Talk Wealth Aboard?

I was very cynical and skeptical when Pope Francis was named. I figured he'd be a lot like John Paul II or, worse, Benedict XVI, since he was getting named by a college that was almost (?) entirely their appointees.

But he has impressed me, in the little I've heard from him since then. Most recently, he openly repudiated the culture of more that has reigned for at least the last thirty years.

And that's a big change. I remember when John Paul II was first flying over to the US, he was taking TWA. The joke at the time was that TWA stood for 'Talk Wealth Aboard'. And while I didn't think much of it at the time (too young), it stuck with me, and I eventually found out a lot more about the basis for the joke (my dad told me the joke, and I suspect that to him, it was just a joke, but there's a strong grounding for why that wasn't an inaccurate analysis).

So I'm pleased (and impressed) that Francis is breaking with that. I hope it continues, and that it trickles down through the church heirarchy.

What is that glow?

This comparison photo of the introductions of Popes Benedict XVI and Francis are impressively different. The camera companies might want to take note: all those people taking pictures and video, and (almost?) none of them are using "camera"s.

I just want to know more about the reporter using an old Nikon 1200/1700mm lens (fascinating lens story). Specifically, want to see his photos (well, and am curious how he got hold of the lens. Would expect it'd cost more than a year's salary for a journalist).