№ 842. The Pope

Leo XIV, a meticulous and details-oriented leader, made sure everything was in order before his operation. A couple of days before announcing he was going in for surgery, the pope confirmed the election of Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, a high-ranking Vatican official from the Philippines, to the important role of Dean of the College of Cardinals. This is the position held by the fictional Cardinal Lawrence played by Ralph Fiennes in the movie “Conclave,” released in the months before the real-life papal election that chose Leo. 

 

Britannica

 

The appointment of Tagle, who stood in for Leo to preside at Wednesday’s mass at the Vatican, has acquired a new significance with the pope in the hospital. The dean, who is the “first among equals” leader of the college, plays a crucial role in presiding over a conclave (providing he’s under 80) and the pre-conclave meetings. Any future papal election is considered far into the future. But the appointment of the 69-year-old Tagle, a charismatic figure previously tipped as a possible pope, was an important piece of housekeeping.

Leo’s cancer diagnosis has been met by an outpouring of public support. It offers an opportunity for him to connect with so many other individuals and families who have been affected by the illness.

 

 

№ 793. The Age of Depopulation: Surviving a World Gone Gray

Nicholas Eberstadt

November/December 2024 Published on October 10, 2024

 

"As a rule of thumb, a total fertility rate of 2.1 births per woman approximates the replacement threshold in affluent countries with high life expectancy—but the replacement level is somewhat higher in countries with lower life expectancy or marked imbalances in the ratio of baby boys to baby girls."

 

Population Institute of Canada

№ 794. Many Older People Embrace Vaccines. Research Is Proving Them Right.

The evidence that vaccines are beneficial remains overwhelming.

NPR

№ 615. 12 Signs of Fake N95, KN95, or KF94 Masks

At best, fake respirator masks are just a waste of money. At worst, they give those who need protection most a potentially dangerous false sense of security.

 

Philadelphia Inquirer

12 signs to separate the real masks from the fake:

№ 582. The Snake Oil Theory of the Modern Right

Consider where we are right now in the fight against Covid-19. A few months ago it seemed likely that the development of effective vaccines would soon bring the pandemic to an end. Instead, it goes on, with hospitalizations closing in on their peak from last winter. This is partly due to the emergence of the highly contagious Delta variant, but it also crucially reflects the refusal of many Americans to take the vaccines.

And much of this refusal is political. True, many people who are refusing to get vaccinated aren’t Trumpists, but there’s a strong negative correlation between Donald Trump’s share of a county’s vote and vaccinations. As of July, 86 percent of self-identified Democrats said they had had a vaccine shot, but only 54 percent of Republicans did.

But vaccine refusers aren’t just rejecting lifesaving vaccines, they’re also turning to life-threatening alternatives. We’re seeing a surge in sales of — and poisoning by — ivermectin, which is usually used to deworm livestock but has recently been touted on social media and Fox News as a Covid cure.

 

Marketoonist

№ 574. V for Vaccines 3

 The 3 Simple Rules That Underscore the Danger of Delta:
 

1. The vaccines are still beating the variants.
2. The variants are pummeling unvaccinated people.
3. The longer Principle No. 2 continues, the less likely No. 1 will hold.

Twitter.com

№ 555. Happy V Day! V = Vaccine

 

Reuters Graphics