rare, although localized attacks still occur.

However, he pointed out that conflict with Chad which shares border with Darfur, threatens the stability in the region.

Le Roy noted that the evolution of the crisis does not diminish the tragedy of Darfur or lessen the suffering of the 2.7 million people estimated to be displaced.

He said the Sudanese Government must make serious concessions in the peace process and illustrate its commitment to Darfur by actively investing in the region’s people and infrastructure, and he called on the rebels to compromise among themselves and agree on a serious platform for discussions.

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Darfur: We Won't Get Fooled Again from Darfur on Vimeo.


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Uploaded by Darfur

My messages to Senators Kerry and Lugar:



Thank you so much for scheduling a hearing with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee surrounding the administration's plan for peace in Sudan this Thursday.


Presidential candidate Barack Obama said:
"The United States has a moral obligation anytime you see humanitarian catastrophes…we have the most stake in creating an order in the world that is stable...in which people have hope and opportunity and when you see a genocide whether it's in Rwanda, or Bosnia or in Darfur - that's a stain on all of us, that's a stain on our souls.


…We can't say 'never again' and then allow it to happen again. And as President of the United States I don't intend to abandon people or turn a blind eye to slaughter.”


Special Envoy Gration’s comments have been alarming. He has used language such as “consequences of genocide” that inaccurately describes what is going on in Sudan. General Scott Gration, visited IDP camp in Kass area (West Darfur) and met with some refugees in the camp. A leader said to Radio Dabanga that the American Special Envoy asked them to return to their original villages and catch up with the rainy season to farm their lands. The refugees told the Special Envoy that the janjaweed who drove them from their villages are still there occupying their lands, the Leader told Radio Dabanga.


"We told him (Gration) that as long as these militias are not disarmed there would be no peace in Darfur even if a peace agreement is concluded because we are not sure they would lay down their arms after peace," said Hussein Abu Sharati, the IDPs spokesperson.


Refugees from the village of Shattayah (West Darfur) who are now in IDP camps in Kass ( West Darfur) said the Government of Sudan (GoS) is lying about their voluntary return to their original villages. Two women and a man spoke to Radio Dabanga and said that they heard Radio Omdurman ( GoS state radio) saying that the Shattayah people are back to their villages and farming their lands. The refugees said that is a propaganda from GoS to decieve the international community. They said that Shattayah now is occupied by Janjaweed (pro GoS) and their fertile lands are given to the supporters of GoS.

Mohamed Suleiman, a US-based Darfuri with a broad network of Darfuri contacts from the Diaspora and from IDP camps in Sudan and refugee camps in Chad. Mohamed is the one who provided the information included above.


I implore you to ask tough questions this Thursday, especially of Special Envoy Gen. Gration. And then I ask you to take your leadership to the President and let’s move on this vitally defining issue. It speaks volumes about our lack of political will and lack of moral integrity if another President’s term goes by and we have effectively gotten no where on this issue.


There is nothing redeeming about being silent or not being a part of the ending of genocide. The honor and integrity of the human race and our country rely on it. Complicity is not a policy. Complicity comes from a lack of will.


Thank you very much for your interest.


Sandra Hammel

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