What Caught My Eye Today

Kenya - Clashes between rival tribes armed with machetes and bows and arrows marked the third, the bloodiest and what the government hopes is the last day of opposition protests over Kenya's disputed presidential election. With more than 20 people killed since Wednesday, the opposition announced a new strategy of economic boycotts and strikes to ratchet up pressure. President Mwai Kibaki insists he won the election, but international and local observers say the vote count was rigged. Kibaki's power has become more entrenched and he appears unlikely to accede to demands he step down. The opposition's best hope may rest in wrangling a power-sharing agreement that might make Odinga prime minister or vice president. Kenya has the biggest economy in East Africa and its ports and roads serve landlocked neighbors. The United States and other donors consider Kenya a vital partner in the war on terrorism and a regional economic and military powerhouse whose stability has stood in stark contrast to war-ravaged neighbors such as Sudan and Somalia, where Islamic extremism is rife. First of all, let's hope something can be done to re-establish peace and order for the citizenry. Secondly, I'm thinking that countries should start thinking twice about signing on as allies of the U.S. in the war against terrorism. First Pakistan, now Kenya is in the throes of political chaos. And both countries are touted as by the U.S. as key allies in the war on terrorism. Coincidence?

Iran - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that President Bush sent a "message of confrontation" during his recent Mideast trip. "President George Bush sent a message to the Iranian people and all the nations worldwide. This message reflects his own conceptions and it is a message of rift, a message of sowing the seeds of division. It is a message of confrontation demeaning the dignity of mankind." Let's be fair, Mr. President. Bush wasn't demeaning the dignity of mankind, just you. The Iranian president said Bush's statements were made for domestic political reasons. "They are in need of these statements for their presidential race," said Ahmadinejad. I'm not so sure about that, sparkplug. See, President Bush isn't running for re-election. I'm pretty sure he's saying these things just out of spite. Ahmadinejad also lashed out at Israel, a key U.S. ally in the Mideast, saying the country was "rapidly doomed to collapse." "All these nations believe they (the Israelis) are a murderous group carrying arms and trying through threats to change their image," he said. See, to me these are constitute 'messages of confrontation.' Maybe Ahmadinejad should apply the same standards that he applies to Bush to himself.

Canada - A training manual for Canadian diplomats lists the United States as a country where prisoners risk torture and abuse, citing interrogation techniques such as stripping prisoners, blindfolding and sleep deprivation. That's not going to go over very well with the dudes in Washington. The Foreign Affairs Department document singled out the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay. It also names Israel, Afghanistan, China, Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Mexico and Syria as places where inmates could face torture. Nice company to be associated with, especially by an ally. The listing drew a sharp response from the U.S., a key NATO ally and trading partner, which asked to removed from the manual. Imagine that. Canada said the manual is for training, and does not amount to official government policy. Oh come on. You guys can come up with a better excuse than that, can't you? The government inadvertently released the manual to lawyers for Amnesty International who are working on a lawsuit involving alleged abuse of Afghan detainees by local Afghan authorities, after the detainees were handed over by Canadian troops. Just out of curiosity, what rocket scientist in the government managed to overlook the fact that these lawyers represented Amnesty International?

Peace - Omar Osama bin Laden, one of bin Laden's 19 children, says he and his wife want to be advocates for peace and are planning a 3,000-mile horse race across North Africa to draw attention to the cause of peace. Good for you, Omar. I bet you are the pride of the family, aren't ya? Omar lived with the al-Qaida leader in Sudan, then moved with him to Afghanistan in 1996. There, Omar says he trained at an al-Qaida camp but in 2000 he decided there must be another way and he left his father, returning to his homeland of Saudi Arabia. Although there is no way to confirm the details he describes of his childhood and upbringing, the strong family resemblance and Omar's knowledge of Osama's family life have convinced many of his lineage. Omar doesn't criticize his father and says Osama bin Laden is just trying to defend the Islamic world. Okay, so maybe Hitler wasn't such a bad guy either. He was just trying to defend the Aryan race. This guy is a piece of work. Omar is convinced a truce between the West and al-Qaida is possible. "My father is asking for a truce but I don't think there is any government (that) respects him. At the same time they do not respect him, why everywhere in the world, they want to fight him? There is a contradiction." Good point, Omar. Why should the U.S. hold a grudge against the dude who claimed responsibility for the September 11 attacks? They should let go of the past and look to the future. Maybe they should even apologize to Osama for putting a price on his head, right Omar? Seriously, I just don't see this cat being a beacon of peace. Good luck with that horse race, though.

Chess - Bobby Fischer, the reclusive chess genius who became a Cold War hero by dethroning the Soviet world champion in 1972 and later renounced his American citizenship, died of kidney failure at the age of 64. As a champion, he used his eccentricities to unsettle opponents, but Fischer's reputation as a genius of chess was soon eclipsed, in the eyes of many, by his idiosyncrasies. Fischer faced criminal charges in the United States for playing a 1992 rematch against Boris Spassky in Yugoslavia in defiance of international sanctions. Fischer vanished after the 1992 match and occasionally re-emerged to give interviews on a radio station in the Philippines. During one interview, Fischer praised the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, saying America should be "wiped out," and described Jews as "thieving, lying bastards." Well, yes, I can see how some of those idiosyncrasies could have rubbed some people the wrong way. Lucky for me, that I'm somewhat of a simpleton. No genius genes in me. I can only blame my jaded perspective on the world at large for all of my outbursts.

Tennis - Here's a quick recap of the early round action at the Australian Open. The top women's seeds advanced to the Australian Open fourth round in contrasting styles Friday but former champion Amelie Mauresmo was dumped from the tournament she won just two years ago. Mauresmo became one of the highest-profile casualties so far as defending champion Serena Williams and fifth seed Maria Sharapova outgunned their opponents and world number one Justine Henin endured a tough workout. A listless Jelena Jankovic battled through another draining three setter but the Serbian third seed managed to claw her way into the final 16. Andy Roddick crashed out of the Australian Open in a dramatic five-setter as other leading seeds Rafael Nadal and Nikolay Davydenko won their way into the fourth round of the Australian Open. American Mardy Fish also lost in the third round. I have to say that I'm a little surprised that all my picks are still alive (on the women's side, Henin, Kuznetsova and the Williams sisters and on the men's side, Federer and Nadal). Mid-way through the third round we still have 3 American men left (#12 James Blake, Sam Querrey, and Vincent Spadea) and 2 women (Serena and Venus). To put into perspective the U.S. contingent's performance, consider that in the men's draw, France still has 5 contenders and in the women's draw, Russia has 7 players still in it and Poland has the same number as the U.S.