What Caught My Eye Today

Pope - The Pope says he's in favour of excommunicating Roman Catholic politicians who support a proposed law allowing women to have abortions in Mexico City. Benedict noted that church doctrine calls for automatic excommunication for anyone procuring an abortion. While Benedict has previously told Catholic politicians that the Vatican's stance against abortion was "not negotiable," he had not explicitly said that excommunication would be the penalty for politicians who supported it. It would appear that His Holiness has decided to take a firmer stand on the issue. I'm pretty sure I read someplace, "Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy." Where was that? Oh yeah, the 8 beatitudes that marked the beginning of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. Ever heard of that guy, Your Holiness?

Sanctuary - Churches in five big U.S. cities plan to protect illegal immigrants from deportation, offering their buildings as sanctuary if need be, as they pressure lawmakers to create a path to citizenship for the nation's estimated 12 million illegal immigrants. Organizers don't believe immigration agents will make arrests inside the churches. Meanwhile, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency declined to say if agents would attempt to arrest others who take sanctuary in churches. Do you think the Catholic churches involved in this got the Pope's approval first? I'd hate for these guys to go and get themselves excommunicated as well.

Iraq - This one could end up on the 'No Kidding, Sherlock" Wall of Fame. Vice President Dick Cheney said that Iraq remains a dangerous place, a point underscored by a thunderous explosion that rattled windows in the U.S. Embassy where he spent most of the day. "I think everybody recognizes there still are some security problems, security threats, no question about it," Cheney said.

Hurricane Season - The first named storm of the year, Subtropical Storm Andrea, formed off the southeastern U.S. coast, more than three weeks before the official start of the Atlantic hurricane season, forecasters said. Private and university forecasters have predicted the 2007 season will be especially active, producing up to 17 tropical storms and hurricanes and a "well above average" possibility of at least one striking the U.S. The federal government plans to release its predictions May 22. The Atlantic basin has been in a busy period for hurricanes since 1995. Some federal forecasters believe this is part of a natural cycle. But the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a U.N.-sponsored group, says global warming caused by humans has led to an increase in stronger hurricanes. Either way, this development cannot be sitting very well with those poor folks who live in that region.

Dancing With the Stars - Here's the latest. Billy Ray Cyrus, the 45-year-old singer and actor was eliminated from the ABC dance-off. Paulina Porizkova, Shandi Finnessey, Leeza Gibbons, Clyde Drexler, Heather Mills and John Ratzenberger have already been eliminated. The remaining celebrity dancers — Ian Ziering, Joey Fatone, Laila Ali and Apolo Anton Ohno — begin the competition's semifinal next week. I still cannot get into this show as much as I do 'American Idol.' Now if Sanjaya competes next season, I'm so totally gonna watch.

Motor Sports - Danica Patrick knows she must start winning races. "I guess I do feel more pressure this year," Patrick said Wednesday. "It's many things that contribute to that, though. As the years go on, you get more impatient. You just want to go out there and run up front." Danica-mania hit the Indianapolis 500 two years ago, when she was the first woman to lead the race and finished fourth. She was the Indy rookie of the year and won three poles later that season, but never managed a finish better than fourth. I don't know about that. Anna Kournakova never won a singles title in tennis, and yet she's still managing to put food on the table.