Novak Djokovic is not the ultimate grass court player. However, the Serbian has plenty of weapons and confidence to go all the way at this year's Wimbledon. Djokovic has dominated the men's game for the last 18 months and he will head to Wimbledon as defending champion after defeating Rafael Nadal in four sets to claim his first title at SW19 last year. Djokovic will also go into Wimbledon with confidence, having won 27 consecutive Grand Slam matches before defeat to Rafael Nadal in the French Open final.
2011 Result: Champion
2010 Result: Semifinals
Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal won a record-breaking seventh French Open title with a 6-4, 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 victory over Novak Djokovic in the final on Sunday. After coming up short to the world No. 1 in their three previous Grand Slam meetings, the victory at Roland Garros should give him the extra belief that he can get the better of Djokovic on the big stage. While Nadal is more comfortable on clay, he has seen success on grass in years past--winning at Wimbledon in both 2008 and 2010--and has proven he can adjust his game for the surface. After his dominant performance during the clay court season, Nadal will transition onto the grass with confidence. More importantly, the Spaniard appears to be injury-free for the first time in many years.
2011 Result: Finalist
2010 Result: Champion
Roger Federer
Nadal and Djokovic have become the dominant forces on the ATP Tour with their consistent play and incredible athleticism. Yet, though the world's top two have overshadowed Roger Federer in the past three years, the Swiss legend remains a dangerous player on grass. He may have failed to get past the quarter-finals of Wimbledon since 2009, but having already picked up six titles at the All England Club, Federer has already cemented his status as one of the greatest grass-court players of all time. With his all-court game and success on the surface, Federer will go far at Wimbledon. However, the Swiss star will have to get past Nadal or Djokovic if he hopes to win the title.
Source: www.ibtimes.com
Be at peace, sweet child’: Villagers give poignant funeral to mystery baby whose body was found dumped in a brook - Daily Mail
- The boy, around a month old, was abandoned on the banks of a stream last October
- His body wrapped in an Asda fleece was discovered by a dog walker in a remote rural area of Kirkham, Lancs
- Despite a major public appeal for information the mother was never traced
By Liz Hull
|
THE pale blue coffin was so small the pallbearer carried it into church in his arms.
A steady stream of mourners, many fighting back tears, followed him, all wishing to pay their respects to the boy with no name who was found dumped by a stream.
The child – no more than a month old – had lain undiscovered, his body wrapped in a fleece, until a dog walker stumbled across him eight months ago in a remote part of Lancashire. Despite extensive inquiries, his parents have never been found.
Tragic: The coffin was carried into the church by a funeral director whilst floral wreaths and teddy bears were laid at the church paying tribute to the 'llittle angel' and saying 'Be at peace sweet child'
Tributes: The boy no more than a month old was born full term but was abandoned on the banks of a stream last October
So he will lie in a grave with a headstone carved with the words ‘Baby boy found in Kirkham’.
Despite never knowing the love of a family, however, his passing did not go unmourned.
The poignant burial was attended by scores of locals at St Michael’s Parish Church, Kirkham.
Moved by his story, they clubbed together to raise 1,000 to pay for the service.
Grief: All members of the community were invited to the funeral. The order of service entitled 'Funeral Service for a baby boy' was headed by the words: 'celebrate life'
The coffin was carried into the church by funeral director Bill Crawford, whilst floral wreaths and teddy bears were laid outside paying tribute to the ‘Little angel’ or ‘Little Moses’.
One card read: ‘Be at peace sweet child.’ The order of service, entitled ‘Funeral service for a baby boy’ was headed with the words ‘Celebrate life.’
Mourners sang the hymn All Things Bright and Beautiful, and listened to readings of Psalm 139 by three local primary school headteachers and a passage from Mark Chapter 10 by Detective Inspector Martin Clague, one of the officers investigating the case.
Detective Chief Inspector Andrea Barrow, of Lancashire Constabulary, who is leading the inquiry, lit a candle during the 30-minute service and BBC’s Crimewatch, which featured an appeal to trace the baby’s family, sent flowers.
Touching: Tributes were left by shocked members of the community - Lancashire Police are still desperately searching for the family of the boy
The service concluded with a rendition of Brahms’s Lullaby, sung by the church choir.
‘Some cases get to you, and this is one,’ DCI Barrow said. ‘We will never give up hope of learning how the little boy came to be placed in this remote area.
‘It was so far off the beaten track, it could have only been known to someone familiar with the locality.
‘Whoever did this will remember it every day of their lives. It will be immensely traumatic. That’s why it’s important they get help too, tell us what happened.’
She added: ‘We don’t know whether he ever lived after birth. We don’t know the cause of death. We don’t want to speculate. Someone out there knows what happened. It is not too late to talk to us. We’ve still got a team working on this case.
Mystery: Even his ethnicity remains unknown, although DNA and forensic tests continue
‘We will not rest and leave no stone unturned until we get to the bottom of exactly what has happened.
‘The people of Kirkham have clearly been deeply moved and I would like to thank them for pulling together in the face of this tragedy to raise money and offer their services so that this little boy can be put to rest.’ A Blackpool council bin bag was found close to the baby’s body beside two towels, one green and one with a Union Jack motif.
Officers released an image of the fleece which swaddled him, with the emblem of the Asda supermarket on it, in the hope it would be recognised.
They also posted an advert on Facebook, which has attracted 1,900 views, and a YouTube video appeal, which has reached more than 2,500 people, but so far nobody has come forward.
A man of 35 was arrested on suspicion of murder, claiming he had been involved in the death of the infant, but released without charge after detectives concluded he had nothing to do with the tragedy.
Following the service, the Reverend Richard Bunday, vicar of Kirkham, said it provided the community with a chance to ‘pause, reflect and consider the precious gift of human life’.
‘This potential was not given to the baby boy and so we mourn his passing, but remind ourselves he is held by God and enfolded in his love,’ he said.
Source: www.dailymail.co.uk
Cheap smartphones and Zappar augmented reality T-shirts on sale at Asda - Pocket-lint.com
Buy the Motorola RAZR smartphone from high street retailer Asda and you could save yourself 100.
The retailer is selling the handset for 319, making it around 100 cheaper than the likes of Currys and Argos. It’s not the only credit-crunching deal that’s been brought to our attention either.
Asda is also selling the Samsung Galaxy Note in white for 369 – the cheapest we’ve been able to find it – while the Motorola Defy Mini can be purchased for 79.
And it’s not just phones that are making Asda a technical hub. The retailer has also begun selling Augmented Reality Zappar T-shirts.
Download the free Zappar app from Google Play or the Apple App Store, point your smartphone or tablet at one of the seven different design T-shirts and watch as the logo comes to life.
Okay, so AR T-shirts, and smartphones that came out last year might not stop you from shopping at more dedicated technology outfits, but there’s certainly more to Asda than cheap socks and pasta sauces.
Have you bought a phone from Asda? We want to know.
Source: www.pocket-lint.com
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in doubt for Wimbledon after heavy fall at Queen's - Daily Telegraph
As for Tsonga, he will be less worried about the result than the state of his racket hand. The injury did not seem to inhibit his stroke play greatly, but he was inspecting the finger at every changeover. At the end of the match, he held his left hand out for the umpire to shake.
Whatever the result of Tsonga’s scans, you have to feel for Chris Kermode, tournament director of these Aegon Championships. Tsonga is the latest recognisable name to lose to an outsider in this topsy-turvy event, adding to a list of early casualties that includes not only Murray but Andy Roddick and Lleyton Hewitt.
Even Murray’s conqueror, Nicolas Mahut, joined the exodus on Thursday, going down in straight sets to the up-and-coming Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov.
The one top-10 player left is Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia. And he was a set down to Yen-Hsun Lu of Chinese Taipei when rain brought play to an early conclusion on Thursday.
At the Aegon Classic in Birmingham, Heather Watson was the only British singles player of either gender to manage two wins this week, but her run ended in the third round yesterday at the hands of Roberta Vinci — the world No 20 from Italy.
Watson took the second set, which was a creditable effort against a player ranked 91 places above her, but ended up losing 6-3, 4-6, 6-1. If the statistics are any guide, Vinci is now the favourite for the title.
The sole British victory to celebrate yesterday came in the men’s doubles at Queen’s, where Colin Fleming and Ross Hutchins, playing their second tournament after a two-month injury break, defeated Belgium’s Steve Darcis and Oliver Rochus 6-2, 6-2.
Both have had to deal with chronic injuries, Fleming’s a stress fracture of the tibia and Hutchins’ a tendon problem in his left wrist. But they are still 17th in the list of best-performing pairs this season, and their participation in the Olympics is expected to be confirmed later this week.
“When you look at where we were a year ago, I’m very proud that we’ve come this far,” Fleming said.
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Bopara laments injury woes - SkySports
The Essex right-hander was at the head of the queue to fill England's number six position against the Windies in this summer's Investec Test series, only to suffer a calf injury on the eve of the squad announcement for the first match last month.
That place was filled at Lord's, and in two subsequent Tests, by Yorkshire's Jonny Bairstow - and Bopara's calf trouble was the latest in a series of minor but untimely niggles over the past eight months.
The middle-order batsman is expected to be back at number four in the first of three 50-over matches against the Windies, at the Ageas Bowl on Saturday.
"I'm really looking forward to it," he said.
"I haven't played a lot of cricket for England recently because of injuries. So it's exciting for me, and I'm in good form."
Frustration
Bopara returned to action at the start of June with a 50-over century, and then one in four-day cricket too, for Essex.
He is not about to start worrying unduly either about a run of injuries, which may be pure coincidence.
"It's very frustrating. It's only recently I've started to get a few injuries," he said.
"Before that, I very rarely missed games through injury ... it's probably a sign of me getting old.
"It is annoying. It is frustrating. But whatever's meant to be is meant to be."
Bairstow has endured a tough start to his Test career posting scores of just 16, 4 and 18 in his three completed innings to-date.
And Bopara, while aware others are profiting from his absence, knows that at 27, time is not on his side as much as it once was.
"I guess what it does is it gives someone else an opportunity to cement their place, and that's not ideal.
"But it means when I get my opportunity, I've got to cement my place. Let's hope I get it soon."
Source: www1.skysports.com
Hero cops use Asda plastic bag to save stab victim’s life at Wirral house - Liverpool Echo
Source: www.liverpoolecho.co.uk
3 players withdraw from Wimbledon - FOXSports.com
LONDON (AP)
Andrea Petkovic of Germany has withdrawn from Wimbledon because of a persistent right ankle injury.
She missed the Australian Open because of a lower back injury, then hurt her ankle in her comeback tournament and missed the French Open.
Petkovic reached three Grand Slam quarterfinals last year at the Australian, French and US Opens, and the third round at Wimbledon. She was replaced by Bojana Jovanovski of Serbia.
Hungary's Agnes Szavay (back) and Estonia's Kaia Kanepi (foot) also withdrew, and were replaced by Lesia Tsurenko of Ukraine, and Heather Watson of Britain.
Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay, who has hardly played in more than a year, was replaced by Vasek Pospisil of Canada, who will make his Wimbledon main draw debut.
Source: msn.foxsports.com
Pole dancing tutorials on YouTube cure autistic woman's fear of leaving the house - Daily Mail
|
An autistic woman has conquered her fear of leaving the house after learning how to pole dance from YouTube tutorials.
Kaiya Latham, 27, from Braintree, Essex, suffers from Asperger syndrome and spent much of her early 20's trapped at home due to severe anxiety.
But since mastering strenuous dance routines from the comfort of her own home she discovered a newfound confidence and is pursuing dreams of becoming a full-time dance teacher.
Scroll down to watch video
Kaiya Latham has conquered her fear of leaving the house after learning to pole dance
Kaiya - who lives with her fiance Simon Sheridan, 35, a graphic designer became increasingly housebound when she was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome - a form of autism which often affects social interaction - when she was 22.
She struggled to leave that house and would become anxious if she had to speak to new people or visit new places.
But once she took up pole dancing as a hobby her fears gradually lessened.
She said: 'I used to dance when I was younger and had trained to become a dance teacher but I never completed my final exams because my condition escalated when I was a teenager.
'It's a really addictive hobby and soon I was making myself leave the house to attend classes,' says Kaiya
'But once I got into pole dancing I began to feel much more confident as you get a real buzz from knowing you can hold your own weight with just your hands on the pole.
'It's a really addictive hobby and soon I was making myself leave the house to attend classes and learn new moves on the pole.'
After she started competing in pole dancing competitions, her friends began coming round to learn some moves and her business grew from there.
Since launching Essex-based company KL Pole Studio last year Kaiya has seen her waiting list grow each week and she is now looking for bigger studio space.
She currently teaches students aged 16 to 60 in four weekly evening classes at a special space at her home.
Kaiya added: 'It's amazing to think how far I've come in less than five years. Back then I would never have even considered having my own company and now I'm fulfilling my dream and teaching dance at a studio.
'I can't believe how much pole dancing has transformed my life.'
Source: www.dailymail.co.uk
Butch tucker trial for TOWIE's Mark Wright - The Sun
The I’m A Celebrity and The Only Way Is Essex star is moving up the channels after impressing bosses with his stint on Take Me Out: The Gossip on ITV2.
He will join presenter Melanie Sykes on My Man Can, an offbeat challenge where women find out how useful their fellas are.
In the show being filmed in Cologne — the format is already a hit in Germany — blokes will be set challenges such as eating a plate of raw chillies and limbo-dancing. Their other halves have to guess how well they will do.
Mel will be the main host while Mark will oversee the bonkers challenges.
A source said: “Mark is thrilled ITV are taking a chance on him. He’s wanted to be a presenter for years. If this works, he’ll be exactly that.
“It’s a non-broadcast pilot at the moment but it’s pretty much guaranteed a decent slot. My Man Can is big in Germany and is on TV across the world. It’s one of the biggest shows in China.”
Mark has been teasing his Twitter followers with his new plans, writing: “Omg!! Just seen the set. Very big and exciting, nerves kicking in now though!”
The Sun told how Mark has already made his first million since leaving TOWIE last year. He was runner-up on I’m A Celebrity and his career is being guided by Myleene Klass’s agent.
Source: www.thesun.co.uk
Rip gorgeous little boy you are with the Angels now they can look after you. Its heartbreaking :(
- Lucas's Mummy, Manchester Uk, 14/6/2012 19:52
Report abuse