Just around the time I finally got around to watching the movie,  Conclave  ( Rotten Tomatoes  93/86 ), the  real Conclave voted American Cardinal Robert Prevost as the new Pope Leo XIV.   No one saw this coming.  No American had ever been pope since the first one nearly 2000 years ago.  For those who know nothing about religion, Pope Leo XIV now becomes the Bishop of Rome and leader of the Catholic Church with a membership of 1.4 billion for as long as he continues.  By the way, St. Peter, one of the apostles of Jesus, was the first pope. No one saw this coming. The heavy favorite was Cardinal Pietro Parolin (right), the Vatican's secretary of state under Pope Francis. Cardinal Prevost's betting odds hovered in the range of 2% to 1%....or less . He was born in Chicago, spent periods in Peru, but most of his youth and professional life in that city. Started with a math B.S. from Villanova in 1977, but went on to earn a Licentiate of Canon Law and ...

  I've previously been to Anchorage twice in my life, both during the period of the longest day, when the sun never did set.  The first time was around 40 years ago.  To quote from my   24June2018 blog . I remember the previous and only other time I was here in Anchorage, maybe a third of a century ago, also around the longest day.  I participated in a hydrogen conference at the University of Alaska, and after that was over, joined a salmon fishing expedition.  Paid a fortune to be taken by van with eight others a two-hour ride away to be dropped off at a river.  It was a total disaster  There was only about a 50-yard portion of a river, where there were a hundred or more fishermen.  Only native Americans can fish wherever they want.   We were provided a long pole, line and a hook with some cloth material attached to it.   At this time of year the salmon returning upstream do not eat.  You need to irritate them so tha...