What Caught My Eye Today

Canada - Two Canadian airlines announced that they would allow obese people to purchase two seats for the price of one, but only with a doctor's note. That's awfully big of them...I know, I know. I couldn't help myself. The Supreme Court of Canada recently ruled that obese people have to be treated equally by airlines. The airlines have devised a form that asks doctors to measure a potential passenger's posterior. Sure they did. Guess how that went down? Obesity activists say the requirement is degrading, while the Canadian Medical Association says it "shows a disregard for the use of scarce medical resources." Hey now. If you don't like it, take it up with the judge. The airlines are merely abiding by a court ruling--insensitive and inhumane as their tactics may be.

Mexico - The U.S. economy is so bad (how bad is it?) that we're managing to take down Mexico too. The amount of money sent home by Mexican migrant workers in the U.S. in 2008 dropped for the first time on record. The remittances, Mexico's second largest source of foreign income after oil, dropped 3.6% to $25 billion in 2008, compared with $26 billion in 2007. Mexican analysts said the U.S. recession was only partly to blame. They said the U.S. crackdown on illegal immigration last year prevented many Mexicans from finding work. Well, perhaps that may have had something to do with the drop in remittances. How is it that money from illegal migrant workers can constitute a foreign source of income, and not just any source of income, but the second largest source behind oil? Is it just me, or does this come off as rather amusing?

Potpourri - Here's another collection of interesting news factoids.

Geography - Google Earth's satellite imagery of the U.S. Vice Presidential residence in Washington D.C. was restored. When the home was occupied by Dick Cheney, it was obscured by pixilation. Oh dear, God. You have got to be kidding me. It's the Naval Observatory for crying out loud, not some national security secret.

Economy - Manhattan executives who once lunched at expense-accounted fine dining establishments are now having their midday repast and fast-food restaurants. McDonald's share price has rise more than 11% over the past year as most other stock collapsed. So much for the waistline. Looks like the only thing getting slimmer is the old billfold.

Politics - Alaska Governor, Sarah Palin launched SarahPAC to help "build a better, stronger and safer America in the 21st century." Such political action committees are often the first step toward a run for higher office. You can almost here the cheering from late night comedians all over the land.

UFOs - A former British Ministry of Defense official revealed that the Royal Air Force has fired on UFOs several times "with little effect." Do you think?

Food - Seven Tokyo diners ordered blowfish and wound up lying on the floor, partially paralyzed and struggling to breathe. Blowfish is laced with poison, and in this case, the chef apparently lacked the training to serve it. That's a shame. That sort of thing can really put a damper on an otherwise stellar resume.

Sports - I'll keep it short as it was a rather busy weekend.

Football - What an awesome game. Possibly the best Superbowl ever (though I'm sure purists will argue that), but anyone who picked the Steelers to beat the 7 point spread aren't to happy today--Pittsburgh beat the Arizona Cardinals 27-23. The Steelers once again have bragging rights for most Superbowl victories with 6. Dallas and San Francisco both have 5. I'd say that Pittsburgh's record will be safe for a while wouldn't you. As for the ads--better than last year for sure. My favorite was definitely the Doritos spots.

Tennis - Serena Williams won her 10th Grand Slam title at the Australian Open (I called it), but the bigger story was Rafael Nadal beating Roger Federer in another 5 set brawl to take his 6th Grand Slam title and first on a hard court. This pretty much completes Rafa's domination of R-Fed. Clay (French Open), grass (Wimbledon) and hard court (Australia). Still, Roger still has New York (U.S. Open).

Swimming - Michael Phelps got photographed smoking pot last November. Dude is 23 and got caught doing something 90% of us admit to have trying at some point in our lives (including our latest President). All in all, Phelps caught a major break. Had this story come out on any other weekend, it would have made the front page. Still, I fail to see the big deal here. Sure, he's supposed to be a role model, but I think this is part of the deal. I like role models who know a little bit about the stuff I go through in my life.