Just another day: The Olympic version

Michael Phelps swims for his 6th gold tonight. I have a silver filling. Some interesting tidbits you've likely heard:

• The man ingests 12,000 calories a day! An online calculator suggests that a man of my age and stature should ingest 2800.
• His swimming suit costs $550. Seems to be working well. He could stand to get some better goggles.

All is not light and Olympic around the world. Sorry. The Middle East remains a tinder box and it seems that many folks are doing everything in their power to strike the match. Things are weird all the way around.

• Georgia. The steel of Russian armor continues to move within Georgia's borders.


• Pakistan. On the easter fringe of what most would consider the Middle East, one of the most volatile nations is about to lose its American-friendly president. Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf is about to step down rather than face impeachment. Standby for the rise of Islamic radicalism within.


• Poland. Even those who aren't geography majors know that Poland isn't in the Middle East, but with the United States' support for Georgia festering like a thorn in the Bear's claw, the former Soviet protectorate's acceptance of an American missile defense shield was a sledgehammer to the snout. Vlad's vexed.

The Cold War is ginning up once again.

To end with an ironic note (and not to belabor the Edwards' debacle, but...)

• The Scoop. Can you name the news outlet that broke the ghastly news of John Edwards' grotesque hypocrisy, adultery, deceit, arrogance, etc? Not the Times of either coast. Neither of Washington's papers. Neither O (O'Reilly or Olbermann) nor their network. Enquiring minds want to know! You guessed it, the National Enquirer. And still most news outlets run it as a non-story perpetrated by puritanical McCain pundits.