What Caught My Eye Today

Venezuela - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez threatened on Monday to close or take over any private school that refuses to submit to the oversight of his socialist government as it develops a new curriculum and textbooks. All schools, public and private, must admit state inspectors and submit to the government's new educational system, or be closed and nationalized, with the state taking responsibility for the education of their children, Chavez said. A new curriculum will be ready by the end of this school year, and new textbooks are being developed to help educate "the new citizen," said Chavez's brother and education minister Adan Chavez. The president's opponents accuse him of aiming to indoctrinate young Venezuelans with socialist ideology. But the education minister said the aim is to develop "critical thinking," not to impose a single way of thought. I'm sure that if "critical thinking" happens to align perfectly with Chavez's way of thinking, that will be by sheer coincidence. I mean is it his fault that he just happens to be right about everything?

Saudi Arabia - For the first time ever, a group of women in the only country that bans female drivers have formed a committee to lobby for the right to get behind the wheel, and they plan to petition King Abdullah in the next few days for the privilege. The government is unlikely to respond because the issue remains so highly sensitive and divisive. But committee members say their petition will at least highlight what many Saudis — both men and women — consider a "stolen" right. Conservatives, who believe women should be shielded from male strangers, say women in the driver's seat will be free to leave home alone and go when and where they please. They also will unduly expose their eyes while driving and interact with male strangers, such as traffic police and mechanics. But supporters of female drivers say the prohibition exists neither in law nor Islam, but is based on fatwas, or edicts, by senior clerics who say women at the wheel create situations for sinful temptation. Women tried to defy the ban once and paid heavily for it. In November 1990, when U.S. troops were in Saudi Arabia following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, some 50 women got behind the wheel and drove family cars. They were jailed for one day, their passports were confiscated and they lost their jobs. It's funny how depending on what side of a debate you happen to be on that the difference between a 'right' and a 'privilege' seems to get obscured. On another note, isn't it ironic how our nation's leaders can talk about creating a democratic and free society in Iraq, while seemingly turning a blind eye and deaf ear, to what I have to believe the majority of American citizens consider a basic right--the freedom to drive.

Pakistan - Pakistan's Election Commission changed the rules Monday to open the way for President Gen. Pervez Musharraf to seek a new five-year presidential term without giving up the powerful position of army chief. Opposition parties decried the move as a brazen violation of the constitution and accused the U.S.-allied leader of trying to bulldoze legal obstacles to his staying in power amid increasing demands for an end to military rule. They predicted a surge in democracy protests. the ruling was likely to end up before the Supreme Court, which has proved an impediment to Musharraf this year and which many people hope can find a way to guide Pakistan out of a political crisis that some fear could lead to violent demonstrations and martial law. What I want to know is who sits on the Election Commission and how did they get their posts in the first place. If these were political appointments, do you want to wager who made those appointments?

China - Beijing church leaders will ordain a new bishop this week filling an influential post that had been closely watched to gauge whether the government would consult with the Vatican on church appointments. Joseph Li Shan was approved by China's 59-member Conference of Bishops. There had been no contact between China and the Vatican about Li's appointment because the two sides have no diplomatic relations. But the Vatican-affiliated missionary news agency Asia News said Li may have received the Vatican's blessing. The Vatican says only it has the right to name bishops and the question of their appointment has been the main stumbling block in resuming relations with the government in Beijing. China views papal appointments as interference in its internal affairs. China forced its Roman Catholics to cut ties with the Vatican in 1951, shortly after the officially atheist Communist Party took power. Worship is allowed only in the government-controlled churches, which recognize the pope as a spiritual leader but appoint their own priests and bishops. Earlier this month, a bishop who led an underground congregation of Roman Catholics and was repeatedly detained in China for his loyalty to the Vatican died in police custody, according to a monitoring group. Well this will be interesting to watch. I'm all for compromise, but let's not confuse compromise with throwing in the towel. The Vatican risks setting a dangerous precedent if it allow's China to select it's own bishops. If China is granted that privilege, who is to say that other countries won't try to do the same?

Steve Fossett - Like Amelia Earhart's disappearance over the Pacific Ocean 70 years ago, the riddle of Steve Fossett's whereabouts is threatening to become one of the world's greatest aviation mysteries. Nearly two weeks after Fossett's light plane vanished above a vast expanse of rugged Nevada wilderness, an army of rescuers and volunteers are still no closer to locating the millionaire aviator. Fossett has not been heard from since September 3, when he took off on a solo flight from a private airstrip south of Reno, and failed to return as scheduled three hours later. Since then, a mini air-force of helicopters and planes have taken to the skies in an effort to locate the 63-year-old, a veteran of several world record breaking balloon and plane flights around the globe. A total of around 20,000 square miles (52,000 square kilometers) has been searched with no success. Seeing as we're drawing historical comparisons here, I'm thinking that there will soon be one more similarity between Fossett and Earhart--the one where the pilot is never found.

Chocolate - Mars Inc. said it will continue to use 100 percent cocoa butter in its U.S. chocolate products, bucking an industry campaign to allow cheaper vegetable oils to be substituted. The announcement comes amid a push by a dozen food industry groups to change long-established federal standards to allow for replacing cocoa butter with another vegetable fat, up to a level of 5 percent. The groups say the change, which would save money for manufacturers, would allow more flexibility and innovation. Manufacturers already can use vegetable fats instead of cocoa butter, but they are not allowed by the Food and Drug Administration to call it chocolate. In a world awash in terrorism, human suffering, global warming and pretty much any other depressing situation you can think of, it's nice to hear that someone is tanking a stand to protect the sanctity of one of the few bastions of pleasure that we have left in the world. Good for you Mars--keep the chocolate clean.