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| from @hopmancup |
From The Australian:
THEIR athleticism aside, travellers who caught a glimpse of two Europeans travelling on a flight from Perth to Melbourne in early 2011 might have assumed they were fun-loving backpackers.
Separated by two rows in economy class, the brunette waited until her friend had fallen asleep before sneaking up to him and clapping loudly. Hysterics followed at the statuesque Serb's over-the-top reaction.
Later, the young woman snoozed for a while using her friend's shoulder as a support. It was an intimacy of close friends rather than that of a couple.
With passengers on the packed plane seemingly oblivious to their identities, the pair were left to themselves. A year later and it almost certainly would have been different.
Just three weeks after that trip, the young man -- Novak Djokovic -- claimed the first of three grand slams for the year in establishing himself as the dominant tennis player in the world. Ana Ivanovic, his mate, arguably was even more famous at the time.
...
It is that friendship that Ivanovic touched on yesterday when the pair joined forces for Serbia's opening Hopman Cup victory over Italy in Perth.
As toddlers, the pair threw sand in each others' faces. Later they swatted backhands. Before play yesterday, they embraced on the outdoor practice court before going about their business in impressive fashion.
"We met each other when we were four years old. We didn't even play tennis at the time," Ivanovic said.
"My father and his uncle knew each other from school days, so we were playing in the sand and it is just really, really funny to see him do so well now. It is really nice to catch up and obviously he is my favourite doubles partner.
"(He was) always funny, always making jokes. You know boys. He was always running around the whole time.
"Then we played some tournaments, some under-10s, under-12s back in Serbia, then we were travelling together, so it is nice to catch up and we also have some real memories."
Djokovic, who only arrived in Perth late on Sunday night after adding to his riches with a victory in an exhibition event in Abu Dhabi, certainly clowned around during a dead mixed doubles against Andreas Seppi and Francesca Schiavone.
...
While it carries less prestige than the Davis or Fed cups, this pair is desperate to claim the title for Serbia given their friendship and seemed certain to do so two years ago until Ivanovic was forced to withdraw from the final -- the day before they shared the flight to Melbourne -- with a stomach injury.
"It is a big goal for me and Novak as well. We have come close a few times and the last time here it was very, very disappointing for me," she said. "I really hope I can play better this year and help Novak and hopefully together we can get the trophy."
This is a letter that one of the kids wrote during lock down. "I'm sorry for not being a good son." Heartbreaking. twitter.com/AbbasMoosvi/st…
— Abbas (@AbbasMoosvi) December 14, 2012
Maybe the Mayans were onto something after all. I pray for humanity. bit.ly/QZ6GfBClick on the link and you'll find these tweets:
— unseeded & looming (@unseededlooming) December 15, 2012
Revenge? Nah, I'm too lazy. I'm just going to sit here and let karma mess you up.*BOOM* *mic drop*
— TED (@Laughbook) December 15, 2012
LOVE your enemy but never forget: he is not your friend
— Paulo Coelho (@paulocoelho) December 8, 2012
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| From Gawker |
@retireleo wow, tough words from an anon Internet troll. why not use your name and photo, coward? Have some more fritos and keep typing*These tweets just made me love Anderson Cooper even more.
— Anderson Cooper (@andersoncooper) November 19, 2012
"I think he's done so well," Federer added. "His reaction was amazing after not winning Wimbledon against me.* Novak Djokovic dancing Psy's Gangnam Style. Tennis is so cool.
"Then coming back to win the Olympics and bringing the victory home for his first Grand Slam at the US Open was great to see.
"I was very impressed and I'm sure that's going to give him confidence for what's to come.
"How me, Novak and Rafa - whenever he comes back - and the rest of the players will play will have a little bit of an impact.
"But, overall, Andy has some control over that himself now."
On my way to Tokyo. I recently learnt that foods like sushi and shrimp tempura, which I love, aren't eaten all that often among Japanese people. Relatively speaking, sushi is eaten more often in places like London and New York. Still, I will eat sushi for a whole week, hopefully longer :)Don't ever ever ever change.
And the prize for the best @andy_murray headline goes to...The Sun. #Genius twitter.com/eleanorpres/st…I already celebrated on Twitter but .... I'M STILL SO HAPPY FOR ANDY! CONGRATULATIONS!!!
— eleanorpres (@eleanorpres) September 12, 2012
Asked if there was moment when she doubted herself, Ana Ivanovic laughs. Replies: "There was not a moment. There were many moments." #usopen*That was the money quote of the interview. Self-deprecating humor for the win!
— James Henry (@olerafa) August 28, 2012
The public—and he makes a delineation between the public attacking him and the public who knows him—knows how to perceive right and wrong, and they know better than to believe his attackers.
“Do we know if they are good people? Do we know if they are kind, if they are drunks, if they batter their wives? We don’t know who they are, but they are so good at destroying my name.”
And yet he destroys that name, and continues to cling to his innocence, invoking his position as senator and public figure, placing himself above those he plagiarized, setting up rules for himself. The medium is tainted—a man whose ideas are not his own, whose sources are questionable, whose ethics have been proven false, is a difficult man to trust when he claims moral authority.*Bond, James Bond, crashes Andy Murray's US Open presser. How do you top this? Maybe we can ask the Queen (aka the new Bond girl) to jump off a helicopter again if Andy wins his first Grand Slam (*fingers crossed*) on Monday.
Meanwhile, over in Moscow, the punk band Pussy Riot got sentenced to two years in jail for "hooliganism," all because they had the temerity to poke some harmless fun at Vladimir Putin and made the mistake of doing it inside a Russian Orthodox Church. Now there's a real threat to public order! And the government's lame response is revealing: throwing young female musicians in jail is like taking out a full page ad in the world's leading newspapers announcing "We are afraid of independent thinking and have absolutely no sense of humor." In a world where success increasingly depends on tapping into the energy, imagination, and initiative of the citizenry, Putin is telling young Russians to be dull and conformist. I think he's also betraying a profound sense of insecurity: when a three-person punk band is a threat to society, you know that the government has lost all perspective. He's got Madonna ticked off too, although I'm not sure that matters all that much.
Sarah Pope, in a telephone interview from Florida with Tina Monzon-Palma on ANC's "The World Tonight," reminded Sotto about copyright law amid allegations that the senator's staff copied one of her blog posts verbatim and without permission for Sotto's speech against the reproductive health bill."He is acting as though he's above the law, that he is above copyright law, that he can do whatever he wants, he can step on whoever he wants, to get his agenda through the Philippine legislature," Pope said."That's just wrong, that's poor very behavior. I hope the Filipino people great note of this behavior and subsequent denial on his bad behavior on the part of Senator Sotto. Think about this when they go to the election booths when he's up for reelection," she added.
Villacorta said that while the staff may have failed to attribute at times, it did not make it a habit to source information from blogs. The staff is composed of a team of 7 lawyers and researchers.
“In hindsight, perhaps we should have mentioned that we also got it from Sarah’s blog but it may be inelegant to say that.”
Sotto’s chief of staff added, “There is no jurisprudence on that (quoting blogs) because blogs are part of public domain. They can test the liability of the senator but that is virgin territory, even in the US.”
“Are you also going to accuse the Constitutional Commission of plagiarism for copying the Bill of Rights of other countries like the US?”
Villacorta said that both Sotto and Pope quoted McBride because the two used the phrase “according to.”
The chief of staff added that Sotto and his staff took the pains to cite and recite the speech’s book and newspaper sources even if this took up so much time on the Senate floor.
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| Olympic swimmer and wannabe boyband member Ryan Lochte (photo from BuzzFeed Sports) |
I leave for London in 6 days. Undergoing therapy for pre-traumatic-stress syndrome related to mascot phobia. twitter.com/Bonnie_D_Ford/…This mascot should be blacklisted and then declared persona non grata. Dear London: You could do so much better.
— Bonnie D. Ford (@Bonnie_D_Ford) July 16, 2012
"I'm going to try this - it isn't going to be easy," Murray told the crowd as he tried to hold back tears to get through his runners-up speech.
"I was told the other day that 'this is your best chance because Roger is 30 now.' He's not bad for a 30-year-old. He had some struggles early on (this tournament) with his back and today he showed us what fight he has got left in him.
"I'm going to start crying again... Everybody always talks about the pressure of playing at Wimbledon, how tough it is, ... the people watching make it so much easier to play - they make it incredible," Murray added as he was given a rapturous round of applause.Sigh. I never choose my favorites. They pick me.
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| Taken from @breakingserve's Twitter timeline |
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| Aung San Suu Kyi (photo taken from The Financial Times) |
Keeping Arroyo in a police facility, said Santiago, “damages democracy and our institutions. Humiliating the former president damages the presidency. Power is not perpetual. It expires after six years, so better think well about what you are doing now. Is that how you want to be treated eventually?”
“The world is watching,” said Honasan, “and the way we treat the ex-president would send a strong message of what we are to the rest of the world. (With Arroyo in detention), foreign investors would think, ‘If this is how they behave, why would we invest?’”
Of course, Honasan added, “with the President enjoying a high trust rating, an attempt against his administration would be farfetched. But let’s not tempt fate. Let’s not do anything that would worsen how things are right now.”
You wonder what planet these two have been inhabiting all this time. But of course the effects of Arroyo’s incarceration are sending ripples around the world. And of course Arroyo’s prosecution, which should follow swiftly on the heels of Renato Corona’s impeachment and conviction, would send even bigger ripples, if not a veritable tsunami on the Filipino communities, around the world. But not in the way Miriam and Gringo imagine.I hope our dear Senators Miriam and Gringo don't start comparing Gloria to Nobel Peace Prize winner and Burmese democracy icon, Aung San Suu Kyi. Please, no. Gloria, to quote Susan Roces (widow of Fernando Poe Jr., who ran against Arroyo in 2004), "stole the presidency not once but twice". Suu Kyi was deprived of a chance to become Prime Minister by the military junta even if her party won majority of the parliament seats in the 1990 general elections. Gloria is currently under hospital arrest at the presidential suite of the Veteran's Memorial Medical Center (but was previously at the much more chic presidential suite of St. Luke's Medical Center). Suu Kyi, while under house arrest, didn't experience any of the comforts that Gloria continues to receive. Gloria is reviled by many Filipinos. Suu Kyi is not only revered by many people in Burma (except maybe the military officials who previously illegally detained her), but is also considered as a democracy icon by people all over the world.
Those who belong at the top never forget their way back.#MariaSharapova twitter.com/niketennis/sta…
— Nike Tennis (@niketennis) June 7, 2012
"I proved that no matter how many punches I took in my career, I've always gotten back up," she said.
"I never made excuses for me, not to myself, not to people. I always relied on my own talent, on the help of my team. At the end of the day, that's really what gets me through and gets me up. I have a tremendous amount of belief and pride in what I do. I love my work. I've always said this: I love playing tennis. I had so many outs in my career. I could have said, I don't need this. I have money; I have fame; I have victories; I have Grand Slams. But when your love for something is bigger than all those things, you continue to keep getting up in the morning when it's freezing outside, when you know that it can be the most difficult day, when nothing is working, when you feel like the belief sometimes isn't there from the outside world, and you seem so small. But you can achieve great things when you don't listen to all those things."Won Wimbledon in 2004 at the age of 17. WTA Tour Championships winner in 2004. Brief stint as world number 1 in 2005. US Open champ in 2006. Australian Open winner in 2008. "Inherited" the #1 ranking when Justine Henin retired unexpectedly for the first time during the spring of 2008. Suffered a debilitating right shoulder injury that almost ended her career and was out of the women's tour from mid-2008 until early 2009. Won Roland Garros in 2012 even if she thinks that she plays like this on clay. Tenth woman in history to win a career Grand Slam. World no. 1 yet again and rightful Queen of the Tennis World. (Yeah, she's still the highest paid female athlete in the world.) Not too shabby, Maria Sharapova. Not too shabby at all.
Al-Assad is Moscow's last ally (and largest weapons client) in the Middle East. Slobodan Milosevic in Serbia was just about the Russians' last European ally in the 1990s. Then Sergei Lavrov was Russia's ambassador to the United Nations; now he is Russia's foreign minister. Then, as now, Moscow saw an international conspiracy (led by NATO) against its interests....Over Bosnia, Lavrov used arguments that he and other Russian diplomats would repeat as the Libyan campaign evolved more than a decade later. He condemned the shelling of Sarajevo, but said the U.N. and NATO response "exceeds the bounds of the situation in which the Security Council has authorized the use of force: the defense of peace-keeping forces, the protection of humanitarian convoys and the containment of military threats to civilians."In other words, NATO and the U.N. were not free to choose sides.A similar view prevails in Moscow today. Lavrov -- using a strange dance analogy -- said Monday that "it takes two to tango, even though in the current situation in Syria isn't really a tango. It's a disco party where many players are dancing and they should all dance in the same way." In other words, the Free Syrian Army is just as culpable as the regime, just like in the '90s the Bosnian Muslims and Serbs were equal opportunity offenders in Russia's eyes.
"The Russians keep telling us they want to do everything they can to avoid a civil war because they believe that the violence would be catastrophic," Clinton said, noting that they are "vociferous in their claim that they are providing a stabilizing influence."
"I reject that," she said, complaining that in fact Russia is propping up Assad as his government continues a brutal, 15-month crackdown on dissent in which some 13,000 people have died.
We must give our country a pat on the back. History today as we bring this impeachment trial to the finish line. Pilipinas kong hirang.
— Pia Pagkalinawan (@piahontiveros) May 29, 2012
buti na lang di nagsabay ang american idol finals at impeachment verdict.otherwise, hirap subaybayan at sasabog ang twitter world ng pinas
— Alem Ang (@mister_angst) May 29, 2012
SEN. ARROYO: This is not justice, political or legal. This is certainly not law.It is naked power, last seen in 1972.
#CJonTrial — Chiara Zambrano (@chiarazambrano) May 29, 2012
"@cesdrilon: Arroyo: I vote to acquit. #CJontrial" -- I think Bongbong reacted when Arroyo made reference to 1972..
- Cristalle B. Henares (@cristallebelo) May 29, 2012
A. Cayetano - the rich hide in technicalities. "44 days, sa totoo lang natapos na to...kung mahirap akusado, magpaliwanag ka sa presinto"
— Karen Davila (@Karen_DaviLa) May 29, 2012
A. Cayetano "if you cannot explain, I cannot abstain...if u can't disclose, u must be deposed, if u are not fit, can't sit as head of SC"
— Karen Davila (@Karen_DaviLa) May 29, 2012
"Public office is a public trust. Kapag nawala yun, oras nang bumaba sa puwesto." -P Cayetano
— Cristalle B. Henares (@cristallebelo) May 29, 2012
P Cayetano: we can only mature as a democracy if we can learn from this impeachment process.
#CJontrial — Cecilia Orena-Drilon (@cesdrilon) May 29, 2012
@senmiriam says "deeply dissapointed evidence from an anonymous source". "Strike me dead". Says CJ Corona put funds under his name.
— Karen Davila (@Karen_DaviLa) May 29, 2012
Sen Santiago: Panginoon, bigyan mo ako ng isa pang buhay. Iimbestigahan ko lahat. Pati sarili ko iimbestigahan ko
#CoronaTrial — CarmelaFonbuena (@carmelafonbuena) May 29, 2012
SEN.SANTIAGO to Prosecution: Tumigil na nga kayo sa kakapanggap, mga artista! Alam niyo namang lahat ang mga loophole sa SALN!
#CJonTrial — Chiara Zambrano (@chiarazambrano) May 29, 2012
Amen Senator Santiago. AMEN! Convict Corona but stop the HYPOCRISY politicians!Please lang! Tama na. Sobra na.
— Professional Heckler (@HecklerForever) May 29, 2012
Miriam cites statutory construction. The SC used statutory construction also to justify the midnight appointment of Corona. Just saying.
— Theodore Te (@tedte) May 29, 2012
Sen-judge Miriam Santiago seen leaving session hall. Reason undetermined.
#CJontrial — ABS-CBN News (@ABSCBNNews) May 29, 2012
Send Sen. Miriam to Scarborough Shoal. Give it a couple hours and the Chinese won't go anywhere near it, I promise.
— Nadine Howell (@nadinerhowell) May 29, 2012
Chiz: kung di natin papalusutin si CJ Corona, puwes wag din tayo magpalusot.
#CJontrial — Cecilia Orena-Drilon (@cesdrilon) May 29, 2012
Alan, Miriam, Jinggoy talked about their fathers. Waiting if Bong Revilla will, too. And Bongbong.
#popcorn — Gang Capati(@gangbadoy) May 29, 2012
Sen. Bongbong Marcos should sign the waiver. Ditto for Rep. Imelda and Gov. Imee.
— Tonyo Cruz (@tonyocruz) May 29, 2012
RT @mabscostales: Ilan ang hihimatayin kung si bongbong ay maghamon ng waiver? :)
— Professional Heckler (@HecklerForever) May 29, 2012
Papatay ako, papatay ako ng dalawang TV kapag bumoto ng ACQUITTAL si Senator Drilon.
— Professional Heckler (@HecklerForever) May 29, 2012
He has yet to explain his vote but Lito Lapid is already trending worldwide. He's expected to trend in the Milky Way Galaxy in a while.
— Professional Heckler (@HecklerForever) May 29, 2012
#CoronaTrial Lacson: I have been an investigator all my life. I have ability to tell if person telling truth or not.
— Ayee Macaraig (@ayeemacaraig) May 29, 2012
Lapid: Di po ako pwedeng magsalita tungkol sa republic act, dahil di ako marunong dito. Ginagamit ko lang ay ang aking konsensya.
#CJontrial — ABS-CBN News (@ABSCBNNews) May 29, 2012
Eh kasi naman Dennis Manalo, Ingles ka nang Ingles, si Rudy Farinas lang tuloy ang na-appreciate niya.
— Professional Heckler (@HecklerForever) May 29, 2012
Ilang glutathione kaya ang nabenta simula ng mag speech si Sen Loren Legarda?
— ramillav (@ramillav) May 29, 2012
Pwede na magshowbiz yung Court interpreter na nadismiss for not declaring her market stall. She’s become a symbol for public accountability.
— Yves Gonzalez (@doblezeta) May 29, 2012
@Koko_Pimentel "ang batas para kay Juan ay batas rin para kay Renato!" GUILTY.
— Karen Davila (@Karen_DaviLa) May 29, 2012
REVILLA casts 16th vote needed to convict.
#cjontrial — Cecilia Orena-Drilon (@cesdrilon) May 29, 2012
BREAKING: Palace to release names of possible replacement for Midas Marquez
— Professional Heckler (@HecklerForever) May 29, 2012
#CJonTrial Sen. Villar explains his vote with background music "Nakaligo ka na ba sa dagat ng Basura..."
— Jose P. Rizal † (@parengjoserizal) May 29, 2012
I know where Senator Enrile is going with this. He summarizes accurately the trial in case it goes to the Supreme Court.
— Tony La Viña (@tonylavs) May 29, 2012
missed senate presiding officer juan ponce enrile's speech? read it here: bit.ly/L0Axxl #cjtrial @gmanews
— Joseph Morong (@Joseph_Morong) May 29, 2012
Sen.Enrile votes to convict CJ Corona on art. 2, brings final tally to 20-3, guilty as charged on non-declaration of assets in his SALN.
— Raffy Tima (@raffytima) May 29, 2012
YES. I still admire Justice Cuevas immensely. RT @marcmarasigan: Cuevas clapped after JPE's speech. Now THAT is CLASS.
— Karen Davila (@Karen_DaviLa) May 29, 2012
highest respect and admiration for senator juan ponce enrile and justice serafin cuevas! 80 rocks.
#CJonTrial — bianca gonzalez (@iamsuperbianca) May 29, 2012
When asked what his message to the public is, Cuevas says: "Wala naman akong mensahe. Hindi naman ako pulitiko!"
— GMA News (@gmanews) May 29, 2012
So happy Corona's out. Huge opportunity 2 start court reform. But man, the prosecution's a grp of kids who cheatd on a test & got away w/ it
— Pepe Diokno (@PepeDiokno) May 29, 2012
Please stay until after the end credits of today's impeachment decision. There will be bloopers and some shawarma.
— Yam Laranas (@yamlaranas) May 29, 2012
okay honestly, for seeing through the end of the impeachment trial, Pinoys are the BOMB! YAAASSS!
— Fatima (@girlinwaiting) May 29, 2012
