What Caught My Eye Today

Russia - Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the United States on Thursday of imperialism and starting a new arms race. "We are not the initiators of this new round of the arms race," Putin told a Kremlin news conference. "There is no need to fear Russia's actions: they are not aggressive. They are a mere response to harsh and groundless unilateral actions by our partners and are aimed at maintaining the balance of forces in the world." Moscow has been alarmed by U.S. plans to deploy parts of its global missile defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic. We've been down this road before, haven't we?

Global Warming - President Bush, under fire for resisting tough action on global warming, called on 15 influential countries to agree by the end of 2008 on a long-term goal to cut emissions. The U.S. strategy calls for consensus on long-term goals for reducing the greenhouse gases that spur global warming, but not before the end of 2008, shortly before Bush's White House term ends. Bush would also call on countries to set medium term goals "that reflect their own mix of energy sources and future energy needs." Hate to burst your bubble, Mr. President, but there already is an agreement for dealing with global warming. It's called the Kyoto Protocol. Maybe you've heard of it?

Golf - Tough start for some big names on the pro tours this week.

PGA: At the Memorial, Phil Mickelson withdrew after 11 holes because of an injury to his left wrist, which he suspects happened at Oakmont earlier this week as he practiced chipping out of the deep rough while preparing for the U.S. Open. Masters champion Zach Johnson had to stop after 15 holes with strep throat so severe he turned down his first interview. Tiger Woods barely escaped been injured on the 10th green when an approach shot from Charley Hoffman whizzed by his head and missed him by about a yard. In case you are interested, Tiger carded a first round 70, 5 shots off the first round lead shared by 3.

LPGA: Michelle Wie withdrew from the Ginn Tribute on Thursday after shooting 14 over through 16 holes, aggravating a wrist injury that sidelined her since January. Wie wore bandages on her wrists during the round and said she withdrew because she "tweaked" the injury and not because of an LPGA Tour rule that bans non-tour members for the year if they shoot 88 or higher. Wie was two bogeys from that scenario when she stopped. While Wie struggled in her return, Annika Sorenstam was pleased with her even-par 72 after missing nearly two months because of a ruptured disk and a bulging disk.

Can you imagine what the injury report would look like if this were a contact sport?

Addiction - In honor of Diet Coke's 25th Anniversary here are some notable folks who can only be described as Diet Coke-aholics:

Bill Clinton: The former President was known to enjoy Diet Coke with large orders of McDonald's fries. These days, the fries are gone, but the Diet Coke remains.
Elton John: The musician reportedly for puts away several cans of Diet Coke on-stage during concerts.
Victoria Beckham: Posh Spice allegedly drinks Diet Coke in leiu of water. She doesn't like that way water tastes.
John Daly: The professional golfer used to drink it with Jack Daniels (used to?). He's been known to down 15 cans in a single day.

You just cannot put a price on PR like this can you?

Parenthood - Here's some interesting statistics on the costs of raising a child.

$32,000: What the first two years of a new baby's life will cost.
$24,000: The two year cost for each additional baby (ah yes, hand-me-downs)
$1,589,793: The average cost of raising a child to age 18, including college and lost wages from a stay at home parent (what about bail and rehab at Betty Ford?)

You know, if China really wanted to put a dent in its population problem, they should take a look at how we do things here.

Prison - California's cash-strapped prison system is allowing some prisoners to pay for upgrades to nicer jails. For a surcharge of $75 to $127, inmates can be transferred from county jail to a private room in one of the cleaner, quieter city jails. Some deals even guarantee a cell far from violent offenders. I hear this has been so successful that personal concierge services and massage therapy are being piloted.