Bits and Pieces of Today

In Yahoo! News today:

Pope Meets With Dissident Theologian

By NICOLE WINFIELD, Associated Press Writer
VATICAN CITY -
Pope Benedict XVI met with one of his fiercest critics, the Swiss dissident theologian Hans Kueng, in yet another sign the pontiff wants to reach out to prominent Catholics who fell from grace under his predecessor.

In an interview with The Associated Press from his home in Tuebingen, Germany, Kueng called Saturday's meeting "extraordinary" but said it was wrong to speak of reconciliation.

"I am sure that this will be seen in the Catholic world, and even more than that, as a hopeful sign because it shows that he (Benedict) has more positive intentions than maybe what was seen at the beginning," Kueng said.

Fall Web Cams Link
WXNation has some links to Fall Foliage webcams around the country.

Dylan, Part 1
Dylan. The amazing, eclectic, always mysterious Dylan. No, this show does NOT demystify him. As I have heard from many reviewers, this only adds mystery to a remarkable American musical icon.

Part one tonight gave us insights and mystery, as expected. The contrast between all these people talking about his greatness and Dylan simply being himself, is at the heart of the show. Dylan does what he does because he is who he is.

For me the image that best describes Dylan (and has for years) is that little half grin he gives. You never know whether he's being serious or having fun. He's a troubador, giving us stories that he wants us to hear, challenging us to think and then smiling that hidden smile of the storyteller who knows he knows as little as we do.

Wait until part two when I have a hunch we will see more of the tambourine man:

Though you might hear laughin', spinnin',
Swingin' madly across the sun,
It's not aimed at anyone, it's just escapin' on the run
And but for the sky there are no fences facin'.
And if you hear vague traces of skippin' reels of rhyme
To your tambourine in time, it's just a ragged clown behind,
I wouldn't pay it any mind, it's just a shadow you're
Seein' that he's chasing.
--Mr. Tambourine Man, Bob Dylan, 1964, 1992