What Caught My Eye Today

Samoa - Samoa became the first nation in more than 30 years to switch its driving from one side of the road to the other -- without a single accident. Good for them. At 5:50a.m. the Police Minister made a radio announcement for motorists to stop and then ten minutes later at 6:00a.m. the Prime Minister came on the air ordering all cars to switch sides from right to left; then ten minutes later at 6:10a.m., a final announcement was made to resume driving. The switch was made to bring Samoa in line with the traffic flow in Australia and New Zealand. Seriously, I think credit should be given where credit is due. I say bravo to all three drivers in Samoa for making the transition from right to left in such a seamless manner.

Iran - Iran's president said he is proud to stoke international outrage with his latest remarks denying the Holocaust as he heads for the United Nations this week. Of course he is. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad takes the world stage with a speech later this week to the U.N. General Assembly. Ahmadinejad appears to relish the controversy. Of course he does. This will be his fifth appearance at the annual General Assembly since his first election in 2005. In past years, he has used his U.N. visits to bolster his credentials as a figure of resistance to Israel and American domination — an image that he believes plays well among his conservative supporters in Iran. I'm curious why the U.N. General Assembly continues to allow Ahmadinejad such a platform when it knows full well the nonsense that he is likely to spew. I appreciate that the U.N. has to give all of its members a chance to voice their views on international matters, but this is akin to giving someone a microphone so they can yell "Fire" in a theater just to get a rise out of the crowd.

China - China's military now possesses most of the sophisticated weapon systems found in the arsenals of developed Western nations, the country's defense minister said. "This is an extraordinary achievements that speaks to the level of our military's modernization and the huge change in our country's technological strength." Boy was I way off on this one. I figured dude was going to say something to the effect of, "We've spent billions of yuan and our weapons still suck...which is surprising since its all made in China." However, it would appear that I may not be the only one who views these claims with some skepticism. Some analysts say the claim was likely directed at the Chinese public and exaggerated its technological prowess. No no. That's not possible.

Afghanistan - Police officials from some of Afghanistan's most violent regions questioned the need for more American troops, saying it would increase the perception the U.S. is an occupying power and the money would be better spent on local forces. These guys are worried about a perception problem now? I'm thinking the fact that we've been there for 8 years might have more to do with
the locals view the U.S. as an occupying power. The police were responding to an assessment from General Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, that warned the war was getting worse and could be lost without more troops. President Barack Obama earlier this year approved sending 21,000 more troops to Afghanistan, bringing the total number of U.S. forces to 68,000 by the end of 2009. McChrystal is expected to ask for more troops in coming weeks, but increasing the number risks alienating Afghans, the police officials said. Lucky for Obama, the Afghans are the only ones who have reservations about sending more American troops to fight in a conflict that seems to have no end.

What Caught My Eye Today

Rest in Peace - Patrick Swayze, star of "Dirty Dancing" and "Ghost," died Monday after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 57. Both good movies, but for my money "Roadhouse" and "Point Break" were my Swayze flicks. You'll be missed.

Colombia - I don't wish ill on anyone, but it is nice to be reminded of the fact that we all put our pants on one leg at a time and anyone can catch the flu. Colombian President Alvar Uribe has swine flu and and to seek medical attention while attending a town council meeting. His case is mild but concerns have been raised that Uribe may have infected other leaders from the region. He was diagnosed just after returning from a South American summit in Argentina, where he met with 11 other national leaders. I guess that flu vaccine isn't quite ready yet, is it.

Italy - I preface this next story by assuring you that the humor in this story is not directed at the religion. The Italian sports world is debating where devout Muslims make reliable soccer players. Are you serious? The controversy began when the coach of Inter Milan benched one of his players who had been fasting all day for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Italian Muslims were outraged, and their anger grew when the owner of another Italian team said he simply wouldn't sign players who observe Ramadan. You would think after everything that the world has gone through over the millenia, that we would have learned a little something about religious tolerance. But no. Instead the fine folks at FIFA had to commission an expert panel to make a statement. Medical experts from FIFA, the world soccer body, to announce that "no serious scientific study" had ever shown a decrease in player performance due to Ramadan fasting. Religion aside, I think it's pretty much common knowledge that if you don't eat, your energy level will be somewhat diminished; and I'm pretty certain that's the case regardless of your religious affiliation. My point here, is that if a soccer player is not performing as well as they can (for whatever reason), being benched is a reasonable response. If the dude was playing at the same level during Ramadan as he was for the rest of the season, I doubt he would have found himself on the bench. As for that rocket scientist who won't sign players because of their religious practices, that dude is a moron, plain and simple.

South Africa - I'm not sure I can top this story with any additional commentary...so I'm not even going to try. Tests show that controversial runner Caster Semenya is a woman ...and a man. The 18-year-old South African champ has no womb or ovaries and her testosterone levels are more than three times higher than those of a normal female, according to reports. The tests, ordered by The International Association of Athletics Federations after Semenya's 800-meter victory in the World Championships, determined she's a hermaphrodite - having both male and female organs. Semenya could be stripped of the gold medal she won in Berlin last month and her competitive future is in limbo, according to Australia's Daily Telegraph. The athletics governing body is also expected to advise her to have surgery to fix the potentially deadly condition. Seriously, how do you top a story like that.

Sports - I mean the normal headlines; not the weirdness of the previous two items.

Tennis - There's an old sports adage that goes like this..."that's why you play the game". You need look no further than the U.S. Open for proof of this. Kim Clijsters came of a two year retirement (and the birth of a beautiful daughter), played a couple of warm up tournaments then went on to win the women's single title--her second Grand Slam. Her effort was made a bit easier by the fact that most of the top seeds crashed out of the tournament in the first week and by Serena Williams taking temporary leave of her senses and getting disqualified from her semifinal match against Clijsters. Meanwhile, things were going a bit more according to script on the men's side of the draw. Roger Federer was playing for his sixth consecutive U.S. Open title...and then he lost. Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina beat R-Fed in 5 sets.

Golf - Then again, some things never seem to change. Tiger Woods won his 71st tournament this past weekend at the BMW Championships, almost guaranteeing that he will win a second Fed Ex Cup. Actually, he won it on Saturday, by shooting a course record 62 and taking a 7 stroke lead into the final round on Sunday. For the record, he ended up winning by 8 strokes.

What Caught My Eye Today

Fiji - If I've said this once, I've said it a thousand times--You don't mess with the Queen. Girlfriend doesn't take crap from nobody. The Commonwealth has fully suspended Fiji after it refused to bow to demands to call elections by next year. Yes, I know. The Queen probably didn't make the decision on her own, but I bet she voiced her opinion on the topic. Commodore Frank Bainimarama seized power in Fiji in a 2006 coup and has said elections can only be reinstated in 2014, as part of his "roadmap". He says he needs time to institute reforms that will end the ethnic-based voting system tipped in favour of ethnic Fijians. In other words, dude needs time to figure out how he can ensure that he wins the election--whenever it happens to take place. Fiji has already been suspended from the regional Pacific Islands Forum, and some European Union aid to the country has been put on hold. In practical terms it means Fiji cannot attend any Commonwealth meetings, including taking part in the Commonwealth Games in 2010, or participate in training schemes and other technical aid. So this is serious right? The Commonwealth admitted that it was not a large donor to Fiji and the sanction is largely symbolic. I see. So the Commonwealth is basically the English version of the United Nations. Isn't that lovely?

Bangladesh - As if this poor nation didn't have enough to deal with. Now it is the victim of satire. Two Bangladeshi newspapers have apologized after publishing an article taken from the satirical U.S. website, the Onion, which claimed the Moon landings were faked. The Daily Manab Zamin said U.S. astronaut Neil Armstrong had shocked a news conference by saying he now knew it had been an "elaborate hoax". The made-up quote said that although the journey had felt real, in fact "the entire thing was filmed on a sound stage, most likely in New Mexico. I suppose it really was one small step for man, one giant lie for mankind." Dude, it was so totally a hoax. That footage that was mistakenly taped over a few months ago by NASA? How obvious of a cover up is that. But seriously, I'm not so sure that I would rely on the Onion a a trusted news source. A hilarious source of news, yes; a trusted news source, perhaps not.

The Internet - This next item caught my attention in that it explores the various ways that one could break the Internet.

• Take up fishing: Nets pulling up undersea cables are the single biggest cause of Internet breakages
• Grab a hacksaw: Follow the lead of vandals near Santa Clara, California who cut through underground fiber-optic wires, halting all service to the area.
• Pray for an underwater earthquake: Preferably, a repeat of the quake that took down cables carrying 75% of Internet traffic between Europe and the Middle East in December, 2008.
• Become the head of ICANN: Once in charge of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (the organization that coordinates the global system of IP addresses) you can redirect traffic at will.
• Break into an Internet Data Center: There are thousands of centers housing computer servers in the United States alone. Take your pick and get mischievous.
• Sabotage a few boats: Internet providers lease fleets equipped to located and repair broken cables. Stop the ships and you stop the fix.
• Wait 29 years: On Jan 19, 2038, the internal clock for Unix will overflow, Y2K style.
• Train sharks: Shark have been known to gnaw through a few cables.

Is it just me or is anyone else scratching their head over the fact that this sort of information is being freely distributed to the public almost as a joke? What's next, a public service announcement on building a do-it-yourself improvised explosive device?

What Caught My Eye Today

World War II - So where were you 70 years ago today? On a wind-swept peninsula where shells lobbed from a German battleship ignited World War II 70 years ago. Poland's leaders marked the hour the German battleship Schleswig-Holstein shelled a tiny Polish military outpost housing the navy's arsenal. It was the war's opening salvo. As much of a history buff as I claim to be, I have to confess, I did not know that this was the first battle of the war. The blitzkrieg on Poland launched nearly six years of war that engulfed the world and left more than 50 million people dead as the German war machine rolled over Europe. European leaders vowed never to forget the lessons of the 20th century's bloodiest conflict. I don't know about you, but I've got all my fingers and toes crossed and rubbed every lucky rabbit foot that I could find hoping that these leaders don't merely not forget those lessons, but actually learn something from the war that will help them avoid another such conflict.

Libya - Okay, if 70 years is too far back for you to remember, how about 40 years ago? Libya celebrated the 40th anniversary of the coup that brought Colonel Moammar Gadhafi to power with a parade, lavish dance spectacles and fighter jets streaking overhead. I'll get back to the story in a moment, but here's something rather curious to ponder. Most of the success coups that I've read about result in a general assuming leadership of the nation. Yet here we have a lowly Colonel calling the shots. You would think that after 40 years, Gadhafi would have given himself a promotion by now. I'm just saying. Gadhafi came to power with a military coup in 1969, and was ostracized for decades over accusations of supporting international terrorism. More recently, Gadhafi has tried to restore his country's standing in the world and transform it from a pariah state to a member of the international community. Gadhafi surprised the world by agreeing to dismantle his country's weapons of mass destruction programs. Despite Gadhafi's attempts to restore his international reputation, human rights groups say he has failed to grant Libyans greater freedoms and rights. I think we can all agree that Libya's behavior has improved markedly over the past couple of years, but after 40 years of being a "pariah" it's not terribly surprising that the international community is looking upon Libya with suspicious eyes. Maybe when Gadhafi celebrates his 80th anniversary, if Libya is still playing nice with the other kiddies in the sandbox, we'll be willing to cut the country a bit more slack.

Child Welfare - The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development has released a survey showing that America has some of the industrial world's worst rates of infant mortality, teenage pregnancy and child poverty, even though it spends more per child than better-performing countries such as Switzerland, Japan and the Netherlands. I'm sure it isn't that bad. Honestly, these countries always top these sorts of lists. Infant mortality in the U.S. is the fourth-worst in the OECD after Mexico, Turkey and Slovakia. American 15-year-olds rank seventh from the bottom on the OECD's measure of average educational achievement. Child poverty rates in the U.S. are nearly double the OECD average, at 21.6% compared to 12.4%. Okay, perhaps I am mistaken...it really is that bad. Pity. It just goes to show that while you have the "most" there is no guarantee that you have the "best". Of course, we're not the only ones with problems. Britain is plagued by high underage drinking and teenage pregnancy rates. British teen drunkenness top the charts at 33%, far above the OECD average of 20% and the 12% rate recorded in the U.S. That's because their booze is better than ours.

Iran - Iran's top nuclear negotiator offered an opening for possible compromise with the West, saying the Islamic regime is ready to hold talks with world powers over its nuclear program. But? One can only assume when talking about Iran there must be a "but". But Iranian lawmakers also sent a message of defiance to the world community — displaying strong support for President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's nominee for defense minister even though he is wanted by Argentina for the bombing of a Jewish community center in 1994 that killed 85 people. And there you have it. Leave it to Ahmadinejad to go and screw up the works again. Western nations and others worry Iran is moving toward development of nuclear warheads. But Iranian leaders say the country only seeks reactors to produce electricity. President Barack Obama has given Iran a deadline of the end of September to agree to nuclear talks or risk harsher sanctions. Last year, Iran was offered economic incentives in exchange for suspending uranium enrichment, but Iran's leaders responded by saying they would never give up control of the production of nuclear fuel. My guess is that Iran is trying to work its way out of a bluff as gracefully as possible. Still I'm with the rest of the world on this one. I'll believe Iran's motives when there are tangible actions on Tehran's part to back them up.