What Caught My Eye Today

Food - Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad came under attack for attending a U.N. food summit, accused by Western leaders and rights groups of inflicting suffering on their own people. The European Union has a longstanding travel ban on Mugabe but since the summit is taking place under a United Nations umbrella, he has been invited to the conference along with Ahmadinejad and around 40 other world leaders. Here's my first question to the summit organizers. If you didn't want Mugabe or Ahmadinejad to attend, why did you send them invitations in the first place? Ahmadinejad, whose relations with the West are strained over his country's nuclear program, said Israel would soon disappear off the map and that the "satanic power" of the United States faced destruction. Thanks for the tip, Nostradamus. Mugabe's and Ahmadinejad's trip to Rome could offer a rare opportunity for direct contacts with Western leaders. But while striking a more conciliatory note over their presence at the summit, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ed Shafer said he would not meet either of them. "We are glad they're here, we appreciate the opportunity for dialogue, but it is our position that we will not meet with them," Shafer said. And here's my second question. How exactly does this present an opportunity for dialogue when the United States has no interest in meeting with either of these guys?

2008 Presidential Race - Looking to bring finality to the Democratic presidential campaign, Barack Obama worked furiously to win over enough superdelegates to clinch the nomination with the final primaries Tuesday. Don't tease me now. Could it possibly be true that this marathon is almost over? Obama wants to formally kick off his general election campaign against Republican John McCain in a victory speech Tuesday night as the final primary campaign polls close in South Dakota and Montana. Dude, maybe you should make sure you have the nomination in hand first. Obama needs just 44 delegates to get the 2,118 that are needed to secure the nomination. Hillary Clinton would need about 200, an unlikely feat. Clinton campaigned in South Dakota, telling the patrons at Tally's Restaurant in Rapid City: "I'm just very grateful we kept this campaign going until South Dakota would have the last word. What South Dakota decides tomorrow will have a big influence in what people think going forward. Her husband, former President Clinton, gave a clearer signal that the primary race is over. "I want to say also that this may be the last day I'm ever involved in a campaign of this kind." Yo, Bill. Bro' I appreciate that the writing is basically on the wall for Hillary, but you didn't have to throw the broad under the bus in such a brutal manner. What are you going to say when 2012 comes around? It's a lot closer than you think, dude.

Pop Culture - Pop Culture has taken it on the chin over the past 24 hours.

Exhibit #1: Bo Diddley, a founding father of rock 'n' roll whose distinctive "shave and a haircut, two bits" rhythm and innovative guitar effects inspired legions of other musicians, died after months of ill health. He was 79. The legendary singer and performer, known for his homemade square guitar, dark glasses and black hat, was an inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, had a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame, and received a lifetime achievement award in 1999 at the Grammy Awards. And let's not forget that this is the namesake of that timeless classic phase, "you don't know diddley."

Exhibit #2: Yves Saint Laurent, one of the most influential and enduring designers of the 20th century died Sunday night at his Paris home after a yearlong battle with brain cancer. He was 71. In his own words, Saint Laurent once said he felt "fashion was not only supposed to make women beautiful, but to reassure them, to give them confidence, to allow them to come to terms with themselves." Hard to believe that a guy actually aspired to do this. Usually us men are all about ourselves.

Exhibit #3: One of Hollywood's largest movie studios starred in a disastrous sequel as a fire ripped through a lot at Universal Studios, destroying a set from "Back to the Future," a King Kong exhibit and a streetscape seen frequently in movies and TV shows. It was the second fire at the historic site in nearly two decades, leveling facades, hollowing out buildings and creating the kind of catastrophe filmmakers relish re-creating. This time around, thousands of videos chronicling Universal's movie and TV shows were destroyed in the blaze. Oh dear God, tell me that another studio produced "Baywatch." I'm not sure I could go on living if "Baywatch" was lost.

Cycling - Spain's Alberto Contador of Astana won the Tour of Italy on Sunday following the final stage, a 28.5km time trial won by Italian Marco Pinotti of High Road. The Spaniard snapped an 11-year Italian winning streak in the event to triumph in his first showing here at the age of 25. He said the win helps ease the pain of having to miss the Tour de France. Organisers of the Tour de France said earlier this year that the doping scandals which plagued Astana at last year's French race had left them with little choice despite the team undergoing a mass clear-out. Unlike the French, the Italians relented and finally allowed Astana in. What I don't get, is that this year's team includes no one involved in last year's doping scandal. So what exactly are the Tour de France organizers hoping to accomplish by excluding Astana from this year's event, other than to exclude some of the best riders--Contador, American Levi Leipheimer, and German Andreas Kloden.

Tennis - Okay, now I'm surprised. Dinara Safina sent top seed Maria Sharapova crashing out of the French Open. With the women's quarter finals almost set, the final 8 include 2 Russians and 2 Serbians, and if memory serves me, we are guaranteed to have a first time French Open winner. Over on the men's draw, things are much more orderly. Four of the top 5 seeds are still alive (#1 Roger Federer, #2 Rafael Nadal, #3 Novak Djokovic, and #5 David Ferrer). Three of the final 8 contenders are Spaniards, and we still have one Frenchmen in the draw, unseeded Gael Monfils. And more bad news for the Americans (Hard to believe, I know. I didn't think we had anyone left). Top seeded men's double partners, Bob and Mike Bryan lost in the quarterfinals to two guys no one has ever heard of (trust me on this one).