2008 ~ A YEAR FOR TENNIS HISTORY AND NADAL PLAYED HIS PART

www.tennistalk.com ~ The_Nadal_story_part_1: A_humble_upbringing

www.tennistalk.com ~ The_Nadal_story_part: 2 2003 ~_Rafa_blows_up

The Nadal story part 3: 2004 ~ Nadal's breakout year

www.tennistalk.com ~ The_Nadal_story_part_3: 2004 ~ Nadal's_breakout_year

November 28, 2008 By Jonathan Morgan

Many consider 2004 to be Rafa's coming of age year, which saw him in his first ATP final, his first Davis Cup appearance, his first ATP title, and of course, his first victory over Roger Federer

2004 was the year that Nadal became a mainstream name in the tennis world. Before that, people knew who he was and what he was capable of doing, but no one figured it would be this quickly. At just 17, Nadal opened the year with a first round loss in Chennai in singles. However, he made a run to the title in doubles with Tommy Robredo, giving him momentum for the next week; a finals run in Auckland. It was Rafa's first ATP final, and he lost 7-5 in a heartbreaking third set to Dominik Hrbaty.

At the Australian Open, Rafael was becoming more and more of a mainstay of the tour. He wasn't quite ready to break through, but people were certainly talking about him. He met up with Lleyton Hewitt in the third round in a match that definitely brought him to the forefront of the tennis world. After shocking Hewitt all match with an array of fantastic shots, young Rafa couldn't put it together at the end of sets. Hewitt won the match in straights, with 2 tiebreak wins, very similar to the El Aynaoui match at the US Open. Like his jump from challengers to the ATP level events, Rafa was just not there yet.

He got his very first Davis Cup invitation shortly after that, as the Spaniards opened their campaign against the Czechs in the Czech Republic. Young Rafa, after losing the opening rubber in Jiri Novak, was able to defeat Radek Stepanek on a quick indoor court in an away tie in a live 5th rubber. Talk about pressure. And Nadal did it in straights. Jubilation ensued, as Nadal's career looked to be on incredible upswing that everyone was anxious to see would take him.

After a few ho-hum weeks in Milan, Dubai, and Indian Wells, Nadal came into Miami in 2004 looking very hungry. In fact, it was at this tournament that the Tennis Channel did a No Strings show on Rafael. Nadal came into this event barely seeded at #32, the lowest. This created an unfavorable draw for Rafael, as he had to face top seed and top ranked player in the world, Roger Federer. Federer was at the start of his fantastic reign at the top of the tennis world, and had just come off a victory in Indian Wells the week prior. They met up in the third round and Nadal destroyed him. Federer just didn't know what to do with the kid's game as it was so unlike anyone's he had ever seen. Granted, Federer did appear to be sick and reports at the time were saying as much, but it was Federer that actually predicted after that loss that it would be Nadal that would succeed him at the top of the tennis game within 3 years.

He wasn't off by much. Although he lost in the next round to Gonzalez, yet another statement was made. This kid is for real.

Nadal's next event changed the course of his career. A quarterfinal matchup with fellow extremely talented teenager Richard Gasquet in the Estoril event in mid April 2004 turned out to be more than either man bargained for. Nadal won the first set and lost the second, but in the course of the match, he hurt his ankle. Rafa fought back hard to win the third set, but had to withdraw from his semifinal match. Nadal missed the next few months of the tour, including both Roland Garros and Wimbledon, due to that left ankle stress fracture.

Nadal returned in July of that year in the Bastad event and put up a decent result in his first event back. A few wins and a healthy Nadal took some steps that summer to win his first ATP title of his career. After a few trans-Atlantic flights and a nice battle against Hewitt in Canada, Nadal returned to Europe for the event in Sopot, Poland in August. He romped through that draw, winning all 5 matches in straight sets and taking his first career title. After his injury, his ranking had slipped to 71, but this title shot it back up to 48.

Two weeks later, at the US Open, he won his first 5 setter against Ivo Heuberger before taking on World #2 Andy Roddick in a night match. Roddick demolished him, proving that Rafael was continually making strides but he wasn't quite ready to play with the big boys yet. At just 18, though, he was making good time.

Like in 2003, his post US Open run was marred with losses. After a Davis Cup singles victory over Arnaud Clement, Spain was into the finals to play against the USA in December. Nadal's fall that season was disappointing, as he put up a 2-4 record before the Davis Cup final. All was forgiven, however, when the Davis Cup final was underway in Seville in early December.

Carlos Moya opened the tie with a solid win over Mardy Fish to give the Spaniards a 1-0 lead. Surprisingly, Rafael was given the nod to take on Andy Roddick in the second rubber, as opposed to Juan Carlos Ferrero, who had won the French Open just the year before. The decision turned out to be a fantastic one. Many people point to this match when they talk about Nadal turning from a boy to a man. Even Roddick years later remarked that he awoke a sleeping giant in this match.

Clay of course, was never Roddick's favorite surface, but he has the serve and the tenacity of winning to get the job done on any surface you throw at him. Roddick took the first set in an epic 8-6 tiebreak before Nadal bounced back to take the second easily, 6-2. Things were looking up for the Spaniard as Rafa was looking more and more comortable as the set wore on. The third set tiebreaker was crucial. Nadal scrapped and took it 8-6, setting off insane cheers from the Spanish as Nadal took a 2 set to 1 lead. Roddick looked deflated in the 4th as Nadal took it 6-2. Moya took out Roddick in the 4th rubber to seal the deal as the Spaniards and Nadal took the Davis Cup title.

Nadal ended 2004 ranked 51, 2 spots down from his 03 year end rank of 49. Needless to say, though, his 2004 was much more successful and career alterting than 2003. He entered 2005 with his confidence soaring high and ready to explode.

www.tennistalk.com ~ The_Nadal_story_part_4: 2005-2006 ~ A_developing_star

www.tennistalk.com ~ The_Nadal_story_part_5: 2007-present ~ World_Superstar

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IKER CASILLAS -VS- RAFA NADAL

www.rafaelnadal.com

November 28th

Iker Casillas and Rafa Nadal might play different sports but there is no doubting that their hearts both lie in the same place when it comes to football.

The tennis world No.1 is a staunch Real Madrid fan, as is Casillas, and when the two met today to discuss a charity event they are arranging, they couldn't resist talking about the upcoming clash with Barcelona.

"Rafa and I are both convinced that we will win 1-0 in the Camp Nou," Casillas told AS.The event is called 'Friends of Iker vs Friends of Rafa - To free the world of malaria' and will involve both tennis and football, and as an extra treat, a bit of karting action.

All the players have not yet been confirmed but F1 driver Fernando Alonso will definitely be taking part and Casillas and Nadal could not resist taking pops at the other today.

"Rafa has a good pair of feet but he does not have the vision," quipped the Real Madrid goalkeeper before Nadal responded with: "Iker could do with some tennis lessons, I would even give them for free if he wanted.

"The event will take place three days after the clash in the Camp Nou on the 16 December and tickets will be between €6-10.

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Federer and Nadal set for Qatar

For Every Roger Federer the World Needs a Rafael Nadal

2008: Prince Rafa detrhroned King Roger


Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero congratulates the winners of the Davis Cup after the Final Match Argentina Vs Spain Fernando Verdasco and Jose Acasuso. 3rd Time Spain wins the Copa Davis but first time in foreign country.

(Photo by Photo Agency)

Source of pictures (17): Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez and Spanish Davis Cup 2008 Team

Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero congratulates the winners of the Davis Cup after the Final Match Argentina Vs Spain Fernando Verdasco and Jose Acasuso. 3rd Time Spain wins the Copa Davis but first time in foreign country.

(Photo by Photo Agency)

Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero congratulates the winners of the Davis Cup after the Final Match Argentina Vs Spain Fernando Verdasco and Jose Acasuso. 3rd Time Spain wins the Copa Davis but first time in foreign country.

(Photo by Photo Agency)

Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero congratulates the winners of the Davis Cup after the Final Match Argentina Vs Spain Fernando Verdasco and Jose Acasuso. 3rd Time Spain wins the Copa Davis but first time in foreign country.

(Photo by Photo Agency)

Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero congratulates the winners of the Davis Cup after the Final Match Argentina Vs Spain Fernando Verdasco and Jose Acasuso. 3rd Time Spain wins the Copa Davis but first time in foreign country.

(Photo by Photo Agency)

Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero congratulates the winners of the Davis Cup after the Final Match Argentina Vs Spain Fernando Verdasco and Jose Acasuso. 3rd Time Spain wins the Copa Davis but first time in foreign country.

(Photo by Photo Agency)

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Photo credit: Photo by Photo Agency

Nadal and media hail their heroes ~ Article

Video links:
Nadal and Feliciano speak on the telephone with sound delay issues ~ Spain to Argentina

Rafa congratulates the spanish team ~ This is in Spanish

Fernando Verdasco who made the 3 against 1 victory over Argentina in Davis Cup Final 2008

Verdasco: "Struggles whole life for this " and Lopez, Ferrer and Captain Emilio Sánchez Vicario ~ interviewed after Davis Cup 08 win in Argentina

Rafa off the court ~ mostly
Uploaded by niinzniinz

This is a promo photo for Nadal’s upcoming duel against Real Madrid goalie Iker Casillas. The charity event for malaria, which takes place on December 16, will involve football, tennis and go karting.
Source: rafael-nadal-has-shrunk

www.rafaelnadal.com

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RAFAEL NADAL RECOVERING WHILE SUPPORTING SPANISH TENNIS VICTORIOUS TEAM

Rafael Nadal in Mauritius

Rafael Nadal on a fishing excursion off the north part of Mauritius, near Gunners Coin.

Source: www.mauritiusupdate.com

After a hectic year, the No 1 tennis player, Rafael Nadal, spent a whole week in Mauritius. He was invited by the MTPA and stayed at the Royal Palm, together with some friends. During his stay he could enjoy some of the best attractions on the island. .

Are you disappointed to miss the Davis Cup?
Rafael Nadal. To miss the Davis Cup and before that the Masters, is tough... Because I love to play for my country. And especially when it comes during my best year. Its very tough. But my body was too tired to play and I had some problems with my knee. So I needed to recover. I have to accept that.

A model ship (St Géran) was presented to Rafael Nadal by Vianna Murday of the MTPA as a souvenir. What did you like the most during your stay in Mauritius?
Every day, there has been a different thing and I liked everything. The first day I relaxed in the hotel and it was perfect. The second day, we took a catamaran to Ilot Gabriel, and again, it was perfect. I spent some time snorkeling and there was a good variety of fish. The third day, we had a helicopter trip which enabled us to have a good overview of the island. The mountains are nice and different from those in Mallorca.
In the afternoon, I went fishing near Coin de Mire, off the north coast, with a nice guy. The people are very nice with us, here.
On the next day, we went to Ile aux Cerfs and Grande Rivière Sud Est. It was nice, the weather was perfect and we had lunch on Ilot Mangénie. I played golf on a beautiful and very difficult golf course.
The Mauritian food is very nice and the sea food is excellent...

How do you compare Mauritius with Mallorca?

It is difficult to compare. I like calm, quiet places. I think both places are good. There are mountains here and in Mallorca too. I would say that Mauritius is more pristine...

What are the other attractions you would have liked to do in Mauritius?
May be walk with lions... But definitely more fishing, more golf too. And complete the 18 hole of Ile aux Cerfs. I did only the 9-hole circuit.
Unfortunately, I have not been staying long enough. May be I can come back...




Source: www.mauritiusupdate.com

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www.mauritius.com
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Spanish duo hail Verdasco

Praise all around for Spanish man of the moment

Source: www.skysports.com

By Elliot Ball Last updated: 23rd November 2008
Emilio Sanchez Vicario and Fernando Verdasco

Sanchez Vicario: Praise for Verdasco

Davis Cup captain Emilio Sanchez Vicario and world number one Rafael Nadal have paid tribute Spanish hero Fernando Verdasco.

Verdasco, who was brought in to replace Spain's off-form David Ferrer, braved to a 6-3 6-7 4-6 6-3 6-1 victory to hand Argentina their third defeat in three final appearances and their first home loss for 10 years.

Verdasco had been overlooked for Friday's opening singles but earned himself a chance by winning Saturday's doubles alongside Feliciano Lopez.

And his skipper was keen to praise his 25-year-old star after the left-hander came through the epic three hour and 56 minute contest to hand Spain their third Davis Cup crown.

"It was an incredible match - all the guys were so nervous," Sanchez Vicario said.

"Fernando was just the better player - he's very strong."

And Spanish sensation Nadal, who was unable to play due the knee injury he sustained in Paris earlier this month, was full of praise for his compatriots.

"I couldn't be happier, it's an unforgettable moment and they have made history," Nadal told Spanish television.

"Fernando was brilliant - absolutely amazing from the fourth set. Emilio (Sanchez Vicario) has formed a tremendous group with a fabulous atmosphere at its heart."

And man of the moment Verdasco was nearly speechless after he clinched the tie, but when he did speak the 16th ranked player insisted it was the greatest day of his life.

"It's a dream. I've wanted this chance since I was a boy, few get it and even fewer take it," he said.

"In the Davis Cup, you have to fight to the death and you always have to keep your hope of winning. This mental strength helped me win the match."

Source: www.skysports.com

BARACK OBAMA, TED KENNEDY, RAFAEL NADAL, Neil Willenson, Mark Zuckerberg - 5 of 28 GQ MEN OF THE YEAR

Another list has been made. This one by GQ. I picked 5 to list here of the 28 that GQ put together. It's a diverse list.

Edward - Ted - Kennedy - Legend is listed 10th of 28 of the GQ Men of the Year

Edward Kennedy back at work in Congress

WASHINGTON (AFP) — US liberal icon Edward Kennedy, who is battling brain cancer, was back at work in the Senate on Monday for the first time since July, vowing to fight for healthcare reform.

Kennedy, 76, showed up for work as the chamber opened for a "lame duck" session to discuss a raft of economic rescue measures.

"I am grateful for the prayers and good wishes I've received over the past several months," Kennedy said in a statement.

"They have certainly lifted my spirits, as has the election of Barack Obama as our 44th president."

Kennedy said he would lay the groundwork for one of his signature issues, healthcare reform, for when Obama takes office in January.

The Massachusetts senator, first elected in 1962, made a high profile endorsement of Obama during the primary campaign and gave an emotional address at the Democratic National Convention in August.

Kennedy underwent surgery for a malignant brain tumor in June after suffering a seizure. He made a brief appearance in the chamber in July.

He is the last surviving brother of the famed political dynasty which includes former president John F. Kennedy and his brother Robert F. Kennedy, a presidential candidate. Both were assassinated.

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Watch the President-elect's Weekly Address
www.change.gov

President-Elect Barack Obama gets a cover and is pictured 16 of 28 GQ's Men of the Year

Read why Ted Kennedy thinks Barack Obama is the man for the job:
Game Changer

As I write this, Barack Obama and John McCain have just completed their final debate, and the country is a few short days away from a historic election. Of course, I’m doing all that I can for my candidate. But whether he wins or loses, Barack Obama has ushered in a new era of American politics with a limitless vision of a better future that will endure for many years to come. Through his candidacy, Obama has provided a glimpse of a stronger, better, fairer America, where change comes from the bottom up, where we all come together to meet the great challenges of our time. He has inspired millions of new voters of all ages, races, and incomes to lend their voices for real change. For in this man, Americans can see not just the audacity but the possibility of hope for the country that is yet to be.

I had not planned to endorse anyone in the primaries. The Democratic candidates were my friends and colleagues—some for many years. I knew them well and could support any one of them enthusiastically as our party’s candidate for the White House. But I had to admit that one stood out. I had already come to know Barack as a Senate colleague who was gifted with a rare combination of talent and principle, vision, and a capacity to transcend divisions of party, ideology, and race. Once he announced his improbable campaign for the presidency, I listened as he spoke to the heart of America, and moved the young in spirit as well as age, by challenging us to think of something bigger than ourselves, something more powerful than the incremental politics of caution. I sensed a deep yearning in our people for the kind of person he is and the kind of president he will be: a fighter who cares passionately without demonizing those who differ, a leader who sees the world clearly without being cynical and shows the world the best of America, a president who will not shred the Constitution but uphold it.

As he moved from victory in those first snowy days in Iowa, to a setback in New Hampshire that revealed both his grit and his grace, to the intensity of South Carolina, I found myself stirred by the power, the poetry, and the authenticity of his call for change. I had not felt this way about a candidate since the 1960s. I talked with my wife, Vicki, my family, and a few close friends. I heard from my niece Caroline that wherever she traveled, people told her that the last leader who had inspired them in this way was President Kennedy. It was time again, I had decided, for “a new generation of leadership” and I could not stand aside.

I rejected the argument that he was too young, too inexperienced. I learned long ago that what counts most in our leadership is not years in Washington but reach of mind, strength of purpose, and that most essential quality of all—the judgment Barack Obama showed in opposing the Iraq war from the start as others pushed ahead or simply went along and then refused to admit they were wrong. I knew as I endorsed him that as president he would never commit young Americans in uniform to a mistake, but only to a mission worthy of their bravery and priceless service.

I also rejected the argument that Senator Obama was too cool, too steady. Those are qualities that can serve us well, even save us—in a Cuban Missile Crisis or an economic crisis. Nor could I accept the notion that the capacity to inspire a nation and a world—whether in John or Robert Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., or Ronald Reagan—is just words. Their words, and Barack Obama’s, can be the great engine of change that transforms history itself.

That is what I saw when I enlisted in his campaign. I saw new hope for a way out of the economic wilderness and for a just and fair prosperity that rewards the many and not the few. New hope that this nation will at last lead the world to turn the tide of global warming and turn aside from an energy future that threatens the future itself. New hope that we will teach all our children well. New hope—and this is the cause of my life—that we will guarantee for every American quality affordable health care as a fundamental right and not as a privilege. New hope—and this is the great cause of America itself—that we shall overcome once and for all the setting of race against race, gender against gender, ethnic group against ethnic group, and straight against gay.

Win or lose, with the Obama candidacy the torch has been passed, and I hope I made a difference.

edward m. kennedy (d-mass) is currently serving his eighth term in the U.S. Senate.

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Rafael Nadal made the GQ Men of the Year list also.

GQ's Men of the Year - Rafael Nadal 15th of 28

Rafael Nadal
Photo credits: L'oreal Paris

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Being Rafa
Uploaded by mirsasha

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25 of 28 is Neil Willenson...

Local Hero of the Year: Leave No Child Behind

In the early '90s, children with AIDS were shunned by fearful communities. Neil Willenson created a safe haven where they could enjoy a basic rite of childhood: summer camp. Fifteen years later, he's taking his mission global

by sarah goldstein

Photograph by Michael Edwards

In 1991, Neil Willenson was studying film at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and making plans to move to Hollywood. Then he crossed paths with a 5-year-old.

Sounds like a setup for a movie, yes. But this is really a setup for something larger.

That fall, Willenson had gone home for a weekend visit and heard about people in his old neighborhood outside Milwaukee trying to force an HIV-positive boy out of kindergarten. These were the days of Ryan White. Of Magic Johnson. Of communities being scared and ignorant about AIDS. The boy, Nile Sandeen, had contracted the disease at birth from his mother, who had been infected by her ex-husband.

"I didn’t have a plan,” Willenson says. “I called Nile’s mother. I figured I could help with child care. You know, be a friend.”

He soon became something more. When parents at the school tried to make Nile use a separate bathroom or eat with a plastic fork or sit alone on the bus, Willenson fought them. And when Nile wanted to play soccer, it was Willenson who made the call to a scared coach. “I could hear him shaking on the other end of the line.”

By the time graduation came around, Willenson was questioning his life. He ditched his Hollywood ambitions, took a job as a forklift operator at his father’s company in Mequon, and rechecked his priorities. “I couldn’t stop comparing my own youth to Nile’s,” he says. He decided to make a difference and set to work creating Camp Heartland, a summer camp for kids living with HIV/AIDS, a place where kids like Nile could be kids—and not endure the stares of fearful people. Willenson organized a grassroots fund-raising campaign and got Miller Brewing and Harley-Davidson to give grants. Within four months, he’d raised $60,000, enough to cover his costs for the first summer, 1993, and to support seventy-two kids, including Nile—who is now 22 and studying to be a minister in St. Paul.

“Camp Heartland was a feeling of normalcy in what was a very un-normal world,” says Nile, who nominated Willenson for this year’s Local Hero award.

Fifteen years later, the organization—recently renamed One Heartland—has an annual operating budget of $3.5 million and outposts in Minnesota and California. And this year, it began training people in AIDS-ravaged countries such as Uganda and supporting kindred organizations like Walking With Children, in Honduras, and the Living India orphanage, in Hyderabad.

The camp continues to be the center of Willenson’s life, and he says he cannot imagine doing anything else. Seven thousand kids are forever grateful. Most of all, perhaps, Nile: “Neil was a father figure to me. He changed my life.”

sarah goldstein is a gq editorial assistant.

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BOY GENIUS OF THE YEAR....

Mark Zuckerberg

By Alex French

Mark Zuckerberg knows where you live, who your friends are, what your favorite album is—he even knows about last weekend’s one-night stand. And sometime soon, the 24-year-old Facebook creator is going to use all that knowledge to make billions. Don’t believe it? Silicon Valley sure does.

you can barely hear the hollers and applause over Weezer’s “Say It Ain’t So” as Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook, strolls onto the San Francisco Design Center’s stage. It’s July 23, 2008, and Zuckerberg is delivering the keynote for Facebook’s second annual f8 gathering, a conference for the software developers who have helped his site become the most popular social network in the world. The room is lit deep blue, like an aquarium. Pacing the stage in his brown hoodie and slouchy jeans, Zuckerberg looks like an ersatz Steve Jobs—turning at the shoulders as he greets his audience, talking with his hands,projecting a highly rehearsed gravitas. He begins by discussing his recent vacation, a trip that took him to Nepal, India, Turkey, and Tokyo—and to a moment of spiritual awakening. Facebook, he realized while dining at a café in Istanbul, shouldn’t just be a tool bringingpeople together. It should be “a product that allows you to really feel a person and understand what’s going on with them and feel present with them.… What we’re talking about is the most important and interesting information, which isn’t written down anywhere.… It’s only available if the people choose to share it.”
Read more:

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IS JOHN McCAIN YOUR CHOICE? OR IS BARACK OBAMA YOUR CHOICE? WATCH OCTOBER 14 PBS' THE CHOICE

THE CHOICE 2008

Coming soon October 14, 2008

The Choice 2008 Online or on your television PBS Frontline

McCain and Palin
or
Obama and Biden
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THE CHOICE promotional ad
Link to online viewing when it comes available: Frontline

Text from PBS website:

IN A HISTORIC ELECTION YEAR, FRONTLINE PRESENTS
THE STORY OF TWO UNLIKELY PRESIDENTIAL CONTENDERS AND WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT AMERICA

FRONTLINE Presents
The Choice 2008
Tuesday, October 14, 2008, from 9 to 11 P.M. ET on PBS

Encore broadcasts: Sunday, October 26, and Monday, November 3, 2008

Download free from iTunes beginning October 15, through the end of November.

It has been called one of the most historic presidential elections in our nation’s history--Barack Obama versus John McCain. It is a race that pits the iconoclast against the newcomer, the heroic prisoner of war against the first African American nominated by a major party. FRONTLINE's critically acclaimed series The Choice returns this election season to examine the rich personal and political biographies of these two men in The Choice 2008, airing Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2008, from 9 to 11 P.M. ET on PBS (check local listings).

The Choice 2008, part of "PBS Vote 2008" election coverage, draws on in-depth interviews with the advisers, family and friends closest to these unlikely candidates, as well as with seasoned observers of American politics, who together tell the definitive story of these men and their ascent to their party's nominations.

When FRONTLINE first aired a profile of presidential candidates during the 1988 election, The Choice redefined political journalism on television. Now, in an unprecedented election year, veteran FRONTLINE producer Michael Kirk (Bush's War, Cheney's Law) goes behind the headlines to tell a deeper political story about the candidates, the decisions they made, and why their nominations may indicate a historic change in American politics.

The story begins at the Democratic Convention in 2004 when Barack Obama, a little-known candidate for the U.S. Senate from Illinois, stepped forward to tell his personal story and to call for a move beyond partisan politics.

"All around were people with tears in their eyes," Obama's chief political adviser David Axelrod tells FRONTLINE. "And I realized at that moment that his life would never be the same."

Also that summer, the future Republican nominee John McCain, a self-described maverick and sometime adversary of the Bush administration, took the stage at his party's convention to defend the president's national security policy. In an effort to win the support of his party, the longtime senator from Arizona had decided to try to walk a fine line--a line he had had trouble walking all his life--between being an unconventional outsider and a team player.

"I think McCain's goal was to make himself more acceptable to the party base without completely surrendering his outsider independent persona, and that was a very complex balancing act," says Mark McKinnon, a member of McCain's inner circle and former media adviser to President Bush.

As McCain the maverick was trying to make peace with his party, Obama the newcomer was discovering the afterglow from his speech was leading party elders to suggest the freshman senator consider a future run for the White House. Within two years of his arrival in the Senate, a window of opportunity seemed open if he was willing to take the chance.

"I told him he should do it," former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle tells FRONTLINE. "The longer he's in Washington, the more history he has, and the more history he has, the more he's going to be explaining his votes and his actions and his statements and his positions that undermine his message"--a message that was all about breaking with the past.

FRONTLINE follows the two candidates from deep inside their campaigns as they run the gauntlet of the 2008 primary.

"This primary, more than any in recent memory, severely tested the candidates," says producer/director Kirk. "Watching how Obama and McCain won reveals much about the men, their ideas, the kind of organizations they have built, and the way they face adversity."

In the summer of 2007, only months after McCain had officially launched his campaign, he was declared a "dead man walking" by the media and party leaders.

"McCain was stuck in this political purgatory where the people that liked the maverick, the independent, didn't trust him anymore, and the establishment conservatives still wouldn't embrace him," says political observer Charlie Cook.

But McCain persevered, firing much of his staff, scaling back the campaign, and focusing almost entirely on New Hampshire. FRONTLINE tells the dramatic story of this turnaround, with insiders involved every step of the way, which friends say was reminiscent of his determination during his time as a prisoner of war in Vietnam.

At the same time, an Obama candidacy was still seen as a curiosity by the Washington punditry. He was a newcomer to national politics and facing the formidable political team of Hillary and Bill Clinton, but Obama and his advisers sensed an opening.

"The Obama campaign felt that Clinton was vulnerable if they would make the race about something different than the old rules," journalist Mark Halperin tells FRONTLINE.

One key to that strategy, Obama told his advisers, was to avoid being pigeonholed as an "African American politician." But as the contest between Obama and Clinton heated up, comments by former President Clinton and the release of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright tapes brought the issue of race, always lurking, to the forefront of the primary campaign.

"In the long run," observes House Majority Whip James Clyburn, the highest ranking African American in Congress, "it allowed Barack Obama to confront the one thing he was trying to avoid, and that's the whole question of race, because sooner or later, he would have to confront it."

With the race narrowed to two men--one whose life was focused by his military service and his years as a POW in Hanoi, the other a black child raised by his white family who found identity in grassroots organizing and politics in the African American community of Chicago--America is truly at a crossroads: historic lows in the public's confidence in our country's future; a battered incumbent overseeing an unpopular war in Iraq; a faltering economy as gasoline prices soar.

"This is a moment where people are both terrified and also hopeful," says Kirk. "They have a choice between two extraordinary candidacies, two men who are trying to embody change in a time where many Americans seem to believe partisan dysfunction has curtailed the ability of our political parties to lead."

As journalist Matt Bai concludes, "Both of them in what they convey to voters--one in a long career spanning decades, the other in a lightning flash of a career spanning what seems like minutes--[is] a sense of breaking with the status quo, a sense of change, a sense that things need to be done differently than they've been done before. And the question I think a lot of voters will have to ask themselves is, who's actually going to deliver?"

The Choice 2008 is a FRONTLINE co-production with Kirk Documentary Group, Ltd. The writer, producer and director is Michael Kirk. The producer and reporter is Jim Gilmore. The co-producer and co-writer is Paul Stekler. FRONTLINE is produced by WGBH Boston and is broadcast nationwide on PBS. Funding for FRONTLINE is provided through the support of PBS viewers. Major funding for FRONTLINE is provided by The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Additional funding is provided by the Park Foundation. Additional funding for The Choice 2008 is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting/PBS Program Challenge Fund. FRONTLINE is closed-captioned for deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers and described for people who are blind or visually impaired by the Media Access Group at WGBH. FRONTLINE is a registered trademark of WGBH Educational Foundation. The executive producer of FRONTLINE is David Fanning.

PBS goes behind the headlines throughout the summer and fall with the "PBS Vote 2008" election lineup, offering Americans a unique opportunity to explore the presidential election. PBS' trusted news brands and personalities bring viewers in-depth information and insight into the issues and candidates. PBS' election coverage will be led by The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, Washington Week with Gwen Ifill & National Journal, NOW on PBS, Bill Moyers Journal and Tavis Smiley, and enhanced by programming from other trusted PBS sources, including American Experience, FRONTLINE, Nightly Business Report and P.O.V. PBS.org's election hub page, pbs.org/vote2008, will provide further perspectives. The site will aggregate video from PBS, feature syndicatable content from across public media and highlight innovative Web-only projects from PBS producers and stations.

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John McCain asked about health insurance that covers Viagra but not contraception.
Uploaded by McCainHub

TRANSCRIPT:
REPORTER: Insurance companies cover Viagra but not birth control.

MCCAIN: I certainly don't want to discuss that issue.

REPORTER: It was unfair that health insurance companies cover Viagra but not birth control. Do you have an opinion on that?

8 second pause

MCCAIN: I don't know enough about it to give you an informed answer.

New York Times:

September 28, 2008

For McCain and Team, a Host of Ties to Gambling

By JO BECKER and DON VAN NATTA Jr.

Senator John McCain was on a roll. In a room reserved for high-stakes gamblers at the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut, he tossed $100 chips around a hot craps table. When the marathon session ended around 2:30 a.m., the Arizona senator and his entourage emerged with thousands of dollars in winnings.

A lifelong gambler, Mr. McCain takes risks, both on and off the craps table. He was throwing dice that night not long after his failed 2000 presidential bid, in which he was skewered by the Republican Party’s evangelical base, opponents of gambling. Mr. McCain was betting at a casino he oversaw as a member of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, and he was doing so with the lobbyist who represents that casino, according to three associates of Mr. McCain.

Read the full article: New York Times - click to skip the ad to get to the article

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John McCain speaks on his views

Uploaded by bravenewfilms

OBAMA - BIDEN 2008

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Today, the Obama-Biden campaign released a new two minute TV ad, Same Path, which includes Senator Obama telling America he knows we can steer ourselves out of this crisis, but not by driving down the very same path and how that’s what this election’s all about.

In the ad, Obama details how his plan to jump-start our economy, create millions of jobs, and bring back our Main Streets all across America differs with John McCain’s plan to continue the same failed policies. Obama specifically lays out how his tax plan which offers three times as much tax relief to the middle class and cuts taxes for small and startup businesses differs from McCain’s which will continue giving hundreds of billions in new tax breaks to big corporations and oil companies and extends the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest.

Barack Obama Economy Plan

I'M IN LOVE ~ OKAY IT DOESN'T COUNT

BUT I STILL LOVE THIS YOUNG MAN.

Rafael Nadal of Mallorca, Spain.

We don't lose our passions and capacity to love "hot" when it is so right there.

Dessert for the eyes. A reason to smile.

Thanks, Rafa!!



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Rafa Nadal ~ A Dios Le Pido
From: suziii24


We have a thread at www.rafaelnadal.com where we are being taught Spanish. Here are some phrases that I asked to learn:
Thanks to Ganda. (By the way, there are three language sections at Rafa's website, including in Spanish, English and French...come and join us!):

Espero que ganes = I hope you win.

Verte es muy entretenido o verte es un espectaculo (this not a literal translation)= You are so much fun to watch.

Me encanta tu pasión = I love your passion.

Soy una gran admirador (admiradora) tuyo (tuya) = I am a big fan of yours.

"Su Real Macizo" = "Your Royal Hotness"

Gracias!!

News from the Fan Page at Rafa's www.rafaelnadal.com

Daily Order of Play
Friday, March 14, 2008
Rafa and Ferru's doubles start from Friday.

STADIUM 1 start 11:00 am in California
[8] P Hanley (AUS) / L Paes (IND) vs D Ferrer (ESP) / R Nadal (ESP) - ATP

[5] D Hantuchova (SVK) vs [WC] A Haynes (USA) - WTA

S Bolelli (ITA) vs [WC] J Isner (USA) - ATP

[Q] S Cohen-Aloro (FRA) vs [4] M Sharapova (RUS) - WTA

Not Before 7:00 PM
E Makarova (RUS) vs [2] S Kuznetsova (RUS) - WTA

F Mayer (GER) vs M Fish (USA) - ATP

http://www.pacificlifeopen.com/1/oop/default.asp

RAFAEL NADAL PICTURED AT INDIAN WELLS 2008

Current Pictures
Rafael Nadal at Indian Wells, CA 2008

Spain's Rafael Nadal (L) and compatriot Feliciano Lopez
at Indian Wells 2008.

Indian Wells Tennis ~ Pacific Life Open


The Best Up-to-Date information,
pictures and daily fan blog posts from Indian Well, California
Sign up ~ it's free and it's so much fun:
Rafael Nadal's Fan Page on his Website

Rafael Nadal Website to register for Fan Page

Rafa ~ You're Simply The Best
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Rafa ~ This Song is For You
Tina Turner (Divas Live 1999)

From: benqfc

VAMOS, RAFA!

News from Rafa's website: Rafa's first opponent in Indian Wells will be the qualifier from Colombia, Santiago Giraldo. This guy just defeated the Austrian Eschauer, and will face our Rafa this weekend. Mariska from The Netherlands


The Second Opening Day

Written by

Valerie Brighouse of

Tamworth Staffordshire U.K.

Originally posted at Rafa's Website
on "Fan Page"

With apologies to the continent of Australia, this week marks
the true, or at least logical, start of the tennis season. I know
the Aussie Open is a Slam, and we love it, but it's also a
glorious false start, a big tournament on a big island cut
off from the rest of the schedule.

Now we've reached mainland. I don't say that only because
the tour has come to the U.S., and the California desert in
particular. I say it because it's "go time," as the cliché has it,
from here on there's little rest for the weary, all the way
through to the end of the U.S. Open. With that in mind,
I've written a post for ESPN on five players heading for
Indian Wells who are in need of do-overs to begin their
2008 campaigns (it doesn't seem to have been posted yet).

Also with that in mind, here's the customary bracket
analysis of the years first Masters tournament. Its fully
loaded on the mens side, but has its share of WTA
absentees Henin and the Williamses, most prominent
among them. We'll just start without them.

The Men
First Quarter
Competition is sparse for Roger Federer in the top half
here, which may be just what he needs, considering his
early exit at IW last year and his shaky recent health.
The first seed he might play is No. 25 Nicolas Almagro,
who just won a clay-court tournament but is 0-5 against
Federer. Still, it could be his toughest early test,
considering that the next seed he might face is
Tommy Robredo, who is 0-8 against Federer.

Andy Murray and Andy Roddick are the top seeds on the
bottom side. Of the two, Murray has a slightly harder
road, with Marat Safin a potential second-round
opponent; Roddick may be looking at another showdown
with Fernando Verdasco (please God, no).
Murray-Roddick would be a fun. They've had their battles
and have both been in pretty good form. After his Dubai
run, I'll take the American Andy in three in a wild night
match. Then he'll lose to Federer.

Player to watch: Marin Cilic. The big Croatian (are there
small Croatian men?) may be embarking on his
pre-breakout season (like, say, Djokovic in 2005).

Semifinalist: Federer

Second Quarter

Welcome back to the Nalbandian-Davydenko quarterfinal.
How we've missed you! In between those two eternal
enigmas, the heavy hitters are Hewitt, Youzhny,
Gonzalez, and Ferrero. But I wouldn't count out
Igor Andreev. The Russian had a weak start to the
year, and he never lives up to expectations, but the
slow courts and true bounce feed his monster
forehand. He made the quarters here in 2006, the
best he's done at a Masters so far.

Giants to watch: Isner and Querrey are stomping
around these parts, as is the wild card Mario Ancic,
who starts another comeback against Gael Monfils.
Potential early match to watch: Nalbandian against
the bruising Ernest Gulbis.

Semifinalist: Andreev

Third Quarter

It's the shotmakers Djokovic, Kohlschreiber,
Baghdatis versus the pesky grinders Ferrer,
Monaco, Nieminen, Cañas. Djokovic is most
likely to succeed, of course. He likes the courts,
he wants to catch Nadal in the rankings, and he's
a cut above everyone else in the bottom half.
A quarterfinal against Baghdatis or Ferrer would
be a test, but one that he'll pass.

Potential early match to watch: Kohlschreiber
vs. Malisse, two guys who know how to hit the ball.

Semifinalist: Djokovic

Fourth Quarter

Who's left? First we've got Rafael Nadal, a man both
chasing and being chased in the rankings. He's got the
daunting task of defending points from his title run
last year. But it's safe to say he's ready for the challenge,
and this is the best hard-court anywhere for him. His
quarter is not too brutal, either Gasquet, Tsonga, Blake,
and Mathieu are the top guns. Blake has never lost to
Nadal, but they wouldn't play until the quarters; Tsonga
toyed with Rafa in Melbourne, but he's still an unproven
commodity as of now. Seeing if he can prove himself may
be the most intriguing element of the whole draw.

First-round match not to watch: Spadea vs. Ginepri.

Semifinalist: Nadal

Semifinals: Federer d. Andreev; Djokovic d. Nadal
Final: Djokovic d. Federer

The Women

First Quarter

Its still a little odd, at least to me, to think of Ana Ivanovic
as the top seed at an event of this size, but there she is
right at the top of this quarter. I like her chances of
getting through to the semis. The next highest seed
is Nicole Vaidisova, who faces a tough potential early
match with Tamira Paszek. If Vaidisova gets through
that, she's still a long shot. Ivanovic just beat her in
Dubai 4 and love.

Semifinalist: Ivanovic

Second Quarter

This one isn't pretty, in more than one sense. Jelena
Jankovic is the player to beat, and there arent many
near her who are likely to pull it off. How do these
seeds grab you: Sugiyama, Medina-Garrigues,
Razzano, Bammer, Govortsova, and Bartoli.
There's one other I didn't mention, and that's Lindsay
Davenport. This could be her best chance at going
deep at a tournament of significance.

Semifinalist: Jankovic

Third Quarter

It gets a little better over here, with Sharapova trying
to stay perfect in 08; Hantuchova trying to defend her
inexplicable title of last year; Mirza and Peer walloping
away; and Mauresmowell, what is she doing at this event,
anyway? I hope she plays well; the womens game could
use a little more of her.

Semifinalist: Sharapova

Fourth Quarter

Every year I pick Na Li to do something significant,
and every year she doesn't. Should I pick her to upset
second seed Svetlana Kuznetsova and come out of this
section? No, I'm not ready for that, even though Li has
shown some signs of life after being off the tour for
much of 2007. Radwanska and Safarova are also
hanging out in the top half, but Kuznetsova is still
the woman to beat.

Semifinalist: Kuznetsova

Semifinals: Sharapova d. Kuznetsova; Jankovic d. Ivanovic
Final: Sharapova d. Jankovic

I'll be out in the desert sun trying to keep the heat-based
hallucinations to a minimum next week, along with Pete
Bodo and James Martin from our office. Anyone else
who's going to be there, let me know.

No Indian Wells on ESPN or Tennis Channel this time;
it's all moved to Fox Sport Net, which means coverage
will be hit and miss throughout the country. Not good,
but all the more reason to make the trip.

Posted 03/12/2008 @ 5 :28 PM

Thanks, Val, also known as, tennismado8 on Rafa's Website