What Caught My Eye Today

Bangladesh - The death toll from Bangladesh's most devastating storm in a decade climbed to at least 2,300 and relief officials warned the figure could jump sharply as rescuers reach more isolated areas. The Bangladesh Red Crescent Society, the Islamic equivalent of the Red Cross, said that it believed the toll could hit 10,000 once rescuers reach islands off the coast of the low-lying river delta nation. Thanks to an effective early warning system, at least 1.5 million coastal villagers fled to shelters before the storm. Every year, storms batter Bangladesh, a country of 150 million, often killing large numbers of people. The most deadly recent storm was a tornado that leveled 80 villages in northern Bangladesh in 1996, killing 621 people. It's hard to say whether this is a good news or bad news story. On one hand you have such a heartbreaking loss of life, and what's worse, it's seemingly becoming a recurring story year in and year out. On the other hand, you cannot overlook the positive steps made to institute an early warning system that helped move 1.5 million people out of harm's way. Any way you look at it, things could have been a lot worse.

Ukraine - A methane blast ripped through a coal mine in eastern Ukraine early Sunday, killing at least 63 miners in the ex-Soviet nation's worst mining accident in years, emergency officials said. More than 360 miners were rescued but 37 others remained trapped inside the mine — one of Ukraine's largest and deepest — with a raging fire hampering efforts to save them. The accident — the worst in Ukraine in seven years — highlighted the lack of attention to safety in a country with some of the world's most dangerous mines. Experts say Ukraine's mines are dangerous largely because they are so deep, typically running more than 3,280 feet underground. In comparison, most European coal beds lie at a depth of 1,640 to 1,970 feet. Methane is a natural byproduct of mining, and its concentration increases with depth. More than 75 percent of Ukraine's some 200 coal mines are classified as dangerous due to high methane concentrations. Mines must be ventilated to prevent explosions, but some rely on outdated ventilation equipment. Safety violations and negligence add to the problem. It seems like a lifetime ago, but just a few short months ago, the U.S. had its own string of mining incidents. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't seem to recall the government doing anything to address the working conditions of miners in this country. Kind of a dangerous game of chance that's being played here.

Crime - In another blow to the Motor City's tarnished image, Detroit pushed past St. Louis to become the nation's most dangerous city, according to The 14th annual "City Crime Rankings: Crime in Metropolitan America". The report looked at 378 cities with at least 75,000 people based on per-capita rates for homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary and auto theft. Each crime category was considered separately and weighted based on its seriousness. Last year's crime leader, St. Louis, fell to No. 2. Another Michigan city, Flint, ranked third, followed by Oakland Calif.; Camden, N.J.; Birmingham, Ala.; North Charleston, S.C.; Memphis, Tenn.; Richmond, Calif.; and Cleveland. The study ranked Mission Viejo, Calif., as the safest U.S. city, followed by Clarkstown, N.Y.; Brick Township, N.J.; Amherst, N.Y.; and Sugar Land, Texas. The study assigns a crime score to each city, with zero representing the national average. Detroit got a score of 407, while St. Louis followed at 406. The score for Mission Viejo, in affluent Orange County, was minus 82. Critics also complain that numbers don't tell the whole story because of differences among cities and the FBI posted a statement on its Web site criticizing such use of its statistics. I'm not going to diss on Detroit...they've got enough problems as it is. Seriously, how much more lousy news do these poor slobs have to endure? That said, what's up with you people in Mission Viejo? You all still have heartbeats, don't you? I applaud you for the low crime rate, but minus 82? Go out and live a little.

U.S. Dollar - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that OPEC's members have expressed interest in converting their cash reserves into a currency other than the depreciating U.S. dollar, which he called a "worthless piece of paper." His comments at the end of a rare summit of OPEC heads of state exposed fissures within the 13-member cartel — especially after U.S. ally Saudi Arabia was reluctant to mention concerns about the falling dollar in the summit's final declaration. Oil is priced in U.S. dollars on the world market, and the currency's depreciation has concerned oil producers because it has contributed to rising crude prices and has eroded the value of their dollar reserves. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez echoed this sentiment on the sidelines of the summit, saying "the empire of the dollar has to end." Iran and Venezuela have proposed trading oil in a basket of currencies to replace the historic link to the dollar, but they had not been able to generate support from enough fellow OPEC members — many of whom, including Saudi Arabia, are staunch U.S. allies. Well, I for one am just shocked, shocked I tell you, that Iran and Venezuela are speaking so ill of the United States. Okay, Ahmadinejad so we're threatening you with annihilation if you continue to pursue a nuclear program, but dude, no hard feelings. Now how about playing nice-nice and no more dissing the greenback, okay. As for you Hugo, what up, dawg? It's not like we told you to shut up or anything. How about showing us a little love, boyfriend?

Sports - Okay, so it's been way too long since my last sports update. Here we go, then...

NASCAR - Matt Kennseth won the final race of the year, and Jeff Gordon finished ahead of Jimmie Johnson, but Johnson clinched his second Nextel Cup championship in a row. Gordon came into the season-ending Ford 400 essentially needing a miracle Sunday to overtake teammate Jimmie Johnson for the Nextel Cup title, and one simply wasn't forthcoming. So Gordon settled for second, 77 points shy of a fifth championship. Gordon topped the NASCAR standings in top-10 finishes by a wide margin, won more poles than anyone else, had more lead-lap finishes than anyone on the circuit, the best average place finish and had a mammoth points lead after the regular season -- leading the standings for 21 straight races along the way. And dude still came in second because his teammate was just a little bit better down the stretch--that and winning four races in a row during the Chase. This is why NASCAR is the best motor sports series in the world. Sorry, Formula One.

Soccer - Houston Dynamo wins the MLS Cup 2-1 over New England. It's Houston's second title in a row. And yet I wonder how many us know that the U.S. has a professional soccer league, much less, giving a flying fig over who won the championship.

Football - Green Bay Packers beat the Carolina Panthers to improve to 9 and 1. Meanwhile, the Miami Dolphins are 0 and 10 after losing to the Philadelphia Eagles. Though the game hasn't been played as of this posting, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that New England will walk out of Buffalo with a 10 and 0 later this evening. Lastly, being a Bay Area native, I have just one question--can the 49ers and Raiders be any worse--with the possible exception of Miami?

College Football - It's like the season where being ranked #1 or #2 is the kiss of death. Kansas was #2 in The Associated Press Top 25 released Sunday behind top-ranked LSU. The Jayhawks moved up two spots this week and Tigers jumped three places after Oregon and Oklahoma both picked up their second losses of the season. Missouri at #3 has its highest ranking since being ranked #1 in 1960. Oregon fell from #2 to #9 after losing 34-24 at unranked Arizona on Thursday night. Oklahoma dropped from #3 to #10 after losing 34-27 Saturday night at unranked Texas Tech. Eleven times this season a top-five team has lost to an unranked opponent. #6 Georgia, #7 Arizona State and #8 Virginia Tech join Oregon and Oklahoma in the top 10. Arizona State (9-1) now controls the Pac-10 race and plays #11 Southern California on Thanksgiving. Unbeaten Hawaii dropped a spot to #14 after a 28-26 victory at Nevada without star quarterback Colt Brennan. The Warriors face #17 Boise State at home Friday night in a game that'll determine the Western Athletic Conference champion and maybe a BCS bid. Did you get all that? Not to worry. Just grab a cold one, the remote and park yourself on the sofa for a great end of the season run.