text:
Federer's Most Devasting French Open Loss?
What was Roger Federer's most devastating loss at the French Open? Some would say the 2008 final, when he was dominated by Rafael Nadal 6-1, 6-3, 6-0. Another candidate would be his 2003 first-round loss to Luis Horna. Rene Stauffer, the author of the definitive book on Federer called THE ROGER FEDERER STORY: QUEST FOR PERFECTION ($24.95, New Chapter Press, www.rogerfedererbook.com) details this loss and its circumstances in this book excerpt.
Federer's success continued into the start of the clay court season as he won the title in Munich and also reached the final of the Italian Open, losing unexpectedly to Felix Mantilla of Spain. The result, however, still propelled him into the conversation as being a favorite to win the French Open.
"I feel much better this year than the year before when I first was in the top 10," he explained in one of the many interviews before the French Open. "It was a new situation for me back then. I've gotten used to it in the meantime."
He admitted to feeling the pressure from the public. "The entire world keeps reminding me that I am supposed to win a Grand Slam tournament and be No. 1 in the world. That's not fair because it's not that easy," he said. He then stated defiantly that "whoever wants to beat me will have to work hard for it. I don't want to lose in the first round at Roland Garros again."
On a summery Monday afternoon in Paris, Federer's first match at the 2003 French Open took place on Court Philippe Chatrier, the center court named after the Frenchman who was a past president of the International Tennis Federation. His opponent was an unknown Peruvian Luis Horna, whom Federer beat earlier in the year in Key Biscayne. Horna, ranked No. 88 in the world, had yet to win a match at a Grand Slam tournament. Federer took an early 5-3 lead in the first set, but began to show his insecurity and nerves when, during a routine rush to the net, he slipped and fell to the ground, only to mutter to himself and show negative emotions. Despite his lead, he seemed discouraged and, quite unusually, often glanced desperately at Peter Lundgren. Federer lost his service break advantage and despite holding a set point in the tie-break, he surrendered the first set by an 8-6 tie-break. The match immediately turned into a drama for Federer. He seemed frustrated, apathetic and didn't show any belief that he could win. He appeared mentally absent, missing even the easiest shots. He tallied 82 unforced errors in the 7-6 (6), 6-2, 7-6 (3) first-round loss.
The tournament was shockingly finished before it even really began. Federer, the fallen favorite, appeared in the overcrowded interview room with his head bowed low. "I don't know how long I'll need to get over this defeat," he said. "A day, a week, a year-or my entire career."
Federer became the ridicule of the tournament. France's sports newspaper L'Equipe ran a headline the next day translated as, "Shipwrecked In Quiet Waters" and published a cartoon in which a steam ship named "Roland Garros" steams away, leaving Federer behind in quiet waters. Florida's Palm Beach Post described him as the "Phil Mickelson of Tennis," comparing Federer to the American golfer who failed to win any of the major tournaments despite his great talent and many opportunities. "Federer has all the strokes but no Grand Slam trophy. He carries the dog tags of the best tennis player who has never won a major competition."
The loss undeniably confirmed Federer's reputation as a Grand Slam loser. He showed that he was a player who could not pull out a match even though he was not playing his best tennis-a characteristic that most champion tennis players exhibited, most notably in the present by Lleyton Hewitt, who could win a match on guts and determination alone. Since his victory over Sampras at Wimbledon in 2001, Federer was 0-4 in matches at the French Open and Wimbledon-the last three matches without even winning a set. His last five Grand Slam tournaments ended in defeat at the hands of much lower-ranked players
What could one say in his defense? Federer was now five years into his ATP career and approached his 22nd birthday. He won six ATP singles titles, excelled in Davis Cup play and time and again insisted he was capable of achieving greatness. He was considered one of the bigger stars in tennis and climbed to No. 5 in the world rankings. But outside of the title in Hamburg, all of the tournaments he won were smaller events and even the German Open was not a Grand Slam tournament. Federer failed routinely in the arenas where it was decided if a player was a champion or not. The once precocious maverick simply could not bring his tremendous potential to bear at the Grand Slams. When looking at the successes of his idols, rivals or earlier great players, he couldn't help but feel envy. At his age, Becker, Borg, Courier, Edberg and Sampras as well as Hewitt, Safin and many others had already long since won their first Grand Slam titles. Federer, however, had not even reached the semifinals at a Grand Slam tournament. The experts were unanimous in their opinions that Federer was mature enough athletically to break through a win his first title. But athletic brilliance alone was not sufficient enough and Federer was still searching for the key to real success.
An analysis would seem to indicate that a mental block was preventing him from winning. He felt under pressure to such a degree at the Grand Slam tournaments that he couldn't concentrate on the moment, especially in the early rounds. This was a basic rule for success. The pressure came from all sides-but mostly from himself. He hadn't yet learned that these tournaments couldn't be won in the first week but they certainly could be lost. With some luck, he could have already won a Grand Slam title-in 2001, for example, after upsetting Sampras. Everything would have looked different.
After his loss to Horna, Federer seemed to be the loneliest man in tennis. He was a man alone braving the stormy tempest. How could he have known that this defeat was to be his last such one-sided Grand Slam defeat in a very, very long time? How could he have known that this painful experience was necessary in order to become the hardened, keen-sighted but yet modest champion who would have the tennis world at his feet?
Federer described what really happened when he faced Horna in Paris months later. "I was simply not prepared mentally," he said. "I put myself under too much pressure. After losing the first set, I couldn't get back into the match. I had the feeling that it was impossible, that I was no longer in control of the situation. After the first set, I said to myself, 'Even if I survive this round, I still have to play six more rounds to win this tournament.' That almost drove me insane. I put myself under such pressure that I couldn't play anymore."
After the match, he said that he was overwhelmed with questions about the how and why. "But at that moment, I didn't really feel like talking about it. I was too disappointed. I wanted to do nothing else but take eight days vacation and then start my preparations for the grass tournament in Halle. I didn't want to think about Roland Garros-I wanted to forget it. I didn't want to analyze what happened because I knew that I had simply failed mentally. I didn't accept it by any means
Mondays with Bob Greene: Five Straight for Rafa
Rafael Nadal won his fifth straight Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters title, beating Novak Djokovic 6-3 2-6 61 in Monte Carlo
Sabine Lisicki won the Family Circle Cup, beating Caroline Wozniacki 6-2 6-4 in Charleston, South Carolina, USA
Roberta Vinci beat Maria Kirilenko 6-0 6-4 to win the Barcelona Ladies Open in Barcelona, Spain
Fabrice Santoro beat Rik De Voest 7-5 6-4 to win the Soweto Men's Open in Johannesburg, South Africa
Felix Mantilla beat Albert Costa 6-4 6-1 to win the ATP Champions Cup in Barcelona, Spain
"Everyone can improve in every surface, no? No one is perfect. Sure, I can improve. I always work to improve because when you feel you can't improve, is difficult to wake up and go on court and practice." – Rafael Nadal after winning his fifth straight Monte Carlo Rolex Masters.
"She's just a great champion. I still can't really believe I won. … But beating Venus Williams here was just awesome." – Sabine Lisicki, who beat Venus Williams early in the week and went on to win the Family Circle Cup.
"I wasn't expecting that." – Venus Williams, after losing to Sabine Lisicki at the Family Circle Cup.
"He did a good job today. He kept the ball in play." – Roger Federer, after losing to Stanislas Wawrinka at Monte Carlo.
"I am a bit embarrassed to celebrate it." – Stanislas Wawrinka, on his victory over Roger Federer.
"The competition is pretty tough. You have to be ready from the first round, especially playing the first tournament on clay courts. You really have to be patient and take some time before you really feel the surface." – Elena Dementieva, noting that second-seeded Venus Williams, third-seeded Vera Zvonareva and fourth-seeded Nadia Petrova were all eliminated from the Family Circle Cup on the same day.
"If you want to get married in private, you have to go to Switzerland. They don't actually care over there. They actually want to give you peace and privacy. That's why I love being a Swiss and living in Switzerland." – Roger Federer, on his marriage to long-time girlfriend Mirka Vavrinec.
"Obviously our rankings both aren't in the top 10 anymore, so you're not getting the protection of not playing each other early on. But, yeah, he's obviously still a class player when he's on." – Lleyton Hewitt, after losing to Marat Safin in a battle of former world number ones.
"It's nice that I know him, and he's supporting me out here, coming to watch me play." – Alexander Stevenson, acknowledging that her father, basketball great Julius Erving, saw her play tennis for the first time as she lost her first-round match at the Family Circle Cup.
"I had a lead and then the whole thing was, 'Oh my gosh, I'm actually beating someone who's 13 in the world,' and that got in my head a little bit." – American qualifier Melanie Oudin, after losing to third-seeded Marion Bartoli at the Family Circle Cup.
"Our personalities match. We work a lot off the court together and we really understand each other's game. We know each other's strengths and know how to work as a team." – Nadia Petrova, after teaming with Bethanie Mattek-Sands to win the Family Circle Cup doubles.
"When I got my illness, I felt like I was retired and that it was finished. But then they gave me the possibility to come here and to play on the ATP Champions Tour and I thought, 'Why not?' It's always nice to play your sport while having fun." – Felix Mantilla, who has recovered from skin cancer and resumed playing, winning the Barcelona, Spain, stop on the ATP Champions Tour.
Roger Federer teamed with Stanislas Wawrinka to give Switzerland a gold medal in the doubles at the Beijing Olympics last summer. In Monte Carlo, it was Wawrinka who showed Federer the exit in their third-round match. Federer struggled throughout the match, facing 14 break points. The world number two, Federer entered the Monte Carlo Masters on a wild card after getting married the weekend before the tournament.
Venus Williams was a heavy favorite to win her Family Circle Cup third-round match against little-known Sabine Lisicki. Instead, the German right-hander shocked the tournament's number-two seed 6-4 7-6 (5) in her remarkable run to her first WTA Tour title. "I wasn't expecting that and, you know, I'll try to come back next year and win," Williams said. "I made a few errors at the wrong time, and she played some great shots."
Sabine Lisicki first gained notice when she pulled off the biggest victory over her career by upsetting Venus Williams early in the tournament. She capped her fantasy run by beating Caroline Wozniacki 6-2 6-4 to become the lowest-ranked player ever to win the Family Circle Cup, her first WTA Tour title. The German right-hander proved her surprise win was no fluke, knocking off Elena Vesnina in the quarterfinals, sixth-seeded Marion Bartoli in the semis and fifth-seeded Wozniacki in the final, closing out the victory on her sixth match point. Against Wozniacki, Lisicki rallied from behind in both sets.
It's becoming a habit. Rafael Nadal won his fifth straight Monte Carlo Rolex Masters, this year beating third-seeded Novak Djokovic in the final and running his winning streak to 27 matches at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 clay-court tournament. The Spaniard becomes the first player to win an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament five consecutive years, and joins Roger Federer with 14 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles, second only to the 17 won by Andre Agassi. Nadal also is the first world number one player to win at Monte Carlo since Ivan Lendl in 1988.
Roberta Vinci has only reached two finals in her WTA Tour career. But she's perfect once she gets there, capturing her second career title at the Barcelona Ladies Open. Her only other title match appearance came in Bogota, Colombia, in 2007, which she also won. "It's such a great feeling to win again," Vinci said. "It has been a long time since I played well." Both of Vinci's titles have come on red clay.
The only player to win two Grand Slams – winning the Australian, French, Wimbledon and US singles championships in the same calendar year – Rod Laver is being honored again. The International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum (ITHFM) will honor Laver with a special presentation on Center Court during ceremonies for the Class of 2009 inductees into the Hall of Fame. In addition, the left-hander from Australia will be named a Life Trustee of the Newport, Rhode Island, shrine. "Rod Laver is arguably the best tennis player ever to swing a racquet," said Christopher Clouser, chairman of the ITHFM. "And beyond being a great champion of tennis, he is a great person and ambassador of tennis who continues to give back to our sport." Laver won the Grand Slam in 1962 as an amateur, then again in 1969, one year after the Open Era began, allowing professionals to compete. In 2001, the Australian Open stadium in Melbourne was named "The Rod Laver Arena."
Venus Williams, Ana Ivanovic and Novak Djokovic have been nominated for the 10th Laureus World Sports Awards. Williams, who won her fifth Wimbledon title last summer, has been nominated for the Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year award. Ivanovic, the French Open winner in 2008, and countryman Djokovic, the 2008 Australian Open champion, have been nominated in the Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year category.
The US Tennis Association (USTA) is looking into the possibility of putting a roof over Arthur Ashe Tennis Stadium, site of the US Open. The stadium, which opened in 1997, seats 22,500, making it one of the largest outdoor tennis stadiums in the world. Spokesman Chris Wittmeier said the USTA is interested in whether new lightweight materials and engineering techniques could be used to make a retractable roof to prevent championship tennis events from being rained out. The stadium was not initially designed to accommodate a roof. The Australian Open's main stadium has a retractable roof, and a roof was also added to Wimbledon for this year's tournament. Wittmeier knocked down speculation that the New York Islanders would move their National Hockey League franchise to Arthur Ashe Stadium if a roof was installed. "It's not even on our wish list," Wittmeier said. "The way that Arthur Ashe is engineered and configured, it wouldn't work for hockey."
One week after Roger Federer got married, Andy Roddick walked down the aisle. The 2003 US Open champion married Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Brooklyn Decker at Roddick's home in Austin, Texas. Elton John sang at a reception held at a country club following the ceremony. Among those attending the wedding were Billie Jean King, James Blake, Mardy Fish and Patrick McEnroe. Federer married longtime girlfriend Mirka Vavrinec in a small ceremony in his hometown of Basel, Switzerland.
An ankle injury knocked third-seeded Vera Zvonareva out of the Family Circle Cup singles. On serve with Virginie Razzano in the opening set, Zvonareva fell in the third game while chasing down a ball along the baseline. She cried out in pain and lay on the court for about five minutes, clutching her right ankle. She was helped to her chair where a trainer wrapped her ankle and applied ice to the injury. The Russian then was taken off the court on a golf cart.
Maria Sharapova, who hasn't played singles since last summer, has lost one of her endorsement deals. A spokesman for PepsiCo Inc. said there was no particular reason for the split other than the two-year contract has ended. Sharapova had been the first tennis player to represent PepsiCo's Gatorade sports drink and Tropicana fruit juice brands worldwide. Since winning Wimbledon in 2004, Sharapova has become the highest-paid female athlete in the world. Sports Illustrated reported the Russian right-hander earns close to USD $22 million a year. She took over the world number one ranking when Justine Henin retired, but has since dropped to number 53 in the world after missing the Beijing Olympics, the US Open and the Australian Open. She has undergone shoulder surgery. Serena Williams endorses Gatorade in the United States.
Carlos Moya is not going to let surgery keep him down. The former world number one is planning on returning to the ATP Tour once he recovers from his pelvic bone surgery. "They have told me that the recuperation period will be between four or five months," said the 32-year-old Moya, who won the French Open in 1998. "I think that to come back after the US Open (in September) it's best to accept the situation in a relaxed way and have more guarantees for next year."
The ATP Champions Tour has launched its own official website, www.atpchampionstour.com. The site has a new interactive FanZone where fans can send questions to their favorite player, access exclusive video and audio, and test their knowledge of the Champions. Another section explains how players are eligible to play on the ATP Champions Tour.
Alfred Tesar is ending his eight-year reign as captain of Austria's Fed Cup team. In its first match under Tesar in 2002, Austria upset the United States and reached the World Group semifinals, which they did again in 2004. But Austria was relegated to the Europe/Africa Zone last year. "Alfred Tesar and the Fed Cup team achieved outstanding successes," Austrian Tennis Federation general secretary Peter Teuschl said. "But after eight years … it's time for a new start."
Carl Maes has resigned as head of women's tennis at the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA). Maes is a native of Belgium who made his reputation coaching Kim Clijsters from her time in the juniors until she was on the cusp of her Grand Slam tournament successes.
Australian sports organizations, including Tennis Australia, is trying to restrict reporting of their events, a move that Australian media group News Ltd. says would be an assault on free speech. Australia's leading sporting bodies have told a Senate inquiry that the advent of online "news" reporting is affecting their revenue streams and could limit their ability to support grassroots participation. Cricket Australia, the Australian Football League and Tennis Australia are among the administrators who appeared before the Australian Senate inquiry calling for the government to create laws or regulations to put limits on what media organizations can publish, from their events, on the Internet. David Tomlin, associate general counsel of The Associated Press, told the inquiry that sports leagues and organizers were entering the publishing arena with their own web sites and digital deals and competing for advertising and other revenue.
Zheng Jie returned to her home in Sichuan Province for the one-year anniversary of the earthquake that killed nearly 69,000 people. Last year, Zheng Jie donated her Wimbledon prize money to the earthquake victims. This year she spoke to students at the Hong Bai School in Shifang, Sichuan Province, and also held a tennis clinic. Zheng and the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour donated racquets and balls to the students, while two sponsors, Anta and Mercedes Benz, also made donations to the children.
Former top player Greer Stevens has been named captain of South Africa's Fed Cup team. South Africa will participate in the Euro/Africa Group II competition being held in Antalya, Turkey. "Our team is in the building stages," said Stevens, who is now married and goes by the name of Leo-Smith. Besides South Africa, other nations participating in Turkey will be Georgia, Portugal, Turkey, Latvia and Morocco.
Monte Carlo: Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic beat Bob and Mike Bryan 6-4 6-1
Charleston: Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Nadia Petrova beat Liga Dekmeijere and Patty Schnyder 6-7 (5) 6-2 11-9 (match tiebreak)
Barcelona: Nuria Llagostera Vives and Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez beat Sorana Cirstea and Andreja Klepac 3-6 6-2 10-8 (match tiebreak)
Johannesburg: George Bastl and Chris Guccione beat Michail Elgin and Alexandre Kudryavtsev 6-2 4-6 11-9 (match tiebreak)
Barcelona: www.barcelonaopenbancosabadell.com/
Sofia: www.bgtennis.bg/
Fed Cup: www.fedcup.com
Estonian Tennis Federation: www.tennis.ee/
Polish Tennis Federation: www.pzt.pl/
Belgium Tennis Federation: www.sport.be/fedcup/2009/belcan/fr/
Tennis Australia: www.tennis.com.au/
Rome: www.internazionalibnlditalia.it/1/default.asp
Stuttgart: www.porsche-tennis.de/prod/pag/tennis.nsf/web/english-home
Tunis: www.tct.org.tn
Rhodes: www.atcrhodes.com
(All money in USD)
$2,645,000 Barcelona Open Banco Sabadell, Barcelona, Spain, clay
$112,000 Bulgarian Open, Sofia, Bulgaria, clay
(April 25-26)
World Group Semifinals
Italy vs. Russia at Castellaneta Marina, Italy, clay
Czech Republic vs. United States at Brno, Czech Republic, hard
World Group Playoffs
Spain vs. Serbia at Lleida, Spain, clay; France vs. Slovak Republic at Limoges, France, clay; Germany vs. China at Frankfurt, Germany, clay; Argentina vs. Ukraine at Mar Del Plata, Argentina, clay
World Group II Playoffs
Belgium vs. Canada at Hasselt, Belgium, clay; Estonia vs. Israel at Tallinn, Estonia, hard; Poland vs. Japan at Gdynia, Poland, clay; Australia vs. Switzerland at Victoria, Australia, grass
$3,500,000 Internazionali BNL d'Italia, Rome, Italy, clay
$125,000 Tunis Open, Tunis, Tunisia, clay
$110,000 Aegean Tennis Cup, Rhodes, Greece, hard
$700,000 Porsche Tennis Grand Pix, Stuttgart, Germany, clay
$220,000 Grand Prix de SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem, Fez, Morocco, clay
$100,000 Open GDF Suez, Cagnes-sur-Mer, France, clay
$100,000 Soweto Women's Open, Johannesburg, South Africa, hard
On This Day In Tennis History Is Latest Book Release From New Chapter Press
WASHINGTON, D.C. – New Chapter Press has announced the publication of its latest book – On This Day In Tennis History -a calendar-like compilation of historical and unique anniversaries, events and happenings from the world of tennis through the years – written by Randy Walker, the sports marketing and media specialist, tennis historian and former U.S. Tennis Association press officer.
On This Day In Tennis History ($19.95, 528 pages), is a fun and fact-filled, this compilation offers anniversaries, summaries, and anecdotes of events from the world of tennis for every day in the calendar year. Presented in a day-by-day format, the entries into this mini-encyclopedia include major tournament victory dates, summaries of the greatest matches ever played, trivia, and statistics as well as little-known and quirky happenings. Easy-to-use and packed with fascinating details, the book is the perfect companion for tennis and general sports fans alike and is an excellent gift idea for the holiday season. The book features fascinating and unique stories of players such as John McEnroe, Don Budge, Bill Tilden, Chris Evert, Billie Jean King, Jimmy Connors, Martina Navratilova, Venus Williams, Serena Williams, Anna Kournikova among many others. On This Day In Tennis History is available for purchase via on-line book retailers and in bookstores in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. More information on the book can be found at www.tennishistorybook.com
Said Hall of Famer Jim Courier of the book, "On This Day In Tennis History is a fun read that chronicles some of the most important-and unusual-moments in the annals of tennis. Randy Walker is an excellent narrator of tennis history and has done an incredible job of researching and compiling this entertaining volume." Said tennis historian Joel Drucker, author of Jimmy Connors Saved My Life, "An addictive feast that you can enjoy every possible way-dipping in for various morsels, devouring it day-by-day, or selectively finding essential ingredients. As a tennis writer, I will always keep this book at the head of my table." Said Bill Mountford, former Director of Tennis of the USTA National Tennis Center, "On This Day In Tennis History is an easy and unique way to absorb the greatest-and most quirky-moments in tennis history. It's best read a page a day!"
Walker is a writer, tennis historian and freelance publicist and sports marketer. A 12-year veteran of the U.S. Tennis Association's Marketing and Communications Division, he served as the press officer for the U.S. Davis Cup team from 1997 to 2005 and for the U.S. Olympic tennis teams in 1996, 2000 and 2004. He also served as the long-time editor of the U.S. Open Record Book during his tenure at the USTA from 1993 to 2005.
More information on the book can be found at www.tennistomes.com as well as on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1627089030&ref=name and on myspace at http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=428100548
People mentioned in the book include, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andy Roddick, Lleyton Hewitt, Goran Ivanisevic, Andre Agassi, Venus Williams, Serena Williams, Lindsay Davenport, Monica Seles, Jelena Jankovic, Ana Ivanovic, Maria Sharapova, Justine Henin, Kim Clijsters, Amelie Mauresmo, Anna Kounikova, Jennifer Capriati, Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Martina Hingis, Gustavo Kuerten, Svetlana Kuznetsova, James Blake, Wilmer Allison, Mal Anderson, Arthur Ashe, Juliette Atkinson, Henry "Bunny" Austin, Tracy Austin, Boris Becker, Kark Behr, Pauline Betz, Bjorn Borg, Jean Borotra, John Bromwich, Norman Brookes, Louise Brough, Jacques Brugnon, Butch Buchholz, Don Budge, Maria Bueno, Rosie Casals, Michael Chang, Philippe Chatrier, Dodo Cheney, Henri Cochet, Maureen Connolly, Jimmy Connors, Jim Courier, Ashley Cooper, Margaret Court, Jack Crawford, Allison Danzig, Dwight Davis, Lottie Dod, John Doeg, Laurence Doherty, Reggie Doherty, Dorothea Douglass Lambert Chambers, Jaroslav Drobny, Margaret duPont, Francoise Durr, James Dwight, Stefan Edberg, Roy Emerson, Chis Evert, Bob Falkenburg, Neale Fraser, Shirley Fry, Althea Gibson, Pancho Gonzalez, Evonne Goolagong, Arthur Gore, Steffi Graf, Bitsy Grant, Darlene Hard, Doris Hart, Anne Jones, Gladys Heldman, Slew Hester, Bob Hewitt, Lew Hoad, Harry Hopman, Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman, Joe Hunt, Frank Hunter, Helen Jacobs, Bill Johnston, Perry Jones, Bob Kelleher, Billie Jean King, Jan Kodes, Karel Kozeluh, Jack Kramer, Rene Lacoste, Bill Larned, Art Larsen, Rod Laver, Ivan Lendl, Suzanne Lenglen, George Lott, Gene Mako, Molla Mallory, Hana Mandlikova, Alice Marble, Dan Maskell, Simone Mathieu, Mark McCormack, John McEnroe, Ken McGregor, Kitty Godfree, Chuck McKinley, Maurice McLoughlin, Frew McMillian, Don McNeill, Elisabeth Moore, Angela Mortimer, Gardnar Mulloy, Ilie Nastase, Martina Navratilova, John Newcombe, Yannick Noah, Jana Novotna, Betty Nuthall, Alex Olmedo, Rafael Osuna, Frank Parker, Gerald Patterson, Budge Patty, Fred Perry, Nicola Pietrangeli, Adrian Quist, Patrick Rafter, Dennis Ralson, Vinnie Richards, Nancy Richey, Cliff Richey, Bobby Riggs, Tony Roche, Mervyn Rose, Ken Rosewall, Elizbeth Ryan, Gabriela Sabatini, Pete Sampras, Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, Manuel Santana, Dick Savitt, Ted Schroeder, Gene Scott, Richard Sears, Frank Sedgman, Pancho Segura, Vic Seixas, Frank Shields, Pam Shriver, Stan Smith, Fred Stolle, Bill Talbert, Bill Tilden, Tony Trabert, Lesley Turner, Jimmy Van Alen, John Van Ryn, Guillermo Vilas, Ellsworth Vines, Brian Gottfried, Virginia Wade, Holcombe Ward, Watson Washburn, Mal Whitman, Mats Wilander, Tony Wilding, Helen Wills Moody, Sidney Wood, Robert Wrenn, Bob Bryan, Mike Bryan, Todd Woodbridge, Marat Safin, Leslie Allen, Sue Barker, Jonas Bjorkman, Mahesh Bhupathi, Donald Dell, Albert Costa, Mark Cox, Owen Davidson, Pat Cash, Mary Carillo, John Isner, Roscoe Tanner, Vijay Amritraj, Mark Woodforde, Tim Henman, Richard Krajicek, Conchita Martinez, Mary Joe Fernandez, Cliff Drysdale, Mark Edmondson, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Zina Garrson, Roland Garros, Wojtek Fibak, Tom Gullikson, Andres Gimeno, Vitas Gerulaitis, Fernando Gonzalez, Tim Henman, Goran Ivanisevic, Andrea Jaeger, Ivo Karlovic, Richard Krajicek, Petr Korda, Luke Jensen, Murphy Jensen, Rick Leach, Iva Majoil, Barry MacKay, Ivan Ljubicic, Cecil Mamiit, David Caldwell, Alex Metreveli, Nicolas Massu, Todd Martin, Gene Mayer, Thomas Muster, Tom Okker, Charlie Pasarell, Mary Pierce, Whitney Reed, Leander Paes, Renee Richards, Helen Sukova, Michael Stich, Betty Stove, Ion Tiriac, Brian Teacher, Wendy Turnbull, Richards, Fabrice Santoro, Ai Sugiyama, Patrick McEnroe, Camille Pin, Phil Dent, Jelena Dokic, Mark Edmondson, Gael Monfils, Xavier Malisse, Dinara Safina, Barry Lorge, Stefano Pescosolido, Fabrice Santoro, Roscoe Tanner, Philipp Kohlschreiber, Roger Smith, Erik van Dillen, Gene Mayer, Tamara Pasek, Stefan Koubek, Jie Zheng, Gisela Dulko, Kristian Pless, Chuck McKinley, Marty Riessen, Brad Gilbert, Tim Mayotte, Andrea Petkovic, Klara Koukalova, Bobby Reynolds, Dominik Hrbaty, Andreas Seppi, Christopher Clarey, Casey Dellacqua, Anders Jarryd, Janko Tipsarevic, Nadia Petrova, Christian Bergstrom, Ramesh Krishnan, Emily Sanchez, Marcos Baghdatis, Mark Philippousssis, Wally Masur, Paul McNamee, Daniela Hantuchova, Gerry Armstrong, Younes El Aynaoui, Thomas Johansson, Pat Cash, Lisa Raymond, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Chanda Rubin, Tony Roche, Alex O'Brien, Petr Korda, Karol Kucera, Amelie Mauresmo, Juan Gisbert, Pablo Cuevas, Jim Pugh, Rick Leach, Julien Boutter, Larry Stefanki, Chris Woodruff, Jill Craybas, Sania Mirza, Mike Leach, Maggie Maleeva, Guillermo Canas, Guillermo Coria, Donald Young, Dick Stockton, Johan Kriek, Milan Srejber, Zina Garrison, Slyvia Hanika, Karin Knapp, Laura Granville, Kei Nishikori, Scott Davis, Paul Goldstein, Alberto Martin, Nicolas Kiefer, Joachim Johansson, Jonathan Stark, Jakob Hlasek, Jeff Tarango, Amanda Coetzer, Andres Gomez, Richey Reneberg, Francisco Clavet, Radek Stepanek, Miloslav Mecir, Jose-Luis Clerc, Colin Dibley, Mikael Pernfors, Martin Mulligan, Robbie Weiss, Hugo Chapacu, Victor Pecci, Charlie Bricker, Greg Rusedski, Robin Finn, Kimiko Date, David Nalbandian, Goran Ivanisevic, Mikhail Youzhny, Nicole Pratt, Bryanne Stewart, Novak Djokovic, Rennae Stubbs, Corina Morariu, Marc Rosset, Kenneth Carlsen, Kimiko Date, Ryan Harrison, Richard Gasquet, Jimmy Arias, Jim Leohr, Felix Mantilla, Cedric Pioline, Annabel Croft, Brooke Shields, Jaime Yzaga, Slobodan Zivojinovic, Alberto Mancini, Peter McNamara, Andrei Chesnokov, Fabrice Santoro, Bud Collins, Mardy Fish, Sebastien Grosjean, Donald Dell, Petr Kuczak, Magnus Norman, Hicham Arazi, Nduka Odizor, Lori McNeil, Horst Skoff, Karolina Sprem, Ros Fairbank, Linda Siegel, Chris Lewis, Kevin Curren, Thierry Tulasne, Guy Forget, Fred Tupper, Jaime Fillol, Belus Prajoux, Ricardo Cano, Georges Goven, Ray Moore, Charlie Pasarell, Paul Annacone, Tomas Smid, Dmitry Tursunov, Elena Dementieva, Arnaud DiPasquale, Carl Uwe Steeb, Bill Scanlon, Jose Higueras, Jay Berger, Jana Novotna, Bill Dwyre, Lisa Dillman, Sean Sorensen, Paul McNamee, Jiri Novak, Benjamin Becker, Ion Tiriac, Neil Amdur, Tim Gullikson, Jan-Michael Gambill, Taylor Dent, Bryan Shelton, Vijay Amritraj, Martin Verkerk, Brian Gottfried, Carlos Moya, Jacco Eltingh, Adriano Panatta, John Feinstein, Aaron Krickstein, Wilhelm Bungert, Derrick Rostagno, Torben Ulrich, Daniel Nestor, Ray Ruffels, Cliff Drysdale, James Reilly, Andy Murray, Leander Paes, Alicia Molik, Barry MacKay among others.
New Chapter Press is also the publisher of The Bud Colins History of Tennis by Bud Collins, The Roger Federer Story, Quest for Perfection by Rene Stauffer and Boycott: Stolen Dreams of the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games by Tom Caraccioli and Jerry Caraccioli and the soon to be released title The Lennon Prophecy by Joe Niezgoda. Founded in 1987, New Chapter Press is an independent publisher of books and part of the Independent Publishers Group. More information can be found at www.newchapterpressmedia.com
Mondays With Bob Greene: I shocked myself with some of the winners I played, was near perfect tennis
Dinara Safina beat Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-1 6-3 to win the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, Japan
Vera Zvonareva won the TOE Life Ceramics Guangzhou International Women's Open in Guangzhou, China, by defeating Shuai Peng 6-7 (4) 6-0 6-2
Florent Serra beat Albert Montanes 6-4 6-3 to win the Pekao Open in Szczecin, Poland
Nuria Llagostera Vives beat Tsvetana Pironkova 6-2 6-3, winning the ITF women's event in Sofia, Bulgaria
Stefan Edberg won the Trophee Jean-Luc Lagardere in Paris, France, by beating Sergi Bruguera 3-6 7-5 10-5 (match tiebreak)
"Today I play an almost perfect match and it is very, very exciting. Today I played very well. I shocked myself with some of the winners I played, was near perfect tennis." – Rafael Nadal, after beating Andy Roddick 6-4 6-0 64 and giving Spain an unbeatable 3-1 lead over the United States in the Davis Cup semifinals.
"God knows how far I can get! I've played the best tennis I've ever played this week." – Dinara Safina, after winning the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, her fourth title this year.
"I had the confidence to do this, and as we say in Russia, 'If you don't take risks, you don't drink champagne.'" – Svetlana Kuznetsova, after upsetting Jelena Jankovic.
"I played well at the US Open and it is challenging to keep the intensity up after such a big event." – Jelena Jankovic, after losing to Svetlana Kuznetsova in the Pacific Open quarterfinals.
"One of my goals has always been to get as close as possible to the top and to make it to the Sony Ericsson Championships. Making it to Doha just shows me that I've been doing a few things right this season, so I am just very happy about my qualification." – Elena Dementieva, after becoming the fifth player to qualify for the eight-player, season-ending Championships.
"It was an annoying call for me and I just asked him to change them, that's all I did. Who knows, maybe I overreacted, but I was so irritated by the call because for me it was such an obvious call." – Roger Federer, asking that the line judges be removed during his Davis Cup match against Belgium's Kristof Vliegen.
"If Roger himself is complaining about the people, with the umpire and the line umpires … that is a really good sign to me that I was not the only one." – Kristof Vliegen.
"That point was crucial. I hit a nice shot (on the replayed point), I felt different in the tiebreak, and I could turn it around." – David Nalbandian, who got a break on a controversial call and went on to defeat Igor Andreev in the opening match of Argentina-Russia Davis Cup semifinal.
"It's not only we who have the pressure. The chair umpire has the pressure of the crowd as well, and sometimes they make the wrong decision, but he is an experience umpire. I have to call it bad luck for me, but it did change the game." – Russia's Igor Andreev, who lost to Argentina's David Nalbandian after a controversial call in the first-set tiebreak changed the momentum of their Davis Cup match.
"We're looking for other partners. It's a shame because we worked hard to try to make it work. It just didn't quite click." – Jamie Murray, on the breakup of his doubles partnership with Max Mirnyi.
"Everything you learn can also help you on faster courts and help you change strategies mid-match. I am looking forward to developing Australian youngsters into top tennis players." – Spain's Felix Mantilla, who has been hired to teach clay-court tennis to young Australian players.
"The only sport I do follow is tennis. Tennis is much more civilized, and civilization is something I search for in everything, every day." – singer Tony Bennett.
Dinara Safina won her fourth Sony Ericsson WTA Tour singles title of the year by beating fellow Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-1 6-3 in the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, Japan. Since beginning the season with an 11-10 record, Safina has posted a 41-5 mark, reaching seven finals in nine events. With the win she becomes only the fifth Russian to crack the top three in the rankings, joining Anatasia Myskina, Maria Sharapova, Kuznetsova and Nadia Petrova. It also was the fifth all-Russian WTA Tour final of the year.
Kimiko Date-Krumm, who has returned to tennis after a 12-year hiatus, will compete in the AIG Japan Open Tennis Championships later this month. Once ranked as high as number four in the world, Date-Krumm turns 38 on the eve of the tournament. She has been playing on the ITF women's circuit in Japanese tournaments only and her ranking has risen to 264th in the world.
Ivo Karlovic had 39 aces and 70 winners in his 7-6 (5) 6-4 6-7 (6) 7-6 (4) win over Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci, a victory that returned Croatia to the World Group for 2009. Roko Karanusic earned his first Davis Cup victory in his fourth attempt, beating Brazil's Thiago Alves 7-6 (4) 4-6 7-6 (5).
In a rare show of frustration, Roger Federer asked that the line judges be changed after he felt he received a bad call in a Davis Cup match, leading to his losing serve and falling behind Belgium's Kristof Vliegen 2-0 in the second set. The team of nine officials stayed on court until the next changeover, and they were booed by the partisan Swiss crowd as they left. After the new line judges were brought on, Federer won the next five games to take the set en route to his 7-6 (1) 6-4 6-2 first-day victory.
A controversial line call in another Davis Cup semifinal helped Argentina's David Nalbandian defeat Russia's Igor Andreev 7-6 (5) 6-2 6-4 in the opening match of the tie. Andreev was leading 4-2 in the first-set tiebreak when Nalbandian's forehand hit the net cord and was called out. Andreev walked up to the mark in the clay and ringed it, but umpire Carlos Bernardes came down from his chair, inspected the mark and agreed with the line call. Instead of Andreev leading 5-2 with two minibreaks, they replayed the point, which Nalbandian won. The Argentine went on to win four of the next five points and the opening set.
Gigi Fernandez and Wendy White Prausa are among the four newest members of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's Women's Hall of Fame. Also inducted were Alice Luthy Tym, the former head coach at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, and Janice Metcalf Cromer. Tym started the women's team and served as its captain while an undergraduate at the University of Florida before playing internationally. Fernandez won 17 Grand Slam tournament doubles titles and two Olympic gold medals, while Prausa is the only women's tennis player to turn pro during college and still graduate on time. Cromer was the first woman to play on the men's team at the University of Redlands, helping lead the team to NAIA national championships in 1973 and '74.
Jelena Jankovic keeps missing that top rung of the WTA Tour rankings. The Serb was ranked number one in the world for the first time in her career on August 11, but stayed there for only one week. She had another chance at the US Open, but lost the final to Serena Williams, who took over the top spot. The second-ranked Jankovic would have replaced Williams if she won the Pacific Open in Tokyo. But she lost to Svetlana Kuznetsova 2-6 7-5 7-5 in the quarterfinals.
Elena Dementieva is the latest player to qualify for the season-ending Sony Ericsson Championships in Doha, Qatar. Others who have qualified for the November 4-9 event are Jelena Jankovic, Serena Williams, Dinara Safina and Ana Ivanovic. The top eight singles players and top four doubles team will compete for the Championships title. Dementieva, the Olympic singles gold medalist, was a semifinalist at the US Open and is currently ranked number five in the world.
Alexander Peya defeated Britain's Alex Bogdanovic 2-6 6-4 6-4 6-2 in the decisive fifth match to return Austria to the World Group for the sixth straight year. The tie was played at Wimbledon and it was Pey's first Davis Cup win on grass in four attempts. Andy Murray had leveled the tie for Great Britain when he began the final day with a 6-4 5-7 6-4 6-1 win over Austria's Jurgen Melzer.
Thiemo De Bakker lifted the Netherlands back into the World Group for the first time since 2006 by beating South Korea's Woong-Sun Jun 6-2 6-1 6-3 in the decisive fifth rubber. Korean veteran Hyung-Taik Lee had leveled the tie 2-2 in the first reverse singles by stopping Jesse Huta Galung 1-6 6-1 7-6 (5) 6-2.
The doubles partnership of Jamie Murray and Max Mirnyi has ended after winning just one ATP title, that coming at Delray Beach, Florida, in February when they beat brothers Mike and Bob Bryan. The team of Murray and Mirnyi had a 15-17 record for the year, including first-round losses at three of the four Grand Slam tournaments.
The country that produced Rod Laver and Margaret Court among many tennis stars in the past is turning to Spain for its future. Tennis Australia has hired Felix Mantilla of Spain as a clay-court coach to work with its young players. The governing body also will add a clay-court facility in Barcelona, Spain, to its training bases in Canberra and London. Lleyton Hewitt and Chris Guccione are the only Australian men currently ranked in the top 100, while number 48 Casey Dellacqua and number 73 Samantha Stosur are the country's top women.[ad#adify-300×250]
The United States government's takeover of American International Group Inc. won't affect the sponsorship of the AIG Japan Open tennis tournament in Tokyo. AIG is the title sponsor of the men's and women's event that offers nearly USD $1 million in prize money. The US government received 80 percent of AIG's shares in the USD $85 billion deal to rescue America's largest insurer by assets.
The International Tennis Federation and Wilson Racquet Sports have extended their sponsorship agreement to include Wilson as the Official Ball of Davis Cup, Fed Cup and other ITF initiatives in a multi-year deal. Wilson has been involved in Davis Cup since 2002. Under this expanded agreement, Wilson will be the official ball for Davis Cup, Fed Cup and the ITF's junior team competitions at the under-14 and under-16 level. In addition, Wilson will be the exclusive supplier of tennis rackets, shoes, clothing and accessories to the ITF Development Coaching Team.
The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) is breathing much easier now that AEGON has signed on to sponsor the sport over the next five years. The Scottish pensions and life assurance company has acquired the naming rights to tournaments in London, Eastbourne and Edgbaston. Beginning next June, the combined men's and women's event at Eastbourne will be renamed the AEGON International. Queens Club, formerly the Stella Artois, will be renamed the AEGON Championships, while the AEGON Classic will be played at Edgbaston.
Romanians Irina-Camelia Begu and Laura-Iona Andrei are doubles partners and opponents. And they're successful at both. The 18-year-old Begu beat the top-seeded Andrei 7-5 6-1 to win the singles title at a recent USD $10,000 ITF tournament in Budapest, then teamed with Begu to win the doubles. Begu successfully defended her singles title and joined with Andrei to win the doubles at another ITF women's event the week before in Brasov, Romania. In fact, Begu has won the doubles in her last five tournaments, teaming with Andrei at Budapest, Brasov and Bucharest, Romania; pairing with Elora Dabija at Hunedoara, Romania, and playing with Ioana Gaspar in another Bucharest tournament. All have been USD $10,000 clay-court events.
Three fans have been charged with riotous behavior and assaulting police at the Australian Open in January. According to police, the three men became aggressive when police attempted to remove one of them for shouting obscenities at Chile's Fernando Gonzales during his match against Konstantinos Economidis of Greece. One of the men, a 24-year-old from a Melbourne, Australia, suburb, was also charged with resisting arrest and discharging a missile. The confrontation in the stands caused the match to be suspended for 10 minutes.
The Maria Sharapova Foundation Scholarship for Youth from the Chernobyl-Affected Areas of Belarus will award five-year scholarships to 12 students so they can study at two leading universities in Belarus. The program is a joint initiative of the tennis star's foundation and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), where she serves as Goodwill Ambassador. Sharapova's foundation has already contributed USD $100,000 to youth-oriented projects in the regions of Belarus, the Russian Federation and Ukraine that were affected by the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident. Three incoming students will be awarded scholarships each year over an initial four-year period. The first scholarship recipients will begin their studies in September 2009.
Known for its shoes and clothing, Adidas is getting ready to include racquets in their line of tennis goodies. The first of the three racquets, the Adidas Barricade, will go on sale in February. The other two are called Response and Feather, as all three are named for the company's tennis shoes. The three racquets will provide a racquet for every player level: tour player, club player and recreational player.
Tokyo: Vania King and Nadia Petrova beat Lisa Raymond and Samantha Stosur 6-1 6-4
Guangzhou: Mariya Koryttseva and Tatiana Poutchek beat Sun Tiantian and Yan Zi 6-3 4-6 10-8 (match tiebreak)
Sofia: Maret Ani and Renata Voracova beat Lourdes Dominguez-Lino and Arantxa Parra-Santonja 7-6 (4) 7-6 (9)
Szczecin: David Marrero and Dawid Olejniczak beat Lukasz Kubot and Oliver Marach 7-6 (4) 6-3
Beijing: www.chinaopen.com.cn
Bangkok: www.thailandopen.com
Paris: www.tropheejeanluclagardere.com
Luxembourg: www.covadis.be/viviumchallenge
Charlotte: http://championsseriestennis.com/charlotte2008/
Tokyo: www.jta-tennis.or.jp/aigopen/e/
Stuttgart: www.porsche-tennis.de
Tashkent: www.tashkentopen.uz
Eindhoven: www.afastennisclassics.nl
Mons: http://www.ethiastrophy.be
(All money in USD)
$576,000 Thailand Open, Bangkok, Thailand, hard
$524,000 China Open, Beijing, China, hard
$120,000 ATP Challenger Trophy, Trnava, Slovakia
$600,000 China Open, Beijing, China, hard
$145,000 Hansol Korea Open, Seoul, Korea, hard
The Citadel Group Championships at the Palisades, Outback Champions, Charlotte, North Carolina, hard
Viviam Victory Challenge, Black Rock Tournament of Champions, Luxembourg, Luxembourg, hard
$832,000 AIG Japan Open Tennis Championships, Tokyo, Japan, hard
$416,000 Open de Moselle, Metz, France, hard
$125,000 Ethias Trophy, Mons, Belgium, hard
$650,000 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, Stuttgart, Germany, hard
$175,000 AIG Japan Open Tennis Championships, Tokyo, Japan, hard
$145,000 Tashkent Open, Tashkent, Uzbekistan, hard
AFAS Tennis Classics, BlackRock Tournament of Champions, Eindhoven, Netherlands, carpet
Mondays with Bob Greene – The Return of Kimiko Date
14 April 2008
Maria Sharapova won her first clay court title, downing Dominika Cibulkova 7-6 (7) 6-3 in the Bausch & Lomb Championships in Amelia Island, Florida.
"It's not the way I would have wanted to win." – Nikolay Davydenko, who won his Davis Cup match when Tomas Berdych retired because of an injury, giving Russia an insurmountable 3-1 lead over the Czech Republic.
"These guys are human." – United States captain Patrick McEnroe after twins Bob and Mike Bryan suffered only their second loss in 16 Davis Cup doubles matches, falling to Frenchmen Michael Llodra and Arnold Clement.
"It is just a great feeling when you do well for your country. Nothing else matters." – Leander Paes, who, a day after saying teaming with Mahesh Bhupathi was the "worst mistake of my career," teamed with Bhupathi to win the doubles against Japan and lift India into the Davis Cup World Group playoffs for the first time in three years.
"It was somewhat like football because representing Argentina is something unique, something which you feel in your skin." – Guillermo Canas, after teaming with David Nalbandian to beat Sweden's Jonas Bjorkman and Robert Linstedt in doubles.
"What I lived today with my people was very exciting. I gave it all, run all the way to hell and back, and won. That's why I could not stop the tears." – A teary David Nalbandian following his 6-4 1-6 4-6 6-4 9-7 win over Robin Soderling to clinch Argentina's Davis Cup quarterfinal victory over Sweden.
"I had a lot of chances. I missed so many easy shots. I made quite stupid mistakes today." – Unseeded Dominika Cibulkova, who lost to top-seeded Maria Sharapova 7-6 (7) 6-3 in the final of the Bausch & Lomb Championships.
"I don't want to be getting (wild cards) into events and taking the place of younger players. That wouldn't be right." – Kimiko Date, explaining why she will begin her comeback by playing in satellite tournaments before making a return to the WTA Tour.
Former Austrian doubles player Daniela Klemenschits lost her battle with cancer. She was 25. Both Daniela and her twin sister, Sandra, were diagnosed with a rare form of abdominal cancer in January 2007, forcing them to retire from the WTA Tour. The sisters won 20 titles on the ITF women's circuit and were ranked in the top 100 of the WTA Tour doubles in 2005.
For the second straight Davis Cup tie, Nikolay Davydenko has not had to finish his tie-winning match. Tomas Berdych twisted his right ankle and retired against Davydenko, giving Russia an unbeatable 3-1 lead over the Czech Republic. In the first round, Serbia's Novak Djokovic pulled out of his match against Davydenko because of illness, giving Russia a clinching 3-1 lead.
Two exhibition victories over old foes convinced Japan's Kimiko Date to return to professional tennis at the age of 37. Once ranked in the top five in the world, Date retired in 1996 after reaching the semifinals at Wimbledon and the quarterfinals at the Atlanta Olympics. When she beat Steffi Graf and Martina Navratilova in an exhibition event in Tokyo, Date, now married, decided to try a comeback on the women's tour, entering a tournament in Fukuoka, Japan, next month.
A surprise starter, Marat Safin repaid the confidence showed in him by coming back from two sets down for the first time in his career to beat Tomas Berdych 6-7 (5) 4-6 6-3 6-2 64 in the opening match of the Davis Cup tie between Russia and the Czech Republic. The Russian had won only one match this year while Berdych was coming off a semifinal finish at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami. It was the first time in his career that Berdych has lost a five-set match.
The Tennis Channel Open is no more. Tennis Channel is selling the rights to its Las Vegas, Nevada, tournament to the ATP. The television network bought the tournament in 2005, when it was played in Scottsdale, Arizona, and moved it to Las Vegas in 2006.
India's Sania Mirza has undergone arthroscopy wrist surgery that is expected to keep her off the WTA Tour for a month. The world number 31 has struggled with her wrist problem for over a year. The only Indian player to win a WTA Tour event, Mirza was sidelined for two months following knee surgery in March 2007.
Beginning in 2009, players will get ATP ranking points for playing in the Davis Cup World Group. Besides earning points for a win, players can get bonus points for winning a certain number of matches throughout the year. The International Tennis Federation and ATP said they made the decision to award points to encourage more top players to participate in the team event.
Felix Mantilla has called it quits. Once ranked in the top 10 in the world, the 33-year-old Spaniard retired a year after returning to the ATP Tour following treatment for skin cancer. In 1997, Mantilla won five tournaments, and the following reached the semifinals at Roland Garros.
Beginning in 2009, the grass-court tournament in Eastbourne, England, will have a combined men's and women's field. While Eastbourne has been on the WTA Tour for years, the men will join them after the ATP grass-court tournament in Nottingham, England, folds following this year's event.
Two clay court masters – former world number one Marcelo Rios and two-time French Open champion Sergi Bruguera – have a chance at finally meeting on that surface when they compete in the Seat Champions Cup in Barcelona. Rios dominated the senior BlackRock Tour of Champions in 2006, winning six titles, while Brugera won seven senior tournaments last year. Rios has won two of their three previous meetings, but all were on hard courts.
World Group Quarterfinals
Russia beat Czech Republic 3-2; Argentina beat Sweden 4-1; Spain beat Germany 4-1; United States beat France 4-1
Europe/Africa Zone Group 1 Second Round
Croatia beat Italy 3-2; Netherlands beat Macedonia 4-1; Switzerland beat Belarus 4-1; Slovak Republic beat Georgia 4-1 (Winners advance to World Group playoffs in September)
Americas Zone Group 1 Second Round
Chile beat Canada 3-2; Brazil beat Columbia 4-1 (Winners advance to World Group playoffs in September)
Asia/Oceania Zone Group 1 Second Round
Australia beat Thailand 5-0; India beat Japan 3-2 (Australia and India advance to World Group playoffs in September)
Asia/Oceania Zone Group 1 Playoffs
Chinese Taipei beat Kazakhstan 3-2; Uzbekistan beat Philippines 3-2
Europe/Africa Zone Group II First Round
Denmark beat Luxembourg 5-0; South Africa beat Finland 4-1; Algeria beat Hungary 3-2; Monaco beat Greece 3-2; Ukraine beat Egypt 5-0; Ireland beat Morocco 3-2; Cyprus beat Slovenia 3-2; Portugal beat Tunisia 4-1
Americas Zone Group II Relegation Playoffs
Netherlands Antilles beat Bolivia 3-2; Venezuela leads El Salvador 2-1
Asia/Oceania Zone Group II Second Round
China beat Indonesia 3-2; New Zealand beat Kuwait 5-0
Asia/Oceania Zone Group II Relegation Playoffs
Hong Kong beat Lebanon 3-2; Oman beat Pacific Oceania 3-2
Family Circle Cup: www.familycirclecup.com
Estoril: www.estorilopen.net
Valencia: www.open-comunidad-valencia.com/
Houston: www.riveroaksinternational.com
Fed Cup: www.fedcup.com/
Monte Carlo: http://montecarlo.masters-series.com/1/en/home/
Barcelona: www.openseatbarcelona.com
$370,000 Estoril Open, Estoril, Portugal, clay
$370,000 Open de Tenis Comunidad Valencia, Valencia, Spain, clay
$436,000 U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships, Houston, Texas, clay
$1,340,000 Family Circle Cup, Charleston, South Carolina, clay
$2,270,000 Monte Carlo Masters, Monte Carlo, Monaco, clay
(April 26-27)
World Group Semifinals
United States at Moscow, Russia, clay
Spain at Beijing, China, hard
World Group Playoffs
Ukraine at Olbia, Italy, clay; France at Tokyo, Japan, hard; Germany at Buenos Aires, Argentina, clay; Czech Republic at Ramat Hasharon, Israel, hard
World Group II Playoffs
Colombia at Mons, Belgium, hard; Switzerland at Dornbirn, Austria, hard; Uzbekistan at Bratislava, Slovak Republic, clay; Serbia at Zagreb, Croatia, hard
Seat Champions Cup, Barcelona, Spain, clay


text:
Why Families Don't Retain Their Businesses
There are two common reasons why families don't retain their businesses.
First: there is no qualified successor. Even if your business will not be passed down to the next generation, you must take steps to ensure the value of your business survives. This is really just another form of succession planning.
Second: a lack of planning. Though most of us are careful to safeguard our personal assets, for example, insuring our homes, many businesspeople do not plan ahead to safeguard the value of their business.
For business owners, their business is their single largest asset in terms of value. Their business also represents a major source of self-esteem and personal worth. Therefore, thinking about how they might exit the business means they must come to grips with personal identity issues. Consequently, many just don't want to think about the day when they retire and are no longer running the business.
In addition to the fear of retirement, the business succession process must deal with the business owner's death.
Finally, there is one more tough issue that is easy to put off: picking one child as your successor while being fair to all your children. This decision is that much tougher for family farm owners given that the family home is often transferred to the child that will run the farm and it may mean that both you and your other children will have to leave the farm as part of the succession plan. In addition, the farm may only support one family.
All of these issues are difficult. It takes time to thoughtfully address these issues. Planning for your succession is therefore a process rather than an event.

subset: commoncrawl


text: The ViewVoices of Mission: Whole Foods Market Co-founder John Mackeyzoomview The ViewThe Power of Entrepreneurial Thinkingzoomview The ViewLondon: THE FUTURE OF TECHzoomview The ViewPRESIDENT OBAMA'S CABINET MEMBER & HEAD OF SBAzoomview The ViewIN DEMAND: LONDON TECH TALENT & THE EUzoomview The ViewSTEVE HILTON IN CONVERSATION WITH MICHAEL HAYMAN MBEzoomview The ViewThe View from Downing Streetzoomview The ViewThe View with Jim O'Neillzoomview The ViewThe View From The Brits Abroadzoomview The ViewThe View From New York Cityzoomview The ViewThe View from Londonzoomview The ViewThe View – San Francisco: Brits in The Valleyzoomview This website uses cookies to improve your online experience. By using this website, you agree to our use of cookies. For more information on the cookies we use, see our Cookies PolicyI AGREE / CLOSE


text:
Currency Displayed in
Molded nylon hook won't fray belt loops or trousers.
• Woven nylon hook mates up to nylon loop on inside of duty belt (sold separately)
• Reversible for courtroom wear
This product hasn't received any reviews yet. Be the first to review this product!
All prices are in USD.


text: A unique MIB product offering all of the operational advantages of a hydraulic QCDC but with the added safety feature of an integrated ball valve. The valve is interlocked with the QCDC to ensure full isolation of the marine arm or flexible hose prior to release of the QCDC mechanism. Suitable for ambient, low and cryogenic temperatures. Temperatures: Cryogenic, Low, Ambient, High Dimensions: from 2'' to 24'' Pressure Rating: ASME B16.5 Class 150, 300


text:
Rules & Strategy
As golfers, we have a responsibility to know the rules of the game. You've now got specific instruction developed to illustrate key rules and difficult situations that come up every season. Even if you're not a tournament player, it's great to know the rules.
Showing all 3 results


text:
|Biosequences .. Software .. Molbio soft .. Network News .. FTP
Chun-Ming Liu (liucm at osuunx.ucc.okstate.edu) wrote: : Hi, Arabi-netter, : I am having problem generating a CAPS marker from FUSCA6 between WS : and Ler. Does anybody out there have the trick, or know any PCR-based : marker in this region? Cer7 is another gene close to this region. With regard to the FUS6 CAPS marker I developed, a 20 bp SSLP can be detected when digesting the PCR product with Acc I. Since then, we have developed primers to detect the SSLP directly, without digestion. The sequences of those primers are: FUS6-F: TCG TTA CAC TGG CTT GCT TG FUS6-R: TTC CTT GAT CAG ATT TGG TCG The SSLP can clearly be seen when the PCR products are run on a 3% agarose gel. On a more general note, the ATGC at U. Penn has developed a number of new SSLP markers (including FUS6), and the primer sequences will be posted to the ATGC homepage shortly. -- Robert B. McGrath, Ph.D. Postdoctoral Fellow Department of Biology University of Pennsylvania 415 S. University Ave. Philadelphia, PA 19104-6018 mcgrathr at sas.upenn.edu


text:
Mr. Fenn brings to Aura 39 years of base and precious metal experience. Mr. Fenn has extensive experience in mine engineering, mine development and valuation, maintenance and operations in North and South America, Africa and Papua New Guinea. Prior to joining Aura, Mr. Fenn was Executive General Manager for the Pueblo Viejo mine in the Dominican Republic, one of the world's largest gold producing mines. Previously Mr. Fenn held positions of increasing responsibility for Freeport McMoRan, Glencore and Barrick Gold. Mr. Fenn holds a bachelor´s degree in mining engineering from the University of Arizona and is a registered professional engineer.
Rodrigo BarbosaPresident & CEO
Mr. Barbosa joined the Company in October 2016 and became the Company's President and CEO in January 2017 and a director in May 2017. Mr. Barbosa was previously the CEO of Tavex / Santista, a world-leading integrated manufacturer of denim with worldwide operations including Brazil, Mexico and the US. During his tenure at Tavex / Santista, Mr. Barbosa led a successful strategic, finance, marketing and operations turnaround. Prior to Tavex / Santista, Mr. Barbosa was the CFO of the investment holding company of Camargo Correa Group, one of the largest conglomerates in Brazil and parent company of Tavex / Santista. As CFO he spearheaded M&A transactions totaling over USD$3.0 billion and structured and placed over USD$2.5 billion in debt. Mr. Barbosa has served as a board member of leading public infrastructure companies in Brazil and worked as an investment banker for BBA Creditanstalt also in Brazil (now Itaú Bank). In North America, Mr. Barbosa has previously worked for Potash Corporation. Mr. Barbosa has an MBA from the University of Southern California (USC) and a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering from the Universidade Mackenzie (Sao Paulo, Brazil). He is fluent in Portuguese, Spanish and English.
Paulo Carlos de Brito
Mr. Brito was appointed the non-executive Chairman of the Board in May 2016. He is a businessman with over 45 years of experience in mining, energy and agricultural. Mr. Brito has worked extensively in and outside of Brazil including most of Latin America and has founded several companies including Cotia Trading. S.A. (a trading company), Mineracao Santa, (a mining company focused on the development, exploration and research of various minerals) and Biopalma da Amazonia (a palm oil production company). Mr. Brito serves on the Boards of Quanta Geracao (a company engaged in the generation and marketing of hydroelectric power) and Sertrading (a trading company). Other than the shares owned by Northwestern Enterprises (approximately 48% of Company's issued and outstanding), Mr. Brito does not beneficially own any additional shares of the Company.
Stephen Keith
Mr. Keith was appointed a director of the Company in August 2011. Mr. Keith has worked on projects in more than 30 countries, with a concentration in Latin America. He has over 12 years of experience working with mining and energy companies, spearheading projects through feasibility studies, engineering design, project management and construction. He has engaged in over C$2 billion in financings and merger and acquisition deals for natural resource projects. Mr. Keith is currently the President of GrowMax Resources Corp. (TSX-V:GRO), a company focused on exploration and development of phosphate and potassium-rich brine resources. Mr. Keith was formerly the Managing Director of Fertoz Ltd. (ASX:FTX), President and CEO of Recife Gold, and a founder and the President and Chief Executive Officer of Rio Verde Minerals Development Corp. (TSX:RVD), a company he took from concept to listing onto the TSX, with over $30 million completed in equity financings. Mr. Keith led Rio Verde until its acquisition by B&A Fertilizers Limited on March 13, 2013. Mr. Keith has previously held the titles of Vice President, Corporate Development at Plutonic Power Corporation; Director, Investment Banking at Thomas Wiesel Partners; Vice President, Investment Banking at Westwind Partners Mining Group; and Manager, Technical Services with Knight Piesold Consulting. He holds a BSc, Applied Science (Queen's University), an International MBA (York University, Schulich School of Business) and a PEng (Ontario and British Columbia).
Philip Reade
Mr. Reade was appointed a director in May 2017. Mr. Reade has over 20 years of business experience, mostly as an investor and as an entrepreneur. Currently, he invests both in the public markets as well as in private deals, mostly in equity, and he is in the process of launching a new investment company, focused in global public equities in out of favor markets. For 7 years, until February 2016, Mr. Reade was a Partner, Co-Portfolio Manager and Co-Head of the Investment Team at Tarpon Investimentos, one of Brazil´s largest independent equities fund with over USD 3 billion (as of April 2017, the fund generated a 21,7% annual return net of fees in USD, since inception in 2002). At Tarpon, Philip served as Chairman of the Board at Cremer, Somos Educação, Omega and as Board Member of Metalúrgica Gerdau and Tempo Participações. Prior to Tarpon, Mr. Reade was the Head of the Brazilian operations of the NY-based hedge fund, Marathon Asset Management, which focused on private and public equities as well as structured credit. Before Marathon, Mr. Reade worked for Goldman Sachs in Sao Paulo as part of the Investment Banking division. Prior to Goldman, he founded and ran Brasilis Seafood, a company that financed seafood processing plants in Brazil. Mr. Reade started his career at Brazilian Banco Garantia, founded by Brazilian entrepreneur and 3G founder Jorge Paulo Lemann, and then at McKinsey & Co as a business analyst at the Sao Paulo office. He holds a BS in Economics from the University of São Paulo and an MBA from Stanford University.


text:
Our At-Home and Allied Healthcare Facilities program specializes in placing coverage for diagnostic centers, home healthcare agencies and companion & personal care providers. These can include Medicare-certified and non-certified, clinical and non-clinical testing.
Read more below, download our program supplementals using the button below, or click here to return to an overview of our programs.
Eligible Classes
Adult Day Care Centers, Alcohol & Drug Centers, Assisted Living Facilities, Counselors, Diagnostic Centers, Durable Medical Equipment Sales, Home Healthcare Agencies, Hospice, Masseurs & Masseuses, Medical Clinics, Medical Offices, Medical Staffing Organizations, Mental Health Clinics, Non-Medical Home Care Agencies, Social Worker Agencies, Testing Labs, Therapists (Physical, Occupational & Speech)
Available Coverages
General Liability
Professional Liability
Excess Liability
Cyber Liability
Coverage Limits
Commercial General Liability
Professional Liability:
$1 Million each claim
$3 Million aggregate
Excess Liability:
$5 Million
$5 Million TIV (per location)
Additional Coverages
Crime Coverage
Backup of Sewers & Drains
Disciplinary Proceedings Coverage
Employee Benefits
Employment Practices Liability
Equipment Breakdown
Evacuation Expense
HIPAA Coverage
Hired & Non-Owned Auto
Public Relations Management
Property Enhancement
Sexual Abuse & Molestation
Theft of Clients Property
Contact Program Manager


text:
Dresser-Rand was recently selected as one of America's Safest Companies by EHS Today magazine and a winner of the 2013 Southwest Oil & Gas Award. Both awards featured several of Dresser-Rand's Health, Safety and Environmental programs and initiatives.
Vincent R. Volpe Jr., Dresser-Rand's President and CEO, said, "Safety is a critical, core value for us. These awards reaffirm our employees' commitment to creating a culture of ethics, caring and respect for one another – it is their award. WE are honored to have received these awards, and proud of the underlying efforts that take place daily as we strive for safety, health and teh well-being of our environment."
Of 100 applications this year, EHS Today selected 16 companies that provide a safe working environment for thousands of employees and serve as a reference point for companies hoping to achieve world-class safety status. Winners will be recognized at an awards ceremony on October 29 in Atlanta, GA.
The EHS award was founded in 2002. Since then, more than 150 companies have been recognized for their excellence in integrating safety into their corporate culture and for their safety metrics being significantly better than their industry averages.
To be considered one of America's Safest Companies, companies must demonstrate transformational EHS leadership in the form of: support from management and employee involvement; innovative solutions to safety challenges; injury and illness rates significantly lower than the average for their industries; comprehensive training programs; evidence that prevention of incidents is the cornerstone of the safety process; excellent communication internally and externally about the value of safety; and a way to substantiate the benefits of the safety process.
Dresser-Rand was also selected as the winner of the 2013 Southwest Oil & Gas Health and Safety Award. The Oil & Gas Awards celebrate the positive contributions made by upstream and midstream sector companies of the oil and gas industry in the areas of Health and Safety, Environmental Stewardship and Corporate Responsibility. The judges of the 2013 Oil & Gas Awards reviewed more than 400 entries and selected 67 finalists. Dresser-Rand was one of four finalists in Health and Safety.
Winners were announced at the inaugural 2013 Southwest Oil & Gas Awards gala dinner at the Taste of Texas Ballroom, Sheraton Hotel and Spa in Fort Worth, TX, on October 22.
"We recognize that we cannot achieve a zero-injury culture without becoming operationally excellent," said Peter Salvatore, Dresser-Rand's Vice President and Chief Safety Officer. "Safety discussions of at-risk behaviors and conditions are a primary rallying point in discussions with our employees. Our ultimate goal is to eliminate workplace injuries through disciplined processes, execution and employee engagement."
Earlier this year, Dresser-Rand was also recognized by the National Safety Council for an Occupational Excellence Achievement Award, as well as an award for multiple Dresser-Rand locations that demonstrated exceptional safety performance in the workplace.


text:
Sasha, Yulia, Sashenka, Rinat, Maksim and Kiera Alexandrovna Zibarov
Campus Crusade for Christ International - Ukraine
100 Lake Hart Dr. Orlando, FL 32832
Sasha and Yulia Zibarov
phone number: +380937238656 Sasha
+380930259924 Yulia
Sasha & Yulia have three young sons: Sashenka, Rinat and Maksim and a baby daughter, Kiera Alexandrovna. Sasha & Yulia were married May 3, 2003
This summer we moved from L'viv to Kiev. My new role in the ministry is operations director. I am still responsible for the ministry in L'viv. There is a new team director there and I will be mentoring him. As part of that mentoring I will take several trips to L'viv this coming school year.
For us it is a privilege that Soldotna Bible Chapel is partnering with us and supporting our ministry in Ukraine.
Description of Work
Evangelism and discipleship are our main emphasis and so I have attached some pictures of students from the previous semester.
Our goal in Ukraine is to build spiritual movements so that every non-Christian will know someone who truly follows after Jesus Christ. In Ukraine one way we do this is by having evangelistic English clubs in which we use an American Bible as our text. We also organize evangelistic sports (soccer, volleyball and paintball) tournaments where we invite Ukrainian Christian athletes and they give their testimonies.
At the beginning of each new school year we try to reach freshmen students with the Gospel. The last few years we have printed a student organizer which we have handed out to freshmen and sophomore students. A clear presentation of the Good News is included in the organizer. This year we have printed 20,000 copies and we will begin to hand them out in mid-September in over 20 different cities around Ukraine.
Prayer Requests
Pray that God would give us wisdom in using the evangelistic student planner tool.
Pray for a men's retreat that we will have for senior students that are thinking about being missionaries. We expect 20 to 30 students to attend.
Our prayer is that many of them will join the ministry in the next few years.


text:
The fermentation technique of vinegar is converted into ACETIC ACID to become vinegar. So the premium younger employees pay helps subsidize the upper health prices of older staff. In the case of our health stress and sleep are almost one and the sameand each can have an effect on cardiovascular health. Hopefully someone reading this might keep in mind one thing about this and set the information proper. When reference is made to oranges right here, it is to the sweet oranges, the ones we normally eat or juice. So I tried something I dont assume lots of other people have ever tried, I cut back my sugar for the espresso virtually half a spoon every week so after a month or so there isn't any more sugar need for my espresso. For girls, having sex ups vaginal lubrication, blood movement, and elasticity, she says, all of which make sex feel higher and help you crave extra of it. Spread the phrase about the facts of mental sickness, and be part of altering lives.
It is the whole diet and general eating sample that is most important in disease prevention and health. Dates is sweet, also like Coconut & Cacao has health advantages and healing properties. Study: CDC's Nationwide Middle for power Illness Prevention and Health Promotion.
Energy 'shot-type' drinks can include as a lot as 500 mg of caffeine per drink — about 5 instances the quantity of caffeine in a typical cup of brewed espresso ," says Lauri Wright, PhD , assistant professor of nutrition at the University of South Florida's School of Public Health and a spokesperson for the Academy of Vitamin and Dietetics A healthy grownup can safely eat two power drinks a day, but I don't suggest them for folks 18 or underneath," says Dr. Wright.
In general Important Health Benefits are the sorts of care you have to prevent and treat illness and do not embrace elective and non-important remedies", a full listing of Important Benefits beneath the Reasonably priced Care Act with descriptions is offered beneath.
It is higher to eat a food plan with a range than to concentrate on individual foods as the key to good health. The examine additionally discovered that although sixty eight per cent assume their heart is in good health, 42 per cent admit they do not know the way to preserve its health. Apples are packed with vitamin C and fiber, each of that are essential to long-term health, however they aren't all you want. Entry to scrub drinking water will be taken as a right by individuals residing in developed countries.


text:
Can anybody help to load suas wms layers in arcMap.
The process of loading layers at some GIS programs is OK, but at the Arc Map I get an error message:
"One or more layers failed to draw:
Open Source SUAS MapServer: WMS service exceptions:-Service Error Code:InvalidUpdateSequence
Service Error Description: SERVICE has not been given. The supported SERVICE is WMS
-Service Error Code:InvalidUpdateSequence"


text:
Bollywood actor Shahid Kapoor recently shared a video, in which he enacted one of the best scenes from "Udta Punjab" trailer. The handsome hunk plays rockstar Tommy Singh in the movie, which is slated to be released on June 17.
Shahid shared the crazy video on Instagram and mimicked Satish Kaushik in it. He did the scene in which Diljit Dosanjh and other cops came to Satish's place to ask for Shahid's character Tommy. As Satish tried to convince the cops that Tommy had left for London, the rockstar came out of the room screaming. This particular moment left the viewers in splits, and so will Shahid's video.
The "Haider" actor has mesmerised fans in the trailer of "Udta Punjab," in which he gets involved in a drug-related controversy. Recently, the film's first song, "Chitta Ve," which features Shahid, was released. Apart from Shahid and Diljit, the Abhishek Chaubey film also stars Kareena Kapoor Khan and Alia Bhatt.
Kareena plays a doctor's character who has sacrificed her easy-going life to move to Punjab to tackle the drug menace. And, Alia plays a migrant from Bihar and she comes to Punjab in search of work, but ends up becoming a victim of drug trafficking.
It had earlier been reported that Shahid, Alia and Kareena were so impressed with the storyline of "Udta Punjab" that they charged half of their fees from the makers. Their only request was to not let the word out, since that could possibly affect their remuneration for other films.
In other news, Shahid will also appear in Vishal Bhardwaj's "Rangoon," alongside Saif Ali Khan and Kangana Ranaut. Meanwhile, watch Shahid's hilarious video here:
Shahid was recently spotted at Maldives, where he was on a vacation with his pregnant wife Mira Rajput. The actor revealed about Mira's pregnancy during the trailer launch of "Udta Punjab."


text:
There have been recent developments in the case of a well known Tibetan Buddhist teacher accused of abusing his students over a long period of time. Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse posted a substantial statement about this issue, going into detail about the relationship between teacher and student in Vajrayana tradition. It was informative and clear and helpful. If you're interested, you can access it here.
In some respects, this story is a parable of our time. As Eastern religious tradition has intersected with Western secular culture in the past 40 years, the dictates of a teacher, even what we might regard as extreme prescriptions, are not always fully understood in the context of developing pure perception, the foundation of clarity and vision that lead to the propagation of compassionate action for the benefit of all. The teacher may deliberately push buttons to confront the student with their own projections and egotistical habits in order to incite a full understanding of karma, the nature of reality and the ultimate purpose of the teachings.
In secular culture, however, we have laws governing and setting limits on interpersonal relationships. At some point those laws place a limit on student-teacher relations allegedly devoted to personal spiritual development. The western student might have some understanding of the traditional eastern student-teacher relationship, but at the extremes the relationship with a teacher may be tested by familiar western secular limits. Not that these are misplaced or that they don't apply. Of course they do. The question in each case is when the teacher-student relationship crosses into abuse.
To say that it is always wrong for the student to question what's going on would be ridiculous. Likewise, for the teacher, the temptation to abuse can be a corrosive mix of intra-personal dynamics, the amounts of money involved, the tug of war between personal ethics, spiritual teachings, the power dynamics of the relationship with students and a failure to take the karmic nature and ultimate purpose of the relationship into account. To overdraw the limits on the relationship, however, would likewise be counterproductive.
Similarly, the presence of Donald Trump in the Oval Office is pushing the limits of the consensual relationship of American citizens with the government. Not to paint Donald Trump as a guru, but in some respects he is very much a teacher whose every act reflects our collective views on leadership, our collective progress toward conscious action in the world and the limits of our tolerance for aberration and abuse.
The dynamics of abusive relationships are well-understood and shed light on what happened with the students of the Buddhist teacher in question. The abuser typically uses gaslighting to sustain his/her position and power. Gaslighting is the attempt to convince the abused that their own intelligence is faulty. The abused's version of reality is undermined to the point of making internal excuses for the abuser's behavior, a dynamic that can last years, even decades.
The abused comes to question her own perceptions, even her own sanity. This might explain why it takes so long for the abused to speak up and what it takes for the abused to finally speak up. By virtue of the devotional nature of the relationship, a teacher has a great deal of influence over the student. When there is true abuse, the internal struggle of the abused is to convince oneself of the truth and reliability of one's own perception.
Here in America, on a much grander scale, amidst income inequality, plutocracy, rising authoritarianism and a king-tide of personal desperation, the conditions are ripe for a populist-nationalist ideology. We have entered into relationship with a classic sociopathic serial abuser – someone now identified as a malignant narcissist. We've placed an abuser at the head of the family table. His abuse is evident in his relations with women, his family, business partners, employees and subordinates of every kind. He now employs aides, advisors, attorneys, linguistic contortionists and elected representatives to leverage the abuse. The cumulative acts he performed throughout his campaign and since his election are singularly devoted to dominance and amount to gaslighting on a massive scale.
Yet to describe Trump, even gaslighting is an inadequate term that doesn't nearly cover the full dimensions of what is afoot. The Republican congress have become not merely enablers of the abuser, but abused themselves, and actively leading in the deconstruction of government because that has been their objective all along. The base, the dead-enders, like the classic abused spouse, cling to the relationship with practically no regard for what is dished out, railing against "elites," rationalizing egregious behavior with ever more bizarre and convoluted conspiracy theories, misplacing their faith in an illusory vision of lost prosperity, lost agency, lost racial purity, supporting destructive policies neither in their own nor in the national interest.
The abuser has not only deflected focus on the abuse itself by using racist and anti-immigrant rhetoric, he is undermining the very definition of leadership, respect for law, responsible governance, the social pact between citizen and government, the constitution and the values of the nation. The psychological defense against gas lighting is to cling to "normal," even if the primary feature of normal is denial. As the desecration continues, what some people will do to reinforce their version of "normal," what they manage to excuse for the sake of maintaining a sense of normalcy, becomes ever more extreme.
As the assault on truth and the conventions of leadership continues daily from the White House, clinging to a reconstructed version of normal becomes an increasingly urgent, tortuous, yet thoroughly misguided psychological defense. Print journalists have been doing it since before the election, television is certainly doing it to varying degrees, conservative talk radio is doing it by rationalizing violence and calling for more violence in too many forms to enumerate here, even to the extreme of suggesting that the President is being drugged, and falling for every distraction for the sake of creating and maintaining the patina of normalcy of this administration. This is self-destructive violence.
Against this backdrop of dissolution, millions have managed to resist the instinct to retreat behind the sheltering barricade of normalcy in the face of the hurricane of lies, misdirection and deconstruction. The purest act of resistance is to name the abuse itself, to face the truth of our own desire for "normalcy" and any tendency to fall into exhaustion, depression and disengaged compliance. Donald Trump is proving to be a powerful teacher whose extreme behavior has so starkly driven individual clarity, commitment and the urgency of collective action.
As Dzongsar Khyentse might have described it, radical abusive behavior is driving us closer to the true meaning of pure perception. Trump presents a continuous challenge to resist the comfortable, to elevate engagement, sacrifice, community and diversity; to resist the debilitating effects of the continuous assault on truth, to resist violent confrontation without shying away from opposition, to embody the true meaning of leadership in our own lives, to embrace the sacred, act with kindness, share without reservation and speak with compassionate honesty.
Between the twin threats of nuclear conflict and climate change, the drama has reached existential levels. Yes, more direct acts of resistance are necessary, but we are not truly dealing with Others. We are in an extreme karmic dance with our own demons, avarice, hatred and ignorance, temporarily represented as political opponents. And even as "they" appear to be intransigent and however monstrous the deconstruction of civil society or "normalcy" may appear to be, the dynamic is just as much internal as external. It becomes an even greater imperative to use the the accelerating influence of abuse to break free of its gravity, to break through escapism and the comfort of insular thinking, to examine and address the roots of violence, to demonstrate in all our relations the depth and truth of a more humane way. Otherwise, with all of this supposed clarity, we will blindly perpetuate our problems rather than solving them.


text: We are a Los Angeles collective that designs and develops high quality Android and iPhone apps for entrepreneurs and established ventures. We can also you help with your website development. Here at Droitap we provide quality assurance. Our goal is to build the best mobile apps and websites possible and get it right the first time.


text:
If you're a woman who buys US$1,500 designer dresses, pays US$250 a month for an upscale gym membership and totes around a US$4,000 Chanel bag, why would you spend a mere US$100 on the leggings you wear to the gym, on errands, and on the weekend?
That's the question well-heeled fitness enthusiasts have been asking themselves, and luxury labels are beginning to address the gap.
Upmarket workout gear that can be worn in or out of the gym has become a status symbol, much like any other pricey designer clothing, Bloomberg reported.
Premium yoga pants, made popular amongst the masses by Lululemon, can run anywhere from US$80 to US$200.
A horde of brands battle each other in this segment, including superpowers Nike, Under Armour and Adidas.
Yet there's little available for women searching the racks for even more expensive, higher-end performance wear.
But quietly, a smattering of new true luxury activewear labels have appeared, each with the hope that affluent shoppers are willing to shell out US$300, US$400, or more on a pair of pliable pants.
"Some of the newer brands that are emerging are going to give activewear a whole level of status we haven't seen in this business before," the report quoted Roseanne Morrison, fashion director at trend intelligence firm Doneger Group, as saying.
The "designer casual" look is prominent these days, championed by luxe labels like Brunello Cuccinelli and Isabel Marant.
Fitness wear used to be dismissed in couture circles as unworthy, but luxury fashion houses have started to sell some adapted forms, using their longtime reputations to justify selling jersey leggings for US$400.
The next phase involves specialized companies touting luxury leggings under new performance-centric brands, Morrison said.
Take Charli Cohen, who launched her eponymous activewear line straight out of college in 2013.
The young British designer went into fitness fashion immediately, because she saw technical sportswear as the next big thing.
Now she sells leggings, tops and jackets that run for US$300 or more, targeting women who spend a lot of money on their evening wear wardrobe who want equally chic, quality garments for the gym.
– Contact us at [email protected]


text:
In this post, we shall be sharing some happy and sad facts about Indian Food and Nutrition.
Interesting Facts About the Indian Food That You Should Know
Although India ranks second as the most populous country, it's still home to about a quarter of the world's undernourished people. Things are improving, hunger rates have been dropping in the past years.
The facts are given below-
1. Hunger rate has been decreasing moderately since 1990.
2. Almost 39% of the children aged under 5 are stunted.
3. India is called as the Land of Spices. There is no other country which produces so many varieties of spices, like India.
4. Before the Portuguese introduced us to refined sugar, Indians used the fruits and honey for the sweetening purpose.
5. The Nutrition Mission, by the Maharashtra government, has significantly reduced the stunting rates. Five other states have also joined in to follow the same model.
6. Cases of obesity and diabetes increased during the period of 2010-2014. As of now, almost 10% of the adults have diabetes, and 5% of them are obese.
7. Here, pepper is known as the king of all spices. You can mix it with almost anything, and make the dish more awesome.
8. The first Indian restaurant in the United States of America was launched during the 1960s. Currently, America boasts about 5000 Indian food outlets.
9. As per the Indian Food Theory, the foods have 6 different flavors – salty, bitter, sour, sweet, astringent and spicy to the core.
10. Just like the sweet people of India, no occasion or ceremony is complete without serving something sweet. Payasam, the most favorite sweet dish served in South India remains a must-try for all sweet-lovers.
Interesting right? If you have visited India, how were your food experiences there? Did you like it or not? Comment your answers below and let us know.


text:
Uncomplicating the Complicated stuff from a guy who's not can be really technical, with lots of ideas on hand but no time to blog.
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Honda Jazz/Fit Fuel Consumption/Mileage
I'm looking at a new Honda Jazz 1.3 white hatchback as my second car next year to replace my 6 year old Toyota Vios 1.5G 2006. could anyone give me actual fuel consumption of Honda Jazz for the 1.3 model (gasoline no diesel variant), not the bigger 1.5 gasoline/petrol type? I need data for both city driving and highway road conditions. my Toyota Vios can church 9-11 Kilometers/liter (km/L)city driving and as high as 15 km/liter on the highway probabl higher. I need a fuel saving type of car backup to my Toyota Innova D4D that's why
Posted by paetechie at Sunday, July 22, 2012
Labels: Driving
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
According to About.com, a successful autobiography should be based around a theme and include information about the writer's family background, childhood and culture. A good tactic for writers is to begin by considering their lives closely and thinking about their most distinct moments and experiences. Many writers often find that regardless of how ordinary they think their life has been they have many unique experiences to share with others.
About.com suggests that aspiring autobiography writers think back on their heritage: Parents, grandparents and great-parents often have interesting stories that also relate to the autobiographer's life. Learning more about heritage can often form the basis for writers to begin telling their own life stories. Writers often find considering their birth region and the story of how their family came to live there helpful in composing autobiographies. Childhood is also an important part of autobiographies; even experiences that seem universal to the writer are often of interest to readers. Unique features of writers' family backgrounds, hometowns and other occurrences are generally useful material for autobiographies. Culture is also a useful consideration for autobiographical writing. Writing about a family's overall life, including food, customs, holidays and other details, can be highly useful for autobiography, helping to make it more personal. About suggests writers organize the piece around a theme, whether it be an especially important event or an average day in the life.


text:
Why do you spell 'blog' with an umlaut?
Because when in doubt, be diacritical.
But why are you in doubt when 'blog' is universally spelled without an umlaut?
Because when not in doubt, be in doubt.
So then why don't you spell more words with umlauts?
Because I'm filled with self-contradictions such as this.
Do you find it ironic that 'umlaut' is not spelled with an umlaut?
Do you have any pet peeves?
Yes, when drivers don't move all the way over to the right side of the street as they're slowing down for a right turn (or vice versa in left-hand traffic countries), thus slowing all the cars behind. Unnecessary stress right there, man. Other than that, pretty okay with everything.
Is the 30-day paleo thing real or fake?
If you have any questions that weren't covered above, please don't hesitate to ask!


text:
subscribe via RSS
Clarike Bowman-Jahn
Blog Archives
Clara Bowman-Jahn
writer's campaign badge
Perfect Picture Book Friday Badge
- 2girlsonabench
- ACIM daily inspiration
- By Word of Beth
- Clarbojahn's website
- Courage2Create
- Cynsations
- daily writing tips
- Elana Johnson
- Eli Rose
- friend to yourself
- good life zen
- Ingrids Notes
- James Speller
- Jane Yolen
- JannaTwrites
- Judy Cullins
- Julie Hedlund
- Kana Tyler
- Karen Elliot
- Kristen Lamb
- Larry Brooks on writing
- Laura B. Writer
- lifepenned
- Meditation and writing
- Memoir Writers Journey
- Momentumgathering
- Patricia Tilton
- Poetry from a water witch's daughter
- Rachelle Gardner
- Rik Scott's writing blog
- Schizophrenicwriter
- Spirit Lights the Way
- Stacy Jensen blogs on writing Mondays, ppbf on Fridays
- Susanna Leonard Hill's blog
- Suzanna's writing blog
- Tara Lazar's blog
- The Purple Crayon
- the writers chatroom
- Widdershins First
- write to done
- writer beware blog
- zen habits
five most recent posts
Versatile Blogger Award
Sunshine award
Kreatif Blogger Award
Category Archives: Clarike Bowman-Jahn
Clarbojahn Presents! Linda Sittig, Author of Cut From Strong Cloth
Posted on May 26, 2015 by ClaraBowmanJahn
Hi Friends! I Just finished Linda Sittig's historical novel "Cut From Strong Cloth" and boy was I impressed! Not only is Linda Sittig a fellow Writer's buddie from my writing group Round Hill Writer's Group that I belong to but … Continue reading →
Time of Wonder/ #PPBF
Posted on May 22, 2015 by ClaraBowmanJahn
Hi Friends! I hope you had a great week and that the upcoming weekend will be even better!! Can you believe another weekend is upon us? they fly by like birds in the sky. so fast I want to slow … Continue reading →
Three Go-To Writing Sites For You
Posted on May 19, 2015 by ClaraBowmanJahn
Hi Friends! I realize I feel best when helping others achieve their dreams. So I want to tell you of John Yeoman's free service for four weeks. You get four weeks of free feedback to making stories better before committing to … Continue reading →
#ppbf / none today
Posted on May 15, 2015 by ClaraBowmanJahn
Hi Friends! Even though I've been reading tons of picture books and reading in general after my surgery, I am not able to write up a Perfect Picture Book Friday review. And because I am still in pain I will … Continue reading →
After Surgery #amreading
Posted on May 12, 2015 by ClaraBowmanJahn
Hi Readers! I had surgery on Tuesday and have felt under the weather all week not doing anything but reading. Yesterday I posted about it on Facebook and so many of you told me to relax and get well. I … Continue reading →
Posted in Clara Bowman-Jahn, Clarike Bowman-Jahn, life story, personal growth, writing | Tagged picture books, reading, reading or writing?, skin surgery, Surgery | 25 Comments
Hillary Rodham Clinton/ #PPBF
Posted on May 8, 2015 by ClaraBowmanJahn
Hi Friends! Another May Friday! Happy Perfect Picture Books Friday! And Happy Weekend! Title: Hillary Rodham Clinton, Dreams Taking Flight Author / Illustrator : Kathleen Knell/ Amy June Bates Publishing info : Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers 2008 … Continue reading →
Posted in blogging, Clara Bowman-Jahn, Clarike Bowman-Jahn, Course or Book Review, marketing, Perfect Picture Book Friday, social networking | Tagged Annie's Special Day, Edmund Pickle Chin, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Kathleen Knell, Perfect Picture Book Friday, Picture book, Susanna Leonard Hill | 9 Comments
Look What Sandra Stein, Kidlit Author Has Done Now
Posted on May 5, 2015 by ClaraBowmanJahn
Hi Friends! Hurray! Sandra Stein, Kidlit and memoir author has written and photographed another book. She has self published this the same as the others. It is on amazon and here is my amazon review. Along The Trail is a children's book … Continue reading →
Posted in blogging, Clara Bowman-Jahn, Clarike Bowman-Jahn, marketing, social networking | Tagged Along The Trail, author, kidlit, Memoir, RHWG, Sandra Stein | 2 Comments


text:
5 year credit facility to UK based Synseal
May 21, 2014
Proventus Capital Partners III has provided a 5-year GBP 46 million credit facility, including both a term loan and an acquisition facility to the UK-based Synseal Extrusions Ltd ("Synseal"). The facility will be used to refinance existing debt and to continue to fund the buy-to-build strategy.
Synseal is the UK's leading manufacturer of extruded PVC-U window and door profiles, sealed glass units and conservatory roofs. Synseal operates from three facilities in the midlands, serves over 700 customers and is the prime UK consolidator in its industry. The firm has revenues in excess of GBP 100 million and employs more than 900 staff. Synseal is owned by the mid-market private equity firm H.I.G. European Capital Partners LP ("H.I.G") and management, both have significant industrial experience and will continue to support the company in its next phase of growth.
Proventus Capital Partners believes that the UK building products market and Synseal represents a compelling investment opportunity given its fundamental underlying growth, strong product proposition and stable business model. Proventus Capital Partners will work closely with H.I.G. and management to continue to support its growth ambitions, both organic and by acquisitions.