What Caught My Eye Today

Turkey - So much for the old adage, "majority rules." Turkey's Islamic-rooted government was elected last year with a huge majority, continues to bask in popular support — and will probably fall within a month. The strange state of affairs is not due to any internal revolt or opposition threat, but to a case before Turkey's Constitutional Court that seeks to ban the Justice and Development Party on charges of undermining secularism. With the court stacked with members of the secular elite, many Turks expect to see their democratically elected government booted out. Turkey's top prosecutor argues that the ruling party, known by its Turkish initials AKP, is systematically trying to impose Islam on Turkey — a charge vehemently denied by the party, which is far from a proponent of Islamic fundamentalism. Supporters of a ban, which could not be appealed, say the secular values canonized after World War I by modern Turkey's founder, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, must be defended at all costs. In turning the principles of Ataturk into a rigid orthodoxy, the secularists have shown a strong authoritarian streak that sits ill with the nation's ambitions to join the European bloc. And their nationalism has led them to bridle at most European Union demands for reform. By contrast, the government has been credited with maintaining the political and financial stability seen as critical to bringing about reforms needed to revive the nation's EU bid, including curbing the military's say in politics and expanding free speech. Not exactly a shining moment for the judiciary. I was under the impression that the high court was suppose to protect the Constitution--which I assume included the right for the people to democratically elect their government--rather than to defend the interests of a select few elitists. It would appear that the concept of 'checks and balances' among the various branches of government hasn't been embraced by all. Then again, it's not like the United States is the poster child for 'checks and balances' either.

Energy - I'm not sure if you have noticed, but energy costs have been increasing a fair bit over the past several months. A bipartisan group of 27 elder statesmen is sending an open letter to both presidential candidates and every member of Congress saying the country faces "a long-term energy crisis" that threatens the security and prosperity of future generations if swift action isn't taken. It took 27 'elder statesmen' to reach the same conclusion that the rest of us have know for months? Yeah, that makes me feel a lot better about the folks in charge. The letter includes 13 broad recommendations. They include aggressively promoting energy efficiency and reducing energy consumption, increased commitments to both nuclear energy and renewable energy sources, making coal more environmentally acceptable and moving transportation away from oil as a fuel. So like by "broad recommendations," do they mean re-hashing the same ideas that have been stagnating for years because Congress seems incapable of doing anything to address the energy crisis? If so, then I wholeheartedly agree with them. Here's a novel idea. Why don't these policymakers actually make some policy rather than talk about broad recommendations that have been around for years.

Hurricanes - Well, not really, but this is noteworthy story for another reason. Tropical Storm Bertha headed back out over open ocean and away from the U.S. mainland after it battered Bermuda, knocking out electricity to thousands on the Atlantic tourist island. It is the longest-lived July tropical storm in history, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center. Bertha is the Atlantic season's first hurricane. It weakened into a tropical storm but is expected to re-strengthen into a hurricane later in the week. Oh make up your mind already. The previous longest-lived storm, known as Storm No. 2, occurred in 1960 and lasted just over 12 days. "Storm No. 2"? Gee, that's original. I kind of like the hurricanes to be a bit more distinctive myself. Think about it. How much more dramatic is "Hurricane Katrina" than say, "Storm No. 1511"? At any rate, way to make history, Bertha. You go, girl. Meanwhile, the Pacific storm season is moving right along. Elida became the second hurricane of the Eastern Pacific region's season, scattering rains across Mexico's central coast. The storm, with winds of nearly 75 mph, was headed away from land and was expected to gradually weaken during the next 48 hours. What sort of name is "Elida" anyway?

Teens - Here's one for the "duh" file... One of the largest studies of its kind shows just how sluggish American children become once they hit the teen years: While 90% of 9-year-olds get a couple of hours of exercise most days, fewer than 3% of 15-year-olds do. Someone commissioned a study for this? Have these people never seen how teenagers spend their time? The study suggests that fewer than a third of teens that age get even the minimum recommended by the government — an hour of moderate-to-vigorous exercise, like cycling, brisk walking, swimming or jogging. Oh come now. You must burn some calories texting and IMing. The results send a message to parents that it's important to teach their kids to balance computer time with more active pursuits. My how the times have changed. Back in my day, my parents had to drag me into the house--turns out kids used to play out of doors (who knew). Nowadays, it seems like parents have to drag their children out of the house and force them to literally get a breath of fresh air. Always nice to see how humanity is evolving.