What Caught My Eye Today

Egypt - Hamas-backed militants driving bulldozers knocked down more fortifications Friday along the Gaza-Egypt border — a brazen challenge to Egyptian riot police, who abandoned their positions after attempting to reseal the frontier using human chains, dogs and water cannons. Thousands of Palestinians flooded into Egypt, pushing through several openings as Egyptian troops retreated to their bases on the other side of the border. Palestinians positioned cranes next to the border and lifted crates of supplies into Gaza, including camels and cows. That must have been quite a spectacle to behold. Hamas, after blasting open the border wall earlier in the week, offered further proof that it simply cannot be ignored. The day's events also underscored a great dilemma faced by Egypt: if it acts forcefully against the Gazans, it could anger its own people, who are sympathetic to the Palestinians' plight. But if it does nothing, it risks infiltration by Islamic militants. Wrong place, wrong time. Yeah, that sucks. Talk about being between a rock and a hard place. You almost feel sorry for the predicament the Egyptian government finds itself in. Especially, seeing as Egypt did nothing to encourage this situation.

Venezuela - I want to preface this item with a note of thanks to President Hugo Chavez. Thanks for making my job of mocking world leaders just a little be bit easier. President Hugo Chavez accused Colombia and the United States of plotting a military "aggression" against Venezuela. "I accuse the government of Colombia of devising a conspiracy, acting as a pawn of the U.S. empire, of devising a military provocation against Venezuela," Chavez said. Chavez did not offer evidence to support his claim. Gee, there's a big surprise. He has repeatedly accused the United States of plotting to oust him or kill him, though it was the first time he has accused Colombia's U.S.-allied government in such strident terms. Well, I guess it was bound to happen at some point. With Cuban leader Fidel Castro in declining health, somebody had to pick up the mantle being the Western Hemisphere's thorn in the side of the evil American empire. Still, I wonder what set off the lunatic this time?

Colombia - Wait just a second. Maybe this has something to do with the bee in Chavez's bonnet. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice visited Colombia as part of a coordinated campaign by Colombia and the White House to win over skeptical Democrats and revive the trade pact, which was first signed in 2006 but has not yet been passed by Congress. Colombia is the world's most dangerous country for labor organizing. Rice and nine Democratic lawmakers met with union leaders who oppose the deal to hear complaints that President Alvaro Uribe has failed to stamp out the violence, including murder. Rice said that failing to pass the trade deal would hurt the U.S. image in Latin America, many of whose leaders — cheered by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez — have grown weary of the pro-market reforms favored by Washington. Well there you have it. If this is something that the Americans think is a good idea, naturally it must be a bad deal for the Colombians. The fact that a similar agreement was reached with Peru last year is irrelevant. It's not like they have anything we want like Colombia does. No, not oil. I'm talking about the stuff that really keeps Americans happy--like coffee and drugs.

Iran - Iran's foreign minister urged the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council to "correct their past mistakes" and draw up a a resolution ending council involvement in his country's nuclear affairs. He also said that — while it makes sense to talk with Washington over common interests such as Iraq — he could not imagine substantially improved ties with the United States even after a change in U.S. administrations. I didn't see this one coming--some common ground that both Iran and the U.S. can agree on. I don't imagine many folks in Washington envision better relations with Iran either.

Golf - Stop me if you've heard this one before. Tiger Woods made short work of the North Course on Friday with a 7-under 65, giving him a four-shot lead as he tries to win the Buick Invitational for the fourth straight year. Paired up with him for the third round is rookie Kevin Streelman, currently #1,354 in world ranking. I think Tiger said it best when asked about his playing partner, "I think he might be going up."

Tennis - #1 seed Roger Federer lost to #3 seed Novak Djokovic 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (5) Friday in the Australian Open semifinals, leaving the top-ranked Swiss one match short of making an 11th consecutive Grand Slam final. Djokovic will now play unseeded Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on Sunday, setting up one unlikely title match. The women settle their championship Saturday when Maria Sharapova faces Ana Ivanovic. Okay, my picks are shot to hell, but who doesn't want to see that men's final on Sunday. As for the women's final, I'm going with the first half of an all-Serb sweep. Gimme Ivanovic in straight sets.