What Caught My Eye Today

International Stability - Iraq is the second most unstable country in the world, according to the 2007 Failed States Index published by analysts for Foreign Policy magazine and the not-for-profit Fund for Peace. 177 nations are evaluated using 12 measures and ranked in one of the following categories: Alert, Warning, Moderate or Sustainable. 32 nations fall into the Alert category with Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia taking the top 3 spots. 15 nations comprise the Sustainable category with Norway, Finland and Sweden at the top of that list. The U.S. ranks 18th, good enough for third place out of 32 in the Moderate category. Most nations, 97, fall into Warning category. More revelations about Afghanistan Iraq that I'm guessing surprises no one. How about the defenders of freedom (that would be the U.S., in case you were wondering) not making it into the ranks of the Sustainable? What up with dat?

International Space Station - A revived set of crucial computers aboard the international space station underwent one more test Monday before they are given a clean bill of health so shuttle Atlantis can return home. The test will help determine if two Russian computers are ready to control the space station's orientation as Atlantis managers decide whether the shuttle should spend another day at the outpost. During a computer meltdown last week, the shuttle's thrusters were used to help the station maintain its position. The station's thrusters haven't been used since. On Sunday, shuttle astronauts completed the fourth and final spacewalk of their mission to continue the construction of the space station., astronauts activated a rotating joint on the outpost's newest segment so a new pair of solar wings can track the sun and provide power to the station. All is well that ends well, hopefully. I don't expect the drama to end just yet. There is the minor detail of the shuttle making it back to Earth and whether or not the damage to a thermal blanket proves problematic or not.

Palestinians - The emergency government Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas installed after Islamic militants seized control of Gaza reaped its first windfall Monday with the European Union promising to restore hundreds of millions of dollars in crucial aid. President Bush also lent critical support in a phone call to Abbas, who called for a resumption of Mideast peace talks. The Bush administration is expected to soon lift its sanctions on the Palestinian government now that it no longer includes the Islamic Hamas. Russia also said it supported Abbas's move to form an emergency government, but urged him and Islamic Hamas to seek a "wide-ranging dialogue." I must be getting my signals crossed here. Is there something on the international stage that we all seem to agree on? I wonder if a cool breeze just swept across hell.

Baseball - Barry Bonds hit homerun 748, his first at Boston's Fenway Park, over the weekend, leaving him 7 shy of Hank Aaron's record. I'm sure that will give him some consolation as the Giants were swept by Boston and dropped the team into last place in the NL West. This seaon, Bonds hit 11 homers in his first 76 at-bats, but has just three in 91 at-bats since. I still say he breaks the record this year, if for no other reason that he doesn't want to have to come back next year to try and get it.

Golf - Argentina's Angel Cabrera held off Tiger Woods and Jim Furyk to become the second South American to win a major title with a one-shot victory at the U.S. Open on Sunday. Cabrera, whose power game earned him five birdies on a hot and humid day at treacherous Oakmont Country Club, fired a one-under-par 69 for a five-over total of 285 on one of golf's toughest layouts. Twice champion Woods, hunting his 13th major title, had to settle for a share of second place with fellow American Furyk (70) after closing with a 72. Woods, two strokes behind the pacesetting Aaron Baddeley of Australia overnight, stumbled early with a double-bogey at the third.Although he hit back with a birdie at the fourth, he was frequently forced to scramble to save par and failed to pick up any further shots before finishing at six over. Dude, what a finish. For a sport that is not exactly known for fast paced action, the last few holes had my blood pumping.

Soccer - The U.S. beat Panama 2-1 on Saturday to advance to the CONCACAF Gold Cup semifinals. The United States improved to 8-0-1 since Bradley took over as coach from Bruce Arena. The Gold Cup winner qualifies for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa. The semifinals, scheduled for June 21, match the U.S. against Canada and Mexico against Guadeloupe. Now here is an interesting little quandary...The victory by Guadeloupe, a French province, over Mexico could eventually prove problematic for FIFA should Guadeloupe win the event. The winner of the Gold Cup qualifies for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa and Guadeloupe cannot play in that tournament because FIFA doesn't recognize the Caribbean island as a country. See what I'm saying? Who said soccer was boring; I mean besides 95% of the U.S. population?