So, here is my attempt to remedy that.
- As I wrote earlier this week, President Obama finally addressed the issue of climate change, and made certain proposals of action by his administration:
- The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will establish definitive carbon emissions standards for all power plants, both old and new.
- President Obama called for an end to financing of plants abroad that do not strongly regulate carbon emissions.
- He will seek an international agreement in 2015 to establish emission standards beyond 2020.
- He will aim to give favorable free-trade benefits to environmentally friendly goods and services.
- Obama also proposed to collect data on climate-related issues, such as the storms that seem to be growing in severity as well as number.
The response has been more or less predictable. John Boehner expressed outrage, and said that the focus on the environment would cost businesses money, and would cost Americans jobs. But many people expressed happiness that he was finally taking action on a very important issue that often gets swept under the rug. Democrats by and large were supportive, and the scientific community generally was supportive, although more often than not, they were quick to point out that more, much more, needs to be done. Still, they applauded the President for this crucial first step. You can read some of the reactions in the Yahoo article take from LiveScience, "Voices: Experts & Analysts Weigh in on Obama's Climate Change Plan", by Denise Chow, Staff Writer of Live Science
- The big news that many people are talking about today is the Supreme Court, which ruled in favor of extending gay rights, but fell short of outright ruling in favor of gay marriage. So, it is a case of each side seemingly getting a bit of what they want, which seems to be a trend with the Supreme Court in quite a few big, highly publicized cases.
- In Texas today, there was the 500th execution since the state reinstated the death penalty in 1976. They put to death one Kimberly McCarthy, 52., who had been found guilty of murdering Dorothy Booth, then cutting off her ring finger to get the diamond ring on it, which she then pawned. She was the first woman to be executed in three years.
- Ex-New England Patriots Wide Receiver Aaron Hernandez has apparently been arrested now on murder charges. That was something that seemed to feel inevitable since very early on, when this case became public.
Sports
- Stanley Cup Finals - Well, a great Finals series has ended between the two Original Six teams that made it to the Cup Finals. The two teams were fairly evenly matched, and brought out the best that the sport has to offer. Both teams had won the championship recently (Chicago in 2010, Boston in 2011), and both were hoping to come a step closer to a dynasty. Boston had a bruising style of play, and looked damn tough throughout the year, including these playoffs. Halfway through this series, they held a 2-1 series edge, and looked very capable of taking the whole thing. But Chicago, who have been red hot and on record pace all season, managed to get things in order, taking Game 4 on the road to even the series, then holding serve in Game 5, before finally clinching it in Game 6. The Chicago Blackhawks are probably the most dominant team that hockey has seen in some time, and with their second championship in four seasons, they now seem to be fulfilling their potential destiny, and have taken the lead for dominance in this era over some tough rivals. They had to get past three fairly recent Stanley Cup winners (Detroit in 2008, Los Angeles in 2012, and Boston in 2011) to get this victory, so no one can say they got lucky or did it the easy way. They earned it, and if they manage to make another run in the future, they will really start to emerge as the dominant team of this era.
- Nadal was ousted in the first round, then Federer and Sharapova were ousted in the second? This year's Wimbledon is shaping up to be something really unique, and perhaps special. It opens up the doorway for some real possibilities, although it could be Djokovic and Serena who managed to restore order in the end. I think British fans are hoping this is the break that Murray needed. Having already now finally broken through to win a Grand Slam, he would love to return to the Wimbledon Final and reverse the disappointing outcome from last year, when he lost to the legend, Roger Federer, and broke down in tears afterwards.
- According to Vernon Davis of the San Francisco 49ers, the Seattle Seahawks are building a dynasty. That is an interesting thought, because as of right now, no one has emerged as a true candidate for dynasty for this decade yet. The Patriots were the team last decade, and made it to the Super Bowl a couple of seasons ago. They have been good each season, but they lost that one Super Bowl appearance, and given all the problems they seem to be having this offseason, it is hard to imagine them being the same old elite team, although you never know. Some expect the 49ers, last year's Super Bowl runner ups, to come storming back and win. It is hard to imagine the Ravens repeating, as they lost a lot of talent in the offseason, and are nowhere near the same team that they were last season. The other teams to have won a Super Bowl this decade are the Packers and the Giants. The Packers still have a lot of talent and should be considered at least a candidate to compete for another Super Bowl, and possibly more. But other teams seem to have caught up with them. I'm a huge Giants fan, but they tend to be unpredictable. They could win it again, but there have been significant personnel changes already since their Super Bowl win a couple of seasons ago, and the team is not getting any younger (a concern for this team, I think). So, if the Seahawks emerge to really contend for the title this year, they would have followed up on the tremendous success they enjoyed last season. The more I think about it, the more it seems to make sense. Maybe the Seahawks really will become in this decade what the Patriots were in the last one. It's hard to imagine, given their tendency to underachieve as a franchise. But let's see what happens...
No comments:
Post a Comment