Potpourri for 1000, Alex

Here's a roundup of random items that have been gathering at the back of my brain...

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You've all heard about the upcoming resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, but how many of you knew about the centuries-old Prophecy of St. Malachy, which has been claimed to predict salient features of each new pope since its publication in the 16th century?  Back in the 1950s, an American cardinal even hired a boat, loaded a couple of sheep on board, and sailed up and down the Tiber River to advertise his readiness to be the predicted "Shepherd and Sailor."  (They didn't pick him.)

Eerily, the pope about to be chosen is the final one in the list: "In extreme persecution, the seat of the Holy Roman Church will be occupied by Peter the Roman, who will feed the sheep through many tribulations, at the term of which the city of seven hills will be destroyed, and the Formidable Judge will judge his people. Finis."

So then, it's definitely time for Pope Sarducci...

He went searching for the popes in the pizza, and he found himself.

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When I first happened upon this web page full of links to Unusual, Neglected, and/or Lost Literature, I didn't poke my head up for hours.  What wonders are contained therein!  And how, please tell me, have I lived fortysomething years with nobody managing to tell me about Richard Burton's glistening Kasidah of Haji Abdu El-Yezdi?

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Along with many D&D fans, I've recently taken the chance to read for the first time the fabled B/X rule books from 1981 by Moldvay and Cook.  I was a Holmes '77 man myself, so those red and blue boxes never held any appeal back in the day.  But seeing them now, I'm definitely impressed with everything they accomplish in their brevity and simplicity.  I also appreciated the chance to get to know Sister Rebecca a little better.  Still, if you want novelty, gonzo creativity, and the epitome of the Old School adventuring aesthetic, I'd have to say that Gary's 1st edition AD&D -- the three original books -- blows them all out of the water.

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I'm probably the only one who's always assumed this song was written and sung by Carole King.  If you click on that link and see what song I'm talking about, you'll roll your eyes at my silliness.  In my defense, I can only exhort you to close your eyes and give it another listen with Ms. Tapestry in mind.  The other day, I looked down at my satellite radio thingy and I saw a name of the opposite gender.  I'm so sorry, Mr. Rundgren!  Yes, I know what happens when you assume.

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Stuff you don't know about Cygnus, Part XIV:  I once won a T-shirt at a bar for knowing that the three actresses who played Catwoman were Julie Newmar, Eartha Kitt, and Lee Meriweather.  (Yes, that was all of them up to that point. Anne Hathaway was 7 at the time.)