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.