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.