Pope Leo's message on AI

I thought this message by Pope Leo on AI was really good, and I have included most of it here, the conference took place in June:

"On the occasion of this Second Annual Rome Conference on Artificial Intelligence I extend my prayerful good wishes to those taking part. Your presence attests to the urgent need for serious reflection and ongoing discussion on the inherently ethical dimension of AI.....

How Accurate are AI Chatbots?

STATISTA: How Accurate are AI Chatbots? 

by Tristan Gaudiaut,

 Nov 28, 2025

Three years ago, on November 30, 2022, the official release of ChatGPT marked a turning point in artificial intelligence, propelling AI chatbots (or large language models) into the mainstream. Since then, progress has been undeniable: LLMs' ability to process complex queries, summarize vast amounts of information and even assist in coding has improved considerably.

Yet, hallucinations, misinterpretations of context and inaccuracies continue to plague even the most sophisticated of currently available models. A study from the European Broadcasting Union and the BBC reveals that while the rate of inaccurate responses has declined since the end of last year, errors continue to be widespread.

Data collected between May and June 2025 and analyzed by a cohort of journalists revealed that almost half of the responses (48 percent) from popular chatbots - free versions of ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot and Perplexity - contained accuracy issues. 17 percent were significant errors, mainly regarding sourcing and missing context. In December 2024, the rate of inaccurate responses (observed using a smaller answers sample) was significantly higher: 72 percent for all four LLMs. 31 percent were major issues in that case.

Despite gradual improvements, these shortcomings raise critical questions about reliability, especially in high-stakes applications like healthcare, legal advice or education. While AI developers keep pushing boundaries, users must remain aware of the technology's current limitations.

You will find more infographics at Statista

The American Thanksgiving Narrative

This article is republished by the National Catholic Reporter from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. 

How the Plymouth Pilgrims took over Thanksgiving

Thomas A. Tweed

as a historian of religion, I feel obliged to recount how popular interpretations of Thanksgiving also have pulled us apart.

Orthodoxy in America

is attracting new members, especially young, conservative men. I would be interested in Jack's take on this story in the NYT. I have attended many services with my Greek friend. I have found some asoects of Orthodox theology to be more in line with my thinking than RC theology, but also that some aspects of Orthodoxy are as bad as or worse than in the RC, such as in its treatment of women. The attraction to young men apparently includes its approach to male and female roles, saying Orthodoxy "affirms their masculinity". I wonder how they define " masculinity"? The conservative young seem to be taking over the the RC, and Orthodox churches as well. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/19/us/orthodox-christianity.html?unlocked_article_code=1.3U8.5h3e.uwLkLhTzY8ZO&smid=nytcore-ios-share

Fort Necessity and Braddock Road

The hard cover book for the PBS series is $43/34; Kindle is S19.99

The American Revolution: an Intimate History

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MATERIALS

Prelude To War In North America

Jumonville Glen: The Beginning

National Park Service Fort Necessity Site

has two videos (BOTH CAPTIONED)

INTRODUCTION TO THE FORT NECESSITY CAMPAIGN

13 MINUTES

ALONG THE BRADDOCK ROAD

34 MINUTES

Young George Washington

This is the beginning of a series of posts in comic book format, aim at young people

Ken Burns' The American Revolution

 The American Revolution premiers on PBS tonight, November 16, at 9:00 PM. 

The US Bishops' Special Message on Immigration

 In their Plenary Assembly this week, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) issued a Special Message on the topic of immigration.  

A Special Message is a specific type of statement which is issued by these twice-annual assemblies.  Not every assembly issues a Special Message; the last one was issued 12 years ago, on the federal government's contraception mandate.

According to the USCCB website, a Special Message is one "which the President of the Conference, the Administrative Committee, or the general membership consider to be appropriate in view of the circumstances at the time."  This week's Special Message was issued by the general membership.  The vote to approve it was 216-5, a remarkable display of unity.

The text of the brief Special Message is below the break.  It is found here at the USCCB website.