Pope Francis and all things amuzing - When was the last time you saw a Pope in a clown nose?

The following post is by my friend Ron Vazzano.  I hope it will put a big smile on your face.

Pope to Pop More Surprises in 2014?

In the nine months he has been in office, it seems Pope Francis pops one surprise after another on an almost weekly basis. Be it a startling quote, an act of ya-gotta-be-kidding-me humility, or some off-beat everyman disclosure (“I was once a bouncer”), he has captured the imagination of a large cross section of humanity.

I mean, a pope in a clown nose?

In designating him as their Person of the Year for 2013, Time magazine had this to say:

"… he has placed himself at the very center of the central conversations of our time, about wealth and poverty, fairness and justice, transparency, modernity, globalization, the role of women, the nature of marriage, the temptations of power. When he kisses the face of a disfigured man or washes the feet of a Muslim woman, the image resonates far beyond the boundaries of the Catholic Church."

And that’s just on Monday.

And then shortly after, Advocate, the oldest gay rights magazine in America, also honored him as their person of the year. In so doing, they hailed as a landmark, his famous response to a reporter who had asked about gay people in the church: "If a person is gay and seeks God and has good will, who am I to judge?"

One can’t help but wonder in all of this, what surprises and revelations might be forthcoming in 2014, regarding this popular pontiff. These are but a smattering of headlines that are not difficult to imagine in the coming year.wh

Pope Francis: “I once got a ‘D’ on my Latin Final”

A Vatican source who asked to remain anonymous, revealed that the Pope was a also terrible speller.

Pope Francis Lives in a Studio Apartment with His Dog “Assisi”

Sources confirmed that he walks to work every day, after first walking his dog, a mutt he rescued from a pound in his first week as Pope.

Pope Francis was Born in Kenya

Pope: “Mary Magdalene was an Apostle”

When asked by someone in the press corps on a flight coming back from the desert in which he had spent 40 days and 40 nights, if he was saying therefore that there were really 13 apostles (and a woman at that) and not 12 as in the scriptures, he responded: “13, 12, 11, whatever…it’s just a number.”

Pope was Fired from Bouncer Job

It was revealed today in the Italian press, that Pope Francis was fired from his job as a bouncer for always turning the other cheek and never checking ID’s at the door.

Pope in line at Motor Vehicles

Not using his status to avoid a four hour wait, Pope Francis stood in line to renew his license at a nearby Motor Vehicles in Rome today. (He drives an ‘84 Renault in lieu of the Vatican provided chauffeured car). It gave him the opportunity to “demonstrate patience, rather than merely to preach it,”he said, as he consoled some who had stopped by in tears, after having failed their written test.

Pope Francis Was Once Jewish

New Dress Code for the Swiss Guard

The Pope announced today that the Vatican will institute a casual Friday dress code for the Swiss Guard beginning this Spring.

“It’s Gay Divorce I’m Really Concerned About,” says Pope Francis

Pope Surprises Many on Scriptural Interpretations

As for the eating of the apple in the Garden of Eden, he responded: “I might have done the same. Who’s to say? I love apples.”

Pope Owns a Cell Phone

But in keeping with his austerity, it is a rotary. And he has not downloaded any applications. The U.S. Government has confirmed this.

Pope’s Denunciation of Capitalism Caused the DOW to Drop on Friday

Cardinal Dolan in a recent homily at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and in follow ups on Meet the Press, the Today Show, Good Morning America, Charlie Rose, CNN, CNBC, Fox News and the Tonight Show, assured all that the pope was speaking metaphorically.

Pope Once Gave Meat to a Hungry Man on a Friday

When asked whether or not the man was Catholic, “Don’t ask don’t tell,” he explained to the press.

Pope Meets with Lady Gaga

They shared a bit of humor about the number of syllables in their respective real names: Jorge Mario Bergoglio and Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta. Ted Cruz is outraged.

Pope: “I am Not Worthy of My Name Being Capitalized”

In still one more sign of great humility, the pope issued a statement in which he asked that his name no longer be capitalized, nor should a formal Roman number follow it. He asked that it now appear in print as francis ¹.a

Flying Easy-Jet

Flying Easy-Jet – from Paris to Copenhagen 

"Caveat Emptor" (ka-vee-ott emptor): it's a Latin expression for "let the buyer beware." Unfortunately, this buyer, moi, was not aware. I had not read the the Easy-Jet's ticketing disclosures about the number of bags and suitcases customers could bring.  And I had to pay for my negligence.

I had three pieces of luggage – a large suitcase, one carry-on and a handbag.  Flying American Airlines from LAX  (Los Angeles airport) was no problem.  Passengers are allowed to check-in up to 50 lbs. of luggage. My large suitcase weighed closer to 60 lbs. The officer at the counter said, "Ma'am, I can let you go a few pounds over but not 10."  He suggested I transfer a few items to my carry-on bag, and I did. This worked out fine.  

I later realized, after the security check, even at the boarding gate, we could check in another bag. Ah! how spoiled we are as Americans!  After this personalized customer service, I didn't even think to read through the rules Easy-Jet sent me after I bought an online flight ticket from Paris to Copenhagen. I had not realized when flying Easy-Jet I could only check in one piece of luggage up to 20 kilos, plus one carry-on, and THAT WAS IT.

It seems I'm more punctual as I'm getting older.  I arrived at Charles de Gaulle airport at 10 a.m., more than three hours before my flight.  I bought my last French baguette sandwich, which was called the American sandwich with ham and cheese.   After two weeks in Paris, 5 Euros for a sandwich no longer seemed expensive.

In the food court there was a McDonald's which was still serving breakfast.  So I also bought a ham & egg sandwich for 1.40€.  I love their breakfast sandwich. I thought I could have the baguette later when I got hungry again.  

After having my breakfast sandwich I headed to the check-in counter.  My big suitcase was exactly 20 kilos.  The problem was I had to pay for the extra handbag.  After adjusting a few things, and transferring a few things here and there, my handbag weighed five kg. I heard the officer say I had to pay 19€, and I thought, "That's not so bad."

It's not an exaggeration to say that I went into a great deal of trouble maneuvering myself and carrying all my suitcases to the cashier at the other end of the hall. Why do Europeans have such illogical ways of doing things? Why couldn't we pay at the check in counter?

At the cashier's I found out that the surcharge was 90€, not 19. For my ticket I had paid only 60€. Go figure! With much resentment, I paid the 90€. After the fact, I realized that I didn't carry anything of value equal to 90€. Hindsight is 20/20.

Even before that unfortunate incident, prior to arriving at the airport, I was thinking that I should have taken the train instead of the plane to Copenhagen because I would have had more time to write.   My cousin had advised me that the flight would be cheaper than the train trip. In reality, it could have been cheaper if I had read the disclosures.  In my case the flight turned out to be much more expensive.  But I don't regret it, because at the boarding gate I met a young guy and got into a conversation that will always stay with me. 

His name was Mohamed and he was from Tunisia.  That 26-year-old, who looked much older than his age, put forward a sage argument.  Mohamed at his young age was able to solve the mystery of the Existence of God.  My fellow passenger said, "In my heart, not in my head, I believe in God. And since my feeling is stronger than my reasoning, I say God exists."

Now when I think back to our exchange of opinions about religion, I cannot recall how we got into a discussion about God. On the airplane we sat next to each other, and he told me that he was part of the movement that overthrew the old government of Tunisia.  I should admit that I didn't know much about Tunisia.  I only remember that I had read in Time magazine that the "Arab Spring," as they call the recent revolutions of the Arab nations, had started with an incident in Tunisia. 

Mohamed brushed over the surface of their revolution.  He also told me how he loves Tunisia and he thinks that tunisians are the most intelligent of all other Arab nations.  He also told me about their beautiful  beaches and made me want to travel to Tunisia. 

Mohamed now lives in France and he has high hopes that soon one day,  everything in Tunisia will stabilize and he will be able to go back to his homeland.  He said, "The main problem of Tunisia is corruption and no opportunity for youth to have employment ."  He hopes the new government will be able to solve the problems.  

Unfortunately two hours was not enough time to learn more.  I gave him my information and asked him to follow me on my blog.  I'm not sure if Mohamed will read this post or not.  But I hope all Mohameds will have the opportunity to follow their dreams.  

The following is about the incident that brought about the movement of Arab Spring.  Copied from Wikipedia.                     

"Tarek al-Tayeb Mohamed Bouazizi (29 March 1984 – 4 January 2011; Arabic: محمد البوعزيزي‎) was a Tunisian street vendor who set himself on fire on 17 December 2010, in protest of the confiscation of his wares and the harassment and humiliation that he reported was inflicted on him by a municipal official and her aides. 

His act became a catalyst for the Tunisian Revolution and the wider Arab Spring, inciting demonstrations and riots throughout Tunisia in protest of social and political issues in the country.

The public's anger and violence intensified following Bouazizi's death, leading then-President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali to step down on 14 January 2011, after 23 years in power. The success of the Tunisian protests inspired protests in several other Arab countries, plus several non-Arab countries.

The protests included several men who emulated Bouazizi's act of self-immolation, in an attempt to bring an end to their own autocratic governments. Those men and Bouazizi were hailed by some Arab commentators as "heroic martyrs of a new Middle Eastern revolution."

In 2011, Bouazizi was posthumously awarded the Sakharov Prize jointly along with four others for his and their contributions to "historic changes in the Arab world".The Tunisian government honored him with a postal stamp. The Times of the United Kingdom named Bouazizi as person of the year 2011."

THE TALK OF THE TOWN - Baby Boom – World's 7 billionth BABY is born in Manila, Philippines

Meet the 7 billionth Baby:

On October 31 of last year I received an email from the executive director of UNA-USA, Patrick Madden, informing the coming of the 7 billionth child.  A week before I had also read in TIMES magazine about the anticipation of the 7 billionth baby.  I decided to post it on my blog, as soon as the baby was identified, but then I put it on back burners and forgot all about it.  Until today when I was cleaning my inbox and came uponemail.  Here is the email and the news from the arrival of the baby.

Dear UNA-USA Members:

Our world is growing exponentially. Today, the world welcomes the birth of the 7 billionth child. With this in mind, it is more important than ever that we answer critical questions regarding population, health and sustainability. How these issues are addressed could determine whether that child lives in a safe, healthy and sustainable world — or one of insecurity, disease and instability.

Nations are facing population growth and shifts we haven’t seen before. Across the globe countries are seeking to address the health and environmental sustainability impacts of human development. Investments in international family planning contribute to a host of positive health and development outcomes, including the promotion of healthy, productive families and communities, environmental sustainability, and resource and food security.

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — She came into the world at two minutes before midnight, a tiny, wrinkled girl born into a struggling Manila family. On Monday, she became a symbol of the world'spopulation reaching 7 billion people and all the worries that entails for the planet's future.

Weighing 2.5kg (5.5lb), Danica May Camacho was chosen by the United Nations to be one of several children around the world who will symbolically represent the global population milestone.

She was delivered just before midnight on Sunday amid an explosion of press camera flashes at Manila's Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital.

"She looks so lovely," her mother, Camille Dalura, whispered softly as she cradled her tiny newborn.

"I can't believe she is the world's seven billionth."

Danica's name means morning star. She is a second child for Camille Dalura and Florante Camacho.

The parents and the baby were met by officials from the UN, which named 31 October Seven Billion Day, aiming to draw attention to the challenges of the world's growing population.

The accuracy of the projection has been questioned, with some groups arguing that the figure is more likely to be reached next year.

UN officials nevertheless presented the baby and her parents with a small cake as she lay on her mother's chest wearing a knitted red hat.

The family also received a scholarship grant for Danica's education from wellwishers and some money to help them open a shop.

Previous children picked out at birth by the UN to mark world population milestones have complained that the international body forgot about them later in life.

Both 12-year-old Adnan Nevic of Bosnia Herzogovina, the sixth billionth baby, and Matej Gaspar from Croatia, who was number five billion, have complained that the UN chose them at birth then largely ignored them.

"We saw Kofi Annan as almost like a godfather to him," Adnan's father, Jasminko, told the Guardian.

Adnan said: "He held me up when I was two days old but since then we have heard nothing from them."

The UN Population Fund hopes to raise awareness about reproductive health, women's rights and inequality through the campaign.

Countries around the world have held celebrations to mark the occasion, including a song contest in Zambia and a concert in Vietnam.

The Philippines has 94.9 million people, according to a UN report, and 10% of girls aged 15 to 19 have been pregnant.

Enrique Ona, the country's health secretary, said the birth offered his country an opportunity to address population-related problems.