TENNIS TUESDAY: Muguruza, Keys Keep WTA Streak Alive; Osaka Joins Nike; Federer Leads Race To London

KEYS DEFEATS WOZNIACKI IN CHARLESTON
Madison Keys won her first grass court title (and completed the WTA "Career Green court sweep" by winning the Volvo Open in Charleston this week over Caroline Woziacki

OSAKA $IGN$ ON WITH NIKE
World #1 Naomi Osaka has signed with Nike and earned a rare dispensation from the Sports giant to wear other logos on her apparel while sporting the swoosh.

MUGURUZA DEFEATS AZARENKA IN MEXICO
Two former World #1's battled it out in the finals of Monterrey after Victoria Azarenka was able to get past Angie Kerber in 3 sets in the semifinals and then was forced to retire in the final against Garbine Muguruza, who was able to defend her title (and ranking points) and will remain in the Top 20.

ROGER FEDERER IS #1 IN RACE TO LONDON (AGAIN) BUT #4 IN RANKINGS
For the 3rd year in a row Roger Federer leads the race to London at the end of the American spring hard-court swing after winning Miami and reaching the final in Indian Wells (l. Dominc Thiem). Maybe the third time is the charm because the two previous years he led at this point did not result with him ending the year at World #1.

2019 Vacation: Mexico City, Mexico (Jan. 7-13)

I'll be on vacation from January 7-13, 2019, visiting Mexico City, Mexico to celebrate my 28th anniversary. Mexico City which is in the most populous metropolitan area in the Western Hemisphere (approximately 21 million people). Posting on the blog will be relatively light, but you can see more of my adventures on Twitter (@madprofessah) and Instagram (@ronbuckmire).

GRAPHIC: Demographics of Immigrant Fraction Of United States Has Varied Over Time

This is an interesting graphic which shows the demographics of the non-native population of the United States has varied over time. Axios summarizes the changes over time thusly:

• For most of the 19th and 20th centuries, the vast majority of immigrants came from Western and Northern Europe. The Irish fled famine, the Germans fled political instability, and Italians primarily wanted better economic opportunity.
• The 1965 act ended a program that allowed Mexicans to work on U.S. farms but remain residents of Mexico. That changed the nature of immigration from Mexico and from Central America "to primarily unauthorized," Batalova says.
• In 1986, the U.S. gave legal status to almost 3 million undocumented immigrants — an overwhelming majority of them from Mexico. These new green card holders could then sponsor additional family members.
• There has been a surge of Central American asylum seekers in the U.S. over the past several years as political chaos, poverty and violence have ravaged many of those nations.
• New laws also opened the door to immigration from Asia — initially from India and Taiwan, and later China.
• Following the Vietnam War, there was an influx of Vietnamese people and other citizens of the region who fled to the U.S. as refugees.
• Most recently, there's been a wave of immigration from African countries that began in the 1990s and 2000s for a wide variety of economic, political and humanitarian reasons.

hat/tip: Axios

FILM REVIEW: Sicario

I've been a big fan of director Denis Villeneuve since I saw Incendies and the emotionally complex film became one of my favorites of 2011. I also saw his 2013 film Prisoners (starring Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis, Paul Dano, Terrence Howard and Maria Bello) which is a taut thriller about suspicion and kidnapping. Both Incendies and Prisoners have very good ratings from rottentomatoes.com (92% and 81%, respectively).

Villeneuve is back this year with Sicario, (starring Emily Blunt, Benicio Del Toro, and Josh Brolin) a thriller about the drug war. Sicario is also critically acclaimed, with a rottentomatoes.com rating of 93%.

The film revolves around Blunt's character who is an FBI agent who is pressured into volunteering for an inter-agency Task Force to work with characters played by Brolin and Del Toro after she discovers a house in a Phoenix suburb with dozens of corpses that are directly linked to a Mexican drug cartel.

The story (written by Taylor Sheridan) proceeds at breakneck pace, as both we and Blunt's character are swept along by events, crossing the border from the United States to Mexico and back again to retrieve a person we are old is a person of interest in the ongoing investigation, without much more of an explanation as to what is going on and why. Eventually we are told that Brolin's character is ostensibly trying to cause a big enough of a ruckus so that the head of the cartel that was responsible for the bodies found in the Phoenix area will take notice and make a move that would expose him to capture by law enforcement.

However things are not what they seem and eventually it becomes clear that the motives of the characters played by Brolin and Del Toro are not completely aligned with those of the FBI and Blunt's character. This is exposed in a harrowing sequence where all of the main characters go into a long drug-running tunnel where some surprising (and very violent) events occur and Blunt's suspicions are confirmed.

Overall, Sicario is suspenseful, adrenaline-pumping ride which depicts the realities and ethical dilemmas of the drug war with compelling verisimilitude.

Title: Sicario.
Director: Denis Villeneuve.
Running Time: 121 minutes.
MPAA Rating: Rated R for strong violence, grisly images, and language.
Release Date: October 2, 2015.
Viewing Date: November 27, 2015.

Writing: A-.
Acting: A-.
Visuals: A+.
Impact: B+.

Overall Grade: A/A- (3.75/4.0)

New Poll Indicates Majority Support For Marriage Equality in Mexico

A new poll from Mexico shows that although support for same-sex marriage is high, discriminatory attitudes towards LGBT people are still prevalent in the country.

According to a Parametria survey conducted in July, 52 percent of respondents support gay marriage, while 44 percent remain opposed. Fifty-two percent of Roman Catholics are also in support. That's a thirteen point increase in support from a previous poll conducted in December of 2012.

Fifty-seven percent of Mexicans (60% of Catholics) support gay troops serving openly in the military.

Openly gay politicians are supported 49-45 percent.

Eighty-nine percent of respondents said that gay people in Mexico should be treated equally, but 9 in 10 acknowledged that discrimination exists in the nation.

However, a large majority of Mexicans (70%) are opposed to gay couples adopting children, a 4 point drop from last year's survey.

And when asked to choose either a statement in support of same-sex unions as a testament to a free society or a statement in support of marriage remaining a heterosexual union, only 36 percent chose the former, a ten point increase from 2004, while 51 percent chose the later.

These are very interesting results. It is curious how people could support the right for same-sex couples to get legally married but in the same breath do not think those same couples should be able to adopt kids!

Eye Candy: Daniel Sisniega

Daniel Sisniega is a 24-year-old, openly gay underwear model from Mexico City who is best known for his work with the Andrew Christian underwear brand. I found him over at the Gorgeous Sexy Guys blog where they have many more pictures of this "Mexican stunner."

He has Facebook (www.facebook.com/DanielSisniega) and Twitter (DannySisniggles) profiles.
I'd follow him, wouldn't you?

REPORT: Uruguay Legislature Enacts Marriage Equality

Gay marriage passes in Uruguay and goes to president for promised signature. 71 of 92 representatives voted yes. subrayado.com.uy/Site/noticia/2…
— Rex Wockner (@RexWockner) April 10, 2013

According to a tweet from Rex Wockner, the Uruguay House of Representatives has completed work on passing a marriage equality bill, sending the measure to President Jose Mujica for his promised signature by a vote of 71 to 21. When signed into law, Uruguay will become the 12th country in the world where marriage equality is legal nationwide (and the second in South America after neighboring Argentina, but there are 3 other countries which allow marriage equality in some states (United States, Mexico and Brazil). In Mexico and Brazil those marriages are recognized throughout the rest of the country, and in the United States we are waiting for DOMA to be struck down by the Supreme Court for that to be the same in our country.

Queer Quote: Mexico Supreme Court On Marriage

Inconstitucional que en Oaxaca el matrimonio tenga como fin perpetuar especie, eso atenta contra la autodeterminación. bit.ly/1229j2m
— Suprema Corte (@SCJN) December 6, 2012

This is a tweet from the official account of the Mexico Supreme Court, which last week issued a ruling striking down the discriminatory marriage laws of the Mexican state of Oaxaca. It is believed that this will lead to same-sex couples being able to get married anywhere in the country, which right now can only happen in Mexico City (Distrito Federal), although all other jurisdictions in the country must recognize those marriages.

A translation of the tweet (by Andres Duque of Blabbeando) is "It's unconstitutional that the final purpose of marriage should be the perpetuation of the species."

Can you imagine the United States Supreme Court sending out such a message in any written opinion, let alone via social media?

Mexico High Court Strikes Down Gay Marriage Ban

Exciting news from south of the border today! Apparently the Mexican Supreme Court has issued a unanimous ruling striking down a same-sex marriage ban from the state of Oaxaca in such a way that it is very likely that marriage equality will become a universal right in the country in the very near future.

Latin-American marriage blogger J. Lester Feder reports:

The court ruled on behalf of three same-sex couple seeking to marry in the southern state of Oaxaca. The court had already ruled in 2010 that gay marriages performed under a Mexico City ordinance had to be recognized nationwide. With this precedent, the remaining bans on gay marriage in most Mexican states could quickly fall.

[...]

The court’s ruling that the ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutionally discriminatory is partly based on a February ruling from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights that governments can’t discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation, Karen Atala Riffo y Niñas v. Chile.

This case could have repercussions outside of Mexico—by expanding this precedent to include the right to marry, courts in other Latin American countries that recognize the Inter-American Accord on Human Rights could follow this precedent and determine that marriage rights are also protected in their countries. And the Inter-American Court itself could be more likely to recognize a right to marry—a case brought by three couples trying to strike down Chile’s ban on gay marriage has already begun making its way through the international judicial system.

An even more amazing part of this story is that the original case was brought by Alex Alí Méndez Díaz, a law student. His story is profiled here.

GRAPHIC: Interactive Map Of Global Marriage Equality

France is poised to join the list of countries in which same-sex marriage is legal by 2013, and in light of the debate which is about to start in that country when the marriage bill is introduced in Parliament in October, the news service France24 has published an interactive map demonstrating the countries around the world which allow full marriage equality or civil unions.

hat/tip to Joe.My.God

Landmark Ruling on LGBT Rights From IACHR

Word comes from Rex Wockner of a landmark ruling from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (El Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos) or IACHR that declares that sexual orientation and gender identity are protected categories under the American Convention on Human Rights.

The New York Times has a useful, short summary of the details of the case involved:

The Inter-American Court of Human Rights ruled that must pay damages to a judge who was denied custody of her three daughters by the Supreme Court in 2004 because of her sexual orientation. The ruling by the human rights court, a judicial entity of the Organization of American States, requires Chile’s government to pay the judge, Karen Atala, left, $50,000, in addition to $12,000 in court costs. The February ruling, which was made public on Wednesday in Chile, is the latest development in a multiyear legal battle waged by Judge Atala, a lesbian who had lost custody of her daughters to her ex-husband, also a judge. Judge Atala’s lawyer called the decision “historic” for Chile’s legal system. Justice Minister Teodoro Ribera said Wednesday that Chilean authorities had acted to protect the “superior interests of the children involved,” but he also said Chile would respect the ruling. 

The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission was also involved with the case, and submitted a legal brief on behalf of Atala. Their website has an excellent summary of the significance of the ruling.

The Court’s landmark ruling found that Chile not only violated Atala’s right to equality and non-discrimination but affirms for the first time in its history that sexual orientation and gender identity are protected categories and such discrimination violates international law. It represents a historic victory for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights in Chile and around the world.

The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC), MADRE and the City University of New York (CUNY) School of Law co-authored a brief (English, Español) for the Court, arguing that sexual orientation and gender identity should be found to be a protected class under the American Convention on Human Rights as held under international law. Attorneys from Morrison and Foerster focused on the custody issue at hand, arguing that sexual orientation and gender identity not be a factor in custody determinations. The brief was joined by 13 other organizations. This week’s ruling upholds both arguments.

“Though Karen Atala and her daughters can never regain the time they have lost together because of the destructive impact of homophobia, today the Inter-American Court has vindicated the legitimacy of their family,” said Jessica Stern, Director of Programs at IGLHRC. “The Court has set a transformative precedent to which every signatory to the Inter-American Convention – 24 countries throughout the Americas – is bound. Based on both American regional standards and international jurisprudence, the Court has ruled that LGBT people must live free from discrimination, whether as parents or in any other aspect of their lives.”

Lisa Davis, Human Rights Advocacy Director at MADRE and Clinical Professor for Law for the International Women’s Human Rights Clinic at CUNY Law School said today, “The Court’s ruling is a milestone victory for human rights advocates the world over. It sets a precedent in international law that discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is a human rights violation—one that we hope will help defend the rights of LGBT persons wherever these rights are under attack.”

This is great news!

Bloomberg's List of the Richest People in the World

Bloomberg News has started a daily index compiling the worth of the Top 20 billionaires in the world. Note that the richest person in the world is from Mexico.

Also, note that right-wing Republicans like the Koch brothers (Wisconsin Governor's Scott Walker's sugar daddies) and Sheldon Adelson (Newt Gingrich's) are in the Top 15.
Curiously, Mike Bloomberg, the founder of Bloomberg News is not on the Bloomberg Billionaires index.

Hat/tip to Joe.My.God.

REPORT: Many Same-Sex Couples Impacted By Immigration Laws

The Williams Institute at UCLA Law School has released a report entitled "Same-Sex Couples and Immigration in the United States" by Craig Konnoth and Gary Gates.

An excerpt from the Executive Summary of the report highlights the fascinating details about the diversity of same-sex couples impacted by unfair immigration laws (and the Defense of Marriage Act) in the United States.

As of 2010,  nearly  79,200 same-sex couples living in the United States include at least one partner who iscurrently not a U.S citizen or was naturalized as a citizen.  Of the nearly 650,000 same-sex couples in the US:
 4.4% or 28,574 are binational couples (one partner is a U.S. citizen and one is not)
 1.8% or 11,442 are dual non-citizen couples
 6.1% or 39,176 are dual citizen couples with at least one naturalized partner 

Under U.S. immigration policy, a citizen may obtain permanent residence for their non-citizen different-sex spouse, and expedited citizenship for a resident, different-sex spouse. Permanent residents may also petition for permanent resident status for their different-sex spouses.   However, these options are not extended to same-sex couples, even if they are married or are in civil unions or registered domestic partnerships.  Currently none of the estimated 40,000 binational and dual non-citizen same-sex couples in US are eligible to use  the immigration mechanisms available to different-sex spouses.


[...]


  Additional findings from the analyses include:

 California ranks first in the total number of binational same-sex couples.  A quarter of them (7,115) live in the state.  California is followed by New York (3,695), Florida (2,545), Texas (1,607), and Illinois (1,596).
 Mexico is the country of birth for a quarter of non-citizens in binational same-sex couples.  Canada, the second highest country of origin, is home to 8% of the non-citizen partners, followed by the United Kingdom at 6%.
 More than two-thirds of binational same-sex couples (69%) are male.
 A third of binational couples (33%) are inter-racial/ethnic.
 Forty-five percent of non-citizens in binational same-sex couples are Latino or Latina, while 14% are Asian/Pacific Islander.  Just over a third (36%) are White.  Among citizens in same-sex binational couples, a third (33%) are Latino or Latina while 54% are White and 7% are Asian/Pacific Islander.  AfricanAmericans comprise just 3% of both groups.
 A quarter of male binational couples and 39% of female binational couples are raising an estimated 17,000 children.  Rates of childrearing are even higher among non-citizen same-sex couples. More than half (52%) of male non-citizen couples and nearly two-thirds (64%) of non-citizen female couples are raising more than 7,700 children.
 Citizens in binational same-sex couples have higher median income levels than their non-citizen partners.  However, the non-citizen partners in binational couples have median incomes that are substantially higher than non-citizens with non-citizen partners.
 Almost two-thirds of binational same-sex couples own their home.  They are more than twice as likely to be home owners as dual non-citizen same-sex couples (30%).
 The vast majority of same-sex partners in binational couples speak English “well” or “very well”.   Among citizens in binational couples, 93% report a very good command of English compared to 81% of their non-citizen partners.
 More than 40% of citizens and non-citizens in same-sex binational couples have a college degree.
 Non-citizens in binational same-sex couples evidence low rates of unemployment at just 2%.  Nearly 8% of citizens in binational same-sex couples say they are unemployed.  

Immigration Equality is the premier national LGBT organization advocating for and assisting same-sex couples impacted by federal immigration policies. (MadProfessah has served on the board of the organization since November 2008).

Interestingly, the estimate of 28,574 is more precise but also smaller than the previous estimate of 36,000 binational couples in the United States but the 40,016 couples who are negatively impacted by current immigration law is slightly higher. MadProfessah is a naturalized citizen from the island-nation of Grenada, and Sentient Meat is a "natural born citizen" so we would be classified in the 6.1% of all U.S. same-sex couples who are both citizens where one partner is naturalized.

Succulent Sunday: Mammillaria hernandezii,

These small hemispheres... these tiny Mexico cacti, Mammillaria hernandezii... these jewels of the Oaxacan desert -- imagine them in full, purple bloom. Imagine violet flowers rising, expanding until they rival the whole mother plant. Forget the flowers... look at the spines! arrayed like dozens of harmless, strange, multi-legged creatures which have been killed, bleached, and hot-glued upside-down on deep-green mounds.

Mammillaria hernandezii,  strange desert jewel

Venus Defends 2nd Consecutive Title In A Row

Venus Williams defended a WTA Tour title for the second consecutive week, following up her win no hard courts in Dubai last week with a win on clay in Acapulco, Mexico by defeating World #60 Polona Hercog 2-6 6-2 6-3.

Winning the Mexican Open title increases Venus' lead of having the most titles of all active players on tour with 43 (compared to Justine Henin's 41).

Mexico City Passes Marriage Equality

Wow! I guess following in the footsteps of the District of Columbia last week, the Distrito Federal (also known as Mexico City) has also passed marriage equality legislation.

The leftist-dominated legislature of this massive city of about 20 million people turned aside opposition from the influential Roman Catholic Church and ended lively debate to approve the measure by a 39-20 vote. Mayor Marcelo Ebrard is expected to sign the bill into law.

"Mexico City has put itself in the vanguard," said legislator Victor Hugo Romo. "This is a historic day."

Mexico City's initiative goes further than any other in Latin America by rewriting the law to redefine marriage as a "free union between two people" not only between a man and a woman. It gives homosexual couples the same rights as heterosexual pairs, including the right to adopt, inherit, obtain joint housing loans and share insurance policies.

Several countries, most of them in Europe, and a handful of U.S. states have legalized same-sex marriage in recent years, and the issue is being hotly debated in parts of predominantly Catholic Latin America. Uruguay was the first Latin American nation to recognize same-sex unions, as well as adoptions by gay couples, and some cities in Argentina have adopted similar laws.

It's interesting that the capital city of both United States and Mexico have adopted marriage equality in the last two weeks.

Venus Wins Second Title in 2 Weeks

World #5 Venus Williams defeated defending champion Flavia Pennetta 6-1 6-2 in just over an hour in Acapulco, Mexico win her second WTA Tour title in as many weeks, her 41st overall.

Pennetta has given Williams difficulty in the past, and is one of a mere handful of people who had beaten the 7-time major champion 3 times in a row, in addition to bouncing Venus from the 2008 French Open.

Mexican President Promises Universal Free Anti-HIV Drugs

Felipe Calderon, the President of Mexico, opened the XVII International AIDS Conference in Mexico City on Sunday by making two big announcements: Mexican citizens will now have access to universal anti-retroviral drugs and he is lifting restrictions on foreign manufacturers making generic anti-retroviral drugs in his country. "All absolutely, all, antiretroviral drugs will be provided for free," President Calderon said (in Spanish).

Anand Leads World Chess Championship

The World Chess Championship Tournament is currently being held in Mexico City. The qualified players are Vladimir Kramnik (Current World Champion, World #2, rated 2769), Peter Leko (World #8, 2738), Vishwanathan Anand (World #1, rated 2792), Boris Gelfand (World #13, 2733), Peter Svidler (World #9, 2736), Alexander Grischuk (World #16, 2732), Alexander Morozevich (World #4, 2762), and Levon Aronian (World #5, 2759). The former World #1 and current World #2 Veselin Topalov, is not in Mexico City contesting the World Championship tournament. If you want to know why the person widely regarded as the best player in the world is not playing for the world championship, read this informative article at about.com by Mark Weeks. The New York Times lalso has an informative blog on chess called Gambit which is covering the world championships and chess news in general.