What Caught My Eye Today
Serbia - Serb rioters broke into the U.S. Embassy and set fire to an office and police clashed with protesters outside after a large demonstration against Kosovo's declaration of independence. I guess you could have predicted that this was coming. It took police about 45 minutes to appear at the scene, and firefighters arrived about the same time and put out the blaze. Police secured the U.S. Embassy and surrounding area, blocking off all access. 45 minutes? Is it just me or does that seem like rather a long response time? Serbia's President Boris Tadic, on an official visit to Romania, appealed for calm and urged the protesters to stop the attacks and move away from the streets. Tadic said that violence was "damaging" Serbia's efforts to defend Kosovo, which declared its independence from Belgrade on Sunday. Well I would agree that the violence certainly isn't helping, but I'm confused as to how this is damaging Serbia's ability to defend Kosovo. Unless I'm mistaken, Kosovo isn't Serbia's to defend anymore. More than a dozen nations have recognized Kosovo's declaration of independence, including the United States, Britain, France and Germany. But the declaration by Kosovo's ethnic Albanian leadership has been rejected by Serbia's government and the ethnic Serbians who populate northern Kosovo.
Pentagon - Score one for the military. Using radar, data from sensors and other technology, Pentagon officials were studying smaller-than-expected pieces of the spacecraft that was hit Wednesday by an interceptor missile launched from a Navy cruiser in the Pacific. I for one had no doubt whatsoever that they would score a hit on their first attempt. The main question was whether the high-speed collision of the missile and satellite had destroyed the satellite's hydrazine fuel tank and vented its toxic gas into space. Officials had said avoiding human exposure to the toxin was the primary reason for destroying the spacecraft, which lost power shortly after it reached orbit in late 2006 and was out of control and slowly descending toward Earth. The military was counting the pieces of debris caused by the satellite shootdown, which was an unprecedented use of components of the Pentagon's missile defense system, but believed they were smaller than the Pentagon had forecast and that most of the satellite's intelligence value was likely destroyed. So like why would the Pentagon be worried about intelligence value when the 'real threat' was the toxic hydazine fuel? Hmm. I wonder. Even before the missile launch, some international leaders and critics in the scientific community suggested it was a thinly disguised attempt to test an anti-satellite weapon — one that could take out other nations' orbiting communications and spy spacecraft. Poopy-gook. That couldn't possibly be the reason.
Canada - Canada's Conservative government says the country's troops will leave southern Afghanistan in 2011. The compromise with the opposition Liberals lessens the likelihood of an early national election. Prime Minister Stephen Harper unveiled the new motion on Thursday. Harper is under pressure to withdraw Canada's troops from Afghanistan after the deaths of 78 soldiers and a diplomat. The mission is set to expire in 2009 unless lawmakers extend it. Support for the extension is conditional on NATO providing more troops and equipment to back up Canadian forces in the south, the former Taliban stronghold. I highlight this story on the off chance that anyone out there--say the President or anyone in Congress--was wondering if it was actually possible to come up with an exit strategy for military engagements in places link Afghanistan or Iraq. It would appear that the answer is yes. That is, of course, if you are willing to trust those suspicious Canadians.
2008 Presidential Race - First the big story of the day. Barack Obama won the Democrats Abroad global primary in results announced today, giving him 11 straight victories in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination. More than 20,000 U.S. citizens living abroad voted in the primary, which ran from Feb. 5 to Feb. 12. Obama won about 65% of the vote. The party will send 14 pledged delegates to the convention, each with a half vote. The primary was used to determine nine people, or the equivalent of 4.5 delegates. Obama won 2.5 and Hillary Clinton won 2. Yeah, I can see how this 'blowout' would really bother Hillary. There is no comparable primary among Republicans, though the GOP has several contests this weekend in U.S. territories, including party caucuses in Puerto Rico Sunday.
Oh, by the way, there was a small new item that popped up concerning John McCain. John McCain sought to minimize damage to his man-of-character image and his presidential hopes, vigorously denying and denouncing a newspaper report suggesting an improper relationship with a female lobbyist. The allegations in the Thursday report in the New York Times — and a story in The Washington Post — contradict core themes of McCain's campaign — that he would bring honor and integrity to the White House as well as a record of changing business-as-usual Washington ways. In a twist, however, there were early signs that the brouhaha might actually help McCain solidify the GOP base. Conservative pundits who are some of McCain's harshest critics could have jumped on the issue to question the strength of McCain's family values. Instead, they went after the Times. All I can say about this is that, for the sake of journalistic integrity, I hope the New York Times can back up its assertions. I'd hate to see that this episode was just a ploy to attack a candidate or, worse yet, a strategy to sell more newspapers. I'm sorry to say, that I wouldn't be terribly surprised if the latter was true. Disappointed, yes; surprised, not really.
Public Service Announcement - Here is another in a rather infrequent series of hopefully informative postings that may be of some use to thrift-minded (or in my case--bewildered) consumers. This item comes courtesy of Car and Driver magazine.
Top 10 fuel-efficiency surprises
- 2008 Audi TT 2.0T 23 mpg city/31 mpg highway
- 2008 Chevrolet Corvette 16 mpg city/26 mpg highway
This is good? What was it before? - 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid 21 mpg city/22 mpg highway
- 2008 Dodge Sprinter CRD 25 mpg combined
So if you are in the market for a delivery van, this is your baby - 2008 Mercedes-Benz E320 23 mpg city/32 mpg highway
- 2008 Nissan Altima Hybrid 35 mpg city/33 mpg highway
- 2008 Porsche Cayman 20 mpg city/29 mpg highway
- 2008 Toyota Highlander Hybrid 27 mpg city/25 mpg highway
- 2008 Volkswagen Jetta TDI 31 mpg city/39 mpg highway
- 2009 Toyota Matrix 26 mpg city/32 mpg highway
- 2008 Saab 9-7X Aero 12 mpg city/16 mpg highway
- 2008 Jeep Wrangler 15 mpg city/19 mpg highway
- 2008 Jeep Liberty 15 mpg city/21 mpg highway
- 2008 Saturn Vue XE 15 mpg city/22 mpg highway
- 2008 Pontiac G6 GT Convertible 15 mpg city/22 mpg highway
Dude that blows. What's worse is this doesn't even have the redeeming quality of being a chick magnet - 2008 Mazda RX-8 16 mpg city/22 mpg highway
- 2008 Mazda CX-7 16 mpg city/22 mpg highway
If you are keeping count this is the fifth SUV on the list. - 2008 Volvo S80 16 mpg city/24 mpg highway
- 2008 Pontiac Solstice 19 mpg city/24 mpg highway
- Anything on E85 City/Highway: Minus 25%
Okay this one requires some explanation. E85 reduces the fuel economy of any vehicle burning it by about 25%. For example, the grand-prize glugger of the full-size-truck segment, the Dodge Ram 1500, gets 12 mpg in the city and 16 on the highway. Fill ’er up with E85, and the fuel “economy” falls to 9/12.
Cycling - Dude, you all thought I forgot about the Tour of California, didn't you? For shame. Levi Leipheimer took the overall lead in the Tour of California on Wednesday. Leipheminer emerged at the front of the field following the most difficult stage in the race’s three-year history. It featured five climbs, including the ascent of Mount Hamilton—elevation 4,360 feet—followed by a steep 20-mile descent with 165 turns.
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