PRESIDENT OBAMA: “Silence, acquiescence, paralysis in the face of genocide is wrong.”

PRESIDENT OBAMA said: “Silence, acquiescence, paralysis in the face of genocide is wrong.”

Send your letter to President Obama.

Here is my letter that I sent ~

Dear President Obama:

I have been involved as a volunteer activist regarding Sudan since 2003. I heard you speak at the 2006 Rally for Darfur on the mall in Washington, D.C. What you said then, made me believe you cared. I believe you meant what you said then and also when you visited a Darfur refugee camp prior to becoming President. However, your appointed Special Envoys to Sudan have not only be ineffective, but detrimental to the human rights violations by the Sudanese government. How can you do this? It does not line up with what you said prior to becoming President in 2008. Or to the letter you sent to me and other activists the first year of your Presidency.

The people of Darfur have been experiencing genocide for almost ten years and continue to suffer. Sudan President Omar al-Bashir has been allowed to use the "lessons learned" from Darfur in the Nuba Mountains/South Kordofan and Blue Nile regions, where innocent civilians are now also experiencing what many call genocide. Clearly, current U.S. policy and international engagement is not working.

At the 2006 D.C. Rally for Darfur, you said: “Silence, acquiescence, paralysis in the face of genocide is wrong.” As a Senator and a first-time candidate for President, you promised to act.

You also said: "Our action and leadership will show who we are as a nation and as a people."

And yet, your administration has not taken action, shown humanity leadership regarding Sudan or made it a priority as you said you would in the text of your letter response to me in your first year as President.

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"If we don’t fight hard enough for the things we stand for, at some point we have to recognize that we don’t really stand for them.” Paul Wellstone, 1944-2002

You have the opportunity as President to make a marked difference in the lives of the Sudanese people trying to stay alive in caves, tents, after rape, after witnessing their family members being slaughtered, under the fire of Sudanese government bombings, during years of on-going blocking of food and health assistance and scorched earth manifestations of genocide by the Sudanese government. The Sudanese government that your administration has given the go-ahead to keep on committing the atrocious crimes of genocide has increasingly become emboldened because they KNOW that the USA and other potential coalition countries have done nothing, will do nothing to stop their genocides in various regions of their country. All on your watch.

When you are no longer President, I will not believe you when you say that you regret you did not effectively do enough to stop this from going further in Sudan. That is what Bill Clinton did about Rwanda. This is your Rwanda.

Sincerely,

Sandra Hammel

The following text is from ~

Hidden Hunger - Living in Caves in Nuba Mountains of Sudan

Read the full article ~Nuba Reports

Frequent bombing by the Sudan government continues to threaten civilians' safety. More than 100 bombs fell in South Kordofan in October, according to Nuba Reports journalists. Attacks on the ground are also a concern for citizens as the SAF burns villages as part of the violent campaign against areas under Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) control.

For many, the journey to Yida refugee camp in South Sudan is a daunting choice. With over 65,000 people inhabiting a camp intended for 15,000, living conditions are poor, food stocks are low and the long walk there is dangerous.

Life in the mountains is not a solution for displaced people, however. Cave life is unsustainable, especially without land to harvest or hope for food aid. Violence surrounds the mountains but their home villages are destroyed or in too dangerous a region to which to return.

Marriam Teia told Nuba Reports that not only does she have no way to get to Yida, but it is a place she's never been before--far from her home in Tess, a village recently burned by the SAF. "I don't know where to put my heart," she said. "I'm in the middle. I want to go home."

Read the full article ~Nuba Reports

Send your letter to President Obama.

DARFUR The Abandoned Genocide ~ 2003 - 2011

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Click here to see in bigger screen size

This is a submission to the "Compassion Film Festival" in Newport, Rhode Island, screenings at the 494 seat Jane Pickens Theatre, April 8, 2011.

The Jane Pickens Theatre
49 Touro Street
Newport, RI 02840
(401) 846-5252
Bus: Touro Near Side Clark

The Festival rules limited the video submissions to 5 minutes. Prizes will be awarded for the top 3 juried places and also an Audience Choice award chosen directly by the audience.

Unfortunately the lips and audio became out of snyc due to compression of uploading here at Vimeo. Fortunately, the DVD of this video is in sync.

I always put credits at the end and couldn't because of the limit I had to get my message across.

Here are more complete credits:

❧ Special thanks to ❧
Eric Reeves for Open Letter excerpts
Mohamed Suleiman for Darfuri sayings
Photos ~
Mia Farrow
Gabriel Stauring
Sandra Hammel
♫ Music ♫
Bridge Over Troubled Water
Performed by Eva Cassidy
Available at itunes
Krista Powell
Presented by Sandra Hammel

Genocide flourishes when there is no accountability.
It has been flourishing in Darfur since February 2003.

One voice won’t stop a genocide,
but that is no excuse to be silent.

Please, use your voice to call upon our leaders
to do what is right about something
that is very wrong.

Contact President Obama, Vice-President Joe Biden or First Lady Michelle Obama

www.whitehouse.gov/contact

1-800-GENOCIDE for President Obama,
U.S. Senators and Representatives

Updated Darfur news ~ Radio Dabanga

Eric Reeves's Website on Sudan ~ sudanreeves

Mia Farrow photos of Darfur Refugee Camps

Terry Nickelson ~ OUR HUMANITY IN THE BALANCE
Our Humanity in the Balance

Where there is a will there is always a way,
where there is no will there is never a way.

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Click here to see in bigger screen

Contact me if you would like a DVD of the above video.

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Was Scott Gration Good for the Darfur Peace Process?

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See more videos of Darfuri refugee camp Goz Amer taken March 23 - 31 +, 2011
stopgenocidenow

Learn more about the sister schools program for Darfur refugee camps at Darfur Dream Team

Photo credit Gabriel Stauring
Goz Amer School
Classroom in a refugee camp
Proof that ~ Where there is a will there is a way.

Photo credit Gabriel Stauring of iactivism.org

NO GOLD STAR FOR U.S. SPECIAL ENVOY GRATION - We're NOT Smiling

Cookies for General Scott Gration to give to the Government of Sudan
for implementation of his policy to end the genocide

The United States Special Envoy to Sudan, Scott Gration in this article
U.S. Envoy's Outreach to Sudan is Criticized as Naive states, in regards Darfur, Sudan and the ongoing genocide since 2003, the following:

"We've got to think about giving out cookies (to the Government of Sudan)," said Gration, who was appointed in March. "Kids, countries -- they react to gold stars, smiley faces, handshakes, agreements, talk, engagement."

The students from Stand Now took action on Wednesday of this week in relation to Special Envoy Gration's comment:

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Text from the youtube page:
"To draw attention to Special Envoy for Sudan Scott Gration's troubling strategy, students from STAND, the student-led division of Genocide Intervention Network, headed to the Sudanese embassy to present the Government of Sudan with a gold star and smiley face."
Uploaded by StandAntiGenocide

With a small gesture, citizens demonstrated how absurd Gration's Gold Star strategy is and how important it is for President Obama to make sure his Special Envoy is pursuing a balanced approached to Sudan that includes sticks – not just smiley faces and gold stars.

And Washington wasn't the only place where students took action this week. Activists across the country sent nearly 600 e-mail messages to President Obama regarding the troubling nature of the Special Envoy's remarks.

Source for the text below: Giving Sudan its Gold Star by Stand Now's High School National Outreach Coordinator, Mickey Jackson

I have to admit that until this week, I never dreamed that anything could possess me to trudge through the rain with a bunch of other DC-area students and lay a hastily-made cardboard-and-paper gold star against the door of the Sudanese embassy. But then again, I never dreamed that Scott Gration, the Obama Administration's special envoy to Sudan, would tell the Washington Post that we should try to end a genocide by "giving out cookies...gold stars, [and] smiley faces" to an indicted war criminal.

We are fully aware that Wednesday's action at the Sudanese embassy was a stunt. As a rule, STAND students do not rely on stunts to bring attention to the ongoing genocide in Darfur; we are known and renowned for our smart, targeted advocacy campaigns directed at our elected officials and executed by thousands of dedicated student activists nationwide. But this week, we felt the need to highlight the absurdity of General Gration's comments, and the Administration's highly conspicuous lack of a tough, coherent policy for addressing the ongoing atrocities and humanitarian crisis in Darfur. And so we took it upon ourselves to step up to the plate for General Gration and give the Sudanese government the gold star that they apparently have so richly earned.

Consider taking an extra minute to send a message to the President Obama. Tell him that eight months is too long to wait for a strong Sudan policy. Tell him that General Gration's comments do not reflect his own views on Sudan. Tell him to personally get involved and fulfill the promises that he has made to the anti-genocide constituency.

Another Washington Post Bombshell

Posted by John Norris on Sep 30, 2009

Another day, another disastrous news cycle for the administration on Sudan. As if yesterday’s story in the Post was not enough, a piece today delves into a fascinating and sordid web of connections between disgraced former U.S. National Security Advisor Bud McFarlane and the Sudanese government as part of an effort to improve Khartoum’s relationship with the Obama administration. McFarlane was apparently contracted by the Sudanese government – for $1.3 million channeled through Qatar – to lobby Obama administration officials.

This is a well reported story, and it is a tale full of very, very bad judgment by some key players: by McFarlane who did not disclose that he was employed to lobby at the behest of a foreign government that is still designated as a state sponsor of terror; by U.S. Special Envoy Major General Scott Gration and National Security Advisor Jim Jones, who not only met with McFarlane but appear to have found him a useful intermediary; and, by everyone else who thought that using Qatar as a front for payments to McFarlane to help obscure his direct links to Sudan’s National Congress Party was a clever idea. The insistence by the White House that McFarlane just wanted to come in and discuss “the urgent need to improve the security situation in Sudan and the need for development in southern Sudan" does not seem particularly credible. It is hard to imagine McFarlane being paid over a million dollars by the NCP to go to the White House and chat about development.

The only people who look sensible out of all this are some of the former U.S. officials who had a role in Sudan policy and were smart enough to stay miles away from a relationship that clearly stank to high heaven. As Bob Oakley, a former U.S. Ambassador describes in the article, McFarlane was "trying to broker some arrangements between the Sudanese government and the Obama administration." Oakley calls McFarlane "a wheeler-dealer," and added, "I remember him from Iran-contra and all the rest. I didn't get into it; I didn't want to, quite frankly."

Combined with yesterday’s story in the Post, it is becoming painfully clear that U.S. policy toward Sudan is threatening to become unglued. We are still awaiting word as to what came out of the yesterday’s policy review, but something has to change.

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No More Empty Promises

We are visitors on this planet.

We are here for ninety or one hundred years

at the very most.

During that period,

we must try to do something good,

something useful, with our lives.

If you contribute to other people’s happiness,

You will find the true goal, the true meaning of life.

H.H. the 14th Dalai Lama

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GENOCIDE WILL STOP WITH US

While We Wait Sudan

blogfordarfur.org

"The Most Important Office is That of Private Citizen"
Louis D. Brandeis

Comments to President Obama:
202-456-1111 or 1-800-GENOCIDE

Join the Fast for Darfuris

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful,
committed people could change the world.
Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."
Margaret Mead

www.savedarfur.org

www.stopgenocidenow.org

Help - Use Your Voice

1-800-GENOCIDE

NO JUSTICE, NO PEACE

WE'VE HAD ENOUGH - BARACK OBAMA NEEDS TO SHOW RESOLVE ABOUT THE DEFINING ISSUE OF GENOCIDE WHILE PRESIDENT

This IS outrageous. U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan, Scott Gration, needs to spend some time with his family. And President Obama needs to find some resolve on this "Defining" Issue. We need some of the hope we all fought so hard to be manifested when we campaigned for our new President.


U.S. Envoy's Outreach to Sudan is Criticized as Naive

by Stephanie McCrummen

Washington Post Foreign Service
Tuesday, September 29, 2009

EL FASHER, Sudan -- The volatility of this East African nation -- from the Darfur conflict to the threat of renewed civil war in the south -- is becoming a test of how President Obama will reconcile a policy of engagement with earlier statements blasting a government he said had "offended the standards of our common humanity."

Top administration officials are scheduled to meet Tuesday to discuss a major review of the United States' Sudan policy. But even as that document is being finalized, U.S. diplomacy has remained mostly in the hands of Obama's special envoy to Sudan, retired Air Force Maj. Gen. J. Scott Gration, who is pushing toward normalized relations with the only country in the world led by a president indicted on war-crimes charges.

Although Gration describes the approach as pragmatic and driven by a sense of urgency, his critics here and in the United States say it is dangerously, perhaps willfully, naive. During a recent five-day trip to Sudan, Gration heard from southern officials, displaced Darfurians, rebels and others who complained uniformly that he is being manipulated by government officials who talk peace even as they undermine it.

Still, at the end of the visit, Gration maintained a strikingly different perspective. He had seen signs of goodwill from the government of President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, he said, and viewed many of the complaints as understandable yet knee-jerk reactions to a government he trusts is ready to change.

"We've got to think about giving out cookies," said Gration, who was appointed in March. "Kids, countries -- they react to gold stars, smiley faces, handshakes, agreements, talk, engagement."

Gration's approach has supporters, including Eltyeb Hag Ateya, a Sudanese professor and critic of Bashir's ruling party. He said Gration is "completely different" from previous envoys, who succeeded only in alienating the people who hold the levers of power in Sudan.

Gration's detractors say his approach is based on a misunderstanding of how Bashir's ruling party works. John Prendergast, co-chairman of the Enough Project, a human rights group advocating tougher, multilateral sanctions against Sudan, said Bashir and his top advisers respond only to pressure. "They do not respond to nice guys coming over and saying, 'We have to be a good guest,' " he said. "They eat these people for dinner."

Adam Mudawi, a Sudanese human rights activist who has seen envoys come and go, put it more bluntly: "In six months, he'll find out," he said. "They are liars."

But in interviews during the trip, Gration said that Sudanese government officials have not lied to him. He spoke of new realities in Darfur, where a brutal government campaign has given way to banditry and fighting among rebel factions and tribes. Although many say the government has orchestrated the chaos, Gration spread the blame. Rebels have turned into criminal gangs and failed to unify for peace talks, he said. And many displaced Darfurians are dealing with "psychological stuff" that is leading to unhelpful mistrust of the government, he said.

Gration said that in his view, the ruling party deserves some credit lately for allowing some foreign aid groups to return after Bashir expelled others following his March indictment by the International Criminal Court on charges of war crimes in Darfur. Gration said economic sanctions, first imposed against Sudan in 1997, have thwarted development that would help marginalized parts of Sudan.

And as distasteful as it may seem, he said, engaging the ruling party is the only way to get a settlement in Darfur and to avert a potentially devastating war ahead of the semiautonomous southern region's 2011 vote on independence.

Ghazi Salahuddin, a close Bashir adviser, praised Gration for "trying to be evenhanded." During a stop in El Fasher, capital of North Darfur state, Gration was greeted like a rock star by hundreds of cheering Bashir supporters in a conference hall plastered with posters of Bashir and Obama, poorly photo-shopped together.

Read page 2 at www.washingtonpost.com

Read page 3 at www.washingtonpost.com

Darfur Conflict

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Remember Darfur

No More Empty Promises


Whatever you did for one of the least of these
I don't consider myself a religious person at all.
Spiritual person, yes. Religious, no.
However, I love this passage of the Bible at the above link.

We are visitors on this planet.

We are here for ninety or one hundred years

at the very most.

During that period,

we must try to do something good,

something useful, with our lives.

If you contribute to other people’s happiness,

You will find the true goal, the true meaning of life.

H.H. the 14th Dalai Lama

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GENOCIDE WILL STOP WITH US


"The Most Important Office is That of Private Citizen"
Louis D. Brandeis

Comments to President Obama:
202-456-1111 or 1-800-GENOCIDE

Dear President Obama - A letter sent March 12, 2009

Join the Fast for Darfuris

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful,
committed people could change the world.
Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."
Margaret Mead

www.savedarfur.org

www.stopgenocidenow.org

WhileWeWaitSudan.blogspot.com

www.stopgenocidenow/campdarfur.org

Help - Use Your Voice

1-800-GENOCIDE

Click my post title for Human Rights First site

NO JUSTICE, NO PEACE

If We Only Have Love

OBAMA TO SPEAK TO GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE UNITED NATIONS, SEPT 23, 2009

LINKS TO PRESIDENT OBAMA'S ADDRESS TO THE UNITED NATIONS 64TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

UNITED NATIONS PAGE

www.unausa.org/obamaspeakstotheworld

Click here to watch the speech live.

Streaming video and Live Chat via

UNA-USA will be presenting President Obama's speech live video streaming on Wednesday the 23rd. Additionally we will be hosting a live chat through the Facebook application located here.

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When UN Secretary/General, Ban Ki-moon talks, does the Government of Sudan care what he says?

Deeply Concerned at Reports of Recent Clashes between Sudanese Government Forces,

Rebels in North Darfur, Secretary-General Calls on All Parties for Restraint

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon:

The Secretary-General is deeply concerned by reports of recent clashes between the Government of Sudan and rebel forces, and the resultant loss of civilian lives and properties in the area of Korma, North Darfur.

The Secretary-General calls on all parties to use restraint, renew their commitment to an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, and redouble their efforts to reach a political settlement of the conflict in Darfur.

The Secretary-General also reiterates the importance of ensuring a safe and free passage for United Nations and humanitarian personnel to assess the situation on the ground and provide life-saving assistance to those in need.

Source: http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2009/sgsm12473.doc.htm

Secretary-General Strongly Condemns Deadly Attack on Village in Southern Sudan

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon:

The Secretary-General strongly condemns the 20 September attack on residents of Duk Padiet village in Jonglei State, in Southern Sudan. Initial reports indicate upwards of 100 persons were killed in the attacks. The United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) continues to determine the full extent of this terrible event.

The Secretary-General urges the Government of Southern Sudan to further strengthen their efforts to identify and bring to justice the perpetrators of these crimes.

In the meantime, the Secretary-General commends the efforts of the Government to restore order, deter retaliatory attacks and to pursue dialogue and reconciliation among all concerned parties.

Source: http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2009/sgsm12472.doc.htm

Secretary-General Remains ‘Gravely Concerned’ by Abduction of Two

United Nations Staff Members of Hybrid Mission in Darfur

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon:

The Secretary-General remains gravely concerned by the abduction of two international staff members at the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID), taken from their homes on 28 August 2009. UNAMID officials are working closely with authorities from the Government of Sudan to ensure their safe release.

The Secretary-General wishes to underscore the importance of the peacekeeping and humanitarian work being undertaken in Darfur, and his belief that United Nations staff members carry out valuable work around the world, which they should be able to do without fear of harassment or intimidation. The Secretary-General expresses his solidarity with the families of the abducted staff members, and calls for their safe and speedy return.

Source: http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2009/sgsm12471.doc.htm

RACISTS WHO DON'T KNOW THEY ARE RACISTS

AND THE SILENCE OF THOSE WHO AREN'T

If the loudest words and the current atmosphere of spreading opinions as facts continues without being called out for what they may very well be - uninformed, prejudice-based and racism in the United States of America - then it will take people with the backbone and courage to become loud and repetitive in our own "loop" of saying:

"This is racism and this is not how I want to be defined. This is not the direction I want this country to continue."

The agenda of this country will continue to be highjacked by this segment of the United States of America, until a saner segment speaks up and steers the agenda. Silence will not get us what we want, unless we want racists to lead us into the valley of sick.

Racism - dressed up - as normal is where we are right now.

If racists are the ones using their right to spread ignorance and hatred and the ones on the other side are being apathetic and voiceless, there is only one outcome. And it won't be a proud period of history.

U.S. President Barack Obama speaks to auto workers about labor and health care at the GM plant September 15, 2009 in Lordstown, Ohio. Obama said that the economy depends on getting the auto industry back on its feet.

September 14, 2009
Photo credit: Jeff Swensen/Getty Images

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Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

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HBO's Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel featured University of Memphis Swim Study

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Next week, eyes will be on President Obama as he gives his speech to the United Nations General Assembly.

Today, you and I have one more chance to tell him unequivocally—"Don't Forget Darfur."

In a few days, Save Darfur's president, Jerry Fowler, is meeting with the U.S. Mission to the United Nations to talk about peace in Sudan and deliver our "Don't Forget Darfur" petitions.

Ask others to add their voices to speak up for justice in Darfur

Pittsburgh - Voices for Darfur given permision to protest the G-20 meeting to draw attention to the situation in Darfur

United States Darfur special envoy Scott Gration criticized by refugees

Click on post title to go to While We Wait - a blog by a Darfuri

RESCHEDULED QF OF NADAL V. GONZALEZ - RAIN, RAIN GO AWAY - RAFA NADAL CAME TO PLAY

NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 10: Rafael Nadal of Spain reacts during the Men's Singles Quarterfinals match against Fernando Gonzalez of Chile on day eleven of the 2009 U.S. Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 10, 2009 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City

Photo credit: Nick Laham

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U.S. Open Schedule
September 12, Saturday, 2009
Men's Singles - Quarterfinals
Noon (12:00 p.m.) EST USA

Rafael Nadal(ESP)[3] leads Fernando Gonzalez(CHI)[11]
7-6(4) 6-6(3)

This match may be moved to Armstrong Stadium.
Men's Doubles - Finals
Lukas Dlouhy(CZE)[4] /Leander Paes(IND)[4] vs. Mahesh Bhupathi(IND)[3] /Mark Knowles(BAH)[3]

This match may be moved to Armstrong Stadium.
Women's Singles - Semifinals
Yanina Wickmayer(BEL) vs. Caroline Wozniacki(DEN[9]

Not Before 20:00 - 8:00 p.m. EST USA
Women's Singles - Semifinals
Kim Clijsters(BEL) vs. Serena Williams(USA)[2]

TV Schedule for Saturday - CBS network
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Source: www.usopen.org ~ schedule

A point from the Rafa Nadal and Gael Monfils U.S. Open Round 4 match

Click on the post title to go to the U.S. Open website - Highlights

tennis-channel.tv/tennis

Rafa's blogging during the U.S. Open

200 Photos of Quarter Final - 7-6, 6-6- (Rafa leading in tie break 3-2)

22 Photos of Quarter Final at Zimbio

Photo credit: Nick Laham

Photo credit: Emmanuel Dunand

Photo credit: Emmanuel Dunand

Photo credit: Emmanuel Dunand

Photo credit: Chris McGrath/Getty Images

Photo credit: Chris McGrath/Getty Images

Rafa - a sight to behold and love
Photo credit: unknown

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Keep the Promise for Sudan

It's not enough to be free

while others are not.




GENOCIDE WILL STOP WITH US

Letter - All Is Not Well in Darfur - NYTimes.com

Comments to President Obama:
202-456-1111 or 1-800-GENOCIDE

Contact President Obama
www.whitehouse.gov/contact

"The Most Important Office is That of Private Citizen"
Louis D. Brandeis

Dear President Obama - A letter sent March 12, 2009

Join the Fast for Darfuris

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful,
committed people could change the world.
Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."
Margaret Mead

Websites to learn about Darfur:

By a Darfuri living in the United States of America:
while we wait sudan

The basics about Darfur:
savedarfur.org/pages/primer

www.savedarfur.org

www.stopgenocidenow.org

No More Empty Promises

We are given the capacity to love.

TENNIS INTO THE NIGHT FOR RAFA

Round 3 Rafael Nadal defeated Nicolas Almagro Sunday, September 6, 2009 7-5, 6-4, 6-4

Rafa plays Gael Monfils next
Round 4
September 8, Tuesday night
Rafael Nadal and Gael Monfils are scheduled to play on Arthur Ashe Court after Serena Williams and Flavia Pennetta

The women are scheduled to start not earlier than 7:00 p.m.


The afternoon matches on Arthur Ashe are

Women's Singles - Quarterfinals
Na Li(CHN)[18]	vs.	Kim Clijsters(BEL)

Men's Singles - 4th Round
Marin Cilic(CRO)[16]	vs.	Andy Murray(GBR)[2]

This week in the USA the matches can be watched on the U.S. Open website. Click this post's title to go to the website. You can watch two matches at once with the picture in a picture feature. The website is fabuous. Also, ESPN2 will be airing matches that they feel merit their coverage. On my sidebar is a button I grabbed at the U.S. Open website. You can get the live scores of all the matches. Check it out.

Rafa will be playing the last match of the night Tuesday, September 8, which probably means he will be playing late into the night. The scary thing is his muscle that is in his abdominal area. We thought the knees were the worry. Oh, dear. Didn't his trainer have him doing free weights on his back on his off months?! That would have strengthened the abdominal muscles while he was off the knees.

Here is hoping he can keep playing good enough to get through to the Quarter Finals.

Rafael Nadal of Spain returns a shot against Nicolas Almagro of Spain during day seven of the 2009 U.S. Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 6, 2009 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City.
Photo credit: Julian Finney/Getty Images North America

Photo credit: Julian Finney/Getty Images North America

Photo credit: Julian Finney/Getty Images North America

Photo credit: Jim McIsaac/ Getty Images

Photo credit: Jim McIsaac/ Getty Images


Photo credit: Juilan Finney/ Getty Images


Photo credit: Juilan Finney/ Getty Images


Photo credit: Juilan Finney/ Getty Images


Photo credit: Nick Laham/ Getty Images


Photo credit: Nick Laham/ Getty Images

Photo credit: Nick Laham/ Getty Images

Though we don't have sleeveless, love those shirt changes....


Photo credit: Jim McIsaac/ Getty Images

I remember seeing this. Rafa was taking off his shirt to change it to a fresh one. We don't get the pleasure of seeing these shirt changes normally because networks cut to commercial at these times. But, CBS came back after commercial and shared the clip with us. (These shirt changes are always shown when U.S. Open website is streaming the matches. And also when you pay to see the matches of other tournaments at http://www.tennistv.com/page/Home/0,,11444,00.html)

...Rafa heard the crowd erupting in a cheer and looked up. Then he realized the crowd was cheering his shirt being off.

The CBS commentators said the loudest cheer was when Rafa changed his shirt. It happens at 34 seconds into the video. Take a look (it's in Spanish, but you'll get the idea):
www.youtube.com

Here is the after match, on-court interview, Rafa is asked what he thought about the fan reaction when he took his shirt off (it is at the 1:40 mark):
www.youtube.com
"Thank you... I am a little bit shy." Rafa

78 Pictures of Rafa in the Round 3 match with Nicolas Almagro:
Rafael+Nadal

78! Those photographers know who to take pictures of - don't they?


Click on my post's title and it will take you to the wonderful U.S. Open website.

Interactive Draw with many wonderful informative links (Find tab Draws, which is second at the top, then go to Interactive Draws:
www.usopen.org/en_US/tracker

Other live streams may possibly be found at

www.tennis-channel.tv/tennis

atdhe.net

www.channelsurfing.net

TV Schedule
http://www.usopen.org/en_US/about/tv_us.html

Websites that always have great articles and pictures:
Fan sponsored website:
vamosbrigade.com

The original forum for Rafa's website (before Nike took it over)
www.babolat.com

Rafa's Blog and answers fans' questions
imesonline.typepad.com/rafael_nadal
email your questions to Rafa:
rafa@timesonline.co.uk

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Melanie Oudin
Photo credit: Philip Hall of U.S. Open.org

America's sweetheart Oudin reaches quarterfinals

By Clair Maciel
Monday, September 7, 2009

Source: www.usopen.org

Melanie Oudin’s Cinderella story continues at the 2009 US Open. The 17-year-old Georgia native’s incredible run is still going strong, as Oudin advanced to her first Grand Slam quarterfinal with a 1-6, 7-6(2), 6-3 come-from-behind win over No. 13 seed Nadia Petrova.

On her third match point, Oudin hit a screaming forehand crosscourt winner that landed out of Petrova’s reach. The second the ball hit the open court, she raised her arms and dropped her racket, with the entire crowd in Arthur Ashe Stadium on its feet and erupting in celebration. But the cheers were not only limited to the main show court.

Fans all across the grounds who were listening to their portable American Express radios began cheering for Oudin when they heard she had won match point. Even the crowd in Louis Armstrong Stadium broke out in celebration midway through the match between Petra Kvitova and Yanina Wickmayer.

After taking down three straight Russian opponents, Oudin’s next opponent will be the winner between Caroline Wozniacki and another Russian, Svetlana Kuznetsova.

“Now I know that I do belong here,” Oudin said of her continued success. “I can compete with these girls no matter who I'm playing. I have a chance against anyone.

“Coming into the tournament, I did believe that I could compete with these girls, but it was just figuring out a way to win in these tough matches and these pressure situations actually coming through and winning. So now, even if I get a set down, I still believe in myself and my game. I know that if I fight as hard as I can, do the best I can, hopefully I can do it.”

Petrova dominated through the beginning stages of the match, using her power baseline game to stun the young American. An opening service break was the only time Petrova dropped a game in the first set. But it wasn’t until the second set that her game started to fall apart, and she just could not keep the ball in play.

Petrova hit a staggering 59 unforced errors on the match, 25 of which came in the second set, and another 22 in the third. Oudin took a 3-1 lead in the second before Petrova broke back and held for 3-3. Two more breaks of serve were traded before a tiebreaker would decide the set.

Oudin took a quick 5-0 lead in the breaker, capitalizing on the Russian’s errors. A Petrova forehand that sailed wide gave the American the set.

Petrova said the toughest challenge Oudin posed was her movement and ability to run down every shot no matter what Petrova did.

“It's really difficult, because I felt like I had to come up with a good shot, and I was taking my chances,” Petrova said. “I was trying to put pressure on her by going to the net. But I was playing more high‑risk tennis than she did. But, I mean, I'm giving her big credit by running all over the court, getting all those shots back.”

In her two previous matches against Sharapova and Dementieva, Oudin has done well coming back to win after losing the first set. But being in a pressure situation and staying strong mentally is something she handles well.

“I've been in that situation many times of losing the first set and being able to come back and win,” Oudin said. “I do well with forgetting about the first set and starting over like it's a totally new match. I start off really well in every third set I played because I believe in myself so much after I win a second. I have the momentum going, and I know I can win. That's what I think out there, and when I do that, I start playing better and better.”

After Oudin had a 40-0 lead in the opening game of the third set on Petrova’s serve, Petrova fought back, fending off six game points before Oudin hit a winning lob that caught the back line. From then on, it all went in Oudin’s direction. Petrova continued to struggle with her service game, double faulting to give Oudin a 3-2 lead that she would run away with.

Petrova served to stay in the match at 5-3, saving two match points. But on Oudin’s third match point, she fired a solid crosscourt forehand, a shot that she relied on to win so many rallies in the match, and closed it out.

Oudin has had a phenomenal season in 2009. At this time last year, she was ranked No. 221 and needed a wild card just to get into the main draw at the US Open, where she lost in the first round. This year, her place in the quarterfinals ensures that she will break the top 45.

As fans have watched her advance round after round here in Flushing Meadows, they are starting to believe there is a lot of promise in the future for American women’s tennis, beyond Venus and Serena Williams. So the question still remains. How far can she go at the US Open? One thing is for sure, no one has more heart and belief than Oudin. And the possibilities for her are endless.

Melanie Oudin into the Quarter Finals
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Sudan awards outgoing UNAMID'S chief Nilein Order
www.sudantribune.com

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GENOCIDE WILL STOP WITH US

Letter - All Is Not Well in Darfur - NYTimes.com

Comments to President Obama:
202-456-1111 or 1-800-GENOCIDE

Contact President Obama
www.whitehouse.gov/contact

My letter sent via http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/

Dear President Obama,

The audacity of hope has turned into the audacity of indifference.

Please do what needs to be done to restore humanitarian aid to Darfur and do it immediately.

Darfuris are dying while you issue embarrassingly mild statements which suggest appeasement and "more of the same" instead of the honest and courageous leadership we voted for. President Clinton did nothing for Rwanda and now you are doing nothing for Darfur.

Now as the U.S. assumes the presidency of the Security Council during the month of September, please Mr. President, be the leader who leads on this defining issue.

I was one who believed you were part of the change we could believe in. Now, I am not so sure. Silence in this case, kills, President Obama. Silence is irresponsible.

Sandra Hammel

Community Volunteer Leader

Use Your Voice to Save Darfur Rhode Island

"The Most Important Office is That of Private Citizen"
Louis D. Brandeis

Dear President Obama - A letter sent March 12, 2009

Join the Fast for Darfuris

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful,
committed people could change the world.
Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."
Margaret Mead

Websites to learn about Darfur:

By a Darfuri living in the United States of America:
while we wait sudan

The basics about Darfur:
savedarfur.org/pages/primer

www.savedarfur.org

www.stopgenocidenow.org

No More Empty Promises