What Caught My Eye Today

Nobel Prize - Al Gore received his Nobel Peace Prize today and urged the United States and China to make the boldest moves on climate change or "stand accountable before history for their failure to act." "It is time to make peace with the planet," Gore said in his acceptance speech. "We must quickly mobilize our civilization with the urgency and resolve that has previously been seen only when nations mobilized for war." His remarks came as governments met in Bali, Indonesia, to start work on a new international treaty to reduce climate-damaging carbon dioxide emissions. The governments hope to have the new pact, which succeeds the Kyoto accord, in place by 2012, but Gore has said the urgency of the problem means they should aim to come to an agreement by 2010. Before his speech, Gore said that he believes the next U.S. president will shift the country's course on climate change and engage in global efforts to reduce carbon emissions. Comparing global warming to war seems a bit extreme, but perhaps that's the motivation that is needed to kick start the international community--especially the U.S.--into action. I must say though that Gore's prediction of action by the next President seems a bit optimistic. I don't recall the subject of the environment being mentioned much, if at all, by any of the candidates from either party.

CIA - White House lawyers have advised President Bush's spokeswoman not to answer specific questions about why the CIA destroyed tapes of terror suspects under interrogation, as Congress seeks answers about the matter. The White House typically stops commenting — beyond broad talking points — once an inquiry into a controversial matter is under way. Congressional leaders are pressing to find out who knew what about the CIA's destruction of interrogation videotape and whether justice was obstructed in the process. Politicians in both parties and in the presidential campaign said inquiries must get to the bottom of the matter and questioned if anyone in the White House knew what was happening. Democrats and some Republicans expressed skepticism about CIA claims that tapes of the questioning of two terrorism suspects were destroyed only to protect the identity of the interrogators. The spy agency destroyed the tapes in November 2005, at a time when human rights groups and lawyers for detainees were clamoring for information about the agency's secret detention and interrogation program, and Congress and U.S. courts were debating whether "enhanced interrogation" crossed the line into torture. Let's see here. Destruction of interrogation videotapes, CIA agents purchasing liability insurance, the White House closing ranks on the issue and lack of support to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate whether any laws were broken. Yup, no signs of a cover up here. What I don't get is that we almost impeached a President for basically lying about an affair with an intern, but when it comes to breaking laws by using torture to interrogate alleged terrorists, no one in charge seems to be interested getting to the truth.

Taiwan - Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian pledged that before he steps down in May 2008 he will not declare formal independence — a move China has said would require it to retake the island by force. Chen's comments on the issue were his most explicit to date. They appeared to be aimed at reassuring Washington, the island's most important foreign partner. Washington has been concerned that a planned referendum in March on whether the island should join the United Nations could be a precursor to a declaration of formal independence. The U.S. transferred its diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979. Since then it has tread a fine line between cementing its complex political and economic relationship with the communist mainland, and continuing its long-standing ties with democratic Taiwan. The U.S. is obligated by the Taiwan Relations Act to maintain sufficient force in the Pacific as a deterrent against China. But the act does not require the defense of Taiwan by U.S. forces if the island comes under attack from China. Washington is also eager to improve ties with China, a major trading partner and fellow U.N. Security Council member, and has grown increasingly exasperated with Chen's provocations. That sound you hear is a collective sigh of relief from the State Department. They have enough to worry about without Taiwan going on and on about this annoying little desire to be free and independent. Anyone want to be that there was some behind the scenes arm twisting going on prior to this announcement being made?

As good as this news is, there is another storm brewing in Europe...

Kosovo - At least 3,000 cheering Kosovars jammed a square in downtown Pristina, Serbia for a pro-independence rally as the breakaway province's leaders vowed to declare statehood early next year. Kosovo is widely expected to announce early in 2008 that it will formally break away from Serbia, but has vowed not to do so without U.S. and European Union approval. International mediators failed to negotiate a compromise on Kosovo's future by today's U.N. deadline. A State Department spokesman said that in the past 130 days of talks, negotiators from the U.S., European Union and Russia explored "every realistic option for an agreement and, in their words, 'left no stone unturned' in the search for a mutually-acceptable outcome." When Kosovo declares its independence, that would start a 120-day internationally supervised transition, during which the U.S. and other countries would recognize the new state and the U.N. would hand off administration to the EU. Although the province formally remains part of Serbia, it has been run by the U.N. and NATO since 1999, when NATO air strikes ended a Serbian crackdown on ethnic Albanian separatists. Serbia has offered Kosovo broad autonomy but insists it remain part of Serbian territory, and Russia has threatened to block its independence drive at the U.N. Security Council. You know what they say--if it looks like an impasse, talks like an impasse, and walks like an impasse, it's probably an impasse. It sure would be nice to see some sort of compromise worked out because, historically, having Europe and the U.S. on one side and Russia on the other side of an internationally dispute. At least it didn't work out to well with that whole Germany and Berlin deal back in the day. If memory serves me, that little fiasco started the Cold war.

Myanmar - U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon warned Myanmar the international community was running out of patience with its authoritarian regime, saying the junta must embrace democracy and stop inflicting suffering on its own people. A U.N. human rights envoy said that Myanmar's crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in September killed at least 31 people, twice the toll acknowledged by the junta and also said that 650 people remained in custody from the crackdown and another 74 people were missing. The United Nations and governments around the world expressed outrage after the junta's troops opened fire on pro-democracy protests, which were led by Buddhist monks. Rights groups have reported continued arrests and abuse, despite claims by the junta that the crackdown has stopped. It's all well and good that the U.N. is losing patience with Myanmar's ruling junta, but does it plan to back up its frustration with action? Recent history clearly shows that the junta doesn't seem to care much about international opinion of how it operates.

2008 Presidential Campaign - The Oprah and Obama tour hit South Carolina Sunday, with the talk show host and medial mogul exhorting nearly 30,000 to ignore Barack Obama's detractors and help him capture the Democratic nomination and the presidency. Obama's campaign said more than 29,000 attended the event at the University of South Carolina's football stadium. It had the feel of a rock concert, with bands playing for early arrivals and campaign supporters yelling "fire it up" to the crowd. A recent poll had Hillary Rodham Clinton leading in South Carolina with 45% of likely Democratic primary voters, followed by Obama's 31%. The two candidates break even on the black vote here, and that's where Winfrey's appeal could become a factor — along with her pull among women. I'm not sure if Oprah will ultimately make a difference in outcome of the Democratic nomination or not, but I'm sure given the choice, Hilary would have preferred to have Oprah stumping for her rather than Obama.

What Caught My Eye Today

Jordan - The CIA sent at least 12 terrorism suspects to a prison in Jordan where they were allegedly tortured. The CIA has a longstanding relationship with the Jordanian intelligence service, which has received CIA money, training, and equipment. The CIA says that it does not transfer prisoners to any country if it believes they will be tortured there. U.N. investigators have confirmed that torture is routine in Jordan. Well, we may have sent suspects to other countries in the past, but apparently we don't need to do that anymore. According to some in Washington aggressive interrogation tactics like waterboarding are technically torture, at least according to the letter of the law. I wonder if the CIA is having any recruitment problems? Seriously, would you want to work for these guys?

Global Warming - So yesterday, I reported on the beating that the U.S. was taking at the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Bali, Indonesia. Here's a story on just how environmentally friendly Indonesia is. Indonesia rushed to plant 79 million trees just as environmentalists where arriving for the U.N. summit on climate change. Indonesia is the third biggest producer of greenhouse gases behind the U.S. and China. It also has the highest rate of deforestation in the world, largely because of illegal logging that every year cuts down the equivalent of a forest the size of Switzerland. See, this is why my feathers get ruffled. I'm not saying that the U.S. is innocent--far from it. But who among those attending this conference--aside from our Scandinavian brethren, of course, because they seem to do everything right--is not guilty of some transgression against the environment?

China - China has proudly released pictures relayed from its first lunar probe, saying the photos show that the unmanned moon mission, launched in October, is a complete success. Some Chinese bloggers promptly raised doubts about the photos saying that the images appeared identical to some NASA pictures. Chinese space officials reject the claims saying that careful examination of the pictures shows some small differences. I'm probably going to take some heat on this one, but does it seem that far-fetched that China may have doctored some photos of the moon's surface? It isn't as if they haven't pirated stuff from us in the past and made knock-offs. Plus, how hard is it to digitally alter a photograph these days? I hope that the photos are genuine, I really do--but, like I said, I wouldn't be that surprised if they weren't the real deal.

Canada - Ever since the Canadian loonie (dollar) eclipsed the U.S. dollar in value, shoppers from the north have been flocking to stores near the U.S. side of the border. Canadian customers are dumping their old clothes in dressing rooms or garbage cans, and then wearing their new purchases across the border to avoid paying duty fees. Canadian duty fees on U.S. purchases range upward of 6% and evading payment is illegal. Some stores are making the best of the situation by placing charity bins outside stores to collect the excess clothing. At a mall near Niagara Falls, an average of 20 full containers are picked up by the Salvation Army and other local charities each week. Don't even think about thumbing your nose up at these folks. Like you've never fibbed on your customs form. Saying that you always claim everything on your customs form is like denying that you have ever participated in another little activity (you all know what I'm talking about) -- 70% of you have done it and the other 30% are lying.

Alcohol - Absinthe has been banned in the United States since 1912. The bitter, greenish liqueur, long associated with bohemian artists and poets, supposedly touched off violence and madness. This past week, St. George Spirits of Alameda, California sold the first legal bottle of the stuff in the U.S. in nearly a century. Distilled with wormwood, absinthe derives its powerful mystique from the chemical thujone, which is believed to cause hallucinations. The St. George version is nearly thujone-free. If you listen carefully, you can hear fraternity houses at college campuses across the country, letting out a big cheer. I for one will probably take a pass. I still have a boat load of Mr. Clean to go through. Seriously, if you put the two next to each other, I swear you cannot tell the difference.

Health - This one is priceless...Everyone knows that the normal body temperature is 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit...and everyone is wrong. For most adults, the natural body temperature is actually half a degree cooler, 98.1 degrees. Back in the mid-19th century, German doctor, Carl Reinhold August Wunderlich record the body temperatures of 25,000 people with his mercury thermometer, which at the time was still considered a new instrument. Through painstaking measurements and tedious math (he had to average about a million readings by hand), Wunderlich came up with the now-familiar average of 98.6 degrees. But more recent studies found that body temperature is flexible , but generally lower than 98.6 degrees. When scientists examined Wunderlich's thermometer, they found it to be calibrated wrongly. All of his readings were false. That's a shame. One wonders what other medical benchmarks that we all take for granted are actually based on erroneous conclusions? Oh well, you know what they say, "what you don't know, probably won't kill you."

What Caught My Eye Today

I want to take a moment to honor two very important events that happened on this date in history. First, a salute to the men and women who died on this date back in 1941 when Pearl Harbor was attacked. Second, on this date a few years later, my mother was born, whom without which, clearly I would not be here today. Happy birthday, Mom. I love you.

Nebraska - Police released the first surveillance images and a three-page, handwritten suicide note of the teenage gunman who killed eight people in a mall shooting rampage on Wednesday. The images at first show the gunman walking into the mall unarmed, wearing glasses, a black zippered sweat shirt over a black T-shirt with a white logo. Six minutes later, he returns and strides through an entrance decked with holiday decorations, an apparent bulge under his clothing. In the last image, he is shown with his sleeves rolled up, aiming the AK-47 to fire. In his three-page, handwritten suicide note, he wrote that he 'just snapped' in a letter that combines love for his friends and family and hate for his random victims. He apologized to his friends in one page of the note, saying, "I've been a piece of (expletive) my entire life it seems this is my only option." He was more apologetic in another page addressed to his family. "I'm so sorry for what I've put you through I never meant to hurt all of you so much and I don't blame any one of you for disowning me. I've just snapped I can't take this meaningless existence anymore I've been a constant disappointment and that trend would have only continued." The third page was his will. This was an individual who clearly felt that he was out of options and beyond redemption. You have to wonder what drives one to get to this point of desperation--and if is there anything that can be done to reach out to others who feel this way before this sort of thing happens again.

CIA - Angry congressional Democrats demanded that the Justice Department investigate why the CIA destroyed videotapes of the interrogation of two terrorism suspects. The spy agency destroyed the tapes in November 2005, at a time when human rights groups and lawyers for detainees were clamoring for information about the agency's secret detention and interrogation program, and Congress and U.S. courts were debating where "enhanced interrogation" crossed the line into torture. Destruction of the tapes came in the midst of an intense national debate about how forcefully prisoners could be grilled to get them to talk. Not long after the tapes were destroyed, Congress adopted the Detainee Treatment Act. The law prohibits not only torture, but cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of all U.S. detainees, including those in CIA custody. At the time, the CIA also was concerned that its operatives involved in prisoner interrogation might be subject to legal charges over the treatment of detainees. Some agency employees have bought liability insurance as a hedge against that possibility. I may be going a bit off the reservation here, but if the CIA's own people were buying liability insurance to protect themselves in the event that that got caught doing what the CIA told them to do and the agency destroyed interrogation tapes shortly thereafter, I'm guessing that doesn't exactly paint a rosy picture of the CIA. Why would they destroy interrogation tapes if they weren't doing anything wrong. To protect its agents? Well if the agents weren't doing anything wrong, then there should be no reason to have to protect them, right? I don't think this is a question of whether or not the CIA did something illegal, but rather how high up the food chain was the order to conduct illegal interrogations given?

Iran - Yet another busy day for international dealings involving this happy-go-lucky Islamic regime...

Defense Secretary Robert Gates plans to tell Gulf countries they must work together to help the U.S. counter Iranian threats, including Tehran's ballistic missiles and meddling in Iraq. Gates intends to urge Gulf allies to cooperate more as part of a broader strategy for containing Iranian influence. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the United States still wants new sanctions. Rice announced to NATO that Washington would continue along a two-track strategy, pressing for new sanctions against Iran while holding talks to persuade Tehran to come clean about its nuclear program. Russia ignored Rice's calls to punish Iran. Despite strong support from NATO allies in the wake of a new U.S. intelligence report that concludes Iran actually stopped atomic weapons development in 2003, the Rice was unable to persuade Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey on the urgency of fresh sanctions. Like I said, busy day. Of course, the same could be said for every other day this week. Perhaps next week, we'll see if anything comes from all the talk this week. If I was a betting man (which I am not--especially after the crazy college football season we just had) I wouldn't be betting on any new sanctions making it through the U.N. Security Council any time in the foreseeable future.

Germany - Germany's top security officials said they consider the goals of Church of Scientology to be in conflict with the principles of the nation's constitution and will seek to ban the organization. The interior ministers of the nation's 16 states plan to give the nation's domestic intelligence agency the task of preparing the necessary information to ban the organization, which has been under observation for a decade on allegations that it "threatens the peaceful democratic order" of the country. The Scientologists have long battled to end the surveillance, saying it is an abuse of their right to freedom of religion. They point to several lower court rulings in favor of their right to practice in Germany as a religious organization. The interior ministers gave no specific examples for their decision, but the most recent annual report on extremism compiled by their agencies criticized the organization for disregarding human rights. The Los Angeles-based Church of Scientology was founded in 1954 by the late science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard. It first set up in Germany in 1970 and officials estimate it counts some 6,000 members in the country. I'll admit that I know next to nothing about the Church of Scientology. Perhaps its the harmless little cult that it claims to be. (I bet that'll get Tom Cruise's knickers in a bunch. Save your breath, Tom. I know that I'm glib). Still for German officials to suggest such extreme measures against a movement that has just 6,000 members--it makes you wonder if there isn't something funny going on.

Global Warming - Lots of U.S. bashing to report at U.N. Climate Change Conference proceedings in Bali. China insisted Friday the U.S. and other wealthy nations should bear the burden of curbing global warming, saying the problem was created by their lavish way of life. It rejected mandatory emission cuts for its own developing industries. A top climate expert for China's government attending the conference said the job belongs to the wealthy. He said it was unfair to ask developing nations to accept binding emissions cuts and other restrictions being pushed for already industrialized states. Elsewhere, the environmental watchdog Germanwatch, labeled the United States and Saudi Arabia the worst "climate sinners," accusing them of having inadequate polices for climate problems while letting greenhouse gas emissions rise. Saudi Arabia was listed as last among the 56 industrialized and emerging nations that were measured, right below the United States. Sweden was ranked as doing the best job, followed by Germany, Iceland and Mexico. Okay, lets's start with China. You guys argue that on a per capita basis, you produce one-sixth the amount of emissions that the U.S does. Fair enough, but is it your plan to match us on a per capita basis before you agree to cut emissions? I'm not sure that's going to help matters. Now then, about this ranking deal. I'm not surprised to see Sweden and Iceland at the top of the list (hell, they're at the top of every other list--why not this one too?), but you guys ranked Mexico at #4? Have you been there lately? I'm not taking anything away from the accomplishments they've made, but #4?

What Caught My Eye Today

Nebraska - Tragically, stories like this one are becoming more and more common...The 19 year old man who killed eight people and committed suicide in a shooting rampage at a department store in Omaha, Nebraska spent four years in a series of treatment centers, group homes and foster care after threatening to kill his stepmother in 2002. After reviewing surveillance tape, a suicide note and the man's last conversations with those close to him, police said they don't know exactly why he went to the Von Maur store at Westroads Mall and shot more than a dozen people. But he clearly planned ahead, walking through the store, exiting, then returning a few minutes later with a gun concealed in a balled-up sweatshirt he was carrying, authorities said. He went through a series of institutions in Nebraska as he progressed through the system: months at a treatment center and group home in Omaha in 2003; time in a foster care program and treatment center in 2004 and 2005; then a felony drug-possession charge later in 2005. Officials said the court records do not identify the drug. Under state law, wards are released when all sides — parents, courts, social workers — agree it is time for them to go. Once the man was set free, he was entirely on his own. He was no longer under state supervision, and was not released into anyone's custody. It's difficult to say what went wrong here. One could argue that the system failed, but I don't think that solves anything and it certainly won't bring back any of the victims. From what I can gather, there were attempts to reach out to the man before he went on his rampage. And you certainly cannot blame law enforcement for this. No one ever plans for this sort of thing to happen. As is so often the case with a tragedy like this there are so many questions and few, if any, answers.

Okay, then. Let's move onto the rest of this screwed up world...

Iran - NATO foreign ministers agreed to stay the course in seeking fresh measures at the United Nations to persuade Iran to stop uranium enrichment and reprocessing despite a new U.S. intelligence report that concluded the country halted it nuclear weapons ambitions in 2003. The ministers accepted the Bush administration argument that Iran remains a threat and needs to be treated as such. Iran strongly opposes Israel's existence and frequently boasts of its ability to strike the Jewish state with long-range missiles. Tehran insists it is enriching uranium only for peaceful energy production; but the U.S. notes that it also could produce the ingredients for a bomb. President Bush has also demanded that Tehran detail its previous program to develop nuclear weapons — "which the Iranian regime has yet to acknowledge." I suppose it should be construed as a positive thing that the U.S. still maintains some amount of stature in NATO. Still with Russia and China having veto authority, I don't see much hope for another round of U.N. sanctions being imposed. The irony here is that you could make the argument that sanctions are the reason that Iran stopped its alleged nuclear arms program back in 2003 and that more could be gained if additional pressure was applied in the form of new sanctions.

2008 Presidential Race - I have a two-fer for you today. First up, Mitt Romney...

Mitt Romney said his Mormon faith should neither help nor hinder his quest for the White House and vowed to serve the interests of the nation, not the church, if elected president. After declining for months to address the issue of his Mormonism directly, Romney switched course as polls showed widespread unease about his religion — and showed him losing his once-sizable lead in the opening Iowa caucuses to Mike Huckabee, a Baptist minister and former governor of Arkansas. Romney said some believe that a forthright embrace of his religion will "sink my candidacy. If they are right, so be it. But I think they underestimate the American people." I'm still not going to vote for the dude, but it is unfortunate that he had to address this in the first place. Whatever happened to the concept of 'freedom of religion'? Is there small print somewhere in the Bill of Rights or the Constitution that specifies which religions presidential candidates are free to choose from?

And then we have Hilary Clinton. While I'm sure every vote is happily received, I'm not sure this particular endorsement is going to matter much to the Senator.

The one-time other woman in Hillary Rodham Clinton's life says she's considering casting her vote for the former first lady. "I can't help but want to support my own gender, and she's as experienced as any of the others — except maybe Joe Biden," Gennifer Flowers said in a recent telephone interview. Flowers said she is still undecided, supports abortion rights and has long wanted to see a woman in the White House. "I would love to see a woman president, I just didn't think it would be her," Flowers said. In the 1992 presidential race, the former television reporter claimed to have had a 12-year affair with then-candidate and Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton. Clinton initially denied the allegation, but later, during his deposition in the Paula Jones sexual harassment case, acknowledged a single sexual encounter with Flowers. Don't you just love all these hard hitting stories leading up to the Presidential nominations and election next year? The depressing aspect of this story is that we're only in December. We've got to endure another 11 months of this stuff.

Jurisprudence - Kiefer Sutherland was sentenced Wednesday to 48 days in jail for racking up a second drunken-driving arrest in three years and immediately reported to a city lockup. Sutherland, who pleaded no contest in October to driving with a blood-alcohol level above the legal limit of .08, appeared in court with his attorney and politely answered the judge's questions. His request to serve his time at the Glendale city jail was granted and he was ordered to complete the sentence by March 30 but elected to begin serving his sentence immediately. The actor was already on probation for a 2004 drunken-driving arrest when he was stopped by police as he left a Hollywood industry party at the trendy Area nightclub on Sept. 25. Authorities said he failed a field sobriety test after being pulled over for making an illegal U-turn. Sutherland will serve his sentence at Glendale city jail, but under a county jail inmate program because of overcrowding. He must serve all 48 days. The Glendale jail is a minimum security facility with 48 cells, each of them measuring 10 feet by 8 feet. They come equipped with two beds, a toilet, washbasin and water fountain, but Sutherland won't be sharing his cell with anyone. Is it just me or is there a double standard being applied here? If memory serves me correctly, Paris Hilton served something like 3 days of a 3 week sentence and Lindsay Lohan didn't even make it to her cell before she was released. I'm not saying that boyfriend should get off scott-free, but if the courts are going to make him do the time, so should all the rest of those celebrities.

And finally, to end things, hopefully, on a light note...

Sleeping - Victoria Beckham goes to bed naked. And she's got a very good reason — her husband. "You don't sleep with David Beckham," the 33-year-old Posh Spice said in an interview appears in the January issue of Elle magazine. "I'm going to be naked if I'm getting in bed with him every night!" So there you have it. I'm sure we'll all have pleasant dreams with that image in mind.

What Caught My Eye Today

Iran - Tell me you didn't see this coming from a mile away... President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called the dramatic U.S. turnaround in a new intelligence review a victory for Iran's nuclear program, suggesting it shows the success of his hard-line stance rejecting compromise. But his more moderate opponents at home are hoping the assessment's conclusion that Tehran shelved its effort to develop atomic weapons will boost a diplomatic resolution of the nuclear stand-off with the West. In past months, Ahmadinejad has faced a rising challenge from a more moderate camp centered around his top rival, former president Hashemi Rafsanjani. Rafsanjani's allies have increasingly criticized Ahmadinejad for his hard-line positions, saying they are creating enemies for Iran in the West. Iran's more favorable position may in large part be due to gains by moderates in Tehran. In recent months, Iran handed over confidential documents to the IAEA about its past enrichment activities and answered other questions about its nuclear program. Soon after, the IAEA issued a report saying Iran had been generally truthful about its past enrichment activities. Many Iranian analysts believe supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has ultimate say on the nuclear program and all other issues, ordered the cooperation, perhaps influenced by Rafsanjani, a powerful cleric in Iran's political leadership. Say what you will about our method of government in the U.S. At least we know who's in charge. With countries like Iraq, Russia and a bunch of others who have both a president and a prime minister it gets rather confusing to sort out who's really in charge. Then you have Iran with the added dimension of the supreme leader. My goodness, how many leaders does one country need to have? It's hard enough to find one person with enough competence, let alone three.

And in a related story, because nothing is ever simple when it comes to the Middle East...

Israel - The U.S. intelligence assessment that Iran has stopped developing atomic weapons is putting a burden on the Jewish state, which has long relied on Washington to lead the international charge against Iran's nuclear ambitions. With the U.S. now less likely to take military action, an increasingly nervous Israel might feel compelled to strike out on its own if it perceives a dangerous threat. Israeli officials say their intelligence forces believe Iran is still working aggressively to build nuclear arms. The Islamic regime in Tehran is strongly opposed to Israel's existence and frequently boasts of its ability to strike the Jewish state with long-range missiles. Israel sees Iran as its greatest threat and maintains that country is aggressively pursuing a nuclear weapons program. It responded to the report with a mixture of skepticism and veiled irritation. I'm not sure what Israeli intelligence has that can contradict the U.N. or U.S. findings, but I'm not sure that's relevant. If Israel feels threatened by another country, it is fully within its rights to protect itself. It's not like the U.S. can criticize them for doing so--not after all stuff we've done in Iraq and Afghanistan in the name of national security. Well. I suppose we could, but that would be rather hypocritical of us.

Climate Change - Developing nations at the U.N. Climate Change Conference demanded rapid transfers of technology to help them combat global warming. Poor and emerging economies argue they need more scientific know-how to reduce pollution and improve energy efficiency. Delegates and activists said the wealthy nations want to focus on booming countries like China to set goals for cutting pollution emissions. The conference in Bali, Indonesia is meant to start a two-year negotiating process aimed at producing a treaty to replace the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012. That pact commits 36 industrial nations to cut greenhouse gas emissions by an average 5% below 1990 levels by the time it expires. Failure to reach a new international consensus on curbing emissions, experts warn, will raise the threat of catastrophic droughts and floods, increased heat waves and disease, and sea level rises caused by melting polar ice. With the growth in Asian "mega-cities," coastal flooding could affect 150 million people by 2070, up from 40 million today, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development warned. Delegates and activists led by the Group of 77, which represents 132 mainly developing countries and China, said barriers such as intellectual property rights and a lack of a sense of urgency among rich countries are slowing the transfer of needed technology. Wealthy nations like the United States argue that they are eager to move energy-saving technology to developing nations. The United States says it wants to be part of the negotiations on a follow-up accord to the Kyoto pact, but refuses to endorse the mandatory emission cuts favored by the EU, arguing that the focus should be on funding renewable energy projects and improving energy efficiency. Already then. Let's see what we have here. Dire predictions for global doom, lack of compromise between the 'haves' and the 'have nots' and little sign that the U.S. will agree to any sort of global environmental agreement anytime in the foreseeable future. Yup. This pretty much sums up where we were back in 1990. Always nice to see progress being made on the critical issues facing the planet.

Teenage Births - In a troubling reversal, the nation's teen birth rate rose for the first time in 15 years, surprising government health officials who had no immediate explanation. The birth rate had been dropping since its peak in 1991, although the decline had slowed in recent years. U.S. health officials said it was possibly a one-year statistical blip and not the beginning of a new upward trend. But several experts said they have been expecting a jump. They blame the increase on increased federal funding for abstinence-only health education programs that do not teach how to use condoms and other contraception. 'A statistical blip' is the best they can come up with? Oh, come on. Everyone grasps the basic concepts on how to make a baby and most of us accept that fact that teenagers tend to get randy from time to time. Relying on abstinence, especially in this age demographic, as the primary form of birth control--hell, I'm surprised the birth rate has gone through the roof. And these guys are surprised. Give me a break.

Thailand - Thais celebrated their revered king's 80th birthday, honoring the world's longest-reigning monarch with festivities and prayers amid concerns about his declining health and potentially divisive elections. Tens of thousands of people packed the streets around the Grand Palace where King Bhumibol Adulyadej made a rare public appearance from the balcony of his ceremonial Throne Hall. It was only the sixth such appearance in his 61-year reign. Bhumibol's birthday has increasingly become a day of nationwide tribute to the U.S.-born king, who is regarded the most influential figure in modern Thai history and the key to its stability. Although he is a constitutional monarch with no formal political role, he is regarded as the force that holds the country together. Bhumibol has stilled bloody uprisings, weathered military coups and has reigned through scores of governments, democratic and dictatorial. Dude sounds like the real deal. Happy birthday, Your Highness.

What Caught My Eye Today

Iran - Iran touted a new U.S. intelligence report as vindication that its nuclear program is peaceful. A new national intelligence estimate found that Iran halted its nuclear weapons program in the fall of 2003, largely because of international scrutiny and pressure. That finding is in stark contrast to the comparable intelligence estimate of just two years ago, when U.S. intelligence agencies believed Tehran was determined to develop a nuclear weapons capability and was continuing its weapons development program. Iranian officials insisted Washington should take a less hawkish stance and drop attempts to impose new sanctions in light of the report's conclusion that Iran stopped its nuclear weapons program in late 2003 and has shown no signs of resuming. President Bush said that the international community should continue to pressure Iran on its nuclear programs, asserting Tehran remains dangerous. I question the criteria that we're using to determine what countries are 'dangerous' versus those that are not. Russia's decision proceed with a military build up along its European borders and its decision to opt out of a non-proliferation treaty with its European neighbor seem a lot more dangerous than conclusive evidence that Iran is not pursuing a nuclear weapons program. As for what could happen in the years ahead, who knows? In 2010 or 2015, Iran could be our biggest ally in the region. Still, I will sleep a bit easier tonight knowing that U.S. Intelligence (such as it is) appears to confirm that Iran is not actively trying to build a nuclear bomb.

War on Terrorism - Here's a big newsflash... President Bush and congressional Democrats are locked in a struggle over Iraq spending, with neither side budging and each calculating that its argument will be the one to resonate with voters. For both sides, this rhetorical tug-of-war has become a question of leadership on national security issues and who is more committed to the troops. The conflict could be on display this week, if the Senate revisits a $50 billion measure to pay for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan but call for most troops to come home by Dec. 15, 2008. The bill is doomed since it is identical to one blocked last month by Senate Republicans, who said Democrats were trying to limit military commanders' flexibility. The bill failed 53-45, falling seven votes short of the 60 needed to overcome procedural hurdles. Once the bill fails in the Senate, Congress is not expected to consider another spending bill for Iraq. While Democrats could allot some money for other military needs, Iraq will be left out of the equation until Congress returns in January. Congress has until mid-February before the Army will cease base operations and until March before the Marines take similar steps, according to the Pentagon.

This last bit, is my favorite part...

The standoff between Bush and the Democrats is largely on principle, as the Democratic bill probably would have little or no practical effect on force levels in Iraq. The measure calls for troops to start coming home in 30 days — a requirement that Bush is already on track to meet as he begins reversing this year's troop buildup in Iraq. And the 2008 goal to have most troops home is a nonbinding goal, which means Bush could ignore it. So here we have our nation's armed forces and thousands of innocent civilians wondering where their next paycheck is going to come from all because the President and Congress are engaged in a battle of principles. Is it any wonder why President Bush and Congress are suffering historically low approval ratings. How about this for a change of pace--we withhold the salaries of everyone in Congress and the President--including all those little perks, like say the use of Air Force One--until they reach an agreement on war funding? I bet we'd see action then.

Cuba - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's unprecedented defeat in a referendum is a wake-up call for Communist ally Cuba, which has come to rely heavily on the firebrand socialist leader. Chavez has kept the Cuban economy afloat with vital shipments of 92,000 barrels of oil per day, an estimated bill of $3 billion a year that cash-strapped Cuba pays for with medical and other services. Cuban officials declined to comment on the significance for their country of a defeat that curbed Chavez's plans to speed up his socialist revolution in Venezuela. Experts on Cuba said the referendum upset is further notice to Cuba's leaders that they must look for alternative sources of support because the Venezuelan lifeline is not eternal. Venezuela held out a hand to Cuba in the direst time of its post-Soviet crisis, and trade between the two allies has grown to $7 billion a year. This must be seen as a nice little bonus to the U.S. Not only did Chavez get screwed in the recent election, but as it turns out, Fidel Castro is getting hosed as well. Looks like Christmas has come early this year for some folks in Washington.

Education - The Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development's Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) shows that Finland and South Korea remain among the superpowers of education placing in the top five for reading and math. The rankings are based on tests taken by 15-year-olds in 57 countries. The latest findings also show the extent of global competition in education - with the northern European countries now challenged by and overtaken by Asian rivals, including Taiwan, Hong Kong and South Korea. The report says that overall the industrialized countries have not seen improvements to match extra investment.

Here are the top 10 rankings for reading: (1) South Korea, (2) Finland, (3) Hong Kong, (4) Canada, (5) New Zealand, (6) Ireland, (7) Australia, (8) Liechtenstein, (9)Poland, (10) Sweden

Here are the top 10 rankings for mathematics: (1) Taiwan, (2) Finland, (3) Hong Kong, (4) South Korea, (5) Netherlands, (6) Switzerland, (7) Canada, (8) Macao-China, (9) Liechtenstein, (10) Japan

Here are the top 10 rankings for science: (1) Finland, (2) Canada, (3) Japan, (4) New Zealand, (5) Australia, (6) Netherlands, (7) South Korea, (8) Germany, (9) United Kingdom, (10) Czech Republic

What Caught My Eye Today

Russia - Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared his party's parliamentary victory a mandate to cement power, but international electoral monitors and foreign governments have questioned the fairness of the vote, which will let him wield power beyond the end of his presidential term. Putin's United Russia Party had 64.1% of the vote from nearly 98% of precincts reporting. "I headed United Russia ticket, and, of course, it's a sign of public trust," Putin said in televised comments, adding that victory would let the United Russia party cement its power base in the Duma. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) questioned the fairness of the polls. Independent election monitors said their work had been hampered, and reports abound of state employees being ordered to support the government. The White House called on Russian authorities to investigate complaints of election irregularities. U.S. officials had expressed concern ahead of the vote about the intimidation of opposition figures and the effect of "state-owned or -influenced" media in favor of Putin's party. The UK's Foreign Office urged Russia to investigate all claims of electoral irregularities saying that such claims "if proven correct, would suggest that the Russian elections were neither free nor fair. Does anyone think that Russia is going to investigate irregularities that it doesn't believe exist, simply because the U.S. and Britain ask them to? Plus, if everyone was in agreement that the election results were a foregone conclusion before the election took place, why is there all this shock and surprise now? Get over it and move on.

On a rather busy weekend for elections,some outcomes yielded results that the U.S. couldn't be more ecstatic about...

Venezuela - Humbled by his first electoral defeat ever, President Hugo Chavez said he may have been too ambitious in asking voters to let him stand indefinitely for re-election and endorse a huge leap to a socialist state after voters narrowly rejected the sweeping constitutional reforms by 51% to 49%. Opposition activists were ecstatic as the results were announced shortly after midnight — with 88% of the vote counted, the trend was declared irreversible by the elections council chief. The defeated reform package would have created new types of communal property, let Chavez handpick local leaders under a redrawn political map and suspended civil liberties during extended states of emergency. Other changes would have shortened the workday from eight hours to six, created a social security fund for millions of informal laborers and promoted communal councils where residents decide how to spend government funds. You know, maybe if Chavez had chosen his friends more carefully--say like chumming up with Putin instead of Fidel Castro--maybe he would have picked up a few campaign tips that may have yielded him the results that he was hoping for. Still, whenever the will of the people comes out in an election--ideally a freely held election--I say bravo for democracy. The folks in Washington may not always like what those democratic elections yield, but that's just something that they'll need to learn to live with.

Sudan - The British teacher jailed for insulting Islam after allowing her students to name a teddy bear Muhammad was released when Sudan's president pardoned her. She said she did not intend to offend anyone and had great respect for Islam. The teacher's conviction under Sudan's Islamic Sharia law shocked Britons and many Muslims worldwide. It also inflamed passions among many Sudanese, some of whom called for her execution. During her trial, the weeping teacher said she had intended no harm. Her students, overwhelmingly Muslim, chose the name for the bear, and Muhammad is one of the most common names for men in the Arab world. Muslim scholars generally agree that intent is a key factor in determining if someone has violated Islamic rules against insulting the prophet. The case also sparked criticism from many Muslims in the West who said she should have never been arrested. It may be wishful thinking on my part, but hopefully, this pardon will put this episode to rest and we can move on to more pressing issues--like maybe figuring out how to create a peaceful co-existence among all faiths. Yes, I know. In reality this seems rather close to being completely impossible, but one can always hope?

Tennis - The United States have reasserted their Davis Cup dominance, earning their 32nd title with a 4-1 triumph over Russia in the 2007 World Group final. Andy Roddick, James Blake and Bob and Mike Bryan, who claimed America's first Davis Cup crown in 12 years, were barely done celebrating when they began looking ahead to the difficult task of retaining the title in 2008. Sweden were the last country to win back-to-back titles, in 1997-98. Other than the Williams sisters, the U.S. hasn't had much to cheer about in tennis. Well done, guys.

College Football - Okay folks, after one of the most entertaining regular seasons in recent memory, the college bowls are set. One year after losing 41-14 to Florida in the national championship game, Ohio State (11-1) get a shot at redemption when it faces LSU (11-2) on Jan. 7 at New Orleans. Ohio State finished first and LSU second in the final Bowl Championship Series standings, though the Tigers have been listed as an early five-point favorite. The other BCS games pit Virginia Tech (11-2) against Kansas (11-1) in the Orange Bowl, USC (10-2) against Illinois (9-3) in the Rose Bowl, Georgia (10-2) against Hawaii (12-0) in the Sugar Bowl and Oklahoma (11-2) against West Virginia (10-2) in the Fiesta Bowl. Missouri and West Virginia opened the weekend one victory away from a potential meeting for the national championship, but both stumbled in their final games. Missouri fell to Oklahoma 38-17 in the Big 12 championship, while West Virginia lost 13-9 at home to 28-point underdog Pittsburgh. The losses by Missouri and West Virginia allowed Ohio State to rise from the No. 3 position to the top spot in the final BCS poll. LSU moved up from No. 7 to No. 2. One day after it squandered an opportunity to play for the national title, Missouri had to settle for a Cotton Bowl berth against Arkansas despite being ranked sixth in the BCS standings. No more than two teams from each conference can earn BCS invitations in a single season. No. 8 Kansas earned the Big 12's BCS at-large bid even though Missouri was ranked higher in the BCS standings and beat the Jayhawks 36-28 last week. Arizona State also was left out of the BCS mix despite going 10-2 and placing 11th in the BCS standings – two spots higher than Rose Bowl-bound Illinois. Arizona State instead will face Texas in the Holiday Bowl. Ohio State's rise to the top of the rankings left the Rose Bowl without the Big Ten champion. The Rose invited Illinois as a way of continuing the game's Big Ten vs. Pac-10 tradition. If the Rose had invited a higher-ranked team from outside the Big Ten, such as Georgia, it could have allowed Arizona State and a second Big 12 team to earn at-large bids. If you were not able to follow all that, here it is in a nutshell...The NCAA needs to get rid of the BCS and this stupid bowl system and institute a a playoff like every other sport (and every other college football division for that matter) has.

What Caught My Eye Today

Turkey - Turkey said it inflicted heavy casualties on Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq in an "intense intervention" involving helicopters, artillery and a cross-border raid by special forces. A military official said around 100 special forces crossed into Iraqi territory to hit the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), a day after Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan announced the cabinet had given a green light to such operations. Turkey has made many threats of military action but, under heavy U.S. pressure, has so far shown restraint. Washington fears a large-scale operation could wreak havoc in the most stable part of Iraq and possibly the wider region. Turkey's parliament approved a resolution on October 17 giving the government the legal basis to order cross-border military operations if and when it deemed them necessary. The Turkish government blames PKK for the deaths of nearly 40,000 people since the group began its armed separatist insurgency in 1984. Both the European Union and the United States list the PKK as a terrorist organization. The thing I don't get is that the U.S. claims that this region is one of the few success stories in Iraq and that Kurdistan is relatively peace compared to the rest of the country. Maybe that's because instead of attacking fellow Iraqis or the U.S. military, the Kurds are directing all their efforts at Turkey.

2008 Presidential Campaign - Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton was impressive in the cool way she handled the drama of a man seizing hostages at one of her campaign offices, some voters and analysts said. Political science analysts say Clinton did the right thing by going into "crisis" mode as soon as news broke about the man taking the people hostage and claiming to have a bomb. She canceled her schedule and was available by phone to help police as they negotiated with the man, Leeland Eisenberg, for several hours. After the incident ended with no injuries and Eisenberg under arrest, Clinton flew to New Hampshire and thanked police for their efforts to keep the hostages safe. In New Hampshire, where there is a primary election on January 8, Clinton is ahead with a substantial but shrinking lead. Some residents said they were impressed by her reaction to the hostage drama but that it would not sway their votes. Well sure, I suppose this thing could have ended up being a public relations nightmare for Senator Clinton, but isn't it in rather poor taste to look at this event in terms of political gain or loss? Lives could have been lost. Frankly, I thought her reactions were entirely appropriate given the circumstances, but one would hope that any Presidential candidate in the same situation would have done the same thing.

Russia - Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the U.S. government of deliberately trying to undermine the upcoming Russian parliamentary elections, and warned that Russia was building up its military so that 'no one puts his runny nose into our affairs.' ('runny nose'? I'm sure it sounds alot better in Russian) His remarks came after the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) would not even try to verify the fairness of the Russian elections. The organization said the Russian government made it so difficult for its 70 observers to monitor the voting that it could not provide assurances that the election was fair. So many conspiracy theories to choose from. Let's see...

- Theory #1: Putin is right. The U.S. government tries to discredit the election by pulling out the election monitors who--if the Russian people actually support Putin--would validate Putin's claims. Possible, I suppose. I'm sure we've done worse.

- Theory #2: The OSCE is right. Putin is actually squelching his competition and in accusing the U.S. of interfering in the Russian election he is trying to deflect attention from his suppression of opposition parties. Certainly plausible from what I've seen.

India - Finally a story that doesn't involve the monkey epidemic... For month the city of Ghaziabad, India was a mess. Municipal contractors weren't being paid, officials were demanding bribes, and services weren't being delivered. So when the city got a new municipal commissioner, he legalized bribery. Today, contractors pay the municipality 15% of what the receive for a job, and the money is funneled back into city projects. In just 3 months, the approach has netted $4.7 million that would have gone into corrupt pockets. Dude, is this guy awesome or what? He'd do well over here except for the fact that our politicians don't publicly condone corruption...they prefer to engage in it behind closed doors.

Kenya - Yet another story from the 'So Bizarre It Must Be True' file... Older white women have begun traveling to Kenya to have flings with younger Kenyan men. Locals who live near coastal resorts estimate about 20% of female tourists in their 50s and 60s are trawling for sex, offering to buy young men clothing and meals in return for their services and company. Clearly, girl power has arrive in this neck of the woods. To those intrepid women I say this--You go girls! To those of you who frown upon such behavior I say this--How long have men engaged in these sorts of arrangements with their younger female counterparts?

What Caught My Eye Today

Sudan - Thousands of Sudanese, many armed with clubs and knives, rallied in a central square and demanded the execution of a British teacher convicted of insulting Islam for allowing her students to name a teddy bear "Muhammad." In response to the demonstration, the teacher was moved from the women's prison near Khartoum to a secret location for her safety. They called for Gibbons' execution, saying, "No tolerance: Execution," and "Kill her, kill her by firing squad." Many protesters carried clubs, knives and axes — but not automatic weapons, which some have brandished at past government-condoned demonstrations. That suggested Friday's rally was not organized by the government. Am I to understand that armed rioters are an indication of a government-supported demonstration? Good Lord. I may be missing something here, but it seems rather obvious to me that the series of events being communicated to the Sudanese people is vastly different from what the rest of the world is receiving. I wonder why that is?

Iran - The European Union said it was disappointed after talks with Iran seen as a last chance to avert U.S. pressure for tougher international sanctions over Tehran's disputed atomic program. The absence of a breakthrough at the London talks means six world powers meeting in Paris will try to agree new penalties to propose to the United Nations, despite differences in their approach to halting Iran's nuclear program. Taking a hard line, Iran's chief negotiator told reporters after the meeting it was "unacceptable" to demand Iran halt its uranium enrichment program and that any new U.N. sanctions would fail to prevent Tehran from pursuing its atomic work. The West says the program is aimed at building atom bombs and wants Iran to freeze its enrichment of uranium. Iran, a major oil exporter, says enrichment efforts are meant only to produce electricity which it says is an inalienable right. What draws my attention to this is that an a coalition of countries--rather than just the United States--has failed to make any progress with Iran. On one hand, I guess that bolsters our claim that Iran is being stubborn. On the other hand, it would have been better for all concerned, if these negotiations had proved more fruitful than previous attempts made by the U.S. alone.

Middle East - In an about face, the United States withdrew a U.N. resolution endorsing this week's agreement by Israeli and Palestinian leaders to try to reach a Mideast peace settlement by the end of 2008, apparently after Israel objected. U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said he needed to consult with the Israelis and Palestinians overnight on the text of the resolution to ensure it was what they wanted. The State Department said Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had decided such a resolution was unnecessary. U.S. officials said there were several concerns about the resolution, including the failure to consult the Israelis and Palestinians on the language and the possibility that some on the Security Council might try to add anti-Israeli language to it. One would think that we would have checked with the Israelis and Palestinians about the wording of the resolution before we submitted it to the U.N. Given the importance that President bush has placed on this, you'd think that the State Department would have kept much closer tabs on what was being presented at the U.N.

Russia - Former world chess champion, Garry Kasparov, was released from jail after serving a five-day sentence for leading a protest against Vladimir Putin. Kasparov predicted the upcoming election season will force the secretive Putin to reveal his strategy in the nail-biting political game gripping the country as Putin's time in the Kremlin runs out. With Putin leading the ticket of the main pro-Kremlin party, United Russia, government authorities have made an all-out effort to secure an overwhelming victory. Putin has cast the election as a crucial vote for continuity — and suggested that a convincing United Russia win would give him a popular mandate to retain influence after the presidential vote, in which he is barred from seeking a third term. Kasparov labeled the upcoming vote a farce that will push the country toward dictatorship. Even if Kasparov is right, does anyone think that his protests are going to make much of a difference? He's been trying to drum up resistance to Putin for more than a year and what does he have to show for it. Last time I checked, Putin was enjoying an approval rate of around 80%. One could argue that Putin is controlling those numbers with strong-arm tactics, but it would be pretty hard to maintain that much control for as long as he has. My guess is that Putin enjoys a pretty decent amount of public support.

2008 Presidential Race - A man claiming to have a bomb strapped to his chest took two hostages at a New Hampshire campaign office for Democratic presidential contender Hillary Clinton. Clinton was scheduled to give an address at a Democratic National Committee meeting Virginia, but DNC Chairman Howard Dean announced that Clinton would not speak. Authorities were sending a tactical bomb unit to assist local police, and the area was evacuated, Workers for Sen. Barack Obama's campaign office also evacuated, a campaign spokesman said. The office is four doors away from Clinton's. Staffers in John Edwards' office, a few buildings away, evacuated as well. Clearly this campaign is striking a chord with a lot of folks who have impassioned feelings about the future direction of the country, but this is taking things way too far.

What Caught My Eye Today

Sudan - A Sudanese court convicted a British teacher Thursday of insulting Islam for letting her students name a teddy bear Muhammad and sentenced her to 15 days in prison, avoiding a heavier punishment of 40 lashes. The teacher wept in court, insisting she never meant to offend. The case began with a classroom project on animals in September at the private school, which has 750 students from elementary to high school levels, most from wealthy Sudanese Muslim families. The teacher had one of her 7-year-old students bring in a teddy bear, then asked the class to name it and they chose the name Muhammad. Each student then took the teddy bear home to write a diary entry about it, and the entries were compiled into a book with the bear's picture on the cover, titled "My Name is Muhammad." An office assistant at the school, Sara Khawad, complained to the Ministry of Education that the teacher had insulted the prophet. Comparing the Prophet Muhammad — Islam's most revered figure — to an animal or a toy could be insulting to Muslims. Influential Muslim hard-liners sought to raise outrage over the case. They compared her action to the prophet cartoons run in European papers and to Salman Rushdie, the British author who was accused of blasphemy for his 1988 novel "The Satanic Verses." I like to consider myself rather open minded when it comes to respecting the views of others when it comes to religion. Let's face it, religion can tend to be a rather touchy subject with a lot of folks. With that in mind, you have to wonder why the teacher got herself into this in the first place. Even if the intention was harmless--and you have to believe it was--she should have explained to the children what Muhammad was not an appropriate name to choose. However, the reaction to this momentary lapse in judgment is ridiculous. Locking up a teacher because of what her students chose to name a teddy bear? Come on. It's stunts like this that perpetuate the stereotypes that Westerns have about Muslims and vice versa.

Afghanistan - Al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden called on Europeans to stop helping the United States in the war in Afghanistan. Bin Laden said it was unjust for the United States to have invaded Afghanistan for sheltering him after the Sept. 11 terror attacks, saying he was the "only one responsible" for the deadly assaults on New York and Washington. The message appeared to be another attempt by bin Laden to influence public opinion in the West. In 2004, he offered Europeans a truce if they stopped attacking Muslims, then later spoke of a truce with the U.S. In both cases, al-Qaida then denounced those areas for not accepting its offer. Al-Qaida has dramatically stepped up its messages — a pace seen as a sign of its increasing technical sophistication and the relative security felt by its leadership. Bin Laden is believed to be hiding along the Afghan-Pakistan frontier. Well let's see here. The United States has been hunting for this dude for the better part of 6 years without success. I'd feel rather secure too, if I were him. What I don't get is what bin Laden hopes to accomplish with this so-called strategy. Is he attempting to isolate the United States in the court of public opinion? Clearly, the past few years have shown that we don't give a flip about what other countries think of us.

2008 Presidential Race - With the final round of a yearlong campaign approaching, the Republican presidential race grew remarkably bitter as the top contenders jockeyed for the upper hand — and sought it by tearing down one another. The most fierce exchanges came from the candidates with the most at stake five weeks before the voting begins; the frequent pot shots from Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney and Fred Thompson in particular underscored the extraordinary volatile state of the race in which any candidate seemingly has a chance to win. A testy exchange on immigration, a heated issue that divides the GOP field, opened the debate and set the tone. The responses showed who was willing to throw the sharpest elbows — and who was receiving the most.

Here are some of my favorite soundbites:

In biting comments, Giuliani accused Romney of running a "sanctuary mansion" that employed illegal immigrants as gardeners and called him "holier than thou." Equally as sharp-tongued, Romney scolded Giuliani, saying "Mayor, you know better than that" and argued that it would "not be American" to check the papers of workers employed by a contractor simply because they have a "funny accent." 'Funny accent,' Governor? I'm not sure the folks that you are supposedly defending would not appreciate your characterization of their accents as funny.

Fred Thompson argued that Romney supported President Bush's unpopular comprehensive immigration reform plan and sarcastically added: "Now, he's taken another position, surprisingly." In a not-so-subtle dig at Giuliani's disgraced former Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik, Thompson also slyly said: "We've all had people probably that we have hired that in retrospect probably is a bad decision." So Senator, is it fair to say that you've never flip-flopped on anything or hired someone that didn't work out so well? You know what they say--let he who is without guilt cast the first stone.

As the others engaged in spats, John McCain played the part of an adult during the debate, explaining in even tones why the country must first secure its borders but then address other issues arising because of a failed immigration policy. He lamented "rhetoric that unfortunately contributes nothing to the national dialogue." Is it just me or does that sound bite sound suspiciously like rhetoric?

Mike Huckabee, a Baptist minister who also supports the death penalty was asked, "What would Jesus do" about the death penalty, Huckabee responded: "Jesus was too smart to ever run for public office." Sure, he dodged the question, but his response was easily the best of the night.

Oil - A fire at a pipeline from Canada that feeds oil to the United States killed two people and sent oil prices soaring before burning out. Two workers fixing the underground pipeline were killed when fumes apparently escaped and ignited the blaze in Clearbrook, about 215 miles northwest of Minneapolis. The 34-inch pipeline carries crude oil from Saskatchewan to the Chicago area. The pipe had leaked a few weeks ago and was being repaired.The crude oil is used to make several kinds of fuel, such as gasoline and heating oil for homes. An average of 1.5 million barrels of oil passes through the pipeline each day. We just cannot cut a break on oil. We luck out for a second year in a row with practically no hurricanes in the Gulf Coast, but now we've got leaky pipes in the North. I'd like to ask what could go wrong next, but I won't. I don't want to jinx things any worse than they already are.

What Caught My Eye Today

Middle East - President Bush told the leaders of Israel and the Palestinian territories he is personally committed to their mission of peace, urging them to stick with it and not lose sight of their goal. Bush met separately with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert at the White House, and then with the two men jointly before the trio emerged for a presidential sendoff. The Bush administration pronounced itself pleased with the outcome of the conference. It drew 44 nations, including neighboring Arab states whose support is considered vital to any peace agreement. A joint understanding between the Israelis and Palestinians, in doubt until the last minute, was salvaged. And Abbas and Olmert reiterated their desire to reach a peace settlement by the end of next year.

Good news, folks. I managed to sneak a snippet of some of the chatter that went on as these guys said goodbye to each other.

Bush: So we're all in the page here, right Elmer? You too, Mohammed?
Abbas: It's Mahmoud, Mr. President.
Olmert: Let it go, Mahmoud. It's not worth the trouble. Yes, Mr President. We are in agreement. Let me say on behalf of the Israeli people, that we thank you for your hospitality, and...
Bush: Ain't nothing, Elmer. Got to do what you got to do to build that legacy, I mean keep the peace. Now don't you forget what we talked about. You get that peace deal done by November, see?
Abbas: Excuse me, Mr. President, why November?
Olmert: That's when the U.S. will elect it's next president. I'm sure President Bush would like to announce the peace settlement at a time when it will most benefit his political party.
Bush: Heck no. I don't care about that. I want that Nobel Peace Prize do-hickey. You don't know what a bug in my butt it's been having to listen to that Al Gore go on about how he finally beat me.

Iraq - Nearly 6,000 Sunni Arab residents joined a security pact with American forces in what U.S. officers described as a critical step in plugging the remaining escape routes for extremists flushed from former strongholds. For about $275 a month — nearly the salary for the typical Iraqi policeman — the tribesmen will man about 200 security checkpoints beginning Dec. 7, supplementing hundreds of Iraqi forces already in the area. About 77,000 Iraqis nationwide, mostly Sunnis, have broken with the insurgents and joined U.S.-backed self-defense groups. Those groups have played a major role in the lull in violence: 648 Iraqi civilians have been killed or found dead in November to date, compared with 2,155 in May. U.S. troop deaths in Iraq have also dropped sharply. So far this month, the military has reported 34 deaths, compared with 38 in October. In June, 101 U.S. soldiers died in Iraq. This has all the markings of General Petraeus's handiwork. I'd say let's make him the next President, but he's far too valuable to be wasted on that job. Though perhaps we can show the man our appreciation by putting him on the $50 bill. If that's a bit extreme, how about a national holiday? Wouldn't you agree that it's kind of a long stretch between Presidents Day and Memorial Day?

Venezuela - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said he was cutting off all contacts with the Colombian government, but left it unclear whether he was announcing an end to diplomatic relations between the two countries. Chavez's announcement came after a series of sharp exchanges with President Alvaro Uribe set off when the Colombian leader last week abruptly ended the Venezuelan's mediation between Colombia's government and leftist rebels. Uribe, Washington's closest ally in South America, removed Chavez and a Colombian senator from talks with the FARC rebels a week ago, saying the Venezuelan leader had violated the conditions of his involvement by speaking directly to the head of Colombia's army. Chavez said he was putting relations with Colombia "in the freezer," calling Uribe a "liar" and accusing him of "not wanting peace." Lemme see here,Colombia has pissed off Chavez, huh? Call me crazy, but I wouldn't be surprised if there wasn't a big increase in U.S. aid to Columbia in the next year. Call it positive reinforcement of desired behavior.

Stock Market - Wall Street barreled higher for the second day in a row, giving the Dow Jones industrial average its biggest two-day point gain in five years after a Federal Reserve official hinted that the central bank may lower interest rates again. The market was clearly optimistic that at least some of the damage from the months-long credit crisis was finally being mitigated. However, Wall Street has been fickle in recent months, with the Dow often rising and falling by triple digits. The Dow soared 331.01, or 2.55 percent, to 13,289.45, adding to the blue chip index's 215 point gain on Tuesday. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 index climbed 40.79, or 2.86 percent, to 1,469.02 and the Nasdaq composite index shot up 82.11, or 3.18 percent, to 2,662.91. The Dow remains more than 6 percent below its Oct. 9 record close over 14,000 Tune in tomorrow for highlights of the massive sell off that will wipe away all of today's gains.

Literacy - U.S. fourth-graders have lost ground in reading ability compared with kids around the world, according to results of a global reading test. Test results showed U.S. students, who took the test last year, scored about the same as they did in 2001. The average U.S. score was above the average score in 22 countries or jurisdictions and about the same as the score in 12 others. The U.S. average fell toward the high end of a level called "intermediate." At that level, a student can identify central events, plot sequences and relevant story details in texts. The student also can make straightforward inferences from what is read and begin to make connections across parts of the text. You can't lay all the blame on these poor fourth graders. Honestly, have you seen those slackers in grades two and three? They have no ambition at all. All they care about is recess and lunch.

Motherhood - We haven't heard from our friend, Christina Aguilera, in quite some time. But we'll sure be seeing a lot of her in the coming days. Christina Aguilera flaunts her pregnancy in an upcoming issue of Marie Claire magazine. The 26-year-old singer is shown wearing a cropped jacket, hoop earrings and a ring on the cover of the January issue. The singer says she learned she was pregnant while on her recent "Back to Basics" tour. "We were planning on starting to try after the tour. And so, I had gone off the Pill to prepare my body, because I didn't know how much time it would take. You've heard it takes some time — except with Power Egg and Super Sperm here." This would be a bit more noteworthy if Demi Moore had not been there and done that in Vanity Fair close to a decade ago. And what's all this about 'power egg' and 'super sperm'. Don't tell me that girlfriend is hitting the flax seed oil.

What Caught My Eye Today

Middle East - Israeli and Palestinian leaders agreed to immediately resume long-stalled peace talks toward creating an independent Palestinian state by the end of next year, using the U.S.-arranged Mideast peace conference to launch the first serious and substantive negotiations in seven years. The Bush administration has been buffeted by skepticism over prospects that the Annapolis Conference can set the stage for the creation of a Palestinian state by the end of Bush's second term in early 2009. Because of this, administration officials from the president on down have sought to minimize expectations for any major breakthrough here. Regardless of the skeptics--and I certainly fall into that category--the fact that these peace talks have resumed has to be viewed as a positive development. Frankly, I don't care if Bush is trying to secure his legacy or not. If that's what was needed to get this dialogue started, so be it. Plus, let's be honest. Even if he manages to pull this off, does anyone think that this will make up for all of Bush's other missteps?

Russia - With the Kremlin determined to see a high turnout in the upcoming election, many Russians say they are being pressured to vote at work under the watchful eyes of their bosses or risk losing their jobs. They say they also are being told to provide lists of relatives and friends who will vote for United Russia, the party of President Vladimir Putin. United Russia is expected to win handily. But Putin has turned the parliamentary elections into a plebiscite on his rule, and the Kremlin appears to be pushing for nothing short of a landslide. The constitution requires Putin to step down as president in May, but with the support of the majority of Russians he could claim a popular mandate to retain power. Its always nice to see democracy in action, though there are a couple of things that have me scratching my head on this one. First off, I recall that United Russia is the only major party appearing on the ballot. Secondly, isn't the whole point of free elections is allowing people to decide whether or not they choose to vote? And even if they do show up to the polls, its not like voters have an awful lot to choose from. This whole deal seems like a sham. I don't see what Putin doesn't just change the rules in order to stay in power? Seems like he's going to get his way one way or the other. With this election shaping up the way it is, I'm not sure the international community is going to put much credence in the results anyway.

Pakistan - President Gen. Pervez Musharraf bade farewell to the military today, a day before he steps down as army chief and restores Pakistan to civilian rule in an effort to ease the country's political crisis. Relinquishing the post of army chief has been a key demand of an increasingly adamant opposition to Musharraf both at home and abroad. Musharraf, who has dominated Pakistan for nearly eight years, has faced growing opposition since March, when he tried unsuccessfully to fire the country's top judge. The turmoil intensified when he declared emergency rule earlier this month and launched a crackdown on critics in the opposition and the media. The general has purged the courts and quickly obtained a Supreme Court ruling validating his victory in a disputed presidential election last month. The United States and its allies are backing opposition calls for Musharraf to restore the constitution and ensure a fair election, which they hope will produce a moderate government willing to keep fighting Islamic extremism. This doesn't solve all the problems in Pakistan, but it certainly appears to be a step in the right direction. President Bush, must be pinching himself to remind him that all this positive momentum both here and with the Middle East peace talks is actually happening. Whether or not it lasts beyond today, is another story. But so far, it has been a pretty good week for the President.

Kosovo - The future of Kosovo cannot be decided unilaterally by its Albanian majority and their Western backers but rests with the United Nations alone, Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica said. There has been no glimmer of compromise between Serbia and the Kosovo Albanians since international mediation began in earnest in 2006. Kosovo is getting ready to declare independence and has the promise of Western recognition. The United States and European Union say the mediation ends with a report to the United Nations by December 10. But Serbia's ally Russia has already blocked independence in the Security Council and says it will "insist" on further negotiation. Serbia says its resistance to Kosovo independence is also intended to preserve peace in the fragile Balkans. I'm telling you with all the activity going on with the Middle East, you tend to forget that there are a lot of other regions of the world, like Kosovo, that deserve the attention of the international community. So much has been invested and so many lives lost, that it would be a crime not to see this thing through.

Iceland - Y'all must know that this next item had to be good for me to bring up Iceland.

Iceland has overtaken Norway as the world's most desirable country to live in, according to U.N. Human Development Index that again puts AIDS-afflicted sub-Saharan African states at the bottom. Rich free-market countries dominate the top places, with Iceland, Norway, Australia, Canada and Ireland the first five but the United States slipping to 12th place from eighth last year. The index ranks 175 U.N. member countries plus Hong Kong and the Palestinian territories. It does not include 17 countries, including Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia, because of inadequate data. Norway had held top spot for six years but was edged into second place by Iceland this year because of new life expectancy estimates and updated figures for gross domestic product, or GDP. The United States scores high on real per capita GDP, which at $41,890 is second only to that of Luxembourg ($60,228), but less well on life expectancy -- joint last in the top 26 countries, along with Denmark and South Korea, at 77.9 years. Maybe I need to break out the old tour book again and see what it is that I'm missing about Iceland. No disrespect intended, but this is Iceland we're talking about, right?

Television - Celebrity chef, Emeril Lagasse's Emeril Live, which has been on the air for 10 years, will cease production Dec. 11, Food Network announced. Asked why the show was canceled, a Food Netwook spokesperson said, "The only reason would be that it hit a ton of television milestones and, you know, all good things come to an end." Another television institution coming to an end--what is the world coming to? While I will admit that I was drawn to Food Network by the original Iron Chef series (another culinary classic), it was Emeril's BAM that made me a fan. All I can say is this--Giada, please stay. With Emeril gone, you are all I have left to look forward to. If you've ever seen Everyday Italian or Giada's Weekend Getaways, then you know what I'm talking about...otherwise, nevermind.

What Caught My Eye Today

Global Warming - The U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said that global warming is "unequivocal" and will bring "irreversible changes" without immediate action. The IPCC said that even if carbon emissions could be stopped cold, the greenhouses gases already in the atmosphere would warm the planet by more than 3.5 degrees, imperiling millions of people and putting 30% of all plant and animal species at risk of extinction. If the emissions continue to rise beyond 2015, much of the developing world wold be ravaged by hunger and disease, and up to 70% of all species could go extinct. While I am firmly in the camp with those that believe humankind has contributed to global warming, I question whether or not the planet is going through a larger climatic cycle. There is ample evidence that climate change has led to widespread extinctions in the past. I'm not suggesting that we should do nothing to curb our carbon emissions--no need to bring on Armageddon any sooner than necessary--but I'm not sure such dire predictions do much to solve the problem. Inciting global panic about anything is rarely productive.

Healthcare - The Concierge Medicine clinic in Los Angeles offers what it considers the ultimate in medical care, 'The Presidential Physical.' The two day examination includes a battery of tests based on the regimen that White House physicians administer to the President annually. The lure of 'concierge medicine'--the concept behind dozens of practices that have sprung up in the past few years--is that such programs make the patient feel like the most important person in the world. The presidential program goes further, making each patient feel like the leader of the free world. The price of a Presidential Physical starts at $1,400 and more than 600 people have had one. Does it come as much of a surprise that this trend started in Los Angeles? I'm not passing judgment one way or the other, but we are talking about the epicenter of cosmetic medicine. I'm not sure you'd find a practice like this popping up in Nebraska.

Alternative Lifestyles - According to a study conducted by the UCLA Law School, the gay population is booming in Alabama and Utah. Alabama treats homosexual conduct as a crime while Utah is home to a large and conservative Mormon community. In the past 17 years. Utah's gay population has shot form 38th in the nation to 14th and the South's gay tally has outpaced any other region. Growing acceptance of homosexuality is a big factor, according to the study, but so is money. Gay and lesbian travel accounts for $55 billion each year and the bigger the community, the more gay tourists will flock. See I think this is great. Here are two examples of rather conservative regions that conveniently look the other way when money is involved. Rather than being viewed as sanctimonious hypocrites by folks like me, why don't you folks just allow people to be who they want to be? Being the good Christian boy that I am, I still remember a little thing called the Golden Rule--treat others as you would have them treat you.

Education - A primary school in a suburb of Nottingham has jumped from the bottom 25% of British schools to the top 25% by transforming itself into Hogwarts from the Harry Potter books. For the past 3 years, students have been allowed to choose a theme for their classes, and this year they chose Harry Potter. They dress as witches and wizards, call out spells when doing math problems, and compete as members of Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. Hey, as long as the children are learning, who are we to criticize the method. Although, I'd like to know how Lord Voldemort fits into all this?

Death - Disneyland is facing an epidemic of people scattering family members' ashes on their favorite rides. The latest incident occurred when a woman was caught sprinkling a powdery substance into the water at the Pirates of the Caribbean. Last month, several piles of ashes were found along the tracks at the Haunted Mansion ride. Disney officials will not confirm the finding of any human remains, but insiders say that ash-scattering is now so common that custodians have been issued special vacuums to remove suspicious piles. So like when I suggested this was how I wanted to go when my time was up, I had no idea that this idea was so popular. You know, if Disney wanted to make a few extra bucks (and you know they do) they could come up with a special 'package' to ensure a tasteful send off for your loved ones. After all, who wouldn't want to spend eternity in the 'Happiest Place on Earth?'

What Caught My Eye Today

California - A fast-moving wildfire pushed by Santa Ana winds raced through the canyons and mountains of this wealthy enclave for the second time in little more than a month today, destroying more than 30 homes and forcing as many as 14,000 residents to flee. The fire erupted shortly before 3:30 a.m. after the long-predicted Santa Anas finally returned, and it quickly grew to 2,200 acres, or about 3.5 square miles, before the winds died down. Fifteen helicopters and 15 airplanes, including a retardant-dropping DC-10 jumbo jet, attacked from the air while 1,700 firefighters battled flames on the ground. Hundreds of firefighters and equipment from throughout the state had been positioned in Southern California for most of the week because of the predicted winds, which had been expected to blow most of the week but didn't arrive until late yesterday. No one wants to see another fire in this scorched region, but at least the firefighters' patience paid off and they were able to contain the fire before it could cause more damage than it did.

Lebanon - Prime Minister Fuad Saniora assured his country that the military was in control of the streets while lawmakers struggled to overcome a political crisis that has left the country without a president. After months of trying, the two rival camps were unable to agree on a compromise candidate to succeed pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud who stepped down last night, leaving a political vacuum. The departure of Lahoud, a staunch ally of Syria during his nine years in office, was a long-sought goal of the government installed by parliament's anti-Syria majority. The government has been trying to put one of its own in the post and seal the end of Syrian dominance of Lebanon. Hezbollah and its opposition allies have been able to stymie the government's hopes by repeatedly boycotting parliamentary votes for a new president, as they did Friday afternoon, leaving it without the required quorum. The fight has put Lebanon into dangerous and unknown territory. Both sides are locked in bitter recriminations, accusing the other of breaking the constitution, and they are nowhere near a compromise candidate. So far, the 56,000-member military has successfully kept this tiny, fractious country together. In the past two years, the army has emerged as a neutral force, protecting and separating pro- and anti-Syrian groups and maintaining order during angry protests and funerals. I'm amazed at two items in this story. First, it's mind boggling that the government cannot elect a President. Hell, if we can do it here in the United States, anyone can. It's not like you have to win the popular vote to get elected. Secondly, with all that you hear about the dangers of having the military in charge of the government, here we have 'the little army that could' holding together a nation against tremendous odds. You have to tip your cap to these folks. Seems like they are the only thing between this country remaining a democracy and slipping into total chaos.

Australia - Conservative Prime Minister John Howard, one of the Bush administration's staunchest allies, suffered a humiliating election defeat today at the hands of an opposition leader who has vowed to pull troops out of Iraq. Labor leader Kevin Rudd, a Chinese-speaking former diplomat, has also promised to sign the Kyoto Protocol on global warming, leaving the U.S. as the only industrialized country not to have joined it. Howard, who reshaped his country's image abroad with unwavering support for the war in Iraq, dominated Australian politics for more than a decade but failed to read the signs that voters had grown tired of his rule. Adding to the sting of his party's decisive defeat, official results showed Howard was likely to lose his parliamentary seat altogether. Only one other sitting prime minister has lost his district in the 106-year history of Australia's federal government. Well, the recent string of Western leaders singing the praises of President Bush wasn't going to last forever. I'm curious as to which policy is going to sting the U.S. worse, the withdrawal of Austalian troops from Iraq or Australia's plan to sign onto the Kyoto Protocol. My guess is the latter, though in the giant scheme of things neither will probably bother the Bush Administration very much. Bush has never had a problem going it alone. Frankly, I think he finds it easier that way.

Space Station - A pair of spacewalking astronauts wired the international space station's newest room today, crossing the last major task off their to-do list before the next shuttle mission early next month. The astronauts hooked up more electrical and fluid connections linking the space station and the Harmony compartment that was delivered by the shuttle Discovery last month. Harmony will serve as a docking port for a new European laboratory named Columbus. The shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to deliver the lab in two weeks. A Japanese lab set to be delivered early next year also will dock to the school bus-sized module. I sure hope the paint dries before the contractors arrive with the next compartment. Again, this is probably the space geek in me, but don't you think this construction job is a marvel to witness?

Air Travel - I preface this next item by saying wouldn't it be nice if all of us poor slobs who routinely get stuffed into steerage had this problem. Shortly after 9/11, the White House decided that the president needed a new helicopter. the current Marine One fleet was more than 30 years old and needed upgrades to its in-flight protection and communications gear. The project to replace the fleet began in January, 2005, but 3 years later, major tinkering has left the new Lockheed Martin VH-71 aircraft 2,000 pounds overweight. The Navy's goal was to blying a flying Oval Office with communications rivaling those in Air Force One. The Navy also demanded state-of-the-art missile defenses and protection against a nuclear blast, along with a 14-person cabin and an executive bathroom (these are just a sampling of the more than 800 design changes demanded by the Navy). Cramming all the new features into a craft that's about 65 feet long has proved challenging. No kidding. So like is it just me, or would any sane person take their chances surviving a nuclear bomb explosion in an airborne helicopter? I'm all for throwing some extra bling into Marine One--after all being the leader of the free world should have some perks--but how about throwing a little dose of reality into the equation?

Tennis - Pete Sampras fired off his trademark powerful serve in a shock upset of world number one Roger Federer in Macau on Saturday to post his first win in their three-game Asian exhibition series. The former US world champion came back strongly after defeats in Seoul and Kuala Lumpur, forcing the first break of the match in the ninth game of the second set and serving out for victory to win 7-6 (10-8), 6-4 in 70 minutes. Their clash in the packed arena at Macau's Venetian resort was their third match in just five days, following the meetings in Seoul and Malaysia. Federer won the first match in Seoul on Tuesday 6-4, 6-3 in 61 minutes. The second clash, in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday, was a closer affair over 90 minutes, with Federer emerging victorious after winning both sets on tie-breaks. The 26-year-old Federer praised his opponents serve, saying he still could compete at the top five level in the world. Based on these results, who would want to argue with that? Though, I'd still like to see how Sampras holds up over a grueling two week Grand Slam event before I am completely sold on his comeback. Still, anyone who manages to beat Federer clearly has some game.

What Caught My Eye Today

Energy - In an article appearing in the December issue of Esquire magazine, energy-independence advocate, Gal Luft has a rather straightforward 4 step plan to solve America's energy crisis.

1. Make gasoline-only cars illegal. Mandate that every vehicle sold in the U.S. is flex-fuel compatible so that it can run on just about any blend of hydrocarbon-based fuel. The technology already exists and the process is cheap, about a hundred dollars per vehicle. So if the auto industry doesn't get hurt by this, who's getting shortchanged by this deal?


2. Kill the Iowa caucuses. The ethanol lobby has managed to place huge tariffs on ethanol produced abroad. It portrays itself as the domestic solution to our reliance on foreign oil, but it really just protects a tiny number of Midwestern corn farmers. Even if every single kernel of corn grown in America were converted to ethanol, it would only replace about 12% of America's gasoline requirement. What is it with Iowa? They control the national political scene for months ahead of every Presidential election and now I hear about this ethanol lobby? People, this is flippin' Iowa we're talking about? What gives?


3. Think of the world in terms of sugarcane. Many of the United States closest allies in Latin America, Africa and Southeast Asia grow sugarcane, from which you can make ethanol at half the cost of making it from corn. Too bad, these countries don't get to vote for President of the United States.


4. Revolutionize waste. 65% of our garbage is biomass which can be converted to methanol. The process has been around for 200 years and methanol is twice as efficient as cellulosic ethanol. The same logic applies to America's vast coal reserves and recyclables. Coal can be converted to clean burning methanol as can black liquor--a toxic by-product of the paper industry. Doing so would generate 9 billion tons of methanol a year--almost twice the ethanol now produced from corn. And here I am thinking that coal and trash are fouling up the environment. Shame on me.

Literature - Amazon.com CEO, Jeff Bezos has release the Amazon Kindle, an electronic device that he hopes will leapfrog over previous attempts at e-readers and become the turning point in a transformation toward Book 2.0--shorthand for a revolution that will change the way readers read, writers write and publishers publish. Call me old-fashioned (I've been called worse) but too me part of the satisfaction of reading a 700 or 800 page book is being able to look at the heaping tome and say to yourself, "I like totally read that!"

Tourism - According to the Commerce Department, the United State is the only major country in the world to which travel has declined in the midst of a global tourism boom. Here are two examples. The number of Japanese visiting the U.S. declined from 5 million in 2000 to 3.6 million in 2006. For tourists from Great Britain, the United States is cheaper than ever, with the pound worth about $2. Between 200 and 2006, the number of Britons visiting America dropped 11%. At the same time, tourism to India went up 102%, to New Zealand, 106%, to Turkey, 82% and to the Caribbean, 31%. So let's see here. What is different between 2000 and now? Well, Bush became President and there is that whole war on terrorism that that's been going on since 2001. And you cannot deny that none of those other place listed above are governed by Bush or actively involved in the war on terrorism. But hey, I'm sure those are just coincidences.

Death-care - I swear that I am not making this up. I read about this in Newsweek. According to Service Corp. International (SCI), the Houston-based company with 2000 funeral homes, the number of funeral services fell 4% last year. And revenue per funeral barely kept pace with inflation, rising just 2.7%. In theory, death care should be immune from short-term economic swings...as death is one of only two sure things in life. Admit it, you're chuckling aren't you? But costs for raw materials are rising will the flow of customers has slowed. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, the U.S. death rate fell from 8.8 per 1,000 in 1999 to 8.5 per 1,000 in 2005. Customers are also opting for a cheaper option to the traditional casket. This next line is from the author, though I wish I could take credit for it. Cremation is, well, on fire. The cremation rate rose from about 15% in 1985 to about one-third in 2006. Cremation has a lot going for it. It's cheaper by almost half than a traditional casket funeral, it has been sanctioned by the Catholic Church since 1963 (Let's face it, who cares what the other denominations think?), more Americans no longer feel the need to be interred in a particular spot (I have to disagree on this one. I'm definitely going to Disneyland.) and cremation frees up space that would otherwise have to be used for cemeteries. I could go on, but the fear of haven't you laugh yourselves to death, is more than my conscience can bear.