Around The Bend December 10, 2012

Supreme Court Hearing on Gay Marriage

The Supreme Court is hearing arguments from both sides of the gay marriage debate, as appeals over both DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act) and California's Prop. 8 ban on gay marriage took center stage. An elderly New Yorker sued against the Federal Government's 1996 DOMA law, saying that it violated her right to have her same sex marriage recognized and validated. It also stipulates that only partners in opposite sex marriages can receive federal benefits, and same sex partners are barred from this. In the meantime, the National Organization for Marriage suggested that the Court's willingness to take on California's Prop. 8 indicates the Court's desire to reinstate the law. The Supreme Court will be taking on both cases, and either or both cases could prove to be landmark decisions on this divisive issue. Advocates on both sides of the debate seemed optimistic about the court siding with them.

http://news.yahoo.com/supreme-court-both-sides-gay-marriage-debate-voice-011227265.html


Up On The Hill

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of (Republican from Kentucky) wound up doing something quite rare on the floor of Congress - filibustering his own proposal. He was forced to, when a political risk apparently backfired. The Republican was not counting on a straight up vote in the Senate. Yet, when Democrats met and, after a few hours, decided that McConnell's request for a vote on a proposal of giving the President more power by essentially giving the President the power to raise the debt ceiling, but allowing Congress to veto if it came down to it, should stand for a straight up vote on the floor. McConnell had to object to what he himself had proposed, being rather taken by surprise, evidently, and forced into a very awkward situation.

http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2012/12/07/McConnell-filibusters-own-proposal/UPI-24531354905388/


Crist Switches Parties

Former Republican governor of Florida has officially joined the Democratic party. The move was anticipated for some time, but he made it official last week. He had been making a run as an independent for Senate, but now has sought the backing and name recognition of the Democrats.





Around the World



Middle East

Syria - The tide seems to have turned against President Bashad Assar and government forces loyal to the regime. Commanders of rebel forces have elected a 30-member leadership council as well as a chief of staff, while rebel forces themselves are closing in on Damascus, the war-torn nation's capital city. One group that was excluded was Jabhat al-Nusra, who were influenced by al-Qaeda, as the rebels want to remain friendly with Western nations, and figured that this group would frighten potential allies away. Even some allies of the old regime, such as Russia, have hinted that the odds are not good for Assar and his forces to hold power for very much longer.

Egypt - President Morrissey reversed his own policies and nullified the controversial decree that had triggered so many violent protests in Egypt, a nation that has seen quite a few such protests in the last couple of years or so.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-egypt-morsi-20121208,0,2184653.story


Europe

Serbia - In a very bizarre story, the Serbian ambassador for NATO, Branislav Milinkovic, has taken his own life. He was evidently chatting with colleagues in a parking garage at the airport in Brussels, Belgium, when he suddenly just walked away, climbed over the barrier at the edge, and leaped to his death. He was dead by the time that his colleagues reached him.

http://news.yahoo.com/officials-serbias-nato-ambassador-leaps-death-093459101.html


United Kingdom - There was a widely publicized hoax that had two Australian radio dj's cal the hospital where Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, was being held. The nurse had apparently been convinced by the dj's, who had pretended to be the Queen herself. The nurse who answered was found dead, evidently of mysterious circumstances. Jacintha Saldhanha, aged 46, was found dead at the same King Edward VII hospital in London where Kate Middleton was being held.

http://news.yahoo.com/nurse-died-kate-hoax-call-india-112732051.html



Latin America & Caribbean

Brazil - Famed architect Oscar Niemeyer (1907-2012) has died. Niemeyer helped to design much of Brazil's planned capital, Brasilia, which is located in the center of the nation, and was built on what was largely empty land, far from much of everything else in the nation. Quite a bit of the capital city was based on Niemeyer's vision for it. He also helped to design much of the United Nations building in New York City, and was one of the most highly regarded of Latin American architects. He was 104 years old.



Asia


Philippines - A very powerful typhoon has struck this island nation, leaving over six hundred dead, hundreds of others missing (as of the time I am writing this), and forced over one hundred thousand people to flee their homes for safety.  Many roads are blocked, and communications systems have been damaged, complicating  recovery efforts there.

Japan - A powerful earthquake hit this nation again, in the same region most affected by last year's earthquake and tsunami, although fears of another major tsunami like that one that hit this island nation early last year were allayed. The primary earthquake registered 7.3 on the richter scale, and hit early on Friday evening. A tsunami warning had been issued for the coast shortly after the earthquake, as there were warnings of waves of up to 2.2 metres high, although these projections were later lifted.

Africa

 
South Africa - Ex-President and legendary anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela has been hospitalized in Pretoria, said curent President Jacob Zuma. He will be undergo tests to determine his present health conditions.

Ghana - Citing technical glitches during the day of election, this nation's government announced a second day of voting. The questions rising from these debacles with this particular election have put into question Ghana's traditional reputation as a beacon of democracy in a region that has been hit hard by violence and turmoil.

http://news.yahoo.com/election-underscores-ghanas-democratic-reputation-190326024.html


The United Nations

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-20653018
 


Sports


France Ligue 1

In French soccer on Sunday, Lyon managed to get the top spot in the league by defeating St. Etienne, 1-0. That gave them a five point cushion over star-studded Paris St. Germain, who had started the season off hot, but have since been struggling, although PSG  won easily on Sunday, 4-0 over Evian Thonon Gaillard. Olympique Marseille were shocked at home, 3-0, by Lorient. Lyon has 34 points thus far, good enough for first place, while OM and PSG are tied for second with 29 points each.

NFL

The biggest news by far in the league was the tragedy in Dallas, where Cowboys nose tackle Joshua Brent has been charged with vehicular manslaughter after a car accident while he was driving while intoxicated cost  Cowboys practice squad linebacker Jerry Brown his life. It was the second tragedy in one week's timespan in the NFL, and has many up in arms, wanting the league to do something. RIP, Jerry Brown. 

The Cowboys played with that shadow of tragedy hanging over them. They seemed destined for a loss against the Bengals, who had outplayed Dallas through most of the game, and held a decent, 19-10 lead in the game. But the Cowboys mounted an impressive comeback to win, edging the Bengals, 20-19, keeping their hopes of the playoffs, and possibly an NFC East division title, alive. 

This was a good week to be in the NFC East, as every team in the division won. Washington also came from behind to defeat the usually tough Baltimore Ravens, who dropped a second game in a row, and suddenly look vulnerable, having seemed a sure bet for the second seed two weeks ago, and now being in the fourth seeded position for the AFC. The Eagles also managed to break their eight game loisng streak by beating the Bucs in Tampa, 23-21. 

The Giants hung onto their narrow lead in the division, by beating the team that seemed to always beat them. Not only did the Giants beat the Saints, but they did to the Saints what the Saints had done to the Giants in prior meetings with Brees as quarterback. The Saints usually scored near fifty, and held the Giants to the twenties in those meetings, but the G-Men turned the table, winning 52-27. A big win for the Giants, who managed to score more than fifty points for the first time since the 1986 season, when they won their first ever Super Bowl. Not sure what's more depressing, if they had not reached this milestone since then, or that I am old enough to say I can actually remember that game! 

Sure, the NFC East is tight, as it always seems to be, but it seemed that, until recently, other teams were making it easy for themselves. Like, say, the Bears, who a few weeks ago, were 7-1, and nipping on the heels of the Atlanta Falcons for the top spot in the NFC. But the Bears lost their fourth game in a five game stretch, this time to their division rivals, the Minnesota Vikings, and really look like they are reeling. The division title seemed almost a sure thing when they were 7-1. Now, the playoffs seem to be slipping away, unless they can do something to reverse this trend in a hurry, because time is running out. In the meantime, the Packers took sole possession of first place in the NFC North, for the first time this season, with a win over the Lions in snowy Lambeau Field. 

In the NFC South, the 11-1 Falcons, who have looked very impressive, seemed to show the pitfalls of such a fast start, as they lost to the Panthers in Carolina, in one of the biggest surprises of the day. They were pretty much dominated throughout. The Saints and Bucs also lost, and Atlanta looks like they will be the only representative for the playoffs in this division. 

The NFC West has some very impressive teams at the moment, as well. The Rams had a big comeback to pull off a huge win at Buffalo, while the 49ers held off the Miami Dolphins. In the only divisional game for the NFC West today, the Seahawks handed the Cardinals their ninth straight loss, which gives Arizona the longest streak in the league all by themselves. This was done in record fashion, as Seattle destroyed the Cardinals in every way a team can be destroyed, 58-0, in Seattle. 

In the AFC, I already mentioned the Ravens and Bengals losing, but the Steelers also lost, getting shocked at home by San Diego. Their season is in serious jeopardy of spiraling out of control, as they head to Dallas next week. The only team in the AFC North doing well at the moment would be the Cleveland Browns, who  dominated Kansas City for their third straight win. 

The Broncos won again, beating Oakland on Thursday night. They will definitely be watching the big match up between the current top two seeds in the AFC on Monday Night Football, as the Patriots host the Texans, in what will be a big test for both. The Jets held off the Jaguars to keep New York's slim playoff hopes alive, while the Colts mounted yet another comeback, engineered by star rookie quarterback Andrew Luck. The Colts had been dominated for most of the day by their division rival Titans, but they came back to post a huge victory. Given the struggles of some of the other AFC playoff contenders recently, the Colts chances to qualify for the postseason looks very good at the moment. With a little Luck on their side this season, the Colts have completely turned it around from last year's 2-14 mark (sorry, I had to do it). 


NBA

The New York Knicks stunned the defending NBA champions, the Miami Heat, in their big showdown for first place in the East. Sure, it's still the early going for the season, but the Knicks, who have perenially had among the highest pay rolls in the league, seem to be living up to their billing. Not only did they win convincingly, as they hit eighteen three-pointers on the road at Miami en route to a 112-92 victory. The Knicks record now stands at 14-4, best in the East.

In the meantime, perennial Western favorites, the Los Angeles Lakers, who were widely considered to be a "dream team" of sorts after some major offseason moves, continue to struggle this season. In a showdown with the Oklahoma City Thunder, who knocked the Lakers off in last season's playoffs, the Lakers fell behind early, and were unable to mount a complete comeback, losing 114-108. Despite some incredibly  high expectations heading into the season, the Lakers record stands at 9-11 after twenty games, with  approximately one quarter of the season done with.

Boxing

The much anticipated fourth chapter between superstar champion boxer Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez ended very abruptly right at the end of the sixth round late on Saturday night. Pacquiao was coming in with a right hand seconds before the bell sounded to end the round, when Marquez caught him with an incredibly hard right that put Pacman to the mat, and he was unable to beat the count. In fact, he was knocked out cold and remained down for several seconds, and was apparently not moving for quite a few seconds. At the time that the fight was ended, evidently all of the judges had Pacquiao up 47-46. This was most likely the final meeting between these two, in what has been an incredible and tense rivalry, although they seem to friendly with one another outside the ring. 

Evidently, Mitt Romney not only attended the fight, but even gave the Pacman a pep talk just before the fight. I wonder, in retrospect, if perhaps it was unwise of Manny to hear Mitt out, since Mitt lost the election after being so absolutely certain of victory, to the point that he was boasting about it. Pacquiao was expected by many to win, and he surely expected to win, as well. Maybe Romney's luck spread to the Pacman? 

To be fair, Pacquiao actually had a brilliant strategy, and was working it almost to perfection. Almost. But he was caught with a couple of right hands, and that obviously included the final one that stopped the fight by dropping Manny face first to the mat. He looked out of it after that. It was just an unbelievable right by Marquez, one of the hardest hits that I've seen in that weight category. Unfortunately for the Pacman, this probably shatters that illusion of invincibility that he had enjoyed for quite a long time. True, this was his second loss in a row, technically. Yet, that last fight, many people feel that he had been robbed. In this one, Marquez left no doubt who the winner was. What a stunner! 

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/boxing-pacquiao-gets-romney-pep-talk-marquez-bout-035840752--box.html