What Caught My Eye Today

Zimbabwe - Final results of Zimbabwe's parliamentary election have been issued after President Robert Mugabe lost control of the assembly for the first time since taking power after independence. The Electoral Commission announced final results for parliamentary elections after midnight, giving the opposition 109 seats to 97 for Mugabe's party, plus one seat to an independent in the 210-seat parliament. State media campaigned for Mugabe and his loyalists while vilifying the opposition. Finally a reason for hope. Here's a general population capable of making up its own mind, under the worst conditions imaginable, despite the best efforts of the ruling regime and state-run media to keep Mugabe in power. Well done, Zimbabwe. Let's hope that your steadfast resolve for change leads to a better life.

2008 Presidential Race - A new poll shows that Barack Obama has cut Hillary Clinton's lead in Pennsylvania almost in half since mid-February as he strives to deny her a resounding victory in the state's presidential primary. Clinton remains well ahead of Obama among Pennsylvania's white voters, 59% to 34%, while he gets nearly three of four black votes. She is well ahead among women, while the two are even with men. Meanwhile, since last Friday, Obama has cut Clinton's lead among superdelegates by four; she has 250 to his 220. There are a total of 800 superdelegates who will likely decide the eventually Democratic nominee. It certainly likes like Obama is having a pretty good week, but let's not forget that the Pennsylvania primary is still 20 days away. By then, he will likely have surged ahead in the poll, then dropped behind, and then started to surge again. Just out of curiosity, is anyone else starting to lose interest in this. 6 weeks between primaries is way too long.

Military - U.S. troops in Iraq are paying almost as much as Americans back home, despite burning fuel at staggering rates in a war to stabilize a country known for its oil reserves. Military units pay an average of $3.23 a gallon for gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, some $88 a day per service member in Iraq. Hey, quit complaining. I'm paying $3.65 a gallon. Critics in Congress are fuming. The U.S., they say, is getting suckered as the cost of the war exceeds half a trillion dollars — $10.3 billion a month. Maybe I'm missing something here, but why does Congress think that the military would be paying any less than the rest of us? Some lawmakers say oil-rich allies in the Middle East should be doing more to subsidize fuel costs because of the stake they have in a secure Iraq. Oh but they do. Kuwait does grant substantial subsidies, but they cover only about half the fuel used by the U.S. in Iraq. And the discount is eaten up by the Energy Support Center's administrative costs and fluctuations in the market. What does Congress have to say about that? Others point to Iraq's own burgeoning surplus as crude oil prices top $100 a barrel. Baghdad subsidies let Iraqis pay only about $1.36 a gallon. In fairness, it is their oil, and they do get shot at a lot. I'm thinking they are entitled to a little something for their trouble. Overall, the military consumes about 1.2 million barrels, or more than 50 million gallons of fuel, each month in Iraq at an average $127.68 a barrel. That works out to about $153 million a month. Maybe we should ship some Prius hybrids over to Iraq. I hear they get better gas mileage than the Hummers our guys are currently driving around it. Throw some flames on the sides, maybe trip out the hubcaps--you'll have yourselves a badass ride for a fraction of the cost.

Music - Here's another sign that our culture is beyond redemption. With her 18th chart-topper "Touch My Body," Mariah Carey has passed Elvis Presley for the most No. 1 singles on the Billboard singles chart, and is now second only to the Beatles; the Beatles are the all-time leaders with 20. Madonna also beat a Presley record this week, surpassing the King for the most top 10 hits with her 37th for her hit "4 Minutes." I can handle Madonna, but Mariah Carey is a totally different matter altogether. The chick who subjected us to "Glitter" has bested the King. What is the world coming to?


American Idol - Results night for the final 9. First a recap, then my predictions which, if the past 3 weeks are any indication, are sure to be wrong. The remaining 9 American Idol contestants were asked to tackle the songs of Dolly Parton. First, the high points...at least according to the analysts. Brooke White sang Parton’s most heart-rending song, "Jolene", and David Cook triumphed with the Appalachian lament "Little Sparrow". David Archuleta played to his strengths with the big ballad "Smoky Mountain Memories", and Carly Smithson effectively slowed down "Here You Come Again". Kristy Lee Cook chose the sentimental "Coat of Many Colors". And now the bottom feeders. Jason Castro’s typically bland "Travelin’ Thru", Ramiele Malubay’s forgettable "Do I Ever Cross Your Mind", Michael Johns’ misguided and overwrought attempt to turn "It’s All Wrong but It’s All Right" into a blues-’n’-gospel extravaganza and Syesha Mercado's rendition of Parton’s most-famous composition, "I Will Always Love You". With the exception of Castro, I think the guys outperformed the women handily. Go figure. My picks for the bottom three are: Ramiele (again), Kristy Lee (again), and Jason. My dark horse for the bottom three is Smithson. I still don't get the deal with Archuleta, but he's going through without any problem. I've got Ramiele packing her bags.