RAHUL SINGH – FOUNDER OF GLOBAL MEDIC

A shining example of this selfless effort is Rahul Singh, a paramedic from Toronto, who founded GlobalMedic in 1998, providing disaster relief in the immediate aftermath of catastrophes using volunteer professional emergency workers. Singh and his group of volunteers wasted no time in arriving in Port-au-Prince and setting about providing clean drinking water and medical aid wherever it was needed. Over an eight-week period, his team distributed 2.4 million gal. of clean water, while GlobalMedic’s two inflatable field hospitals brought medical assistance to more than 7,000 people. They also trained a local team of Haitians to take over the work, and right now that is just what they are doing. By providing these three essentials: medical aid, water and training, they have left a lasting contribution to a grateful Haitian population.

Rahul Singh founded the David McAntony Gibson Foundation (DMGF) in 1998 to honour the memory of his best friend who tragically lost his life on February 7, 1998. In just 10 years, Singh’s tireless efforts have resulted in a globally recognized, innovative and efficient organization. He has also personally led over 25 GlobalMedic missions around the world and is the charity’s Executive Director.

Singh has been a professional emergency worker since 1988. Currently he serves the citizens of Toronto as a frontline Paramedic. Combining a passion for humanitarian assistance from a frontline emergency perspective, Singh created GlobalMedic’s unique operational mandate of providing disaster relief in the immediate aftermath of a catastrophe with professional emergency workers. Singh has received the Indo-Canadian Commerce’s 2006 Humanitarian of the Year Award and received multiple letters of commendation from the likes of former Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin, Grenadian Prime Minister Keith Mitchell, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty, Toronto Mayor David Miller, and Federal Member of Parliament Jim Karygiannis. Singh has also won the James Allen Award from Toronto EMS in 2004 and an award from the Toronto Paramedic Association for Humanitarian Efforts in 2005.

Disaster zones to which GlobalMedic has deployed or delivered aid:

EARTHQUAKES

• Haiti 2010
• Indonesia 2009
• Pakistan – November 2008
• China – May 2008
• Indonesia – March 2007
• Peru – August 2007
• Indonesia – September 2007
• Indonesia – May 2006
• Pakistan – November 2005
• Iran – February 2004

FLOODS

• Brazil – November 2008
• Guatemala – November 2008
• Honduras – November 2008
• Mexico – November 2007
• Kenya – September 2007
• Bangladesh – August 2007
• Sudan – August 2007
• Pakistan – July 2007
• Indonesia – February 2007
• Somalia – February 2007
• Somalia – December 2006
• Guyana – January 2005

CYCLONES

• Myanmar – Cyclone Nargis – May 2008
• Bangladesh – Cyclone Sidr – November 2007 Hurricanes
• Haiti – Hurricane Ike – September 2008
• Dominican Rep. – Hurricane Noel – November 2007
• Guatemala – Hurricane Stan – October 2005
• Grenada – Hurricane Ivan – September 2004

TSUNAMI

• Solomon Islands – April 2007
• Sri Lanka – Boxing Day Tsunami – December 2004

TYPHOON

• Philippines – Typhoon Ketsana – September 2009
• Philippines – Typhoon Durian – September 2006

CONFLICT/COMPLEX EMERGENCY

• Pakistan 2009
• SriLanka 2009
• Gaza – January 2009
• DR Congo – November 2008
• Sri Lanka – March 2007
• Lebanon – September 2006

EPIDEMIC

• Zimbabwe – Cholera Outbreak – December 2008

LANDSLIDES

• Philippines – February 2006

Checkout the Collection of ASCII Art and Pictures of Rahul Singh from the below link. Download the file and extract it to your PC. To view the ASCII Art that has been stored in the Notepad Text File, Open the text file in Notepad. Then Go to Format and Uncheck WordWrap, then In Format Go to Font and Change the Font to Lucida Console and Set the Font Size to 3 or 4 Pt. Now you could be able to see the ASCII Art. Maximize the window to view in full extent. ENJOY ! !

http://www.4shared.com/file/hhVHygnH/Rahul_Singh.html

MALALAI JOYA – THE BRAVEST AFGHAN WOMAN

Malalai Joya (born April 25, 1978) is an Afghan politician who has been called “the bravest woman in Afghanistan.” As an elected member of the Wolesi Jirga from Farah province, she has publicly denounced the presence of what she considers warlords and war criminals in the parliament. She is an outspoken critic of both the Taliban as well as the present Afghan government of Karzai and its western supporters.

In May 2007, Joya was suspended from the parliament on the grounds that she had insulted fellow representatives in a television interview. Her suspension, which is currently being appealed, has generated protest internationally and appeals for her reinstatement have been signed by high profile writers, intellectuals such as Naomi Klein and Noam Chomsky, and politicians including Members of Parliament from Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy and Spain. Joya has been compared to the symbol of Burma’s democracy movement, Aung San Suu Kyi. TIME magazine named Malalai Joya to the 2010 TIME 100, the magazine’s annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Joya has written a memoir with Canadian writer Derrick O’Keefe, under the title of “Raising My Voice”. Her most memorable quote is: “It is time for the women of Afghanistan to be unveiled, and for Afghanistan to rise again and be the great nation we remember it to be.” To be a woman growing up in Afghanistan under the Taliban and to survive is in itself a major feat. To be so lucky as to become literate in a place where girls are shrouded and denied even fresh air is close to a miracle. To start underground schools and educate girls under the noses of turbaned, self-appointed defenders of virtue and forbidders of vice is truly extraordinary.

But to get a seat in parliament and refuse to be silent in the face of the Taliban and warlord zealots shows true fiber. When Malalai Joya did this, her opponents responded in the usual way: expulsion from parliament, warnings, intimidation and attempts to cut her life short. She has survived all of it. Malalai, 31, is a leader. I hope in time she comes to see the U.S. and NATO forces in her country as her allies. She must use her notoriety, her demonstrated wit and her resilience to get the troops on her side instead of out of her country. The road to freedom is long and arduous and needs every hand.

AWARDS & HONORS

• January 2004, The Cultural Union of Afghans in Europe, awarded her the “Malalai of Maiwand” award for her brave speech in the Loya Jirga.
• December 2004, the Valle d’Aosta Province of Italy awarded her the International Women of the Year 2004 Award.
• March 15, 2006, Mr. Tom Bates, Mayor of Berkeley presented a certificate of honor to her for “her continued work on behalf of human rights”.
• March 2006, she got the “Gwangju Award for Human Rights 2006” from May 18th Foundation in South Korea.
• Aug.2006, the Women’s Peacepower Foundation awarded Joya “Women of Peace award 2006”.
• She was named among the “1000 Women for the Nobel Peace Prize 2005”
• The World Economic Forum selected Joya among 250 Young Global Leaders for 2007.
• 2007 Golden Fleur-de-Lis (Giglio d’Oro) award given by Town Council of Toscana Region of Italy (July 23, 2007).
• September 11, 2007, The European Parliament named Joya among five nominees for Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought 2007.
• October 6, 2007, Commune of Viareggio city of Italy awarded her the Mare Nostrum Award.
• October 9, 2007, Commune of the Provincia di Arezzo, Comune di Bucine and Comune di Supino in Italy present Honorary citizenships to her.
• November 2007, The 14th Angel Award by The Angel Festival, CA, USA.
• February 11, 2008, Malalai Joya and the documentary “Enemies of Happiness” was honoured with the “International Human Rights Film Award” by Amnesty International, Cinema for Peace and Human Rights Film Network. The award was given to her by two times academy award winning actress Hilary Swank.
• October 6, 2008, Malalai Joya received the Anna Politkovskaya Award in London which is given to courageous women who have defended human rights.
• October 21, 2008, Regional Council of Tuscany (Italy) presented Malalai Joya a Gold Medal.
• October 30, 2008, Spanish organization, Spanish Committee for the Assistance to the Refugees (CEAR), announce Malalai Joya and Kurdish activist Leyla Zana winner of 2008 Juan Maria Bandres award for Human Rights and solidarity with the refugees.
• March 28, 2009, International Anti-discrimination Award 2009 by Dutch Unity is Strength Foundation, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
• November 8, 2009, US Member of Congress Barbara Lee Honors Malalai Joya.
• April 29, 2010, named to the 2010 TIME 100, the magazine’s annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world, although she is angry at how she was portrayed as in favor of the NATO and U.S. occupation.
• June 23, 2010, Spanish daily El Mundo awards Yo Dona International award of “premio a la Labor Humanitaria” to Malalai in Madrid.
  

FILMS

• Malalai Joya champions rape victims, 2008, by Glyn Strong.
• Enemies of Happiness, 2006, directed by Eva Mulvad.
• A Woman Among Warlords (2007). Directed by Eva Mulvad. Aired on the Wide Angle TV series in September 2007.
• Afghanistan Unveiled 2004, by Nicolas Delloye, Aina Productions.

Checkout the Collection of ASCII Art and Pictures of Malalai Joya from the below link. Download the file and extract it to your PC. To view the ASCII Art that has been stored in the Notepad Text File, Open the text file in Notepad. Then Go to Format and Uncheck WordWrap, then In Format Go to Font and Change the Font to Lucida Console and Set the Font Size to 3 or 4 Pt. Now you could be able to see the ASCII Art. Maximize the window to view in full extent. ENJOY ! !

http://www.4shared.com/file/-fwHZa9h/Malalai_Joya.html

AVRIL LAVIGNE – THE CANADIAN POP PUNK SINGER

Avril Lavigne (full name Avril Lavigne Whibley) was born on September 27, 1984 in Belleville, Ontar io, Canada. She is a Canadian pop punk singer/songwriter and actress who is well known for her “skater punk” persona. Her two albums to date, Let Go (2002) and Under My Skin (2004), have topped the charts in numerous countries. Although her name is of French origin, she herself does not speak French and her name is pronounced in an anglicized way, more or less as “La-veen”. Her first name, Avril, means “April” in French and is pronounced “Av-reel” (anglicized “Ahv-ril”).

Born in Belleville, Ontario to conservative Franco-Ontarian Christian parents John and Judy Lavigne, Avril Lavigne grew up in Napanee; having moved there at the age of five. It was in Napanee that she sang country music and in a church choir and taught herself to play guitar.

She was discovered by her first professional manager, Cliff Fabri, while singing country covers at a Chapters bookstore in Kingston, Ontario. During a performance with the Lennox Community Theatre, Avril was spotted by Steve Medd, a local folksinger, who invited her to perform vocals on his song Touch The Sky for his 1999 album Quinte Spirit. Suitably impressed, he invited her back to perform vocals on Temple Of Life and Two Rivers for his followup album, My Window To You in 2000.

By the age of sixteen, Avril Lavigne was signed by Ken Krongard, the artists-and-repertoire (A&R) representative of Arista Records, who invited his boss, Arista head Antonio “L.A.” Reid, to hear her sing in a New York City studio. She then completed work on her first album. Apparently, early attempts to co-write songs for her failed to meet her approval; and Lavigne eventually moved to Los Angeles, California, and co-wrote her album with Clif Magness and the songwriting team The Matrix, whose previous work included songs for Sheena Easton and Christina Aguilera.

She described her first album, Let Go, as a pop album with “a couple of rock songs on it”, and has indicated a desire to write more rock-oriented songs in the future. It was released by Arista on June 4, 2002 in the United States, reaching number two there and number one in Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom (making Lavigne the youngest female solo act ever at the time to have a number-one album in the UK).

It was certified four times platinum less than six months later by the RIAA, and had sold fifteen million copies worldwide as of December 2004. Four singles from the album were released, all of them hits. “Complicated” went to number one in Australia while reaching number two on the U.S. Hot 100, and was also one of the best-selling Canadian singles of 2002. “Sk8er Boi” reached the top ten in the U.S. and Australia and number one in Canada, “I’m With You” reached the top five in the U.S., while “Losing Grip” reached number one in Canada, the top ten in Taiwan, and the top twenty in Chile.

The media have often compared Lavigne to Alanis Morissette (one of her favourite artists alongside Coldplay and The Goo Goo Dolls), who is also Canadian, as well as singer-songwriters such as Vanessa Carlton and Michelle Branch, who emerged at about the same time and were popularly credited, with Lavigne, as part of a trend towards more genuine creativity in the teen pop-music market. She was named “Best New Artist” at the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards, won four Juno Awards in 2003 (out of six nominations), a World Music Award for World’s Best-Selling Canadian Singer, and was nominated for eight Grammy Awards. 2004 “the present Lavigne’s second album, Under My Skin, was released on May 25, 2004 in the U.S. and went to number one in several countries, including the UK, USA, Canada, and Australia.

She wrote most of the album with Canadian singer-songwriter Chantal Kreviazuk, though some tracks were co-written by Lavigne and Ben Moody (formerly of Evanescence), Butch Walker of Marvelous 3, and the rest with her former lead guitarist Evan Taubenfeld. Raine Maida of Our Lady Peace Kreviazuk’s husband, co-produced the album with Butch Walker and Don Gilmore. Lead single “Don’t Tell Me” went to number one in Argentina, top five in the U.K. and Canada, and top ten in Australia and Brasil. “My Happy Ending” reached the top ten in the U.S., and was her third biggest hit to date there, but third single “Nobody’s Home” did not make the top forty.

The final single from the album, “He Wasn’t”, reached number one in Canada, making the song her eighth number-one release since “Complicated”, but failed to make the UK top twenty and was not released in the U.S. Lavigne won two World Music Awards in 2004 for World’s Best Pop/Rock Artist and World’s Best Selling Canadian Artist. She received five Juno Award nominations in 2005, picking up three including, Fan Choice Award, Artist of the Year and Pop Album of the Year. She also won the award for Favourite Female Singer at the eighteenth Annual Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards. Lavigne co-wrote a song, “Breakaway”, which was recorded by Kelly Clarkson for the soundtrack to the film The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004) and was later included on Clarkson’s second album, Breakaway, being released as the album’s first single. It went on to peak at #6 in the US and provided Clarkson with a substantial hit. One source reports that Lavigne will release a new album some time in the spring of 2006.

In January 2006, Avril Lavigne signed a contract with Ford Models. Avril Lavigne is appearing on the February edition of Harpers Bazaar Fashion Magazine with a new look. Avril Lavigne will sing at the closing ceremony of the 2006 Winter Olympics (Turin, Italy) for the eight minutes of the Vancouver 2010 portion. Her third album is supposed to be released during the middle of 2006. It should include collaborations with Chantal Kreviazuk and her husband, Our Lady Peace front man Raine Maida, who have also worked on 2004’s ‘Under My Skin’ Lavigne’s current band consists of the following: Devin Bronson (lead guitar), Craig Wood (rhythm guitar), Charlie Moniz (bass) and Matt Brann (drums).

Departed members from Lavigne’s band consist of the following: Evan Taubenfeld (lead guitar, 2002 2004), Mark Spicoluk (bass, 2002) and Jesse Colburn (rhythm guitar, 2002 2003). In 2003, it was reported that Lavigne was romantically involved with Colburn. Lavigne is engaged to be married to Deryck Whibley of the pop punk band Sum 41, and Mark Spicoluk was a former member of that band. She formerly traveled with a bag full of about thirty neck ties. Some of them she bought, and the rest of them she took from her father and some were sent to her by fanmail. Avril Lavigne stopped wearing neckties completely in 2003, as she was horrified at the constant media references to them overshadowing her music and that she was starting a fashion trend amongst her fans.

She has a star tattooed on the inside of her left wrist, applied at the same time as friend and musical associate Ben Moody’s identical tattoo. In late 2004, Avril Lavigne had a small pink heart-shaped tattoo featuring the letter ‘D’ applied to her right wrist ” thought to be a reference to fiance Deryck Whibley. Avril Lavigne has also bought a house with him in Beverly Hills. In March 2004, she became involved in a celebrity feud with Hilary Duff: Duff reportedly criticized Lavigne after she apparently got mad at her fans for dressing like her. Duff called her “mean-spirited” and said: “You should be happy that these people like you and look up to you.” During an interview for a Boston radio station, Avril Lavigne then said that Duff was a “mommy’s girl” and a “goody two-shoes”.

Avril Lavigne then said to Duff (who was not present during that interview), “You can go screw yourself”. Reportedly, Lavigne also said about Duff, “I’m sure she’s really nice and sweet. I’m sure she’s all smiles.” During that same interview, she spotted a picture of herself and ripped it up, allegedly saying, “I hate that fucking photo!” All this happened while on air. According to Lavigne, she had permission to take the picture down ” station personnel encouraged her to take it down. Avril Lavigne has admitted to Rollingstone.com that she got into some fights one night. “The other night, I got into three fights”, says Lavigne. “I was at a club and some girl was giving me attitude. Avril Lavigne pushed me and I got her down on the floor. Security came, and because I was on top, they threw me out.” A profile of Lavigne in The Washington Post found that, in the flesh, her personality did not reflect her marketing, and instead found her to be, if anything, something of a wide-eyed innocent, citing her intending to purchase her first Ramones CD. In another interview, she listed her current listening tastes as including blink-182, Sum 41, Green Day and System of a Down.

Avril Lavigne is a vegetarian. Some members of the old school, hardcore punk community have an intense dislike for Lavigne and her style of music, which they believe waters down what punk is really all about. Comments Avril Lavigne has made, showing a lack of knowledge/interest in the seventies punk movement and the luminaries of that movement (Avril Lavigne once admitted to not ever having heard of the Sex Pistols), has led some to label her a poser. However, Avril Lavigne has consistently stated that her music is not punk rock and that she does not believe she is punk. Although it’s constantly debated whether or not Avril Lavigne is punk, there have been several (and more recent) occasions where she has stated “I’m not punk, that’s a whole other world. If anything I’m more rock or pop.” Avril Lavigne has made it to the list of FHM 100 Sexiest Women in the World for three consecutive years, from 2003 to 2005. She was also included in Maxim Hot 100 for 2003 and 2005 at 92nd and 36th spots respectively.

DISCOGRAPHY

• Let Go-2002
• Under My Skin-2004
• The Best Damn Thing-2007

AVRIL LAVIGNE DATES

• Jesse Colburn (2002 – 2003)
• Deryck Whibley (2004 – now)
  

Checkout the Collection of ASCII Art, Wallpapers and Pictures of Avril Lavigne from the below link. Download the file and extract it to your PC. To view the ASCII Art that has been stored in the Notepad Text File, Open the text file in Notepad. Then Go to Format and Uncheck WordWrap, then In Format Go to Font and Change the Font to Lucida Console and Set the Font Size to 3 or 4 Pt. Now you could be able to see the ASCII Art. Maximize the window to view in full extent. ENJOY ! !

http://www.4shared.com/file/997huTgq/Avril_Lavigne.html

JUSTIN BIEBER – THE YOUNG CANADIAN POP STAR

Justin Drew Bieber (born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian pop/R&B singer. He began his professional career on YouTube, where he was discovered by his future manager, Scooter Braun. Braun flew Bieber to Atlanta, Georgia, to consult with Usher and soon signed a record deal with Island.The first part of his two-part debut album My World was released on November 17, 2009. Four successful pre-album singles have been released: “One Time”, “One Less Lonely Girl”, “Love Me”, and “Favorite Girl”, which were Top 15 hits on the Canadian Hot 100 and Top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. This accomplishment made Bieber the only solo artist in Billboard history to have four singles from a debut album chart in the Top 40 of the Hot 100 before the album’s release. The album received positive reviews from critics, and debuted at #6 on the U.S. Billboard 200, selling 137,000 copies in its first week, which was the second best opening release for a new artist in 2009. It also debuted at #1 on the Canadian Albums Chart. As of the fifth week, the album has sold over 522,000 copies in the United States, and has been certified Platinum in Canada. Part II of My World is currently set for a March 2010 release.The craziest gift from a fan that he received was a rubber golf club. Bought a Macbook Pro with his own money and it was one of his biggest purchases. He likes the show “Smallville”. He started out by posting youtube videos in 2007. His debut album was “My World”. His mom, Pattie Mallette, travels with him all the time. He likes to play video games. He has a signature hair style. He met Celine Dion at a New York Knicks basketball game. She approached him and said my son loves your songs. He plays guitar at many of his concerts. He has performed with Rihanna at the Super Bowl Weekend concert in Miami. He likes to play hockey and basketball. He recorded a few songs with fellow singer Sean Kingston. He has one day a week where he just relaxes. He recorded “We Are The World” for Haiti. He got the opening verse which was previously sung by Lionel Richie. His dad still lives in Canada. He wrote the song “Down To Earth” about his parents’ divorce. The executive producer of his first record, My World was LA Reid. He has a twitter which he updates daily.He is good friends with Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez.
Checkout the ASCII Art of Justin Bieber in the below link. Download the text file. Open it with Notepad. Please use Lucida Console font to view the art in Notepad. Before that in Notepad go to Format and Uncheck the Word Warp and then Go to Font and Reduce the Font Size to 3 to 4 pt. Use only Lucida Console Font.


http://www.4shared.com/document/bGarRZ61/Justin_Bieber_1.html

http://www.4shared.com/document/Xt2f98xk/Justin_Bieber_2.html

KAKA – THE BRAZILIAN MIDFIELDER

Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite (born April 22, 1982 in Brasília, Brazil), simply known as Kaká, is a Brazilian footballer who plays as a midfielder for Brazil and the Serie A club A.C. Milan. He is one of the budding young stars in world football.

FAMILY

Kaká’s younger brother Rodrigo Izecson Dos Santos Leite, known as Digão, followed in his brother’s footsteps and is currently on loan with Serie B team Rimini, after having spent some time in the AC Milan youth squad.

NICKNAME

The nickname Kaká, from his native Portuguese, is pronounced as it is spelt. The accent would signify that the stress is on the second syllable. In Italian, the language of his current team, the phonetic equivalent is written as Kakà, which is used for Italian television graphics. However, the player’s shirt name is spelt KAKA’ (with an apostrophe, rather than an accented ‘A’) for both Brazil and Milan.  An internet discussion forum explains the nickname as a commonly used shortened form of “Ricardo” in Portuguese. Kaká is supposed to have got his nickname because his little brother Rodrigo could not pronounce the word “Ricardo” when they were young. Rodrigo called his older brother “Caca\ Kaká suffered an accident when he made a faulty jump off a diving-board, resulting in a vertebra fracture. This could have meant the end of his football career, but he believes that Jesus allowed him to recover and become the successful footballer he is now. When AC Milan won the Serie A title in 2004, Ricky, as he is called by his team-mates, sported a shirt with an “I Belong to Jesus” slogan. He also points his fingers to the sky as a sign of thanks every time he scores, for apparently the same reason.

MARRIAGE

Kaká married Caroline Celico on 23 December 2005 at the evangelical Reborn in Christ Church in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in a wedding attended by fellow players from his national team, as well as other well known international players. Guests included Ronaldo, Adriano, Cafu, Dida, Julio Baptista and Brazilian national coach Carlos Alberto Parreira. Caroline and Kaká first met in 2002, and started dating soon after. The relationship survived Kaká’s move from Sao Paulo to Italy in 2003, while Caroline was still at school. It is likely that Caroline will stay in Brazil in the short-run, but the couple plan to live together in Italy very soon.

Checkout the ASCII Art of Kaka in the below link. Please use Lucida Console font to view the art in Notepad. Before that in Notepad go to Format and Uncheck the Word Warp and then Go to Font and Reduce the Font Size to 3 to 4 pt. Use only Lucida Console Font.

http://www.4shared.com/document/dvygl67D/Kaka_ASCII.html

KIM YU-NA – ICE ANGEL OF SOUTH KOREA

Kim Yu Na was born on September 5, 1990, in Bucheon, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. Kim Yuna began skating when she was seven. In 2003, at age 12, she became the youngest woman ever to win the senior title at the South Korean Figure Skating Championships. The sport was not popular in South Korea back then though.The Koreans only started to pay serious attention to the young star after Kim won the silver medal at the 2005 Junior Grand Prix Final, the country’s first ever medal in an international figure skating championship.

Kim made her senior international debut at 2006 Skate Canada where she won a bronze medal. She continued to excel in various competitions and won the gold at the 2006/2007 Grand Prix Final in Russia. Kim claimed the world records in 2007 for both the short and long programs under the new ISU scoring system. She only managed a bronze at the 2007 World Championships in Japan though, while successfully defended her title at the 2007/2008 Grand Prix Final in Italy.

Kim again won the bronze medal at the 2008 World Championship in Sweden despite competing with a back injury. She got silver in the 2008/2009 Grand Prix Final in South Korea. Kim’s dominance began to surface in 2009 with a new world record in short program at the 4CC. She set another new record in short programs and overall score enroute to her gold medal at the 2009 World Championship in USA. She was the first female skater to surpass 200 points under the new ISU judging system.

Kim continued to break record after record and won her third Grand Prix Final title in Japan for the 2009/2010 season. Kim broke the world record again with a total of total of 228.56 points, en-route to winning the gold medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

Kim is a huge celebrity in South Korea, appearing in various commercials e.g. for Nike, Kookmin Bank, Hyundai Motors, Hauzen (profile pic) and Anycall etc. She is also appointed as an ambassador for the 2010-2012 Visit Korea Year.

Kim’s official sponsors are Kookmin Bank, Nike, Korean Air and Hyundai Motor Company. Her other endorsements include Anycall (mobile phone), Hauzen (air conditioner), Lac Vert (cosmetics), Maeil Dairies Co.Ltd (Dairy products), Saffron (fabric softener) and J. Estina (Jewelry). Her skating music and other favorites were compiled in the album Yuna Kim – Fairy On ICE – Skating Music (Universal Music Korea, 2008).

Kim has appeared on multiple commercials in South Korea. She sings in some commercials and also sang in T.V. specials. Her commercial for a new touchscreen haptic phone from Samsung Electronics, dubbed as Yuna’s Haptic (SPH-W7700), debuted in South Korea on May 24, 2009. In the commercial, she plays a rock singer, a teenager, and a writer to show off various features of the phone. Samsung Electronics has sold over one million devices in a record seven months.

DONATIONS

Kim has been a generous donor. She has donated more than 2 billion won ($1.7 million) in the last 3 years. Kim has been supporting young figure skaters, as well as promising skaters since 2007. She has also been supporting patients suffering rare diseases and children in need. Below is part of a list of donations made by her.

• Jan 2007 – 12 million won scholarships to 6 young skaters after her first advertisement endorsement of Kookmin Bank.
• May 2007 – 10 million won scholarship to fellow skater Hyeon-Jung Kim after making a contract with LG Household & Health Care advertisement.
• Sep 2007 – 200 million won (100 million of her own + 100 million won additional contributions from Ivy Club) in form of school uniforms to low-income-family youths after making a contract with Ivy Club advertisement.
• Dec 2007 – 100 school uniforms (worth 20 million won) to youths damaged by Taean oil spill disaster.
• Apr 2008 – Visited to Everland with 800 children from Seoul Boys Town on Kookmin Bank Volunteer Day.
• May 2008 – 50 million won (in addition to contributions from Daishin Securities) to young skaters after giving a talk to public at Daishin Investment Forum 2008.
• May 2008 – 40 million won worth of one-year provision of Maeil Dairies Company products to low-income-family youths.
• May 2008 – Participated in the recording of a humanitarian song “I Love Asia” Project to help earthquake victims of Sichuan, China.
• Dec 2008 – 100 million won worth of school uniforms to low-income-family youths after renewing her advertisement contract with Ivy Club.
• Dec 2008 – Over 1,000 dolls, she received at Grand Prix Final, to juvenile cancer wards in hospitals in metropolitan Seoul area.
• Dec 2008 – 50 million won to young skaters at “Little Yuna’ Youth skaters support project” Campaign of Sports Toto Lottery Company.
• Dec 2008 – 144 million won, total amount of ticket earnings from the charity ice show “Angels on Ice 2008” to children with rare diseases and juvenile cancer patients.
• Apr 2009 – 100 million won worth of dairy products to low-income-family youths through the Seongname Welfare Center of World Vision.
• May 2009 – Visited Asan Hospital to inquire after juvenile cancer patients on Children’s Day.
• May 2009 – 100 million won and skate boots while participating in UNICEF Pigotta Doll Project to help children with immunization campaign.
• Dec 2009 – Her portrait rights for free to be included in the Christmas seals for tuberculosis eradication.
• Jan 2010 – 100 million won through UNICEF to Haiti relief.
• Apr 2010 – 40 million won fee for appearing in a radio campaign for the rights of the disabled to Korea Foundation for Persons with Disabilities.
• Apr 2010 – 50 million won, some part of earnings from Festa on Ice 2010, to ChunAhn-Häm (sunken Korean battleship) victims who passed away in the ship.

Checkout the ASCII Art of Kim Yu Na in the below link. Please use Lucida Console font to view the art in Notepad. Before that in Notepad go to Format and Uncheck the Word Warp and then Go to Font and Reduce the Font Size to 3 to 4 pt. Use only Lucida Console Font.

http://www.4shared.com/document/tiyGFNmZ/Kim_Yu_Na_1.html

http://www.4shared.com/document/MQVkxjhr/Kim_Yu_Na_2.html