What Caught My Eye Today

Iraq - The U.S. military said Tuesday that a Marine was killed in fighting west of the capital. The attack raised to at least 73 the number of U.S. service members who have died in Iraq in July, the lowest number since November 2006, when at least 70 U.S. deaths were reported. The monthly toll topped 100 in April, May and June. In all, at least 3,652 members of the U.S. military have died since the Iraq war started in March 2003. President Bush's nominee to head the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Navy Adm. Michael Mullen, acknowledged that slow progress in Iraq is hurting America's credibility and emboldening Iran's regional ambitions. Can anyone figure out if this is meant to be good news or not? I'm rather confused, myself.

Meanwhile, here's what our friends in Congress are up to...

House Democratic leaders are intent on sidetracking bipartisan attempts to change course in Iraq at least until fall rather than allow nervous Republicans to vote for legislation that lacks a troop withdrawal deadline. Several lawmakers and aides said the goal was to deny members of the GOP rank and file a chance to proclaim their independence from President Bush by voting for a limited measure — after months of backing his policy in an increasingly unpopular war. Polls have long shown the war to be unpopular. In one of the latest surveys, 61% of those polled want their lawmaker to begin requiring a reduction of troops and that 35% want their representative not to undermine the president. So I guess if the purpose of having polls confirm that public sentiment is basically the same as it was, oh I don't know, a year and a half ago, then I guess this latest survey is right on the money.

And here's my favorite news item of the day...

Vice President Dick Cheney acknowledged he was wrong in 2005 when he insisted the insurgency in Iraq was in its "last throes." It was Cheney's most direct public admission of how badly the administration had underestimated the strength of America's enemies in the increasingly unpopular war in Iraq. He said, "My estimate at the time -- and it was wrong, it turned out to be incorrect -- was the fact that we were in the midst of holding three elections in Iraq, elected an interim government, then ratifying a constitution, then electing a permanent government, that they had had significant success, we'd rounded up Saddam Hussein. I thought there were a series of these milestones that would in fact undermine the insurgency and make it less than it was at that point. That clearly didn't happen. I think the insurgency turned out to be more robust." The part that I like best is that Cheney points out that his estimates weren't just wrong, but also incorrect. Thanks for the clarification there, Professor.

Sudan - The United Nations Security Council has voted in favour of sending peacekeepers to Sudan's troubled Darfur region. Up to 26,000 troops and police will make up the world's largest peacekeeping force, under a joint UN and African Union mandate. The resolution will allow peacekeepers to use force to defend civilians and aid workers in Darfur from any attack. At least 200,000 people are thought to have died in Darfur and some 2 million have fled their homes since 2003. The conflict in Darfur began in February 2003 when ethnic African tribes rebelled against what they consider decades of neglect and discrimination by the Arab-dominated government. I'd like to say 'better late than never' in drawing an international peacekeeping force to stop this 4 year old massacre, but that would be akin to thanking a doctor for coming to administer treatment after the patient is already dead.

Vegansexuals - I heard this one on the radio today. A new phenomenon in New Zealand is taking the idea of you are what you eat to the extreme. Vegansexuals are people who do not eat any meat or animal products, and who choose not to be sexually intimate with non-vegan partners whose bodies, they say, are made up of dead animals. Cruelty-Free Consumption in New Zealand: A National Report on the Perspectives and Experiences of Vegetarians and other Ethical Consumers asked 157 people nationwide about everything from battery chickens to sexual preferences. One vegan respondent from Christchurch said: "I believe we are what we consume, so I really struggle with bodily fluids, especially sexually." Another Christchurch vegan said she found non-vegans attractive, but would not want to be physically close to them. "I would not want to be intimate with someone whose body is literally made up from the bodies of others who have died for their sustenance," she said. Another respondent said she could understand people not wanting to get too close to non-vegan or non-vegetarians. "When you are vegan or vegetarian, you are very aware that when people eat a meaty diet, they are kind of a graveyard for animals," she said. I'd like to come up with some witty epitaph for this story, but you tell me how I could possibly top this?

Sports - In keeping with the theme of the day, I'm a bit late this week on my weekend sports wrap:

Baseball - In a nutshell, Barry Bonds managed a single dinger in a 6 game homestand bringing his total to 754, one shy of tie and 2 short of breaking Hank Aaron's record. The San Francisco Giants play their next 6 games in Los Angeles and San Diego before returning home August 6. At the rate he's going, Bonds will have a pretty decent shot at tie or breaking the record at home

Football - Bill Walsh, nicknamed "The Genius" for his original schemes that became known as the West Coast offense, died at his Woodside home Monday morning following a long battle with leukemia. He was 75. Walsh changed the NFL with his innovative offense and a legion of coaching disciples, breaking new ground and winning three Super Bowls with the San Francisco 49ers along the way. Walsh twice served as the 49ers' general manager, and coach George Seifert led San Francisco to two more Super Bowl titles after Walsh left the sideline. Walsh also coached Stanford during two terms over five seasons. Even a short list of Walsh's adherents is stunning. Seifert, Mike Holmgren, Dennis Green, Sam Wyche, Ray Rhodes and Bruce Coslet all became NFL head coaches after serving on Walsh's San Francisco staffs, and Tony Dungy played for him. Most of his former assistants passed on Walsh's structures and strategies to a new generation of coaches, including Mike Shanahan, Jon Gruden, Brian Billick, Andy Reid, Pete Carroll, Gary Kubiak, Steve Mariucci and Jeff Fisher.
In 2004, Walsh was diagnosed with leukemia -- the disease that also killed his son, former ABC News reporter Steve Walsh, in 2002 at age 46. Walsh underwent months of treatment and blood transfusions, and publicly disclosed his illness in November 2006. I'd say his legacy is on rather firm ground, wouldn't you?

Incidentally, I haven't forgotten about the Michael Vick story related to dogfighting conspiracy charges. I just cannot be bother to give this scumbag the time of day.

Cycling - Spaniard Alberto Contador won the drug-tainted Tour de France here on Sunday when he held on to his 23sec lead overnight lead on Australia's Cadel Evans to secure the race's fabled yellow jersey. Contador, who rides for the Discovery Channel team, becomes the first Spaniard to win the three-week race since Miguel Indurain, the first ever five-time consecutive winner, in 1991-1995. Evans, in second at 23sec, is Australia's highest ever finisher in the race having equalled compatriot Phil Anderson's achievement of a fifth place finish last year. Like Contador and Evans, American Levi Leipheimer achieved a career best to finish third overall at 31sec, well ahead of fourth-placed Spaniard Carlos Sastre, of CSC, at 7:08. It is the second smallest winning margin in the history of the race, following Greg Lemond's eight-second victory over France's Laurent Fignon after a final day time trial in Paris in 1989. Of the 189 riders that started the Tour, 47 failed to finish, including 2 entire teams (Ouch).

Team Discovery had a rather good showing, all things considered. Alberto Contador of Spain won the title, Levi Leipheimer of the United States finished third and Yaroslav Popovych of Ukraine came in eighth. And, once again, American rider George Hincapie was there in support for the U.S. squad. Johan Bruyneel and Hincapie reeled off their eighth Tour victory -- Bruyneel as sporting director and Hincapie as a key support rider. Discovery, which won the team competition by nearly 20 minutes also banked nearly three times more money than any other team. The team made more than $987,000.

Lest you forget the rest of the highlights from this 3 week cycling affair, here is a recap of the highlights, or perhaps more appropriately, the lowlights...

This just in... German authorities said today they have received documents from doping expert Werner Franke which he claims show Tour de France winner Alberto Contador was involved in doping. Franke said he has documents from last year's Operation Puerto doping investigation in Spain which show that Contador had taken HMG-Lepori as a testosterone booster and an asthma product called TGN. This should be interesting.

German Patrik Sinkewitz was suspended earlier this month after a test taken in June tested positive for elevated levels of testosterone. He withdrew a request for the B sample to be tested on Tuesday. Sinkewitz, who pulled out of the Tour with a broken nose and a shoulder injury following a crash with a spectator after the eighth stage, faces a two-year suspension and could be fined a year's salary.

Spanish rider Iban Mayo, who finished the race in 16th place, was suspended by his team Saunier Duval on Monday after cycling's governing body confirmed traces of erythropoietin (EPO) in a sample taken on the July 24 rest day.

Michael Rasmussen was sacked by Rabobank on July 25 while leading the race after the Dutch team said he had lied about his training whereabouts in June, an allegation the Dane denies. Rabobank, however, decided that the rest of the team were to continue in the Tour. Rasmussen had already received two warnings from the International Cycling Union (UCI) for failing to provide the sport's governing body with his training schedule.

Cofidis announced on July 25 they were pulling out of the Tour de France following Italian Cristian Moreni's positive test for testosterone. Moreni, who was arrested by the French gendarmerie, failed a dope test after the Tour's 11th stage from Marseille to Montpellier. He is due to appear before Italy's anti-doping body on Aug. 8.

Pre-race favourite Alexander Vinokourov tested positive for blood doping after winning a time trial on July 21. The Kazakh's Astana team left the Tour and confirmed on Monday that they had sacked Vinokourov, who denies any wrongdoing.

What Caught My Eye Today

NASA - Given the events of the past year, I guess this doesn't surprise me too much. A panel reviewing health issues at Nasa has found that US astronauts have been allowed to fly while intoxicated at least twice. The panel also found heavy alcohol use within the 12-hour "bottle to throttle" ban for flight crew. Separately, Nasa confirmed that a contractor had sabotaged a computer. The damage to wiring in a network box - which is to be taken to the International Space Station (ISS) - was intentional and obvious, the agency said. However, it stressed that the equipment was not essential and that astronauts' lives had not been at risk. An investigation is under way. The drinking thing is too stupid and careless to comment on any further. As for the sabotage, forgive me if this comes off as flippant, but is it really necessary? We're talking about the most complex construction effort in the history of mankind, in space, mind you, being put together with components built by the lowest bidder. This attempt at sabotage sounds like a bit of overkill to me.

India - The United States and India said they have completed negotiations on a nuclear cooperation deal that would offer enormous benefits for both sides. But neither country gave details of the long-delayed, controversial accord and acknowledged critical steps must be taken before it can be implemented. The pact, approved by India's cabinet on Wednesday, would allow India access to U.S. nuclear fuel and equipment for the first time in 30 years, even though New Delhi refused to join non-proliferation pacts and tested nuclear weapons. My apologies again for being the simple-minded fool, but am I to understand that the U.S. doesn't have a problem with India developing nuclear technology because they like us? What happens if that changes? It has been known to happen in the past.

Star Trek - Leonard Nimoy isn't through with Spock yet. The 76-year-old actor will don his famous pointy ears again to play the role in an upcoming "Star Trek" film due out Christmas 2008. While the character of Captain Kirk has yet to be cast, William Shatner, who played the role in the original TV series, would likely also have a part in the film. Oh, good Lord. Somebody please put an end to the madness.

Baseball - As he nears the all-time Major League Baseball home run record, Barry Bonds received strong praise on Thursday from the the man whose steroid business tarnished the reputation of the baseball slugger. Victor Conte, the former head of BALCO, now openly speaks of having operated a steroid business in the past, but strongly denies providing Bonds with any performance-enhancing drugs. Rather, he has long said he only advised the single-season home run record holder with nutritional advice. "The greater the adversity he faces, the greater his determination becomes to overcome that adversity. Barry Bonds is not only one of the greatest baseball players of all time, he is one of the greatest athletes of all time." Not exactly the endorsement, Bonds was probably looking for, but at the same time, he doesn't exactly get much postive press these days.

Cycling - Good news...sort of. No new doping scandals today. Tomorrow's time trial should decide everything.

What Caught My Eye Today

Iraq - The U.S. military has noted a "significant improvement" in the aim of attackers firing rockets and mortars into the heavily fortified Green Zone in the past three months that it has linked to training in Iran, a top commander said Thursday. The top U.S. commander in Iraq also expressed cautious optimism over a decline in the number of American troops killed this month. At least 60 U.S. troops have died so far in July after the death toll topped 100 for the previous three months. Well I suppose after 5 years of occupation, their aim was bound to improve. They've certainly had enough practice.

North Korea - North Korea walked out of military talks with South Korea, ending three days of high-level negotiations Thursday with no agreement amid a lingering dispute over their shared sea border. "We've come to the conclusion that we don't need these fruitless talks any more," North Korea's chief delegate said. This week's talks are the highest-level dialogue channel between the two militaries, and were intended to follow up on agreements reached in May on setting up a joint fishing area around the contended border and cooperation on security arrangements for joint economic projects there. Waters around the sea border are rich fishing areas and have been a past scene of deadly conflicts in 1999 and 2002. The two Koreas have made strides toward reconciliation since a 2000 summit between their leaders, but they remain technically at war because the Korean War cease-fire has never been replaced by a peace treaty. It was bound to happen, after all, all good things must come to an end and let's not forget that we're talking about North Korea. All I can say is those must be some awfully tasty fish to derail the peace process.

Lindsay Lohan - Lindsay Lohan, accused of drunken driving and cocaine possession after her second arrest in a month, has denied she was taking drugs. Lohan was booked on suspicion of drunken driving, cocaine possession, bringing a controlled substance into custody and driving on a suspended license. "I am innocent ... did not do drugs they're not mine," she wrote in an e-mail to "Access Hollywood" host Billy Bush. Well that cinches it for me. If Lindsay is going to hang it all out there for "Access Hollywood" then she must be innocent. See this is the different between Paris Hilton and all those pretenders out there. Paris gets booked on "Larry King Live," while Lohan is reduced to sending emails to a Hollywood tabloid TV show.

What Caught My Eye Today

Congress - Or perhaps I should more accurately say House Democrats were busy today.

House Democrats have drafted new Iraq legislation they hope will appeal to Republicans fed up with the war: Start withdrawing troops in two months but leave it up to President Bush to decide when to complete the pullout. The House has passed similar anti-war measures in the past, but has been unable to push the legislation through the Senate, where Democrats hold a slimmer majority and Republicans have routinely blocked such bills from advancing. Bush has not given any indication he is open to a dramatic shift or a major redeployment of troops after September. Instead, he has talked extensively about the need to remain engaged in Iraq to fight al-Qaida and has repeatedly appealed to lawmakers for more patience. For their part, top U.S. military officers also have indicated that the troop buildup initiated this year may be needed through next summer.

If that isn't enough for you, somehow, Democrats managed to tackle some domestic issues on the same day.

The House Judiciary Committee approved a contempt of Congress citation Wednesday against White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten and one-time Counsel Harriet Miers, setting up a constitutional confrontation over the firings of federal prosecutors. The Justice Department said it would block the citation from prosecution because information Congress is demanding is protected by executive privilege. The action followed nearly seven months of a Democratic-driven investigation into whether the U.S. attorney firings were directed by the White House to influence corruption cases in favor of Republican candidates. The administration has denied that, but also has invoked executive privilege to shield internal White House deliberations on the matter.

Always nice to see those tax dollars working.

Iran - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Iran would never yield to international pressure to suspend its nuclear program. "Iran will never abandon its peaceful (nuclear) work. Our nuclear work is legal and why should we stop it?" The United States and other Western powers suspect Iran has a secret program to build nuclear weapons. The oil-producing Islamic Republic says its nuclear program is only for generation of electricity for the benefit of its economy. Ahmadinejad said Iran had "some thousand centrifuges which are spinning every day." Centrifuges are used to make fuel for power plants but can also be employed to enrich uranium to a higher level to make bomb material. Diplomats have said Iran had installed about 2,000 centrifuges by early in June, most enriching uranium and others undergoing test "dry runs" without uranium in them. The 3,000 mark was likely to be reached by the end of July, they said. Three thousand could produce material for one bomb within a year if run non-stop at supersonic speed. Here's my question. Are 3,000 centrifuges necessary for peaceful work? If so, maybe Iran has a valid point. If not...I mean really, how many spares do you need? And maybe someone out there could explain to me why Iran is spending so much on nuclear technology instead of improving its oil refining capacity?

Iraq - The dream run of Iraq's national soccer team captivated an otherwise despairing nation. But even in its moment of joy — the Iraqis are in the Asian Cup finals for the first time ever — violence struck. Two suicide bombings killed at least 50 cheering, dancing, flag-waving Iraqis celebrating their national triumph. More than 130 other revelers were wounded. The attacks bore the hallmarks of Sunni militants. The revelers were celebrating Iraq's semifinal win over South Korea in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur. Iraq won a tense penalty shootout 4-3 after the two sides played to a scoreless draw in 90 minutes regulation and 30 minutes extra time. Iraq plays Saudi Arabia on Sunday in Jakarta, Indonesia for the championship. All I can say is, dude, that's so not cool. Your friggin' national team is in the finals of a Confederation tournament. How could that possibly justify suicide bombings?

Israel - A delegation from the Arab League made a historic visit to Israel on Wednesday to present its own Middle East peace initiative. The foreign ministers of Egypt and Jordan, the first delegation the 22-member group has sent to the Jewish state, formally presented the Arab League's proposal for peace between Israel and Palestine. The proposal, originally presented in 2002 and rejected by the Jewish state, extends an offer from all Arab countries to recognize Israel in exchange for an Israeli withdrawal from land captured in the 1967 Middle East War. Currently, Egypt and Jordan are the only two nations in the league that recognize Israel. I don't claim to know much about this deal, but it sounds promising. And is it just me or did the U.S. have nothing to do with this? Is it possible that some problems could actually be resolved without the U.S.'s involvement? Sadly, I'm sure we'll find some way to screw this thing up.

Britney Spears - First Lindsay Lohan gets busted for drunken driving and cocaine possession , now Britney wants her turn in the tabloid spotlight. According to a magazine editor, Britney Spears sat back and watched as her Yorkshire terrier puppy pooped on a $6,700 designer gown at a photo shoot for OK! magazine. Allegedly, Spears also wiped grease on a designer dress, treating it like "a napkin," took frequent trips to the bathroom — leaving the door open — and complained that the high-end clothing put together for the fashion shoot weren't sexy, short or tight enough. After about three hours, the 25-year-old singer bolted, walking away with more than $14,000 of borrowed apparel. I say allegedly, because I wasn't there (thank God), but would it come as much of a surprise if she did everything that the editor suggested?

Cycling - The Tour de France is really in a pickle now. I'm actually starting to feel sorry for Tour organizers and participants. On Tuesday, star cyclist Alexandre Vinokourov was sent home after testing positive for a banned blood transfusion, and his team pulled out of the race. Wednesday, it happened again when the Cofidis squad confirmed its rider Cristian Moreni of Italy had failed a doping test, prompted the withdrawal of the entire squad. And then, Tour de France leader Michael Rasmussen was removed from the race by his team after winning Wednesday's stage, the biggest blow yet in cycling's doping-tainted premier event. "Michael Rasmussen has been sent home for violating (the team's) internal rules," a Rabobank team spokesman said. The expulsion, which was ordered by the Dutch team sponsor, was linked to "incorrect" information that Rasmussen gave to the team's sports director over his whereabouts last month. Rasmussen missed random drug tests May 8 and June 28. The 33-year-old rider had looked set to win the race, which ends Sunday in Paris. But Tour officials had questioned why he was allowed to take the start on July 7 in London, England. "We cannot say that Rasmussen cheated, but his flippancy and his lies on his whereabouts had become unbearable," Tour director Christian Prudhomme said. With Rasmussen out, Spanish rider Alberto Contador of the Discovery Channel team moved into the race lead. They need to finish this race pretty quick before they run out of riders. By my calculation, 39 riders are now out of the Tour (Astana and Cofidis team withdrawals account for 18 alone) leaving 150 to finish up what's left of the Tour. And get this, USA based Team Discovery now finds itself with the first and third place general classification riders.

What Caught My Eye Today

Islam - Here are some fascinating factoids that I got from a recent Newsweek article. There are an estimated 2.35 million Muslims in the United States. While 52% of adults regard U.S. Muslims as more peaceful than those living overseas, attitudes toward the U.S. Muslim community remain mixed. Here are some survey responses:

Do you think that the United States allows too many immigrants from Muslim countries (responses by age group)?
18 - 39: 32% Yes; 47% About the right amount; 7% No; 14% Don't know
40 - 59: 49% Yes; 33% About the right amount; 2% No; 16% Don't know
60+ : 58% Yes; 22% About the right amount; 3% No; 17% Don't know

Should U.S. Muslim students be allowed to wear headscarves?
69% Yes; 23% No; 8% Don't know

Should the FBI be allowed to wiretap mosques?
52% Yes; 39% No; 9% Don't know

Do you think most U.S. Muslims condone violence?
19% Yes; 63% No; 18% Don't know

My personal opinions aside, here's what I don't get. What's up with all these 'Don't know' responses? These are pretty simple questions.

2008 Presidential Campaign - Barack Obama led all other candidates in second-quarter fundraising, bringing in a record-breaking $33 million from April to June. Hillary Clinton came in a distant second with $27 million. Tops among Republican contenders was Rudy Giuliani with $17.3, followed by Mitt Romney with $13.8 million. Other big names didn't do so well. John Edwards raised $8.9 million on the Democratic side while John McCain scraped together only $3.2 million for his floundering campaign. You know, this would be a lot more interesting if someone came up with a Fantasy Game for this. We could pick our candidates through a draft, make trades, the works. Hello, ESPN...are you listening?

Oil - Average global demand for oil will increase by 2.2 million barrels a day in 2008, according to the International Energy Agency. It predicts that increased production by OPEC will cover the increased demand, making 2008 "slightly more comfortable" for consumers than 2006 and 2007. Why doesn't that make me feel better?

Big Business - Wal-Mart, with $351 billion in 2006 revenue, edged past ExxonMobil in the Fortune 500 to reclaim the title of world's biggest company. ExxonMobil remains the most profitable with earnings of $39.5 billion on $347 billion in revenue. First of all, when was Wal-Mart ever the world's biggest company? Secondly, based on my previous post, I'm guessing this will be a short stay at the top for Wal-Mart.

Air Travel - According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, these are the most delayed big city airports (all reporting less that 70% of their flights leaving on time):
Chicago O'Hare - Gee whiz, you don't say?
Portland (Maine) - I thought they said big city airports.
New York Kennedy - Fascinating how LaGuardia doesn't appear here as well.
Newark (New Jersey) - Okay, this one makes sense. It's got to be pretty crowded with all those people trying to get out.
Charlotte-Douglas (North Carolina) - Daggum those NASCAR fans.
Philadelphia - Sounds like the same deal as Newark.

Lindsay Lohan - You go, girlfriend! Just last week, I remember pining away for someone to go and do something stupid. So here you go. The troubled saga of Lindsay Lohan took another turn early Tuesday when police booked her for investigation of drunken driving and cocaine possession after a frightened woman dialed 911 to report being chased by Lohan's SUV. Less than two weeks out of rehab, with another drunken-driving case pending, Lohan had a blood-alcohol level of between 0.12 and 0.13 percent when police found her about 1:30 a.m. The movie star was booked for investigation of driving under the influence and driving on a suspended license, both misdemeanors, and possession of cocaine and transport of a narcotic, both felonies, authorities said. During a pre-booking search, police found cocaine in one of Lohan's pants pockets. Several hours later, Lohan was released on $25,000 bail. Lohan's attorney said her client had relapsed and was again receiving medical care. "Addiction is a terrible and vicious disease," she said. True enough, but I bet you'll keep on cashing those checks for your legal services without losing too much sleep over it.

Cycling - Today was a rest day for the Tour de France, but that didn't stop the race from grabbing the headlines...for all the wrong reasons. Tour de France rider Alexandre Vinokourov tested positive for a banned blood transfusion after winning last weekend's time trial, prompting his Astana team to pull out of the race Tuesday and police to raid the team hotel. The Kazakh rider, a one-time favorite to win cycling's premier event, was tested after his victory in the 13th stage time trial on Saturday. Vinokourov, a pre-race favorite, also won Monday's 15th stage. He was 23rd in the overall race standings. Once seen as a favorite to win the Tour, Vinokourov dropped out of contention for good Sunday after losing 28 minutes, 50 seconds to race leader Michael Rasmussen.

Race director Christian Prudhomme said the case showed that cycling's drug-testing system doesn't work. "It's an absolute failure of the system," he said. "It is a system which does not defend the biggest race in the world. This is a system which can't last."

World Anti-Doping Agency chief Dick Pound, a frequent critic of cycling's doping record, said the sport should have cleaned itself up by now. "It's almost impossible to be at the front of the pack these days without doping," he said.

"With a guy of his stature and class, in cycling's current situation, we might as well pack our bags and go home," said British rider David Millar, who came back from a two-year doping ban in the Tour last year.

On the bright side...gimme a second, I'm sure I can come up with something...Nope, I got nothing.

What Caught My Eye Today

Britain - Emergency workers rescued hundreds of trapped people Monday as water swallowed swaths of central England in the worst flooding to hit the country for 60 years. Torrential rains have plagued Britain over the past month and more downpours were predicted this week. The British weather was consistent with conditions caused by the La Nina weather system, which is caused by cooling ocean waters and leads to extreme weather, Britain's Meteorology Office said. However, scientists said there was no clear explanation for the unusually long spell of wet weather. Britain had one of its hottest and driest summers on record last year. So basically, these guys are hosed either way. It's either too hot and dry or its flooding. No wonder they drink so much.

It must be a bad weather day or something...

China - Flooding and landslides in China during one of the country's deadliest rainy seasons in decades killed at least 100 people and forced tens of thousands out of their homes in the east. The government-run Xinhua news agency said that the intense flooding in the past week has affected half of China, wreaking havoc on thousands of hectares of farmland and leaving more than 4,000 homes in ruins. In order to ensure that no fatal epidemic diseases break out, the health ministry has required all provincial health departments to report daily with their disease monitoring results. As long as they don't eat any of the food that they produce, they should be just fine. Shouldn't be a problem; they export all that crap to us anyway.

Pentagon - Pentagon officials are considering whether to halt the drawdown of U.S. troops in Europe because of the war in Iraq and other world developments. A Defense Department official said that some defense leaders are studying whether the 2002 plan to cut troops on the continent by nearly half still makes sense today with America's ongoing wars, worsening relations with Russia and Iran and a recent plan to expand the Army. The decrease in troops so far — amid repeated deployments to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan by those remaining in Europe — has forced officials to cancel military exercises and other activities with European allies, the official said. The idea of cutting troops from 68,000 in 2001 to 28,000 by 2012 was part of an initiative by former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld to transform the military into a leaner, more cost-effective force. You cannot be suggesting that Rumsfeld came up with a non-sensical plan? Not him. He's a patriot, by golly. Anyone who thinks otherwise should be arrested as a traitor to the realm and burned at the stake!

Golf - Padraig Harrington, who has finished at least tied for fifth five times in three different majors and who was tied for seventh at this year's Masters, finally got his hands on the British Open Claret Jug trophy by beating Sergio Garcia in a four-hole playoff at Carnoustie on Sunday. Harrington thought his chance was gone after a double-bogey six on the 18th. But Garcia's par putt lipped out, and the Irishman holed a three-footer at the fourth extra hole to claim the title. Tiger Woods' attempt to become the first golfer in more than a half-century to win three straight Open championships ended quietly Sunday, without providing even the glimmer of a rousing comeback. He teed off trailing third-round leader Sergio Garcia by a daunting eight strokes, and he knew by the turn it was over. Woods needed to go low but he could only manage a 1-under-par 70. Just my opinion, but what the last round lack in skill (Harrington and Garcia both choked big time), it made up for in sheer entertainment value.

Baseball - 753. Lemme see here. Barry Bonds has 2 to tie and 3 to break Hank Aaron's homerun record and the Giants start a 7 game homestand today. Anyone want to bet against him breaking the record this week? In related news, Bud Selig has not stated publicly whether he will follow Bonds' pursuit of Hank Aaron's all-time home run record after watching the San Francisco Giants' three-game series in Milwaukee over the weekend. His likely decision not to attend Monday's game, as Bonds sits at 753 home runs, could be the latest indication that Selig will not chase Bonds as he chases Aaron. Does anyone really care whether or not Selig shows at this point?

Cycling - Here's the latest on the Tour de France. Feeling increasing pressure on the course and off it, Michael Rasmussen has refused to crack and his hold on the Tour de France lead is looking increasingly solid with five days of racing left. The Dane reeled in repeated breakaway attempts by Alberto Contador, his last major challenger for the yellow jersey, in Monday's punishing ride along five climbs in the Pyrenees. One-time race favorite Alexandre Vinokourov won the 15th stage along the Spanish border, his second stage victory this year, continuing a pattern of toggling between a bad showing one day with an exceptional performance the next.

Meanwhile, Rasmussen hasn't even won the Tour yet and he's being dogged by suspicions of doping. The Danish cycling union said last week it had kicked him off the national team because he had missed drug tests before the Tour began. A day later, a former amateur mountain bike racer claimed that Rasmussen had tricked him into carrying a human blood substitute to Italy five years ago. The head of cycling's governing body, the International Cycling Union, joined in with his doubts about Rasmussen. "With all this speculation around him it would be better if somebody else were to win," UCI chief Pat McQuaid told The Associated Press on Monday. "The last thing this sport needs is more speculation about doping." Gee, that's nice. Here's a thought. Why don't you get some actual proof before dragging this guy through the mud. By the way, nice job of wrapping up that deal with last year's winner, Floyd Landis. Oh wait a minute. You haven't proved that one either, have you?

Harry Potter - You may have noticed that I took a long weekend (or maybe not). Had my hands full with the last installment of Harry Potter. Simply brilliant. I refuse to give any details away--read the book if you're interested. I will say this. J K Rowlings didn't let me down. Other than Book One, this was probably my favorite. The rumors that floated around before the book was released...Pretty much rubbish. Some folks got lucky with a few (it's not like we'd didn't know some characters were going to snuff it). My thanks, Ms. Rowlings for entertaining me some much these past few years. At least there are two more movies and that little theme park in Orlando to keep Harry going.

What Caught My Eye Today

Russia - Russia said it will expel four British diplomats and suspend counterterrorism cooperation with London, the latest move in a mounting confrontation over the radiation poisoning death of former KGB officer Alexander Litvinenko. Britain had announced earlier this week the expulsion of four Russian diplomats and restrictions on visas issued to Russian government officials after Moscow refused to extradite Andrei Lugovoi, accused of killing Litvinenko in London last November. The dispute marks a new low in relations between Moscow and London, which had already been troubled by Russia's opposition to the war in Iraq, Britain's refusal to extradite exiled tycoon Boris Berezovsky to face embezzlement charges, and by Kremlin allegations last year of spying by British diplomats. Here's my quandry. Is it Russia that wants to alienate itself from the West (remember that little flap with the U.S. last month?) or are the British following suit behind the U.S. to isolate Russia? Either way, I don't see much good coming out of this. I'd like to quote my man, Rodney King, when I say, "can't we all just get along?"

Kosovo - I haven't heard much from these folks in recent months. The United States is increasingly frustrated with Moscow's refusal to agree on a U.N. resolution that would lead to Kosovo's independence from Russian ally Serbia, leading to suggestions it will explore taking action outside of the 15-member Security Council. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said President Bush had made it very clear that Kosovo should have its independence from Serbia. Asked whether the United States was prepared to move on Kosovo's path to independence outside of the United Nations, Rice said: "We are committed to an independent Kosovo and we will get there one way or another." Serb Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic disagreed. "Imposing independence of Kosovo to Serbia outside the Security council is a guarantee to destabilize the Western Balkans," he told reporters. Moscow rejects any move that would lead to Kosovo's independence and has said a draft European/U.S. text has "zero" chance of being adopted. Tell me if you've heard this one before..."Can't we all just get along?" I have to admit I'm not well-versed in the strategic value of this portion of the world, but I'm at a loss as to why Russia is so opposed to this move.

Wild Fires - The nation's wildfire preparedness was raised to its highest level as dozens of new fires started in the bone-dry West, including one on the sprawling grounds of the Idaho National Laboratory. The West had been at level four for only a few weeks when officials decided to raise it to level five. The change allows fire managers to request help from additional crews, including from Canada and Australia, and soldiers with National Guard units could be mobilized. About 15,000 U.S. firefighters already were battling nearly 70 fires bigger than 100 acres in 12 states. The level was raised as dry lightning blasted and sparked dozens of new blazes in Idaho, Nevada, Oregon and Utah. In the past 4 days, there have been more than 1,000 new fires reported across the West. I always say, don't mess with Mother Nature. No matter how much you try to mitigate the risks, you cannot predict how man-made influences (logging, construction, wildlife conservation efforts) are going to affect the environment. The only sure bet is that when good old Mother Earth has had enough, she'll strike back. And when she does, she usually hits rather hard.

Harry Potter - The New York Times published a review of the final Harry Potter book on Thursday before its official release, drawing a stinging response from its British publishers. The review appeared in the newspaper's online version overnight, ahead of the official release of the eagerly awaited "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" at midnight (GMT) this Saturday. The New York Times review said its copy was purchased from a New York City store on Wednesday. Bloomsbury, which publishes Harry Potter in Britain, called the review "very sad," adding that there was only one more day to wait until the official release in book stores around the world. Twelve million copies of the book have been printed for the U.S. market alone. In a generally positive review, the writer gives away some plot details, including how many characters die and what "deathly hallows" means, but refrains from answering the biggest questions of all. "Ms. Rowling has fitted together the jigsaw-puzzle pieces of this long undertaking with Dickensian ingenuity and ardor," the review said. This overblown and excessive hype almost has me hoping that Paris Hilton, Britney Spears or Lindsay Lohan do somthing stupid just for a change of pace. I have to believe, most folks have turned off the noise at this point and are just waiting for Saturday to read the book for themselves...at least that's my plan.

Golf - Still trying to remove that unwanted title of best player never to win a major, sergio Garcia took advantage of charitable conditions at Carnoustie to shoot a 6-under-par 65 Thursday in the opening roundTiger Woods has another improbable shot for his majors collection. Woods sank a 90-foot birdie putt Thursday at damp, chilly Carnoustie on his way to a 2-under-par 69, putting himself solidly in contention for his third straight British Open championship. Woods already has three Open titles and is trying to become the first player since Peter Thomson (1954-56) to win three in a row. He's also trying to shake off the memory of coming up just short in the first two majors of the year, finishing second at both the Masters (two shots behind Zach Johnson) and U.S. Open (one stroke off Angel Cabrera). So if you had to place a bet on either Tiger or the field, where would you put your money?

Cycling - South African Robert Hunter won a crash-hit bunch sprint to take the 182.5-km 11th stage of the Tour de France. Barloworld, who were invited to compete in the race by Tour organisers, clinched their second stage win following Colombia's Juan Mauricio Soler's in Briancon on Tuesday. Belgian Tom Boonen did not compete in the final sprint after being delayed by a massive crash some 800 metres from the line. France's Christophe Moreau, who was sixth overall and aiming for a podium in Paris, finished 3:20 behind the winner after being caught by a sudden burst of acceleration from the Astana team at the front of the peloton, 70 km from the finish. The French champion dropped to 14th in the overall standings, six minutes 38 seconds adrift of Dane Michael Rasmussen of the Rabobank team, who retained the yellow jersey. Seriously, folks, if you are looking for some pretty entertaining drama (and a fair bit of carnage, as it turns out), you should try to catch a couple stages. And as an adde bonus you can catch Versus's promos for extreme caging fighting. How cool is that?

What Caught My Eye Today

Al-Qaeda - The U.S. announced the arrest of an al-Qaida leader it said served as the link between the organization's command in Iraq and Osama bin Laden's inner circle, enabling it to wield considerable influence over the Iraqi group. Khaled Abdul-Fattah Dawoud Mahmoud al-Mashhadani was the highest-ranking Iraqi in the al-Qaida in Iraq leadership when he was captured July 4. Al-Mashhadani had told interrogators that al-Qaida's global leadership provides "directions, they continue to provide a focus for operations" and "they continue to flow foreign fighters into Iraq, foreign terrorists." The relationship between bin Laden and the al-Qaida in Iraq leadership has long been the subject of debate. Some private analysts believe the foreign-based leadership plays a minor role in day-to-day operations. Analysts have also questioned U.S. military assertions that al-Qaida in Iraq is the main threat to U.S. forces here. Well, well, well. How fortuitous is this? Just when there is growing doubt regarding U.S. policy in Iraq, we capture this dude who basically affirms everything we've been doing. What a coincidence? Or is it?

Congress - Senate Republicans torpedoed legislation to force the withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from Iraq, bowing to President Bush's adamant refusal to consider any change in war strategy before September. The 52-47 vote fell far short of the 60 needed to advance the legislation and marked the final act in an all-night session that Democrats engineered to dramatize their opposition to the war. The all-night session had its moments — Democrats decamping at dusk to attend a candlelight rally near the Capitol, for example, a senator or two catching a middle-of-the-night snooze in a room equipped with cots just off the Senate floor, meaningless procedural votes that obliged bleary-eyed lawmakers to appear at midnight and again at 5 a.m. Not even presidential contenders were immune from indignity. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York wound up with a dead-of-night turn to speak, not long after 4 a.m. Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, her chief campaign rival, thought he had landed a slot in the 6 a.m. hour, rich in possibility for morning television coverage. That plan evaporated in a Senate scheduling crunch, though, and his remarks were limited to mere seconds, hours later. You see, its nonsense like this that makes me wonder how Congress has managed even a 34% approval rating.

Japan - An earthquake-wracked nuclear power plant was ordered closed indefinitely amid growing anger over revelations that damage was much worse than initially announced and mounting international concern about Japan's nuclear stewardship. The mayor of Kashiwazaki, a city of 93,500 on the northern coast, called in the head of the nation's biggest power company and ordered the damaged nuclear station closed until its safety could be confirmed, escalating a showdown over a long list of problems at the world's most powerful generating plant. The utility shocked the nation by releasing a list of dozens of problems triggered by the quake, after earlier reporting only the transformer fire and a small leak of radioactive water. The new list of problems included the transformer fire, broken pipes, water leaks and spills of radioactive waste. It also said the leak of radioactive water into the Sea of Japan was 50 percent bigger than announced previously. "We made a mistake in calculating the amount that leaked into the ocean," the company said in a statement. What I don't get is how they can be so off in their estimates. Was it that they were trying to see if no one would notice? At some point, like when people started glowing in the dark, the cover-up would have been exposed.

Britain - Britain became separated from mainland Europe after a catastrophic flood some time before 200,000 years ago, a sonar study of the English Channel confirms. The images reveal deep scars on the Channel bed that must have been cut by a sudden, massive discharge of water. Scientists believe that the torrent probably came from a giant lake in what is now the North Sea. It is believed that hundreds of thousands of years ago, when ice sheets had pushed down from Scotland and Scandinavia, there existed a narrow isthmus linking Britain to continental Europe. This gently upfolding chalk ridge was perhaps some 30m higher than the current sea level in the English Channel. Palaeo-researchers think it bounded a large lake to the northeast that was filled by glacial meltwaters fed by ancient versions of the rivers Thames and Rhine. Then - and they are not sure of the precise date - something happened to break the isthmus known as the Weald-Artois ridge. It's not that I don't find these geological discoveries fascinating, because I do (seriously). It's just that geological time is so slow. For a geologist, 200,000 years is equivalent to the blink of an eye. To me, well let's just say geological time moves about as quickly as a troop withdrawal bill does through the Senate.

High Fashion - And now for some hard hitting news. Gisele Bundchen tops Forbes.com's list of the world's richest models, earning $33 million in the last 12 months. Kate Moss, who recently launched a clothing line at British fashion retailer Topshop, ranks second with $9 million. The 33-year-old fashion icon is the new face of fashion label Stella McCartney and Italian sportswear company Belstaff. Heidi Klum, 34, placed third with $8 million. She is a Victoria's Secret spokesmodel and host of Bravo's "Project Runway." Two more Victoria's Secret beauties — Adriana Lima and Alessandra Ambrosio — rounded out the top five with $6 million each. Nice work if you can get it, I suppose.

What Caught My Eye Today

Al Qaeda - Intelligence agencies concluded that Al-Qaida is using its growing strength in Pakistan and Iraq to plot attacks on U.S. soil, heightening the terror threat facing the United States over the next few years. In the National Intelligence Estimate prepared for President Bush and other top policymakers, analysts laid out a range of dangers — from al-Qaida to Lebanese Hezbollah to non-Muslim radical groups — that pose a "persistent and evolving threat" to the country over the next three years. The findings focused most heavily on Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network, which was judged to remain the most serious threat to the United States. Just two years ago, the intelligence agencies considered al-Qaida's various "franchises" decentralized offshoots, with bin Laden mostly providing ideological direction. So which is, guys? Sounds to me that this so-called intelligence estimate is basically a 'cover your ass' for anyone who could possibly be held accountable if another terrorist attack takes place on American soil.

Iraq - Democrats steered the Senate into an attention-grabbing, all-night session to dramatize opposition to the Iraq war but conceded they were unlikely to gain the votes needed to advance troop withdrawal legislation blocked by Republicans. Republicans favor waiting until September before considering any changes to the Bush administration's current policy. They have vowed to block a final vote on the Democrats' attempt to require a troop withdrawal to begin within 120 days. "We have no alternative except to keep them in session to explain their obstruction," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada. Democratic officials conceded they were likely to get 52 or 53 votes at most. That's well short of the 60 needed to force a final vote on the measure. If that's the case, explain to me again, why you're pulling an all-nighter? Surely, you wouldn't stoop so low as to use this as a publicity stunt.

2008 Presidential Race - The latest AP-Ipsos poll found that nearly a quarter of Republicans are unwilling to back top-tier hopefuls Rudy Giuliani, Fred Thompson, John McCain or Mitt Romney, and no one candidate has emerged as the clear front-runner among Christian evangelicals. Such dissatisfaction underscores the volatility of the 2008 GOP nomination fight. In sharp contrast, the Democratic race remains static, with Hillary Rodham Clinton holding a sizable lead over Barack Obama. More Republicans have become apathetic about their top options over the past month. A hefty 23 percent can't or won't say which candidate they would back, a jump from the 14 percent who took a pass in June. Does this poll tell us anything that we don't already know? I say voter apathy is exactly what both these parties deserve for subjecting us to all this crap two years before the friggin' election.

Harry Potter - In the final days before the world learns whether Harry Potter lives or dies, spoilers — or those pretending to spoil — are spreading on the Internet. Author J.K. Rowling, who has said two major characters will die, has begged the public not to give away the ending to her seventh and final Potter book. I'll admit that I was curious enough to check out a couple of these spoilers for myself. If you add up all the rumors, pretty much everyone dies. In my humble opinion, any one of these spoilers that manages to be right will be by sheer coincidence. I mean really, if you include enough rumors in any list, you're bound to get one right.

Sealand - I preface this next item by saying I don't make this stuff up; I just report it. During World War II, the United Kingdom decided to establish a number of military bases, the purpose of which was to defend England against German air raids. These sea forts housed enough troops to man and maintain artillery designed to shoot down German aircraft and missiles. They were situated along the east coast of England on the edge of the English territorial waters. One of these bases, consisting of concrete and steel construction, was the famous royal fort Roughs Tower situated slightly north of the estuary region of the Thames River. In contrast to the original plan to locate the tower within the sovereign territory of England, this fortress was situated at a distance of approximately 7 nautical miles from the coast, which is more than double the then applicable 3 mile range of territorial waters; to put it briefly, this island was situated in the international waters of the North Sea. After WWII ended, the troops were withdrawn from all bases by the British Admiralty. None of them was ever used by the United Kingdom again, leaving the forts deserted and abandoned. Except for the aforementioned fortress, the bases were subsequently pulled down. This resulted in the portentous uniqueness of the fortress. Fort Roughs Tower, situated at the high seas, had been deserted and abandoned, res derelicta and terra nullius. From a legal point of view, it therefore constituted extra-national territory. On 2 September 1967, former English major Paddy Roy Bates formally occupied the island and settled there with his family. After intensive discussions with skillful English lawyers, Roy Bates proclaimed the island his own state. Claiming jus gentium, he bestowed upon himself the title of Prince and the title of Princess to his wife and subsequently made the state the Principality of Sealand.

Seriously, if you don't believe me, click here.

What Caught My Eye Today

Japan - A strong earthquake shook Japan's northwest coast Monday, setting off a fire at the world's most powerful nuclear power plant and causing a reactor to spill radioactive water into the sea — an accident not reported to the public for hours. The 6.8-magnitude temblor killed at least 8 people and injured more than 900. Officials said there was no "significant change" in the seawater near the plant, which is about 160 miles northwest of Tokyo. "The radioactivity is one-billionth of the legal limit," Oshima said of the leaked water. So like the delay in notifying the public was to determine how bad the leak was? I see. So if the news was worse, would the delay have been longer or shorter?

Middle East - President Bush announced an an international conference this fall to include Israel, the Palestinian authority and some of their Arab neighbors to help restart Mideast peace talks and review progress in building democratic institutions. He said that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice would preside over the session. Bush also pledged increased U.S. aid to the Palestinian government of President Mahmoud Abbas and called for the convening of a meeting of "donor" nations to consider more international aid, including the Arab states of Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan. Speaking of Condi, have you all noticed how she has been almost non-existent in any of the goings-on involving Iraq? Kind of interesting that our greatest foreign engagement doesn't seem to include our chief diplomat.

Iraq - The U.S. military's top general said Monday that the Joint Chiefs of Staff is weighing a range of possible new directions in Iraq, including, if President Bush deems it necessary, an even bigger troop buildup. Making no predictions, Marine Gen. Peter Pace revealed that he and the chiefs of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force are obliged to consider various troop-level scenarios before September, when Bush will receive an assessment of the Iraq situation from his top commander there, Gen. David Petraeus. Before the ranting begins, let's be fair. It is the job of the military to explore all options--even the wildly unpopular ones that don't have a snow ball's chance in hell of working. Still, let's say there is yet another troop surge. Will Congress be able to muster enough support on both side of the aisle to do anything about it?

North Korea - The United States is looking to build on momentum created by North Korea shutting down its nuclear reactor and will start deliberations on removing the regime from a list of terrorism-sponsoring states. Let me see if I have this straight. We're going to team up with North Korea on the war on terrorism? Talk about the blind leading the blind. I can't wait to see how this lead balloon flies.

Harry Potter - "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" made $77.4 million in its debut to lead the weekend box office, according to studio estimates Sunday. That raised the movie's total domestic gross to $140 million since opening Wednesday. "Order of the Phoenix" also has taken in an additional $190.3 million in 44 other countries. The fifth installment did more business in five days than each of the first three "Harry Potter" movies did in their first full week, and it nearly matched the $146 million first week total of the fourth film, "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,"

And, in other Harry Potter related news...

The question of what happens to the boy wizard at the end of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," the seventh and final book in the series, is on millions of lips five days before it goes on sale. Publishers have spent a small fortune protecting the secret. Security measures in place to protect the contents of book seven, expected to sell tens of millions of copies worldwide, sound like something from a heist movie. Trucks carrying books from warehouses to shops this week will be fitted with satellite tracking systems to ensure they stick to their assigned routes. Pallets of books have been fitted with alarms, it said, in an operation estimated to cost 10 million pounds ($20 million). I'm not against drumming up some publicity, but this is bordering on absurd. Honestly, how much more press does this book need. There are 2 million pre-orders, for chrissake. I think it's safe to assume that the book is going to sell a few copies.

Baseball - Well folks, the milestone we've all been waiting for with baited breath has finally come. The Philadelphia Phillies lost a 10-2 decision to the St Louis Cardinals on Sunday for the franchise's 10,000th defeat. The Phillies have built up a record of 8,810-10,000 in 125 years of baseball. Well done, boys. Way to keep your eye on the prize.

What Caught My Eye Today

Catholic Church - Cardinal Roger Mahony, leader of the nation's largest Roman Catholic archdiocese, apologized to the hundreds of people who will get a share of a $660 million settlement over allegations of clergy sex abuse. The settlement will not affect the archdiocese's core ministry, Mahony said, but the church will have to sell buildings, use some of its invested funds and borrow money. The archdiocese will not sell any parish property, he said. The deal between the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles and more than 500 alleged victims of clergy sexual abuse reached late Saturday is by far the largest payout since the nationwide clergy abuse scandal emerged in 2002 in Boston. $660 million seems like an awful lot of money to settle a suite over 'alleged' sex abuse. For a sum that big, I'm thinking most, if not all, those allegations were true.

Iraq - Iraq's prime minister was misunderstood when he said the Americans could leave "any time they want" an aide said, as politicians moved to end a pair of boycotts that are holding up work on crucial political reforms sought by Washington. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki told reporters Saturday that the Iraqi army and police were capable of maintaining security when American troops leave. "We say in full confidence that we are able, God willing, to take the responsibility completely in running the security file if the international forces withdraw at any time they want," al-Maliki said. Those comments appeared to undercut President Bush's contention that the 155,000 U.S. troops must remain in Iraq because the Iraqis are not capable of providing for their own security. Al-Maliki's adviser said that the prime minister meant that efforts to bolster Iraq's security forces would continue "side-by-side with the withdrawal." Yeah, I see what he means..."any time they want" and "side-by-side with the withdrawal" sound totally the same to me.

President Bush - The White House rejected a proposal by two influential Republican senators that would require President George W. Bush to plan for a possible troop withdrawal from Iraq by the end of the year. Bush's national security adviser said it was too early to change Iraq strategy. Any consideration must await a progress report due in September from Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. military commander in Iraq, and U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker. Under the proposal this week by Republican Sens. John Warner of Virginia and Richard Lugar of Indiana, Bush would have to plan for a troop drawdown or redeployment that could begin after December 31. It does not mandate deadlines for action but says the plan should be ready by October 16. Don't feel too bad, Senators Warner and Luger. It's not like Bush listens to any one else in Congress. And, hey, now you share some common ground with Harry Reid -- being ignored by the President.

Pollution - According to the World Bank, these cities have the worst air pollution:

1. Cairo, Egypt (population: 11.1 million)
2. Delhi, India (population: 15 million)
3. Kolkata, India (population: 14.3 million)
4. Tianjin, China (population: 7 million)
5. Chongping, China (population: 6.4 million)
6. Kanpur, India (population: 3 million)
7. Lucknow, India (population: 2.6 million)
8. Jakarta, Indonesia (population: 13.2 million)
9. Shenyang, China (population: 4.7 million)
10. Zhengzhou, China (population: 2.6 million)

Let's give a shout out to Cairo and Jakarta for sticking in there to keep China and India from hogging all the glory to themselves.

Cycling - The Tour de France hit the Alps over the weekend. Denmark's Michael Rasmussen won the eighth Tour stage Sunday to grab the overall leader's yellow jersey. Sunday's trek was the second of three Alpine stages. Levi Leipheimer is shaping up as the biggest American threat in a competitive field. The Discovery Channel team leader placed sixth in the 2005 Tour, ninth in 2004 and 13th last year. Many riders expect the final shakeout in the three-week race to take shape in three tough stages in the Pyrenees mountains at the start of the third week and a time-trial a day before the July 29 finish in Paris. Of the 189 riders that started the tour, 172 remain, with 8 of the 17 dropping out after today's stage. 13 of the 18 teams entered in the Tour, have lost at least one rider. I'm not sure if anyone else is crazy enough to get up in the middle of the night to catch these mountain stages live, but this is some epic action. Seriously.

Motor Sports - Tony Stewart won the NASCAR Nextel Cup race at Chicagoland Speedway on Sunday, breaking a 20-race winless streak that dated to last season. Hendrick drivers Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch and Casey Mears won 10 of the first 14 races. But Hendrick now has been shut out of victory lane for the past five races. Mears was fifth, the highest-finishing Hendrick car. All true, however, Jeff Gordon keeps extending his point lead every week. Gordon recorded his 17th top 10 finish (in 19 starts) and was only bettered by 3 drivers currently in the Chase for the Nextel Cup, which begins 8 races from now.

What Caught My Eye Today

Global IQ - Here's an interesting little poll, courtesy of Newsweek, to test your knowledge of current events. Answers appear at the bottom. My score: 12 out of 17. Enjoy.

1. What will be the world's biggest city in 20 years?
a) Mexico City b) Mumbai c) Tokyo

2. When was the last time the U.S. had an elction without a sitting president or vice president seeking his party's nomination?
a) 1928 b) 1936 c) 1952 d) 1960

3. What color is the woman's face in Matisse's painting 'Femme au Chapeau
a) Pink b) Blue c) Green d) Brown

4. Which is the top-selling music in history?
a) Michael Jackson, 'Thriller'
b) The Eagles, 'Their Greatest Hits'
c) The Beatles, 'The White Album'
d) Pink Floyd, 'The Wall

5. How many Americans die each year from food-borne illnesses?
a) 200 b) 1,500 c) 5,000

6. How many people contract the AIDS virus every day?
a) 5,000 b) 13,000 c) 201,000

7. Who is regarded as the founder of the modern Olympics?
a) Avery Brundage
b) Pierre de Coubertin
c) Juan Antonio Samaranch
d) Demetrius Vikelas

8. Which car company currently sells the largest number of automobiles worldwide?
a) Toyota b) Ford c) General Motors d) Volkswagen

9. According to the Jewish calendar, what year is it?
a) 2007 b) 5767 c) 8023

10. Which religion is atheistic, at least in its earliest form?
a) Buddhism b) Hinduism c) Islam d) Christianity

11. James Joyce based 'Ulysses' on which classical work?
a) Homer, The Iliad
b) Coccoccia, The Decameron
c) Homer, The Odyssey
d) Virgil, The Aeneid

12. How old is the known universe?
a) 6,000 years b) 4.5 billion years c) 13.7 billion years

13. How many genes do humans have?
a) 20,000 b) 50,000 c) 100,000

14. About how many bloggers will there be by the end of 2007?
a) 25 million b) 50 million c) 100 million d) 6.7 billion

15. What is the most visited Web portal worldwide?
a) Yahoo b) MSN c) Excite d) Google

16. Who was the first African-American man to win an Oscar?
a) Denzel Washington b) Paul Robeson c) Sidney Poiter d) James Baskett

17. What fraction of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere comes from natural sources?
a) One sixth b) One fourth c) One half d) Two thirds


ANSWERS

1. What will be the world's biggest city in 20 years?
c) Tokyo

2. When was the last time the U.S. had an elction without a sitting president or vice president seeking his party's nomination?
a) 1928

3. What color is the woman's face in Matisse's painting 'Femme au Chapeau
c) Green

4. Which is the top-selling music in history?
a) Michael Jackson, 'Thriller'

5. How many Americans die each year from food-borne illnesses?
c) 5,000

6. How many people contract the AIDS virus every day?
b) 13,000

7. Who is regarded as the founder of the modern Olympics?
b) Pierre de Coubertin

8. Which car company currently sells the largest number of automobiles worldwide?
a) Toyota

9. According to the Jewish calendar, what year is it?
b) 5767

10. Which religion is atheistic, at least in its earliest form?
a) Buddhism

11. James Joyce based 'Ulysses' on which classical work?
c) Homer, The Odyssey

12. How old is the known universe?
c) 13.7 billion years

13. How many genes do humans have?
a) 20,000

14. About how many bloggers will there be by the end of 2007?
c) 100 million

15. What is the most visited Web portal worldwide?
a) Yahoo

16. Who was the first African-American man to win an Oscar?
d) James Baskett

17. What fraction of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere comes from natural sources?
d) Two thirds

What Caught My Eye Today

Iraq - Now here's a change of pace. Two top Republicans, John Warner of Virginia and Richard Lugar of Indiana, cast aside President Bush's pleas for patience on Iraq Friday and proposed legislation demanding a new strategy by mid-October to restrict the mission of U.S. troops. The two senators are considered the GOP's foremost national security experts. Warner was the longtime chairman of the Armed Services Committee until stepping down last year, while Lugar is the top Republican on the Foreign Relations Committee. It would require Bush to submit by Oct. 16 a plan to "transition U.S. combat forces from policing the civil strife or sectarian violence in Iraq" to a narrow set of missions: protecting Iraqi borders, targeting terrorists, protecting U.S. assets and training Iraqi forces. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid balked at the proposal because it would not require Bush to implement the strategy. Reid is just pissed off because none of his legislation has advanced. I'm not saying this is a silver bullet, but let's say that it passes. How much pressure would Bush be under if the situation in Iraq continues and there is a plan in place to take U.S. troops out of harms way? I'm thinking this is a pretty shrewd move by Warner and Luger.

Al-Qaeda - I guess it was a busy day for the Senate. The U.S. Senate voted to double the bounty on Osama bin Laden to $50 million and require President Bush to refocus on capturing him after reports al Qaeda is gaining strength. By a vote of 87-1, the Senate set the reward for the killing or capture, or information leading to the capture, of the mastermind of the September 11 attacks on the United States. Shortly after the September 11 attacks, Bush said he wanted bin Laden caught, dead or alive. But a year before the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, Bush's emphasis shifted, saying he did not know bin Laden's whereabouts and "I truly am not that concerned about him." Never let it be said that Bush was a flip-flopper. No no. He's a man of principle.

North Korea - After years of tortuous negotiations and delays during which North Korea argued its nuclear program was needed for self-defense, the reclusive communist regime said last week that once it got an oil shipment, it would consider halting its reactor for the first time in five years. North Korea did not, however, give any timetable for starting the shutdown. North Korea agreed earlier this year to scrap its nuclear weapons program in exchange for economic aid and political concessions in a deal with the United States, China, Japan, South Korea and Russia. Those nations promised to give the impoverished North 50,000 tons of oil for shutting the Yongbyon reactor. It will get total energy aid equivalent to 1 million tons of oil if it disables all nuclear facilities. Call me a cynic, but I'll believe it when I see it. Still, the rhetoric does sound promising.

New York - Two teenagers were charged with conspiring to attack a Long Island high school on the anniversary of the Columbine attacks after a chilling journal and videotape surfaced in which one teen identifies several potential victims by name. "I will start a chain of terrorism in the world," a 15-year-old suspected of planning the assault allegedly wrote in the journal, which led to his arrest. "This will go down in history." Authorities said the two suspects, co-workers at a suburban McDonald's, targeted scores of students in an attack they planned for April 20, 2008 — the ninth anniversary of the Columbine High School rampage, where 12 students and a teacher were killed in Littleton, Colorado. I'm not exactly sure bug crawled up these boys' behinds, but thank goodness, someone was paying attention. That deal at Virginia Tech is still a little too fresh in my mind.

Soccer - David Beckham, ready to start his much trumpeted American adventure, was formally introduced as a Los Angeles Galaxy player at the Major League Soccer team's home stadium. One of the world's most marketable sports figures, Beckham is expected to earn an estimated $250 million with the Galaxy, financed heavily by endorsements, and has set his sights on taking U.S. soccer to a new level. Beckham is scheduled to report for training on Monday before making his first appearance for the Galaxy in an exhibition match with FA Cup holders Chelsea on July 21. You know, I'd be all over this if it were on any other day. July 21? Come on, dude. That's the same day the new Harry Potter book is released!

Cycling - Belgium's Tom Boonen the 2005 world champion, proved too powerful in the mass sprint for Spain's Oscar Freire and German sprint veteran Erik Zabel for what was his fifth career stage win on the Tour. Switzerland's Fabian Cancellara (CSC) retained the leader's yellow jersey, but is expected to give up the race lead on the first of two consecutive days in the Alps on Saturday. As the Tour enters the Alps, riders who might make a mark include Spain's Alejandro Valverde, American Levi Leipheimer, Russia's Denis Menchov, and Cadel Evans and Michael Rogers of Australia. You know I'll be up at 4:30 in the morning to catch the drama live and in color...yeah, right.

What Caught My Eye Today

Iraq - The Iraqi government is achieving only spotty military and political progress, the Bush administration conceded in an assessment that war critics quickly seized on as confirmation of their dire warnings. Within hours, the House voted to withdraw U.S. troops by spring. The House measure passed 223-201 in the Democratic-controlled chamber despite a veto threat from President Bush, who has ruled out any change in war policy before September. The vote generally followed party lines: 219 Democrats and four Republicans in favor, and 191 Republicans and 10 Democrats opposed. It's almost like listening to a damaged CD that keeps playing the same snippet over and over and over.

Stock Market - Wall Street soared Thursday, propelling the Standard & Poor's 500 index and Dow Jones industrials to record highs as bright spots among generally sluggish retail sales allowed investors to toss aside concerns about the health of the economy. The rally, which gave the Dow its biggest one-day percentage gain in nearly four years. The S&P 500 rose 28.94, or 1.91 percent, to 1,547.70, above its previous record close of 1,539.18 set June 4. The Dow shot up 283.86, or 2.09 percent, to 13,861.73; its previous record close, which also came June 4, was 13,676.32. The Nasdaq composite index rose 49.94, or 1.88 percent, to 2,701.73. Still, the index, bloated by the late 1990s tech boom, is nowhere near its closing record of 5,048.62, set in March 2000. I'm sure this is all well and good for somebody, but I still have to drag my my tired butt to work in the morning.

Beauty Pageantry - Seeing as Paris, Lindsay and Britney seem to have kept themselves out of the tabloids for a couple of weeks (stop the presses), I found this little gem to tide you over. Miss New Jersey can keep her crown despite photos that show her acting "not in a ladylike manner." The pictures include one showing her boyfriend apparently biting her breast through her shirt, another of her in a limousine wearing jeans with her legs spread in the air and another of her in what appears to be a Halloween costume dress holding two small pumpkins up to her breasts. Miss New Jersey's lawyer said that a person or persons claiming to be The Committee to Save Miss America threatened to make the photos public unless she resigned her title. I fail to see what the big deal is here. Everyone knows that girls just want to have fun. It certainly sounds like she had some.

Motor Sports - Formula One's U.S. Grand Prix won't return to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway next year after officials failed to reach a new deal. Attendance figures are not released at Indianapolis, but estimates have been around 125,000 each of the past six years. The inaugural race in 2000 drew more than 200,000. Formula One's ruling body mentioned the possibility of moving the U.S. Grand Prix to New York or Las Vegas. Here's my take. Who needs the stinkin' F1 when we have NASCAR, baby?

Football - Here's one that through me for a loop. The United States and Japan on Thursday advanced to the final of the American Football World Cup, in which the sport's homeland hopes to seize the crown from hosts Japan. The US team, taking part in the competition for the first time, were 33-7 winners in the semi-final over Germany, who held the Americans to 16-7 in the first half before letting down their guard. The Japanese team overwhelmed Sweden in their semi-final 48-0. Japan and the United States will play the final Sunday. Sweden will play Germany for the bronze on Saturday. France and South Korea will play for fifth place in the six-nation tournament. Japan won the first two American Football World Cups held in 1999 and 2003. But the US did not take part in the previous competitions. There's a World Cup for gridiron football? Dude, that's just wrong.

What Caught My Eye Today

Pakistan - Commandos cleared the warren-like Red Mosque complex of rebel fighters Wednesday, ending a fierce eight-day siege and street battles that left more than 100 dead. Hours later, al-Qaida called for Pakistani Muslims to wage holy war against the government of President Pervez Musharraf in retaliation for the assault on the mosque. The elite Special Services Group commandos went in after unsuccessful attempts to get the militants to surrender to the siege mounted by the government following deadly street clashes with armed supporters of the mosque July 3. The extremists had been using the mosque as a base to send out radicalized students to enforce their version of Islamic morality, including abducting alleged prostitutes and trying to "re-educate" them at the compound in the heart of Pakistan's capital. The State Department endorsed the Musharraf government's decision to storm the mosque, saying that the militants had been given many warnings, and President Bush reaffirmed his confidence in the Pakistani president in the fight against extremists. I'm not so sure that Bush's endorsement is going to buy much goodwill for Musharraf among his people. Bush isn't exactly Mr. Popular with the Muslim community.

Indonesia - Thousands of people living on the slopes of a mountain in eastern Indonesia have been relocated after the volcano began spewing hot smoke and ash. Mount Gamkonora showed sharply increased seismic activity Monday and two major eruptions were recorded Tuesday. Some 8,400 locals were moved to safer areas. Indonesia has more active volcanoes than any other country since it is located on the Pacific so-called Ring of Fire, a series of fault lines stretching from the Western Hemisphere through Japan and Southeast Asia. Have you every wondered about the real estate market there? Lemme see here--tsunamis, earthquake, volcanoes, and let's not forget about the occasional terrorist bombing. I thinking that these might depress property values just a tad.

Iraq - Several Republican senators told President Bush's top national security aide that they did not want Bush to wait until September to change course in Iraq. Republican support for the war has steadily eroded in recent weeks as the White House prepared an interim progress report that found that the U.S.-backed government in Baghdad has made little progress in meeting major targets of reform. Of the GOP lawmakers who say the U.S. should reduce its military role in Iraq, nearly all are up for re-election in 2008. Okay, first off, since when has any one's opinion, other than his own, mattered to President Bush. Secondly, are you guys flip flopping just to get re-elected or because you really think Bush's policy isn't working? Vote your consciences, you gutless cowards.

President Bush - Speaking of the President, Bush ordered his former White House counsel, Harriet Miers, to defy a congressional subpoena and refuse to testify Thursday before a House panel investigating U.S. attorney firings. She irked senators by refusing to answer many questions from a panel investigating whether the firings were politically motivated. She said she was bound by Bush's position that White House conversations were protected by executive privilege. Say what you will about him, but dude certainly doesn't back off from a fight...no matter how ill advised that may be.

Harry Potter - "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," the fifth film in the series based on the best-selling novels about a British boy wizard, opened in 4,285 U.S. and Canadian theaters and in 44 markets around the world. The widest U.S. and Canadian release was 4,362 theaters for Disney's "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End." In total, the first four "Potter" movies raked in $3.5 billion in theaters, starting with "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" in 2001. And if that's not enough, the seventh and final book in J.K. Rowling's series, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" gets released July 21. Here's my impression of Rowlings on July 22..."Mo' money, mo' money, mo' money!!!"

Baseball - Ichiro Suzuki sped around the bases for the first inside-the-park home run in All-Star game history as the American league held on for a 5-4 victory over the National league. The AL closed to 40-36-2 and improved to 5-0 against the NL since the All-Star winner received homefield advantage in the World Series. Yeah, whatever. Let's get back to the games that count, shall we?

Cycling - Wednesday's fourth stage, a mostly flat 119.9-mile ride from Villers-Cotterets to Joigny won by Thor Hushovd of Norway. Fabian Cancellara, the Swiss time-trial ace kept the overal leader's jersey for a fourth day. In the Alpine stages of the three-week race, overall favorites could try to make their move and chisel out precious minutes on their rivals. Few can be ruled out yet: 160 riders are within two minutes of Cancellara. A total of four riders have pulled out, leaving 185 riders left. For those of you still counting, that's four stage down, 17 to go.

What Caught My Eye Today

Politics - Cindy Sheehan, the slain soldier's mother whose attacks on President Bush made her a darling of the anti-war movement, said she decided to run against Hose Speaker Nancy Pelosi unless the congresswoman moves to oust Bush in the next two weeks. Sheehan said she will run as an independent against the San Francisco Democrat in 2008 if Pelosi does not file articles of impeachment against Bush by July 23. That's when Sheehan and her supporters are to arrive in Washington, D.C., after a 13-day caravan and walking tour starting from the group's war protest site near Bush's Crawford ranch. Although Sheehan has never held public office, she said she already has the name recognition and would not have to run against Pelosi in a primary. "I would give her a run for her money," Sheehan said. Yeah, okay. You go, girlfriend. Just out of curiosity, are you planning on returning to reality before or after the election?

Iraq - President Bush is not contemplating withdrawing forces from Iraq now despite an erosion of support among Republicans for his war policy. The administration also tried to lower expectations about a report due Sunday on whether the Iraqi government is meeting political, economic and security benchmarks that Bush set in January when he announced a buildup of 21,500 U.S. combat forces. The boost in troop levels in Iraq has increased the cost of war there and in Afghanistan to $12 billion a month, with the tally for Iraq alone nearing a half-trillion dollars, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service, which provides research and analysis to lawmakers. The figures call into question the Pentagon's estimate that the increase in troop strength and intensifying pace of operations in Baghdad and Anbar province would cost only $5.6 billion through the end of September. Bush is under growing pressure even within his own party to shift course in Iraq as the war drags on and casualties climb. At least 3,605 members of the U.S. military have died since the war began in March 2003. Bush's approval rating in the polls has sunk to record lows. I don't want to be a naysayer, but seriously, how much lower does the White House think it can push expectations. Everyone outside of Bush's administration thinks the war is a complete and total failure. How much lower can you get than that?

Wonders of the World - Seven sites have been chosen as the new wonders of the world in an online poll that drew more than 100 million voters. The winners are Brazil's Statue of Christ Redeemer, Peru's Machu Picchu, Mexico's Chichen Itza pyramid, the Great Wall of China, Jordan's Petra, the Colosseum in Rome, and India's Taj Mahal. The seven modern wonders of the list were chosen from 20 candidates short-listed from among 77 initial ones. Losing out among the front-runners on the short-listed sites were the Acropolis in Athens and the Eiffel Tower in Paris. UNESCO, the UN's cultural body, said in a statement in June that the list of the seven new wonders will be the result of a "private initiative" that cannot contribute in any significant or lasting way to the preservation of the elected sites. Oh lighten up people. Seriously, how many of us remember any of the original seven? Click here if you have any interest the original list of wonders.

Tennis - What a set of finale's at Wimbledon. First, Venus Williams wins her fourth singles title on Saturday, then the big guns came out on Sunday. Roger Federer managed to win his fifth title in a row over Rafael Nadal in an epic 5 set match that, for my money, will go down as one of the greatest Grand Slam finals ever. Bring on the U.S. Open.

Cycling - Two stages are in the books for the 94th Tour de France. On both occasions the final moments of both stages were marred by crashes. The second stage crash occurred about a mile from the finish taking out 170 of the 189 riders. Luckily, international rules give all riders in the group that crashes the same finishing time if the crash occurs within 3 kilometers of the finish. Since all the riders were bunched together (including the 19 that eventually sprinted for the finish) at the time of the crash, everyone got the same finishing time. Whether or not all 189 riders are able to start the third stage, remains to be seen. Who knew that cycling could be such a violent sport?

What Caught My Eye Today

Politics - President Bush accused Democratic lawmakers of being unable to live up to their duties, citing Congress' inability to pass legislation to fund the federal government. The White House has said the failure of a broad immigration overhaul was proof that Democratic-controlled Capitol Hill cannot take on major issues. The main reason the immigration measure died, however, was staunch opposition from Bush's own base — conservatives. The president could not turn around members of his own party despite weeks of intense effort. Twelve annual spending bills dole out approximately one-third of the federal budget. They must be passed each year by Congress, before the Oct. 1 start of the new fiscal year. Democratic leaders say they are behind because an emergency spending measure funding the war in Iraq came first. They also had to pass an omnibus measure cleaning up last year's appropriations mess. Then, the Republicans who then controlled Congress failed to pass into law a single spending bill for domestic agencies save the Homeland Security Department — a situation that brought little complaint from Bush. As they say, Mr. President, it takes two to dance. You cannot, in all seriousness, blame this soley on Democrats. Oh wait a minute, you just did, didn't you?

Iraq - A suicide truck bomber blasted a Shiite town north of Baghdad on Saturday, killing more than 100 people, police said, in a sign Sunni insurgents are pulling away from a U.S. offensive around the capital to attack where security is thinner. The marketplace devastation underlined a hard reality in Iraq: There are not enough forces to protect everywhere. U.S. troops, already increased by 28,000 this year, are focused on bringing calm to Baghdad, while the Iraqi military and police remain overstretched and undertrained. You have to wonder how this shift in violence from Baghdad, to pretty much everyplace else in Iraq, is going to weigh on the progress report to Congress later this summer on the effectiveness of the troop surge that began earlier this year.

Spain - Six massive bulls charged down the packed streets of Pamplona on Saturday during the first run of the San Fermin Festival, which combines the half-ton animals with damp cobblestones and revelers steeped in adrenaline and alcohol. Injuries are usually common as the crowds strive to keep ahead of the bulls in the narrow streets. But only seven people were treated for minor injuries this year. It is customary for many revelers, particularly foreigners, to spend much of the night before a bull run drinking red wine or sangria. So like normal, sober people don't try to outrun stampeding bulls? Imagine that.

Pope - Pope Benedict XVI gave his permission to Roman Catholic priests to celebrate the Latin Mass without the approval of a local bishop, so long as a "stable group of faithful" requests it. The 16th-century mass is traditionally delivered by a priest in Latin with his back to the congregation throughout the service. Under reforms approved by the 1962-1965 Second Vatican Council, the Latin Mass was widely sidelined. Although Latin was not scrapped outright, the reforms called for a new mass to be said in local languages, for the priest to face the congregation and for the use of lay readers. Benedict's move is widely seen as an attempt to reach out to an ultra-traditionalist and schismatic group, the Society of St. Pius X, and bring it back into the Vatican's fold. Of course, he didn't exactly score any point with Jews. This particular rite contains a prayer that is read on Good Friday calling for the conversion of Jews. It would appear that Benedict doesn't exactly place getting along with the other kids in the sandbox very high on his list of priorities. Sound like any other world leader you know?

Tennis - Venus Williams won her fourth Wimbledon's singles title in 8 years. You go, girlfriend. Over on the men's draw, Roger Federer will duke it out with Rafael Nadal for the men's title. That should be an entertaining match. In the words of Celebrity Deathmatch referee, Mills Lane...Let's get it on.

Cycling - The Tour de France kicked off its 94th race with the Prologue stage through the streets of London. the 7.9km time trial was won by Swiss rider Fabian Cancellara in 8 minutes 50 seconds. Andreas Kloeden of Germany was 13 seconds behind in second place, followed by George Hincapie of the United States, 23 seconds behind the leader. In case you were wondering, 7.9km in under 9 minutes is wicked fast. Dude averaged over 54km per hour. For you American blokes, that almost 34 miles per hour. Having been on the streets of London myself, that's smokin'.

What Caught My Eye Today

Heat Wave - Temperatures climbed so high across much of the West on Thursday that authorities warned residents of southern Nevada, southeastern California and northwestern Arizona that outdoor activities could be dangerous except during the cooler early morning hours. Phoenix reached 115 degrees; Baker, Calif., reached 125 degrees. Even Stanley, Idaho, which at more than 6,000 feet elevation is routinely the coldest place in the lower 48 states, was seeing record highs, the National Weather Service said. The remote town in the Sawtooth Mountains reached 92 degrees Thursday, and was expected to hit 93 degrees Friday. Forgive me, but I find myself in the unusual position of quoting Paris Hilton in saying, "that's hot."

U.S. Foreign Service - Threatened abroad, U.S. diplomats have been hit with unprecedented security restrictions, confining many to fortress-like compounds and frustrating Bush administration efforts to get out and counter anti-U.S. sentiment. Lockdowns and prohibitions on travel now apply to Americans posted to embassies and consulates in at least 28 nations. More than half the nations are identified as key to curbing the spread of militant Islam. The impact on foreign policy is considerable, sweeping across four continents and many countries where the U.S. hopes to counter the spread of extremism and improve America's tarnished image. I fail to see the problem here. If Bush doesn't care that the rest of the world hates us, why should we?

Let me preface these next two items by saying, this must be a rather slow news day.

China - Officials in Chongqing are preparing to submit an application to Guinness World Records to have the free four-story public bathroom listed as the world's largest, where a recently-opened porcelain palace features an Egyptian facade, soothing music and more than 1,000 toilets spread out over 32,290 square feet. "We are spreading toilet culture. People can listen to gentle music and watch TV," said an official. "After they use the bathroom they will be very, very happy." So like this must have something to do with overcrowding. Seriously, how many of you relish the idea of doing your business next to 999 strangers?

Australia - A major condom brand said it expected thousands of applicants for a new unpaid job on offer — condom tester. Durex said 200 adult Australians — men and women — are wanted to test a range of its condoms. While the successful applicants will not be paid, each will receive a pack of Durex sex products, a chance to win 1,000 Australian dollars, plus professional prestige, the company said in a statement. How they test the condoms is not specified, but testers must provide honest feedback about how they find the products. Let me see if I have this straight. Durex has no problem advertising for condom testers, but modesty prevents them from saying how. One can only imagine the feedback they're going to get.

Tennis - Good news, bad news for the American contingent at Wimbledon. Venus Williams (23) played her way into the Women's finals against Marion Bartoli (18) of France who shocked Justine Henin (1) in 3 sets. On the men's side, Andy Roddick (3) bowed out in 5 sets against Richard Gasquet (12) of France. The semi finals pit Roger Federer (1) against Gasquet in one match up and Rafael Nadal (2) against Novak Djokovic (4) of Serbia. I'm not sure if you've noticed or not, but if the seeds play out accordingly, Federer and Nadal will face each other in a Grand Slam final for the second time in a row. Sounds like the blossoming of a pretty enticing rivalry.

What Caught My Eye Today

White House - The White House made fun of former President Clinton and his wife, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, for criticizing President Bush's decision to erase the prison sentence of former aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby. A White House deputy press secretary, said that, "When you think about the previous administration and the 11th-hour, fire-sale pardons ... it's really startling that they have the gall to criticize what we believe is a very considered, a very deliberate approach to a very unique case." President Clinton tried to draw a distinction between the pardons he granted, and Bush's decision to commute Libby's 30-month sentence in the CIA leak case. "I think there are guidelines for what happens when somebody is convicted," Clinton told a radio interviewer Tuesday. "You've got to understand, this is consistent with their philosophy; they believe that they should be able to do what they want to do, and that the law is a minor obstacle." Oh for goodness sake. What's done is done. Bush merely exercised his right to commute a sentence just as every President before him has been entitled to do. Enough with the political rhetoric. Bush didn't do anything wrong. Unpopular, yes, but wrong, no.

Al-Qaida - A new video by al-Qaida's deputy leader Thursday left no doubt about what the terror network claims is at stake in Iraq — describing it as a centerpiece of its anti-American fight and insisting the Iraqi insurgency is under its direct leadership. However, the proclamations carried another unintended message: reflecting the current troubles confronting the Sunni extremists in Iraq. Al-Qaida in Iraq has been put on the defensive. Some Sunni insurgent groups have publicly split with it, distancing themselves from its bomb attacks on Iraqi civilians and accusing al-Qaida of trying to strong-arm their members into joining. Some rival armed groups have even joined U.S. battles against it. Isn't it ironic that the world's sole remaining superpower couldn't accomplish in 5 years what internal infighting seems to be doing almost overnight. Can someone explain to me again why we're still in Iraq?

Olympics - Russia hailed its winning bid to host the 2014 Winter Olympics on Thursday as proof of the country's return to global prominence following a post-Soviet slump, and as a personal triumph for President Vladimir Putin. Putin, a keen skier, spent two days in Guatemala this week lobbying International Olympic Committee (IOC) members to give the Games to Russia's Black Sea resort of Sochi. Russia's bid was also helped by its new-found wealth, most of it generated by high world prices for Russia's oil and gas exports. That allowed Putin to pledge $12 billion to fund the Games and associated infrastructure projects around Sochi. Russia's bid team spared no expense in wooing IOC delegates. It hired the consultants who worked on London's successful bid for the 2012 Summer Olympics, and shipped in an ice rink which it assembled near the venue in Guatemala City where delegates were deliberating. An ice rink? What up with that? Wouldn't an under the table bribe has sufficed?

Movies - New Line Cinema is close to sealing a final deal to finance and distribute the long-stalled picture. The project is set to begin shooting in the fall with all four stars of the HBO hit -- Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon -- on board to reprise their roles. Plans for a movie were first revealed by HBO in early 2004, months before the show ended its six-season run. But the project stalled when Cattrall sought greater script control and a salary closer to that of Parker, who was more highly paid than her co-stars because she was a co-executive producer of the series. Cattrall was reportedly won over with a sweetened offer that included a series deal with HBO. So like does that mean a Sopranos flick is on the horizon?

Baseball - So let's see how things look as we get ready for the All Star break. In the American League the division leaders are Boston, Cleveland and the LA Angels. Boston is clinging to an 11.5 game lead over Toronto and the Yankees. Dude, the Yankees suck. Steinbrenner must be pissed. Over in the National League the division leaders are the NY Mets, Milwaukee and San Diego. Lemme see, did I miss anything? Hmm. Oh yes. A certain San Francisco Giant has 751 dingers.

Tennis - Despite Mother Nature's best efforts, Wimbledon is slowly working its way to the finals. The men's quarter finals are finally set. Roger Federer (1) faces off against Juan Carlos Ferrer (20) after a 5 day break. The other top 3 seeds are also into the quarter finals--Rafael Nadal (2), Andy Roddick (3) and Novak Djokovic (4). It's down to the semifinals in the women's draw with Justin Henin (1) taking on Marion Bartoli (18) and Ana Ivanovic (6) against Venus Williams (23). Two observations here. First, there must be something in the water in Serbia. For the second grand slam in a row, Serbia is well represented, this time by Novak Djokovic and Ana Ivanovic. Second, how cool would it be for Venus to win Wimbledon...for a fourth time?

Cycling - Break out the Tivo for Vs., my friends. The Tour de France starts this Saturday. Discovery Channel, with whom Armstrong won his seventh and final yellow jersey in 2005, come into the race with one aim in mind: get Levi Leipheimer as close to the top step of the podium as possible. Leipheimer finished 16th overall last year, later admitting he had peaked too soon. Nearly six weeks earlier he had won the Dauphine Libere stage race. In the absence of the recently banned Italian ace Ivan Basso for doping, Discovery and Astana are shaping up to be the teams to beat at the Tour. CSC are spearheaded by Spanish outside favourite Carlos Sastre, while another Spanish contender, Alejandro Valverde, is untested having failed to finish in 2005 and 2006 through injury. Cadel Evans meanwhile could be handicapped by his Predictor-Lotto team being divided over his ambitions, and those of fellow Australian compatriot Robbie McEwen, who is aiming for a fourth green jersey and a stage win or two. Let me guess. I lost most of you at Cycling, didn't I?