Back to the Style Channel

As he is our RC rep, I shall leave all updates what's going down in the Vatican to the Doc, and I suppose the Ombudsman, should he be so inclined. (One should never speak for the Ombudsman. Although last I saw of the him, he was so deep into matters concerning the Revolutionary War that it may be news to him that Pius VI still isn't in power.) I will merely say that I am a bit surprised that the Doc doesn't remember any other Popes. Even though I was ASTONISHINGLY young at the time (well not that young), I do remember the short reign of John Paul I, and I can't imagine why as it had nothing to do with food, which is usually the only fixative of the memories of my youth. (Unless it was the rumors at the time that had to do with his being poisoned. That would involve food and might explain an otherwise anomalous occurrence of memory.)

We now go back to the regularly scheduled programming expected of the Style Editor, which is to say fluff and food, and the occasional exception for serious matters that I do not think are getting enough attention like the situation in Zimbabwe. However, Nick Kristoff at the NY Times wrote an excellent op-ed on the topic (and a multimedia piece too ) so Zimbabwe is getting more attention than I could ever bring to it, although not as much as it should be getting. But there is also the ever present evil brought to the world by viruses.

You did not know that viruses are the bringers of ever-present evil? Oh dear yes. It is well known that such is the case. It is true that I, the Style Editor, have a bit of an idee fixe about viruses. As some people are about pesticides causing all ills, so am I about viruses. Indeed the only difference between the pestilential pesticide purveyors and me is that I have a lot more science on my side. Some days I muse that perhaps I am too extreme in these matters, but then I read reports like this where it turns out that the dear sweet E. coli, bacteria, our usually charming and necessary digestive friend, mutated into its evil fiend form, such as E coli O157, as the result of A VIRUS. And then I think really my position on viruses is really FAR too moderate. (I once attended a National Academy of Sciences dealio on Emerging Infectious Diseases, where one participant announced that it was well known that viruses are the root cause of cancer, heart disease, and really just about any ill that affects man for which we do not already have a microbe, virus, or parasite as a root cause. What astonished me was not that someone held this position (I thought it eminently reasonable.) but that no one rose up crying, "You, sir, are a heretic, sir, and I want nothing to do with you!" No indeed, the entire assembly simply stroked their metaphysical beards and murmured their assents.)

Of course when viruses aren't involved, my other possible automatic answer is...malaria. Did you know that recent research shows that malaria could be the reason why African American men have a higher rate of prostate cancer? I shall be most interested in any follow up studies. (This is of course entirely possible explanation given that a similar one exists for the existence of sickle cell anemia.)

Coming up later: important posts on peduncle elongation and, in honor of the Charles and Camilla nuptials, thoughts on hats.