What Caught My Eye Today

2008 Presidential Race (Part I) - As if the Democratic nomination isn't convoluted enough, check out this item. RealClearPolitics.com (you have to appreciate the irony of this web site's name) keeps track of 6 versions of the popular vote, including the vote of the sanctioned contests, the sanctioned contests plust estimated totals from several cuacuses, and the sanctioned vote plus Florida and Michigan. You'll have to go to the web site to see the specifics (cause the explanations they use to justify the results are too darned long), but suffice it to say that Obama comes out ahead in 4 of the 6 counts. I think one thing that we can all agree on is that if you mess with the math long enough, you can get the numbers to say whatever you want them to say. Ain't democracy grand?

2008 Presidential Race (Part II) - Democratic party officials said a committee agreed on a compromise to seat Michigan and Florida delegates with half-votes. The deal was reached after committee members met privately for more than three hours, trying to hammer out a deal, and announced in a raucous hearing that reflected deep divisions within the party. The sticking point was Michigan, where Obama's name was not on the ballot. Clinton's camp insisted Obama shouldn't get any pledged delegates in Michigan since he chose not to put his name on the ballot, and she should get 73 pledged delegates with 55 uncommitted. Gee what a big surprise. Obama's team insisted the only fair solution was to split the pledged delegates in half between the two campaigns, with 64 each. And yet another shocking statement. The committee agreed on a compromise offered by the Michigan Democratic Party that would split the difference, allowing Clinton to take 69 delegates and Obama 59. Each delegate would get half a vote at the convention in Denver this summer, according to the deal. They also agreed to seat the Florida delegation based on the outcome of the January primary, with 105 pledged delegates for Clinton and 67 for Obama, but with each delegate getting half a vote as a penalty. The resolution increased the number of delegates needed to clinch the nomination to 2,118, leaving Obama 66 delegates short but still within striking distance after the three final primaries are held in the next three days. The beauty of this compromise is that both Clinton and Obama probably feel like they got screwed, though I'm guessing Obama is not quite as pissed off as Clinton is, seeing as he's still winning. I only hope that the Democratic voters in both Florida and Michigan have been appeased enough to turn up for their candidate in November. Oh and by the way, the Democratic National Committee could have avoided this if they had done that same thing as the Republicans did several months ago, penalize both states by cutting the delegates by half. I find it rather amusing that today's decision basically did this.

Space Shuttle - Fear not Space Station occupants. Your potty issues are about to be resolved. Space shuttle Discovery and a crew of seven blasted into orbit carrying a giant Japanese lab addition to the international space station along with something more mundane — a toilet pump. The shuttle's trip to the space station should take two days. Once there, Discovery's crew will unload and install the $1 billion lab and hand-deliver a specially made pump for the outpost's finicky toilet. The Japanese lab is 37 feet long and more than 32,000 pounds, and fills Discovery's entire payload bay. The first part of the lab flew up in March, and the third and final section will be launched next year. The entire lab, with all its pieces, cost more than $2 billion. There are so many joke openings here that I find myself not being able to choose which one to go with. Oh heck, just use your imaginations on this one. It'll do you some good to exercise your noodles.

Hurricanes - A weak tropical storm formed Saturday off the Yucatan Peninsula and quickly made landfall at the Belize-Mexico border, dumping rain and kicking up surf. The first named storm of the 2008 Atlantic Hurricane Season, Arthur was moving northwest across the Yucatan with maximum sustained winds near 40 mph (64 kph), according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami. The storm formed one day before the official start of the season June 1, hitting land near the Mexican port city of Chetumal and Belize's Corozal city. Well this doesn't exactly bode well does it? I've read a few articles that suggest this year's Atlantic hurricane season is expected to be above normal. I suppose if we make it to Wilfred (#21 on this year's list of Atlantic hurricane names) then we'll definitely know that it was a busy year. Should you have interest in the Pacific, apparently there is more action, so the list contains an entry for all 24 letters of the alphabet. So far, Alma is already active, which means Zeke is only 23 storms away.

Potpourri - Curious about how those tax rebate checks are working to stimulate the economy? Me neither, but some enterprising lad with apparently some extra time on his hands was. And with that I give you "How I Spent My Stimulus" (click here) Here's my personal favorite -- "I used my $600 to bail myself out of prison, along with $6900 more." Just what the government had in mind, I'm sure.

Tennis - I have to offer an apology to American tennis phenom, Robby Ginepri. I incorrectly reported yesterday that no American man or woman made it past the third round of the French Open. Turns out I was wrong (big surprise, huh?). Dude won his third round match in straight sets and next faces #24 seed Fernando Gonzalez. On the off chance that he wins, Ginepri will likely face Roger Federer in the quarter finals. What a prize. One last note on the men's draw. Out of the 16 remaining competitors, 5 are French and 4 are Spanish. Over on the women's side, there are 5 Russians left, though as luck would have it there are two all Russian match ups in the fourth round.

What Caught My Eye Today

Arms Control - Chief negotiators of a landmark treaty banning cluster bombs predicted that the United States will never again use the weapons, a critical component of American air and artillery power. The treaty formally adopted Friday by 111 nations, would outlaw all current designs of cluster munitions and require destruction of stockpiles within eight years. It also opens the possibility that European allies could order U.S. bases located in their countries to remove cluster bombs from their stocks. The United States and other leading cluster bomb makers — Russia, China, Israel, India and Pakistan — boycotted the talks, emphasized they would not sign the treaty and publicly shrugged off its value. Of course they did. Why wouldn't they want to maintain their weapons advantage? Treaty backers — who long have sought a ban because cluster bombs leave behind "duds" that later maim or kill civilians — insisted they had made it too politically painful for any country to use the weapons again. Wouldn't it be nice if that bit wishful thinking were actually true. Have these guys had their heads buried in the sand for the past few years. Clearly, the U.S. doesn't really give two shakes what the rest of the world thinks of its actions.

Afghanistan - Here's a bit of breaking news. The outgoing American commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan said the insurgency there will last for years unless Pakistan shuts down safe havens where militants train and recruit. Lemme see. what word am I looking for here? Don't help me...oh, that's right..."DUH!!!"He also blamed new peace agreements in Pakistan's tribal areas for a spike in violence in eastern Afghanistan, where U.S. forces operate along the volatile border. Violence and the drug trade have also spiked. Insurgents last year set off a record number of suicide bombs — more than 140. More than 8,000 people, mostly militants, died in violence. There is a record number of U.S. forces in the country — 33,000, including 2,400 Marines who arrived this spring to battle insurgents in the south. Here's a bit of irony that I still cannot figure out. We have 5 times as many troops in Iraq--where coincidentally, the Iraqis are pressing us to leave--while in Afghanistan--you know, the place where this whole war on terrorism began in the first place--the government is hanging on by a thread due in large part to the fact that there are not enough security forces on the ground to match up against insurgent forces. I just don't get it.

Catholicism - The Vatican insisted that it is properly following Christian tradition by excluding females from the priesthood as it issued a new warning that women taking part in ordinations will be excommunicated. The move dashed the hopes both of women seeking to be priests and of Catholics who see that as an option for a church struggling to recruit men. While I don't necessarily agree with the Vatican's decision, anyone who is surprised by it doesn't really know much about institutional influences of the Vatican. The church has always banned the ordination of women by stating that the priesthood is reserved for males. The new decree is explicit in its reference to women. The decree said anyone trying to ordain a woman and any woman who attempts to receive the ordination would incur automatic excommunication. So much for a kinder and gentler Catholic Church. The Vatican released figures this week showing that the number of priests increased slightly worldwide between 2000 and 2006, with the growth in Africa and Asia. It said the number remained stable in the Americas but dropped nearly 6% in Europe. There is a saying in the business world that goes something like this, "If you aren't innovating, you're dying." I'm not suggesting that Catholicism is on life-support, but let's hope that hanging on to this particular tradition doesn't come back to haunt the Church down the road.

Tennis - The second major of the year, the French Open, is wrapping up its first week. If you follow this particular event, that basically means most Americans have been ousted from the clay court tournament. On the men's side, Andy Roddick didn't bother to enter the event (good move, seeing as he usually loses in the first round anyway) and #7 James Blake went down in the second round. The last American standing was some dude named Wayne Odesnik who got his butt handed to him by #3 seed Novak Djokovic. On the women's side, things didn't go much better. Both Williams sisters got eliminated in the third round. Venus was the #8 seed and Serena was the #5 seed. No other American woan made it past the second round. Now with that out of the way, here are my picks for the finals. On the men's side, I'm going to go out on a limb and pick Rafael Nadal (#2) in four sets over whoever he faces, though my sentimental pick is Roger Federer (#1)--dude deserves to complete his career grand slam. For the women, it's pretty much a free for all with Justine Henin having recently retired, but I'll go with #1 Sharapova over whichever Serbian she faces--#2 Ana Ivanovic or #3Jelena Jankovic

Space Shuttle - I challenge you to get through this last item without cracking a smile. NASA pushed ahead with Saturday's planned launch of space shuttle Discovery on a delivery trip to the international space station. The mission has taken on new urgency — the seven shuttle astronauts will take up a new pump for the space station's malfunctioning toilet. They're also ferrying a $1 billion Japanese space lab that has been more than 20 years in the making. The Japanese lab — named Kibo, which means hope — will be the biggest room at the space station once it's installed. It's 37 feet long and more than 32,000 pounds, and fills Discovery's entire payload bay. The Russian toilet pump, on the other hand, is a mere 1 1/2 feet long and tucked into the crew cabin. It was flown to Florida from Moscow on Wednesday, a rush job precipitated by last week's toilet breakdown at the space station. The station's three residents can use their toilet, but have to flush it manually with extra water after every three or four uses. The problem is on the urine-collection side. They will use Discovery's toilet, once the shuttle arrives. Always nice to see proper perspective being given to these shuttle missions. Where else would a billion dollar piece of equipment twenty years in the making play second fiddle to a busted toilet?

What Caught My Eye Today

Military - Fort Bliss in the far West Texas desert stood as the last Army post in America where if you were old enough to fight and die for your country, you were old enough to drink a beer. Citing too many drunken-driving crashes and arrests and too many fights, the new commanding general has raised the drinking age on base from 18 to 21, bringing 17,000-soldier Fort Bliss into line with what has been the law in the rest of Texas since 1986. Army bases around the country raised their drinking age to 21 over the past 20 years or so. Many states went to 21 under federal pressure beginning in the mid-1980s, and 21 is now the law in all 50 states. For the past 28 years, however, Fort Bliss let young soldiers drink. For most of that period, it was peacetime, and things were calm on base. But now units are routinely shipping back and forth to Iraq and Afghanistan, and base officials say young men and women have been using alcohol to blow off steam. Imagine that. A review of base crime statistics showed that in late 2007 and early 2008, sexual assaults, domestic violence and traffic accidents by soldiers 18, 19 or 20 involved alcohol more often than not. From what I can gather, booze isn't the problem here. Call me crazy, but if going into a war zone where religious extremists are looking for ways to send you home in a coffin, isn't enough to drive you to drink, I don't know what is. Want to stop the excessive drinking? How about getting rid of the reason that is driving so many troops to the bottle in the first place.

Climate - Here's something I didn't know. Apparently there is a law on the books that requires the federal government must produce a comprehensive science assessment of global warming every four years. It had not been done since 2000. Under a court order and four years late, the White House Thursday produced what it called a science-based "one-stop shop" of specific threats to the United States from man-made global warming. Shocking as this may sound, the news isn't that encouraging. The report includes the following findings:

• Increased heat deaths and deaths from climate-worsened smog. In Los Angeles alone yearly heat fatalities could increase by more than 1,000 by 2080, and the Midwest and Northeast are most vulnerable to increased heat deaths.
  I don't want to trivialize this, but honestly, that's like 14 deaths a year. That many people are just as likely to die trying to cross the street.
• Worsening water shortages for agriculture and urban users. From California to New York, lack of water will be an issue.
  Will be an issue? What planet do you guys come from? It's already an issue, num nuts!
• A need for billions of dollars in more power plants (one major cause of global warming gases) to cool a hotter country. The report says summer cooling will mean Seattle's energy consumption would increase by 146% with the warming that could come by the end of the century.
  Maybe I'm more sensitive to this being from California and all, but again, this isn't exactly news to anyone. Hell, we recalled a governor over this issue.
• More death and damage from wildfires, hurricanes and other natural disasters and extreme weather. In the last three decades, wildfire season in the West has increased by 78 days.
  Actually, last I heard, California was considering getting rid of the of wildfire season altogether, given the fact that wildfires seem to be occurring with increasing frequency throughout the year.
• Increased insect infestations and food- and waterborne microbes and diseases. Insect and pathogen outbreaks to the forests are causing $1.5 billion in annual losses.
  Dude, this report isn't worth the paper that it was printed on.

Stonehenge - Let me begin by acknowledging that this next item is not exactly dripping with excitement. New research indicates that England's enigmatic Stonehenge served as a burial ground from its earliest beginnings and for several hundred years thereafter. Dating of cremated remains shows burials took place as early as 3000 B.C., when the first ditches around the monument were being built. And those burials continued for at least 500 years, when the giant stones that mark the mysterious circle were being erected. The researchers also excavated homes nearby which they said appeared to be seasonal homes related to Stonehenge. The village appeared to be a land of the living and Stonehenge a land of the ancestors. The researchers suggested that that the cremation burials represent the natural deaths of a single elite family and its descendants, perhaps a ruling dynasty. The actual building and purpose of Stonehenge remain a mystery that has long drawn speculation from many sources. And not all archaeologists agree with latest theory. You have to love these crazy science types. Here you have a bunch of archaeology hooligans arguing over how to explain relics of the past. Newsflash, people. They buried dead people here. End of story. What else do you need to know?

Cycling - What's this? Cycling news in May. The Tour de France doesn't start for several weeks, right? Well that may be true, but the Giro d'Italia is going on right now. Team CSC's Jens Voigt attacked successfully from a breakaway to take a superb solo victory in stage 18 of the Giro d'Italia. The Astana-led peloton crossed the line 7'56 back to preserve Alberto Contador's pink jersey ahead of the final three crucial stages of the race. You may recall that after last year's Tour de France debacle, Astana was kicked out of participating in this year's race by tour organizers. Bad news for American rider Levi Leipheimer, who incidentally wasn't a member of the team at the time--nor Alberto Contador, for that matter. At the last minute Astana was granted permission to ride in this year's first grand tour, the Giro, and it looks like the team is making the most of it's opportunity. So far, no word on whether or not Astana will be invited to participate in the Tour de France in July. The Tour usually includes 21 teams, each with 9 riders. To date, there are only 20 teams scheduled to participate.

Music - Newly crowned "American Idol" champion David Cook took over America's Hot 100 singles chart on Thursday, sending a record-breaking 11 new titles into the tally a week after he won the top-rated TV talent show. The old mark was set by teen idol Miley Cyrus (as her Disney Channel character Hannah Montana), who placed six new titles on Billboard magazine's flagship pop singles chart in November 2006. The Beatles hold the all-time record for songs charted in a single week, with 14, during the height of Beatlemania in 1964. Seriously, pop culture is dead. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against my boy D Cook (I voted for him three times on the finale), but come on. What does it say about the music listening public when some no name on a talent competition can come close to knocking off the greatest rock and roll band of all time?

What Caught My Eye Today

War on Terror - Here's some comforting news from our illustrious commander-in-chief. President Bush said that rebuilding Iraq and Afghanistan as the wars rage on is proving difficult and "we're learning as we go." The president harkened back to the patriotic sacrifice of World War II, the deadliest conflict in history, in again suggesting the country must hold firm and not lose its nerve. So like is being completely fed up the same thing as losing one's nerve? The president acknowledged one of the many differences between the global conflict six decades ago and the ones that began under his watch: today's wars are not over. Pish-posh. Don't sweat the small stuff, Mr. President. History and war experts warn that Bush has at times oversimplified the comparison between postwar efforts in Japan and Germany and what's unfolding in Iraq and Afghanistan. After the end of World War II, enemies formally surrendered, hostilities ended, basic security existed, and local populations essentially accepted occupation and reconstruction. Experts say those conditions don't exist in Iraq and Afghanistan. Experts, huh? What kind of expert would say such cowardly things, especially while our troops are in harm's way? Truth be damned. Where's your patriotism?

Czech Republic - Here's an awkward social moment. The Latvian flag was in the game program along with a photo of the Latvian national soccer team. Before the match, Czech organizers played Latvia's national anthem. However, the Czech Republic was facing Lithuania, not Latvia. Oops. The Czech Republic's soccer federation apologized to its Lithuanian counterpart and to the Lithuanian embassy in Prague. The federation said in a statement that the mistakes were inexcusable and measures will be taken not to repeat them in the future. And if that wasn't bad enough, the Czechs had the gall to go out and win the match 2-0. How rude.

Nepal - The world's last Hindu kingdom became its newest secular republic Wednesday as Nepal's lawmakers, led by former communist insurgents, abolished the monarchy that had reigned over this Himalayan land for 239 years. The newly elected Constituent Assembly declared the country a republic and abolished the monarchy by a vote of 560-4. The assembly's 37 other members were not present. There was no immediate reaction from the 61-year-old king, who has remained silent in recent months as it became apparent that his days on the throne were numbered. Not since the Shah of Iran was deposed in the bloody 1979 Islamic revolution has one of the world's monarchs been forced from his throne. With the king now gone, Nepalis are settling in for a three-day public holiday. But what comes next remains uncertain. While the Maoists say they are committed capitalists and have no intention of nationalizing industries or setting up collective farms, they have promised to bring sweeping change to this largely impoverished country that in many place more closely resembles medieval Europe than a modern nation. So basically, Nepal has gone from monarchy to communism. I'm going to reserve judgment on just how positive of a development this really is. If the will of the people has been done, then good for them. I just wonder if the Nepalese thought through all the possible repercussions of this transition of power.

Amnesty International - Amnesty International's annual report on the state of the world's human rights accused the U.S. of failing to provide a moral compass for its international peers, a long-standing complaint the London-based group has against the North American superpower. It also criticized the U.S. for supporting Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf last November when he imposed a state of emergency, clamped down on the media and sacked judges. And, as in the past, the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay came in for criticism. Other than those minor items, we're pretty much the beacon of freedom and peace that the rest of the world has come to know and love. Emerging power China was also criticized. The report said China had continued shipping weapons to Sudan in defiance of a U.N. arms embargo and traded with abusive governments like Myanmar and Zimbabwe. It said that China's media censorship remains in place and that the government continues to persecute rights activists. I think I've figured these guys out. Amnesty International rips on any country that is either a superpower already or threatening to become one. Seriously, you don't see them ripping on countries like Belize or Mongolia. It's jealousy, pure and simple.

What Caught My Eye Today

Fred's Note: Despite my best efforts to stay current on world events while on vacation, the allure of Hawaii got to be more than I could manage. But fear not. I'm back and fully rested. From the look of things, it would appear that the world could use a bit of a breather.

China - About 80,000 people were evacuated from downstream of an unstable earthquake-created dam that is threatening to collapse, and troops rushed to carve a trench to drain the water before it floods the valley. The magnitude-7.9 quake that struck Sichuan province May 12 sent a mass of dirt and rocks tumbling in the valley about two miles above the town in a spot not reached by roads, plugging a river that is now forming the lake. The number of deaths from the quake climbed toward an expected toll of 80,000 or more. China's Cabinet said that 67,183 people were confirmed killed, with 20,790 still missing. Aftershocks continued to rattle the region, causing more damage and injuries and jangling the already-frayed nerves of survivors. Two temblors today caused more than 420,000 houses to collapse. Think about that for a moment--420,000 houses collapsed. That's equivalent every house in San Francisco being destroyed (probably more). A calamity of this scale is almost beyond comprehension. Tragically, this sort of thing is becoming more frequent, especially in Asia.

2008 Presidential Race - I have a daily double for you today. First up, John McCain. The president and McCain were appearing together for the first time in nearly three months at an event that epitomized both elements of their tricky alliance — they were holding a fundraiser with GOP faithful at a private home, without the media to document it. Bush and McCain last appeared together publicly the day after the Arizona senator sewed up the nomination in early March. Mindful of the risks Bush brings, McCain has been aggressive about separating himself from the president. He has been laying out his own vision for the future with speeches on a slew of high-profile issues such as the U.S. posture in the world, climate change and the response to Hurricane Katrina. If any of this sounds vaguely familiar, it is. Remember what an 'asset' Bill Clinton was to Al Gore in his bid for the White House in 2000?

Here's how Barack Obama's day went.... The Obama campaign said the candidate mistakenly referred to the wrong Nazi death camp when relating the story of a great uncle who helped liberate the camps in World War II. The Democratic presidential candidate said the story is accurate except that the camp was Buchenwald, not Auschwitz. Auschwitz was liberated by Soviet forces as they marched across Poland in January 1945. The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum says Americans liberated several death camps in Germany, including Buchenwald, Dachau and Mauthausen. As you can well imagine, this historic gaff of epic proportions did not go unnoticed. The Republican Party demanded an explanation. "It was Soviet troops that liberated Auschwitz, so unless his uncle was serving in the Red Army, there's no way Obama's statement yesterday can be true," said a spokesman for the Republican National Committee. I wonder how many RNC officials knew of the historical accuracy of this statement before someone (probably a voter like you or me) brought it to their attention. Always nice to see sanctimonious blow hards keeping vigil on every word either candidate utters. On a separate, but related note, isn't it telling how Hillary Clinton is not mentioned at all in either story.

Tornadoes - With the year not even half done, 2008 is already the deadliest tornado year in the United States since 1998 and seems on track to break the U.S. record for the number of twisters in a year. The brutal numbers for the U.S. so far this year: at least 110 dead, 30 killer tornadoes and a preliminary count of 1,191 twisters. The record for the most tornadoes in a year is 1,817 in 2004. In the past 10 years, the average number of tornadoes has been 1,254. The nagging question is why. Global warming cannot really explain what is happening. Why not? We blame everything else on it? While higher temperatures could increase the number of thunderstorms, which are needed to trigger tornadoes, they also would tend to push the storm systems too far north to form some twisters. La Nina, the cooling of parts of the Central Pacific that is the flip side El Nino, was a factor in the increased activity earlier this year — especially in February, a record month for tornado activity — but it can't explain what is happening now. A short-term answer is that the nation's heartland is stuck in a tornado rut. Gee, that sure sounds technical, don't it? For my money, I blame the high price of oil. If all the weather geniuses can come up with is 'rut,' then why not oil?

Plumbing - I don't even want to contemplate how much this service call is going to cost. The international space station's lone toilet is broken, leaving the crew with almost nowhere to go. So NASA may order an in-orbit plumbing service call when space shuttle Discovery visits next week. Until then, the three-man crew will have to make do with a jury-rigged system when they need to urinate. Sort of you want to cringe a bit, doesn't it? While one of the crew was using the Russian-made toilet last week, the toilet motor fan stopped working, according to NASA. Since then, the liquid waste gathering part of the toilet has been working on-and-off. I'm not saying this to irritate the Russians, but NASA should have gone with the tried and true, American Standard. Fortunately, the solid waste collecting part is functioning normally. Thank God for small favors.

Matrimony - Same-sex couples in some California counties will be able to marry as soon as June 14. County clerks would be authorized to hand out marriage licenses as soon as that date, which is a Saturday and exactly 30 days after the California Supreme Court ruled that gay marriage should be legal. The court's decisions typically take effect after 30 days, barring further legal action. An effort, however, is under way to stay the Supreme Court's decision until voters can decide the issue with an initiative planned for the November ballot. The measure would overrule the justices' decision and amend the state constitution to ban gay marriage. Justices have until the ruling's effective date to weigh the request, but could give themselves longer to consider it, attorneys have said. Another complicating factor is that the Supreme Court also directed a midlevel appeals court that upheld the state's one man-one woman marriage laws a year ago to issue a new order legalizing same-sex marriage, and it's not clear when the appeals court would comply. Massachusetts is the only other state to legalize gay marriage, something it did in 2004. More than 9,500 same-sex couples in that state have wed. I cannot remember if I've ranted on this before or not (one rant sounds just like the next after awhile). Seriously, what is the big deal here? Why are we wasting some much energy on this issue. My favorite gripe is the one that suggests that same-sex unions will threaten the sanctity of marriage. Is that the same sanctity that ends up in divorce 51% of the time. I say let same-sex couples have the same chance at misery and divorce as us straight folks have.

What Caught My Eye Today - Aloha Edition

Hawaii At A Glance
Today's Headline: "Battleship Missouri Due For A Makeover" 'Mighty Mo,' the battleship that hosted the Japanese surrender in World War II is schedule to get a multi-million dollar overhaul so that it can serve as a memorial and museum for decades to come. The USS Missouri has been berthed in Pearl Harbor since 1998 sitting right next to the USS Arizona memorial. Speaking of Pearl Harbor...
Things to do in Hawaii: Visit Pearl Harbor and Punchbowl. As far as I am concerned any head of state contemplating a war action should visit Pearl Harbor and the National Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl.
Not only do both of these sites provide a stark reminder of the human cost of war, but they also serve to put into perspective what is truly important in life. We live on an increasing shrinking planet and, come what may, we have to learn to get along with one another.

2008 Presidential Race - Barack Obama collected the support of seven of John Edwards' Democratic convention delegates today, the day after Edwards endorsed his candidacy, then gained the backing of four superdelegates and a large labor union as he marched steadily toward the party's presidential nomination. Edwards had been backed by the United Steelworkers Union, which announced it would now support Obama. The union has 600,000 active members, many of them blue-collar workers of the type that have favored Clinton in recent primaries. The fresh support brought Obama's overall delegate total to 1,898, compared to 1,718 for his rival, Hillary Clinton. I'm sure Edwards has no ulterior motives (yeah right). Still it's interesting that dude waited until it was pretty clear who the likely nominee was going to be before he hitched his wagon to either Clinton or Obama.

Marriage - Guess what? We have a new issue for the upcoming presidential election. Which is good I think, what with the world being so simple and safe. We needed something to perk up this election and, lo and behold, now we have it. California's Supreme Court declared that gay couples in the nation's biggest state can marry — a monumental but perhaps short-lived victory for the gay rights movement. Same-sex couples could tie the knot in as little as a month. But the window could close soon after — religious and social conservatives are pressing to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot in November that would undo the Supreme Court ruling and ban gay marriage. Honestly, what is the big deal with same sex marriages? Perhaps, I'm missing the point (and that rarely happens), but this should be considered a good thing. Married couples pay higher taxes that singles, and the country could use a little extra coin, don't you think? In its 4-3 ruling, the Republican-dominated high court struck down state laws against same-sex marriage and said domestic partnerships that provide many of the rights and benefits of matrimony are not enough. This part blows what's left of my mai tai pickled brain (did I mention that I was on vacation?). A conservative court actually ruling in favor of same-sex marriage. It may be warming up on the surface of the planet, but surely hell must be freezing over.

China - Troops dug burial pits in this quake-shattered town and black smoke poured from crematorium chimneys elsewhere in central China as priorities began shifting from the hunt for survivors to dealing with the dead. Officials said the final toll could more than double to 50,000. Sadly, this sounds like the same deal we heard after the cyclone in Myanmar. As the massive military-led recovery operation inched farther into regions cut off by Monday's quake, the government sought to enlist the public's help with an appeal for everything from hammers to cranes and, in a turnabout, began accepting foreign aid missions, the first from regional rival Japan. And sadly, those jackasses in Myanmar didn't pull their collective heads out of their nether regions and do the same thing that the Chinese are doing. The ironic thing is that the Chinese are much better equipped to handle this without outside assistance than the Myanmar junta, yet they are not to proud to ask for the help. And speaking of Myanmar

Myanmar - You almost have to laugh at the cruel irony in this story. Myanmar's junta warned it will punish anyone found hoarding or trading foreign aid meant for cyclone survivors, but relief groups said they had seen no evidence of people selling or stockpiling donated goods. No kidding. It's kind of difficult to hoard something you don't have access to. The government's warning came as the official death toll from Cyclone Nargis was raised to 43,318, an increase of almost 5,000 from a day earlier, but still far below U.N. and Red Cross estimates.

And in related news (again try to keep the laughter at a minimum)... The junta announced Thursday that voters overwhelmingly endorsed a new constitution designed to perpetuate the military's power. State radio said 92.4% of the votes approved the charter in last Saturday's referendum, which went ahead even though the country was reeling from the cyclone's devastation. The report said turnout was more than 99%. I would assume that turnout is based on the number of people who managed to live through the cyclone and put aside little annoyances like the loss of home and family in order to give the junta even more power than it already abuses.

Vice President - And finally, seeing as we seem to have a string of items highlighting the absurd nature of those in power, here is a fascinating little nugget on our beloved Vice President Dick Cheney. What's up, Dick? The millions of dollars in assets reported by Vice President Dick Cheney and his wife, Lynn, nearly triple those held by President Bush and the first lady, Laura Bush, according to newly released financial disclosure forms. The reports show that the assets of the president and his wife totaled at least $7.2 million, including the 1,583-acre ranch in Crawford, Texas, valued at $1 million to $5 million. The assets of Cheney and his wife, Lynne, amounted to at least $20.8 million last year. Clearly, Cheney has chosen his kickbacks much more wisely than the President has. Though, I'm not so sure I'd feel too bad for the President. After all, Bush will get a presidential library and, unless I am very much mistaken, command a much higher rate on the lecture circuit than Dick will.

What Caught My Eye Today - Aloha Edition

Hawaii At A Glance
Today's Headline: "Death Toll from China Quake at 12,000" More on that in a minute.
Things to do in Hawaii: Play a round of golf. Multiple rounds if you can swing it (get it?). The thing I like about golf in Hawaii, is that most courses offer substantial discounts to the locals. Doesn't help me much, but I think it's a cool thing to offer the locals. I haven't played many courses--pretty much 2 is it. But for the money and if you are on Oahu, I'd go with the Ko'Olina Golf Club It's a bit off the beaten path over on the south west corner of the island, but it's worth the trip. Of course, I may be a bit biased, seeing as I'm spending my vacation pretty much across the street from the joint.

2008 Presidential Race - Hillary Clinton coasted to a large but largely symbolic victory in working-class West Virginia handing Barack Obama one of the worst defeats of the campaign yet scarcely slowing his march toward the Democratic presidential nomination. "The White House is won in the swing states. And I am winning the swing states," Clinton told cheering supporters at a victory rally. West Virginia, a swing state? Since when? No disrespect intended to my friends in the Mountaineer state, but since when has a state with 5 electoral votes ever been considered a swing state? With votes from 98% of West Virginia's precincts counted, Clinton was winning 67%of the vote, to 26% for Obama. Clinton's triumph approached the 70% of the vote she gained in Arkansas, her best state to date. It came courtesy of an overwhelmingly white electorate comprised of the kinds of voters who have favored her throughout the primaries. Clinton won 20 of the 28 delegates at stake in West Virginia and Obama won eight. That left Obama with 1,883.5 delegates, to 1,717 for Clinton. Home stretch, my friends. Next up, Kentucky and Oregon. Come heck or high water, the Democrats may finally pick themselves a presidential nominee.

Iraq War - No doubt you have heard countless accounts of the sacrifices that have been made, particularly by the troops and their families, but here's one that tops them all. President George W. Bush said he quit playing golf in 2003 out of respect for the families of Americans killed in the war in Iraq. "I don't want some mom whose son may have recently died to see the Commander-in-Chief playing golf. I feel I owe it to the families to be as -- to be in solidarity as best as I can with them. And I think playing golf during a war just sends the wrong signal," Bush said. Well that's awfully big of the President. Here's a novel concept. How about showing some solidarity with them by figuring out a way to get our troops home and out of harm's way. Call me a whack job, but I'm sure these folks would appreciate that a heck of a lot more than you giving up your golf game.

China - China poured more troops into the earthquake-ravaged province of Sichuan to quicken a search for survivors as time ran out for thousands of people buried under rubble and mud. The government dispatched 50,000 troops to the southwestern province to dig for survivors as the national death toll climbed past 13,000. It is likely to rise steeply after state media said 19,000 were buried in Sichuan's Mianyang area alone. The quake, the worst to hit China since 1976 when up to 300,000 died, has muffled upbeat government propaganda three months ahead of the Beijing Olympic Games. It has also quelled criticism from abroad over recent unrest in Tibet, with images of the human tragedy and heroic rescue efforts spurring offers of aid and an outpouring of sympathy. Okay, first of all, I applaud the effort that the Chinese government is making to get assistance to the victims of the earthquake. But honestly, this deal has nothing to do with the unrest in Tibet. This earthquake doesn't change the situation in Tibet one little bit. I'm not saying that we shouldn't offer some sympathy to the Chinese for this tragedy, but it doesn't undo any of the issues that exist with regard to Tibet.

Myanmar - You all are not going to believe this. The U.N. says another cyclone in forming near Myanmar, which was devastated by a killer storm less than two weeks ago. Information about the possible cyclone came from the Joint Typhoon Warning center, which is part of the U.N.'s World Meteorological Center. The center said on its Web site that "the potential for the development of a significant tropical cyclone within the next 24 hours is good." This has got to be some sort of cruel joke, right? The May 3 cyclone, which pulverized the Irrawaddy delta, left more than 60,000 people dead or missing. Aid agencies estimate that more than 100,000 people have died, and as many as 1.5 million are at risk of disease and other health problems caused by a lack of fresh food, water and shelter.

What Caught My Eye Today - Aloha Edition

Fred's Note: Vacation time, my friends. For the next couple of weeks, your friendly neighborhood blogger (that would be me) will be reporting from the island paradise of Hawaii. We'll start off each posting with a brief updates on the happenings in the 50th state.

Hawaii At a Glance
Today's Headline: "City Commits $1 Billion for Sewers" Basically the one million people crammed together on the island of Oahu have agreed to kicking in about $23 a month to fix a ridiculously antiquated sewage system highlighted by a 48 million gallon sewage spill two years ago. Sounds like a good idea to me.

Things to do in Hawaii: Ultra light flying. Think of it as a three wheel go cart attached to a hang glider powered by a three blade propeller. This is my third year flying over the North Shore, and as an added bonus this year, Pearl Harbor. You quite simply cannot get a better aerial view of the island than cruising about 2,000 feet above the ground in one of these aircraft. The folks that run the outfit on Oahu (Paradise Air) run the program as a training course, meaning you get to take the wheel (or in this case the crossbar) for a fair bit of the flight. Trust me when I say this one of the most awesome experiences you can have on Hawaii or anyplace else for that matter.

And now to our regularly scheduled programming. Which natural disaster should we start off with first?

China - A powerful earthquake toppled buildings, schools and chemical plants in central China, killing nearly 10,000 people and trapping untold numbers in mounds of concrete, steel and earth in the country's worst quake in three decades. The 7.9-magnitude quake devastated a region of small cities and towns set amid steep hills north of Sichuan's provincial capital of Chengdu. Striking in midafternoon, it emptied office buildings across the country in Beijing and could be felt as far away as Vietnam. The quake was the deadliest since one in 1976 in the city of Tangshan near Beijing that killed 240,000 — although some reports say as many as 655,000 perished — the most devastating in modern history. A 1933 quake near where today's quake struck killed at least 9,000, according to geologists. Though slow to release information at first, the government and its state media ramped up quickly. Nearly 20,000 soldiers, police and reservists were sent to the disaster area. Given how many people live in neighboring regions, this could have been much, much worse. And when you compare the Chinese government's reaction to this crisis to the mind boggling idiocy being demonstrated by Myanmar's ruling junta, you sort of have to tip your hat to them for responding so quickly. I'm sure the fact that the Olympics start in 88 days has nothing to do with this either.

Myanmar - In its latest assessment of the scale of the disaster in Myanmar, the U.N. humanitarian agency said between 1.2 million and 1.9 million people were struggling to survive and the number of dead could range from 60,000 to 102,000. Myanmar state television raised its official toll to 31,938 dead and 29,770 missing. The military junta has welcomed "aid from any nation" but has made it very clear it does not want an influx of foreign experts or equipment to distribute it in five declared disaster zones after Cyclone Nargis struck 11 days ago. President George W. Bush, speaking after the first U.S. military aid flight to Myanmar, condemned the junta for failing to act more quickly to accept international help, saying "either they are isolated or callous." "Stupid" also comes to mind. From what I can gather from various news reports. The government is reluctant to let in foreign aid workers, because it wants the population to think the aid is coming from them, as opposed to external organizations. Yeah, that's cool. Let your people suffer while you try to masquerade as a government that cares. And get this. Soldiers kicked refugees out of the few shelters that actually exist because they were designated as polling places for a constitutional referendum that would give the ruling junta even more power than it already has. When asked if they could delay the election in light of this disaster, the junta scoffed at the idea, saying that the date for the election was set in stone. After all, government astrologers (yes, you heard me right) ordained the day as being perfect for the election. Good idea. Create a diversion from all the suffering and dying by holding an election. Unbelievable.

2008 Presidential Race - Barack Obama's wave of superdelegate endorsements puts him within reach of the Democratic presidential nomination by the end of the primary season on June 3 — even if he loses half of the remaining six contests. Obama has picked up 26 superdelegates in the past week. At that pace, he will reach the number of delegates needed to clinch the nomination — 2,025 — in the next three weeks, when delegates from the remaining primaries are included. Obama has 1,871.5 delegates, including endorsements from party and elected officials known as superdelegates. Hillary Clinton has 1,697, according to the latest tally by The Associated Press. That leaves Obama just 153.5 delegates short of the number needed to win the nomination at the party's national convention this August in Denver. There are 217 delegates at stake in the six remaining primaries, in West Virginia, Kentucky, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Montana and South Dakota. Even if Clinton wins most of those delegates, Obama could reach the magic number by the time South Dakota and Montana vote on June 3. I must be drinking too many mai tais (I am on vacation, after all). Did I hear correctly that the Democratic nomination might actually be settled in this lifetime? I'm at a loss for words.

Drugs (Part I) - Absinthe, a green-colored, anise-flavored liquor once favored by Parisian artists and bohemians, was banned in the United States for decades, based on its reputation for causing wild hallucinations. Probably a good idea. After all, one wonders how much worse our government might work if they were hallucinating any more than they already are. It turns out that absinthe isn't all it's cracked up to be. Say it ain't so! A new study of both recently distilled absinthe and samples from antique bottles dating back a century found no chemicals capable of hallucinogenic effects. If absinthe drinkers suffered dementia and death, it was probably because they drank large quantities of the140-proof liquor daily, and had become alcoholics. Why do these studies have to take all the fun out of everything?

Drugs (Part II) - In the 1960s, everyone took a trip on LSD. Certainly sounds like more fun than a trip on plane these days. LSD, whose creator died last week at the age of 102, induces wondrous, sometimes terrifying visions that users claim have given them a new, and truer, view of reality. Well, heck, if that's true, I say line up Congress and give them a double dose. For several years, as artists, writers, and rock stars emerged from LSD trips with messianic fervor ("Messianic fervor? That's a little strong, don't you think?), the psychedelic counterculture was popular culture. Today, only 3.5% of college students have ever tried LSD, while nearly twice as many have tried Ecstasy. Yes, let's hear it for progress. Ecstasy offers "a one dimensional, blissfully brainless high." Coincidentally, that is the same promise offered by Prozac. Americans, it seems, no longer want to expand their minds. they'd rather by comfortably numb.

And on that encouraging note, I think it's time for another mai tai. I am on vacation, after all (not sure if I mentioned that earlier).

What Caught My Eye Today

Myanmar - Every time I look at the headlines, this story gets worse. Myanmar's military regime allowed in the first major international aid shipment today, but it snubbed a U.S. offer to help cyclone victims struggling to recover from a tragedy of unimaginable scale. Yeah, that'll show us who's boss. Forget the fact that the U.S. has the resources to help the Burmese people. After all, this is about saving face, isn't it? Five days after the storm, the junta continued to stall on visas for U.N. teams and other foreign aid workers anxious to deliver food, water and medicine to survivors amid fears the death toll could hit 100,000. More than 20,000 are known dead and tens of thousands more are listed as missing, and the U.N. estimates more than 1 million people are homeless. The U.S. military sent more humanitarian supplies and equipment to a staging area in Thailand on Thursday. A C-17 transport plane brought in water and food, joining the two C-130s already in place. Another C-130 loaded with supplies was on its way. The U.S. Navy also has three ships participating in an exercise in the Gulf of Thailand that could help in a relief effort, including an amphibious assault ship with 23 helicopters. China, Myanmar's closest ally, urged the junta to work with the international community. Well, that's awfully big of the Chinese. Thanks for the sign of support guys. Your Olympics are still going to tank, but the gesture is welcome, nevertheless. And speaking of the Olympics...

Olympic Torch - Cheering mountaineers raised the Olympic torch at the summit of the world's highest peak today, producing the triumphant image that China has longed for in the run-up to the Beijing Olympics. The final ascent along Mount Everest's icy ridge was broadcast live and provided organizers with a dramatic counterpoint to the pro-Tibet protests that marked parts of the torch's international relay. I'll be you that there were many protesters either...not at this elevation. The 19-member team, dressed in red parkas emblazoned with Olympic logos, broke camp at 27,390 feet before dawn and reached the top of the 29,035-foot mountain a little more than six hours later. The flame was passed up a line of five torchbearers to a Tibetan woman named Cering Wangmo on the summit. The other team members unfurled Chinese and Olympic flags as a Tibetan prayer flag lined the path and fluttered in the wind. Say what you will about the politics surrounding these games (heaven knows, I have), but you cannot take away from the spectacle that these mountaineers accomplished. Getting the torch to the top of Mount Everest (and televising the moment--let's not forget about that) certainly speaks volumes about what the human spirit can accomplish.

2008 Presidential Race - In my defense, the results from Tuesday's primary in Indiana weren't in when we went to press. So when I said there was nothing new to report, I didn't have the benefit of knowing what the final results would be. Mea culpa. Barack Obama did not rule out selecting rival Hillary Clinton as his vice presidential running mate if he ultimately defeats her in a race in which he has an almost insurmountable lead. Some Democrats are saying Obama and Clinton would be a formidable team against Republican John McCain in the race to the November election. Obama's thumping win Tuesday in North Carolina (56% to 42%), and his narrow defeat by Clinton in Indiana (51% to 49%), has rewritten the narrative of this gripping Democratic contest and triggered the chorus of calls for her to bow out. Not long after the polls close in the May 20 Kentucky and Oregon primaries, Barack Obama plans to declare victory in his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination. The Obama campaign agrees with the Democratic National Committee, which pegs a winning majority at 2,025 pledged delegates and superdelegates--a figure that excludes the penalized Florida and Michigan delegations. The Clinton campaign, on the other hand, insists the winner will need 2,209 to cinch the nomination--a tally that includes Florida and Michigan. Obama will not reach the 2,025 magic number on May 20. Rather, on that date he is all but certain to hit a different threshold--1,627 pledged delegates, which would constitute a winning majority among the 3,253 total pledged delegates if Florida and Michigan are not included. Okay, so if all that is a bit much to digest, here's the layman's version of what was said. Obama is following the DNC rules when it comes to delegates (probably because they work in his favor), and after the May 20th primaries, it will be mathematically impossible for Clinton to catch up to him. Clinton on the other hand, is arguing that the rules aren't fair (probably because they work in Obama's favor). The problem with her logic is that no one disputes the fact that Florida and Michigan broke the rules (including Florida and Michigan). I'm not saying that it's a great idea for the DNC to alienate the electorates of two states that the Democrats need to win in November, but strictly speaking, Clinton's argument is feeble at best.

Russia - When Boris Yeltsin left the Kremlin eight years ago, he gave Vladimir Putin the pen he had used to sign important documents and decrees, a gesture symbolizing the transfer of power to Russia's new president. When Putin left the Kremlin, he took the pen with him. Surely, that was merely an oversight. I'm not sure we should read too much into that. Putin, who became prime minister today, has signaled that he intends to remain Russia's principal leader, at least in the short term — and possibly much longer. Then again... He is keeping the trappings of his presidency and many of its powers as well. Well, I don't know about you, but I'm shocked. Shocked I tell you. It was not always meant to be this way. Right. Putin initially said he intended to hand the full powers of the presidency to his chosen successor and step aside. But as the time drew near, he clearly changed his mind as infighting between rival Kremlin factions spilled into the open, threatening to undermine political stability. Yes, and I'm sure he had nothing to do with that infighting either. No, he's staying in power as a reluctant patriot, doing what's best for Mother Russia. I'm sure obsession with power has nothing to do with Putin's actions today.

Dirt - On the off chance that you thought there were enough problems with the world food supply, here's one more you can add to the list. Soils around the world are deteriorating with about one-fifth of the world's cropland considered degraded in some manner. The poor quality has cut production by about one-sixth, according to a World Resources Institute study. Some scientists consider it a slow-motion disaster. The cause of the current global food crisis is mostly based on market forces, speculation and hoarding, experts say. But beyond the economics lie droughts and floods, plant diseases and pests, and all too often, poor soil. I think this last bit sums the situation up nicely. Fixing soil just isn't "sexy" enough to interest governments or charities. So here's my plan. We get those chicks from the Victoria Secret fashion shows to take part in a charity gig. We'll call it "Angels for Dirt." And to top it off, we'll get Brad Pitt to host the show...in a thong. Presto. Problem solved. I'll take that Nobel Prize now.

American Idol - A relieved Jason Castro attributed his exit from "American Idol" to inexperience and the pressure of trying to learn two new songs every week for the hit television talent show. Dude has a point. The dreadlocked, guitar-playing Castro dismissed the notion that he had given up trying in the past couple of weeks. That would mean that he sang like crap based on sheer talent...yeah, that sounds about right. The show narrowed the competition to three finalists: David Cook, David Archuleta and Syesha Mercado. Okay this may sound strange, but I'm kind of pulled for Mercado at this point. I want Cook to win because, straight up, the dude can sing and he has range. Archuleta, I don't get. He's a one trick pony as far as I can see. It's a really good trick, but still just one. So here's how I see this going down. The Davids split the popular vote and cancel each other out leaving girlfriend, Syesha, as your next American Idol.

What Caught My Eye Today

Myanmar - Thinks are worse than first reported...much worse. Myanmar's military government raised its death toll from Cyclone Nargis on Tuesday to nearly 22,500 with another 41,000 missing, almost all from a massive storm surge that swept into the Irrawaddy delta. Yesterday, I reported that the upper limit was around 13,000. Of the dead, only 671 were in the capitol city of Yangon and its outlying districts, state radio said. The rest were in the vast swamplands of the delta, which was hit by 120 mph winds and an enormous storm surge. As many as 10,000 people died in one coastal town alone. Here's the part that doesn't make much sense. Despite the magnitude of the disaster -- the most devastating cyclone to hit Asia since 1991, when 143,000 people died in Bangladesh -- France said the ruling generals in Myanmar were still placing too many conditions on aid. Come again? President George W. Bush made a rare personal appeal to the junta to accept U.S. disaster experts who have so far been kept out. The disaster drew a rare acceptance of a trickle of outside help from the diplomatically isolated generals, who spurned such approaches after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. So maybe this is a case of just being selective in terms of whose help to accept. Under ordinary circumstances, I could appreciate this sort of posturing. However, at the risk of stating the obvious, these aren't ordinary circumstances. 22,000 people are dead. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Take the aid, you morons.

2008 Presidential Race - Democratic front-runner Barack Obama swept to victory in the North Carolina presidential primary tonight and lengthened his lead in the delegate race. Obama was winning 60% of the vote in North Carolina, a triumph that mirrored earlier wins in Southern states with large black populations. He won at least 40 delegates, and Clinton at least 31, with 116 still to be awarded in the state. In Indiana, returns from 85 percent of the precincts showed Clinton with 52 percent of the vote to 48 percent for Obama. The economy was the top issue by far in both states, according to interviews with voters as they left their polling places. And voters in both states fell along racial patterns long since established in a marathon race between the nation's strongest-ever black presidential candidate and its most formidable female challenger for the White House. Obama has long led Clinton among delegates won in the primaries and caucuses, and has increasingly narrowed his deficit among superdelegates who will attend the convention by virtue of their stats as party leaders. An Associated Press tally showed Clinton with 269.5 superdelegates, and Obama with 255. Honestly, I don't have much to add. This thing has been going on for so long, at this point, there isn't much new to learn. The race is close, Clinton cannot statistically win the delegate count with the remaining primaries, and no one is going to quit until after the primaries have been concluded. Like I said, nothing new.

Capital Punishment - Georgia executed a convicted murderer, the first person to be put to death in the United States since the Supreme Court ended a de facto moratorium on capital punishment last month. Well that didn't take long. William Earl Lynd died by lethal injection at a prison in Jackson, central Georgia, at 7:51 p.m. He was convicted of shooting his girlfriend to death in December 1988. Lynd's execution is the first since the same court on April 16 rejected a challenge to the cocktail of three drugs used in most U.S. executions, which opponents had argued inflicted unnecessary pain. A nationwide pause in executions had been in effect since shortly after the court said last September it would hear an appeal by two death row inmates in Kentucky against the use of the lethal drugs. Last year, 42 people were put to death in the United States, the lowest number since the 31 executions in 1994. But the 2007 number was artificially low because of the Supreme Court case. Several states have scheduled executions since the moratorium ended, including Virginia and Texas, which carries out more executions than any other state. Lynd is the 1,100th person put to death since the Supreme Court lifted a temporary ban on capital punishment in 1976. Since then, Texas has had 405 executions, followed by Virginia with 98. I'm all for justice being carried out, but I still cannot get past the fact that the United States, a pillar of freedom and human rights, continues to give legal standing to capital punishment. Here is the distinguished list of countries that we share this distinction with (at least in 2007): Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Botswana, China, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Kuwait, Libya, North Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Vietnam and Yemen. High praise indeed.

Oil - Oil futures blasted to a new record near $123 a barrel, gaining momentum as investors bought on a forecast of much higher prices and on any news hinting at supply shortages. Retail gas prices edged lower, but appear poised to rise to new records of their own in coming weeks. A new Goldman Sachs prediction that oil prices could rise to $150 to $200 within two years seemed to motivate much of today's buying. Oil prices have nearly doubled from about $62 a barrel a year ago, which Goldman sees as a sign that the world is in the midst of a "super spike" in oil prices. Note to self: Send telegram to Goldman Sachs... To whom it may concern...stop...Keep your opinions to yourselves...stop...We doesn't need anymore reasons to oil to cost any more than it already does...stop...P.S....You guys suck.

What Caught My Eye Today

Myanmar - The death toll from a devastating cyclone in Myanmar could reach more than 10,000 in the low-lying area where the storm wreaked the most havoc, the country's foreign minister warned. Tropical Cyclone Nargis hit Myanmar, also known as Burma, on Saturday with winds of up to 120 mph. It knocked out electricity to the country's largest city, Yangon, and left hundreds of thousands of people homeless. Myanmar is not known to have an adequate disaster warning system and many rural buildings are constructed of thatch, bamboo and other materials easily destroyed by fierce storms. At a meeting with foreign diplomats and representatives of U.N. and international aid agencies, Myanmar's foreign ministry officials said they welcomed international humanitarian assistance and urgently need roofing materials, plastic sheets and temporary tents, medicine, water purifying tablets, blankets and mosquito nets. While not wanting to diminish the importance of the incredible loss of life (I read one account that puts the death toll at closer to 13,000), the bigger headline may be the fact that the ruling junta is actually reaching out to the international community for assistance. Under normal circumstances, this would appear to be a no-brainer. But understand this is Burma we're talking about, a country that has basically existed for the past several years as little more than a pariah state.

2008 Presidential Race - In a refreshing change of pace, rather than report on the latest rantings of the candidates, here's an item on the folks that really matter in this election, the voters. Voter excitement is pushing registration through the roof so far this year — with more than 3.5 million people rushing to join in the historic balloting, according to an Associated Press survey that offers the first national snapshot. Voters are flocking to the most open election in half a century, inspired to support the first female president, the first black or the oldest ever elected. Also, the bruising Democratic race has lasted longer than anyone expected, creating a burst of interest in states typically ignored in an election year. Some Democratic Party leaders bemoan the long battle, with two strong candidates continuing to undercut each other. But there are clear signs that the registration boom is favoring their party, at least for now. Those last 4 words are the kicker. Surveys are nice and all, and sure I'd rather have positive press than negative press, but the proof will come in November. Will the enthusiasm responsible for increasing voter registration translate into vote in November, especially for the Democratic party? Time will tell.

Iraq - For this next item, might I suggest that you take a momentary break from your senses. Forget the rocket attacks, concrete blast walls and lack of a sewer system. Now try to imagine luxury hotels, a shopping center and even condos in the heart of Baghdad. Stretches the limits of your imagination, doesn't it? That's all part of a five-year development "dream list" — or what some dub an improbable fantasy — to transform the U.S.-protected Green Zone from a walled fortress into a centerpiece for Baghdad's future. But the $5 billion plan has the backing of the Pentagon and apparently the interest of some deep pockets in the world of international hotels and development. Developers are clearly looking many years ahead and gambling that Baghdad could one day join the list of former war zones such as Sarajevo and Beirut that have rebounded and earned big paydays for early investors. I suppose anything is possible. Maybe that's why they call it 'speculative' real estate. And on the upside for these developers, I bet real estate in an active war zone is probably priced to sell quickly.

Germany - There must be something funky in the water in this part of Europe. First there this Austrian psycho who locked up his daughter as a sex slave, and now this. A 44-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of killing three of her babies after their bodies were discovered in the family freezer by her grown children looking for pizza. The three infants are believed to have been born alive, but authorities were awaiting autopsy results to determine how they died. The children discovered the frozen babies while their parents were away for the weekend. The 18-year-old and his sister had been looking for a frozen pizza and came across a lot of expired food so decided to clean out the freezer. The teenager then found three identical packets on the bottom of the freezer and opened one and saw the head and arm of an infant that was wrapped in a hand towel. The woman apparently concealed the three pregnancies, believed to have been in the 1980s, not only from neighbors but also her own family. I'm sorry but how could this broad's husband be clueless to not one, but three pregnancies? I'll grant you that it is not beyond the realm of possibility that she could conceal her outward appearance, but didn't this guy notice the subtle changes in her behavior or appearance at all--like say when they were doing the nasty? This sort of obliviousness blows my mind.

Fanaticism - I want to preface this item by saying not all sports fans are this fanatic, though you do have to applaud the dedication of this individual. A 12-year-old boy finally shunned his Brett Favre jersey for a red shirt for the first time in 1,581 days. The boy wore the No. 4 jersey every day since receiving it as a gift for Christmas in 2003. His father conceded his son was starting to become more concerned about his appearance after the jersey barely came down to his belt line. His mother had washed the jersey every other day and mended it when needed. I'm glad that dude is starting to take more pride in his appearance, but seriously anyone who wears the same football jersey every day for nearly 5 years doesn't stand a chance of surviving high school. This kid is screwed.

What Caught My Eye Today

2008 Presidential Race - Barack Obama defeated Hillary Rodham Clinton by seven votes in the Guam Democratic presidential caucuses Saturday. The count of more than 4,500 ballots took all night. That means they'll split the pledged delegate votes. Obama's slate won in 14 of 21 districts. Clinton issued a statement Saturday night promising, "I will continue to champion the issues facing the people of Guam, and when I'm president I will ensure that hard-working families of Guam have the resources and the opportunity to succeed." No pandering going on here. Obama's campaign had no immediate reaction to the results. That sounds more like it. No offense intended, but this is Guam we're talking about. Eight pledged delegates will attend the convention, each with one-half vote. U.S. citizens on the island, however, have no vote in the November election.

Iraq - Not that this should come as much of a surprise, but as it turns out, this war in Iraq is kind of expensive. The war in Iraq has cost the United States about $600 billion since 2003, and the total is rising fast. Because of soaring fuel costs and the high price of repairing or replacing damaged equipment, the U.S. is spending about $12 billion a month in 2008, up from $4 billion a month in 2003. $1.5 billion of the monthly total is spent on reconstruction. $4.5 billion goes to private contractors doing everything from serving food to protecting diplomats. The remainder covers fuel, ammunition, equipment and the cost of paying, feeding, housing and providing medical care to the more than 150,000 U.S. military personnel. The nonpartisan Congressional Office recently said the war's cost would amount to $1.2 to $1.7 trillion by 2017. And that's a conservative estimate. Some economists have the figure ranging from $2 to $5 trillion. To put this into perspective, World War II is the only war to cost more (adjusted for inflation) at $5 trillion. Put another way, the money spent on the Iraq War could fund Social Security for 75 years. Funny thing that notion of 'opportunity cost.' Makes you wonder if we're getting our money's worth out of the Iraq War.

India - India's Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh said the widespread abortion of female fetuses is a "national shame." Hard to disagree with that. The sex ratio in India has fallen to 927 girls born for every 1,000 boys in 2001, down from 962 per 1,000 in 1981. Despite India's rising education levels and standard of living, the practice of selective abortions has increased. Singh said the government would crack down on doctors who perform such abortions. Well, I suppose they need to do something, but doctors are the ones at fault here. This is a commentary of the national psyche that for some reason places a premium on boys. Perhaps someone should remind these folks that it takes two to tango. In other words, if you don't keep the girls in the equation, I promise you that boys will definitely be out of the equation. That is, of course, unless someone figures out how to make it possible for males to conceive offspring.

Congo - After a rather long dry spell, we have another 'so bizarre it must be true' story. This time the candidate comes from Congo. A word of warned to the men...you all may just want to skip this story altogether. Police in Congo arrested 13 sorcerers for using magic to steal men's penises. Believe it or not, this gets weirder. At least 14 victims have come forward to say that the sorcerers cast spells that caused their penises to either disappear or sink dramatically, and then demand a ransom for the organs' return. Sorcerers and shrinking or disappearing penises? I'm not sure I can top this. Perhaps we'll just leave this one be.

Life Expectancy - Here's a bit of depressing news unless, of course, you happen to have nothing to live for. For the first time in nearly a century, life expectancy for some Americans. People who live in the nation's poor counties are dying at an earlier age than they were just a few years ago. The poor--especially--poor women--are shortening their lives with obesity, smoking and other unhealthy habits. When they get sick, the poor often don't have access to high quality medical care. No kidding. The United States already lags much of the developed world in life expectancy, ranking 41st--between Bosnia and Albania. And if either of those countries' populations decide to curb ethnic violence, they'll really distance themselves for us. Kind of a sad commentary on the state of health in this country.

Horse Racing - It's that time of year again, where for about 6 weeks, the American public pretends to have a love affair with horse racing, also known as the Triple Crown. First up, the Kentucky Derby. Big Brown was pulling away from the field, accelerating with every powerful stride toward the finish line in the Kentucky Derby. The crowd of 157,770 was on its feet and cheering as the big, unbeaten, muscular bay crossed the line first, 4 3/4 lengths ahead of the filly Eight Belles. A rather impressive feat made all the more so, considering Big Brown had the outside post position among a field of 20. Unfortunately, this was not the headline of the day. After the race, it took a few minutes to sink in, but anyone watching those horses soon realized that one of them had fallen to the track. the joy of the Derby and the promise of a new Triple Crown season were upended when Eight Belles was euthanized by injection on the track. She had broken both front ankles and could not be saved. The breakdown brought back memories of the 2006 Preakness, where Barbaro shattered his right rear leg just after the start. The colt was euthanized months later, after developing laminitis from the catastrophic injuries. I heard an interesting statistic on SportsCenter regarding horse racing. Approximately 2 races in a thousand result in a horse having to be put down from injuries sustained on the track. Could you imagine those same odds in any of the professional sports that humans play? Neither can I.

What Caught My Eye Today

Austria - I'm a bit late on reporting this story. I gotta say, this is one of the more disturbing news items I've read. And given the world we live in, that's saying something. But an unmistakable melancholy settled an Austrian town where police say a man imprisoned his daughter for 24 years and fathered seven children with her in a windowless warren of soundproofed cellar rooms. As the sheer monstrosity of his alleged atrocities sank in — less than two years after a young woman escaped her tormentor in another high-profile case — anguished Austrians questioned whether their clannish society and cherished privacy have steered them horribly wrong. In the United States, we have a word for clannish societies that cherish their privacy. We call them 'cults.' Police allege that the man confessed to taking his daughter — now 42 — captive when she was 18, repeatedly raping her, fathering seven children with her and tossing the body of one of their offspring into a furnace after the child died in infancy. Authorities say DNA tests confirm the man is the biological father of the six surviving children, three of whom he and his wife adopted and raised upstairs. The other three, along with his daughter, were held in the cellar and never saw daylight until — aged 19, 18 and 5 — they finally gained their freedom last week. Forget for a second - if you can - what a douche bag this dude is. I'm at a loss as to how people can treat others, even their own children, so poorly.

Stock Market - Ordinarily I don't report on specific stocks, but in this case I/m making an exception. Insurance-focused conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway said that its first-quarter profit slumped 64% compared with the same period a year earlier, with underwriting income falling sharply. Run by billionaire Warren Buffett, Berkshire posted investment gains of $115 million, while unrealized gains fell by $4 billion, leaving a total of $27.8 billion in unrealized gains at the end of the quarter. Bear with me. Not the most exciting story, until you consider this. One share Class A Berkshire stock trades at $133,600, meaning the $300 loss that the stock incurred today translates to a two-tenths of one percent loss. In other words, if this stock was indexed at a value of 100, after today's activity, it would be valued at 99.8.

Arctic - The Arctic will remain on thinning ice, and climate warming is expected to begin affecting the Antarctic also, scientists said. Well, I hope so. Otherwise this whole global warming brouhaha might lose some of its umph. Last summer sea ice in the North shrank to a record low, a change many attribute to global warming. See what I mean. So here comes the technical explanation. While solar radiation and amounts of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are similar at the poles, to date the regions have responded differently, with little change in the South. Researchers have concluded that in the North, global warming and natural variability of climate were reinforcing one another, sending the Arctic into a new state with much less sea ice than in the past. On the other hand, the ozone hole in the Antarctic masked conditions there, keeping temperatures low in most of the continent. Okay, so here's my new theory on why a lot of people still don't buy into global warming. By the time scientists have finished explaining what it is, most normal people of dozed off.

Japan - It's been awhile since we've had a 'so bizarre it must be true' story. Well, my friends. The drought is over. A Japanese civil servant was demoted for logging more than 780,000 hits on pornographic Web sites on his office computer over nine months. Dude. Despite his frequent porn viewing, none of his colleagues noticed his activities, which he apparently conducted throughout the workday. Right. Just out of curiosity, how many of these 'colleagues' happen to be men? The man's supervisors discovered his extensive porn site visits after his computer became infected with a virus, prompting officials to examine his Web browser's history. Well, duh. That sort of thing is bound to happen when you practice unsafe 'porn surfing'.

What Caught My Eye Today

2008 Presidential Race - Hillary Clinton was jolted by the defection of one of her longtime superdelegate supporters, a former national party chairman who urged fellow Democrats to "reject the old negative politics" and unify behind Barack Obama. "A vote for Hillary Clinton is a vote to continue" a long, self-destructive Democratic campaign, Joe Andrew said. Andrew not only challenged Clinton's claims about electability, but he also bluntly denounced the type of campaign tactics practiced by some in the Clinton circle. That's gonna leave a mark--metaphorically speaking--on the Clinton campaign. Andrew was one of five superdelegates to swing behind Obama during the day, compared to four Clinton netted. The result was to trim the former first lady's once-imposing advantage among party luminaries who will attend the convention to 268-248. Indiana has 72 convention delegates will be at stake. Polls point toward a close race in a state that even some of Clinton's supporters concede is critical to her campaign. North Carolina, with 115 delegates at stake, looks to go to Obama whose has long held a lead in part because black voters are expected to account for as much as one-third of the ballots cast. And let's not forget about the 9 delegates from Guam. I'll say it again. While I'm sure there is some good that comes out of the Democratic race getting all this press coverage, I think we've gotten about as much good as we're going to get at this point. How much more vetting is needed at this point? Maybe someone should point out the concept of diminishing returns to the Democratic National Committee.

Somalia - U.S. missiles destroyed the house of the man identified by the U.S. military as the top al-Qaida commander in Somalia, killing him and 10 others in a pre-dawn attack that analysts warned could torpedo peace talks. Interesting choice of words, don't you think? The attack comes amid escalating fighting and a spiraling humanitarian crisis in the Horn of Africa nation. The United States has repeatedly accused Islamist Somalis of harboring international terrorists linked to al-Qaida, which it also blames for the deadly 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. The U.S. has backed Somali warlords promising to fight the insurgents, including some accused of human rights abuses. But the strategy has deepened anti-American sentiment. Seriously, when has this strategy ever worked? Somalia has been without an effective government for nearly 20 years. That's okay. Some would content that we've been without an effective government for the past 8 years.

China - Tibet activists said China has stepped up persecution of Buddhist monks with mass detentions as it prepares to take the Olympic torch to the top of Mount Everest. The International Campaign for Tibet said groups of Buddhist monks have been detained from several Lhasa monasteries, which have been sealed off by armed troops. Mass anti-government riots and protests in Lhasa last month — and the subsequent crackdown — have drawn worldwide attention to China's human rights record and its rule in Tibet ahead of the Beijing Olympics. Just what the organizers were hoping for, I'm sure. Chinese mountaineers were making final preparations to take the Olympic torch up Mount Everest but a brewing storm made a climb in the next three days unlikely. The Everest torch, specially designed to burn in frigid, windy, oxygen-thin Himalayan air, is a sister flame to the one that made its way around the world. Its planned ascent to the 29,035-foot summit has been criticized by Tibetan activists as a symbol of Chinese domination of Tibet. I'm torn on this one. On one hand, you have to be impressed at the lengths these guys are going to in order to pull this climb off. On the other hand (you know, the one where reality is based), this is Mount Everest we're talking about. Even under the best conditions this is an extraordinarily dangerous ascent. What are these dudes thinking?

Air Travel - This nonsense is starting to get out of hand. Drivers have long known that slowing down on the highway means getting more miles to the gallon. Now airlines are trying it, too — adding a few minutes to flights to save millions on fuel. This translates into an average flying speed of 532 mph, down from the usual 542 mph. Fliers, already beleaguered by higher fares, more delays and long security lines, may not even notice the extra minutes. The extra flight time is added to published flight schedules or absorbed into the extra time already built into schedules for taxiing and traffic delays. Yeah, that'll work, seeing as the traffic delays are almost non-existent. When a patient is bleeding out on the operating table, do the doctors rely on band-aids to address the problem? Of course not. Yet the airlines seem to be doing just that to cope with rising costs. I just don't get it.

American Idol - American Idol removed much of the suspense early in the results show. Jason Castro was sent to the sofa of safety immediately. Front-runners David Archuleta and David Cook unsurprisingly joined him quickly. That clearly left the vulnerable Brooke White and Syesha Mercado in jeopardy once again, and Brooke, sobbing, was sent off. Not that it should come as any surprise that I picked the wrong person yet again, but unlike the past couple of weeks, I think the voters got it right. Brooke has been floundering of late, and you cannot stop your performance--not once, but twice--without it coming back to haunt you. Of the 4 remaining finalists, I'd love to see Cook go head-to-head against Mercado, seeing as they are the only ones left with any sort of range, but I'm thinking a battle of the Davids is much more likely. And if by some miracle, Jason Castro walks away with the title, the producers should seriously consider retiring this show.