What Caught My Eye Today

Hurricanes - One down, three to go. Millions fled the Gulf Coast in fear of Hurricane Gustav, billed as the apocalyptic "mother of all storms." It didn't deliver. Now, with three other storms lining up in the Atlantic, some fear people might not listen next time. In defense of New Orleans mayor, Ray Nagin, at the time of his announcement, Gustav was a category 4 hurricane and forecasters were predicting that it could strengthen to a category 5 before making landfall. Some evacuees suggested authorities overreacted in demanding they leave their homes. Emergency officials strongly defended the decision to evacuate coastal areas, saying that with something as unpredictable as a hurricane, it is better to be safe than sorry — a lesson driven home by Katrina, which killed 1,600 people in the U.S. in 2005, compared with nine deaths attributed to Gustav. I'm not saying folks weren't inconvenienced, but consider the alternative. Surely, the memories of that disaster at the Superdome cannot have faded into the background already.

And it appears that the news isn't going to get any better for quite some time.

The tropics seem to be going crazy what with the remnants of Gustav, the new threat from Hanna, a strengthening Ike and newcomer Josephine. Hurricane experts say all the weather ingredients, which normally fluctuate, are set on boil for the formation of storms. Four named storms at the same time is a bit odd, but not unprecedented, meteorologists said. In case you are keeping track, the four storms are "Gustav," "Hanna," "Ike," and "Josephine." In 1995 five named storms lived simultaneously. And in 1998 there were four hurricanes at the same. The peak of hurricane season isn't until Sept. 10 and this season already has 10 named storms, which is the long-term average for an entire season. Two hurricane prognosticators predicted that this month would be almost twice as busy as an average September. They forecast five named storms, four of them hurricanes and two of them major. These latest predictions cover only September and are not a revision of the season-long forecast, which called for a total of nine Atlantic hurricanes through November. Well, at least we can say that things aren't as bad as they were in 2005. We were already up to "K" (as in Katrina) this time three years ago.

2008 Presidential Race - Not much to report these days is there? Here I was thinking that the GOP convention was going to be boring. One day after a frightening Gulf Coast hurricane prompted a subdued opening to the Republican convention, political combat enjoyed a resurgence. President Bush hailed John McCain as a man "ready to lead this nation" and a courageous candidate who risked his White House ambitions to support an unpopular Iraq war. With his approval ratings in the 30-percent range, Bush was relegated to a relatively minor role at the convention of a party that has twice nominated him to the White House. Bush scrapped a planned Monday night speech because of the threat Hurricane Gustav posed to New Orleans. And 24 hours later, with polls making it clear the nation is ready for a change, the McCain campaign indicated there was no reason for him to make the trip to St. Paul. Is it just me or are the days of riding the President's coattails a thing of the past? Remember when Al Gore was running for president 8 years ago. Dude couldn't distance himself far enough from then-President Bill Clinton. Seems like history is repeating itself now with McCain and Bush. Lest you have forgotten, Senator McCain, Gore's strategy didn't work out so well back then. Of course, in your favor, you have the Supreme Court on your side. Republicans also defended vice presidential running mate Sarah Palin in the face of fresh controversy. Yesterday, Palin and her husband disclosed that their unmarried daughter, 17-year-old was pregnant. This being just one of many recent disclosures. As both as mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, and as governor, she had sought earmarks for local projects. Her most recent round of requests totaled $300 for every Alaskan. In addition, the lawyer hired to defend Palin in an ethics investigation said he also is representing her personally and is permitted to bill the state up to $95,000 for work in the current case. The issue involves the dismissal of a public safety commissioner after he refused to fire a state trooper who had divorced the governor's sister. Busy girl, ain't she. First off, I wholeheartedly agree with everyone on both sides of the aisle who are telling the media to back off when it comes to Palin's family, and especially her daughter. As for claims that Palin is being unfairly attacked by the press for all those other items, bear in mind that Obama and McCain have been under the scrutiny of the media for the better part of two years. What did she think was going to be the press's reaction to a surprise pick for the GOP presidential ticket with just two month before the general election?

Russia - U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney is on his way to ex-Soviet Azerbaijan on for the first leg of a trip to show that Washington stood by its allies in the region despite Russia's military intervention in Georgia. Oh good. I'm sure Cheney will smooth things over with Russia by the end of the week. Memo to self: check out bomb shelters on eBay. Azerbaijan and Georgia are links in the chain of a Western-backed energy corridor that bypasses Russia, but which the West fears could be in jeopardy after the Kremlin last month sent troops and tanks deep into Georgian territory when Tbilisi tried to retake the separatist region of South Ossetia by force. Seriously, when with the Russians learn that when it comes to our desire for energy, the gloves come off? Russia said it was morally obliged to attack Georgia to prevent what it called a genocide in the rebel region. Moscow says it is in full compliance with a French-brokered ceasefire. What a mess. Thank goodness, we have a voice of reason in Cheney to sort this all out.

United Arab Emirates - A British couple on trial for allegedly having sex on a Dubai beach asked the judge to be allowed to leave the country. Honestly, people, get a room for Gods sake. Lord knows that there are plenty of rather nice hotels in the neck of the woods. The case has highlighted the strong contrasts in the booming United Arab Emirates, particularly Dubai. The city has a much more freewheeling attitude than other places in the Gulf, with cash flowing from oil and finance and a huge expatriate population. But the case is a reminder that it remains a conservative Arab nation underneath. Legal experts say the couple could face up to two years in prison if convicted. Public display of affection, such as touching, kissing or hugging, is illegal in Dubai and couples - particularly if not married - can be detained by police for indecency. In July, a few days after the British couple was detained, Dubai police announced it has arrested 79 people, mostly tourists, for topless sunbathing, nudity and other acts authorities deemed indecent. There is a time and a place for this sort of behavior and a Muslim country isn't one of them. Why else do you think we have events like Mardi Gras and Spring Break and places like New Orleans and South Beach?

Sports - It's a beautiful thing to be a sports fan these days. Here's just a sampling of what's going on.

Football - Yeah, boy. I'm talking college and pro pigskins. The first AP polls are out and my USC Trojans are #1. Of course the bigger story is that my San Jose State Spartans are 1-0, baby.

Tennis - The final major of the year, the U.S. Open is underway. The Williams sisters are set to square off against each other in the quarterfinals and on the men's side Federer, Nadal, and even my boy Andy Roddick are still going strong.

NASCAR - One race to go before the Chase for the Cup begins. Check this out. Of the 25 races that have been run so far, 17 have been won by 3 drivers (Kyle Busch - 8, Carl Edwards - 6, Jimmie Johnson - 3). I'm thinking one of these dude wins the Sprint Cup going away.

Cycling - Tyler Hamilton won the USA Cycling Professional Road Race championship. Should you not remember, this is the same Tyler Hamilton who just finished serving a two year suspension for doping. Let's hope this win was legitimate.

Baseball - One month left in the regular season and look at which two teams have the best records in their respective leagues. In the National League, you have the Chicago Cubs and in the American League, we've got the Tampa Bay Rays. If the playoffs started tomorrow the Boston Red Sox would be the AL wildcard joining the Rays, Minnesota Twins and Los Angeles Angels, will the Milwaukee Brewers would be the NL wildcard going up against the Cubs, New York Mets and Arizona Diamondbacks. That's right, boys and girls, no Yankees.