Exciting news! Ambassador Richard Williamson, U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan, will join ENOUGH, STAND, GI-Net, and Save Darfur's monthly activist call this week!

On Thursday, May 1, at noon E.S.T., you can hear directly from Ambassador Williamson, get updates on the current situation and learn about upcoming Darfur activist opportunities.

Click here to sign up for this one-of-a-kind opportunity to hear from one of the top officials responsible for U.S. policies toward Darfur!
http://www2.americanprogress.org/t/8...

The call-in number for the call is 1-866-682-6100. Please ask to be placed in the "Sudan Monthly Activist Call"

The agenda for call:

* Richard Williamson, the U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan, will discuss the current situation on the ground and address the issue of normalization of relations with Khartoum;
* Roger Winter, former State Department Special Representative for Sudan, will discuss the breakdown of the C.P.A., specifically in the oil-rich region of Abyei;
* Omer Ismail, ENOUGH advisor, will provide an update on the Darfur peace process and what is needed to get it back on track;
* Alex Meixner of the Save Darfur Coalition will talk about significant upcoming legislation and what you can do to support it;
* Colin Thomas-Jensen of ENOUGH will discuss the fragile situation between Chad and Sudan;
* Jessica Anderson of the Genocide Intervention Network will highlight what you can do to ensure that the next president makes Darfur a priority.
* Scott Warren of STAND will highlight reports from the recent Global Day for Darfur and introduce STAND's new student director, Nick Gaw.

Don't miss this opportunity to hear about the situation in Darfur and our role in ending it! Click here to sign up.
http://www2.americanprogress.org/t/8...

Please note the call-in number for the call: 1-866-682-6100. And ask to be placed in the "Sudan Monthly Activist Call"

We hope you can join us!

Next week, the Olympic flame will make its only North American stop in San Francisco.

Darfur activists from around the country will be gathering on April 9th to greet the torch and tell China, host of the 2008 Olympic Games, that it must use its leverage with Sudan to help end the genocide.

We want to give you the opportunity to rally with us if you can't be there in person. Click here to join me and send a photo message to China today.
http://www.savedarfur.org/page/conte...

We will display your photo in San Francisco as the Olympic Torch passes and on our website, adding you to the thousands of voices that are telling China: Extinguish the flames of genocide in Darfur.

It only takes a few seconds:

Download our sign or make your own sign saying, "I demand that China extinguish the flames of genocide in Darfur."
http://darfur.3cdn.net/5d18f8d552eb8...
Send your picture as an attachment to photos@savedarfur.org. (Your photo may take up to 24 hours to appear on the site).
Click here to be a part of our photo petition today and tell China to stop supporting the genocide in Darfur.
http://www.savedarfur.org/page/conte...

Thank you for your commitment to the people of Darfur.

The NFL's greatest teams have always run up the score. And there are plenty of good reasons for the Pats to keep doing just that.

By Mark Starr
Newsweek Web Exclusive
Updated: 12:26 PM ET Nov 21, 2007
When I returned home to Boston in September 1985, after 20 years of wandering in the sports desert, my Uncle Jason bestowed upon me a New England Patriots ticket that was once my father's. So over 23 seasons now I have attended almost 200 games in Foxboro in primo seats—there is a reward for holding tickets since the very first season back in 1960—and my wife has accompanied me to the stadium on exactly zero occasions.

In other words, she's not much of a fan. Still, that didn't stop me from trying to explain the venom being directed at the Patriots for running up the score in a succession of lopsided victories (Patriots 49, Dolphins 28; Patriots 52, Redskins 7; Patriots 56, Bills 10). My wife, who by osmosis knows far more about sports than she wants to, looked completely puzzled. I tried once again to explain the ethical issues, and, while her expression didn't change, she started shaking her head. Finally, she blurted out, "What is this, high school?"

When the Patriots opened the season they were regarded as the model franchise, the most respected in the league and an exemplar when it came to team values. But the spying incident—"Videogate"—against the New York Jets in the opening game changed everything. Even though the incident, given its lack of secrecy, was more a reflection of neurosis than of skullduggery, the Patriots had traded in their white hats for black. And everything the undefeated team has done since has been viewed through that dark prism. Coach Belichick remains a genius, but now a sinister one, loosing a scorched-earth policy against his enemies—and those enemies are, of course, legion. Running up the score is about vengeance and nothing else.

As the bad form of the Patriots' bully-boy approach is ceaseless fodder for the media, all I keep thinking, to quote a sage, is, "What is this, high school?" It's clear that these accusations of ethical misconduct stem largely from burgeoning media resentment of Belichick—not just for his arrogance in the Videogate affair but also for his mirthless style, his clumsy, at times rude, behavior and his unwavering refusal to provide reporters with any useful information. It's obvious that there are plenty of reasons—beyond petty revenge—for the Pats to keep attacking into the fourth quarter, regardless of the score, and more occurred to me after listening to a candid quarterback Tom Brady discuss the subject on Boston's WEEI radio.

Intimidation! OK, it's not a pretty concept. But intimidation is at the heart of the NFL game, a factor in every matchup—team vs. team or one on one. Right now every talking head is making the case that the Patriots are unbeatable, quite possibly the best team in NFL history. That works to the Pats' advantage. They do not want to take their feet off the opposition's throats. They don't want to give future opponents even a glimpse of vulnerability.

Brady says a loss can be more than a loss. He notes that two seasons ago, when the Indianapolis Colts went 13-0 before losing to the San Diego Chargers, the Pittsburgh Steelers used a game plan similar to the Chargers' to whip the Colts in the playoffs. That's how, Brady says, one loss can turn into two losses.

The extraordinary chemistry and communication between a great quarterback and a great receiver—Montana and Rice, Manning and Harrison—is not accidental or telepathic. It is developed in long hours of hard work on and off the field. As Brady explains it, he has had only 10 games to work with his three new wideouts, Randy Moss, Wes Welker and Donte Stallworth. It may not seem as if there is any room for improvement in the Patriots offense, but Brady believes that the more they work and play together, the better the chances they will click in the future.