Things That Caught My Eye This Week

• Republican presidential contender, Mitt Romney, made a surprising statement this week warning that withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq too soon could be catastrophic. The general sentiment that I encounter here in Scotland is that the U.S. and Britain should terminate their war on terror and pull all the troops out. What made this even more intriguing is that I spoke with an Iraqi woman this week who has relocated to Glasgow upon marrying a British man, and she absolutely loves the George's - Sr. and Jr. She said she's so thankful for George W. Bush and all that he's doing for her country. In addition, she said that the only criticism she had of George Bush, Sr. was that during the Gulf War he pulled out too early. This got me thinking about all the positions and perspectives we have on the U.S.'s global involvement in circumstances such as this. Do we ever actually get the perspective of the people who are living in or from these countries? Or do we simply project our own ecumenical values onto the culture at hand and infuse our personal agendas into the conversation? Either way, it was both startling and refreshing to hear someone from Iraq express gratitude to our president and our nation for their part in helping her country.
  

• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is No. 1 on USA TODAY's Best-Selling Books list for the third straight week. If history is any indication, it will be there for three more. Goblet of Fire (2000), Order of the Phoenix (2003) and Half-Blood Prince (2005) each topped the list for six weeks.

• After an ankle injury delayed his MLS debut, David Beckham's career with the LA Galaxy started off on the right foot. He scored his first goal on a free kick in the 27th minute of the Galaxy's 2-0 victory over DC United in the SuperLiga semifinals Wednesday night. Later in the game he also became the team captain when Landon Donovan turned his armband over to Beckham. In a very humble response to the gesture Beckham responded, "I'm very honored."

• Gabrielle Rae McKenzie came running into the kitchen after bath time stark nekkid exclaiming, "Potty, potty! Potty, daddy!" I asked if she needed to go potty and she said no. She pointed to the bathroom and again said, "Potty." Intrigued, I went to the bathroom to find her little plastic potty in the middle of the floor with something in it. Gabrielle took it upon herself to go pee-pee all by herself with no coercion from our part. I gotta' say... that really caught my eye!

• The NFL pre-season is underway!!! Michael Vick has failed to show up to practices and games.