1017

 Monday, October 17, 2022

In bed before 11, up at 5, und. pss, a bit of sipping MM before bed.  36 degrees outside, a high of 45 expected, snow flurries expected in the next couple of hours and later this morning, strong winds expected all day, in other words, a winter day in October.  Off to the VA at 8:30 for a flu shot.

O dark dark dark they all go into the dark

This morning's WaPo headline: Leaders of democracies increasingly echo Putin in authoritarian tilt.

From Italy to Brazil to the United States, political leaders increasingly are echoing Russian President Vladimir Putin and one another by embracing far-right authoritarianism.  In a flurry of elections, some of the world’s major democracies have been leaning toward or outright embracing far-right authoritarian leaders, who have echoed one another by promising to crack down on loose morals, open borders and power-hungry elites.

Mene, mene, tekel upharsin.

7 a.m.

Sun is up, snow coming down

Wind blowing round and round.

Too tired to focus, too awake to go back to bed, dreading freeway driving to VA.  Same challenge when I got the bi-valent covid booster, not enough sleep the night before, and fear of driving on the freeway.

Circling the Wagons for the Heavenly Father

WaPo this morning:  Vatican’s Mishandling of High-Profile Abuse Cases Extends its Foremost Crisis.  VATICAN CITY — Three years ago, Pope Francis said the Catholic Church was committed to eradicating the “evil” of abuse. The pope and other church leaders drew up new guidelines to handle accusations. They pledged transparency. They said victims’ needs would come first.  “A change of mentality,” Francis called it.  But two recent major cases suggest that the church, for all its vows to improve, is still falling into familiar traps and extending its foremost crisis.

While the cases are markedly different — one involves a Canadian cardinal accused of inappropriately touching an intern; the other involves a Nobel-winning bishop from East Timor accused of abusing impoverished children — anti-abuse advocates say both instances reflect a pattern of secrecy and defensiveness. They say the church is still closing ranks to protect the reputations of powerful prelates.

Fish gotta swim, birds gotta fly  . . .

Graphite pencil/charcoal sketch of namesake