What Caught My Eye Today

2008 Presidential Race - On the final day of the Republican National Convention, a lot of the talk was still about Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, the vice presidential nominee who gave her big introductory speech last night. John McCain embarks on his final drive for the White House tonight, accepting the Republican presidential nomination. McCain's wife, Cindy, suggested in one interview that she doesn't agree with Palin's support for a nearly total ban on abortions. And Democratic vice presidential nominee Joe Biden declared that some news coverage of his Republican counterpart had been sexist. Barack Obama's lead over McCain was virtually unchanged since the GOP convention began, according to a Gallup Poll. The Democrat led 49% to 42%, based on interviews conducted Monday through Wednesday. In a Gallup survey covering last Friday through Sunday — before the Republican gathering began — Obama led by a similar 6 percentage points. And just think, at some point all this 'dog and pony' pageantry will come to an end, and the folks that truly matter--and by that I mean us poor voters who are subjected to all this noise--will finally have their say. I case you are counting, our day in the sun (funny how we only get one) is just 61 days away.

Economy - Wall Street dived sharply lower today, sending the Dow Jones industrials down over 300 points as retailers and the Labor Department added to the mountain of dismal economic news that has all but dashed investors' hopes for a late-year recovery. I want to know who the dude was that was holding out hope for an improving economy. I definitely want party with this guy and partake in some of whatever mind altering stuff he's taking. Take a look at these reports and tell me if you see any reason for hope. Major retailers said shoppers curtailed spending last month due to higher gas and food prices. The Labor Department said new applications for unemployment insurance rose by 15,000 from the previous week and heightened worries that the average American will have even less means to spend. With the Dow down more than 15% for the year so far, investors don't appear to be holding out for a significant upturn in stocks, either. Do you see any reason for optimism here? Which brings me back to my original point--Bro', how 'bout sharing some of that happy-happy you got going on there?

Hurricanes - Residents moved boats and booked inland hotel rooms while National Guard troops prepared to deploy along the Southeastern coast as Tropical Storm Hanna plowed through the Atlantic today, with Category 4 Hurricane Ike trailing a few days behind. Bear in mind that a day ago this thing was just a tropical storm. Hanna, responsible for at least 61 deaths in Haiti, was chugging through the Bahamas with 70-mph winds, just short of hurricane strength. Hanna comes as New Orleans residents start to return home after fleeing Hurricane Gustav, which did less damage than feared but still caused serious flooding and could leave some in Louisiana without electricity for up to a month. And if that isn't enough for you, don't forget about Josephine hanging out just west of Africa. When it rains it pours.

Canada - Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said he would call an October 14 general election in the next few days in the light of fruitless talks with the three opposition parties. Harper, who has had to rely on the support of at least one opposition party to keep his minority government in power, said none of the parties had given any significant indication of support. The Conservatives were elected in January 2006 and have had one of the longest runs seen by a minority government. Typically, minority governments last about 18 months. Okay, the reason I bring this story up is to pose the following question. If Canada (or even Italy for that matter which manages to have a nationwide election every few months) can rustle up an election on what amounts to a few weeks notice, why does it take us Americans the better part of two years to elect our national government?

Iran - Finally a story that doesn't focus on Iran's nuclear ambitions. Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean the news is good. Under Islam, a man can have up to four wives, and countries around the Mideast allow polygamy. However, Iran is one of the few — along with Syria and Tunisia — that require the consent of the first wife before a husband can take another. Gee, that's awfully humane of them, isn't it? Still polygamy is rare in Iran, where most people frown on the practice. The government of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad proposed amendments last year to legislation drawn up by the judiciary that was supposed to be a landmark bill to allow women judges for the first time since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Wouldn't you just know that our boy, Ahmadinejad had something to do with this. Opponents said the government is trying to impose an even stricter version of Islamic law in Iran, especially toward women. Under Iran's Islamic Republic, women are required to wear headscarves and conservative clothing. A woman needs her husband's permission to work or travel abroad and a man's court testimony is considered twice as important as a woman's. So if that last part is true, and boyfriend happens to have four wives, it would stand to reason, that the women would have a two to one advantage over him in a legal dispute, right? Yeah, that makes total sense.

Tennis - Given the fact that the Williams sisters played each other in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open, you sort of knew things were going to turn out badly for one of them. Eight-time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams advanced to the semi-finals of the US Open on Wednesday, coming-from-behind in a pair of tie-breakers to defeat sister Venus 7-6 (8/6), 7-6 (9/7). I saw the second set, and feel for Venus. It's not like she didn't have her opportunities--she could not convert any of the 8 set points that she had in the second set. Serena will face off against #6 seed Dinara Safina while #5 Elena Dementieva takes on #2 Jelena Jankovic in the women's semi-finals. World number one Rafael Nadal advanced to his first US Open semi-final by battling back to defeat 35th-ranked American Mardy Fish 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-2. The reigning Wimbledon, French Open and Olympic champion from Spain ousted Fish after two hours and 40 minutes, finishing at 2:10 in the morning. Thanks to the extended duration of the Williams match that preceded it. Nadal will face British sixth seed Andy Murray in one semi-final while Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Gilles Mueller, and Andy Roddick via for the other two slots. Well, it's been a while, but the Americans are still alive in both draws going deep into the second week of a Grand Slam. I like Serena's chances. Roddick, I'm not so sure.