“We have a Pope!”

Pope Leo XIV brings a new energy to the Papacy.

He takes the helm of the worldwide church at a time of strife and division.

And yet he comes as a man of peace.

Hopefully, his words and actions can mend our differences.

He sees his primary mission as a voice for the poor and disenfranchised.

Although born an American, he spent many years in Peru and the Vatican.

His past gives him a valuable view of the world.

Hopefully, his wisdom will guide him on the rocky road to peace.

We need more peacemakers!

The amazing life of Bill Gates opens a new chapter.

Gates announced on Thursday that he now plans to distribute “virtually all” of his wealth — around $200 billion, he estimates — within the next 20 years, before shuttering the Gates Foundation on December 31, 2045.

Gates wants to accelerate the foundation’s work on global health and equity initiatives and hopes the move will set a model for other billionaires, he said in a blog post published Thursday morning.

The pledge builds on Gates’ track record of promoting philanthropy.

He, along with ex-wife French Gates and Warren Buffett, launched the Giving Pledge in 2010 to encourage wealthy individuals to donate most of their fortunes to charitable causes either during their lifetimes or in their wills.

It now has more than 240 signatories. (CNN)

“It’s a nonspecific way that we can reduce risk for exposure to infectious diseases, along with dirt, grime [and] all of the other things we don’t like to see on our hands.”

Released Monday, on World Hand Hygiene Day, the survey is part of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases’ Hands in for Handwashing Campaign.

The report highlights when, where and why nearly 3,600 adults surveyed between December and March were most likely to wash or not wash their hands, and how some of those habits differed between age groups and genders.

Men were LESS likely to wash their hands.

Older people were MORE likely because of their fear of disease.

Sixty-two percent of participants correctly answered that washing hands with soap and water for 20 seconds is the method that most effectively reduces the spread of germs.

The top two situations that prompted respondents to wash their hands were using the bathroom and handling food. (CNN)

If not today, when?

(Jon Bon Jovi)

I have found that our lives are way too short.

And we must pursue our passions.

So, that, win or lose we knew what our passions were and we went after them!

Some of you may feel that certain obligations must be satisfied first.

That is understandable and honorable on your part.

But, you can’t put them off until you’re too old to make your passion(s) happen.

Have you ever clearly defined your passions?

They can simply be divided into two groups; what you want to DO or BE.

Maybe you should begin with something that can be accomplished in the short term and work your way up.

If not today, when?

Three-time Olympian Gary Hall Jr. receives replicas of the 10 Olympic medals he lost in the Los Angeles wildfires earlier this year.
The medals are presented to him by IOC President Thomas Bach.

The Olympian managed to get out of his burning house, but could not save many valuables including his 10 Olympic medals.

It’s nice to see the IOC stepping forward.

On your city?

On your kids’ school?

On your job?

On your career’s progress?

On your current politics?

On your parenting skills?

On your marriage?

AND do you express your opinion on any or all of the above topics?

BECAUSE having an opinion doesn’t do you much good if you don’t express it!

PLEASE don’t be a person who could contribute your valuable opinion, but doesn’t!

If not today, when?

Jesus said, “Love one another as I have loved you.”

So, Jesus is saying that our legacy must be LOVE!

When we are gone, what will people say about us?

Will it be our wealth or lack thereof?

Will it be our success in the business world?

Will it be an argument that caused us to drift apart?

Will it be the kind of listener we were?

Or, will it be the kindness we showed to everyone?

What will your legacy be?

We were seated in a restaurant at lunchtime today.

As I glanced over at a couple older than us, they were holding hands.

And they had an animated conversation underway.

I must admit that he was doing most of the talking.

As I thought about them while driving home, did they have an easy life?

Surely, they had disagreements like all married couples do.

But, you wouldn’t know it by witnessing their complete absorption in one another.

A newly released image of the sun captured by the world’s largest solar telescope shows the surface of our nearest star in unprecedented detail, shedding light on its fiery complexity.

The image is the first taken by the US National Science Foundation Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope’s new Visible Tunable Filter, or VTF.

The instrument can build a closer-than-ever, three-dimensional view of what’s happening on the sun’s surface, according to a news release.

The close-up reveals a cluster of continent-size dark sunspots near the center of the sun’s inner atmosphere, at a scale of 6.2 miles (10 kilometers) per pixel. (CNN)

I know you have been wondering about this.

So, I did a little research. (Very little.)

Lord Baltimore, the first proprietor of the Maryland province, gave his name to the city and the bird.

The Baltimore Orioles baseball team got its name because the bird has black and orange plumage.

You can rest easy now that you know!