What Caught My Eye Today

Space Station - Astronauts moved Dextre — a 12-foot giant robot with 11-foot arms — to its new perch outside NASA's Destiny lab. The Canadian Space Agency supplied the $200 million-plus robot, conceived as an assistant to spacewalking astronauts. It may be months, or possibly even a year, before the robot is put to the test. That's how long it will take to check out the robot and allow an appropriate job to present itself. So like let me see if I've got this straight. Canada builds a $200 million robot, astronauts spend a week trying to install it, and now it could be upwards of a year before Dextre is put to use? It's no wonder that critics have such an easy time questioning the logic of the high cost of space exploration.

Iraq - Iraq's presidential council approved a law that paves the way for provincial elections, giving a major boost to U.S.-backed efforts to promote national reconciliation on the fifth anniversary of the war. The move came two days after Vice President Dick Cheney visited Baghdad to press Iraqi leaders to overcome their differences and take advantage of a lull in violence to make political progress. I wonder if Cheney scares these guys as much as he does us folks here in the United States. The U.S. hopes new elections, to be held by Oct. 1 according to the measure, would give the Sunnis more political power and thereby weaken the insurgency. Yes, that would be a nice change of pace, wouldn't it? The difficulty in passing the law underscored the immense challenges involved in efforts to distribute power among Shiites, Sunni Arabs and Kurds five years after the fall of Saddam Hussein. Kind of a pity, that we didn't come up with a plan for dealing with this possibility before we began this war 5 years ago. Such power-sharing agreements are the end goal of last year's buildup of U.S. troops. The hope has been that the declining bloodshed will remove the fear that has paralyzed Iraqi politicians, enabling them to compromise and strike deals across the sectarian divide. The key word here being 'hope' because clearly the reality has been much different from the 'hope'.

Germany - German Chancellor Angela Merkel earned a standing ovation from Israel's parliament after pledging to stand by Israel's side against any threat, particularly from Iran, and paying tribute to the victims of the Holocaust. In an emotional speech, Merkel said Germans are still "filled with shame" about the Nazi genocide of 6 million Jews. Yet her extraordinarily warm reception by the Jewish state also signaled that the two nations are increasingly willing to look to the future. Germany has proven a staunch ally of Israel, particularly since Merkel became chancellor in 2005. Israel's leaders said they are counting on Germany to take a lead in diplomatic efforts to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. Israel and Germany established diplomatic ties in 1965, two decades after the end of World War II. Since then, Germany has become Israel's second-largest trading partner, and has paid $40 billion in reparations to Holocaust survivors in Israel. This is an interesting match up, don't you think? Don't get me wrong. Whenever two countries can come together--especially after the history that Germany and Israel have had--for peaceful ends, I say good for them. Of course, Iran may not look so favorable on this, but no one likes those guys anyway, so who cares what they think.

Japan - Japan has created an unusual government post to promote animation, and named a perfect figure to the position: a popular cartoon robot cat named Doraemon. The appointment is part of Japan's recent effort to harness the power of pop culture in diplomacy. Doraemon is a Japanese cultural icon and is popular around the world, especially in Asia. The robotic cat travels back in time from the 22nd century and uses gadgets such as a "time machine" and an "anywhere door" that come out of a fourth-dimensional pocket on his stomach to help his friends, allowing them to travel anywhere and to any time they wish. Astro Boy, another cartoon icon, was named last November as ambassador for overseas safety. Scoff if you like--I certainly did--but, seriously, is this such a bad idea? Why not go outside the box in the name of diplomacy? It's painfully obvious that the methods currently being employed are exactly what one could consider successful? I say we give Doraemon and Astro Boy a chance. Besides, who doesn't crack a smile just by saying the name Astro Boy?

American Idol - Confession time. I actually fell asleep watching the broadcast--which should tell you a little bit about the quality of the talent last night--so I am having to rely a bit on the recaps that I read this morning. There were few true standout performances last night but also few serious train wrecks as the final 11 tackled the Beatles songbook for a second consecutive week. Michael Johns ("A Day in the Life") faltered tonight, but he's unlikely to go just yet. Brooke White ("Here Comes the Sun")and Jason Castro ("Michelle") were also not at their best, but they're such charmers. Carly Smithson ("Black Bird") and David Cook ("Day Tripper") had perhaps the strongest performances of the night, while Amanda Obermyer ("Back in the USSR") and Kristy Lee Cook ("You've Got to Hide Your Love Away") were the weakest. Prediction time. I'm thinking the girls are going to take the hit this week. My bottom three are Cook, Obermyer, and Ramiele Malubay ("I Should Have Known Better"). I didn't even hear Malubay's performance, but I sticking with the experts on this call. And for a second week, I'm going with Cook to pack her bags. One final word on this weeks competition. Can someone please tell me what the fascination is with David Archuleta? I just don't get it.