What Caught My Eye Today

Myanmar - Myanmar's (or Burma, if you prefer) military leaders imposed a nighttime curfew and banned gatherings of more than five people after 35,000 Buddhist monks and their supporters defied the junta's warnings and staged another day of anti-government protests. Authorities announced the ban on gatherings and a 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew through loudspeakers on vehicles cruising the streets of Yangon, the country's biggest city, and its second city, Mandalay. The announcement said the measures would be in effect for 60 days. The current protests began Aug. 19 after the government hiked fuel prices in one of Asia's poorest countries. But they are based in deep-rooted dissatisfaction with the repressive military rule that has gripped the country since 1962. If protesters defy the restrictions and the military responds with force, it could further alienate already isolated Myanmar from the international community. It would almost certainly put pressure on Myanmar's top economic and diplomatic supporter, China, which is keen to burnish its international image before next year's Olympics in Beijing. Hey guys, a word to the wise. You don't want to be messing with China right about now. They've got their hands full trying to but a good show on for the Olympics next summer. Brutal oppression of your people isn't something they have time for right now.

Iran - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced that his country's disputed nuclear program is closed as a political issue, and said Tehran will disregard U.N. Security Council resolutions imposed by "arrogant powers" to curb its nuclear program. Instead, he told world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly that Iran has decided to pursue the monitoring of its nuclear program "through its appropriate legal path," the International Atomic Energy Agency which is the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog. Iran insists that its nuclear program is purely peaceful and aimed solely at producing nuclear energy. But the United States and key European nations believe the program is a cover for Iran's real ambition — producing nuclear weapons. Ahmadinejad has defied two Security Council resolutions demanding that it suspend its enrichment program and imposing escalating sanctions against key figures and organizations involved in the nuclear program. He made clear in his speech that Iran does not intend to comply with them now. Whatever this dude is smoking must be really, really good. I think Columbia University President Lee Bollinger hit the nail on the head--Ahmadinejad is either the gutsiest head of state or the stupidest. Funny how the line kind of blurs between the two distinctions.

Al-Qaida - Al-Qaida continues to recruit Europeans for explosives training in Pakistan because Europeans can more easily enter the United States without a visa. Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell said European al-Qaida recruits in the border region of Pakistan are being trained to use commercially available substances to make explosives, and they may be able to carry out an attack on U.S. territory. Europeans are being recruited specifically because they generally do not need visas to enter the United States, he said. McConnell warned then that the existing law which dictated when the government must obtain warrants from a secret intelligence court to eavesdrop had become a dangerous blockade to spying on terrorists overseas. You have to sympathize with the frustration that McConnell is expressing. Don't you hate when trivial things like the U.S. Constitution get in the way of intelligence gathering?

Japan - Yasuo Fukuda swept to power as Japan's prime minister, promising to use his skills as a negotiator to win approval for extending Tokyo's contentious mission in support of U.S. troops in Afghanistan. The 71-year-old cast himself as the steady hand Japan needs after the scandal-scarred one-year term of his youthful predecessor Shinzo Abe, who abruptly resigned two weeks ago. His policy priorities are markedly different from Abe's nationalist agenda, which included revision of the pacifist constitution to give more freedom to the military, expansion of patriotic education, and an unapologetic view of Japan's actions before and during World War II. Instead, Fukuda — who favors warm relations with the rest of Asia — struck a populist pose, vowing to tackle the government's troubling loss of millions of pension records, provide assistance to rural areas left behind in the economic recovery and deal with the fallout from the rapid aging of society. Fukuda's top legislative priority was the extension of the naval refueling mission in support of U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan. The mission started in 2001, and Washington has called publicly for Tokyo to renew its commitment. The new prime minister suggested he was confident he could finesse the opposition into going along with an extension for the sake of Japan's relations with its No. 1 ally and protector, the United States, which has some 50,000 troops based in Japan. It never ceases to amaze me how many plot lines there are linked to the Iraq War. Extending the Japanese naval refueling mission is Fukuda's top priority? That cannot be sitting too well with the Japanese population.

Nerds - Looking to recruit more women, and perhaps date some sorority girls, the largest computer club at Washington State University hopes to hold a "nerd auction." The idea is to trade their computer skills to sorority girls in exchange for a makeover and, possibly, a date. Ben Ford, president of the Linux Users Group, acknowledged that some of the group's 213 registered members may not be ready for the auction block. "The problem is that we're all still nerds. Let's face it, guys. If anyone's going to bid on us, we'll need some spicing up," he wrote. "And who better to help with that than sorority girls who like nothing better than a makeover?" Ford, who has an undergraduate degree in computer science and is pursuing a master's in business management, said the idea for the nerd auction came to him in the shower. "Here's the current plan: We'll choose a handful of brave nerds to take one for the team.The girls get to have their way with them and we'll document each makeover. We'll make a snazzy video and show it over dinner. After the dinner, we'll auction off the now studly nerds," a hopeful Ford said. Hopeful? Yeah, I don't think so, bro'. No, I'm thinking you got your hands on some of that stash Ahmadinejad's been using.