—It seems to me that Twitter, while entertaining, is more of a time-suck than I can handle now. I dip in and out, but only when I’m actually in front of the computer or on my iPhone away from home. I don’t go back to the point at which I last looked at it. Just too much time wasted.
—I fired up Agent for the first time since before January and looked at Usenet. Thousands of posts! I quailed and only read a few. I think my time on Usenet is rapidly drawing to a close. Blogging, Facebook, and Tweeting take up most of my discretionary time.
—The Pope is making a serious series of mistakes in handling the sexual abuse scandals in the Roman Catholic Church. Comparing the public exposure of sexual abuse of children in the news media with antisemitism is not valid. Antisemites have no basis for their hatred and vilification at all. However, those who were abused as children and those who write about that abuse in the newspapers indeed have a basis for their loathing of the Church and those abusers who were protected by the Church. So cut it out, Ratzinger & Co. You know what you must do! First, not only apologise but publicise the errors that were made. Acknowledge them. Second, publicise the steps you will take to see that past abusers are punished appropriately and third, ensure that any future abusers are immediately separated from the hierarchy and reported to the civil authorities. If these things are not done, the reputation of the Church will suffer a blow that won’t be repaired anytime soon. (Oh, I’m not saying that Protestants, Jews, Orthodox, and secular organisations aren’t also guilty of some of the same misdeeds. Those need to be treated in the same way.)
—A Lodge brother, W. Bro. John Williams, died Thursday morning. He had been suffering with brain cancer for a year or so. He was Master of Goliath Lodge a few years ago, and had started again as Junior Deacon to work his way up through the chairs again. This year he was struck down as he had just begun to serve as Senior Deacon. He was a true gentleman in the best sense of that word. As Preceptor of our Lodge of Instruction, he was patient, gentle, and kind with those of us who were still learning the ritual. His knowledge was deep and his understanding of the meaning of Freemasonry was broad. We will miss him terribly now that he has gone to the Grand Lodge Above, and may he rest in peace and rise in glory.