What Caught My Eye Today

Qatar - U.S. air marshals wrestled a Qatari diplomat to the floor on a flight to Denver in a security scare that prompted fighter jets to be scrambled and top White House aides to brief President Barack Obama. The incident turned out to be a false alarm, triggered when the Qatari reportedly lit a cigarette in one of the plane's restrooms and then, when confronted, joked he was trying to ignite his shoes. Ha. Ha. Real funny, dumb ass. Next time chew on a stick of Nicorette, you moron. The scare prompted fighter jets to scramble and intercept the flight amid fears of a possible repeat of a passenger's foiled attempt to bring down a Northwest Airlines jet on Christmas Day as it approached to land at Detroit. A State Department official said, "His ability to function effectively has been compromised," adding that the diplomat will probably not be returning to the United States after the incident. The comment came after officials were calling for the diplomat to either be recalled or expelled for doing just about "everything wrong" on board the flight. Now that's a little harsh. You do have to credit the guy for getting on the right plane in the first place. Seriously, dude, don't let the door hit you on the way back to Qatar.

2012 Presidential Campaign - This is a joke right? Sadly, no. Little more than a year into President Barack Obama's first term, Republicans considering a challenge to the Democrat in his re-election bid were gauging their political strength at the first GOP candidate "cattle call" in New Orleans at the three-day Southern Republican Leadership Conference. No less than a dozen Republicans are mulling over candidacies. It's a wide-open field with big personalities but little issue diversity. The hopefuls are encouraged by an increasing chorus of Republicans who argue that Obama could be a one-term president. The theory is that Obama is overreaching in his efforts to dramatically change the country's policies on everything from health care to climate change. This guy has some nerve. How does he think he is and what makes him think he has some mandate to lead? And what's all this nonsense about trying to address multiple problems? Someone is definitely a little koo-koo for Coco Puffs. Republicans predict that voters may ultimately reject his sweeping government policies in a nation that tilts more conservative than it does liberal. On a more serious note, I think the Republicans have it half right. I think that is certainly the possibility that some Americans might get a bit nervous about the implication of all the policy changes that the current Administration is making, but let us not forget that a big reason Obama is in the White House is that a pretty big chunk of the electorate didn't like the status quo. In my humble opinion, the jitters the Republicans are predicting have less to due with conservative versus liberal values, and more to do with the fear of the unknown. No one ever said change was easy, but that doesn't mean that change should be avoided.

Nepal - Nepal and China have agreed to recognize the snow and rock heights of Mount Everest, ending a long-standing debate about the height of the world's tallest mountain. One cannot help but marvel at what modern-day diplomacy can achieve, though I was not aware that the height of Mount Everest was causing an international incident. The official Everest snow height of 29,028 feet was measured by the Survey of India in 1954. Chinese mountaineers and researchers climbed Mount Everest in May 2005 to determine its height afresh and concluded that the rock height of the peak was about 11 feet less than the estimates made in 1954, or the summit was 29,017 feet. Officials from China and Nepal who met this week said both heights were accurate. Sure they are. Just like 2+2 and 2+3 both equal 4. In 1999, an expedition by the National Geographic Society and Boston's Museum of Science used satellite-based technology to measure the height of the snow covered peak, and determined the mountain stood 29,035 feet high. Which I guess means that 3+3 also equals 4. You know, when I was in college, I was trying to figure out whether I should major in Accounting or Finance. My advisor explained the difference in courses of study like this--In Accounting, your focus is on making sure numbers in the "past" add up; in Finance, your focus is making sure numbers in the "future" look good. I chose Finance thinking it would be much easier to come up with a compelling argument as opposed to explaining an unfortunate truth. Perhaps I should have explored a career in diplomacy.

Asteroids - Feeling lucky today? You should. A newly discovered asteroid zipped by Earth today, but posed no threat of crashing into our planet even though it is passed within the orbit of the moon. The asteroid, called 2010 GA6, is a relatively small space rock about 71 feet wide. NASA astronomers said not to worry...the planet is safe. That's a relief. At the time of its closest pass, asteroid 2010 GA6 was about 223,000 miles from the Earth. In January, the small asteroid 2010 AL30 passed within 80,000 miles when it zipped by. NASA routinely tracks asteroids and comets that may fly near the Earth with a network of telescopes on the ground and in space. The agency's Near-Earth Object Observations program, more commonly known as Spaceguard, is responsible for finding potentially dangerous asteroids and studying their orbits to determine if they pose a risk of hitting the Earth. How much do you want to bet that all these tracking posts are loaded up with a bunch of booze and some comfy mattresses. Think about it. These guys will be among the first to know when the world is about to come to an end. Why wouldn't they be prepared to go out with a bang (you know drinking, sex, et cetera, et cetera).