What Caught My Eye Today

Russia - Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared his party's parliamentary victory a mandate to cement power, but international electoral monitors and foreign governments have questioned the fairness of the vote, which will let him wield power beyond the end of his presidential term. Putin's United Russia Party had 64.1% of the vote from nearly 98% of precincts reporting. "I headed United Russia ticket, and, of course, it's a sign of public trust," Putin said in televised comments, adding that victory would let the United Russia party cement its power base in the Duma. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) questioned the fairness of the polls. Independent election monitors said their work had been hampered, and reports abound of state employees being ordered to support the government. The White House called on Russian authorities to investigate complaints of election irregularities. U.S. officials had expressed concern ahead of the vote about the intimidation of opposition figures and the effect of "state-owned or -influenced" media in favor of Putin's party. The UK's Foreign Office urged Russia to investigate all claims of electoral irregularities saying that such claims "if proven correct, would suggest that the Russian elections were neither free nor fair. Does anyone think that Russia is going to investigate irregularities that it doesn't believe exist, simply because the U.S. and Britain ask them to? Plus, if everyone was in agreement that the election results were a foregone conclusion before the election took place, why is there all this shock and surprise now? Get over it and move on.

On a rather busy weekend for elections,some outcomes yielded results that the U.S. couldn't be more ecstatic about...

Venezuela - Humbled by his first electoral defeat ever, President Hugo Chavez said he may have been too ambitious in asking voters to let him stand indefinitely for re-election and endorse a huge leap to a socialist state after voters narrowly rejected the sweeping constitutional reforms by 51% to 49%. Opposition activists were ecstatic as the results were announced shortly after midnight — with 88% of the vote counted, the trend was declared irreversible by the elections council chief. The defeated reform package would have created new types of communal property, let Chavez handpick local leaders under a redrawn political map and suspended civil liberties during extended states of emergency. Other changes would have shortened the workday from eight hours to six, created a social security fund for millions of informal laborers and promoted communal councils where residents decide how to spend government funds. You know, maybe if Chavez had chosen his friends more carefully--say like chumming up with Putin instead of Fidel Castro--maybe he would have picked up a few campaign tips that may have yielded him the results that he was hoping for. Still, whenever the will of the people comes out in an election--ideally a freely held election--I say bravo for democracy. The folks in Washington may not always like what those democratic elections yield, but that's just something that they'll need to learn to live with.

Sudan - The British teacher jailed for insulting Islam after allowing her students to name a teddy bear Muhammad was released when Sudan's president pardoned her. She said she did not intend to offend anyone and had great respect for Islam. The teacher's conviction under Sudan's Islamic Sharia law shocked Britons and many Muslims worldwide. It also inflamed passions among many Sudanese, some of whom called for her execution. During her trial, the weeping teacher said she had intended no harm. Her students, overwhelmingly Muslim, chose the name for the bear, and Muhammad is one of the most common names for men in the Arab world. Muslim scholars generally agree that intent is a key factor in determining if someone has violated Islamic rules against insulting the prophet. The case also sparked criticism from many Muslims in the West who said she should have never been arrested. It may be wishful thinking on my part, but hopefully, this pardon will put this episode to rest and we can move on to more pressing issues--like maybe figuring out how to create a peaceful co-existence among all faiths. Yes, I know. In reality this seems rather close to being completely impossible, but one can always hope?

Tennis - The United States have reasserted their Davis Cup dominance, earning their 32nd title with a 4-1 triumph over Russia in the 2007 World Group final. Andy Roddick, James Blake and Bob and Mike Bryan, who claimed America's first Davis Cup crown in 12 years, were barely done celebrating when they began looking ahead to the difficult task of retaining the title in 2008. Sweden were the last country to win back-to-back titles, in 1997-98. Other than the Williams sisters, the U.S. hasn't had much to cheer about in tennis. Well done, guys.

College Football - Okay folks, after one of the most entertaining regular seasons in recent memory, the college bowls are set. One year after losing 41-14 to Florida in the national championship game, Ohio State (11-1) get a shot at redemption when it faces LSU (11-2) on Jan. 7 at New Orleans. Ohio State finished first and LSU second in the final Bowl Championship Series standings, though the Tigers have been listed as an early five-point favorite. The other BCS games pit Virginia Tech (11-2) against Kansas (11-1) in the Orange Bowl, USC (10-2) against Illinois (9-3) in the Rose Bowl, Georgia (10-2) against Hawaii (12-0) in the Sugar Bowl and Oklahoma (11-2) against West Virginia (10-2) in the Fiesta Bowl. Missouri and West Virginia opened the weekend one victory away from a potential meeting for the national championship, but both stumbled in their final games. Missouri fell to Oklahoma 38-17 in the Big 12 championship, while West Virginia lost 13-9 at home to 28-point underdog Pittsburgh. The losses by Missouri and West Virginia allowed Ohio State to rise from the No. 3 position to the top spot in the final BCS poll. LSU moved up from No. 7 to No. 2. One day after it squandered an opportunity to play for the national title, Missouri had to settle for a Cotton Bowl berth against Arkansas despite being ranked sixth in the BCS standings. No more than two teams from each conference can earn BCS invitations in a single season. No. 8 Kansas earned the Big 12's BCS at-large bid even though Missouri was ranked higher in the BCS standings and beat the Jayhawks 36-28 last week. Arizona State also was left out of the BCS mix despite going 10-2 and placing 11th in the BCS standings – two spots higher than Rose Bowl-bound Illinois. Arizona State instead will face Texas in the Holiday Bowl. Ohio State's rise to the top of the rankings left the Rose Bowl without the Big Ten champion. The Rose invited Illinois as a way of continuing the game's Big Ten vs. Pac-10 tradition. If the Rose had invited a higher-ranked team from outside the Big Ten, such as Georgia, it could have allowed Arizona State and a second Big 12 team to earn at-large bids. If you were not able to follow all that, here it is in a nutshell...The NCAA needs to get rid of the BCS and this stupid bowl system and institute a a playoff like every other sport (and every other college football division for that matter) has.