Monday Newsbreak: 3/17

--On Friday night, right in the middle of the Southeastern Conference college basketball tournament taking place in Atlanta, Georgia, tornadoes ripped through the city, even damaging the site of the games (the Georgia Dome) and sending debris onto the court and the players. Estimates have the damage to businesses and homes around $200 million, but so far no deaths have been reported. Is it just my imagination, or is this sort of thing happening much too often during the past few weeks?!!

--A crusading moralist, former Attorney General and New York Governor Eliot Spitzer showed his utterly base hypocrisy when the facts of his multiple prostitute liaisons came out. Mr. Spitzer, during his reign as NY Attorney General, never seemed to have any compunction about ruining anyone else’s career because of their mistakes. And all the while, the state’s chief law enforcement official was recklessly breaking it himself. Not that I think that his having sex with prostitutes should have been against the law in the first place. To me, that is a matter between him and his wife. If Spitzer hadn’t used his oh-so pious and self-righteous public demeanor to further his political career at the expense of others, I would probably be of the opinion that he should be left alone to sort out his personal problems as a private matter, and to remain as New York Governor. But it was he who placed himself so high on his public pedestal, and now it’s crashed!

--A crisis is developing in western China as violent confrontations have erupted between Tibetan protesters and the Chinese government authorities. With the press as tightly controlled as it is there, reported deaths are hard to confirm, but the figure ranges from 30 to over 100. Personally, I have no problem with the Chinese maintaining that Tibet is a part of their country. But I do object to the suppression of Tibetan Buddhist expression and autonomy in that region, starting with the exile since 1959 of the Dalai Lama. Why can’t they see that a Buddhist Tibet with some autonomy is an asset to their country and not a liability? And this happening just a few months before China hosts the Summer Olympics.

--The University of Florida men’s basketball team has gone into a late-season slump (four straight losses) and missed out on the (already remote) chance to defend their National Championship. But I’m looking forward to seeing how the Gators do in the National Invitation Tournament (starting this Wednesday). As for the NCAA tourney, I’m pulling for teams like Tennessee, Georgia, Vanderbilt, and North Carolina. I suspect, though, that this may indeed be UCLA’s season to win it all! Last night, I was watching ESPN’s “bracketology” program analyzing the tournament’s selections and matchups. Among the analysts were “Mr. Enthusiasm” Dick Vitale and former Indiana and Texas Tech coach Bobby Knight. For some reason, Vitale, who is usually humorous and upbeat, seemed agitated and uptight. And Knight, known for his on-court chair tossing and cursing at press conferences, was very calm, polite, and professional as he expressed his opinions. Who would have thought it?