TRUE COURAGE

A shining example in a dark world

When the woman who hid Anne Frank from the Nazis insisted that she was no hero, she wasn't simply being humble, she was demanding that the average person rise to their moral duty as a member of the human race. Miep Gies helped the Jewish teenager survive for two years and preserved the doomed girl's diary, which remains required reading for schoolchildren 65 years after the Holocaust. Gies, a self-described “;ordinary housewife and secretary,”; died Monday at the age of 100. She wasn't able to save Anne Frank, but her message of courage and humanity should never die.

SOCIALIST PLOT

Hola, comrade, I love you deeply …

Venezuela may have a socialist government, but capitalism rules when it comes to entertainment. Lamenting that fact, President Hugo Chavez is urging TV and film producers to stress equal access to wealth and power, starting with, say, “;socialist soap operas.”; He seems to have forgotten that in 2004, producers allied with him made a soap opera called “;Love Inside the Barrio”; that emphasized socialist values. It tanked in the ratings.

'IDOL' CHATTER

Losing Paula was bad enough, but Simon!

Say it ain't so, Simon.

“;American Idol”; judge Simon Cowell is leaving the top-rated show after this season to concentrate on bringing his hit Brit show, “;The X Factor,”; to the Fox channel next year.

Sure, Simon could be caustic with contestants — but he was mostly right. His departure might well affect “;Idol”; even more than the earlier departure of sweet but loopy judge Paula Abdul, who is being replaced this season by Ellen DeGeneres.

But as “;American Idol”; starts its new season this week, one thing is almost certain: Catching the wicked but witty Simon in action will keep this year's ratings sky high.