Sasha's commentary for December 5, 2013: Everything I didn't get to yesterday

Yesterday the world received the awful news that Nelson Mandela passed away. I believe the article summed it up best: he is the one politician that we will really, truly miss. And not Ronald Reagan, whose legacy has been mixed. Would I say Mandela is the first? If not the first, pretty darn close. Although a tacky article, it is a funny yet moving tribute to the former South African leader. In his autobiography, Sir Richard Branson (known for the Virgin Group) mentions his fondness for Mandela, and his account of meeting him.

In regards to dating, NO ONE should have sex on the first date. That is just way too soon. I do believe in modesty in dating. Certain romantic gestures? That's sort of overdoing it, I'm just saying. But being clear about going steady? That's a good call.

Also, keep in mind that dating is tricky, regardless. Not all girls like the idea of dating in general, so if you like a girl who doesn't want a boyfriend, or vice versa, your best bet is to simply deal with it and move on or just staying close friends. And if a girl notes that she does have some feelings for you, just stick at it. She might eventually warm to the idea of a relationship.

I don't think it's fare to blame socialism for a power outage.That being said, the Venezuela government should throw some money into improving infrastructure.

This world is twisted when a young man with an intellectual disability is murdered over a pair of headphones. Christian Massey, despite his struggles, was a man who people loved and cared about so much.

Surprisingly, I applaud Martin Bashir's decision to resign from MSNBC. As much as I really agree with him, I will say: saying that Sarah Palin should have someone s**t in her mouth is just wrong. Does this mean we will see Roman Farrow as his replacement?  Regardless, as we saw with Keith Olbermann, when you get suspended from a show, coming back is difficult, and usually your run is over.

Meanwhile, in Maine, I understand governor Paul LePage's twisted logic: I understand why he would support scrapping child labor laws. After all, he was a child worker, having had an EXTREMELY rough childhood. And students having free time to work? Unless you're super bright, I wouldn't bet on it. And the labor market needs less people employed who don't need a second job to get by.

I do like the idea of a reversible USB plug, but it also needs to be a standard everyone but Apple adopts. That being said, I am very happy with the way USB currently is done. Preferably, I'd like this only for new devices and not for computer motherboards themselves.

Although I am struggling financially, I guess I'm not doing too bad at all, quoting a line from the Lynyrd Skynyrd song "Searchin'". I have a roof over my head, clean clothes and food in my stomach.

I would have thought Ukraine, with its recent issues, would be the most corrupt. The dishonorable award goes to none other than a three way tie: Afghanistan, North Korea and Somalia. The least? New Zealand? Ukraine? Highly. In fact, Ukraine ranks worse than Russia. I beg Ukraine to fix its problems.

I'm honestly confused on Dick Cheney: I thought he was lukewarm on marriage equality, not actively advocating for it but still in favor of it? Sometimes you need to stick out of your kids politics. I wonder how Justin Trudeau would feel if he found out one of his kids was going to be a card carrying member of the New Democrats in Canada?

Since AT&T isn't subsidizing your phone if you bring your own, how about giving customers a break? I applaud AT&T on this move even though I wish it were a little sweeter. Personally, I'd like to see more consumer protections and more community-wide hot spots. And how about the feds throw some cash

My condolences to this woman who lost her husband in a car crash, and found out via Twitter. But Twitter though, even live tweeting the accident? Traumatizing. I fear losing a family member in an auto accident. I really do.

I have in the past had the privilege of working with Jessica Suchy-Pilalis, a professor of the harp and music theory at SUNY Potsdam. She's started a Pan-Orthodox mission, and I must say, her devotion to the organization is immense. Anyways, it turns out she comes from a family with huge musical talent, and her mother is 90 and still a performing musician.