2013 FRENCH OPEN: Men's Semifinals Preview

The men's semifinals are now set at the 2013 French Open. This year, I correctly predicted 3 of 4 women's quarterfinals correctly, 3 of 4 men's quarterfinals correctly and 2 of 2 women's semifinals correctly. Last year I correctly predicted 2 of 2 men's semifinals.

Novak Djokovic (SRB) [1] vs Rafael Nadal (ESP) [3]. This was always viewed as the match that would determine who would win the tournament when the 2013 French Open draw was revealed two weeks ago. But both players had to get through their individual quarters of the draw to reach this stage, which they both did, both dispatching venerable opponents in straight sets in the quarters (Tommy Haas by Nole and Stanislas Wawrinka by Rafa). This is their 35th career meeting, with Nadal currently holding a 19-15 edge, but Djokovic won the last time they played, which was a rare win over the King of Clay in a clay court final, to wrest the Monte Carlo Masters shield from Nadal. It's hard to pick against Nadal here when he has only ever lost 1 match at Roland Garros and won the title a record 7 times. But he is playing someone who has beaten him 3 times in clay court finals and who very nearly beat him last year. One key factor will be the weather. The hotter and drier it is the better it is for Nadal because it helps him to use his excessive topspin on the ball to keep it out of Djokovic's strike zone. It was during heavy wet conditions last year in the 2012 final here that Djokovic reeled off a string of 7 games, something no one had ever done to Nadal. Nadal knows that Djokovic can beat him, and Djokovic knows that Nadal knows. In the end, this match up will most likely come down to mental tooughness, and there I give the slight edge to Nole. Mad Professah's pick: Djokovic.

David Ferrer (ESP) [4] vs Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) Roger Federer (SUI) [2]. This is an incredibly important match for these two players who have been trying to break the stranglehold at the top of men's tennis held by Nadal, Djokovic, Roger Federer and Andy Murray for the last several years. The good news for Tsonga and Ferrer is with Murray out of the draw they only had to face one of the Fab Four to reach the final. It turned out to be Tsonga's task to face Federer in the quarterfinal round and he rose to the challenge to dispatch the curiously erratic Swiss great in a rare straight set loss at a major. Ferrer has yet to drop a set in the entire tournament, but that will almost certainly end on Friday. Even though Ferrer has a slight 2-1 head-to-head over Tsonga and has won their only meeting on clay, I believe that Tsonga will use the Parisian crowd to give the French public their first homegrown finalist in 25 years. Ferrer has been in 5 major semifinals and lost all of them, while Tsonga has been in four and won one. Ferrer is yet to beat Federer or Nadal while Tsonga has beaten both of them, multiple times. Tsonga is a much better big match player, while Ferrer had an epic collapse in the Miami 2013 final earlier this year against Murray. Even though one would expect Ferrer to win because of his dominance of this surface, I believe Tsonga superior talent will pull him through. Mad Professah's pick: Tsonga.

House of Lords Advances Marriage Equality With 390-148 Vote

Good news from across the pond! Marriage equality is almost certainly going to become law in Great Britain by the end of the year thanks to a vote in the House of Lords rejecting a poison pill amendment by the vote of 148-390, demonstrating overwhelming support for equal marriage rights for same-sex couples in England and Wales.

The Guardian reports:

The Lords voted by 390 votes to 148 to reject an attempt by Lord Dear, a crossbencher, to defeat the bill at second reading. It is very unusual for the Lords to block a bill at second reading and some peers may have been voting against Dear because they were opposed to the idea of the Lords trying to obstruct legislation in this way, not because they were great supporters of the bill. But the size of the majority means the bill must now be certain to become law. However, it is still likely that attempts will be made to amend it in the Lords, in particular to strengthen the protection available to churches who do not want to conduct gay weddings. Lady Stowell, a government whip, told peers in her wind-up speech that the government would not necessarily object to amendments of this kind.

Additionally, the primary opponent to the legislation, the Church of England has announced that in light of the overwhelming support for marriage equality in both Houses of Parliament they will cease their opposition and concentrate on improving the bill instead of stopping it.

“Both Houses of Parliament have now expressed a clear view by large majorities on the principle that there should be legislation to enable same-sex marriages to take place in England and Wales. It is now the duty and responsibility of the Bishops who sit in the House of Lords to recognise the implications of this decision and to join with other Members in the task of considering how this legislation can be put into better shape. 

“The concerns of many in the Church, and in the other denominations and faiths, about the wisdom of such a move have been expressed clearly and consistently in the Parliamentary debate. For the Bishops the issue now is not primarily one of protections and exemptions for people of faith, important though it is to get that right, not least where teaching in schools and freedom of speech are concerned. 

“The Bill now requires improvement in a number of other key respects, including in its approach to the question of fidelity in marriage and the rights of children. If this Bill is to become law, it is crucial that marriage as newly defined is equipped to carry within it as many as possible of the virtues of the understanding of marriage it will replace. Our focus during Committee and Report stages in the coming weeks and months will be to address those points in a spirit of constructive engagement.”

Rule, Britannia!

Hat/tip to Joe.My.God

Sponsors of IL Marriage Bill Issue Apology

After last week's debacle of Illinois' marriage equality failing to pass its final hurdle of getting a vote in the House of Representatives despite passing the State Senate, the sponsors of the bill, SB10, have issued an apology:

Dear Marriage Equality Advocates, Like you, we are incredibly disappointed about what happened Friday in Springfield. But let's not forget something very important: Marriage equality is going to happen. As a community, we must come together, assess our strategy, and redouble our efforts in the fight for fundamental fairness. This is not the time for us to splinter – for that is exactly what our opponents want. The more united we are in the coming days and weeks, the sooner the bill will get passed – and the sooner our dream of full equality will become a reality. We want to extend our sincerest apologies to the families who rushed to Springfield in the waning hours of session to support equality in anticipation of this historic vote. You have been and continue to be our inspiration and we pledge to fight together until we achieve full equality for all Illinois families.

There are some signs the bill could still pass this year.

Hat/tip to Joe.My.God

2013 FRENCH OPEN: Women's Semifinals Preview

The women's semifinals are now set at the 2013 French Open. This year, I predicted 3 of 4 men's quarterfinals correctly and 3 of 4 women's quarterfinals correctly. Last year I correct predicted 1 of 2 women's semifinals and 2 of 2 men's semifinals. I will also preview the 2013 French Open men's semifinals.

Serena Williams (USA) [1] vs Sara Errani (ITA) [5]. Errani surprised yours truly and other observers of the game by overcoming her lifetime record of 0-28 against Top 5 players to defeat World #4 Aggie Radwanska. This may be because the diminutive Italian is now ensconced in the Top 5 of the WTA rankings herself. For the second consecutive year she is in the semifinals of Roland Garros, and her 3rd major semifinal in the last year. Unfortunately, she will be facing someone who easily beat her in the Madrid semifinals less than a month ago and whom she has only ever won a single set out of the 11 that they have played.

It was the exceedingly talented Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova who demonstrated what one needs to do to compete with the World #1. After losing the first set quickly 6-1, Sveta was able to break Serena's serve for the first time in the tournament in the second set, and then she did it again to go up 4-0! Eventually she was able to even up the match by winning the second set. The key point of the match came in the 3rd game of the deciding set when Serena was down 0-2 and serving. She repeatedly faced breakpoints to go down 0-3 but through sheer will she was able to finally hold serve and reeled off 5 games in a row to put remove all doubt from her place in the semifinals. This was probably the best match of the tournament, and was the most mentally significant for Serena because she had lost the last four quarterfinals she played at Roland Garros. Serena has only lost once in a semifinal here, and  it is extremely unlikely that will happen this year. Mad Professah's pick: Serena.


Victoria Azarenka (BLR) [3] vs Maria Sharapova (RUS) [2].  Despite suffering the indignity of being forced to eat a bagel in the first set of her quarterfinal match against her least favorite person on tour, Jelena Jankovic, Sharapova was able to come through and eventually win the match 0-6 6-4 6-3 and reach her third consecutive semifinal here in as many years. Azarenka had an easier time to reach her first Roland Garros semifinal by dispatching Maria Kirilenko who is probably just satisfied that her singles results have elevated her to the WTA Top 10. This is a very hard match to call.

Sharapova and Azarenka have played 12 times in their career, with Vika leading Masha 7-5 overall, but the Russian leads the Belarussian 2-0 on clay. Sharapova is the defending champion here but Azarenka won the first major of the year in Australia. On most surfaces I would give the edge to Azarenka, because she is generally the better mover and she matches Sharapova's power on both wings. On clay, however, Sharapova has demonstrated that she is now comfortable and has dramatically improved her defensive abilities on this surface. I believe it will be a very close match but that Sharapova will reach her 2nd consecutive Roland Garros final. Mad Professah's pick: Sharapova in 3 sets.

BOOK REVIEW: The Best of All Possible Worlds by Karen Lord

BY SENTIENT MEAT

You know that feeling when you read a work written by someone you really like? How you also want to like their work? That's how I felt when I picked up The Best of All Possible Worlds by Karen Lord. I met Ms. Lord personally 6 days before writing this, and before reading the book. Our 5-hour conversation (in the company of the Mad Professah himself while on vacation in Barbados) had braced me  like a tall glass of ice-cold water with drops of cool condensation on the sides—I was utterly charmed. So I am more than happy to report that I enjoyed the book (TBOAPW) purely on its own terms. 

This is speculative fiction and Ms. Lord is a West Indies author. Moreover, she doesn't shrink from the notion that TBOAPW is Caribbean speculative fiction. My experience is short in this area, so first I'll remark that the dialogue and prose all sounded natural to my North America–tuned ear. The differences between this and, say, Ray Bradbury are more subtle than written-out dialect, which this book does not use. Regardless of any regional differences, the book propelled this reader effortlessly from page to page and chapter to chapter. I found myself re-reading certain sections only to be sure I didn't miss a thing.

In fact, the language differences between the characters are as notable as the distance between usage in TBOAPW and, say, Ursula K. LeGuin or Octavia Butler. Chapters written from the point of view of Dllenahkh, the male protagonist, are written in the third person in an elevated, learned style close to the character of Dllenahkh himself. Chapters from the point of view of Grace Delarua, the female protagonist and primary focus, are in first person and a much more casual style, sometimes even pleading with readers for patience or indulgence and addressing us as "you" (as though the novel is the very memoir we see Delarua writing in the last scene).

The book reveals its West Indies bloodline just as brightly in its physical descriptions and themes, with undercurrents of race and colonialism running very near the surface. The Sadiri, putative superior race (at least they seem to think so), fit the book's galactic human norm with "eyes, hair, and skin all somewhere on the spectrum of brown," but they also boast iridescent hair and mental abilities which set them apart. Before we reach the end the book exposes, pricks, and ultimately deflates the "superiority" of the Sadiri in spite of their position of privilege. Even the Caretakers, a shadowy race with near-godlike powers, reveal themselves near the end to be advanced humans from the future rather than angels or demons. (I think.)

In broadest outline the book is a tour of cultures (think Gulliver's Travels in a universe by Frank Herbert) powered by two big plot engines: Pushing us forward from the front of the book is a planetwide tragedy which may turn out to be genocide—or at least grossly negligent slaughter. Pulling us onward toward the back of the book is the unfolding of a cross-culture, May-September romance. Our energetic, first-person heroine Delarua eventually finds love with the more mature (previously married) third-person hero Dllenahkh. In spite of the baggage that comes from emotional abuse (Delarua's) or infidelity and loss (Dllenahkh's), the wheels of love turn slowly but still sure.

Where does this book fit in the classic SF tradition? For me, this book has some of the humanist touch of Ray Bradbury, perhaps without the same suspicion of technology. It probes the intersection of personal life and politics or careers in a way which reminded me of Ursula K. LeGuin. It draws vivid pictures of human cultures with features both foreign and familiar—this reminded me of Frank Herbert, albeit sketched more briefly and with fewer brushstrokes. Speaking of few brushstrokes, it hits its marks with the bracing leanness of the best of Arthur C. Clarke, though Lord's characters are fuller and more personable. Finally, the book takes on social structures, gender, and even super races, attracting comparison with another of my favorites, Octavia Butler.

As in all the best SF, the social commentary here takes a back seat to the personalities and the vivid scenes they inhabit. In The Best of All Possible Worlds, readers of Ray Bradbury, Ursula LeGuin, and Octavia Butler can expect to be drawn into a fast-moving story: eye-catching scenery, likeable characters, engrossing questions, and satisfying—if open-ended—conclusions.

Godless Wednesday: Should "God" Always Be Capitalized?

Friendly Atheist points out how insistent certain people are that the word "god" should always be capitalized. When referring to the alleged person called "God" that some people believe in, the word should obviously be capitalized because it's a proper name. However, Catholic priest Alexander Lucie-Smith believes not doing so is some kind of anti-religious (and maybe anti-semitic) conspiracy:

Those who deny the capital letter to the Almighty do so out of a desire to belittle Him… This actually has a long history. Back in the day when anti-Semitism was openly espoused by writers and publishers, some used to deny the capital letter to the term ‘Jew’

Of course, he only believes this should be the case for his god, because as this tweet indicates, the righteous Mr. Lucie-Smith thinks Allah should be written "allah":

@peter_ismyname I would love to see 'Allah' with a small a.
— Xander Lucie-Smith (@ALucieSmith) June 3, 2013

What a shocker! Blatant hypocrisy among the religious. Not.

Game of Thrones (S3E09): "The Rains of Castamere"

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They did it! The most anticipated episode of the entire series (not just the season) of HBO's adaptation of Game of Thrones, S3E09, titled "The Rains of Castamere" which depicts the second wedding (of three) in the book A Storm of Swords and the fateful events following it, finally aired on Sunday night and it was a doozy! For people not "spoiled" by reading the books the scene now known as "The Red Wedding" must have come as a horrendous shock, but even for people like myself who knew what was coming S3E09 still contained some of the most emotionally lacerating 15 minutes of television I've ever seen.

Recap
"The Rains of Castamere" is a song known throughout the land of Westeros as the unofficial theme song of the Lannisters. We learned in S3E08 that the catchy tune is really about the massacre (by Tywin Lannister) of an entire family named the Reynes who dared to think that they would try to move up from their position as the #2 most prominent family in a certain region of the kingdom, and the #1 family (the Lannisters) responded by slaughtering the entire family. On the show, the wedding between Catelyn Stark's brother Edmure Tully and Roslin Frey is an act of contrition to try and get in the good graces of the odious Lord Walder Frey (played with impeccable disdain by David Bradley). Robb Stark had sworn an oath to marry one of Lord Frey's daughters but he fell in love with someone else and married her instead. Robb needs Frey's men in order to execute his strategy of trying to capture the Lannister family domicile of Casterly Rock. The show points out how Robb Stark (King of the North) and his mother Lady Catelyn are given bread and salt when they enter Lord Frey's castle and the significance of this in the religion of the Seven of providing hospitality and safe passage to all guests. Frey even sonorously intones some words indicating the safety of all visitors under the protection of his roof. However, as we see later, Lord Frey is a very, very evil man who is willing to violate all manner of oaths in order to get his way.

Frey conspired with Lord Roose Bolton and Lord Tywin Lannister to bring Robb Stark and his bannermen to the Twins and then, after promising his protection he has Robb Stark, his wife Talisa, his mother Catelyn Stark and several dozens of his loyal men brutally murdered. Talisa is killed first, stabbed repeatedly in her stomach (clearly targeting the growing Stark heir in her womb) and then Robb is hit by multiple crossbow bolts, with Catelyn only hit by one. Catelyn is able to beg Frey for the life of her son, but she can only watch while Lord Bolton walks up to her staggering child and stabs him in the gut and says "The Lannisters send their regards." This causes a  scream of anguish to erupt from Catelyn and she slits the throat of Lord Walder's wife she has been holding hostage, just a few seconds before her own throat is cut. All of the deaths are shown explicitly and graphically on screen, with an impact much more visceral than the usual cartoonish violence of a hailstorm of bullets and multiple explosions. The events of the Red Wedding have long been talked about by fans of the books and the producers have explained that it was reading the scene in the 3rd book that convinced them that they needed to adapt the entire series for HBO as a multi-million dollar, multi-year, grandly staged television epic.

Besides the Red Wedding there were some other fairly important events that happened in this episode. Jon Snow finally revealed to the Wildings that he has been a "double agent" the entire time, that he is still loyal to the Night's Watch, and then he killed Orell the Warg and abandoned Ygritte. In addition, Brandon Stark is revealed to have powers even more important than controlling animals with his brain, more powerful than any previously known Warg, because it appears as if he can enter the consciousness of other humans (well, starting with Hodor at least). And Arya Stark came within 100 feet of being reunited with her brother and mother, only to get clos enough to see the aftermath of their brutal murder, as well as witness the death of Robb's direwolf.

Highlights
The entire Red Wedding sequence was a highlight, of course, with an extra special mention of the exquisite acting displayed by Michelle Fairley as Catelyn Stark. She has not always been a fan favorite because of the brittle personality of her character and her bad treatment of Jon Snow as well as some questionable decisions (i.e. the release of Jaime Lannister). But the shriek of anguish she makes (and the look in her eyes) as she sees her eldest (and she thinks only remaining living) son killed before her eyes as she decides to kill her hostage before being kille herself is a sound that will live in the memory of everyone who heard it and saw it for a very long, long time.

Lowlights
There were no low lights.

Grade: A+.
S3E09 is probably one of the best episodes of the series, as well it should be, since the source material is some of the most important and significant of the entire multiple volume series A Song of Ice and Fire. It's hard to imagine how the producers will op themselves in the final episode of the Season next week, with S3E10's "Mhysa." It should be remembered that in Season 1 after the shocking execution of Lord Eddard Stark in S1E09 ("Baelor") was followed up by the thrill of seeing the birth of Daenery's dragons in S1E10 ("Fire and Blood"). In Season 2, the slaughter of the Battle of the Blackwater in S2E09 ("Blackwater") was followed by S2E10 ("Valar Morghulis") with the escape of Arya and the appearance of the White Walker army. What will it be this year?

2013 FRENCH OPEN: Tsonga Beats Federer To Reach Semi!

As I predicted, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga took out Roger Federer in straight sets of the 2013 French Open quarterfinals, 7-5 6-3 6-3. Federer was playing in his 36th consecutive major quarterfinal and was trying to reach his record 34th major semifinal. He went up an early break and was serving 4-3, 40-15 when everything went to pot. Tsonga broke and held his own serve easily. Federer went down 0-40 at 5-6 and saved 3 set points before succumbing on the fourth breakpoint with a shanked forehand to lose the set. The Swiss Great was broken early in the second set and never really looked comfortable on the court, making uncharacteristic errors (on overheads and volleys) and not moving as fluidly on the clay.

Even though I am a huge Federer fan I am very happy for Tsonga to reach his first semifinal in his home country's slam, equaling the achievement his countryman Gaël Monfils did in 2008. If Tsonga is able to reach the final, he will do something no French man has done since 1988, when Henri Leconte lost in the final to Mats Wilander. It has been even longer, 30 years, since a French man won the singles title here, which Yannick Noah did in 1983.

Tsonga will face David Ferrer who demolished his countryman Tommy Robredo 6-2 6-1 6-1 to reach his second consecutive French Open semifinal. Of course, the participants in this half of the draw are not expected to win the title against either World #1 Novak Djokovic or defending champion Rafael Nadal, should those two meet in the semifinal on Friday.

Ferrer has never reached a major final, while Tsonga has (2008 Australian Open). Tsonga has played in 5 major semifinals, while Ferrer has played in (and lost) in 6. The Spaniard's best surface is clay, however. The two have only played 3 times, with Ferrer leading 2-1, including their one clay court match. I will be rooting for Tsonga to reach his 2nd major final, but won't be too upset if Ferrer finally gets to his first.

Gaytterdämmerung: The Possible Results In Prop 8 Case

Joe Jervis posts a similar graphic from the American Foundation for Equal Rights summarizing the possible outcomes in the Proposition 8 case, Hollingsworth vs Perry. However, Joe says that decisions are released on Mondays, when actually they can come out on either Mondays or Thursdays. Most observers expect "Decision Day" will be Thursday June 27. This blog is calling the day the Supreme City decides Hollingsworth and United States v. Windsor "gay götterdämmerung" or "Gaytterdämmerung."

Hat/tip to Joe.My.God

2013 FRENCH OPEN: Men's Quarterfinals Preview

The men's quarterfinals are now set at the 2013 French Open. Last year, I predicted 2 of 4 women's quarterfinals correctly and 4 of 4 men's quarterfinals correctly. I have also previewed the 2013 French Open women's quarterfinals.

Novak Djokovic (SRB) [1] vs Tommy Haas (GER) [12].  The last time these two met the German played one of the best matches of his career to demolish the World #1 in straight sets, winning twice as many games as he lost, in a virtuoso performance that stunned Djokovic and the tennis world. The two have only played seven times, with the higher ranked player having won 4 of those meetings, including their sole encounter on clay (here at Roland Garros 7 years ago). Haas has had the more exciting run of the two here this year, having outlasted John Isner despite blowing 12 match points. However, in their previous round Djokovic had to come back from dropping his first set of the tournament against Phillip Kohlschreiber, a good clay court player who had beaten the Serb here at Roland Garros before. Haas on the other hand, had a dream 4th round match, dispatching Mikhail Youzhny in under 90 minutes, barely losing 5 games in the process. Haas should be confident, since he knows that he can beat Nole--he has done it this year, and he has done it in a 5-set match. However, will he beat Nole? Almost definitely not. Mad Professah's Pick: Djokovic in 4 sets.

 Rafael Nadal (ESP) [3] vs Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI) [9]. This should be the least interesting quarterfinal of the four. Wawrinka did well to come back from 2 sets down against Frenchman Richard Gasquet to reach his first career quarterfinal at Roland Garros. However, Wawrinka has never even won a set from Nadal, despite losing the nine matches the two have played. In fact, Wawrinka lost to Nadal in the final of the Madrid Masters just a few weeks ago. Wawrinka winning a set would be considered an upset at this point, setting up the long-awaited mouth-watering semifinal between Nadal and Djokovic on Friday. Mad Professah's pick: Nadal in 3 sets.

David Ferrer (ESP) [4] vs Nicolas Almagro (ESP) [11] Tommy Robredo (ESP) [32]. This all Spanish-quarterfinal ensures that there will be at least one Spaniard in the semifinal, and most people expect 7-time defending champion Rafael Nadal to reach the semifinal on the other side of the draw, so that means an all-Spanish final is still possible. Robredo used to be the best looking man in tennis (a title he has since ceded to fellow compatriot Feliciano Lopez) but the now 35-year old is making history at this year's Roland Garros by becoming the first man in nearly 80 years to come back from 2-0 sets down in not one, not two, but three consecutive matches. Robredo outlasted Igor Sijsling 6-7(4) 4-6 6-3 6-1 6-1, Gael Monfils 2-6 6-7(5) 6-2 7-6(3) 6-2 and then Nicolas Almagro 6-7(5) 3-6 6-4 6-4 6-4. Can he really outlast the most fit man in tennis, David Ferrer whom he has 2-6 record against? Doubtful, but he had a 0-5 record against Almago and somehow he won that match. Ferrer has a great draw to get to this first final, and I believe he will (at least) repeat his semifinal run here from last year. Mad Professah's pick: Ferrer in 3 sets.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) [6] vs Roger Federer (SUI) [2]. For the second consecutive major these two are meeting in the same round, with Federer prevailing in their tough 5-set enccounter in Melbourne this past January. The Greatest of all Time has a convincing 9-3 head-to-head against the popular Frenchman but has lost to him after holding large leads, most notably the 2011 Wimbledon quarterfinals despite leading 2 sets to none and the 2009 Montreal Masters quarterfinal despite having a 5-1 lead in the final set! Tsonga is a big match player and if the Parisian crowd gets behind him, look out Federer fans! On paper, Federer should win this match, but the two have only met once on clay with the Swiss player winning. Federer has been the second best player on clay for the last 10 years, and that pedigree should get him through this match, but he played some of his worst tennis against another Frenchman Gilles Simon in the round before, needing the full 5-sets to extend his jaw-dropping streak of 36 consecutive quarterfinal appearances in majors. That was also Federer's 900th career tour win, putting him at #4 on the all-time list. Tsonga on the other hand has looked razor-sharp all tournament long and has yet to have a dip in play or lose a set. I suspect this will be a titanic struggle, won be Federer. However, if the Simon match is an indicator Federer's form is going off, Tsonga could make quick work of him to reach his first semifinal (and potentially his first final) at his home Slam. Apart from Gael Monfils reaching the semifinals in 2008, no French man has been a serious contender to win the Roland Garros title in Paris since Yannick Noah did it  exactly 30 years ago. Mad Professah's pick: Federer in 4 or 5 sets (or Tsonga in 3).

2013 FRENCH OPEN: Women's Quarterfinals Preview

The women's quarterfinals are now set at the 2013 French Open. Last year, I predicted 2 of 4 women's quarterfinals correctly and 4 of 4 men's quarterfinals correctly. I have also previewed the 2013 French Open men's quarterfinals.

Serena Williams (USA) [1] vs Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS). It is good to see the talented and popular Russian player playing in only her 2nd consecutive major quarterfinal after being out of the game for more than six months following a knee injury last year. Serena leads their head-to-head 6-2 but the two have not played since 2009, which interestingly was the same year that Kuznetsova outlasted Serena in a high-quality match at this same stage in Roland Garros en route to winning her 2nd major title. Kuznetsova did well to outlast #8 seed Angelique Kerber to reach this point. However, Serena has been slicing through the draw like a scythe, determined to erase all memories of last year's disappointment with determination and domination. She has lost 10 games in 8 sets of tennis, that's an average of 1.25 games per set, or 2.5 per match. And she's done that while playing two seeds, Roberta Vinci and Soran Cirstea.It's true that Sveta has the game to beat Serena here, and she has done it before, but at this point Serena not winning the title here would be even more surprising than her 1st round exit last year. Mad Professah's Pick: Serena in 2 sets.

Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) [4] vs Sara Errani (ITA) [5]. This is an interesting match-up between the two most successful counterpunchers on the women's tour right now. Radwanska broke through to reach the 2012 Wimbledon final, and Errani reached the 2012 Roland Garros final.  Both women lost those matches, to card-carrying members of the Big Babes of TennisS club, Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova, respectively. That said, it is somewhat surprising that Radwanska has such a large head-to-head lead of 6-1 in their careers, including 3-1 on clay. Aggie has even beaten Errani while she has become an elite player, now ranked World #5 (just below Radwanska herself, who has soared as high as #2 and challenged for the top spot last year. Errani had to come back from a set and a break down against Carla Suarez Navarro to even reach this spot, despite suffering a mysterious injury which reduced her breathing capacity in the second set. I suspect that Radwanska will be the fresher player and use that advantage to reach her  first semifinal at Roland Garros, where she will have almost no change of reaching the final against either Serena or Kuznetsova. Mad Professah's pick: Radwanska.

Maria Kirilenko (RUS) [12] vs Victoria Azarenka (BLR) [3].  This is a match-up between two competitors with vastly different levels of experience. This is Kirilenko's 1st quarterfinal appearance at Roland Garros but Azarenka's 3rd. Similarly, Vika is a 2-time major champion and 10-time major quarterfinalist while the other Russian Maria has yet to taste true success at a major tournament., having appeared in just 4 major quarterfinals in her career. Paris has so far been Azarenka's worst surface, but I'm sure she feels that "anything Maria [Sharapova] can do, I can do better" and so she wants to show the world that she can be successful on a stage other than Melbourne. Despite their close head-to-head rivalry, these two have never met on clay, and I doubt the match will be as close as their past history suggests it could be. As usual, the more experienced (and more aggressive) player will end the match with the victory. Mad Professah's pick: Azarenka in 2 sets.

Jelena Jankovic (SRB) [18] vs Maria Sharapova (RUS) [2].  Ahhhh, grudge matches. These two players really do not like each other, which one would think would make their matches more interesting, but it seems like it makes their meetings very difficult (and uninteresting) to watch. The two have met eight times and only once has the Serbian Drama Queen been able to come away with a win. The two have never met on clay, which is probably Jankovic's best surface and Sharapova's worst, thus complicating things but it should not stop the Russian from reaching her 3rd consecutive semifinal at Roland Garros in 3 years. Mad Professah's pick: Sharapova in 3 sets.

POLL: Support for Marriage in California At 55%

A new poll commissioned by Equality California from David Binder Research indicates that support for marriage equality in California is a majority position, with the number of people who strongly support equal civil marriage rights for same-sex couples outnumbering opponents for the first time, 42% to 31%. Overall, 55% of California voters respond positively (support marriage equality) while 37% respond unfavorable (oppose marriage equality) to the query: "Do you strongly favor, somewhat favor, somewhat oppose or strongly oppose allowing same sex couples to be legally married?” This number is lower than the 61% support for marriage equality found by the Field Poll about 3 months ago prior to the Supreme Court oral arguments in the Hollingsworth v Perry case which will determine the federal constitutionality of California's Proposition 8.

Some key findings from the DBR polling memo on marriage are:

• Over the past four years, support for same sex marriage increased by 8, from 47% to 55%. At the same time, opposition dropped by 12, from 49% to 37%. This resulted in an increase in net support of +20.
  
• 
  Gains in support are greatest among Republicans (+12), middle aged voters (+13 for 30 to 44 year olds and +17 for 45 to 64 year olds), African Americans (+14), and those who know a gay or lesbian personally (+10). 
  
  Those who know gays or lesbians are significantly more likely to support same sex marriage. Those who know a gay or lesbian person are 62% supportive and only 32% opposed. Those that do not know anyone who is gay or lesbian are 36% supportive and 53% opposed. 
  

It will be interesting to see how this new data influences the discussion after the Supreme Court ruling comes out in the next 3-4 weeks.

White House Issues 2013 LGBT Pride Proclamation

The Obama Administration continues to demonstrate their support for the LGBT community by issuing a Presidential Proclamation declaring June LGBT Pride Month every single year Barack Obama has been President. 2013 is no different, and here it is:

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release May 31, 2013 

LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, AND TRANSGENDER PRIDE MONTH, 2013
- - - - - - -
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION 

For more than two centuries, our Nation has struggled to
transform the ideals of liberty and equality from founding
promise into lasting reality. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and
transgender (LGBT) Americans and their allies have been hard at
work on the next great chapter of that history -- from the
patrons of The Stonewall Inn who sparked a movement to service
members who can finally be honest about who they love to brave
young people who come out and speak out every day. 

This year, we celebrate LGBT Pride Month at a moment of
great hope and progress, recognizing that more needs to be done.
Support for LGBT equality is growing, led by a generation which
understands that, in the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,
"injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." In the
past year, for the first time, voters in multiple States
affirmed marriage equality for same-sex couples. State and
local governments have taken important steps to provide
much-needed protections for transgender Americans. 

My Administration is a proud partner in the journey toward
LGBT equality. We extended hate crimes protections to include
attacks based on sexual orientation or gender identity and
repealed "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." We lifted the HIV entry ban
and ensured hospital visitation rights for LGBT patients.  

Together, we have investigated and addressed pervasive bullying
faced by LGBT students, prohibited discrimination based on
sexual orientation and gender identity in Federal housing, and
extended benefits for same-sex domestic partners. Earlier this
year, I signed a reauthorization of the Violence Against Women
Act (VAWA) that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual
orientation or gender identity in the implementation of any
VAWA-funded program. And because LGBT rights are human rights,
my Administration is implementing the first-ever Federal
strategy to advance equality for LGBT people around the world. 

We have witnessed real and lasting change, but our work
is not complete. I continue to support a fully inclusive
Employment Non-Discrimination Act, as well as the Respect for
Marriage Act. My Administration continues to implement the
Affordable Care Act, which beginning in 2014, prohibits insurers
from denying coverage to consumers based on their sexual
orientation or gender identity, as well as the National HIV/AIDS
Strategy, which addresses the disparate impact of the HIV
epidemic among certain LGBT sub-communities. We have a long way
to go, but if we continue on this path together, I am confident 2
that one day soon, from coast to coast, all of our young people
will look to the future with the same sense of promise and
possibility. I am confident because I have seen the talent,
passion, and commitment of LGBT advocates and their allies, and
I know that when voices are joined in common purpose, they
cannot be stopped. 

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the
United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested
in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States,
do hereby proclaim June 2013 as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and
Transgender Pride Month. I call upon the people of the
United States to eliminate prejudice everywhere it exists,
and to celebrate the great diversity of the American people. 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
thirty-first day of May, in the year of our Lord
two thousand thirteen, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and thirty-seventh. 

BARACK OBAMA 

# # #

Happy Pride, everyone!

UPDATE 06/11/2013 11:49AM EDT
The White House has put the Proclamation on their website.

Eye Candy: Ngo Okafor (reprise)

Ngo Okafor is a smoking hot male model and successful athlete of Nigerian descent who has appeared here as Eye Candy before, on February 18, 2013. With summer coming around the corner, I thought we all could use some inspiration, and Ngo definitely put some thoughts in my head!

Illinois House Adjourns Without Marriage Vote, Racially Tinged Blame Game Begins

In a move that surprised and dismayed LGBT activists, the Illinois House of Representatives adjourned on Friday without calling a vote on SB10, the marriage equality legislation that had passed the State Senate more than 3 months earlier on Valentine's Day. This was shocking because even though passage of the bill had not been assured, at the very least a vote on the legislation was thought to be assured. Without a vote, there is no way to get supporters and opponents on record in order to identify who needs to be persuaded. This rare defeat in Illinois, in a Spring where three states have enacted marriage equality, has caused bitter remonstrations among activists, and racially insensitive accusations of blame.

The LGBT paper of record is not happy with the chief sponsor of the legislation, openly gay State Representative Greg Harris, and is not shy about expressing it:

The biggest blame has to be placed on the chief sponsor of the marriage equality bill in the Illinois House, Rep. Greg Harris, an openly gay man. If you are out front for the credit when there is victory, you are also out front for the failure. The bill stops there.

Harris made promises he could not keep. In politics, that can be a reason to step down. Harris, who has dedicated his career to LGBT and AIDS issues, deserves the chance to prove his strategy right. If he wins, we all win, and that is all that matters. But if he does not succeed in passing this in the veto session this fall, he should not run for re-election in 2014. To be clear, this is not a call for Harris to resign, but he will have lost the trust of the people he made commitments to, and it is very difficult to lead once that trust is gone.

In addition, Harris should step down now as chief sponsor of this legislation. He has proven he is tone deaf to the wishes of both the grassroots and leadership of this community. They almost all called for a vote "no matter what." Instead, Harris chose to give cover to his political colleagues, rather than follow through on his own on-the-record promise to call for a vote by May 31.

It should be noted that it takes 60 votes to pass the bill and there are 71 Democrats and 47 Republicans in the House. There are 20 members of the House Black Caucus and 2 members had openly announced their support (including the chair), the same number as Republicans despite their much larger numbers. So suggestions that "homophobic Black legislators" were the cause of the bill's defeat do not make any kind of sense. Do the math!

If you don't want do that, Trans Griot breaks it down for you in her inimitable style:

In the Illinois House two of the legislators sponsoring it were from the same Illinois House Black Legislative Caucus being vilified by elements of the white gay community right now in Rep.Christian Mitchell and Rep Kenneth Dunkin, the chair of the House Black Legislative Caucus.  

But naw, that won't work pointing out those inconvenient facts when you're desperately trying to be 'just like them' and get your lost white privilege spots back . It's also an irrefutable one you are part of the ethnic group that comprises the bulk of the determined opposition to marriage equality 

So it's dust off the Black folks are 'uniquely homophobic' meme, blame the Illinois House Black Legislative Caucus for your surprising defeat and deflect the blame from various predominately white run LG equality organizations concerning the failure to make the case why marriage equality should happen in Illinois.  

And the more you fan the hell-fire flames of gay bigotry toward African-Americans SGL, trans and straight, the happier you make NOM and the more you set back the cause of getting marriage equality passed in Illinois and elsewhere in the country where you'll need to build coalitions with Black people to make that happen.

I completely agree that the decision not to call the vote was absolutely incorrect. The cause of marriage equality is strengthened by the more people whose positions are known, and with polls showing support for marriage equality enjoying solid majorities in blue states like Illinois it is only a question of when, not if, marriage equality will come to Illinois.

According to Joe.My.God, it turns out that there may actually be another session during the summer, so the marriage equality bill has had its life extended through August 31, 2013.

2013 FRENCH OPEN: Isner Saves 12MP in 5-set loss to Haas

John Isner smiles after he saves his 12th match point against Haas

American Jamie Hampton upset 2011 Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova

Jelena Jankovic upset 2011 US Open Champion Sam Stosur

John Isner wrote his name in the tennis history books again, this time for another display of mental fortitude: saving a record dozen match points against Tommy Haas, even though he eventually lost 7-5, 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-7(10), 10-8. Isner was attempting to make it two matches in a row where he was coming back from 2-sets down to win, having done so against fellow American Ryan Harrison 8-6 in the 5th. Isner was able to even the match and although he was unable to win it, he again demonstrated his incredible mental strength and desire not to lose.

There were multiple other upsets on the day that I was travelling from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C. 2011 Wimbledon Champion and #7 seed Petra Kvitova was taken out 6-1 7-6(7) by American youngster Jamie Hampton and 2011 US Open champion and #9 seed Samantha Stosur lost to veteran Jelena Jankovic 3-6 6-3 6-4. Bethanie Mattek-Sands followedup her astonishing upset of 2011 French Open champion Li Na and #6 seed by reaching the 4th round.

Back in Los Angeles, on way to DC