What Caught My Eye Today

Fred's Note: I was all set to break precedent and lead off with a soccer story, but instead I'll being breaking precedent by leading of with not one, but two (actually three) celebrity deaths.

Entertainment - Michael Jackson, the sensationally gifted child star who rose to become the "King of Pop" and the biggest celebrity in the world only to fall from his throne in a freakish series of scandals, died today. He was 50. Jackson died at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. The circumstances of Jackson's death were not immediately clear. Jackson was not breathing when Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics responded to a call at his Los Angeles home about 12:30pm. Jackson's death brought a tragic end to a long, bizarre, sometimes farcical decline from his peak in the 1980s, when he was popular music's premier all-around performer, a uniter of black and white music who shattered the race barrier on MTV, dominated the charts and dazzled even more on stage. And yet, for all the tabloid fodder that he offered, all you were likely to see in the media today were tributes. Why is it that we always seem to wait until someone is gone before we say something nice about them?

So that is your 80s icon. For children of the 70s, arguably the most famous poster babe that decade has also passed away. Farrah Fawcett, 62, died this morning at St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica, nearly three years after being diagnosed with anal cancer. A winsome smile, tousled hair and unfettered sensuality were Farrah Fawcett's trademarks as a sex symbol and 1970s TV star in "Charlie's Angels." But as her life drew to a close, she captivated the public in a far different way: as a cancer patient who fought for, then surrendered, her treasured privacy to document her struggle with the disease and inspire others. Here's a testament to just how much 'star quality' Fawcett had--she starred in only one season of "Charlie's Angels"; how many other "Angels" can you name? I admit with some degree of embarrassment--actually, quite a bit--that I can name at least three others.

And finally, for my parents' generation, one of the greatest talkshow sidekicks of all time also died this week.Ed McMahon, the loyal "Tonight Show" sidekick who bolstered boss Johnny Carson with guffaws and a resounding "H-e-e-e-e-e-ere’s Johnny!" for 30 years, died Tuesday. He was 86.

Talk about a bad week for Hollywood. Good grief.

Soccer - Had you read my posting on Monday, you will fully appreciate just how knowledgeable I am about this sport. The United States’ 2-0 victory over European champions Spain in the Confederations Cup semi-finals on Wednesday earned a place on the list of great international upsets. Clearly, I have no idea what I'm talking about. Of course, in my defense, neither does the rest of the soccer universe--all of whom did not give the U.S. the remotest chance of beating Spain. Next up for the U.S. will be Brazil in the final this weekend. Given my track record on predicting the outcomes of international soccer matches, I'll go with the U.S. by a touchdown.

I'm sure there was some actual news today. Let's see what we've got...

Healthcare - Senators working to give President Barack Obama a comprehensive health care overhaul said they had figured out how to pare back the complex legislation to keep costs from crashing through a $1 trillion, 10-year ceiling. "We have options that would enable us to write a $1 trillion bill, fully paid for," according to Senate Finance Committee Chairman, Max Baucus. Is this suppose to be good news? Sure we can spend $1 trillion on healthcare, or anything else for that matter. I'm more interested in the question of whether or not we should spend $1 trillion. Baucus declined to detail how the costs were being cut. Big deal. I say we take him at his word. I mean, we're only talk, what...A TRILLION DOLLARS!!! Dude, I think we're entitled to a few details how how exactly a TRILLION DOLLAR bill is "fully paid for."

Iran - Iranian authorities briefly arrested dozens of university professors who met with embattled opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi, but he vowed to persevere with his election challenge despite the apparent attempt to isolate him from his supporters. The declared winner of the June 12 balloting, hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, accused President Barack Obama of meddling in Iran's affairs. Well, of course Obama meddled. How else can you explain international outrage of the "divine assessment" of the people which gave Ahmadinejad almost 63% of the popular vote? Mousavi has alleged massive fraud in the balloting. Sounds like sour grapes to me. Ahmadinejad's standing at home appears to have suffered since the election. Several Tehran newspapers reported that 185 out of 290 members of parliament, including Speaker Ali Larijani, stayed away from a victory celebration for Ahmadinejad. Ahmadinejad's patron, supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has said the election result would not be reversed. The fallout may leave Khamenei and the ruling theocracy battered by once-unthinkable defiance of their leadership. And the Iranian people don't seem to bright either. Your Supreme Leader has spoken. I fail to see why the general population, and apparently most of Parliament, should find it necessary to question his edict. It's as if they think their voices should be heard or...dare I say, matter.

Swine Flu - Swine flu has infected as many as 1 million Americans, U.S. health officials said, adding that 6% or more of some urban populations are infected. The estimate voiced by a government flu scientist was no surprise to the experts who have been closely watching the virus. That's nice. I feel so much better that this pandemic comes as no surprise to the experts. The United States has roughly half the world's swine flu cases, with nearly 28,000 reported to the CDC so far. The U.S. count includes 3,065 hospitalizations and 127 deaths. Regular seasonal flu sickens anywhere from 15 million to 60 million Americans each year. Is it just me or does this 1 million milestone sound like just the beginning of an oncoming influenza trainwreck?

What Caught My Eye Today

North Korea - A North Korean-flagged ship under close watch in Asian waters is believed to be heading toward Myanmar carrying small arms cargo banned under a new U.N. resolution, a South Korean intelligence official said. I wouldn't put it past North Korea to test these sanction, but still, it would have appeared slightly less suspicious if some other intelligence agency had made this announcement. After all, South Korea (understandably) is a bit jittery these days. The U.S. military began tracking the ship after it left a North Korean port last week on suspicion it was carrying illicit weapons. Analysts say a high seas interception — something North Korea has said it would consider an act of war — is unlikely. Why bother? If the U.S. blocks the ship from unloading its payload, the same objective is achieved. Myanmar's military government, which faces an arms embargo from the U.S. and the European Union, reportedly has bought weapons from North Korea in the past. Again, not much of a surprise. You have to figure that despotic military regimes with little regard for their people or the international community, would gravitate toward each other...you know, for moral support and that sort of thing.

Tobacco - Lamenting his first teenage cigarette, President Barack Obama ruefully admitted that he's spent his adult life fighting the habit. Then he signed the nation's toughest anti-smoking law, aiming to keep thousands of other teens from getting hooked. Obama praised the historic legislation, which gives the Food and Drug Administration unprecedented authority to regulate what goes into tobacco products, to make public the ingredients and to prohibit marketing campaigns geared toward children. Full disclosure: I'm a non-smoker and in favor of anything that makes the air cleaner. That being said, the President could be treading on thin ice here. I'm not saying that I oppose measures to prevent teens and children from picking up bad habits, but where do you draw the line? I'd really rather not see responsibility for making lifestyle decisions completely left to the federal government. When I was growing up, those choices were left to a different set of decision makers--you might be familiar with them. They were called "parents".

Dark Matter - Time to embrace your inner science-geek. Far below the Black Hills of South Dakota, crews are building the world's deepest underground science lab at a depth equivalent to more than six Empire State buildings — a place uniquely suited to scientists' quest for mysterious particles known as dark matter. The site is ideal for experiments because its location is largely shielded from cosmic rays that could interfere with efforts to prove the existence of dark matter, which is thought to make up nearly a quarter of the mass of the universe. So why bother with all this? I'll tell you. Scientists believe most of the dark matter in the universe contains no atoms and does not interact with ordinary matter through electromagnetic forces. They are trying to discover exactly what it is, how much exists and what effect it may have on the future of the universe. Physicists have said that without dark matter, galaxies might never have formed. By learning more about dark matter, they hope to understand better whether the universe is expanding or contracting. Scientists hope to start construction on the two deepest labs by 2012 and open them by 2016. The projects are expected to cost $550 million. Maybe, I'm missing the bigger picture here, but isn't the fact that the universe does exist and, by some cosmic miracle, we happened to find a suitable environment--the Earth--to live, enough? Let's say that we prove dark matter exists, and let's say that in doing so, we discover that the universe is going to implode upon itself in a couple of billion years or so. Is that really going to change anything? Heck, the human race will be luck to survive 10,000 more years, let alone a few billion. I'm just saying.

Golf - The U.S. Open finally concluded on Monday after players slogged through 5 days of nearly non-stop rain. Tiger Woods managed to scrape his way to a sixth place finish (even-par). On the off chance that you were wondering who won, some dude named Lucas Glover earned what will likely be his only major championship with a 7 under par score, two shots better than the rest of the field. Even in loss, Woods managed to make the headlines. Apparently, this is the first time in five years all the major trophies belong to someone other than Tiger Woods. Frightening how much game this guy has.

Soccer - Humor me on this one. The things that had to go right for the United States in this tournament are almost beyond belief. Outplayed by Italy and Brazil, the U.S. soccer team once again was on the verge of first-round elimination from a big international tournament. To reach the semifinals of the Confederations Cup, the Americans needed to beat Egypt by at least three goals while the world champion Italians lost to Brazil by at least three. At the risk of stating the obvious, both happened. Otherwise, why would I have reported this story in the first place. Now it’s on to a semifinal matchup with European champion Spain, unbeaten in 35 matches since a November 2006 exhibition loss to Romania. The Spaniards are the world’s top-ranked team. Suffice it to say, if the U.S. manages to pull off an upset against Spain, the soccer world may spontaneous combust. Seriously.

What Caught My Eye Today

Indonesia - Indonesia has opened thousands of "honesty cafes" in schools and government buildings, in which patrons use the honor system to leave money for snacks and drinks. The attorney general's office, which sponsors the cafes, hope they will teach civil servants and ordinary citizens to think about the importance of being honest. Only about 5% of the cafes said customers were walking off without paying, and schools that operated the cafes have reported a decrease in cheating on tests. According to corruption watchdog, Transparency International, Indonesia is one of the world's most corrupt nations. While I applaud the effort--and more so the early success--of this program, I have to admit that I'm skeptical that something like this would work in America. Don't get me wrong playing on a guilt conscience is a powerful ploy, but, speaking strictly for myself, I'm not one to let my conscience get in the way of a free meal.

National Anthem - Some dude at the Washington Post is attempting to make a case for replacing "The Star Spangled Banner" as the U.S. national anthem. "The Star Spangled Banner" has to go. As a national anthem, Francis Scott Key's "notoriously unsingable" song is highly flawed. The melody, stolen from an old English drinking song (Really? I did not know that.), spans nearly two octaves, when most people are good for only one. The first eight lines constitute one enormous sentence with no good place to catch your breath. In the entire first verse, the only vaguely American ideal is "land of the free"; the rest is just bombs and war and bloodshed. Fortunately, there are plenty of good alternatives--"My Country 'Tis of Thee," "Battle Hymn of the Republic," "God Bless America," and "This Land is Your Land" just to name a few. Okay, maybe I'm missing the point, but it seems to me that the song isn't the problem--the quality of the singer is. Seriously, you don't see operas being rewritten just so Uncle Bob can sing along. Why would you want to change an iconic piece like "The Star Spangled Banner". There is a time and a place for change; this isn't one of them.

Clouds - This one is for all my meteorological "get your freak on" readers. The last time a new category of cloud was added to the official meteorological atlas was in 1951. Now the founder of the Cloud Appreciation Society (I kid you not. This is a legitimate organization--click here), is lobbying to add a new variety: asperatus, or the "Jacques Cousteau cloud," because it resembles a rolling ocean. This particular formation does not appear to be one of the 80 previously classified. A spokesperson for Britain's Royal Meteorological Society said that the discovery is "astonishing. It's not every day that you get a new cloud." You just have to love the enthusiasm exhibited by weather geeks. In fairness, you cannot blame them. For some strange reason, cloud formations don't seem to garnish the headlines that you might expect.

Potpourri - For those of you looking for a break from news on the Iranian presidential election and the global recession, I offer you these next couple of items, all of which, tragically, are deemed newsworthy:

• A survey on road rage declared New Yorkers to be the angriest, most aggressive drivers in the U.S.
  In a related story, Los Angeles drivers are set to stage a protest claiming that they, not New Yorkers are the biggest jerks on the road.
• Students in a California elementary school found out they must attend 34 days of summer school because their school day was 5 minutes too short on 34 days. The school district must make up the entire days or lose funding.
  Has anyone checked to see how much it is going to cost to open the school for an unplanned 34 days?
• A California lawyer has won a $510,000 discrimination settlement from the Oakland Athletics because the team gave free floppy sun hats to female fans to promote breast cancer awareness.
  Yeah, that money will be put to a much better use on this than finding a cure for breast cancer. Lame litigation like this is what gives lawyers such a bad reputation.

What Caught My Eye Today

Iran - Good news, everyone. The controversy over who won Iran's presidential election last week looks like it is winding down. Do these guys have their act together or what. Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, sought to end the deepening crisis over disputed elections with one decisive speech — declaring the vote will almost certainly stand and sternly warning opposition leaders to end street protests or be held responsible for any "bloodshed and chaos" to come. That's right, scare the electorate into submission. Good plan. I there is a lesson to be learned here, my friends. Embrace democracy at your peril. Everything is everything when the results go your way, but the problem with allow the people determine those results is that they have an annoying tendency of not always voting the way you want them to. Thank goodness, Iran doesn't have this problem thanks to a supreme leader who can settle such matters with a single edict. Lucky bastards.

Hunger - Here's a milestone, no one is likely to celebrate. The global financial meltdown has pushed the ranks of the world's hungry to a record 1 billion, a grim milestone that poses a threat to peace and security, U.N. food officials said. Because of war, drought, political instability, high food prices and poverty, hunger now affects one in six people, by the United Nations' estimate. The number of hungry people is estimated to have reached 1.02 billion — up 11% from last year's 915 million. The world's most populous region, Asia and the Pacific, has the largest number of hungry people — 642 million, up 10.5% from last year. Sub-Saharan Africa registers 265 million undernourished, an 11.8% increase. Even in the developed world, undernourishment is a growing concern, with 15 million in all and a 15.4% increase, the sharpest rise around the world. As much as I like big numbers, I'm stuck on the little ones. One out of every 6 people on the planet is hungry? I'm almost at a loss for words...almost. Here's a radical notion. Maybe if we spent more time making sure humankind was well nourished, we wouldn't have to spend so much effort trying to figure out why so many people are angry with each other. Heck, if I was hungry all the time, I'd be pissed off to and looking for someone to blame.

Golf - Here's a 64 dollar question--who's leading the U.S. Open after a rather lengthy rain delayed first round. I'll give you a hint--It's probably not who you think, eh (actually there's two hints in there). Despite a double bogey on his back nine, Canadian Mike Weir closed with back-to-back birdies for a 6-under 64, giving him a two-shot lead and the lowest score in the U.S. Open in six years. Phil Mickelson challenged for the lead until he missed some short putts coming in and settled for a 69. Tiger Woods dropped four shots over the last four holes for a 74, his highest start at a major since a 76 at Winged Foot in the 2006 U.S. Open, the only time he has missed a cut in the major. Weir's great play put Woods right on the cut line — the 10-shot rule. I wouldn't rule Woods out just yet, but man does this guy like to dig himself into holes, or what?

Soccer - This just in...U.S. Soccer still blows on the international stage. The latest case in point is the 8-nation Confederations Cup being played in South Africa. Not only has the U.S. been shredded by both Italy (3-1) and Brazil (3-0), but it has the distinction of having earned not one, but two red cards. Way to go, Stars and Stripes. Bring on the World Cup!

TLC - In a clear sign that the tabloids are desperate for a headline, any headline, here's the latest in the ridiculous saga known as "Jon and Kate Plus 8". The TLC network says its biggest stars, Jon and Kate Gosselin, will announce a major decision on their reality show, "Jon & Kate Plus 8." Splashed across Web sites and magazine covers in recent weeks are accounts of infidelity by both spouses — Jon with a 23-year-old schoolteacher and Kate with her bodyguard — accusations both of them deny. Originally envisioned as a series chronicling the challenges of raising a supersize family, "Jon & Kate" has become more of a show that raised the question: Can this marriage be saved? Riddle me this--which is the more tragic tale--that the TLC network is exploiting this family for a ratings bonanza or that the viewing public is delivering those ratings?

What Caught My Eye Today

Iran - The Iranians attempted to elect themselves a president this weekend. The key word be "attempted". Protesters set fires and smashed store windows as groups challenging President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's re-election tried to keep pressure on authorities. Rival candidate, Mir Hossein Mousavi, sent a letter to the Guardian Council — a powerful clerical group — calling for the election to be canceled. He has claimed that he was the real winner. Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has closed the door for a possible compromise. He could have used his near-limitless powers to intervene in the election dispute. But, in a message on state TV on Saturday, he urged the nation to unite behind Ahmadinejad, calling the result a "divine assessment." Political posturing aside, it's Khamenei who pretty much has the final--well, pretty much, the only--say on this. If he's made up his mind that Ahmadinejad has won the election, then all this speculation is mute. I'm thinking that when Khamenei make mention of "divine assessment" he's referring to his own.

War on Terror - Director Leon Panetta says former Vice President Dick Cheney's criticism of the Obama administration's approach to terrorism almost suggests "he's wishing that this country would be attacked again, in order to make his point." One would assume that Panetta is exaggerating just a tad bit, to make a point. Then again, this is Cheney we're talking about, so you never know. Cheney has said in several interviews that he thinks Obama is making the U.S. less safe. He has been critical of Obama for ordering the closure of the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, halting enhanced interrogations of suspected terrorists and reversing other Bush administration initiatives he says helped to prevent attacks on the U.S. Don't get me wrong here, I think that Cheney's notion of suspending all the principles that America was founded on, in order to protect those very same principles is, by definition, flawed. However, I wouldn't for one moment question Cheney's patriotism. As much as I like the sound bite, I think Panetta went a bit off the reservation on this one.

Potpourri - Here's a hodge podge of news items whose only common link is this--Oh, come on. Like this really happened.

• A fisherman reeled in a live missile off the coast of Florida in waters used for weapons training by the Navy. The bomb squad that dismantled the bomb said it could have exploded at any time.
  And that my friends, is what you call a bona fide fishing story.
• A Virginia clinic is offering free Botox injections to the unemployed. A patient explained her rational for taking advantage of the offer--"You're more likely to be perceived in a better light, if you look good."
  by all means. I'd totally go with a freakishly fake smile as opposed to relying on actual marketable job skills.
• European budget airline Ryanair announced plans to charge passengers for each trip to the bathroom. Two of the three bathrooms on each plan will also be removed to make more room for extra seats. The CEO justified the move saying, "We are flying aircraft on an average flight time of one hour around Europe. What the hell do we need three toilets for?
  Of course that hour refers to time in the air only. I'm guessing that doesn't account for the 30 odd minutes you're sitting on the plane during preboarding, or the time you spend on the taxiway before and after your flight. But I'm sure the folks at Ryanair know what they're doing. What could possibly go wrong with limiting access to a bathroom?
• A California judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by a woman who said she had purchased "Cap'n Crunch with Crunchberries" because she believed "crunchberries" were real fruit.
  Seriously, who determined that this case had enough merit to be brought to a judge in the first place?

American Idol - The fact that Idol is still in the news is proof positive, that pop culture has clearly decided to take the summer off. American Idol runner-up Adam Lambert revealed that he's gay. And??? Lambert said he decided to compete on the show after taking "certain funguses" at the Burning Man Festival in Nevada I'm still not seeing any surprises here. He all revealed that he was attracted to married first-place winner Kris Allen, whom he called "totally my type," except that he's "100% straight" And there you have it. All this time I was thinking that it was sheer coincidence that these guys were roommates during the competition. Who know that Glambert was trying to make a play for Kris Allen. I'm thinking this show would be a lot more interesting next season if FOX aired an "Idols After Dark" deal on Cinemax.

What Caught My Eye Today

Influenza - Swine flu is now formally a pandemic, a declaration by U.N. health officials that will speed vaccine production and spur government spending to combat the first global flu epidemic in 41 years. The announcement by the World Health Organization doesn't mean the virus is any more lethal — only that its spread is considered unstoppable. Why doesn't that make me feel any better about this? Since it was first detected in late April in Mexico and the United States, swine flu has reached 74 countries, infecting nearly 29,000 people. So far, swine flu has caused 144 deaths, compared with ordinary flu that kills up to 500,000 people a year. There, was that so difficult? Now I feel better. I'll take my chances with 144 over 500,000 any day of the week.

CIA - The CIA believes Osama bin Laden is still in Pakistan, and the spy agency is hoping to close in on him as that country's military cracks down on the northwestern tribal area where he is thought to be hiding. I don't want to sound unpatriotic or anything like that--I want the dude caught as much as anyone does--but seriously, if the CIA (or anyone for that matter) had a clue as to where this guy was shacked up, we'd be reading about how bin Laden was captured rather than where he might be hiding.

And in other CIA news... The CIA will spend nearly $250 million in the next five years to double the number of intelligence officers that are proficient in a foreign language. Less than a third of CIA analysts and overseas spies are proficient in a foreign language. What a novel idea. Maybe our chances of catching the bad guys would go up a bit if we understood what they were saying.

Palau - Palau's president said that his tiny Pacific nation's tradition of hospitality prompted the decision to take in 13 Chinese Muslims in limbo at Guantanamo Bay, but China called them "terrorist suspects" and demanded they be sent home. It's the first time since 2006 that the U.S. has successfully resettled any of Guantanamo's Uighurs. The U.S. government had determined they weren't enemy combatants and should be released. But China objected saying the men are members of extremist groups working to separate the far western region of Xinjiang from China. With all due respect to China, that part of the world isn't exactly what I would call prime real estate. The fruit and sheep which account for most of Xinjiang's exports cannot be that valuable to China. I'm guessing the sheer land mass, one sixth of China's total territory is much more compelling a reason to keep the region under tight wraps. But back to Palau... Palau has retained close ties with the United States since independence in 1994 and is entitled to U.S. protection under an accord. Two U.S. officials said that the U.S. was prepared to give Palau up to $200 million in development, budget support and other assistance in return for accepting the Uighurs and as part of a mutual defense and cooperation treaty that is due to be renegotiated this year. And as if that wasn't enough to piss of the Chinese... Palau, a former U.S. trust territory in the Pacific, is one of a handful of countries that does not recognize China, instead recognizing Taiwan.

Wealth - You may just want to skip this next item. It isn't pretty. The brute force of the recession earlier this year turned back the clock on Americans' personal wealth to 2004 and wiped out a staggering $1.3 trillion as home values shrank and investments withered. And if you think the first quarter of 2009 was bad... The hit to Americans' net worth was worse late last year. In the October-December period, it fell a record 8.6%, the largest drop on record dating to 1951. Wow, that just plain sucks.

Naturally, we cannot end on such a down note--I suppose we could, but how depressing would that be?--and so we shall not.

Sex - A spokesman for the daughter of Sonny and Cher says Chastity Bono "has made the courageous decision to honor his true identity" and began the sex-change process earlier this year. Chastity's father, Sonny, was said to be "proud of his decision" and hopes "that his choice to transition will open the hearts and minds of the public regarding this issue." See. I told you so. Honestly, considering Chastity's lineage, an announcement like this doesn't seem so far-fetched. You go, girl...I mean guy...I mean...Oh, good grief. Good for you...Chase, is it?

What Caught My Eye Today

Greenland - On June 21, Denmark will grant the right of self-government to Greenland. Policymakers for island of 56,000 are making big plans. Since Greenland has an abundance of swift rivers, the potential for cheap hydroelectric power is huge. Then there are the oil, gold, palladium, platinum, and zinc deposits. An unusual twist in all this: the impact of global warming. Melting ice is causing rivers to run even faster making it easier to reach those deposits. First things, first. I thought Greenland was a country already. I mean you'd think that the distinction between what a country is and what it isn't would be pretty straightforward. Turns out...not so much. Greenland was a Danish colony for about 300 years. Then, in 1985, Greenland became an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark. Now don't confuse "autonomous" with "independent" like I did. Basically, Greenland was given the right of home rule (Home rule refers to a demand that constituent parts of a state be given greater self-government within the greater administrative purview of the central government--I looked it up). It wasn't until a referendum last year that Greenland was given control of the police force, coastguard, and courts. As an added bonus, Greenlandic will be recognized as an official language. And finally, here's a fascinating bit of trivia. Did you know that in 1946, the United States offered offered to buy Greenland from Denmark for $100,000,000, but Denmark refused to sell. If we had pulled that deal off, that would have rivaled Alaska for the steal of the century.

New York Stock Exchange - To quote that famous tagline (assuming you are familiar with "Project Runway"), "One day you are in, and the next day you are out." My, how the mighty have fallen. It didn't suit the blue-chip image of the Dow Jones Industrial Average to continue to include the stocks of bankrupt General Motors and ward-of-the-state Citigroup, So it's casting them out of the list of 30 in favor of Cisco Systems and Travelers. Interestingly, Travelers used to be a subsidiary of Citi. Cisco trades at around $20 and Travelers a bit over $40, compared with the less that $4 for the discarded companies. The higher prices will likely make the Dow move more erratically because of the way the average is calculated. But that's a minor blemish compared with the better reputations of the new stock. Yeah, that's right. Screw reality. We need those numbers to look good, darn it. The NYSE has more than 2700 listings (to say nothing of the more than 5000 on the NASDAQ), and yet the vast majority of the population relies on a revolving door index of 30 stocks (barely 1%) as its primary gauge of how well the economy is performing. Of course, if Jim Cramer and all those other "experts" say that the Dow is an accurate measure of the economy, then I guess it is...because they're never wrong.

National Secrets - The U.S. federal government mistakenly posted on the Internet a "highly confidential" 266-page report on the nation's nuclear plants, weapons labs, and nuclear-storage sites, with specific locations and details on what can be found there. Big deal. You've been able google that stuff for years. Seriously, this would be funny if it wasn't so tragic. Ever since, September 11, 2001, this country has been obsessed with securing the homeland. And then we do something like this. You know, if terrorists really wanted to hit us, they'd sit back and just wait for us to shoot ourselves in the foot.

Russia - The Russian Navy opened fire on a village near St. Petersburg during exercises in the Gulf of Finland. Somehow, no one was injured when artillery fire from an anti-submarine ship rained down on the village. I have a theory on this one. I'm thinking that no one was injured, because as soon as the village got word that the Navy was in the neighborhood, the locals got the heck out of Dodge. See, I don't think this is the first time the Russian Navy was aiming at the wrong target.

Golf - Tiger Woods won the Memorial this past weekend coming from 4 strokes behind in the final round. That's two wins in 7 tournaments that Tiger has entered since he came back from knee surgery. And he's finished in the top ten in 4 of the 5 other tournaments he's played in this year. That makes 67 career victories for Woods, 6 behind Jack Nicklaus and 15 behind Sam Snead.

Tennis - Roger Federer finally won his French Open and in the process tied Pete Sampras for most Grand Slam titles--14, and he became the sixth player to win the career Grand Slam. Some will say that the win wasn't as good, what with Rafael Nadal losing in the fourth round, but they're missing the point. Rafa lost, Roger didn't. That's how you win Grand Slams. Way to go, Roger. By the way, how many Majors do you think Tiger Woods has? Yup--14.

What Caught My Eye Today

National Sovereignty - This isn't exactly a news item, but I dig on stories like this one. When is a country not a country? Fascinating question, wouldn't you say. When the United Nations says it isn't. An official U.N. country needs approval from 9 of the 15 Security Council members. Here are 10 territories that are almost, but not quite countries (number in parentheses represents how many U.N. member states do recognize it):

• Palestine (98) - Next in line to become a U.N. member, if a two-state solution with Israel moves forward.
  Yeah, that should happen any day now.
• Kosovo (60) - Russia still considers it part of Serbia and is singlehandedly blocking its U.N. membership.
  As you continue down this list, this whole nation-state recognition thing between Russia and the rest of the Western world becomes a recurring theme.
• Western Sahara (46) - Some think it should be part of Morocco, while others think it belongs to Algeria. Biggest barrier to U.N. membership--no one has an incentive to get involved.
  I don't care who you are, that's got to hurt the old ego.
• Taiwan (22) - In 1971, President Nixon helped oust Taiwan from the U.N. to appease China and prevent Soviet expansion.
  Nice. All this railing against the Chinese to grant Taiwan its independence, all the while, the U.S. was the one who gave Taiwan to China in the first place.
• Abkhazia (2) - Declared independence from Georgia in 1991. Kept out of the U.N. by the West.
  Sound familiar?
• South Ossetia (2) - Declared independence from Georgia in 1992. Kept out of the U.N. by the West to keep out a pro-Russia vote.
  This is starting to sound like a broken record.
• Northern Cyprus (1) - Declared its independence from the rest of Cyprus in 1983. While the southern Republic of Cyprus is a full member of the U.N. and E.U., the north's only supporter is Turkey.
  This is what happens when you pick the wrong side to back you up. Turkey is all that and a bag of chips, but does not match up too well against...well, the rest of the world.
• Nagorno-Karabakh (0) - Primarily Armenian, but Azerbaijan claims its territory. Nobody recognizes it because picking a side means angering Russia, Armenia or Azerbaijan.
  These guys are hosed, unless they have more oil and natural gas then those other guys, and I just don't see that.
• Somaliland (0) - Was merged with Puntland to create Somalia 20 years ago. Wants independence, but no luck, chiefly because once a country is created, the global community is hesitant to dismantle it.
  The irony here is that Somaliland is a pretty stable joint with its own currency and school system. But, yeah I can see why we want to keep it hooked up with Somalia, what with the success story that mess has been.
• Transdniestria (0) - Declared its independence from Ukraine and Moldova in 1990, but has been governed by 1992 by Moldova which does not recognize its secession.
  Okay, maybe its just me, but if you want to be a country, pick a name that people have half a chance of pronouncing correctly.

Russia - Russian President Dmitri Medvedev established a presidential commission with the aim of "counteracting attempts to falsify history so as to undermine the interests of Russia." The commission will report to the president any domestic or foreign examples of "false" accounts of history. The formation of the commission is seen as a response to the wave of new history books in former Soviet Bloc nations that portray the fall of the Soviet Union as the "liberation" of Eastern Europe. History is a peculiar thing. More often than not, history tends to be written by the "winning side". By sheer coincidence (I'm sure) that history paints a rather positive picture of the "winners" while offering a not so flattering account of the "losing side." Funny how the Russians view themselves as the "losing side" in recent history.

Armageddon - If you have been paying attention you, no doubt, have noticed in the "Let Me Count The Days" section of this blog, that the end of the world is a less than 1300 days from now. Should you be curious why the end is so near, I give you this. The world is coming to an end on December 21, 2012. That's the day the Earth will be destroyed in some kind of fiery apocalypse. Well that does sound rather ominous, doesn't it? This latest end-times prophecy is based on the Mayan Long Count Calendar, which ends on that day. Of course, there are those that are of the opinion that when the calendar ends, it basically starts over, but then this story wouldn't be nearly as interesting would it?

China - I know things are tough all over, but this is harsh, even by Chinese standards. A man who held up traffic for five hours by threatening to jump off a bridge, was finally shoved off it by an impatient commuter who justified his actions by saying, "jumpers are very selfish". The jumper landed on an emergency air cushion and survived. With countrymen like that, I'm not sure surviving was much of a consolation.

Great Britain - Indulge me on this one. It really short. Plus, who doesn't appreciate a little potty humor every now and again. Residents of Butt Hole Road, in South Yorkshire finally tired of the jokes and the busloads of American tourists snapping photos of the street sign and changed the street's name to the more respectable Archer Way. What, only American tourists found this funny? I think not. And another thing, you can change the name all you want, my friends. To me you will always be Butt Holes. (I know, I know, cheap shot. I just couldn't help myself).