Vatican officials have confirmed that John Paul II died. He passed at 9:37 p.m. Vatican time, less than three hours shy of Divine Mercy Sunday, making it the Eve of Divine Mercy Sunday.
John Paul The Lawgiver
Ed Peters has a summary of John Paul II’s impact on Church law. For a pope who is not himself a canon lawyer, his impact has been remarkable, with John Paul II doing things no pope has done before.
Action News!
Years ago when I was doing game design work, I had an idea for a game that I never ran but which I think could have been a lot of fun. The idea was this: A game in which the characters play gung-ho, gonzo TV journalists in a "go anywhere, do anything, get the news at any cost" near-future, semi-post-apocalyptic competitive environment modelled after Edison Carter’s "What I Want To Know" show on Max Headroom.
The title for the game would have been Action News!
One of the gimmics of the news trade in this game would be that the networks would fake the impression that they have studios all over the place by just taking their cameras from town to town, printing up a computerized background with the name of the local city, and pretending that they were "Here at our Podunk Bureau . . . "
In actuality, something like this exists in real life, and I got to sit in such a virtual bureau last night.
When I got a call to appear on Fox News, I assumed that I’d be driving down to the local Fox affiliate, where I’ve appeared before, and that the local station would do the uplink to the network.
Not so.
Instead, the network sent a limo for me (which made it like the second time in my life I’ve ever ridden in a limo), which was a good thing as finding the right place to go at 1 a.m. would not have been a fun thing for me. The right place to go also was not the local Fox affiliate. It was a virtual bureau.
These things exist in every city of significant size. They’re how networks get in-studio interviews with folks in cities that aren’t their major news hubs. I’d known about them, but I’d never been in one before.
The limo guy drove me downtown while I quizzed him about his work. (He was a real nice guy.) When we found the address, we first went past it because it looked like an abandoned walk-down storefront business.
In reality, it was a hole-in-the-wall virtual studio crammed with technical doodads. It had an entry way with a card table with a wrench and socket set sitting on it. A hallway filled with posters that the famous people who’d come there had signed. A bathroom with a folding chair and big mirror for getting hair and make-up right. A dark studio room with an incredibly short office chair, camera, lights, and various backgrounds that could be put behind the guest (including a massive TV for animated backgrounds). And it had an "other" room for the guest and cameraman to wait in where there were lots of rumpled newspapers and electronics and computer equipment.
There was just one cameraman. He was the only guy there. He wasn’t even the usual cameraman since it was the usual cameraman’s birthday. But he was a real nice guy and he got us hooked up to Fox in New York just fine.
The virtual studio, y’see, doesn’t just serve one network. They’s the local San Diego contact point for any national cable show that needs a live remote guest hookup. The cameraman told me they’d done Larry King there, they did a bunch for Fox News there, and the other folks. In fact, I realized, I was sitting in the same chair Sean Hannity had been sitting in a week or so ago, when I’d seen him sitting against the same pull-down San Diego night time skyline background I was now sitting in front of.
At least on Fox (I don’t know about other networks) the attitude toward the pope’s passing has, overall, been respectful and wanting to celebrate the holy father and many of the things he’s done, even though they do want to ask those "probing" politically-oriented questions.
They got me wired up with a mic and an earpiece and I listened as various folks in New York talked to me, asked me questions (usually whether I could hear them), and handed me electronically from one department to another while we waited for the segment I was to be on to roll around.
It did. I got asked several questions by the host, who also talked to Tim Gray by phone. (You mean I could have stayed home and phoned this in instead of coming down after midnight???) I got asked one question I particularly wanted to be asked (the gist of which was "Is the pope a hidebound conservative?", letting me have the opportunity to contrast what is essential from non-essential in the faith and characterizing John Paul II’s approach as "faithful openness").
And then it was all over.
The cameraman unhooked me, signed off to New York, I called the limo driver to come pick me up, and a few minutes later I was on my way home.
The limo guy was particularly jazzed by the whole experience. He’d gone back to headquarters while I was waiting to go on the air and he caught my segment on TV. He thought I came across as very calm and in control of what I wanted to say. He had known I was going to be on TV, but something about seeing it make it click for him, and I was tickled at how excited he was afterward. Said getting to meet a "celebrity" had made his night.
I just chuckled at that and rolled my eyes in the dark.
But the experience brought back memories of Action News!
Sin City
A reader writes:
Dear Jimmy,
This has been a rough day in a rough week and the news from the Vatican has me totally bummed out. What to do? I had a spare moment and thought that a little distraction would help. I like Bruce Willis. I like Tarantino. I decided to see Sin City.
This movie is one of the worst things to see with the eyes. It is very anti-establishment and has some real over-the-top anti-Catholic moments in it as well. It sickens me that in this time of crisis, I cannot go to a simple movie without being blasted by the hatred of some adolescent mind.
Anywho, my advice: do not see this fifty-pound monkey that sits on your head relentlessly banging it … I mean, movie.
Sin Cerely,
Namewithheld
A thought: I don’t know what movies are playing right now, but one can still see movies that aren’t Evil. May I suggest The Incredibles (just out on DVD)? It’s InconceivableIncredible!
Thanks for the warning about fifty-pound monkeysmovies!
Papal Update Links
A reader writes:
Would you please advise us to any reputable links to keep us updated on the Pope’s condition?
I’m afraid that I don’t know of anything that will give up-to-the-moment updates from a reliable Catholic perspective, so let me make several recommendations that may serve together:
A GOOGLE NEWS SEARCH CONFIGURED FOR THE MOST RECENT STORIES FEATURING THE WORDS "POPE" AND "DIED."
And your humble blog.
Incidentally, here’s TODAY’S SHOW ON CATHOLIC ANSWERS LIVE, which was devoted to the topic (LISTEN, DOWNLOAD).
Also, it looks as if I may be appearing on Fox News between 4:30 and 5:30 5-6 a.m. Eastern for the few who might be up then or want to tape it.
Likely the first of a number of media appearances for Catholic Answers folks in coming days, though we’ll have to see.
A Spectator Of Reality (TV, That Is)
You know you’re a couch potato when you watch reality on TV.
Reality shows, that is.
This season I’ve been watching "Survivor: Palau," "The Amazing Race 7," and "The Apprentice [3]." I tend to be an on- and off-viewer of these shows, and usually hop on the bandwagon after the first season — and the initial fad — has passed by. I didn’t start watching "Survivor" or "The Apprentice" until Season 2. I only started regularly watching "The Amazing Race" this season, and that was because of the entrance of "Survivor"-sweethearts Amber Brkich and Rob Mariano into the Race.
One of the interesting aspects of the reality shows is the moral issues that arise during the course of the season. For example, if you watched "The Amazing Race" this week, you may have noticed that when one of the leading teams flipped its jeep, another leading team stopped but others (notably Rob ‘n Ambuh) sped on. Later, Rob and Amber were especially held up for scorn by the team that stopped (Lynn and Alex) because R & A leapfrogged into second while Lynn and Alex ended up in fourth.
So, were Lynn and Alex right? Was it a moral obligation to stop?
If practical assistance could be given such as medical care or the sacraments, sure. Human life is much more important than any game — or the possibility of a million dollars. Of course, if you can call for help, you should; and if you have actually witnessed the accident occur, you should report that to the authorities. But if all one could do would be to murmur sympathetically and gawk at the accident, there is no obligation to stop, anymore than there would be if you saw the same accident by the side of the road on your way to work. Indeed, when you would be a hindrance by staying, moving along — and thus keeping the accident site clear of spectators (as distinguished from witnesses) — would be the right thing to do.
The Passing of John Paul II
Here at Catholic Answers we’re getting reports that the pope has indeed passed.
Still trying to verify this from other sources.
If you have any, please leave them in the combox.
Either way, let’s pray for his soul and for the Church.
UPDATE: More Info Here.
BACKGROUND INFO ON WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A POPE DIES.
2ND UPDATE: INFO ON THE SEPTIC SHOCK THE POPE HAS SUFFERED.
The Clone Wars
We’ve been hearing about the Clone Wars ever since Alec Guinness first mentioned them in the original Star Wars movie back in 1977.
But we’ve never seen them.
Even now we probably won’t really get to see them on the big screen. The first clone war begins at the end of Episode II and the last is reported to end in Episode III, probably (this is speculation on my part, so don’t spoil it, anybody who has specific knowledge) early so that the story can focus on the fall of Annakin Skywalker.
But we have the unique chance to see the Clone Wars on the small screen, either TV or computer. Lucas contracted to have a clone war cartoon series made by cartoon action-master Genndy Tartakovsky (known for such action-oriented toons as The Powerpuff Girls and the visually-stunning Samuari Jack) for Cartoon Network.
The results turned out well enough that Lucas asked Tartakovsky to go back to the drawing board and do a sequel clone war cartoon series that would lead directly in to Episode III. In fact, the final shot of the last animated clone war toon is supposed to be the same as the opening shot of Episode III (immediately after the roll-up).
Events in the second clone war toon series also directly set the stage for the Episode III roll-up, which refers to events occurring in the second animated series, conferring on this at least a semi-canonical status (unlike the rest of the "Expanded Universe" materials).
This presents Episode III spoiler-avoiders with a unique dilemmaopportunity. Watching the antimated clone war series ain’t really spoiling Episode III for oneself if Lucas has put the material out there specifically to set the stage for Episode III, so you could watch them in good conscience.
If you wanna do that, how do you go about doing it?
Well, chapters 1-20 are now out on a DVD called Star Wars: Clone Wars, Volume 1.
You can also read a brief, spoiler-light summary of them here.
Chapters 21-25, the ones that immediately set the stage for Episode III aren’t on DVD yet (and I haven’t been able to find out when they will be) BUT, for a limited time only, you can
For those who care about such things, here is my non-spoiler review of the two series:
The first twenty chapters were produced as 3 1/2 minute segments which, together, form a story 69 minutes long. The need to have each 3 1/2 minutes form a self-contained chapter severely hampers story development and tilts the series too heavily toward action rather than plot or character development, though Star Wars fans will still want to see the series. In my opinion the series gets better as it goes, with more plot and character development occuring as it progresses. The action also gets better, and the climax of Annakin’s personal arc is particularly effective, as it is clear he is still moving toward the Dark Side.
The second series of five episodes has chapters that are twelve minutes long (for a total of an hour), and this makes a night-and-day difference. Suddenly there is far more room for plot and character development, and the second series is far superior to the first. The series is more richly-drawn, both metaphorically (better character development) and literally (better animation). The backgrounds are particularly good (even though I saw them on a 2" x 3" screen). There are significant bits of Jedi lore that are filled in, and the climactic battle that sets the stage for Episode III really has some surprisingly dramatic action, including intense and creative light saber work that I’m hoping they copy (or even surpass) on the big screen.
Tenth Planet Discovered!
(Reuters) Science-fiction writers have long dreamed about the legendary Planet X, but now scientists have actually discovered it. Astronomers at the Griffith Park Observatory in Los Angeles today announced the discovery of the solar system’s tenth planet.
"This is a tremendously exciting discovery," said Olaf Gustafsen, the observatory’s chief astronomer. "The last time a planet was discovered was in 1930, and even that has been controversial."
Gustafsen refers to the discovery of Pluto, an object so tiny that many have suggested it is not a planet at all but is instead one of the many objects of the solar system’s Kuiper belt.
"There’s no doubt about the new planet," Gustafsen said. "It’s larger than four other planets of the solar system–Pluto, Mercury, Mars, and Venus–making Planet X a rival for earth in size."
The object has been temporarily named called "Planet X" by astronomers because it is the tenth planet discovered, and "X" is Latin for "ten."
Astronomers plan to give it a new name with a mythological origin in the near future. "Personally, I’m rooting for ‘Yuggoth,’" said Gustafsen.
The planet was discovered with the aide of high powered computing equipment being used to identify individual objects within the Kuiper belt.
"The object was so large compared to all the known Kuiper belt objects that we couldn’t believe it," Gustafsen said. "At first we thought it was just a practical joke being played by a colleague typing in phony data on a computer, but it turned out to be real."
Despite its vast distance from the sun, which Gustafsen says is a staggering 98 million miles, scientists have been able to determine a remarkable number of things about Planet X. For example, it has one large moon, it has a nickle-iron core, and it has a rotational period almost identical to the earth, compared to most planets, which have very different rotational periods.
"Surprising as it may seem," Gustafsen says, "rotationally this is a daily planet."
Role-Playing Games
A reader writes:
I enjoy it when you blog about role playing games, comic books, etc. During my high school days, I played AD&D and the Warhammer table top game with my friends. I recall that some Evangelical Christians had a problem with role playing games in general and with AD&D in particular. But since that was before my conversion, I payed them little heed.
During my conversion, which was heavily influenced by Evangelical Protestants, I came to the realization that much of what I believed was wrong. Although the subject never came up, I suspect that my Protestant friends would have discouraged me from playing RPGs. Since my conversion I haven’t played them at all, except for the computer variety, nor do I talk about them with my newer Catholic friends.
So here, finally, are my questions:
1. When the topic of the "danger" of RPGs was hot, do you happen to know if any Orthodox Catholic leaders at the time commented on it?
I don’t know of any, but then I wasn’t Catholic back then, either. I was maybe just discovering Christ at the time all that was the rage. It seems to me, though, that Evangelicals went in much more for then anti-RPG stuff than Catholics did, though I am quite sure that you can find some Catholics who are overly concerned with "demonic influences" that would diss the whole concept.
2. If someone did come to you and say that you shouldn’t be playing (or blogging about) RPGs, how would you structure your counter argument?
My defense of blogging about them would be completely different than a defense I would mount concerning playing them. Blogging is simply another form of talking or commenting, and there are no topics on which it is intrinsically taboo to even comment. The question is what is the quality of the contents: Do they accurately reflect the nature of the thing commented about? Do they have a tendency to steer folks toward a correct or an incorrect appraisal of the thing commented upon.
As to the subject of playing RPGs, the instinct to play is built into human nature. God means us to do it. He also built us so that we enjoy stories and coming up with imaginative, fantastic scenarios. All of these are in principle healthy and can play an ennobling role in human life and culture (as in, e.g., The Lord of the Rings trilogy). Given the God-given impulses to play and imagination, there is no in principle barrier to Role-Playing Games.
If a person wants to attack Role-Playing Games, then, he’s going to need to come up with a reason that focuses on the evils of an individual RPG rather than RPGs as a group. Presumably, that argument would be directed to the content of a particular game.
In this regard, the game merely having fantasy content would not be enough. If the content of The Lord of the Rings were the same, it would make no difference whether people experience it by reading it, watching it on screen, or playing it as a game. Merely the fantasy content of the work is not enough to make it illicit.
On the other hand, one might mount an argument that the content of a particular game is sufficiently morally problematic that it should not be indulged in. This argument may succeed in many particular cases. The way many D&D worlds are run, the characters regularly engage in immoral behavior in a way that has a deleterious moral effect on their players. (As the game designer Steve Jackson has pointed out, The average party of player-characters, incidentally, considers itself to be lawful good and is actually chaotic neutral.)
There are many individual games that I would not participate in due to moral repugnance, and so I concede the potential force of the argument, but I note that it applies only to particular games and not to the concept of Role-Playing Games as a whole.
Who can morally participate in what games will depend on the nature of the game and the dispositions and moral fortitude of the player. Different people have different temptations, and one ought to stay out of games that foster one’s temptations.
One also might make an argument (as some back during the anti-RPG days did) that RPGs encourage obsessive behavior on the part of players. I would challenge this and say that young males (the majority of RPG players) tend to have obsessive behavior whether they are playing RPGs or not. While it is true that one can devote so much time to this hobby that it competes with other things one ought to be doing (e.g., meeting girls), that is true of any hobby and thus constitutes no objection to RPGs in particular. RPGs have no particular hyponotizing power that is lacked by girls or movies or TV or the Internet or girls or comic books or iPods or girls or popular music or cars or girls or hunting or fishing or girls or duelling or moonshine or girls or any of the countless other things young men have obsessed about in the present or the past.
3. Do you have any related thoughts about the same subject, applied to books and movies (Harry Potter, etc)?
Bwahhh! You have just asked a question too broad to be answered in blog format. In principle, all of these forms of entertainment are fine of a mature person who is secure in his Catholic faith and not subject to usual temptations. The mere presence of fantasy content does not disqualify them. However, the moral content is important, and not all works are suited for all sudiences, particularly when children are involved.