What Caught My Eye Today

Mexico - Hurricane Dean slammed into Mexico for the second time in as many days. Coming ashore with top sustained winds of 100 mph, Dean's center hit the tourism and fishing town of Tecolutla shortly after civil defense workers loaded the last evacuees onto army trucks and headed to inland shelters. Dean struck land as a Category 2 storm after regaining some of the force it unleashed on the Yucatan. Its first strike on the peninsula Tuesday as a Category 5 tempest with 165 mph winds was the third most intense Atlantic hurricane ever to make landfall. Officials said there were no reports of deaths in Mexico directly caused by Dean, which killed 20 people in its earlier sweep through the Caribbean. The toll rose today when Haitian officials said seven more storm deaths had been reported in remote areas. Dean's sustained winds dropped to 85 mph, Category 1, shortly after making landfall in late morning, and it was downgraded to a tropical storm by afternoon with winds of near 70 mph. So that about wraps it up for Hurricane Dean. So far no new weather systems appear on the horizon. Hopefully, that will give everyone affected by this storm time to catch their breaths.

Minnesota - Pounded and strained by heavy traffic and weakened by missing bolts and cracking steel, the failed interstate bridge over the Mississippi River also faced a less obvious enemy: pigeons. Inspectors began documenting the buildup of pigeon dung on the span near downtown Minneapolis two decades ago. Experts say the corrosive guano deposited all over the Interstate 35W span's framework helped the steel beams rust faster. Although investigators have yet to identify the cause of the bridge's Aug. 1 collapse, which killed at least 13 people and injured about 100, the pigeon problem is one of many factors that dogged the structure. Pigeon droppings contain ammonia and acids. If the dung isn't washed away, it dries out and turns into a concentrated salt. When water gets in and combines with the salt and ammonia, it creates small electrochemical reactions that rust the steel underneath. Okay, now I think I've heard everything.

China - China, on the defensive over the safety of its products, lashed out Wednesday at the U.S. by claiming its soybean exports contained pesticides, poisonous weeds and dirt. "Numerous quality problems" have been found with American soybeans, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine said. The U.S. Department of Agriculture said it had not received any official complaints from China about contaminated soybeans. The accusations against the U.S. come as a growing number of countries are rejecting or recalling Chinese exports. China is facing a global backlash following discoveries of high levels of chemicals and toxins in a range of Chinese exports from toothpaste and seafood to pet food ingredients and toys. Beijing has tried to defend its safety record and reassure consumers by highlighting similar problems in other countries. Sounds like sour grapes to me. And honestly, are soybeans the best that China can come up with? How boring.

Russia - Vladimir Putin always makes headlines, but few could have predicted the squall of gossip and speculation that erupted after the president stripped off his shirt for the cameras while vacationing in the Siberian mountains last week. The Russian president, who is married with two daughters, has long cultivated an image of machismo and manliness. Well-known as a downhill skier and black belt in judo, Putin has appeared on national television driving a truck, operating a train, sailing on a submarine and copiloting a fighter jet. One radio talk show host speculated the photos were meant to enhance Putin's personal appeal to voters — a strong signal that he doesn't plan to relinquish power. Russian gay chat rooms and blogs were particularly intrigued by the photos: Some claimed that Putin, by stripping to his waist, was somehow pleading for more tolerance of homosexuality in Russia — where gays and lesbians are for the most part forced to remain closeted. One satirical photo circulating on the Internet jokingly compared Putin's mountain adventure with Prince Albert II of Monaco to the movie "Brokeback Mountain," a love story about two cowboys who conceal a homosexual affair. Laugh if you will, but this dude is ripped. Putin is sporting a pair of guns that don't need no stinking bullets, if you know what I mean.

Spain - State-run Spanish television has quietly yanked live coverage of bullfighting from its programming, ending a decades-old tradition of showcasing the national pastime out of concern that the deadly duel between matador and beast is too violent for children. Many in the bullfighting world are livid over what they see as a slight to a cherished piece of Spanish culture. Promoters report 65 million people went to bullfights in Spain last year, and pulling them off free television is unfair to older people or those who cannot afford to go to the ring or watch on cable. I agree. What's wrong with showing some guy slaughting a bull over dinner? The kids shouldn't mind, after all, no self respecting Spanish child would get the heebie jeebies over something so patriotic as a bull fight.