What Caught My Eye Today

War on Terrorism - President Bush signed legislation to pay for the war operations in Iraq and Afghanistan for the rest of his presidency and beyond, hailing the $162 billion plan as a rare product of bipartisan cooperation. If you read between the lines when Bush says 'bipartisan cooperation' what he really means is that Congress caved and he got his way...again. The legislation will bring to more than $650 billion the amount Congress has provided for the Iraq war since it began more than five years ago. For operations in Afghanistan, the total is nearly $200 billion. The bill will fund the wars well into next year, when their fate will be in the hands of Bush's successor and also gives the next president several months to set Iraq policy after taking office in January — and spares lawmakers the need to cast more war funding votes closer to Election Day. Well that's a relief. No one wants a little thing like a war to get in the way of Congress during election season.

So you might be asking yourselves, if all this money is well spent. Let's find out.

Afghanistan - Militants killed more U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan in June than in Iraq for the second straight month, a grim milestone capping a run of headline-grabbing insurgent attacks that analysts say underscore the Taliban's growing strength. You would think that for $850 billion, we'd be reporting good news on both fronts. Apparently not. Some observers say the insurgency has gained dangerous momentum. Last week, a Pentagon report forecast the Taliban would maintain or increase its pace of attacks, which are already up 40% this year. At least 45 international troops — including at least 27 U.S. forces and 13 British — died in Afghanistan in June, the deadliest month since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion to oust the Taliban. In Iraq, at least 31 international soldiers died in June: 29 U.S. troops and one each from the former Soviet republics of Georgia and Azerbaijan. There are 144,000 U.S. troops in Iraq and 4,000 British forces in additional to small contingents from several other nations. The 40-nation international coalition is much broader in Afghanistan, where only about half of the 65,000 international troops are American. Aw heck, no one really cares about Afghanistan anyway. Honestly, how much oil do those dudes have anyway. Oh sure, if you're into opium, maybe this is a bad development. And what about that dude who bankrolled the September 11th attacks that started this mess in the first place. Osama something-or-other, right? Isn't he dead yet(note the sarcasm...if you haven't picked up on it already)?

California - More than a thousand wildfires were burning early in Northern California and there was no relief in sight for weary firefighters. Fire crews inched closer to getting some of the largest of 1,420 blazes surrounded, according to the state Office of Emergency Services. Some 364,600 acres — or almost 570 square miles — have burned. Lower-than-average rainfall and record levels of parched vegetation likely mean a long, fiery summer throughout northern California. This time last week, I reported that the number of fires in California had reach over 800. My what a difference a week makes. As for suggestions that we are 'likely' to have a long fiery summer, I'd say we are already there.

Written Exams - Ah yes, another entry for the 'so bizarre it must be true' file. A British high school student received credit for writing nothing but a two-word obscenity on an exam paper because the phrase expressed meaning and was spelled correctly. An examiner gave the student — who wrote an expletive starting with f, followed by the word "off" — two points out of a possible 27 for the English paper saying, "It would be wicked to give it zero because it does show some very basic skills we are looking for, like conveying some meaning and some spelling." Is this guy for real? He said the student would have received a higher mark if the phrase had been punctuated. The expletive was used in 2006 by a student in response to the question: "Describe the room you are sitting in." According to examination policy, if a candidate makes any sort of response to a question then it must be at least given consideration to be awarded a mark. I think somebody needs to take a closer look at the baseline standards for awarded marks for scholastic achievement. Call me crazy, but "F--- off" does not exactly strike me as the most intelligent of remarks.

Tennis - Seriously, does anyone want to win this tournament? Second-seeded Jelena Jankovic and No. 4 Svetlana Kuznetsova were ousted in the fourth round, leaving Wimbledon without any of the top four women in the quarterfinals for the first time. The highest seeded player left is No. 5 Elena Dementieva, who cruised to a 6-2, 6-1 win over unseeded Shahar Peer. The Williams sisters, meanwhile, moved closer to another Wimbledon final with back-to-back victories on Court 2. In men's play, five-time champion Roger Federer swept Lleyton Hewitt — the last man to win the title before him — 7-6 (7), 6-2, 6-4 on Centre Court to extend his winning streak on grass to 63 matches and 38 in a row at the All England Club. Rafael Nadal also advanced to the quarterfinals. Incidentally, the Williams sisters have also made it through to the quarterfinals in women's doubles action. My picks for the singles winners--one of the Williams sisters on the women's side and Federer on the men's side--amazingly are still intact. That's alright, I'm sure something will screw that up tomorrow.

Golf - Yup, another Tiger Woods update. Tiger Woods does not know when he can play golf again, but he said his rebuilt left knee has been sore his entire PGA Tour career and he looks forward to playing on two good legs. Woods had reconstructive surgery last week. Woods first had surgery on his left knee while at Stanford in 1994 to remove a benign tumor. He had surgery after the 2002 season to drain fluid and remove cysts around his ACL. "When I had my cyst removed from my ACL, there wasn't a whole lot left," he said. "So they said, 'Basically, you need to train and develop your hamstring and glute and calf as much as you possibly can to hold it. Everyone was surprised it lasted as long as it did before I ruptured it. One wonders how many more wins Tiger would have racked up playing on two good legs these past few years. Scary thought isn't it?

Cycling - Fear not. This isn't another sob story on behalf of Levi Leipheimer. That ship has sailed. Nope, this time we're wrapping up the final chapter of the Floyd Landis doping scandal. Here's a big surprise...it's not the ending Floyd was hoping for. In the latest attempt that almost certainly will be Floyd Landis' last, the anti-doping establishment slapped down the one-time 2006 Tour de France winner once more, ruling Landis didn't play fair, on the bike or in the hearing room. A three-person panel at the Court of Arbitration for Sport agreed with a previous panel's decision, ruling that Landis' positive doping test at the Tour two years ago was, indeed, valid. He will not regain the title he won with a stunning comeback in Stage 17, a rally many thought was too good to be true and that turned out to be fueled by synthetic testosterone. Alright Floyd, you had your day in court--several of them in fact--and you lost. Now do us all a favor and stop your whining. As surprising as this may sound, I hope you do come back next year after your two year ban ends. The best way you can salvage what's left of your reputation is to put in some quality races while being clean. Think you can manage that? If you are innocent, as you claim to be, that shouldn't be too difficult to pull off, wouldn't you say?

What Caught My Eye Today

Zimbabwe - President Robert Mugabe was sworn in for a sixth term just hours after government officials said he overwhelmingly won a runoff that has been widely discredited. His main rival, Morgan Tsvangirai, dismissed the inauguration as "an exercise in self-delusion." African and other world leaders have condemned Friday's election, in which Mugabe was the only candidate. Residents said they were forced to vote by threats of violence or arson from Mugabe supporters who searched for anyone without an ink-stained finger — the telltale sign that they had cast a ballot. Tsvangirai had withdrawn from the race because of the violence, though his name remained on the ballot and his supporters may have spoiled their ballots rather than vote for Mugabe. Human rights groups said opposition supporters were the targets of brutal state-sponsored violence during the campaign, leaving more than 80 dead and forcing some 200,000 to flee their homes. The electoral commission said total results showed more than 2 million votes for Mugabe, and 233,000 for opposition candidate Morgan Tsvangirai. Turnout was put at about 42 percent, and 131,000 ballots had been defaced or otherwise spoiled, apparently as an act of protest. Neither candidate got credit for the spoiled ballots. I suppose congratulations are in order for President Mugabe. Well done. You managed to steal an election by forcing out the opposing, making your citizens vote for you or risk being murdered, all the while bringing near unanimous condemnation on your government by the international community. All in all, not bad for a weekend's work.

Afghanistan - The number of civilians killed in fighting between insurgents and security forces in Afghanistan has soared by two-thirds in the first half of this year, to almost 700 people. The figures are a grim reminder of how the nearly seven-year war has failed to stabilize the country and suggest that ordinary civilians are bearing a heavy toll, particularly from stepped-up militant attacks. NATO's reaction to the U.N. figures was cool. Afghan leaders including President Hamid Karzai have accused NATO and the U.S.-led coalition of recklessly endangering civilians by using excessive force, including airstrikes, in residential areas. Foreign commanders insist they take all reasonable precautions to avoid killing innocents and say militants routinely fire on them from houses and flee into villages. What do you think is meant by 'reasonable precautions.' I'm all for defending oneself when shot upon, but I'm not sure launching airstrikes in areas clearly populated by civilians constitutes a proportional response. It certainly is doing very little to endear the NATO forces to the native population that they seem to keep bombing.

California - Firefighters are making slow progress against more than 1,000 wildfires throughout Northern California as the region braces for more lightning storms. Forecasters are predicting more thunderstorms similar to the ones that ignited hundreds of fires a week ago. Lucky us. The state Office of Emergency Services says the blazes have charred more than 556 square miles and destroyed more than 50 buildings. All things considered, you have to be rather amazed that only 50 buildings have been destroyed thus far.

Sports - It's been awhile since we've done a sports round up. Here are a few items that caught my eye recently...

Baseball - Here's something you don't see everyday. The Los Angeles Dodgers became the fifth team in modern major league history to win a game in which they didn't get a hit, defeating the Los Angeles Angels 1-0. A fielding error on a slow roller led to an unearned run by the Dodgers in the fifth inning. It never ceases to amaze me the weird sorts of statistics that Major League Baseball keeps track of.

Soccer - In what is generally considered the most prestigious tournament other than the World Cup, the 2008 Euro Cup final pits Germany against Spain. Germany is attempting to win a record 4th title while Spain attempts to claim the title for the first time since 1964. I joined a small betting pool at work--me and 124 of my closest friends--and, needless to say, despite picking Germany to win it all, I'm not even remotely close to claiming any of the prize money.

Tennis - Going into the second week of Wimbledon, the headlines have been dominated by top-seeds for all the wrong reasons--they lost. And if you are a fan of U.S. tennis, you're probably rather depressed at this point, unless you are a fan of the Williams sisters. Venus and Serena are the only notable Americans left in the tournament. Notables like Andy Roddick, James Blake, and Lindsay Davenport all exited by the third round. Getting back to the top-seeds, other than Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, it has been a Championship to forget. Maria Sharapova, Ana Ivanovic and Novak Djokovic all crashed and burned. #2 seed Jelena Jankovic is still alive but is likely to withdraw due to a knee injury, meaning that the highest remaining seed going into the round of 16 will likely be #4 Svetlana Kuznetsova. On the bright side, you have to like the chances of either Serena or Venus taking home another title. On the men's side, other than Federer and Nadal, there's pretty much no one left, though Britain does have #12 seed Andy Murray to cheer for. Dude has been looking really sharp. The true test will come in the quarterfinals when he will likely face Nadal. I'm thinking Federer likes his chances to repeat for a fifth straight year.

Cycling - Looks like it is official. Team Astana, arguably the best cycling team on the professional circuit with the likes of Levi Leipheimer, Andreas Kloden and Alberto Contador, will not be invited to participate in this year's Tour de France. However, all is not lost for American cycling fans (oh come now, there must be one or two of you out there). George Hincapie will be riding for Team Columbia (formerly team T-Mobile, the arch nemesis of Lance Armstrong's now defunct Team Discovery). In fact, for the first time in recent memory, there will be two American based teams riding in this year's Tour, Hincapie's Team Columbia (of Columbia sportswear fame) and Garmin-Chipotle, whose roster includes Englishman David Millar and American Christian Vande Velde. However, interestingly enough only 4 Americans are riding in this year's event.

Fred's Note: You may have noticed, that the Let Levi Ride portlet has been removed. As of June 29, 62,850 people had signed the online petition to get Levi into this year's tour. Obviously, that was not enough.

What Caught My Eye Today

Military - Congratulations to the Army for breaking through another glass ceiling. Ann Dunwoody was nominated as the nation's first female four-star general. You may recall from a past question of the week that a four-star general is a full "General". President Bush tapped her to head the command responsible for keeping the Army supplied. I wonder if that includes keeping the Army supplied with fresh troops. Dunwoody is a 33 year military veteran and made a name for herself running various logistics operations for the Army. Service regulations ordinarily require four-star nominees to have combat experience, but the requirement was waived for Dunwoody. Big deal. I say if the broad is capable of the assignment, give her the job.

Netherlands - I love the Dutch. When the Dutch ban on smoking in public places goes into force next month it will have a curious side effect. In the 700 or so coffee shops that are legally entitled to sell marijuana, you'll still be allowed to light up a joint, so long as there's no tobacco in it. See what I mean?

For all you Mary Jane aficionados, we have a daily double for you.

Air Travel - A Colorado group is pushing for an exception to marijuana lows that would enable airline passengers to ge high before boarding Oh hell, yes. Members of SAFER (Safer Alternative For Enjoyable Recreation) successfully lobbied to decriminalize marijuana possession in Denver (Denver? I would have guess Boulder myself), and now they want travelers to be permitted to toke up in the smoking lounge of Denver International Airport. SAFER's director cites the recent spate of alcohol-fueled air-rage incidents, and argues that pot would help passengers relax. Who cares if the dude was stoned out of his mind when he came up with this idea (or so I assume he was), I'm in.

Switzerland - Here's an update on a posting I made a few months ago about a device that could theoretically destroy the planet. The most powerful atom-smasher ever built could make some bizarre discoveries, such as invisible matter or extra dimensions in space, after it is switched on in August. But some critics fear the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) could exceed physicists' wildest conjectures: Will it spawn a black hole that could swallow Earth? Or spit out particles that could turn the planet into a hot dead clump? The collider basically consists of a ring of supercooled magnets 17 miles in circumference attached to huge barrel-shaped detectors. The ring, which straddles the French and Swiss border, is buried 330 feet underground. The machine, which has been called the largest scientific experiment in history, isn't expected to begin test runs until August, and ramping up to full power could take months. But once it is working, it is expected to produce some startling findings. Scientists plan to hunt for signs of the invisible "dark matter" and "dark energy" that make up more than 96% of the universe. Critics of the LHC filed a lawsuit in a Hawaiian court in March seeking to block its startup, alleging that there was "a significant risk that ... operation of the Collider may have unintended consequences which could ultimately result in the destruction of our planet." In rebutting doomsday scenarios, scientists point out that cosmic rays have been bombarding the earth, and triggering collisions similar to those planned for the collider, since the solar system formed 4.5 billion years ago. And so far, Earth has survived. Oh sure. All that means is that we're due for the big one to hit. And I gotta say, I'm not sure I want to be around when that happens. My nerves are shot. Somebody get me a joint.

Vacationing - Americans spend more time in the bathroom each year than on vacation. There's a disturbing thought. Though, if you do it right, that quality time on the porcelain throne can be quite satisfying...I'm just saying. Italians unplug for an average of 42 days a year. The French get 37 vacation days, the Germans 35, while Americans average just 13 vacation days a year. Only 14% of Americans take 2 weeks or more vacation at a time. Maybe that's why us Americans are so cranky. We work too much. Notice that I say 'too much' rather than 'too hard.' Quantity doesn't always ensure quality you know. For example, I find that one or two hours of quality work in a week certainly amounts to better work than if I slaved away for 9 or 10 hours a day. Of course my boss may contest that, but I know I'm right.

Blogging - This just in. My incessant ranting can no longer be classified as whining. Mental-health experts are starting to tout the therapeutic power of blogging. They say that blogs are a step up from plain old diaries, chiefly because of the built-in audience. We associate communication with consolation, and blogging fulfills that primal need for sympathy. The anonymity of blogging provides another therapeutic boost: it's high intimacy with low vulnerability. Um, yeah whatever. Truth be told, I'm just a bitter troll. However, the missus certainly appreciates the fact that I'm unloading on a bunch of strangers rather than her. So thank you for that.

What Caught My Eye Today

Zimbabwe - Always nice to see the wheels of democracy in action. Widespread voter intimidation and low turnout marked Zimbabwe's one-candidate presidential runoff, further damaging the vote designed to bolster longtime President Robert Mugabe's credibility. What credibility is left to damage? Residents said they were forced to vote, threatened by violence, arson or roving bands of government supporters searching for those without an ink-stained finger. Mugabe, who has been president since independence in 1980, is believed to want a large turnout so he can claim an overwhelmingly victory over Tsvangirai, whose name remained on the ballot because electoral officials say his withdrawal Sunday came too late. Like a large turnout matters at this point. Dude is going to make sure that he gets the result he wants regardless of the methods employed. Since the first round of national elections, shortages of basic goods have worsened, public services have come to virtual standstill, and power and water outages have continued daily. Which begs the question why wouldn't the Zimbabwean people want to keep Mugabe in power, what with all the prosperity that he has brought to the country, after all, an inflation rate of 165,000% is not that easy to come by. I seriously doubt that any run-of-the-mill president could pull this off.

North Pole - Arctic sea ice could break apart completely at the North Pole this year, allowing ships to sail over the normally frozen top of the world. The potential landmark thaw - the first time in human history the pole would be ice-free - is a stark sign of global warming. Allegedly. Remember, there is no conclusive proof that global warming is taking place, at least according to the U.S. government. This thaw thing, I'm sure its just an anomaly. There is no land at the North Pole, but as long as anyone has looked, it has remained a giant block of ice year-round. each summer in recent years, the amount of ice has gotten thinner and thinner. Each winter's freeze, therefore, results in a thinner pack that, this summer, could melt altogether. Russia and other countries, meanwhile, have been arguing over who has rights to the region's resources, including potential oil reserves. Yes by all means, who cares about the potential ecological disaster that we could be looking at. There's oil in them thar melting ice caps.

Oil - Oil futures climbed to a new record near $143 a barrel on expectations that the weakening dollar, a major factor in crude's stratospheric rise, will extend its decline and add to oil's appeal. At the pump, meanwhile, gas prices slipped 0.1 cent overnight to a national average of $4.066 a gallon, according to a survey of stations by AAA. Break out the bubbly. It's party time. One-tenth of one cent? Give me a break. Meanwhile, traders were coming around to the belief that the dollar, whose long decline has contributed greatly to oil's dramatic advance this year, will continue to weaken. The market now expects that the Federal Reserve will be unlikely to raise interest rates until much later than many analysts have forecast; since higher rates tend to strengthen the dollar, traders are anticipating that it will continue to fall and, consequently, that investors will turn to commodities including oil as a hedge against inflation. Excuse me for a moment, while I top off that stiff drink I'm hoping will numb the pain I feel in my checkbook. I figure that's a slightly less destructive course of action that what some dude in Germany did...

Germany - A German man doused his BMW with gasoline and torched it in protest at skyrocketing fuel costs. See what I mean? The unemployed 30-year-old man drove the black 1995 BMW 3-series sedan onto the lawn outside Frankfurt's convention center grounds, emptied a canister of gas over the vehicle, and set fire to it. The man told police that gas prices were so high he could no longer afford to drive the vehicle. I suppose that is one way to go. Me personally, if I was unemployed, I'd be looking to sell my car on eBay or something. Torching the car, sure that's another way to go.

Tennis - Another bloodbath for top-seeds at Wimbledon. Top-seeded Ana Ivanovic was knocked out in the third round of Wimbledon on Friday by 133rd-ranked Zheng Jie of China (6-1, 6-4), extending a spate of stunning upsets at the All England Club. Ivanovic went out a day after 2004 champion and third-seeded Maria Sharapova was ousted by 154th-ranked Alla Kudryavtseva and two-time men's runnerup Andy Roddick was bounced by Janko Tipsarevic. A day earlier, Australian Open champion and No. 3-ranked Novak Djokovic fell to Marat Safin. Let's see who's left, shall we? Roger Federer continued his march toward a sixth straight Wimbledon title by beating Marc Gicquel in straight sets, setting up a fourth-round matchup against #20 seed Lleyton Hewitt (coincidentally, the last dude to beat Federer at this tournament back in 2002). Two-time women's champion Serena Williams dispatched 2006 winner Amelie Mauresmo 7-6 (5), 6-1, extending her supremacy over the Frenchwoman to a career record 10-2. Venus is still alive as well. Actually, the Williams sisters are having a pretty decent tournament so far. In doubles action, they've advanced to the third round.

What Caught My Eye Today

Supreme Court - The Supreme Court affirmed the right to have guns for self-defense in the home and addressed a constitutional riddle almost as old as the republic over what it means to say the people may keep and bear arms. The court's 5-4 ruling struck down the District of Columbia's ban on handguns and imperiled similar prohibitions in other cities. The court had not conclusively interpreted the Second Amendment since its ratification in 1791. The amendment reads: "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed." The basic issue for the justices was whether the amendment protects an individual's right to own guns no matter what, or whether that right is somehow tied to service in a state militia, a once-vital, now-archaic grouping of citizens. That's been the heart of the gun control debate for decades. And based on this ruling, the gun lobby appears to have won. What I find interesting is that the 5-4 ruling suggests that court's interpretation of the Constitution was not exactly ironclad. My take--such as it is--is that this ruling reflects the divisive nature of this issue. And like it or not, the job of the Supreme Court is to interpret the Constitution. Now I don't particularly agree with this interpretation, but who is to say what that interpretation will be a few years from now. I'm pretty we haven't heard the last word on the subject.

North Korea - After months of stalling, North Korea offered a glimpse of its secretive nuclear program and was promptly rewarded by President Bush with an easing of trade sanctions and a move to take the communist state off the U.S. terrorism blacklist. Bush, who once famously branded North Korea a part of his "axis of evil," offered mostly symbolic concessions in exchange for Kim Jong Il's agreement to hand over a long-awaited accounting of its nuclear bomb-making abilities. The White House announcement marked a turnabout of the hostile U.S. policy toward impoverished North Korea. Better relations with Washington could eventually improve dire economic conditions for the country's 23 million people who suffer food shortages and blackouts. So let me see if I've got this straight. The 'good guys' (that would be us) offered the 'bad guys' (that would be them) an incentive for taking a step back from the wrong side of the tracks and lo and behold they did? Holy crap. Is it possible that diplomacy and positive reinforcement might actually work? Well now, that's just crazy. I say nuke the bastards before its too late.

Economy - The economy grew at a 1% annualized rate in the first quarter, helped in large part by stronger sales of U.S. products overseas, the Commerce Department reported. the new reading was better than the anemic 0.6 percent growth rate logged in the final three months of last year. The two quarters together marked the slowest growth in five years. The economy has been bruised by housing, credit and financial problems. That led consumers during the first quarter alone to boost their spending at the weakest pace since the 2001 recession. The Commerce Department also suggested that the government's tax rebates, the centerpiece of a $168 billion stimulus package, have helped to energize consumer spending in recent months, which should bolster the overall economy's performance in the April-to-June quarter. Meanwhile, oil jumped more than 5 dollars to close at another record high and the stock market tanked another 350 points today. But sure, the economy is doing just fine and dandy.

Internet - The Internet's key oversight agency, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), relaxed rules to permit the introduction of hundreds, perhaps thousands, of new Internet domain names to join ".com," making the first sweeping changes in the network's 25-year-old address system. New names could cover locations such as ".nyc" and ".berlin" or industries such as ".bank." The hefty application fees could curb a rush for individual vanity names, though larger companies might claim brands like ".disney." The streamlined guidelines call for applicants to go through an initial review phase, during which anyone may raise an objection on such grounds as racism, trademark conflicts and similarity to an existing suffix. If no objection is raised, approval would come quickly. None of the new names is likely to dethrone ".com" as the world's leader, and critics fear new suffixes will merely force companies and organizations to spend more money registering names such as "microsoft.paris" simply so others can't. So like, were we actually in danger of running out of domain names using the old system? I generally favor progress, but I'm kind of with the critics on this one. Seems to me that most of the examples cited in this article are primarily for vanity purposes. Call me a stick in the mud, but I think the Internet has enough vanity on it already. Would it be such a bad thing to leave the domain names as-is?

Tennis - Not a particularly great day for American tennis... Maria Sharapova lost 6-2, 6-4 in the second round of Wimbledon to Alla Kudryavtseva, a fellow Russian ranked 154th. While Sharapova never really gave herself a chance, missed opportunities doomed Andy Roddick. The two-time Wimbledon runner-up went 0-for-8 converting break points, squandered three set points in the final set and lost to Janko Tipsarevic 6-7 (5), 7-5, 6-4, 7-6 (4). Venus Venus, seeking her fifth Wimbledon title, needed 26 points to win a single game but eventually shook stubborn Anne Keothavong of Britain, 7-5, 6-2. Venus and sister Serena also won their second-round doubles match shortly after being named to the U.S. Olympic team. But 1999 Wimbledon champion Lindsay Davenport withdrew before her second-round match because of a lingering knee injury. Davenport, back at Wimbledon for the first time in three years after becoming a mother, said she still expects to play in the Olympics. American men went 0-for-3. The elimination of Roddick, Jesse Levine and Olympian James Blake left the United States with one player in the third round of men's singles: No. 102-ranked Bobby Reynolds. If you are wondering who my picks are for winning the third grand slam of the year...I'm going to take a different approach this time around. I'm going with the dude and the chick that is still standing next weekend. Seriously, who would you pick at this point? Of course if you want specifics, Nadal and Federer are still alive and I suppose you can never count out the Williams sisters, so sure, gimme those guys and gals.

What Caught My Eye Today

Diabetes - The number of Americans with diabetes has grown to about 24 million people, or roughly 8% of the U.S. population, according to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The number represents an increase of about 3 million over two years. The CDC estimates another 57 million people have blood sugar abnormalities called pre-diabetes, which puts people at increased risk for the disease. The disease results from defects in insulin production that cause sugar to build up in the body. It is the seventh leading cause of death in the country and can cause serious health problems including heart disease, blindness, kidney failure and amputations. Admittedly, this may be going out on a limb, but do you think that there may be a slight correlation between this and the nation's problem with obesity? Here's my favorite part of this news item... "It is concerning to know that we have more people developing diabetes, and these data are a reminder of the importance of increasing awareness of this condition, especially among people who are at high risk," said an CDC spokesperson. "On the other hand, it is good to see that more people are aware that they have diabetes." I'm not one to criticize someone for attempting to find the sliver lining in an otherwise dismal report, but this is a bit of a stretch.

Zimbabwe - This is rich... African pressure mounted to postpone Zimbabwe's presidential election but authorities said it would go ahead despite a storm of international condemnation. Zimbabwe's Electoral Commission (ZEC) ruled that last Sunday's withdrawal from the election by opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai was filed too late and had no legal force. Tsvangirai, who pulled out of the contest against President Robert Mugabe because of attacks on his followers, said the vote was a sham and called for the African Union, backed by the United Nations, to lead a transition in Zimbabwe. You have to be somewhat impressed by the audacity of the ZEC. First, they lock up the opposition candidates, then they send out gangs to threaten anyone thinking of voting for Tsvangirai with death, and then, after they manage to strong arm him out of the election, they call his withdrawal illegal. Interesting way of trying to legitimize this election, wouldn't you say.

Sri Lanka - The U.S. embassy in the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo, was closed on after a "suspicious powder" was found in the premises. The heavily-guarded embassy has thrice been closed in the past after suspicious powder was detected but on each occasion it turned out to be a false alarm. The United States supports a political solution to end Sri Lanka's 25 year civil war that has killed more than 70,000 people. Three times a suspicious power was found on the premises? I think someone is covering up a drug problem, don't you? All that aside, the thing that caught me eye, was the fact that civil war has been raging for 25 years. That the U.S. is hoping for a 'political solution,' yeah I'm sure that's of tremendous comfort to the Sri Lankan people. Here's a brief summary of the conflict in Sri Lanka, courtesy of Wikipedia.org:

The Sri Lankan Civil War is an ongoing conflict on the island-nation of Sri Lanka. Since the year 1983, there has been on-and-off civil war, predominantly between the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, a separatist militant organization who fight for the creation of an independent state named Tamil Eelam in the North and East of the island. It is estimated over 70,000 people have been officially listed as killed in the war since 1983 (though separate independent studies suggest the number could be as high as 338,000).

Olympics - The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is investigating a speech made by Tibet's Communist Party boss at the end of last weekend's Beijing torch relay leg in Lhasa in which he denounced the Dalai Lama. It was not immediately clear what the IOC, which is unlikely to resort to its ultimate sanction of withdrawing the Games from China, could do. It has said before it has "no political mandate" to instruct countries how to behave. Which begs the question, why is the IOC investigating in the first place? Beijing blamed Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, and his followers for the March 14 riots in Lhasa and accused him of scheming to split the Himalayan region from China. Tibet has cast a long shadow over the torch relay, which China hoped would project the image of a modern and vibrant country ahead of the Games. But the March riots became a focus of anti-Chinese protests and counter-demonstrations on relay legs in London, Paris and San Francisco, prompting ugly scenes which alarmed the IOC. I'm thinking that these latest developments aren't going to improve the situation much. But again, the IOC has itself admitted that it has no authority to do anything here, so I'm not exactly sure what they hope to accomplish here. Clearly, China has indicated that it is going to do whatever it wants with regard to Tibet regardless of the criticisms raised by the international community about its methods.

Golf - Seeing as it is only Wednesday, and most tournaments don't get underway until Thursday, this must be a story about Tiger Woods' knee. Tiger Woods had reconstructive surgery on his left knee to repair a torn ligament, and doctors said it was "highly unlikely" there would be any long-term effects. And so it is. It was the second time in 10 weeks Woods had surgery on his knee, this time on his anterior cruciate ligament. The surgery was the fourth time Woods has had surgery on his left knee. He had a benign tumor removed in 1994, and he had benign cysts removed in 2002, along with fluid around the ACL. Woods said he tore his ACL while jogging last year after the British Open, but tried to make it through the end of this season without surgery. Two days after his runner-up finish at the Masters, he had surgery to clean out cartilage in his left knee. The world's No. 1 player announced last week that he would miss the rest of the season, which includes two more major championships and the Ryder Cup. I'm guessing that the most press the PGA is likely to get for the rest of this year will be progress reports on Tiger's rehab. Rather impressive, if you ask me, the influence that Tiger has on the game; and rather pathetic that the PGA finds itself in this situation. It's never wise to have all your eggs in one basket.

What Caught My Eye Today

California - More than 840 wildfires sparked by an "unprecedented" lightning storm are burning across Northern California, alarming Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and requesting the help of firefighters from Nevada and Oregon. To give you some perspective on this, on Sunday evening the number of wildfires stood at 520; by Monday morning it reached 700 and by Monday afternoon, the count had reached 842. Most of the fires were caused by an unprecedented lightning storm consisting of 5,000 to 6,000 lightning strikes. All but a couple were in the northern part of the state. Assistance, mostly firefighting aircraft, had arrived from Nevada and Oregon in response to weekend requests. Schwarzenegger said he had enlisted the help "because you can never prepare for 500 or 700 or 800 fires all at the same time." Between the Midwest flooding and the firestorms in the West, one wonders what got Mother Nature's knickers in such a bunch. Girlfriend is certainly in a testy mood isn't she.

Midwest - Speaking of which, more bad news in the flood plains of the Midwest. The swollen Mississippi River burst another levee, this time in Missouri, submerging farmland and threatening residential areas whose occupants had already moved out in anticipation of a flood. Forecasters expect the last stretch of the bloated river to crest later this week. Not far from the Iowa state line, the river was down a few inches after cresting Sunday at 27 feet — less than a foot short of the record set during the Great Flood of 1993. Back then, experts classified that event as a 500 year flood, as opposed to the garden variety 100 year flood, the standard that most levees are built to withstand. I'm guessing that the deal in 1993 was at the tail end of that 500 year period and this year's deal is at the front end of the next 500 year period. So I guess we're all good until the year 2500, right?

Israel - An Israeli police officer fatally shot himself at an airport departure ceremony for French President Nicolas Sarkozy, sparking fear of an assassination attempt and prompting bodyguards to whisk away Sarkozy and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. The shooting occurred while a military band was playing, and the leaders apparently didn't hear anything. A police spokesman confirmed that a policeman guarding the airport committed suicide just as Sarkozy was about to board his plane and another said there had been no assassination attempt on the French leader. So was this dude just looking for an audience for his grand departure, or what? I'm glad no one was hurt, but you have to wonder what sort of vetting the Israelis conduct on the security deals for visiting heads of state. Maybe they need to revisit those standards.

Zimbabwe - Outraged at the turmoil in Zimbabwe, the U.N. Security Council declared that a fair presidential vote is impossible because of a "campaign of violence" waged by President Robert Mugabe's government. Gee, really? Here I was thinking everything was groovy. The 15-nation council unanimously said it "condemns the campaign of violence against the political opposition ahead of the second round of presidential elections," which has resulted in the killing of scores of opposition activists and other Zimbabweans. I'm amazed that the Security Council arrived at a unanimous decision on anything. Seems to me that in recent days, they've been doing their best impersonation of the United States Congress. The non-binding presidential statement was the Security Council's first formal action on Zimbabwe's political and humanitarian crises. Council members also agreed that the violence and restrictions on opposition activists imposed by the Mugabe government "have made it impossible for a free and fair election to take place" Okay, here is what I don't understand. They say this is the U.N.'s first formal action, but that it is non-binding. So what exactly is so formal about this action, if nothing about it can be enforced?

Economy - Here's a newsflash...the economy still sucks. U.S. consumer confidence fell unexpectedly sharply in June, sinking to its lowest level in more than 16 years. The Conference Board's consumer confidence index fell to 50.4 this month, the lowest since February 1992. The index dropped from from 58.1 in May. The report said the reading of consumers' expectations hit an all-time low as home prices tumbled while gasoline and food prices rose. In other news, home prices in 20 cities tracked by the Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller home price index posted annual declines, hitting levels not seen since August 2004. The narrower 10-city index declined 16.3% in April, the largest decline in its more than two-decade history. But we're not in a recession, darn it! And that's the important thing to remember. Especially if you are a Republican and its an election year.

What Caught My Eye Today

Zimbabwe - Zimbabwe's opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, has sought refuge at the Dutch Embassy, shortly after announcing he was withdrawing from the presidential runoff against longtime leader Robert Mugabe, citing violence against opposition supporters. Tsvangirai won the first round of the presidential election on March 29, but did not gain an outright majority against 84-year-old Mugabe. He returned to Zimbabwe a month ago to campaign despite information his party had said it received that he was the target of a state-sponsored assassination plot. Since then, his top deputy has been arrested on treason charges — which carry the death penalty — and Tsvangirai has been repeatedly detained by police. And I thought presidential elections here were a brutal affair. Good grief. While the upcoming run-off election has probably lost whatever shreds of credibility it had, it would come as no surprise if, despite all the tactics Mugabe has employed, Tsvangirai still managed to pull in a significant amount of the vote, possibly even the majority. Unfortunately, we may never know what the actual election results are. Not if Mugabe has his way.

Saudi Arabia - Facing strong U.S. pressure and global dismay over oil prices, Saudi Arabia said it will produce more crude this year if the market needs it. If? Dude, do they not get the news in that country? But the vague pledge fell far short of U.S. hopes for a specific increase and may do little to lower prices immediately. I doubt that the U.S. hopes for cheaper gas, especially in an election year, garnered much sympathy from...well pretty much anyone outside America. Saudi Arabia — the world's top crude exporter — called the gathering Sunday to send a message that it, too, is concerned by high oil prices inflicting economic pain worldwide. Instead, the meeting highlighted the sharp disagreement between producers like Saudi Arabia and consuming countries like Britain and the United States over the core factors driving steep price hikes. Honestly, does this surprise anyone? The Saudis, and any country with oil to export, have all the leverage here. Oh sure, if prices rise enough, demand might decrease, but so far, demand is still increasing, so why on Earth, would these countries turn down the opportunity to cash in on high prices. It's not like they are responsible for the huge drop in the value of the U.S. dollar.

Bolivia - More chaos in South America. Seriously, if they don't get their acts together, they may risk stealing the limelight from the Middle East debacle. Natural gas-rich Tarija became the fourth Bolivian state to declare autonomy from the government of leftist President Evo Morales when voters backed greater independence in a referendum. Autonomy backers waved the state's flag and celebrated in Tarija's capital after pollsters released results showing the "yes" vote getting about 80% support. I'd say that qualifies as a blow out. Tarija is home to 85%of Bolivia's natural gas reserves — the nation's main export. Tarija and the fellow energy-rich state of Santa Cruz want more local control over their gas revenues, which Morales' central government needs to support poorer regions in the west. Other eastern states are seeking autonomy to protect their farms and ranches from Morales' proposed land reform. Ah, so that's it. The have's don't want to share with the have-not's. Golly, that never happens. Seems to me that while the government's motives might be on the up-and-up, they didn't do a very good job of selling its profitsharing plan. Maybe, Moralies should hook up with Major League Baseball to see how they manage. Couldn't hurt, given that the alternative of staying the current course might lead to the collapse of the country.

Israel - French President Nicolas Sarkozy said there could be no Mideast peace unless Israel drops its refusal to cede sovereignty over parts of Jerusalem claimed by the Palestinians, challenging one of Israel's most emotionally held positions. These guys are allies, right? Sarkozy called on Israel to stop settlement in the West Bank. "There cannot be peace without an immediate and complete halt to settlement," Sarkozy said. "There cannot be peace without recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of two states and the guarantee of free access to the holy places for all religions." Here's an idea. We round up all the world's leaders and send them to a remedial kindergarten class. Clearly, the concepts of sharing and playing nicely did not sink in.

Olympics - China should win one more medal than the United States at the Beijing Olympics—88 to 87—and top the overall table for the first time, according to a survey released by accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers. China was third in overall medals at Athens 2004, behind first-place United States (102) and Russia (92). China was second in gold medals behind the U.S. in 2004—32 to 36. The survey predicted Russia will drop to third place at Beijing with 79 medals overall, down 13, followed by Germany (43), Australia (41), Japan (34), France (30), Italy (29), Britain (28) and South Korea (27). The report lists significant factors behind a country’s performance at the Olympics since 1988, including population, average income level and being the host nation. India remains a “significant underperformer” and is predicted to get six medals in Beijing, compared with one silver medal at Athens. Let's not lose sight of what's important here. Everyone know that the Olympics aren't about sportsmanship, but about the amount of bling you take home. Having China outbling the U.S. at the upcoming games? Oh the shame.

What Caught My Eye Today

Midwest Flooding - Storm-driven floodwaters surged over large portions of the Midwest this week. Federal authorities warned that up to 30 levees along the Mississippi River could fail if efforts to reinforce them with sandbags failed. Let's see here. Mother nature versus sandbags? Sadly, I have to go with Mother Nature on this one. The flooding wiped out as much as 20% of Iowa's corn crop, the nation's largest, stoking fears that shortages will force already-high food prices even higher. In addition to ruining more than $1 billion worth of crops, the rising waters have wiped out bridges and rail lines, idling the freight trains that transport much of the Midwest's farm output. Well that's a relief. I was starting to worry about how to spend all that extra cash I have lying all over the place.

Golf - One final update on Tiger Wood's remarkable U.S. Open win last week. Trading on Wall Street's New York Stock Exchange mysteriously fell 71 million shares, or 9.2%, on Monday, the day Tiger Woods won the U.S. Open by one stroke in a 19 hole playoff. I gotta say, this doesn't sound too mysterious to me. Obviously, they were watching the same deal I was. What, you expected me to lie to my faithful readers? Heck no. I wouldn't waste a perfectly good lie on anyone but my boss.

Plastic Surgery - The operation takes only 30 minutes and for some women it can literally mean the difference between life and death. Gynecologists in several Western European nations are reporting a surge in the number of Muslim women requesting "revirgination"--a simple plastic surgery procedure to restore the hymen, the membrane that usually tears the first time a woman has intercourse. For young Muslim women growing up in more permissive Western societies, premarital sex is no longer unthinkable. Yet when it's time to marry and they return to their more traditional roots, they find that "virginity is a prerequisite." A woman who doesn't bleed on her wedding night can easily find herself divorced, beaten, or even killed by shamed family members. There's a comforting thought. Though I have to say, in this day and age where plastic surgery has nipped, tucked, sucked, and augmented various body parts, it's nice to see that it can also save some lives. Of course, there is broader question of the circumstances that drive Muslim women to choose this procedure in the first place, but I'll leave that for another time.

Potpourri (by the numbers) - You may have noticed that I have an interest, among other things, in statistics. Oh sure, you can spin them any way you want to in order to advance your position on an issue, but I find statistics can offer a fascinating perspective on a wide range of current events. And with that I give you the following...

• The number of Americans in custody or under supervision in the criminal justice system rose to 7.2 million in 2006, the most ever. And yet, somehow, that doesn't make me feel any safer.
• The out-of-wedlock birthrate in the U.S. now stands at 38% (28% for whites, 50% for Hispanics, 71% for blacks). So does this mean that whites have much more tolerance for putting up with irritating spouses?
• One adult in four in New York City is infected with the genital herpes virus, 7% higher than the national average. I've always hurt that New Yorkers were a friendly lot.
• More than 7,300 taxpayers earning $200,000 or more in 2005 paid no federal income taxes by using charitable deductions and other tax loopholes to reduce their tax liability to zero. That's it, I want a refund from TurboTax. Those jerks didn't save me a darned thing.

Pop Culture - Entertainment Weekly recently published its 1000th issue. In celebration of this milestone, the magazine published various 100 Best of the Last 25 Years lists. Here's a sampling of some of those lists (I highlighted those that I have heard or seen):

• Music
  1. Purple Rain, Prince
  2. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, Lauryn Hill
  3. Achtung Baby, U2
  4. The College Dropout, Kanye West (what can I say, I'm white)
  5. Madonna, Madonna
  6. American Idiot, Green Day
  7. The Blueprint, Jay-Z (still white)
  8. Graceland, Paul Simon
  9. Back to Black, Amy Winehouse (can you say overrated?)
  10. In Rainbows, Radiohead
• Television
1. The Simpsons
2. The Sopranos
3. Seinfeld
4. The X-Files (I just never bought into the concept)
5. Sex and the City (I'm secure enough in my masculinity to admit this)
6. Survivor
7. The Cosby Show
8. Lost (see X-Files)
9. Friends
10. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
• Movies
  1. Pulp Fiction
  2. The Lord of the Rings trilogy
  3. Titanic (chick flick I'm not ashamed to admit that I watched)
  4. Blue Velvet (never heard of it)
  5. Toy Story
  6. Saving Private Ryan
  7. Hannah and Her Sisters
  8. The Silence of the Lambs (fava beans and Chianti will never taste the same again)
  9. Die Hard
  10. Moulin Rouge (chick flick I'm ashamed to admit that I watched)

What Caught My Eye Today

Israel - In a substantial show of force, Israel sent warplanes and other aircraft on a major exercise in the Eastern Mediterranean early this month. Israel's military refused to confirm or deny that the maneuvers were practice for a strike in Iran. You would think that if there was nothing provocative about this exercise that the Israelis would probably be a bit more forthcoming. The big exercise the first week of June was impossible to miss and may have been meant as a show of force as well as for practice on skills needed to execute a long-range strike mission. Yup, nothing provocative about that at all.

Paraguay - Political analysts predicted that Paraguayan President-elect Fernando Lugo, a former Roman Catholic priest, will take a less radical approach to governing. But he still faces a formidable conservative opposition at home and is considered much more moderate in his approach to the United States. Lugo's election in April pushed Paraguay toward the left and ended the 61-year reign of the conservative Colorado Party. But the party still holds a congressional majority and control of the judiciary. Lugo's election is the latest in a string of victories by leftist candidates in Latin America. Today, only a handful of countries in the region are governed by right-leaning leaders. But he prefers not to be compared to Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez and his allies, casting himself as an independent politician who is neither on the left nor the right. You might be wondering why I bring up Paraguay. How many of us actually know that Paraguay is in South America? That is precisely why I am reporting on this. South America share the share hemisphere that the United States does, but how much do we really know about our neighbors compared to the events going on in Europe and the Middle East. This trend towards leftist government could be a direct response to the lack of attention that the United States directs to countries in its own backyard. Oh sure, I know the resources are limited and we have to prioritize. My question is whether or not we've dropped South America too far down that list. If these guys ever choose to unite in a manner not particularly advantageous to America (especially if Brazil is in that mix), we may find ourselves in a rather difficult bargaining position.

China - Crude oil prices jumped more than $4 per barrel at one point on the after tumbling the day before on news that China's National Development and Reform Commission would raise prices for gasoline and diesel fuel by 16% and 18% respectively. Some analysts said the oil market may have overreacted to the news from China, with some traders buying oil futures on the belief that their climb will continue. The government last hiked fuel prices by about 11% in November. It froze prices to avert further inflation, which has touched 12-year highs since the beginning of the year. To protect individual consumers, the government said it would not allow any increases in bus and subway fares or taxi fares. Natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas prices will remain unchanged, and subsidies to the poor and to grain farmers would increase. Despite surging oil costs, China's imports of both crude oil and oil products have surged to unprecedented levels as it builds up national stockpiles, while exports have plunged. Crude oil imports rose to 59.8 million barrels in January-April, up 10% from a year earlier. All that being said, China is still a distant second to the United States when it come to oil imports, and more importantly, I'm still paying upwards of $4.50 a gallon for gas. I gotta say, for all that this news may imply, I'm still getting screwed at the pump so I'm not impressed one way or the other.


Massachusetts - This story is straight out of the Twilight Zone. A pact made by a group of teens to get pregnant and raise their babies together is at least partly behind a sudden spike in pregnancies at Gloucester High School. See what I mean. The principal said that the girls confessed to making the pact after the school began investigating a rise in pregnancies that has left 17 girls at the school carrying a child. Normally, there are about four pregnancies a year at the school. He said students were coming to the school clinic multiple times to get pregnancy tests, and "seemed more upset when they weren't pregnant than when they were," and that some of the girls reacted to the news they were pregnant with high fives and plans for baby showers. To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure where to go with this story. Maybe for starters health officials should test the local water supply. Something just ain't right with these folks.

Let's go for a daily double on this Twilight Zone theme...

Diet - A Virginia man lost about 80 pounds in six months by eating nearly every meal at McDonald's. Not Big Macs, french fries and chocolate shakes. Mostly salads, wraps and apple dippers without the caramel sauce. The man tipped the scales at 278 pounds in December. He now weighs 199 pounds and his waist size has dropped from 50 to 36. He says he chose McDonald's because it's convenient. His inspiration came from his two children and from the story of a blind war veteran who rode a tandem bicycle cross-country. I suppose inspiration can come from anywhere, but I gotta say, this is quite a stretch. Now before you all rush off to Mickey D's to shed those unwanted pounds, might I suggest another dimension that you might want to consider. It's a little thing I like to call moderation. A little exercise and some sensible eating can work wonders. I'm not dissing the golden arches--in fact, I think its great that McDonald's offers healthier alternatives--but I seriously doubt that a strict diet of fast food is going to do much to help most folks battling obesity.

What Caught My Eye Today

2008 Presidential Campaign - We'll start with Obama today. Former senators John Edwards and Sam Nunn are on a list of potential running mates for Barack Obama. Edwards could help Obama appeal to white, working-class voters who largely favored Clinton in the primary and will be a critical voting bloc in the general election. The drawback is that Edwards was the vice presidential nominee on a losing ticket four years ago. Anyone remember John Kerry?. Nunn would bring national security credentials to the ticket, having served as the longtime Armed Services Committee chairman. The former Georgia senator is a member of Obama's foreign policy advisory group. But Nunn has not been in office for more than a decade so he is not well-known nationally. He is a conservative Democrat who supported school prayer and opposed gays in the military, while Obama tends to have a more liberal viewpoint. Nunn will turn 70 in September. 70? Dude is a spring chicken compared to John McCain. Rumor has it that Obama's selection committee has a list of about 20 more VP candidates. Maybe it would be easier to say who isn't being considered.

So, John John. What's up, homeboy? John McCain started June with more than $31 million in the bank after having the best fundraising month of his presidential campaign. McCain filed the report the same day Barack Obama, announced he would sidestep public financing for the general election and instead rely on his vast network of donors to pump millions more into his presidential bid. McCain replied by assuring that he would accept the public funds — some $85 million that will become available after he accepts the Republican presidential nomination at the party's national convention in early September. By accepting the money, McCain cannot raise private funds after the convention. Depending on your perspective, this is either a noble gesture or McCain isn't terribly optimistic that he can raise comparable funds on his own. Seeing as the GOP isn't having the greatest year, I'm going with the latter on this one.

Sweden - I swear if I didn't know better, that this was a story about some contrived law in the United States railroaded through Congress in the name of national security. Sweden's Parliament narrowly approved a contentious law that gives authorities sweeping powers to eavesdrop on all e-mail and telephone traffic that crosses the Nordic nation's borders by a vote of 143 to 138. Supporters argued the law will provide a level of security against potential terrorists plotting attacks. But critics have slammed it as an invasion of privacy and an infringement on civil liberties. Sound vaguely familiar? It should... After the Sept. 11 attacks, President Bush granted intelligence officers the power to monitor without court approval, international calls and e-mails between people in the United States and suspected terrorists overseas. The Protect America Act, passed last July, extended that authority, but it expired in February and a replacement law is being debated. And so it goes. I suppose on the bright side (and work with me on this one...it's a bit of a stretch), it's comforting to know that America is not the only country stepping all over its citizen's civil rights.

Cuba - The European Union agreed to lift its diplomatic sanctions against Cuba, but imposed tough conditions on the communist island to maintain sanction-free relations. The U.S., which has maintained a decades-long trade embargo against Cuba, criticized the move, saying there were no significant signs the communist island was easing a dictatorship. Gee there's a big surprise. The diplomatic sanctions, which banned high-level visits to EU nations by Cuban officials, have not been in force since 2005. They were imposed in 2003 following the arrests of dozens of dissidents but suspended two years later. As part of its action, the EU approved a set of conditions on Cuba in return for sanction-free relations. They include the release of all political prisoners; access for Cubans to the Internet; and a double-track approach for all EU delegations arriving in Cuba, allowing them to meet both opposition figures and members of the Cuban government. Sure it's a largely symbolic gestures, seeing as the sanctions have been largely ignored for the past 3 years, but there is something to be said for positive reinforcement. Perhaps, the U.S. will become more receptive to this sort of diplomacy in the future...like say 7 months in the future (give or take a couple of days).

Global Population - The world's population will reach 7 billion in 2012, even as the global community struggles to satisfy its appetite for natural resources, according to a new government projection. Well that's a relief. I was worried that there weren't going to be enough people under the poverty line what with all these natural disasters and armed conflicts racking up corpses. The world's population surpassed 6 billion in 1999, meaning it will take only 13 years to add a billion people. By comparison, the number of people didn't reach 1 billion until 1800. It didn't reach 2 billion until 130 years later. Here's a radical idea. It's a little complicated, so I'll try to simplify it in a couple of words--BIRTH CONTROL.

Golf - This just in. The PGA has decided to cancel the rest of this year's scheduled events due to lack of interest after golf fans and sponsors alike heard that Tiger Woods was cutting short the rest of his season to get reconstructive knee surgery. Just kidding, but seriously, how much does this suck for all those sponsors and TV networks that shelled out millions to show Tiger kicking some butt?

What Caught My Eye Today

Golf - Golf? What could possibly be going on in golf to warrant this as the lead off item? Tiger Woods walked tenderly out of Torrey Pines with a U.S. Open trophy he was destined to win on a left leg worse than anyone imagined. Woods revealed today that he has been playing for at least 10 months with a torn ligament in his left knee, and that he suffered a double stress fracture in his left leg two weeks before the U.S. Open. He said he will have season-ending surgery, knocking him out of the final two majors and the Ryder Cup. Woods has 65 victories that rank third all-time on the PGA Tour, and 14 professional majors that are second only to the record 18 won by Jack Nicklaus. This is the 500th week Woods has been ranked No. 1 in the world. Even if you aren't a fan of golf, you have to be impressed with the grit this dude showed in pulling off this latest win. According to experts, the expected recovery time for the surgery that Tiger will undergo gives him a realistic shot at playing in the 2009 Masters next April. Yeah, I'll be watching. And until then, there's always NASCAR.

Congress - Gee, here's a big surprise. The House passes some legislation while the Senate does nothing. Democratic and GOP leaders in the House announced agreement on a long-overdue war funding bill they said President Bush would be willing to sign. The agreement on the war funding bill also paves the way for a quick infusion of emergency flood relief for the Midwest (more on this story in a moment), an extension of unemployment payments for the jobless and a big boost in GI Bill college for veterans. It would also provide about $165 billion to the Pentagon to fund military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan for about a year. That's enough time for Bush's successor to set Iraq policy. So like which do you think will cost more--a withdrawal plan (if Obama wins) or an endless engagement with no end in sight (if McCain wins)? A spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said the agreement contains several priorities for Democrats in the Senate but stopped short of issuing a direct endorsement, saying Reid needed to consult with his colleagues. This is why no one likes the job that Congress is doing--specifically the Senate. See, the Senate would need to actually do something in order for us working class folk to render a positive opinion of the Senate.

Midwest - I'll forewarn you on this next item. It's rather bleak. As many as 30 more levees may overflow along the Mississippi River from Burlington, Iowa, down to St. Louis. Twenty levees already have been topped by flood waters this week, and another 20 to 30 additional levees could overflow if sandbagging efforts fail to raise the height of the structures. Storms and flooding across six states this month have killed 24 people, injured 148 and caused more than $1.5 billion in estimated damage in Iowa alone — a figure that's likely to increase as river levels climb in Missouri and Illinois. Meanwhile, parts of the rest of the country (like where I live) are in the grips of a rather nasty drought. Mother Nature is a crotchety old bag, ain't she? With her it's always feast or famine. Speaking of which, we still have hurricane season to look forward to on the East Coast and firestorm season (which pretty much never ends) on the West Coast. Oh happy day.

Gasoline - This situation sucks for just about everyone. Today's victim--the gas station operator. Gas station operators nationwide are reporting woes as higher prices translate into higher credit card fees the managers must pay, squeezing profits at the pump. Their complaints target the so-called interchange fee — a percentage of the sale price paid to credit card companies on every transaction. The percentage is fixed — usually at just under 2% — but the dollar amount of the fee rises with the price of the goods or services. As gas tops $4 a gallon, that pushes fees toward 10 cents a gallon. Now stations, which typically mark up gasoline by 11 to 12 cents a gallon, are seeing profits shrink or even reverse. convenience stores paid roughly $7.6 billion in credit card fees last year, while making $3.4 billion in profits. Okay I stand corrected. Anyone with stock in Visa or Mastercard probably isn't complaining too much. The credit card companies say fees are just part of the cost of doing business. MasterCard has capped interchange fees for gas purchases of $50 or more. Visa argues that the fees are offset "by the tangible benefits to stations and their customers, such as the ability to pay at the pump." Huh? Visa thinks being able to pay at the pump is a tangible benefit to me. Yeah, you cannot put a price on the value of saving me from having to walk that 15 feet to the gas station attendant. It's true that I pay for most my gas by credit card, but that's because it costs me too much in gas to find an ATM to get enough cash to fill up my tank.

Basketball - The Boston Celtics won their 17th NBA title in relentless fashion, trouncing the L.A. Lakers 131-92 to win the NBA Finals in six games. It's the Celtics' first title in 22 years. Boston's 39-point win surpassed the NBA record for the biggest margin of victory in a championship clincher. The Celtics completed the greatest one-year turnaround in NBA history. Last season they won just 24 games and missed the playoffs. This season they won 66 regular-season games and finished with a playoff-record 13 home wins. For those of you who read my blog post 6 months ago (or whenever the playoffs began), you may recall that I picked the Lakers in 6 games. Clearly, I meant that they would lose the Finals in 6 games, which they did. So, who da man?

What Caught My Eye Today

2008 Presidential Race - Fred's Note: A fellow political junkie, let's call her "JE," pointed out to me that I missed a rather large development in the GOP presidential race this past Friday. Long-shot White House hopeful Ron Paul formally abandoned his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination last Thursday, vowing to remain on the political scene. Paul got into the presidential race with no chance of winning. But his opposition to the war in Iraq, his isolationist foreign policy, and his leave-us-alone views on the domestic front won him faithful supporters during the debates earlier this year. Based on those performances, the Paul campaign raised millions of dollars, especially on the Internet. As of the end of April, he had pulled in $35 million. Now Paul's band of followers are planning their own little rump convention in September, when the GOP meets in the Twin Cities to certify McCain. While the real convention meets in St. Paul, the Paul crowd plans a meeting on the University of Minnesota campus in Minneapolis. And here I was thinking that the Democrats had a monopoly on infighting within the ranks. Admittedly, Hillary Clinton got more time in the spotlight than Ron Paul, but $35 million is $35 million. That kind of money doesn't just magically appear.

Television - The Federal Communications Commission would be required to regulate the volume of television commercials for excessive loudness under a House bill recently introduced by Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA) God love ya, Congresswoman. Those jerks on Fox really do a number on my eardrums. Eshoo's bill, the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act or the CALM Act, would give the FCC one-year to adopt regulations that would ensure that the loudness of TV ads was not “substantially higher than the program material that such advertisements accompany.” Has kind of a nice ring to it, doesn't it? In January, the FCC released a report showing that it had received complaints from consumers about the “abrupt changes in volume” during transitions from regular programming to commercials. Eshoo's bill contained no findings regarding the prevalence of volume manipulation in TV ads, no statements about who is responsible for the practice, and no language regarding the bill's impact on the First Amendment. Damn that Constitution. First Bush gets screwed on human rights and now my television viewing comfort is threatened by this stupid document. When will the madness stop?

Cuba - Cuban television showed the first images of Fidel Castro in 6 months, with a silent video of the ailing 81 year old revolutionary chatting in a garden with visiting Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. The two countries are collaborating on a major petroleum refinery and petrochemical plant in the eastern Cuban port city of Cienfuegos. Chavez said he and Castro also discussed the need for both countries to produce their own food, using as little land as possible. Castro's exact medical ailment and condition have remained state secrets since he underwent emergency intestinal surgery in late July 2006 and ceded provisional power to his brother Raul, who replaced him permanently as president in February. I've always been curious as to what constitutes a state secret. Seeing as Fidel no longer holds any official office within the government, why would his health be considered a secret. I'm not saying that folks aren't interested in Fidel's condition, but is it really a state secret. I'm thinking Cuba will have a lot more control over its destiny when he's out of the picture. Not that that picture is particularly great. Honestly, guys, I know things aren't going great with the U.S., but you all can do better than Hugo Chavez. The dude is nuts.

Copyright Infringement - Uh-oh, busted... The Associated Press, following criticism from bloggers over an AP assertion of copyright, plans to meet this week with a bloggers' group to help form guidelines under which AP news stories could be quoted online. This meeting is part of an effort to create standards for online use of AP stories by bloggers that would protect AP content without discouraging bloggers from legitimately quoting from it. Mea culpa. I'll come clean. Much of the source material I get for my blog comes from news wires like the Associated Press and Reuters (among many, many others). I tend to paraphrase the articles a fair bit focusing in on what I consider to be the salient points. However, should you be curious (and if you haven't figured this out already), my opinions are clearly highlighted in italics--like this.

What Caught My Eye Today

2008 Presidential Race - We'll start with John McCain... John McCain said the federal moratorium on offshore oil and gas drilling should be lifted, and individual states given the right to pursue energy exploration in waters near their own coasts. The current drilling moratorium is a perennial cause for controversy, pitting those who favor additional exploration on the one hand against environmentalists on the other. The current ban on offshore drilling covers an estimated 80% of U.S. coastal waters. Shows how much I know about this. I didn't even know there was a moratorium. McCain also suggested giving the states incentives, including a greater share of royalties paid by companies that drill for oil, as an incentive to permit exploration. Critics would point out that McCain's plan doesn't go far enough to address the broader issue of reducing America's dependency on oil, but rather offers (at best) a short term solution for increasing our domestic supply. Which, if past market trends are any indicator, will serve to drive up demand for gasoline and wipe out any potential reduction in prices we pay at the pump. Yeah, I guess you could classify me as a critic.

So what's Senator Obama up to these days? Al Gore announced his endorsement of Barack Obama and promised to help the Democrat achieve what eluded him — the presidency. In 2000, Gore won the popular vote but lost the disputed 2000 election to George W. Bush, who captured Florida and its electoral votes after a divided Supreme Court ended the recount. So basically, Obama got the endorsement of the dude who won the popular vote but lost the election. I'm not sure I would ask Gore for too many tips on how to win the November election. Usually the guy with the most votes win, but somehow Gore managed to buck that trend. (Of course, the Supreme Court basically handing the election to Bush didn't help, but that's a different conversation).

Afghanistan - Hundreds of Afghans demonstrated in support of President Hamid Karzai's threat to send troops against Taliban militant leaders in Pakistan, with many protesters saying they were ready to take up arms. Across the border, Pakistan summoned the Afghan ambassador to lodge a protest, saying it too would defend itself. Karzai's threat — the first time he has said he would send forces into Pakistan — comes only days after a sophisticated Taliban assault on Kandahar's prison freed 870 prisoners, including hundreds of Taliban militants. Karzai has long pleaded with Pakistan and the international community to confront Taliban safe havens in tribal areas. And we all know how successful NATO has been so far in that regard. Heck, I say give the Afghans a shot. It's their country; they should have the opportunity to defend themselves. Although Afghanistan appeared unlikely to follow through on the threat, the spat marked a new low in relations between two key nations in the U.S.-led war on terror, often strained over allegations of cross-border militancy. Now that's saying something, because U.S. relations with Pakistan have been in the toilet for quite sometime now.

Marriage - Dozens of gay couples planned to rush down to their county clerk's office this evening to be among the very first to say "I do" under the historic court ruling making California the second state to allow same-sex marriages. The May 15 decision by the California Supreme Court was set to take effect at 5 p.m. While Mondays are not exactly a big day for weddings, at least five county clerks around the state agreed to extend their hours to issue marriage licenses, and many gay couples planned to get married on the spot. I hear most of these folks were lured by the promise of an "early bird" special. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of couples from around the country are expected to seize the opportunity to make their unions official in the eyes of the law. Unlike Massachusetts, which legalized gay marriage in 2004, California has no residency requirement for marriage licenses, and that is expected to draw a great number of out-of-state couples. The turnout could also be boosted by New York state's recent announcement that it will recognize gay marriages performed in other jurisdictions. A UCLA study estimated that half of California's more than 100,000 same-sex couples will get married over the next three years, and an additional 68,000 out-of-state couples will travel here to exchange vows. The study estimated that over that period, gay weddings will generate some 2,200 jobs and $64 million in badly needed tax revenue for the state, which is ailing financially. The skeptic in me wonders whether or not if the state wasn't facing a $20 billion budget shortfall if this ruling wouldn't have different. Basic human rights as outlined by the state constitution are one thing (hell you can change the law anytime you want), but we're talking some serious cash here at a time when revenue outlooks are rather bleak. Plus, I don't know about you, but I'm thinking 100,000 weddings are going to generate a lot more economic stimulus than some $300 tax rebate checks. When was the last time you saw anyone throw a wedding for $300?

Golf - Let me preface this story with just 7 words--YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME... With a throbbing knee and a pounding heart, Tiger Woods made one last improbable escape Monday and won the U.S. Open in a 19-hole playoff over Rocco Mediate, his 14th career major and maybe the most amazing of them all. One shot behind after a collapse no one saw coming, Woods birdied the 18th hole to force sudden death at Torrey Pines against Mediate who was trying to become the oldest U.S. Open champion at 45 years, 6 months. It capped a remarkable week for the world's No. 1 player, who had not played since April 15 surgery on his left knee and looked as though every step was a burden. But the knee held up for 91 holes, and the payoff was worth the pain, even if doctors had warned him that he risked further injury by playing the Open. It was Woods' 65th career victory, passing Ben Hogan for third all-time, raised his playoff record to 15-2 and made it 14-of-14 in majors when he had at least a share of the lead going into the final round. He now has won every major in a playoff except for the British Open. Umm...yeah...like, wow.

What Caught My Eye Today

News - Tim Russert, a political lifer who made a TV career of his passion with unrelenting questioning of the powerful and influential, died of a heart attack today in the midst of a presidential campaign he'd covered with trademark intensity. He joined NBC a quarter century ago and ended up as the longest-tenured host of the Sunday talk show "Meet the Press." Russert was also a senior vice president at NBC, and this year Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world. He had dozens of honorary college degrees, and numerous professional awards. He won an Emmy for his role in the coverage of President Ronald Reagan's funeral in 2004. You hear about people dying everyday, but to hear of Russert's completely unexpected passing and react by getting chills--like I did when I heard the news on NPR--that says so much more about the man than any of his accolades or awards. When Tim Russert died, we lost an icon. Funny how no one thought that of him until today.

Iowa - This poor state just cannot catch a break. Hospital patients in wheelchairs and on stretchers were evacuated in the middle of the night as the biggest flood Cedar Rapids has ever seen swamped more than 400 blocks Friday and all but cut off the supply of clean drinking water in the city of 120,000. At least 438 city blocks were under water, and in some neighborhoods the water was 8 feet high. The governor declared 83 of the state's 99 counties disaster areas, a designation that helps speed aid and opens the way for loans and grants. The damage in Cedar Rapids alone was a preliminary $737 million. The drenching has also severely damaged the corn crop in America's No. 1 corn state and other parts of the Midwest at a time when corn prices are soaring. But officials said it was too soon to put a price tag on the damage. Does this mean that ethanol prices are going to go up? Not that I particularly care, seeing as I use the traditional ozone-depleting oil based stuff, but I can see this being used as another excuse to raise gas prices. I don't imagine this is going to help the growing global food shortage situation either.

Zimbabwe - President Robert Mugabe said that his supporters are ready to fight if the opposition wins an upcoming presidential runoff election, hardening the rhetoric of a campaign that already has seen widespread violence against government opponents. Mugabe said the veterans of the war of independence in 1980 had approached him after the first round of voting in March and threatened to take up arms again if opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai wins the June 27 runoff. I don't get it. They've already locked up the dude and withheld food and aid to anyone thinking of voting for Tsvangirai. Who else is left to vote other than Mugabe supporters. I think it speaks volumes about the lack of popular support for Mugabe that is leading him to take such extreme measures to stay in power. A High Court judge, meanwhile, ordered police to bring No. 2 opposition leader Tendai Biti to court Saturday and explain why he should not be immediately released. That judge better watch his step. He seems to be treading on very thin ice.

Ireland - Irish voters vetoed a painstakingly 260 page--virtually unreadable--treaty that had been designed to streamline the European Union. Gee, I wonder what? Politicians from all of Ireland's major parties worked hard to sell the complex, deeply technical document to a confused and suspicious public. Only Ireland put the treaty before the voters at all. The other 26 members are ratifying it through their parliaments. To become law, the treaty must be unanimously approved by all 27 EU nations. But Ireland's constitution requires EU treaties be put to a vote. Damn those constitutions. They always seem to get in the way of the business of governing. Anti-treaty groups from the left and right mobilized "no" voters by claiming the treaty would empower EU chiefs in Brussels, Belgium, to force Ireland to change core policies — including its military neutrality and its ban on abortion as well as low business taxes. In capitals across Europe, leaders said ratification should proceed regardless of the Irish vote. Ahead lie painful months of negotiations aimed at somehow overcoming the Irish veto. Oh heck, no one pays attention to the "Union" in European Union. We all know that's just for marketing purposes. I say screw the Irish and do your thing, Europe. That's the way we do things in the good ol' U.S. of A.

Golf - Torrey Pines has been one big tease through two days of the U.S. Open, evident by a mixed bag of scores ranging from the eagle, bogeys and a late run of birdies for Tiger Woods to an 11-shot improvement for Padraig Harrington. Woods was slipping down the leaderboard with two bogeys on his opening three holes, only to turn it around by blistering a tee shot on the 614-yard 13th hole and hitting 5-wood to 10 feet for an eagle. No one made a move quite like Harrington, whose 67 was the best score of the week. Perhaps even more impressive was that it followed an opening 78 and he kept bogeys off his card. That also put him at 145, very much in the hunt. Woods is in a three-way tie for second one stroke behind leader Stuart Appleby (-3). Our boy Phil Mickelson is +4 (tied for 36th). As for the first round leaders...I hope they enjoyed their moment in the sun. Kevin Streelman was +6 for the day and is now +3 for the tournament, while Justin Hicks went +9 in the second round and finds himself tied for 53rd at +6. Halfway through the U.S. Open, there are 6 golfers under par. Crickey.

What Caught My Eye Today

Human Rights - In a stinging rebuke to President Bush's anti-terror policies, a deeply divided Supreme Court ruled that foreign detainees held for years at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba have the right to appeal to U.S. civilian courts to challenge their indefinite imprisonment without charges. Don't you just hate when the Supreme Court gets all high and mighty and enforces the Constitution? Bush said he strongly disagreed with the decision — the third time the court has repudiated him on the detainees — and suggested he might seek yet another law to keep terror suspects locked up at the prison camp, even as his presidency winds down. There's a good idea. If you don't agree with the Constitution, change it. The prison has been harshly criticized at home and abroad for the detentions themselves and the aggressive interrogations that were conducted there. The 70-page ruling says that the detainees have the same rights as anyone else in custody in the United States to contest their detention before a judge. Well now I see what the hubbub is all about. Apparently, the government is only interested in human rights for Americans while the rest of the world can fend for itself. That's nice.

Disaster Response - This next item is a welcome remind that even in tragedy, the human spirit can rise to the occasion. Boy Scouts who came to each others' aid after a tornado that killed four of their comrades and injured 48 people were hailed as heroes for helping to administer first aid and search for victims buried in their flattened campsite. A tornado siren went off at the camp, but the scouts had already taken cover before the siren sounded. There was no time to remove them from the isolated retreat. One staff member took off his shirt and put it on someone who was bleeding to apply pressure and gauze. Other scouts started digging people out of the rubble. These scouts will probably never forget what happened to them on this day when four of their friends lost their lives, but hopefully they will remember how they came together in the face of incredible adversity to assist one another. Well done, scouts.

Tomatoes - The toll from salmonella-tainted tomatoes jumped to 228 illnesses as the government learned of five dozen previously unknown cases. Six more states — Florida, Georgia, Missouri, New York, Tennessee and Vermont — reported illnesses related to the outbreak, bringing the number of affected states to 23. Well, that sounds bad. The Food and Drug Administration has not pinpointed the source of the outbreak. With the latest known illness striking on June 1, officials also are not sure if all the tainted tomatoes are off the market. That sounds even worse. On the do-not-eat list are raw red plum, red Roma or red round tomatoes, unless they were grown in specific states or countries that the FDA has cleared because they were not harvesting when the outbreak began or were not selling their tomatoes in places where people got sick. At least 25 people have been hospitalized during the outbreak, caused by a relatively rare strain of salmonella. I don't want to sound fatalistic or anything, but given how complex our food chain has become, I'm kind of surprised that this sort of thing doesn't happen more often. Maybe it does, and we just don't hear about it. Now that really sounds bad.

2008 Presidential Campaign - This item borders on be ridiculous and supports my contention that the campaign season is way too long, if junk like this qualifies as news. Barack Obama's campaign said that Michelle Obama never used the word "whitey" in a speech from the church pulpit. The rumor that Michelle Obama railed against "whitey" in a diatribe at Chicago's Trinity United Church of Christ has circulated on conservative Republican blogs for weeks and was repeated by radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh. The rumor included claims of a videotape of the speech that would be used to bring down Obama's candidacy this fall. Senator, welcome to the wonderful world of conservative talk show hosts. It's kind of funny that this all went down the same day that Obama launched a new web site to debunk rumors about him and his wife -- http://www.fightthesmears.com/. I'm sure that will make for some interesting reading.

Golf - Tiger Woods grimaced and pursed his lips, unable to disguise the pain in the opening round of the U.S. Open. No, it wasn't his left knee, though that was still tender from surgery. It was more the three-putt to end his round at Torrey Pines and leave him four shots behind a pair of surprising leaders and one behind Phil Mickelson. Tiger actually made two double bogeys, but before you start thinking that he's lost his touch, his last double bogey came 416 holes ago. Leading the pack are a couple of no-names, Kevin Streelman and Justin Hicks tied for the lead at 3-under 68. Streelman is #608 in the world ranking and Hicks is #722. Former U.S. Open champions Geoff Ogilvy and Ernie Els are both at 2-under while Phil Mickelson shot an even par 71. Woods ended up the day at one-over. I still wouldn't bet against the dude, and call me crazy, but I doubt you'll see Streelman or Hicks on the leaderboard come Sunday.

What Caught My Eye Today

Life - For the first time, U.S. life expectancy has surpassed 78 years although it continues to lag behind about 30 other countries in estimated life span. Great, more justification to delay my planned retirement. The increase is due mainly to falling mortality rates in almost all the leading causes of death including heart disease, cancer, accidents and diabetes. Japan has the longest life expectancy — 83 years for children born in 2006. Switzerland and Australia were also near the top of the list. Life expectancy was up for both men and women, and whites and blacks. Although the gaps are closing, women continue to live longer, almost to 81, compared to about 75 for men. Speaking strictly for myself, I'm not sure I want to live much longer than that. My body is already in shambles. I don't even want to think about the wreck that I'll be by then. Among racial categories, white women have the highest life expectancy (81 years), followed by black women (about 77 years), white men (76) and black men (70). Health statisticians said they don't have reliable data to calculate Hispanic life expectancy. Now this I find fascinating. How could they not have reliable data on Hispanics. Maybe I'm missing something here, but isn't the number of years that Hispanics live calculated the same way that it is for every other ethnicity? Did Hispanics come up with some alternative way of aging that the result of the human race knows nothing about?

Iran - President Bush raised the possibility of a military strike to thwart Tehran's presumed nuclear weapons ambitions, speaking bullishly on Iran even as he admitted having been unwise to do so previously about Iraq. Of course he did. Dude is running out of time to start any more unprovoked wars. Come January, Bush won't be able to do this sort of thing anymore. Bush's host in two days of meetings at a baroque castle, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, made it clear that the European opinion was that military action against Iran is nearly unthinkable. So what do you think of the European stance--rationale and well-thought out or gutless and cowardly? I'm going with the former though I think its rather clear what Bush's opinion is. There is no indication the U.S. actually plans any sort of military action, and experts believe it would be an extremely difficult feat tactically for many reasons. Bush's back-and-forth talk appears designed more to both remind Iran that the U.S. is serious about keeping it from developing a nuclear bomb and to try to finally corral sometimes reluctant allies behind a common firm stand. It's no wonder that not many foreign leaders aren't shedding any tears over the fact that Bush will be out of office in a few months.

Iraq - Here's more from that same meeting in Germany...Bush repeated his lack of regrets about waging the war in Iraq. He publicly acknowledged a mistake, saying he had not explained well enough in the time leading up to the invasion that had tried to exhaust all diplomatic options first and that he didn't like the idea of war. Quick someone look outside the window and see if there are any pigs flying. "I could have used better rhetoric," he said, referring to terms such as "dead or alive" to describe Osama bin Laden and "bring them on" in reference to Iraq. Funny how people tend to take phrases like "dead or alive" and "bring them on" seriously when they are uttered by the leader of the free world. One last rant on this. If Bush is apologizing for the war in Iraq--again--why is he hellbent on prolonging it?

Pakistan - Boy, we're just making friends with everyone today... Pakistan's army and the U.S. military gave widely differing accounts of a clash on the Afghan border that left 11 Pakistani troops dead. U.S. officials said three aircraft launched about a dozen bombs against insurgents attacking into Afghanistan from Pakistan. They defended the air attack, saying the U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan was retaliating after its troops came under fire about 200 yards inside Afghan territory. The coalition said it had informed Pakistan's army the troops were being attacked from a wooded area near the border where the troops were killed. The Pakistani army rejected the claim that insurgents attacked from inside Pakistan or from the direction of the Pakistani border post. It also denied the U.S. military gave prior notice before it opened fire. Maybe this is a spin on that old saying "keep your friends close and your enemies closer," except in this case, the U.S. is "keeping its friends close and its allies closer." You know, for all the bitching that Russia has been doing about former Soviet republics joining NATO, I'm thinking that maybe they shouldn't worry too much. If the U.S. and Pakistan are representative of the relationships between allies, Russia has nothing to be concerned about.