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☆ Faithful pay respects to former Pope Benedict in St. Peter's
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/8] Faithful pay homage to former Pope Benedict in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, January 2, 2023. REUTERS/Guglielmo MangiapaneVATICAN CITY, Jan 2 (Reuters) - A steady stream of people filed into St. Peter's Basilica on Monday to pay their respects to former Pope Benedict XVI, whose body will lie in state in front of the main altar until his funeral later this week. Benedict died on Saturday at the age of 95 in the secluded Vatican monastery where he had lived since his shock resignation in 2013. His funeral will be held on Thursday in St Peter's Square and be presided over by Pope Francis. There were no signs of the huge crowds who came to pay their respects to Benedict's predecessor, Pope John Paul II, following his death in 2005.

☆ Pope marks New Year as Vatican prepares to mourn Benedict
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Pope Francis prayed for his predecessor’s passage to heaven as he presided over a special New Year’s Day Mass Sunday in St. Peter’s Basilica, a day after Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI died in retirement at the Vatican. Benedict, 95, died Saturday morning in the Vatican where he had lived since retirement. He departed briefly from reading his homily, with its emphasis on hope and peace, to pray aloud for Benedict. “Today we entrust to our Blessed Mother our beloved Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, so that she may accompany him in his passage from this world to God,” he said. “At the beginning of this year, we need hope, just as the Earth needs rain,” Francis said.

☆ Death of former Pope Benedict overshadows New Year at Vatican
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/4] Candles stand next to St. Peter's Square after former Pope Benedict died in the Vatican, in Rome, Italy, December 31, 2022. REUTERS/Guglielmo MangiapaneVATICAN CITY, Jan 1 (Reuters) - Pope Francis marked the Roman Catholic Church's traditional World Day of Peace on Sunday but the start of the new year at the Vatican was overshadowed by the death of his predecessor, Benedict. It will be the first time in many centuries that a sitting pope will preside at the funeral of his predecessor. PRAISE, BUT ALSO CRITICISM FOR BENEDICTOn Saturday night the Vatican released Benedict's two-page "spiritual testimony" written in 2006, a year after his election as pope. Francis on Saturday called Benedict a noble, kind man who was a gift to the Church and the world.

☆ Ohio State Football and the Agony of Being 11-1
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( Rachel Bachman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

For most college football fan bases, Ohio State’s 2022 season would be a Technicolor dream: an 11-1 record, a Heisman Trophy finalist quarterback, an upcoming semifinal matchup with No. 1 Georgia in the College Football Playoff. Ohio State’s faithful, however, are not like most fan bases.

☆ Global reactions to the death of former Pope Benedict
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

MARKUS SOEDER, PREMIER OF THE GERMAN STATE OF BAVARIA:"We mourn the death of our Bavarian Pope. The death of Benedict XVI touches me deeply, as it does many people in Bavaria and all over the world. [1/2] Pope Benedict XVI waves as he appears for the last time at the balcony of his summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, February 28, 2013. UK PRIME MINISTER RISHI SUNAK:"I am saddened to learn of the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. CARDINAL VINCENT NICHOLS, ROMAN CATHOLIC ARCHBISHOP OF WESTMINSTER:"I am deeply saddened to learn of the death of Pope Benedict.

☆ Pope Emeritus Benedict in stable condition and participates in Mass
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

“At present his condition is stationary.”On Wednesday, Pope Francis revealed that his 95-year-old predecessor was “very ill” and he went to see him in his home in the Vatican Gardens. Francis called for prayers for Benedict, resulting in an outpouring of messages of solidarity from rank-and-file Catholics and cardinals alike. On Friday evening, the cardinal vicar of Rome, Cardinal Angelo De Donatis, celebrated a special Mass for Benedict in St. John in Lateran Basilica. Referring to Benedict’s nearly 10 years in retirement from the papacy, De Donatis said that the pope emeritus “even in old age, and in illness, continues to sustain humanity totally offering oneself.”The pope emeritus was “in profound communion with Pope Francis,” the cardinal said. At the end of Mass, De Donatis said the faithful were entrusting “our Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI to the maternal care” of Jesus’ mother, “because she has promised to be near to her children in the moment of trial.”

☆ Pope Francis Says Retired Pope Benedict XVI Is ‘Very Sick’
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Francis X. Rocca | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Pope Francis, standing with a cane, with Pope Benedict XVI, seated, in the Vatican in August. ROME— Pope Francis on Wednesday said that his 95-year-old predecessor, retired Pope Benedict XVI, was very ill and asked the faithful to pray for him. “Remember him—he is very sick—asking the Lord to console him and support him in this testimony of love for the church until the end,” Pope Francis said.

☆ Pope Benedict XVI Is Very Sick, Says Pope Francis
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Francis X. Rocca | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

ROME— Pope Francis on Wednesday said that his 95-year-old predecessor, retired Pope Benedict XVI, was very ill and asked the faithful to pray for him. “Remember him—he is very sick—asking the Lord to console him and support him in this testimony of love for the church until the end,” Pope Francis said.

The proposal would require that workers be considered employees, entitled to more benefits and legal protections than contractors, when they are "economically dependent" on a company. Most federal and state labor laws only apply to a company's employees, who can cost employers up to 30% more than independent contractors, studies suggest. Federal law requires agencies to adequately explain their decision to withdraw and replace existing rules. The rule would treat companies as so-called "joint employers" under federal labor law when they have indirect control over working conditions such as scheduling, hiring and firing, and supervision. The 2020 rule barred NLRB staff from putting off elections while related cases alleging illegal labor practices are being litigated.

☆ The charges against Caroline Ellison, SBF, and FTX cofounder Gary Wang — in 60 seconds
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Sindhu Sundar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Alameda's former CEO Caroline Ellison and FTX cofounder Gary Wang are in the SEC's crosshairs. US Attorney Damian Williams said on Wednesday that Ellison and FTX cofounder Gary Wang had pleaded guilty to various charges, including fraud, and are cooperating with the government. Still, Ellison and Wang perpetuated the alleged fraud of FTX's investors and customers, according to the SEC. That gave the firm broad access to FTX customer funds — and Ellison knowingly traded at Alameda using that money. The complaint largely painted Bankman-Fried as the one making allegedly fraudulent assurances to investors, but cast Ellison and Wang as loyal enablers.

☆ Ex-academic forges a new career denying Trump's 2020 election loss
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +27 min

“The war is just getting started,” Clements told his 100,000 Telegram followers on Nov. 16. His rise in the movement began in January 2021, when a dispute with his employer, New Mexico State University, over the U.S. Capitol riot went public. ‘I will not take the jab’Clements’ swift rise in election-denier circles caused a stir at New Mexico State, where he continued to teach. Flynn co-founded the America Project, a well-capitalized right-wing group that has financed lawsuits and campaigns challenging the 2020 election results and the integrity of U.S. voting systems. One of their roles is to certify election results, which until the Trump era was typically a rubber-stamp formality.

A Culture in theCross Hairs Russia’s invasion has systematically destroyed Ukrainian cultural sites. It has also dealt a grievous blow to Ukrainian culture: to its museums and monuments, its grand universities and rural libraries, its historic churches and contemporary mosaics. This is how empires always work.” The war in Ukraine is a culture war, and the extent of the destruction is becoming clearer. Kyiv Sviatohirsk UKRAINE Damaged or destroyed religious sites Areas controlled by Russia at any time since invasion. Kyiv Sviatohirsk UKRAINE Damaged or destroyed religious sites Areas controlled by Russia at any time since invasion.

☆ U.S. Catholic Priests Are Increasingly Conservative as Faithful Grow More Liberal
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-18 | by ( Francis X. Rocca | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

While young priests hold on to tradition, Catholic laity have been moving in a more liberal direction. American Catholic priests are becoming more conservative, even as their flocks are becoming more liberal. U.S. Catholic bishops elected conservative leaders last month, continuing to resist a push from Pope Francis to put social issues such as climate change and poverty on par with the bishops’ declared priority of opposing abortion.

☆ Elon Musk Was Always a Visionary Jerk, Bad Boss at SpaceX, Tesla. but It Won't Work at Twitter.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-18 | by ( Linette Lopez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Elon Musk has a pretty tried-and-true playbook for doing business — he's used it for years to build companies from Tesla to SpaceX. Twitter is the antithesis of an "Elon Musk company." And without a big, world-changing promise to paper over his sophomoric product ideas and erratic management, Musk's Twitter takeover is doomed. No time to wasteA Musk company is usually the first, and sometimes the only, company in a specific market. Based on his most recent quarterly calls with investors — the ones where he is supposed to talk about plans to make more money — Musk does not have one.

Homeowners aren’t forced to decorate. “We want it to come from the heart,” said Mr. Du. He said hours of work go into the displays. “It makes you feel proud that people make it part of their tradition to see you.”

CNN —Peru’s new President Dina Boluarte has proposed bringing general elections forward two years to April 2024, during a televised speech delivered early Monday morning, amid ongoing protests throughout the country. Boluarte became Peru’s first female president last week after lawmakers removed her predecessor Pedro Castillo. Castillo on Monday insisted that he is still Peru’s President, according to a series of tweets posted on his Twitter account. Protestors take over the Pan-American highway in Arequipa, Peru, on December 12, 2022. Diego Ramos/AFP/Getty ImagesPolice officers clash with protesters in Arequipa, Peru December 12, 2022.

☆ Iran’s Islamic Leaders Face a Crisis of Faith as Protests Swell
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( Sune Engel Rasmussen | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

For decades, Iran’s clerical leaders have striven to make sure their country stays on a conservative, Islamic path. They have expanded religious education. The faithful have been urged to have more children. Those deemed to be exhibiting what the government regards as anti-Islamic behavior risk the full force of the law. Monthslong protests in Iran against the core values underpinning the Islamic system suggest the country might be heading the other way.

☆ ‘America’s Test Kitchen: The Next Generation’ Review: Tinkering With the Ingredients
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( John Anderson | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

The universe won’t collapse because of what happens on a cooking show, but “America’s Test Kitchen: The Next Generation” is symptomatic of larger disturbances in the force of food TV—including creative stasis, casual shoplifting of ideas and the fact that too many borrowed ideas can spoil a perfectly presentable broth. The taste-test segment involves familiar brands available at a local supermarket and end in some surprising results. (Hershey’s wins the cocoa-powder faceoff again!) Among its “flaws” is a menu that’s anachronistically meat-centric and on-air talent who are on air because of their food knowledge, not their media training. Bridget Lancaster and Julia Collin Davison are the no-nonsense hosts-chefs; the taste-test guy, Jack Bishop , is reassuringly uncomfortable at being on TV at all; equipment assessor Adam Ried is burly, affable and you believe what he tells you.

During his short campaign, Trump has dominated headlines by dining with the rapper Ye, who has gone on antisemitic tirades in recent weeks, and the white nationalist Nick Fuentes. And on Tuesday night, Herschel Walker’s loss in a Georgia Senate runoff added an exclamation point to the argument that Trump hurt the GOP by picking a bad crop of candidates in swing states. They just think he’s the future, but Trump is the present.”Still, Trump hasn’t offered much in the way of a new vision for the country. Then in early 2023, I expect the Trump campaign to start rolling out an effort to lock down the early primary states,” the adviser said. “If Trump can put together early primary support, if he can raise a bunch of money, he’ll be hard to beat.

☆ LGBTQ students wrestle with tensions at Christian colleges
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +12 min

“It’s kind of a tightrope,” said John Scarano, campus ministry director at John Carroll University, a Jesuit school near Cleveland with “safe zone trainings” as part of its ministry to LGBTQ students. Last year, 33 LGBTQ students or former students at federally funded Christian schools filed a class-action lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education, claiming the department’s religious exemption allows schools that receive federal dollars to unconstitutionally discriminate against LGBTQ students. In May, the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights launched a separate investigation for alleged violations of the rights of LGBTQ students at six Christian universities — including Liberty University. A high-stakes clash between students, faculty and the school’s board of trustees over hiring LGBTQ faculty is unfolding at Seattle Pacific University, a 131-year-old school affiliated with the Free Methodist Church. “I find that tragic.”To students like Fisher in Minnesota, concrete actions will show if LGBTQ people can truly be welcomed on Christian campuses.

☆ Senate candidates make last pitch in Georgia midterm election runoff
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Nathan Layne | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] Republican U.S. Senate candidate and former football player Herschel Walker speaks during an event ahead of the runoff election against Senator Raphael Warnock in Warner Robins, Georgia, U.S., December 2, 2022. Democrats secured effective control of the Senate in the Nov. 8 general election, while Republicans won the U.S. House of Representatives. The early vote is expected to have leaned Democratic, political experts from both parties say, meaning the Walker campaign goes into Tuesday with a sizeable deficit. It is not an insurmountable lead, Hicks said, noting that while Warnock edged past Walker in the Nov. 8 election by 49.44% to 48.49%, Walker won Election Day by some 220,000 votes. ADVANTAGE WARNOCKThe Senate runoff is the second in Georgia in two years.

☆ China Covid restrictions: Protesters win a partial victory as cities start to loosen controls
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Following protests nationwide, some local Chinese authorities have started to ease Covid restrictions – in what appears to be a shift toward gradual reopening as the country nears entering the fourth year of the pandemic. “I feel like everyone’s hard work is paying off,” said a protester who took part in a demonstration in Beijing. “Policy flip-flop is common.”In some cities, the partial relaxation has caused confusion and chaos on the ground. In Beijing, public venues such as shopping malls and office buildings still require a 48-hour negative Covid test for entry. I don’t celebrate, I just remember those brave friends with gratitude,” a Beijing resident posted on Weibo, in a reference to the protesters.

☆ Netflix 'Christmas Carol' reboot 'Spirited' misses Elon Musk irony
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( Ani Bundel | Ani Bundel Is A Cultural Critic Who Has Been Writing Regularly Since Her Work Can Also Be Found At Elite Daily | Weta'S Telly Visions | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

The Americanized “Spirited” is available on Apple TV+, while the British-based “Scrooge: A Christmas Carol” debuted on Netflix on Friday. Originally published in 1843, Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” was that era’s equivalent of a bestseller, with 13 editions published in the first year of print alone. (“The Muppet’s Christmas Carol,” for example, cast perpetual hero Kermit T. Frog as Cratchit rather than Scrooge.) The animation is vibrant, capturing the feel of the old Claymation-style Christmas TV specials. It is a bizarre and somewhat grotesque rewriting of the story’s moral; it's “A Christmas Carol” seen through the lens of bothsiderism.

☆ Italy's Catholic Church reintroduces handshakes during Mass
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ROME, Dec 3 (Reuters) - Italy's Catholic Church is reintroducing handshakes for the "sign of peace" during Mass as part of a wider relaxation of anti-COVID-19 measures. "It will be possible to restore the usual form of exchanging the sign of peace," the Italian Bishops' Conference (CEI) said in a letter to bishops. The letter, publicised by RAI public broadcaster and other Italian media on Saturday, was originally posted on CEI's website on Friday. In its latest advice to bishops, the CEI called for continued precautions, such as inviting the faithful to sanitise their hands upon entering a church. Reporting by Alvise Armellini; Editing by Mike HarrisonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Trump-Fuentes-Ye dinner was a mistake given 2022 election results
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Musa Al-Gharbi | Musa Al-Gharbi Is A Paul F. Lazarsfeld Fellow In Sociology At Columbia University. His Research | Social Media Can Be Found On His Website | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

Many who backed the GOP in other races voted for Democrats when the Republican was an election denier. The cynical bid paid off: Literally all the extreme GOP candidates that Democrats boosted failed in the general election. Many people who would otherwise happily vote Republican were unwilling to vote for Trump or those he endorsed. And Trump’s sexist and misogynistic rhetoric alienated Republican voters, men and women alike. Women, for their part, moved toward the GOP, with women of color shifting more than white women.

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