Around the Bend December 17, 2012

Newtown, Connecticut

Obviously, the big news over  the weekend was the school shooting in the Sandy Hook section of Newtown, Connecticut. I have been writing about this myself the last couple of days.

Twenty people were killed by a lone gunner, who first killed his mom, who taught at the school, at their home, before going to the school and killing in cold blood twenty kids and six adults at the school.

The world is shocked, and many world leaders expressed sympathy with the families and friends of the victims.

President Obama visited Newtown on Sunday, while many Democrats seem to be getting more aggressive with pursuing some further gun control laws. Senator Lieberman, a former Democrat, is pursuing a ban on assault rifles.

In the meantime, gun rights cases loom for the US Supreme Court.

In what appears to be possibly a copycat kind of incident, a 60 year old Indiana man that owned 47 guns was arrested after making a threat against a local school, saying that he was going to "kill as many people as he could." For more information, here's a link to the article by the AP:

http://news.yahoo.com/ind-man-47-guns-arrested-school-threat-164928349.html


John F. Kerry Appears To be the Next Secretary of State

After Susan Rice dropped her own candidacy to be the next Secretary of State, US Senator, and former Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry apparently is President Obama's pick to be the next Secretary of State for his second term in office.




Best Cities in the World to Live:

If you want to live in one of the top five cities in the world to live in, it would certainly help if you know either German or English. Here is the list of the top 5 cities:

1. Vienna, Austria
2. Zurich, Switzerland
3. Auckland, New Zealand
4. Munich, Germany
5. Vancouver, Canada

Overall, Canadian cities faired far better than American cities as far as North America is concerned, with Vancouver at number five, Ottawa at fourteen, Toronto at fifteen, and Montreal at twenty-three. Honolulu was the top rated American city, placing at number twenty-eight.


http://finance.yahoo.com/news/the-world%E2%80%99s-best-places-to-live-153612169.html;_ylt=A2KLOzJN7M5Qo2UAoUXQtDMD

http://www.cnbc.com/id/100268473?__source=yahoo%7Cworldsbestplaces2012%7C&par=yahoo






Around the World



Middle East


Iraq - A car bomb exploded in the northern disputed area, killing five people.

Egypt - There is considerable division and distrust in Egypt at the moment, as a controversial draft constitution was voted on the referendum, which was rushed by President Morsi and the Islamists now in control. Preliminary results suggest that those in favor of the new constitution have won, and Islamists have claimed victory in this, the first round of voting.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/16/world/meast/egypt-referendum/index.html?hpt=wo_c2

Lebanon - There was a bomb blast in southern Lebanon, very near the Israeli border earlier today, the official Lebanese news agency reported.

Syria - The Vice-President has declared that both sides are losing in that nation's civil war, still raging right now.

http://news.yahoo.com/syrian-vice-president-both-sides-losing-war-220031659.html


Europe


United Kingdom - It is reported by Reuters that a higher energy bills have forced over 300,000 Britons into fuel poverty. Energy suppliers have allegedly been hit by higher costs, and this had to raise prices, which in turn hit many private customers in need of warmth to get through this winter.

http://news.yahoo.com/higher-energy-bills-push-300-000-more-britons-025207160.html

Italy - Former Prime Minister Berlusconi has vowed that he will run again for the nation's top position in the upcoming election.

European Union - The European Union has accepted the Nobel peace Prize that it was awarded earlier this year. Many felt that the award was overdue, but quite a few others felt it was hypocritical to give Europe the top prize for peace since, according to one of the detractors, Desmond Tutu, their policies still practice division and warfare. Quite a few critics have claimed that giving the EU the award is tantemount to Europe patting itself on the back, and lacking any humility.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/10/world/nobel-peace-prize/index.html?hpt=wo_bn6



Latin America & Caribbean


Venezuela - In what was viewed as a test to President Chavez's ruling party, his party has won regional elections in the nation.

http://news.yahoo.com/chavez-allies-sweep-venezuela-gubernatorial-vote-021625481.html

Cuba - Fidel Castro has been nominated for a seat in parliament. He heads the list of 25 candidates in the municipality of Santiago de Cuba. 

http://news.yahoo.com/fidel-castro-nominated-cuban-parliament-seat-204532727.html



Asia


Pakistan - A car bomb exploded  near a government office in the troubled northwest region, killing 12 people earlier today.

Japan - The conservative LDP party won the election in this nation handily, and now is preparing the return to power for the first time in three years.

China - The United States is not the only country where vuiolence in schools erupts. In China, a 36 year old man has been detained for a knife attack that wounded 22 children, and 2 adults. There had been similar such attacks in China back in 2010.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/14/world/asia/china-knife-attack/index.html?hpt=wo_c2



Africa


South Africa - While the health of iconic ex-President and anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela remains a concern (the latest reports indicate that he had gallstones removed, and is in recovery presently), current President Jacob Zuma dismissed any assertions that South Africa was "falling apart". The ruling African National Congress (ANC), the ruling party since the end of apartheid in South Africa, seems to be in considerable disarray, and there are some who see these struggles as the beginning of the end of their stranglehold on power in the country. The nation faced economic downgrades by international institutions recently, but Zuma insisted that the party, and the nation, continue to work on making improvements.

http://news.yahoo.com/south-africa-not-falling-apart-zuma-125736907--business.html


Nigeria - A helicopter crash in the oil rich southern delta part of the country has killed six people, including a governor.

Congo - The President addressed the nation on Saturday, and vowed to conduct reforms to unify the country, as well as to resist aggression, in the war torn nation.

http://news.yahoo.com/congos-president-vows-reforms-calls-unity-181401519.html

Mali - The nation's Prime Minister, Cheick Modibo Diarra (who also holds American citizenship), abruptly resigned in national television this past Tuesday, after being arrested by a group of soldiers loyal to a former coup leader. He had been on his way to Paris for medical care, when arrested.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/11/world/africa/mali-unrest/index.html?hpt=wo_bn7



Canada

The Supreme Court upheld the legality of the anti-terrorism that had been put in place following the September 11 attacks.

Canada is cracking down on "fake" refugees from Europe and deny them rights to what has been referred to as bogus applicants, according to Immigration Minister Jason Kenney. It is being claimed by the conservative government that many are claiming the need to immigrate to Canada to escape persecution in their own countries, while what they really want are the government social benefits available to them in Canada.

http://news.yahoo.com/canada-cracks-down-fake-refugees-european-union-193046675.html




The United Nations 

Envoys from nearly 90 nations signed a United Nations telecommunications bill, although many expressed surprise that the United States snubbed the bill, in what appears to be yet the latest episode in which the United States seems intent on sending a message of noncooperation with the world government body, and perhaps the world community as a whole..

http://news.yahoo.com/un-telecom-chief-surprised-us-led-treaty-snub-110120544--finance.html

A United Nations court ordered the release of an Argentine ship held in Ghana, Ghana has declared that they will comply with the order. 

http://news.yahoo.com/un-court-orders-release-argentine-ship-ghana-145551007--finance.html


Sports



NFL

After all of the horrible and heavy news, sports offered a chance at an escape this weekend - which was my first weekend off in a while. Yet, I hardly watched any football. Go figure.

It was a busy week in the NFL, as the playoff race heats up in these, the final weeks of regular season play before the postseason.

In the NFC East, the race tightened up considerably. The defending champion Giants held a one game lead over two division rivals, the Redskins and the Cowboys. But while Washington cooled off the previously red hot Browns in Cleveland, and the Dallas Cowboys edged the Pittsburgh Steelers in overtime, the Giants got shut out in a 34-0 blowout in Atlanta. The Falcons are not known for their defense, yet they handed the Giants the most lopsided loss that I personally can remember for any defending Super Bowl champion. Now, there is a three way tie in the division, and the Giants no longer control their own destiny. It was a demoralizing and humiliating loss for the Giants, to put it mildly, in what had been a must win situation.

The Green Bay Packers won the big showdown in Chicago and in the process, clinched the NFC North title for the second year in a row. The Bears continued to implode in losing their fifth game in a six game stretch. After starting off 7-1, the Bears are now 8-6, and with the Vikings winning to reach 8-6 as well, even a second place finish is in question now for the Bears, who are in trouble of seeing their second consecutive season with a strong start end with a disappointing finish that could possibly see them miss the playoffs (as they did last season).

The 49ers took a huge step closer to securing the division, by beating the Patriots in New England, which is not easy to do. They now stand at 10-3-1, holding a game and a half lead over the Seahawks, who also managed not only to win, but to reach 50 points for the second consecutive weeks in another blowout victory, this time up in Toronto, where the Buffalo Bills played a home game. The Seahawks became only the third team in league history to score fifty or more points in consecutive weeks, which the Rams and the Giants both managed to do in 1950. But it has not been done in more than sixty years, so that's saying something about the level of accomplishment, isn't it? The Seahawks will host the 49ers in a suddenly huge game next weekend on Sunday Night Football.

Another game with huge playoff implications was between the Minnesota Vikings and the St. Louis Rams, two of the sleeper teams that suddenly had chances at the playoffs in December. The Vikings won convincingly, and move to 8-6, still in position to qualify for the postseason, while the Rams, in effect, are now eliminated.

As for the AFC, the Ravens clinched a playoff berth, despite losing their third straight game. The Steelers also lost to Dallas, while the Bengals beat the Eagles, and suddenly seem to have an outside chance at the division that had, for quite some time, seemed to be owned by Baltimore. Cincinnati has to go to Pittsburgh this coming week, in a big showdown with huge playoff implications, and possibly even division title ramifications, if the Ravens continue to struggle.

In another huge game, the Houston Texans finally rid themselves of the nagging threat of the Colts, who were nipping at their heels all season. The Texans had been dominant and, it seemed, clearly the best team in the division, but the Colts had surprised many, and hung onto their slim chance at the division going into these final weeks, when the two teams would meet twice in the last three weeks. Houston held off the Colts, 29-17, to clinch the division title, and hang onto the number one seed in the AFC, after last week's embarrassing blowout loss to New England.

Since New England lost this weekend, that gives the Broncos the number two seed, and the playoff bye, at the moment, and control of their own destiny the rest of the way, with the big win at Baltimore.

Otherwise, Arizona finally ended their massive losing streak, beating Detroit, 38-10, in an impressive rebound from their 58-0 destruction at Seattle last weekend. Miami defeated Jacksonville, 24-3, New Orleans dismantled Tampa Bay, 41-0, Carolina blew out the Chargers, 31-7, and the Oakland Raiders shut out the Chiefs, 15-0. Shut outs are usually rare in the NFL, but there were three of them this weekend alone.

Tonight, the Jets will try to keep their flickering playoff hopes alive with a win against Tennessee, if they can manage it.


CFL

I'm not sure if I reported on this or not, but the Toronto Argonauts won the Gray Cup last month. In the meantime, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats have fired their coach, George Cortez. Finally, 40 yr. old legendary quarterback Anthony Calvillo has signed a two year extension with the Montreal Alouettes.


France - Ligue 1

PSG Coach Ancelotti has been impressed with the character that the team has displayed recently, as they have won against their opponents by four goals, and anticipate a huge meeting between two top teams when PSG plays Lyon soon. Lyon is in first right now.