Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Possible Face-Off of Belgian Women

The New York Times

January 20, 2010
At Australian Open, a Possible Face-Off of Belgian Women
By JOE DRAPE
MELBOURNE, Australia — They presumably are working their way to each other, Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin, a pair of Belgian women who know each other well. Clijsters did her part to keep the appointment in the quarter finals, dusting Tamarine Tanasugarn — 6-3, 6-3 — in the second round of the Australian Open here Wednesday.

In fact, it’s hard to see the No. 15-ranked Clijsters missing it. She’s won 20 times against just three losses since returning last summer from a two year self-imposed exile where she married and became a mother. Most impressive among those occurred last summer at Flushing Meadows when Clijsters rolled to a U.S. Open championship in storybook fashion.

It was only her third tournament back from retirement, and she became the first mother to win a major since Evonne Goolagong Cawley at Wimbledon in 1980. Clijsters likes her chances to perhaps capture her third grand slam title here. Earlier this month in a battle of former No. 1-ranked women, she turned back Henin in the finals of the Brisbane International in what was Henin’s comeback tournament after nearly two years off the tour.

Henin will be tested again later Wednesday by Olympic gold medalist Elena Dementieva in one of the most eagerly anticipated second round match-ups here. Clijsters believes if Henin gets by Dementieva she will benefit from a tough opponent as she did off of their Brisbane match.

< http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/20/sports/tennis/21tennis.html >

Monday, January 18, 2010

Stevie Wonder's tribute to Martin Luther King

Couple articles encouraging aid to Haiti

I have a couple of articles that I have read recently that I would like to share. The first is an article that President Obama penned for the Newsweek magazine called "Why Haiti Matters." The second article is a piece in The New York Times called "A Helping Hand to Hait," co-authored by former Presidents Clinton and George W Bush.

Why Haiti Matters
In the tragic aftermath of Haiti's 7.0 earthquake, images of the disaster break our hearts and remind us of the fragility of life. What America must do now—and why.
By Barack Obama | NEWSWEEK

Published Jan 15, 2010

From the magazine issue dated Jan 25, 2010

In the last week, we have been deeply moved by the heartbreaking images of the devastation in Haiti: parents searching through rubble for sons and daughters; children, frightened and alone, looking for their mothers and fathers. At this moment, entire parts of Port-au-Prince are in ruins, as families seek shelter in makeshift camps. It is a horrific scene of shattered lives in a poor nation that has already suffered so much.

In response, I have ordered a swift, coordinated, and aggressive effort to save lives in Haiti. We have launched one of the largest relief efforts in recent history. I have instructed the leaders of all agencies to make our response a top priority across the federal government. We are mobilizing every element of our national capacity: the resources of development agencies, the strength of our armed forces, and most important, the compassion of the American people. And we are working closely with the Haitian government, the United Nations, and the many international partners who are also aiding in this extraordinary effort.

< http://www.newsweek.com/id/231131/output/print >


January 17, 2010
Op-Ed Contributors
A Helping Hand for Haiti
By BILL CLINTON and GEORGE W. BUSH

This weekend, President Obama asked us to spearhead private-sector fund-raising efforts in the aftermath of the magnitude 7.0 earthquake that ravaged Haiti. We are pleased to answer his call.

Throughout both our careers in public service, we have witnessed firsthand the amazing generosity of the American people in the face of calamity. From the Oklahoma City bombings to 9/11, from the tsunami in South Asia to Hurricane Katrina, Americans have rallied to confront disaster — natural or man-made, domestic or abroad — with the determination, compassion and unity that have defined our nation since its founding.

After the tsunami, Americans gave more than $1 billion to help the people of South Asia. The recent earthquake in Haiti is estimated to have had an impact on nearly three million people — 30 percent of Haiti’s population. We know the American people will respond again. Just as any of us would reach out to a neighbor in need here at home, we will do everything we can to give aid, care and comfort to our neighbors in the Caribbean, now and in the months and years to come.

With advances in technology, giving to relief efforts is easier than ever before. Organizations like the Red Cross have been stunned at the amount of money pouring in through an innovative fund-raising effort that allows cellphone users to text a $10 donation that will be added to their cellphone bills. The State Department raised more than $1 million in the first 24 hours, with millions more coming in the days since the earthquake. This money is being channeled to reliable charities with long experience in disaster relief, ensuring that Americans’ contributions are put to effective use.

Our first priority will be to raise funds to meet the urgent needs of those who are hurt, homeless and hungry, and to ensure that the organizations and relief workers on the ground have the resources to do their jobs effectively. In the first two weeks, the needs are very simple: food, water, shelter, first aid supplies. Once relief workers have gone through all the rubble and every person — living and dead — has been recovered, once the streets have been cleared and communications and power restored, then Haiti is going to have to get back on its feet again.

< http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/17/opinion/17clinton.html >