How Long Has the Pope Been An Aid-Worker in Africa?

NPR-Chicago/BBC World News and Riazut Butt of The Guardian send me news that makes me sick:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/mar/17/pope-africa-condoms-aids

While it makes me physically queasy that they include a hazy, so-opinionated (like assholes, sure, everyone's got a slanted photograph)anti-Pope looking photograph of Pope Benedict XVI, I can't help but feel anything other than sheer anger and frustration (albeit, far away, foreign blogstration)at the Pope's comments on condoms for HIV protection measures:

"The pontiff, speaking to journalists on his flight, said the condition was 'a tragedy that cannot be overcome by money alone, that cannot be overcome through the distribution of condoms, which even aggravates the problems.'"

I hate how dialectic namby-pamby, high school debate-speak is ruling this argument. I don't expect the Pope to come out all for condoms and other birth-control reducing means of self-safety, but Christ. I feel like Christ and the apostles (if you believe in them simply as historical figures) would be impressed by the efforts of foreign aid workers and their attempts at treatment, prevention and the like.

Listening on NPR, some tactful BBC lady asked Vatican officials how they might deal with a situation where a husband or wife might have the AIDs Virus, while the other one remained uninfected. Here the official said that the Catholic church is realistic and understanding and would consider the issue a special matter in the use of condoms...

However, who is there is dole out this information to couples in this situation? Without proper knowledge (and somehow I doubt the safe travel of periodicals and letters in some areas of gang-ruled African countries) these people could be dead on their feet, or at least infected, with the Catholic church all but banning condoms where and when they can. With this hypothetical situation, where would the condoms for this couple be found in a theocratically-tinged area?

UGH. Where is this going? I wish I could wrap my journalistic tentacles around this Pope. Without charged photographs.

Things to enjoy:

Sucking on lemons (and Jameson sours/Bulleit bourbon)
Springtime birds in still-stick trees
Weather
New (to stay, not temp.) work Wednesday.
Drinking double choc. stout in a stealth cup next to the police at the parade.

Pictures of the Chicago St. Pat's parade soon to follow this entry.
Living in this city is educating me:
Big Black Mariah -- Tom Waits material and colloquialism for smooth black police cars from the olden times.
Slur on Irish, e.g. they get put in the "Black Maria/Mary"
Paddywagon -- Look at this written out. Pretty grotesque.

I am off to drink coffee with milk&honey, watch Einsturzende DVDs, and edit my brains to shreds. Lots of love.

P.S. Often I want to nix the minor, peripheral stuff and open a real journalistic forum debate-focused blog environment. Today, though, not now.

AP article on e-watching the Mexico/Texas border punctuated by strange, strong notes of apathy, social-justice, privacy invasion and getting dangerously close to the Thought Police/Karma Police:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/03/12/border.security.cameras.immigration/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

Each day, technological innovations make me feel weirder and more off-put. No one seems to be interested in what I want(?)- a little less time looking at the world from the observation tank and surgical audience.

Things I've Learned:

The N.Carolinian Triangle Area is scalene. This is the least of things I've learned.

One of many selves wants to live in a Southern house wrapped all around by trees and vines. A secret house. Lots of tea and jarred spice smells and people who know the right way in the front door.

It might be for the best if I stop drinking coffee when I have to board the El to O'Hare at 4 a.m. It is now 1:10 a.m. I am unpacked. I bought my tickets to fly out to North Carolina just hours ago. I will swoop down on Durham and take the "Triangle Area" by storm and intent. I might just not sleep, that's all. I will time travel. I will change the clocks which are overdue for real Daylight Savings Time-Time. I will be two hours behind and plane-rumpled when I stroll into town. I am so excited to go where I've never been before, and I am itching to get to a smaller town.

The "future" is really getting under my skin. The blanket catch-all of everyone (whoever they may be) seem like they're so sick to tears of everything but getting --smoking this, drinking that, eating out whichever person they fancy on a given evening. I need to go to another party like I need a hole in the head. Thank you. Even if, in some backwards pre-medicinal treatment sort of way, having a new hole in my head would help with the migraines, spiritual healing, whatever creative abilities, I just don't feel up to it.

I am thankful that I am 97% sure that I'll be packing up my backpack for a mini-vacation for Monday. Putting up with airport security checks will feel like nothing at all.

It's storming out, at least the weather matches my mood/makes me less rattled. A gift.

Things That Occupy Considerable Space/Time In My Brain

Thing 1)
A small blog-article on the historical context of the "all right" vs. "alright" debate; here. Go Joyce.

Thing 2)
Throbbing Gristle adds additional U.S. tourdates for Chicago!
(!!!!!)

Thing 3)
This blog, which is written in Romanian and has pictures of the metro system there.