Jan 9

In a long, but somewhat narrow room, a crowd gathered in the Vatican's Apostolic Palace to hear words of Pope Leo XIV on the annual occasion of the Holy See's "State of the World" address. It was a first for the pontiff as he had been selected in May the prior year. This address was to the diplomats accredited to the Vatican. The 44 minute speech, on January 9, touched on a number of topics, but a few sentences in the speech seem to have set off a chain of events resonating into April. History is intractable, one never knows what will set off a chain of events that will resonate through the year, and beyond. This speech, or perhaps just a few sentences, triggered a series of events which are now, in mid-April, only coming to the public realm. 

Pope Leo Arriving to Speak to Diplomats

First, let us go back to January of this year. The speech was before the war in Iran, but after the US grabbed Nicholas Maduro, the then president of Venezuela. The US administration was also threatening to seize Greenland and make Canada the 51st state. He was making waves about the inadequacy of the NATO alliance, and the US abandoning its commitments. The NATO talk today is only worse after Europe has not become involved in the Iran conflict. The following seems to the part of the speech that has mostly drawn the ire of the US Administration.

In our time, the weakness of multilateralism is a particular cause for concern at the international level. A diplomacy that promotes dialogue and seeks consensus among all parties is being replaced by a diplomacy based on force, by either individuals or groups of allies. War is back in vogue and a zeal for war is spreading. The principle established after the Second World War, which prohibited nations from using force to violate the borders of others, has been completely undermined. Peace is no longer sought as a gift and a desirable good in itself, or in the pursuit of “the establishment of the ordered universe willed by God, with a more perfect form of justice among men and women.” [4] Instead, peace is sought through weapons as a condition for asserting one’s own dominion. This gravely threatens the rule of law, which is the foundation of all peaceful civil coexistence. (Bold by author)

I can only imagine the notes Brian Burch, the US Ambassador the Holy See was forming in his mind as he listened to the talk. It did not take him long to report back to his boss and how the words are counter to the Donroe doctrine. It is reported that the Pentagon took on a sentence by sentence analysis of the speech. On January 22, the then Vatican Nuncio, Cardinal Christophe Pierre, was summoned to the Pentagon. Pierre, 80 years of age, retired as nuncio in March. No notes exist for this meeting, and it is said to be highly unusual for the nuncio to be called to the Pentagon. It has been said this is likely the first visit of a nuncio to the Pentagon. This makes me wonder why the Pentagon and not the state department. Would the state department be too diplomatic? According to news reports, (following from National Catholic Reporter) "The cleric was, according to The Free Press, reportedly dressed down by officials, who insisted the Catholic Church take the U.S. government's side in military matters." It was more incendiary than that, according to "The New Republic" which quoted the original report  the US Undersecretary of War for Policy, Elbridge Colby said “The United States has the military power to do whatever it wants in the world. The Catholic Church had better take its side.” We now have the US engaged in yet another conflict in the Mid-East and after not asking, or building a coalition, Trump now complains that NATO countries have failed to help the US effort. Why the US needs help, if it can do whatever it wants militarily, is unanswered. 

One key point I picked up on is that on Saturday evening, April 11, Leo provided some remarks during the prayer vigil, he said two things that stand out to prove at least one aspect of the report. First, he said, Arrogance tramples upon others; second, "It is here that we find a bulwark against that delusion of omnipotence that surrounds us and is becoming increasingly unpredictable and aggressive." (bold by author). The bold portions, by author) are clearly a reference to Elbridge Colby's statement, “The United States has the military power to do whatever it wants in the world. The Catholic Church had better take its side.” 

Maybe the US is not as invincible as Colby said. After all, our military shoots down a few thousand dollar Iranian drone with multi-million dollar weapon systems. The US turned down Ukraine's offer for a system that will shoot them down that costs about $10,000. That sucking sound you hear is the military wasting money. Why be cost effective when a more expensive solution exists? Russia has been using Iranian drones in the Ukraine conflict, hence Ukraine saw the mother of invention. 

Pope Leo, 9 Jan 2026 arrives to speak to 
Diplomatic Corps

Yet, if the meeting of the Cardinal and the Undersecretary of War for Policy could get any worse, it did. One US attendee, not Colby, in what is said to be a calculated move referenced Avignon. Here is "The New Republic": 

One U.S. official present at the meeting brought up the Avignon papacy, a period in the fourteenth century in which the French monarchy bent the Catholic Church into submission, ordering an attack on Pope Boniface VIII that led to his downfall and subsequent death and forcing the papacy to relocate from Rome to Avignon, a region inside France.

Source: Chris Jansing Reports

The Avignon comment, according to the Financial Times quoted Francesco Sisci, co-founder of the Appia Institute — a geopolitical think-tank that closely tracks Vatican diplomacy, occurred after Cardinal Pierre said the Pope would be guided by his own course guided by Church values. 

Boniface, who was in office from 1294 to 1303, was in captivity for a time, and died a month later. After a short term of Benedict, the papacy moved to Avignon when Clement was elected due to machinations of the King of France. Newsweek reports the following: 

According to Mike Young, author of a newsletter on civic accountability, the mention of the “Avignon papacy” was a reference to “an implicit model for what happens to religious institutions that oppose state power.”

In a post on X, he wrote: “That’s not a slip of the tongue. That’s a studied historical reference deployed deliberately in a room with the Pope's senior diplomat. The message was not subtle.”

Christopher Hale, a former Obama campaign religion outreach official, had this quote in Newsweek: "The Vatican was so alarmed by the Pentagon’s warning that Pope Leo canceled his plans to visit the U.S. later in the year. Hale is further quoted as saying that "many in the Vatican saw the Pentagon’s reference to an Avignon papacy as a threat to use military force against the Holy See." A bit of hyperbole, perhaps, as the writer of the original article believes it absurd to think the US would use military force against the Vatican; although he thought it a clear signal from the US telling the Vatican what happens when a world power is crossed (see above comment from Mike Young). Yet, Sisci is further quoted in the Financial Times saying that the Vatican viewed this as the US setting up a rival pope as did France in the fourteenth century, if Leo did not follow the Trump line.  A Chicago News Station, NBC 5, reported that "A source close to Pope Leo XIV told NBC Chicago political reporter Mary Ann Ahern that the meeting between the Pentagon and Cardinal Christophe Pierre was 'most unpleasant and confrontational.'"  

I am not sure Trump is subtle on most anything. He is bombastic, and he likes it that way. The Pentagon dismisses the tense nature of the meeting and said it was a respectful and reasonable discussion. The US Ambassador to the Holy See said Pierre told him the meeting was frank. Pierre is a diplomat and asked now with the kerfuffle would be diplomatic about the whole situation. On Friday last week, the Vatican said the meeting was not fully as reported. I think Avignon was mentioned in the meeting, as I find it hard to believe a reporter make that reference up.  

Source: Chris Jansing Reports, quoting Vatican Official

Leo was invited to come to the US by the Trump Administration as part of the nation's 250th birthday celebration. On Feb 8, it was announced by the Vatican that he would not come to the US this year, and that on July 4 he would visit the island of Lampedusa, which was the first travel by Pope Francis. Lampedusa is an island off Sicily where many refugees arrive from Africa to get to Europe. I suspect it is a dig at the Trump Administration's immigration policies.

Whatever form this meeting took, Pierre is used to being marginalized and ignored, he and Francis' messages were often ignored by the USCCB, who had a kinder way of showing the two of them the middle finger than perhaps the DoW representatives. Many in the US episcopate were waiting out the Francis tenure. Thus, given the way Pierre was treated by US Bishops, his treatment by the Pentagon may not have seemed so bad. Francis, the US bishops said, "Did not understand the United States." I think Francis understood it better than the most US Bishops, many of whom helped create the man who sits in the oval office.

Christophe Pierre meeting with Eldridge Colby, 22 Jan 2026
It is supposed to show the cordiality between the two, but was likely 
taken before the meeting started. 
Source: The Pillar, via Dept of War

Perhaps, the Pentagon was a suitable location for the confrontation. Confrontation and war go together, and some wonder if that is what Secretary of War Hegseth is waging on the American Catholic Church. Two situations, beyond this, stand out. First, a Protestant Pastor and mentor to Hegseth said that ideally public Catholic processions, such as Marian and Eucharistic processions, should be banned as a public display of idolatry. Second, this past Good Friday, it was reported that for the first time in memory, the Pentagon did not have a Catholic Good Friday service. Invitations went out to Protestants for a Protestant service  and it said no Catholic mass (Good Friday is the only day there is not a mass, but there is a service, which was not held). This is of course after Pope Leo said that God does not listen to the prayers of persons who have blood on their hands. This statement has been refuted by some Protestant pastors, such as Franklin Graham.

While the report from Free Press may not be fully accurate, the fact that the meeting occurred, outside normal channels (Nunico to State Dept) says something about the meeting. Further, regardless of how it has been spun, the Avignon reference seems too implausible to be made up by a journalist. Further, Leo's statements about "arrogance tramples" and on "delusion of omnipotence" has a strong counter relationship to Colby's alleged comment that the US can militarily do what it wants. I think Leo is tipping is hand as to at least that part of the meeting.

Pope Leo after prayer vigil, 11 Apr 2026. Source: CNS via Vatican Media

The whole situation shows that reality is more bizarre than fiction. I don't think Dan Brown could even come up with such a scenario. Perhaps because in the end the Vatican looks like the adult in the room. Whatever the administration was hoping to accomplish with the Vatican they seemed not to have made many friends. Cardinal Parolin who this week is reported to have said that more voices are needed to back up Leo's comments on the injustice of war and the arms race and in favor the poor and marginalized. If the pope's voice is not supported, he said, it is simply a voice in the desert. A few words on January 9, to many, decent words, have set of a series of events that shows the intractability of history. History will be the judge. 

(Author Note: This post was written starting mid-last week, and completed Sunday afternoon, hence it does not capture the Trump Truth Social message or Pope Leo's response on way to Algeria.)

First two images from Vatican recorded broadcast of Leo's address on the State of the World, 9 Jan 2026. 

Dark Chocolate

Dark chocolate is said to have certain health benefits, from reducing blood pressure and stress, to improved brain function. This is due to its containing a high level of antioxidants (polyphenols/flavanols) that fight free radicals (unstable atoms produced through metabolic process). I tend to eat a decent amount of dark chocolate. The wife, who likes to grocery shop by herself, will buy me several bars, usually at Aldi's. I have, however, on occasion been known to snack on some chocolate chips, and this sometimes gets me in trouble, like last week.

"Trouble, starts with T, and rhymes with..." well you get it.  We were asked to bring a dessert for Easter dinner, and my wife found a gluten free recipe that called for several ounces of dark chocolate. I had gone to the cupboard to munch on some dark chocolate chips that were in the container apparently, in my wife's mind, they are set aside for baking and not eating. Over the course of week or so I grabbed a handful to eat. I know my wife does not like dark chocolate, but when she last made a molten cake dessert all she had on hand was dark chocolate chips. When I am allowed to grocery shop, I usually dump a few in the cart. I am not sure of the reason why we were out of regular dark chocolate chips, but they too may have found their way into my palm and by extension my mouth.

Alde Dark Chocolate usually purchased

Perhaps she picked out the dark chocolate dessert since she knew all we had were dark chocolate chips. After she told me she needed seven some ounces, I got out the scale and found that we only had a bit over four ounces. Knowing we would need more, I discreetly grabbed a few more, but then quickly made my way too the basement, our staple overflow storage, where I found we had a second bag of dark chocolate chips. Who knew that my dumping items in the grocery cart would save not only the day, but me. I would have been in a big pile of doo doo. If we did not have the extra bag, I am don't know what my wife could have used to bring down her blood pressure at that moment. She would have needed a whole dark chocolate candy bar to lower her blood pressure if we needed to source more dark chocolate chips, but she is not a fan of dark chocolate, her bp would raise even more. 

I generally have some dark chocolate candy bars down stairs during my forays to the cupboard, but for some reason the chips in the cupboard were calling my name. How long should a person expect chocolate chips to last in a cupboard? Apparently, the wife thinks they are for baking, as in use in  in baked goods, while I often have other thoughts. It has not been unusual for her to find the cupboard bare of chocolate chips when she goes to make cookies or some other treat. I get the blame. One year my sister gave me peanut butter and chocolate chips as a Christmas present, knowing that my wife did not like my peanut butter chocolate chip sandwiches used on sweet breads, like zucchini or banana breads.

So, it came to pass that I was saved by having had dark chocolate chips on hand, or throwing them in the cart when I am allowed to go grocery shopping. When this occurred last week, my wife said "There better be a blog post about this!" I do what the wife says, and this is the blog post.

Palm Sunday Clash

Thirteen years ago in 2013 I made a pilgrimage with my sister and some of her friends to Israel, Palestine and Jordan. That year the Western Christian Churches marked Easter on March 31, but the Orthodox Easter was celebrated May 5. The Catholic Church in the Holy Land that year celebrated Easter with the Orthodox calendar that year. I know this, since we were at the Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth and got caught in the middle of a Palm Sunday procession on Sunday, April 28. Palm Sunday is recognized for the reading of The Passion. The reading focus' on the last days of Christ's life, with a focus on his suffering, starting with Holy Thursday and ending with his placement in the tomb. In the world today there is still suffering. This year Catholics in the Holy Land are celebrating Easter on April 5, so they celebrated Palm Sunday on March 29. As I found out, it was a different kind of celebration. There were two Palm Sunday clashes that are worth mentioning. But, first some history.

2013 Palm Sunday Mass at Church of the Nativity
Author photo 2013 

Most Christians, at least those that are left, in the Holy Land are Palestinians. The Palestinian Christians are of varied sects, Orthodox, Catholic and a variety of Protestant Churches. They are less than two percent, or about 200,000 persons, of the Palestinian population in Israel. Their population is shrinking, but are mainly concentrated in Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Ramallah. To me they are a forgotten population. They find themselves caught in the middle between the conflicts of the Israeli government and the Muslim Palestinians. They are being pushed out by Israeli settlements in and near Bethlehem. 

Israeli Settlements in Palestine, author photo 2013

St Catherine Catholic Church still bear scars from a 2002 altercation when 50 or more armed Palestinians had sought sanctuary to avoid capture by Israeli defense forces. Israel attacked, but did not dislodge those seeking sanctuary. A few months later a negotiated settlement occurred. I saw the bullet holes in the church facade from that action. 

Exterior of St Catherine's Church, when there
you can see bullet holes from 2002
Author photo 2013

For centuries, Palm Sunday mass has been held at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, where tradition holds, is the place of burial and resurrection of Christ. The Holy Sepulcher is a historic site containing the last five of the 14 stations of the cross within its footprint. Since, the start of the Netanyahu-Trump War with Iran, public masses have not been held in the Church. However, Cardinal Pizzaballa, the Patriarch of Jerusalem asked to say a private mass at the Church. On his way to the Church, not part of a procession or any ceremonial act, he was stopped and told his access would be barred. This was the first clash. The Israeli government says it was for his own good, and, with the complex situation in old Jerusalem, there is no way to address a mass casualty event. Having been in old Jerusalem, I can appreciate the difficulty of addressing a mass casualty event in that area. However, I have not seen a report that they were expecting such an event. You can read an account of the Israeli government stoppage here. Israel did say that Iranian missile fragments had fallen within meters of the church, and that Iran is targeting Christian holy sites. Hence, the explanation of why the Cardinal was barred entry.

Cardinal Pizzaballa (center) in Detroit, Dec 22, 2025
Courtesy of Mary B Hovel

If Israel was expecting a Muslim radical to bomb the church, there is a bit of irony as the keys to the Church, by tradition, are held by two Muslim families. For over 800 years, everyday, they jointly unlock the doors at 4 am, and then lock them again at 7 pm. 

Church of Holy Sepulcher, Author photo 2013

When I visited the Holy Land, there were, so I was told, many fewer pilgrims than usual due to the ongoing divisions between the Palestinians and Israel. With Orthodox Holy Week for part of journey, there were a decent number in Jerusalem and Bethlehem, but further out of that area there were few. For lunch at varied restaurants we were the only group in large dining halls filled otherwise with tables and empty chairs. Many Palestinians depend on tourism for their livelihood and one could see the shops hardly had anyone visit them, even in Bethlehem and Jerusalem. I suspect it is even much worse today. Travel to Israel is currently rated high risk by the State Dept. A few years ago was the Gaza war, and now this war. Not a welcoming situation for tourists

War is high risk. It is also highly intractable, as Trump may be finding out. On Palm Sunday there was was a second clash, this time of words coming from Cardinal Pizzaballa's boss. Using Isaiah 1:15 Pope Leo had this to say during his Palm Sunday liturgy:  

Brothers and sisters, this is our God: Jesus, King of Peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war. He does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them, saying: “Even though you make many prayers, I will not listen: your hands are full of blood” (Is 1:15).

This shows that the Catholic Church may actually have learned something in the past thousand years, and that in fact church teaching does develop. Leo's own predecessors issued bulls to galvanize the  Crusades in the Holy Land. The first papal bull was issued to start the second crusade. Leo's comments certainly rebuke Secretary of Defense, oops, now War, Pete Hegseth who used his Christian faith to justify the war, and even offered a prayer, written by a Pentagon Chaplain, on 3/25 to that effect. It may also have been directed to Russian Orthodox leaders who view have called the war in Ukraine a Holy War due to what they view as the decadent west. You can read a news report about the Pope's statement here, or read the full address here. Pope Francis often talked about WWIII being played piecemeal. This conflict certainly seems indicative of his claim. Evidence is coming out that Russia and perhaps China are aiding Iran, and now other terror forces, think Houthi rebels, who do well at asymmetric warfare may enter the conflict.

During my 2013 visit I thought how odd it is that the Jesus, the Prince of Peace, came into this earth in the Middle East. There are clashes between Jews and Muslims, Muslims and Christians, but also between Sunni and Shia Muslims. Some experts have referred to the violence in the Mid-East as a clash of cultures or a clash of civilizations. Warfare in this area goes to before Christ was born. There were rivalries between empires like the Akkadians, Babylonians, Egyptians, Hittites, and Persians. Varied clashes in the region may go back as far as 24 BC when one group went around conquering smaller city-states. The Middle East has been a clash of cultures since before the start of the Neolithic period and the advent of agriculture. Jericho (about 16 miles east of Jerusalem) is one of the earliest and most significant locations for the start of agriculture. The start of civilization, allowed by agriculture, has not been able to stop the brawls of the region. 

Sign in Jericho on invention of agriculture and animal husbandry
2013 photo by author

This clash of cultures or civilizations seems part of the regions DNA. The Middle East is a bridge between Europe, Asia and Africa. It has been important for trade, culture and conflict for centuries. Iran has stopped the flow of 20% of the world's oil by containing the strait of Hormuz. The message Christ brought to the world two centuries ago just does not seem to get through. Palm Sunday was changed this year for those in the Holy Land due to the wider war and this led to the two clashes that became evident on Palm Sunday. 

Eagle Trials

When I see a bald eagle, I usually think of the them as the master of the sky, who dominates by sheer size and power the other birds. I generally don't think of them as being hurt by predators, but Jackie and Shadow have changed my opinion. Jackie and Shadow are two bald eagles in the San Bernardino National Forest in California. I hear updates on Jackie and Shadow from the wife, who I think gets her maternal instinct fix from reading about the trials of the pair.

Eagle looking for fish at Laura Lake

I have seen eagle nests her in Wisconsin, particularly at Laura Lake and one here in McFarland near lower Mud Lake on the Mahunt property. The nests are really quite big. For Jackie and Shadow the nest sits in a Jeffrey Pine tree, about five feet down from the top of the 150' or so pine. Their nest is 6' deep, so deeper than I am tall, and about 5.5' in width, so a few inches less than my height. The nest was built by another eagle pair and taken over by Jackie.

The female eagle is larger than the male, usually 25% TO 33% bigger, and Jackie is estimated at three feet in height and Shadow at 2.5 feet in height. The eagles are taking care of two eggs, with two to three eggs, per my wife, being normal. The incubation is taxing on the pair, in both care of the egg, keeping away the nasty raven predators and normal care for themselves. We know a great deal about the pair due to two solar-powered cameras that watch the nest and its immediate surroundings. Eagles have a body temperature of 105 degrees so they use that to incubate, but instincts will tell them when they need to let off and perhaps let the eggs cool somewhat. Fluff materials in the nest provide some insulation and softness. This fluffy stuff, made up of dried grass, reeds and feathers, can make the eagle snit, which is eagle-ease for sneeze. 

Eagle at Laura Lake

Eagle watching is nothing to sneeze at. It can be hours of boredom followed by a few minutes of terror. Jackie and Shadow faced terror several days ago when a mob attacked the eagle nest, looking to harm the two eggs the eagle pair have been tending. A group of ravens, is called an "unkindness" which literally speaks volumes to the type of birds ravens are, but a group that attacks a larger bird, such as an eagle is called a mob, and they are engaged in mobbing behavior. 

The best account is in the Eagle Log for the pair on March 13: 

Yesterday from mid-morning all the way through to the evening, Jackie and Shadow were on alert most of the day, as some of the visiting birds in the area decided to return to bother them after a quiet hiatus.

Before all the intruder activity, Shadow delivered a new stick that he cunningly used to get Jackie up off the eggs. He first placed the pokey stick on her back. When that didn't work, he moved around and up closer to her head. Bonk..that did the trick! He was blocking her way out the front porch though, so she had to wing bump him to get by. After she flew off, he tilted his head and looked a bit confused how she might have been disturbed by any of that!

A bit later, Shadow was on the eggs and also on alert as he loudly called Jackie in for backup. Their loud calls were directed at five ravens who circled above and around the nest tree. A couple of them touched down briefly on the canopy above and one boldly landed on the High Perch.

Since bald eagles and ravens have similar breeding and nesting seasons in this area, both are highly territorial and active in defending their nest and territory. Ravens often use a tactic called mobbing to harass or drive out larger birds like bald eagles. As both eagles and ravens may tend to their own nest and eggs, the behaviors and the conflicts between them are mostly driven strictly by survival instincts.

Jackie and Shadow continued to work together the remainder of the day. A young juvenile bald eagle perched for 25 minutes on their favorite Lookout Snag branch, plus Jackie and Shadow dealt with more nearby raven activity.

Later in the afternoon, Jackie aggressively chased a few ravens away and then before bed, Shadow also chased a juvenile bald eagle out of the Roost Tree area. It ended up spending the night roosting on the Simba Tree, further away from Jackie and the eggs.

Jackie and Shadow are used to these highly opportunistic predators and scavengers that see their eggs as a nutritious source of food. They both were in sync and did a great job defending the nest and their precious eggs… and they will continue to do so in a heartbeat.

For Jackie and Shadow the two eggs are their second pair, with ravens having mobbed their way in and destroyed the first pair earlier this year.  As of March 20, the two current eggs were laid a few days apart: "Egg#1 is 24 days old and Egg#2 is 21 days old. The eggs are still in the incubation period with about 10 more days of incubation before Pip Watch begins on March 31. Once we see the initial hole in the outer shell, it could take 2-3 days for a chick to fully hatch."

Eagle at Laura Lake

Hence, sometime early next week, if not Sunday, the eggs should start to hatch, provided they have no more mob incidents from the nasty ravens. My household raptor specialist will likely keep me informed as the hopeful hatching. We can then, have some months of watching them branching, to fledgling to post fledgling stages. The two nest cameras give a view into the trails of eagles and their young. Yet, one never knows what happens in nature.

Quotes from https://friendsofbigbearvalley.org/eagles/

Photos by author, 2024

Gen Z'ers

The Sunday morning following the spring ahead time change, after waking we turned the news on Alexa. Following the news was a radio program by Kim Komando, the goddess of all things digital. She was relaying the situation that Mr. Wonderful from Shark Tank, Kevin O'Leary, had interviewed a person from Gen Z who wanted a parent to sit in on the interview. She then relayed this happened to her. I knew that Gen Zers tended to do things somewhat differently, but this seems over the top.

One statistic is that 77% of Zers took a parent to an interview, assisted with a resume, or negotiations for a job. This is linked to intense parenting. Some say it is the high level of economic pressure in a job market that many rate as fair to poor.

During my time at work I hired plenty of persons, often yearly for summer interns. Luckily, I did not have to face the situation of a person who brought their parent to sit in on the interview. Although one had a parent drive them, as they would visit relatives in the area after the interview. Newsweek says that 20% of Gen Z took a parent to an interview, and of that 15% to an in-person interview. A sample of 1,000 generation Z persons by Resume Template, noted that 75% of parents completed or reviewed a job application or resume for them. They also reported that 51% of that cohort took a parent to MULTIPLE interviews, which may show why they have multiple interviews. Then, even more astounding was that 67% had a parent who spoke with a manager about a job for the child.

Wikipedia

To say that they are coddled is an understatement. Marie Barone, in Everybody Loves Raymond, which ran from 1996-2005 in one episode recounted how every body got a gold star, participation trophies. Issues are also seen in academics. Grade inflation has increased with the expectation that everyone needs an A, no more grading on a curve. Where was this when I was in school?  I tended to fall to the left side of the curve, in some areas of study (Spanish) more so than others (history). At the local high school, the Tuesday following the time change forward, was ACT test day. When I took the test, and even when my kids took the test, it was a Saturday. What they now do is shut down the whole high school for the juniors to take the ACT. All other students at the school had what was termed an " Online asynchronous learning day." Proving fact is more bizarre than fiction, I am not quite sure what such gobbledygook means. Who ever came up with such non-plain English deserves to work in the education bureaucracy. 

hubstaff.com

I am not sure what happens to the junior who desires not to take the test because they wish to go to a trade school. Did they take the test anyway, or did they do the  online asynchronous learning day? I understand the importance of education, but also realize that college is not for everyone. Some of the work in the trades, such as plumbers, electricians, and concrete flat workers will not be replaced by AI. Although AI may well tell you how to  screw something up to make you call a plumber. Maybe they too enjoyed an online asynchronous learning day. 

I used AI to enhance a couple old family photos, and it put a beard on someone standing to the back when the person had no beard. I also tried it on some text translation, and got a mixed bag. Sometimes it says it cannot do it, some comes our correct (to a professional interpretation I had done, it was a test to see how well it worked) and other times it comes out more bizarre than I could even interpret.

Instead of a snow day, why can the students not have in its place an online asynchronous learning day? On Monday, March 16, they had a snow day with the blizzard warning. which easily could have been an asynchronous learning day. But, no the kids next door got to sleep in. Unless my wife and I clearing the driveway woke them up. Administrators say it is too much trouble. During the pandemic I asked one of our neighbor kids what classes for online learning he had. He had recess, gym, and English. I was flabbergasted to find out they had recess for a period when you are working from home, and what do you do for gym, stretches? I would have thought a science or math course would have been appropriate for that quarter, but I was wrong.

Apparently, the education bureaucracy pandemic pedagogy has carried over to present. The Wisconsin State Journal reported on Wednesday, March 11, 2026 that first and second graders, who were never affected by a pandemic shutdown, have math and reading scores below pre-pandemic levels. It seems that the non-phonics method of learning English did not work, so much for those brains in education who want to experiment on kids. 

The whole point of this is how kids are coddled today. I recall reading an article about a successful person a while back, who I cannot remember, but how at dinner the father did not want to know what they had for success that day, but in what they did not do well or failed, and what they learned. Losses can be good learning experiences. If one does not have ups and downs, because mommy is always present to guide you, and be at your interview, you may not be able to properly handle the down side of life. Life is not always ups, but also downs. Mommy will not always be around to protect you, at least I do not think so.

I have no issue with a parent reviewing a job application, or giving career advice, but when a young adult takes a parent into an interview, that is a whole different sort of thing. Kim Komando referred to the young man she interviewed as rather "mousy" and would not have held up to the up charged work environment she oversees. She did not allow him to bring his parent into the interview. If he was mousy, perhaps that is why he brought momma along. Birth rates are at historic lows, and that may be a good thing as far as gen Z is concerned, because if they are like this now, what will they be like as a parent? Helicopter parents and tiger moms seem to be the new norm, and will gen Z parents make that worse? 

Cords and Gremlins

Last week Saturday morning I was looking for a charging cord for an item I occasionally use. I knew the cord was kept in a drawer of a China cabinet we have in the dining room, with several other cords. I think there are gremlins that take the cords when I am searching and put it back for the wife to find. A

A pesky gremlin is the only way for me to explain why I could not find the cord, even though I pulled out all of the cords in the black organizer box and sorted through them, and looked in nearby smaller boxes. It certainly could not be my eyesight.

Varied Charging Cords

This has happened regarding varied items over the years and I have come to realize that the gremlins are wife friendly, but seem to like to pick on me. I am not sure if they are the same as the "ghosts" that my wife claims to here in the walls and the chimney. One time, I heard the noises in the wall and chimney, and even went outside to see if I could see squirrels or other critter types on the roof, but to no avail. They could have jumped off and hid, which is not hard to do with all our plants around the base of the house. Or, they could be between the siding and the insulation, or they could be "ghosts". Who knows.

Of course, there are items I set aside for safe keeping, and cannot recall the safe place. One such item was a bag containing stuff for our rain barrel, in the warmer months it is the hookup for winter, and in the winter the hookup for warmer weather. Or, the time, my wife made some corn hole toss bags, and I stuck them in the basement up between the first floor joists. A nice out of the way spot, if only I could have remembered. I now know to look up when searching for an item. 

All I know when I was looking for that charging cord I looked and looked, and looked again, and to no avail. I then asked the wife if she knew what happened to it, and she said she did not move it. She knew what the cord looked like, grey with more of a cloth exterior than vinyl or rubber. She came over to the drawer, and looked inside and pulled it out. It was so quick, I figured she had brought it with her and I, jokingly, said as much, which really got her goat. She did not take it as jokingly.

This narrows to a few options of what happened First, I did not look sufficiently well; second, that the wife brought it over and placed it in the drawer to pull out; and third, there are gremlins that moved it when I look, but put it back when she looks. I am going with the cords and gremlin theory. 

Too Much Salt

It was in November, almost 36 years ago when the wife and I traveled to Italy for our honeymoon. Our first four or so days were spent in the Eternal City, Rome. We visited the Vatican on at least two different days. On one occasion we were in the Vatican Museums, and had the opportunity to visit the Sistine Chapel. We had a tour guide for the museums and the Sistine Chapel. The Sistine Chapel is known for its Michelangelo ceiling frescoes (1508-1512) which had just completed a 10 year restoration. They were then to clean and restore the large wall fresco (1533-~1536), also by the master Michelangelo, titled the "Last Judgement". This large fresco sits behind the altar.

The Last Judgement is famous for its depiction of the second coming of Christ and the depiction of 300 souls, some tormented, some not. When we visited the Sistine Chapel art historians were aghast at the vibrancy of colors the restoration exposed. They claimed that Michelangelo never used such vibrant colors on the ceiling frescoes. It was quite the controversy, as hundred of years of candle wax, and human activity, had coated the great work and dulled the painting, leaving many to think that such colors were not apart of the original work, but done by the restorers. They seemed to want the candle wax and soot back, or at least some of it. Why do people think that in the 1th century everything had to be dark? It was part of the renaissance, after all. Overtime, that controversy has died down, and most have come to realize that the early 16th century masters had in fact used such vibrant colors. The Last Judgement, is mainly blue and skin tones due to the sky and the naked 300 persons portrayed. As the work gets closer to the floor it becomes darker, representative of hell. 

The Last Judgement Fresco
credit: Francisco Anzola
Source: Smarthistory.org

Fresco painting is a process where water-based pigments are applied directly onto wet lime plaster and as the plaster dries the pigments, by chemical reaction are bound to the plaster. It is intricate and exacting work with the plaster and timing being important. In his book Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling Ross King goes into the difficulties experienced in painting the ceiling by Michelangelo and his assistants. Ross also goes into the sourcing of pigments for the ceiling. For example, a monastery in Florence was known for its pigments, and King says "Their colors--their blues in particular--were the best and most sought after in Florence." (p66) Fresco creation is a difficult art form, and perhaps someday I will reread the King book and blog about this now rare art form. I have to say, I am not sure the world has seen again a genius like Michelangelo. His variety of forms is impressive painting, sculpture, frescoes, and architecture (he completed the design for the St Peter's Dome). 

This great work of art, within the Sistine Chapel, however, is now under attack by perspiration. The National Catholic Reporter had this to say:

"The lactic acid produced through perspiration binds very easily with the calcium present on the surface of the fresco," Fabio Morresi, head of the Vatican Museums' scientific research laboratory, told the National Catholic Reporter during a press visit to the Sistine Chapel Feb. 28. "That reaction forms a salt, calcium lactate, which creates a thin whitish layer on the surface. Over time, that layer mutes the colors and softens the contrasts of 'The Last Judgment.' "

The ceiling and other frescoes are cleaned during the night, which visitors do not see, using lifts, but The Last Judgement requires special scaffolding due to its location with the altar. 

Those 1990 art critics may be happy, but most wish to see the fresco as it was intended, and the nuance and contrast of colors can make a difference in how it is viewed. More people are entering the chapel than ever before. In 2024, for example, even before the 2025 Holy Year, the chapel had 6 million visitors, up from 1.5 million ten years earlier. Further, 2024 saw an average temperature in Rome being an amazing 4.5 degrees (F) higher than the average of 1991 to 2020. People come in hotter than before and their are more visitors. The church does not wish to be seen limiting visitors to one of the world's most important works of art, and that requires it to undertake more maintenance costs.

Pope Francis (non-posed photo) in Sistine Chapel
Contemplating The Last Judgement Fresco
Photo taken Christmas Day, 2014
National Geographic cover Aug 2015

The Last Judgement is being cleaned for the first time since 1994, This cleaning process, what the Vatican refers to as extraordinary maintenance, is not as extensive as the earlier restoration which removed centuries of soot and grime, this is removing that layer by removing the salt that adheres to the face of the fresco. The process is rather simple, dipping Japanese Vatican chief curator, Barbara Jatta refers to it like removing a cataract. The cleaning exposes more of the details of the great work of art. I suspect that is not a job I would want, as, if my wife is correct, I tend to be overzealous and would wipe away the fresco. The 1990's restoration removed the cloths that put in place to cover genital areas, and take it back to the original nudes Michelangelo painted. The cloths, or drapery, were put on after he died. 

Tourists at Vatican Museum Gallery of Maps
Nov 1990, photo by author

The restoration over 30 years ago countered the effects of much of the drapery installation of the Counter-reformation, but today a different challenge remains according the news reports: "today's intervention reflects a different challenge: safeguarding the fresco in an era of climate change and mass tourism." 

To help safeguard the priceless frescoes, climate within the Sistine Chapel is highly controlled. The temperature is kept at 71 to 75 degrees F, with a relative humidity of 55-60%. Most important, CO2 levels are at a level below that of a typical office building even though 700 to 800 persons will gather into the chapel at one point in time. Yet, as much as the Sistine is climate controlled, it can only do so much with perspiring people.

Google Map air photo of St Peter's Basilica and Sistine Chapel

The Vatican has a virtual tour of the Sistine Chapel which you can view here. My wife and I were fortunate to view the remarkable artwork in the Sistine Chapel in person. I recall most of our attention drawn to the then recently completed ceiling fresco restoration. At that point in time, since it was freshly cleaned, and the number of visitors was less, and the climate not has warm the colors were perhaps as vibrant when the ceiling was opened for viewing. 

What I learned from this is that too much salt is not just bad for the body, and our ecosystem, but also for the frescoes in the Sistine Chapel. Climate change is having a negative effect on the natural habitat (number of birds is way down) and cultural treasures.