What Caught My Eye Today

Editor's Note: Today marks the end of a year's worth of observation, musings, whining, ranting, what have you. I'd like to thank the world at large (and beyond for that matter) for giving me some much to talk about...267 postings and counting. And to the 280 folks from 24 countries that took the time to read some of my stuff (sorry, there a few wasted minutes you're never going to get back), I hope you enjoyed. I also want to extend my well-wishes to a long time friend. Get well soon, Bob.

Kenya - Thousands of machete-wielding youths hunted down members of President Mwai Kibaki's Kikuyu tribe today in western Kenya's Rift Valley, torching homes and buses, clashing with police, and blocking roads with burning tires. Kibaki has said he is open to direct talks with opposition leader Raila Odinga, who is from the Luo tribe, but that his position as president is not negotiable. Odinga says Kibaki must step down and only new elections will bring peace. The death toll has soared over 800. The bloodshed has transformed this once-stable African country, pitting longtime neighbors against one another and turning tourist towns into no-go zones. Kibaki and Odinga blame each other for the violence, trading accusations of "ethnic cleansing." Human rights groups and officials charge it has become organized. This sort of violence puts into perspective just how lucky we have things in the United States where the greatest controversy to hit our presidential elections were 'hanging chads'. More disturbing is the fact that both sides of this issue are acknowledging that "ethnic cleansing" is being perpetrated, yet neither seems willing to compromise in order to stop the violence.

2008 Presidential Race - Senator Edward Kennedy led two generations of the First Family of Democratic politics today in endorsing Barack Obama for the White House. Rhode Island Representative, Patrick Kennedy, and Caroline Kennedy also voiced their endorsement of Obama. Kennedy's endorsement was ardently sought by all three of the remaining Democratic presidential contenders, and he delivered it at a pivotal time in the race. A liberal lion in his fifth decade in the Senate, the Massachusetts senator is in a position to help Obama court voting groups who so far have tilted Clinton's way. These include Hispanics, rank-and-file union workers and lower-income, older voters. Momentum can be a fickle beast. Not too long ago, Hillary was being written off for dead in the run-up to the New Hampshire primary. Then she goes and gets all human on us and seizes a surprise victory over Obama. She then proceeds to follow that up with having her husband rip into Obama in a state that is 50% black, which predictably ended up with her running to Tennessee with her tail between her legs before the polls in South Carolina even closed. No, wait a minute. This isn't momentum; it's just plain stupidity.

Surely, the Republicans are capable of maintaining a greater level of competence. Mitt Romney and John McCain accused each other of being liberals, a charge tantamount to blasphemy in the caustic campaign for the Republican presidential nomination. One day before the crucial Florida primary, Romney lambasted the Arizona senator for a host of "liberal answers" to the country's problems. McCain accused Romney of "wholesale deception of voters" and of flip-flopping on the issues. Or perhaps not. Did these guys not pay attention to all the damage the Democrats inflicted on themselves last week by getting into personal attacks over race? Honestly, it's like this year's election will be won by the candidate that does the least amount of dumb things.

Canada - Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper announce that his country will extend its military mission in Afghanistan only if another NATO country puts more soldiers in the dangerous south. Harper is under pressure to withdraw its 2,500 troops from Kandahar province, the former Taliban stronghold, after the deaths of 78 soldiers and a diplomat. European allies' refusal to deploy to Afghanistan's dangerous south and east has opened a rift with Britain, Canada, the Netherlands and others which, along with the United States, have borne the brunt of Taliban violence. You cannot exactly criticize Canada for its frustration. It's funny how the international community stands firm in its resolve that Afghanistan needs to be rid of the Taliban and other Islamic extremists, but when action is called for so many seem to lose their voices. NATO is a military alliance isn't it. Maybe the some of the member nations forgot what that actually means.

Great Britain - The British government is giving McDonald's the right to award credits toward a high school diploma to employees who complete on-the-job training programs. The plan is part of a push to improve skills among young people and offer even workers who dropped out of school years ago a chance to gain official qualifications. It's the first time commercial companies have been allowed to award nationally recognized academic credits for their own workplace training plans. Experts and business leaders had a mixed reaction to the plan, already being dubbed "McQualifications." Call me a skeptic, but what sort of education does "Would you like fries with you order" fall under? Of course, one could argue that some on-the-job training is better than none and if young people are learning stuff on the job that they couldn't in school, where is the harm in that. After all, I do usually end up getting fries with my order, so they must be doing something right.