Author: Brandon Kraft
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Conclave Time!
Tomorrow afternoon for those in Rome or tomorrow morning for those in the U.S. (), the Cardinals will take the short trip from their temporary housing at Casa Santa Marta to the Sistine Chapel of the Apostolic Palace to begin the conclave to elect the 267th Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic Church. While I’m sure…
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Apostolica Sedes Vacans: Day 2
As the second day in Rome—and the first full day—without a Pope comes to a close, a few things have happened or been announced since yesterday’s message. Confirmation of Death and Transfer The Camerlengo, per the rite of papal funerals that Pope Francis revised last year (Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis), confirmed his death. Pope Francis…
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Apostolica Sedes Vacans
The Apostolic See is Vacant. In other words, the Pope is dead. Cardinal Farrell, the Camerlengo, announced that Pope Francis died this morning at 7:35 a.m. local time in Rome. The Camerlengo is a position appointed by the Pope (during his life) whose responsibilities include confirming the death of the Pope, sealing the Apostolic Palace…
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Still at Automattic
Last week, my employer, Automattic, announced a restructuring. “Restructuring” at Automattic isn’t terribly unusual. Team structures change regularly. This one, though, included a layoff or “reduction in force” in today’s jargon, which is the first for Automattic. We’ve had pushes for improving performance management, which has led to an increase in departures, including sometimes a…
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No Hot Dogs For Me
I’ve been on a quest for over 20 years now (what‽) to eat a hot dog in every state. I visited DC in 2006, when I scored a DC hotdog at Ben’s Chili Bowl. When flying out of IAD (in Virginia), one sports bar sold hot dogs, so I was set. Except they ran out…
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American Solidarity Party
I submitted my resignation as the Travis County Chair of the American Solidarity Party today. Or, well, I think my term officially ended in May 2024, but we never elected someone to succeed. In either case, I’m moving aside to let someone else who can dedicate real energy be involved. The American Solidarity Party isn’t…