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.....
"Together with its extraordinary potential to benefit the human family, the rapid development of AI also raises deeper questions concerning the proper use of such technology in generating a more authentically just and human global society. In this sense, while undoubtedly an exceptional product of human genius, AI is “above all else a tool” (POPE FRANCIS, Address at the G7 Session on Artificial Intelligence, 14 June 2024). By definition, tools point to the human intelligence that crafted them and draw much of their ethical force from the intentions of the individuals that wield them. In some cases, AI has been used in positive and indeed noble ways to promote greater equality, but there is likewise the possibility of its misuse for selfish gain at the expense of others, or worse, to foment conflict and aggression."
"For its part, the Church wishes to contribute to a serene and informed discussion of these pressing questions by stressing above all the need to weigh the ramifications of AI in light of the “integral development of the human person and society” (Note Antiqua et Nova, 6). This entails taking into account the well-being of the human person not only materially, but also intellectually and spiritually; it means safeguarding the inviolable dignity of each human person and respecting the cultural and spiritual riches and diversity of the world’s peoples. Ultimately, the benefits or risks of AI must be evaluated precisely according to this superior ethical criterion."
"Sadly, as the late Pope Francis pointed out, our societies today are experiencing a certain “loss, or at least an eclipse, of the sense of what is human,” and this in turn challenges all of us to reflect more deeply on the true nature and uniqueness of our shared human dignity (Address at the G7 Session on Artificial Intelligence, 14 June 2024). AI, especially Generative AI, has opened new horizons on many different levels, including enhancing research in healthcare and scientific discovery, but also raises troubling questions on its possible repercussions on humanity’s openness to truth and beauty, on our distinctive ability to grasp and process reality. Acknowledging and respecting what is uniquely characteristic of the human person is essential to the discussion of any adequate ethical framework for the governance of AI."
"All of us, I am sure, are concerned for children and young people, and the possible consequences of the use of AI on their intellectual and neurological development. Our youth must be helped, and not hindered, in their journey towards maturity and true responsibility. They are our hope for the future, and society’s well-being depends upon their being given the ability to develop their God-given gifts and capabilities, and to respond to the demands of the times and the needs of others with a free and generous spirit. No generation has ever had such quick access to the amount of information now available through AI. But again, access to data — however extensive — must not be confused with intelligence, which necessarily “involves the person’s openness to the ultimate questions of life and reflects an orientation toward the True and the Good” (Antiqua et Nova, No. 29). In the end, authentic wisdom has more to do with recognizing the true meaning of life, than with the availability of data."
"In this light, dear friends, I express my hope that your deliberations will also consider AI within the context of the necessary intergenerational apprenticeship that will enable young people to integrate truth into their moral and spiritual life, thus informing their mature decisions and opening the path towards a world of greater solidarity and unity (cf. ibid., 28). The task set before you is not easy, but it is one of vital importance. In thanking you for your efforts now and in the future, I cordially invoke upon you and your families the divine blessings of wisdom, joy and peace."
From the Vatican, 17 June 2025
LEO PP. XIV
Pope Leo might also want to encourage folks to weigh the AI drain on energy resources against its perceived benefits.
ReplyDeleteAnd there's the cui bono question: I sure don't benefit from AI, and neither does anybody in my former line of work.
In any case, the relevance of the papacy is dwindling in the industrialized world that advances AI tech. The spiritual development of the human person and society is an idea that doesn't compute with the tech bros.
It wasn't in this message, but the pope has talked about the energy demands of AI.
DeleteOf course the tech bro types aren't going to pay any attention to the pope. But those of us who aren't billionaires can advocate for the common good.
I was somewhat amused by this part, "...the Church wishes to contribute to a serene and informed discussion of these pressing questions..."
I am all in favor of serene and informed discussions.
The discussion started with Antiqua et Nova back in January. https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_ddf_doc_20250128_antiqua-et-nova_en.html
DeleteQuote from the editor of The Christian Century -
Delete“ I have no idea what percentage of the population uses an AI chatbot for companionship these days, but it’s certainly a greater number than I’d wish. I get the mental health benefit of having an emotional confidant or someone who will regularly affirm you. But no matter how many times an AI bot may tell you in a given day that it loves you, all it offers is a false sense of intimacy.”
Yes, along those lines, that Jesus hologram in the Swiss confessional gave me the creeps for the same reason.
Deletehttps://www.theguardian.com/technology/2024/nov/21/deus-in-machina-swiss-church-installs-ai-powered-jesus
Don't know if any of you saw the movie Passenger, it was a lost in space kind of thing, but the AI discussion makes me think of the bartender, Arthur. He was a robot, but the two protagonists ended up fighting over their time with Arthur. They knew he was a robot, but that's how desperate they were for a connection. Any kind of connection.
DeleteI will look that up. "Moon" and "Robot & Frank" are a couple other movies about AI. The latter looks at robo companions for the elderly.
DeleteMy initial thought is: humanity needs some collective wisdom in order to utilize AI ethically; and the church can - I would say, must - contribute to the development of humanity's collective wisdom. That is an indirect (at best) contribution to the development of AI, but I see it as critical.
ReplyDeleteAmong the virtues the church can and should promote:
* Humans are social beings. "Companionship" with an artificial intelligence is not consonant with that reality
* Humans must live in reality, and advocate for truth. The latter, and perhaps the former, seem at risk in this time and place, even without injecting AI into our society. AI, at least in its present state of development, is reliable neither for determining what is real nor for determining what is true. Therefore, AI is untrustworthy at best.
* Humans are made for work, and society has a responsibility to accommodate that human drive and need. If AI technology is going to render many human jobs (and perhaps professions) obsolete, then society has an obligation to find alternative means of employment for us - and those means must respect humans' need for autonomy, dignity and creativity.
I agree with those thoughts, Jim. Elon Musk has said that we won't have to work anymore, AI will do it for us. We can just do what we want to. And supposedly AI will support us. Somehow I don't see that working out, the billion and trillionaires are going to share the largesse? That would be a first! So society needs to find means for people to support themselves. Always in the previous "revolutions", the industrial one and the information one, old jobs were lost, but new ones came about, after difficult periods of adjustment. It may be that to a degree AI is being hyped, and it won't bring about the job losses that are feared. But society needs to be proactive.
DeleteAnd the gazillionaires need to be reined in.
DeleteLike a good Republican, Jim doesn't want to see people sitting around on their butts!
DeleteI do agree there is a drive to work, and I think it's basically social. Most people want to contribute to society in a way that improves the public good.
As someone who enjoyed just about every day I worked, I'd say it's primarily where many of us get our primary sense of worth.
Catholicism emphasizes the dignity of work in a way few other denominations do. Work is often the primary place Catholics live out the "love your neighbor" part of the Great Commission by recognizing the dignity of your coworkers, customers, clients, and end-users. The example is in the lives of thousands of saints. (See this issue of Commonweal's story about St Godric.)
The extent to which AI might affect the dignity of humans and work remains to be seen, I guess. Antiqua et Nova also tries to offer some food for thought.
Jean, I agree with every point. I really do enjoy every day I work, and it is where I spend a third of my life (or, for many weeks, much more than a third). I do try to love my neighbor when I'm working. One of the great blessings of working for a large corporation is working with people from many countries and cultures (and languages, although fortunately for me, English is our lingua franca). (Btw, I always thought "lingua franca" came from the 18th or 19th century when French culture was, if not dominant, at least prominent, and it behooved others in Europe to speak French as a 2nd language. But according to the AI built into Google, it goes back many more centuries, to a sort of pidgen Frankish used in trade routes across Europe and elsewhere. One of the things I do like about AI is it's like the omnipresent and omniscient computer in the original Star Trek series: "Computer, what is the origin of the term 'linga franca'?")
DeleteOur friend Tom, looking down on us from heaven and rolling his eyes daily (I hope!), held that work was intrinsically social. I haven't actually worked in an office for 15+ years, but thanks to Teams, Zoom and other remote-connection technologies of that ilk, I'm speaking with people all day every day.
Yes, an omnipresent Star Trek computer that gives you an accurate answer 80 percent of the time. I had AI write a bio of me. According to Google AI, I am a gay man with expertise in history and hotel management living in Switzerland who enjoys skiing. I assume that's an aggregate of several people named Jean Raber. That or the thing is drinking gin rickeys during peak operating hours
DeleteJean, you can really make me LOL! I might have to try it -see what it comes up with for me.
DeleteYes, try it and report back! I'm thinking of doing AI bios for everybody I know to enclose with their Christmas cards.
DeleteI didn’t do it right. How did you do it? Mt google AI mode search came up with a seemingly legitimate bio for a Canadian marine biologist with a similar name ( not exact) who has had a fairly distinguished career.
DeleteI tried it. First time ever doing it on purpose, guess I went over to the dark side. It said I was born in LA in 1942, was a '50s era actress, appearing in such things as Bachelor Father and Death Valley Days. There was another entry that said I was a single woman living in Illinois and am an instructor in an online university. None of them remotely close to "real me".
DeleteI'm sure AI is an invaluable aid to scientific research. It is also a remarkable effective bs generator. I hope no one relies on it for medical advice without checking and double checking sources.
DeleteSo now I'm not sure whether I am using AI Google or just regular Google. Maybe it's all the same now. Anyway, if I type in my town or zip code with my name, it comes up with the real me, including LinkedIn with my old job and position, and the company I worked for. And our land line phone number and address. It doesn't come up with my cell phone number, which I am careful about giving out. But I'm sure it's out there somewhere.
DeleteKatherine, did you get to meet Dale Robertson when you were on Death Valley Days?? Not much of an actor, but sure looked good on a horse.
DeleteAnne, I always suspected you were really Jacques Cousteau.
DeleteOK, I tried searching in Google AI mode for me again, and this time several possibilities were offered. One of them is sorta right. Possibly all the microchips embedded in us with our covid shots have helped the Tech Bros at Google update our cyber profiles.
DeleteJean, I probably starred with Ronald Reagan on some of those old shows.
DeleteWell, like Katherine, I don’t use my full name here. My full legal name is far less common than the partial name that I use as my full name here and elsewhere online. I ran it through Gemini and google AI mode, and Gemini did find the real me, as well as the marine biologist, but enhanced my background. Her name is similar but not exactly the same. It referred to me as “an academic” known for work in aerospace technology. It kindly awarded me a PhD, added Dr to my name, and cited me as “author” of a book that I edited for two Econ professors. I dited several books for them, but it only found one. I didn’t write it! It was a publish or perish book for the professors - a compilation of papers given at various conferences by an international group of professors in different countries. It was actually a fascinating project for me, seeing different policy possibilities through the eyes of experts in multiple countries. I learned a lot! They Put the conference papers together in a book and - voila- another book credit for them and for the dozen or so foreign professors. I was hired to edit because the subject matter involved international business and economic policies. They needed the editor to be conversant in the subject matter and smooth out the English of foreign professors. One of the Econ professors here was cited as “editor” and the other just disappeared in my “ bio”.. I dropped out of grad school when son #3 was born, so only hold a Masters. I was delighted with my late in life award of a PhD. But it didn’t give interests, or anything fun like an acting career or skiing in Switzerland so I’m not sure I’m doing it right. Although a career as Jacques Cousteau would definitely have been interesting. Unfortunately I hated scuba diving when our family took lessons during a trip to a Hawaii! Too claustrophobic being underwater breathing through a tube. The only thing said about me was an enhanced, one sentence summary of my alleged academic expertise and a book with my name on the cover.
DeleteChat bots are another interesting AI phenom. People want to marry them:
Deletehttps://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/jul/12/i-felt-pure-unconditional-love-the-people-who-marry-their-ai-chatbots
Or they get scary advice: https://www.edweek.org/technology/researchers-posed-as-a-teen-in-crisis-ai-gave-them-harmful-advice-half-the-time/2025/08
These are things that parents and families simply can't control, and tech guardrails are very easy to get around. Plus the people smart enough to ride herd on AI interfaces are the ones who stand to make money off it. They're not gonna curb it.
I’m very glad I’m old and not still raising kids. Our sons and their wives have a challenge . Eldest and wife are executing their long range plan and moving to Spain when school gets out. They’ve moved their departure from the US up because of trumps no longer hidden extreme racism and policies. They want their African American kids somewhere safer than here. They will be on a temporary “ digital nomad” visa that they can turn into permanent after a year of staying out of trouble. Son 3 and his wife plan to move to Europe in 2 1/2 years, when their eldest is 12. Her US citizenship has come through, as has his French citizenship. I’m not sure how they will handle the dual citizenship thing if the trump administration really does rescind dual citizenships. I’m guessing that a lot of very wealthy folk who collect citizenships will stop that effort but who knows. Middle son ( Google son) and wife have no plans to move. They are very strict with screen time, computer time, and TV time but I wonder how they will manage when the kids ( now 10 and 8) are a bit older and pushing limits. Living in the heart of Silicon Valley doesn’t make it any easier.
DeleteAll three daughters-in- law are now naturalized citizens. But that now counts for little with this fascist administration. They are all at risk of losing their US citizenship and being deported - especially the two who aren’t white Europeans.
DeleteIn a while I will post Heather Cox Richardsons comments on the new National Security Strategy, published without the normal fanfare, late at night. It’s truly bone chilling. I would be interested in your reactions. We can only pray that the Western European countries, some Asian countries and also Latin American countries will find a way to push back.
Trumps two latest ego moves to plaster his name and face (Mao, Stalin and Putin style) all over DC and the country should also frighten every non- fascist thinking American.
https://tinyurl.com/bde56wcb
And this - his adding his name in huge letters to the Institute of Peace in DC. Reading our hometown paper these days is like Chinese water torture - drip, drip, drip
Letter to the editor in the WaPo -
“How about a Department of Presidential Doublespeak? Regarding the Dec. 4 news article “White House renames building the ‘Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace’”: The U.S. Institute of Peace was an independent nonprofit created by Congress in 1984. The Trump administration’s decision to add the president’s name to the institute’s prominent headquarters…comes after the president issued an executive order in February seeking to dismantle the organization. Mirroring Trump’s immigration enforcement tactics, the institute’s president was rudely removed from the headquarters by law enforcement, and the Trump administration fired nearly all of his staff. Some fired staffers have sued, and judges have ruled in their favor.”
Sadly those of us who live in the DC area can’t escape the evidence of the man’s ego, ranging from the destruction of the WH to oversized Mao and Putin inspired photos of our Not-So-Dear Leader plastered on buildings. We can only pray that all these reminders of his neo- fascist regime will be quickly eliminated after he leaves town. Unfortunately the ongoing destruction of the WH will not be easily fixed.
I've asked Google (powered by its Gemini AI engine) and ChatGPT to write a brief biographical sketch of me, but neither will do so until I feed it all my biographical details.
ReplyDeleteAt least chatGPT can blame you, not the program, for errors. Not sure how Google AI works. I just go into AI Mode from Google Home Page from the nav bar. I have AI Mode turned off most of the time. AI on my Kindle may be something else, or it may have improved substantially in the several months since I was a gay man in Switzerland ...
DeleteCan you ask chatGPT to "search the web and write a bio on XYZ based on what you find?"
A friend does that type of thing. She had chatGPT write a Valentine poem to her husband after feeding it a few details (likes bourbon, handy with carpentry, enjoys yard work, outdoorsy, gives himself bad haircuts). No worse than buying a card, I guess.
I read parts of this blog to Betty. She gives Jean Five Stars for thinking up the biography idea and implementing it on herself. Creative and funny. My less creative and less funny version follows.
DeleteI did my own autobiographical research on how Google processes my name.
ReplyDeleteFirst, I entered Jack Rakosky and got the following results in order
The Listing of my dozen or more contributions on the Pray Tell Blog
My YouTube account
Research paper with Sy Epstein, my postdoctoral mentor
Testimony that I gave at Personnel Needs and Training Biomedical Sciences of NIMH
List of Contributors to Radical Grace, a film on women religious
Catholic Sensibility blog comments on my comments on Pope Francis, no indication where my comments came from.
Jack Rogers and Harry Rakosky graduate students at CWRU: it is easy to see how some AI could come to the conclusion that I was a graduate student at Case Western Reserve University
Tom Blackburn obituary
Wheeling Jesuit Memorial Scholarship for my parents
One Comment in American Magazine
Then I Googled "Jack Rakosky Ohio"
2 consumer awards for persons with mental illness; the award was named after me
2 PrayTell articles on parish closings in Cleveland
The Wheeling Jesuit Memorial Scholarship
My Notre Dame MA Commencement
Then I noticed there was a place to apply AI to my name Here is the AL summary:
Jack Rakosky is the name of several individuals, most notably a regular contributor to the PrayTell Blog on topics of religion, liturgy, and sociology, and a name associated with an academic researcher in psychology.
Religious and Sociological Commentator
Jack Rakosky is a frequent commenter and author of articles on the PrayTellBlog, a website that discusses liturgical theology, sacred music, and faith. His contributions often feature a blend of personal experience and sociological data on religious trends, church attendance, and Catholic community life.
Key themes in his writing include:
• The importance of social networks, particularly family and friend networks, in maintaining religious culture.
• Analysis of data from sources like the General Social Survey on church attendance and personal prayer trends.
• Discussions on parish finance transparency and accountability.
• Reflections on integrating traditional practices and modern liturgical flexibility.
Academic Researcher
A person named Jack Rakosky was also a researcher who co-authored academic papers in the 1970s, including a 1976 article in the Journal of Personality titled "The effect of witnessing an admirable versus an unadmirable aggressor upon subsequent aggression". This research was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health. He also participated in public meetings related to health manpower and research funding in the late 1970s, associated with Indiana University.
AI obviously did not connect the dots that the two people are the same individual.
AI also did not identify a mental health administration person in Lake Count and integrate that data into the whole picture.
AI obviously has problems in deciding whether the same name applies to one or more people, sometimes falsely combining them into one person, at other times failing to combine information.
DeleteThe problem also has to do with the underlying search, a more sophisticated search by Google following on leads by initial searches might have produced a more convincing biography. Finally, Google searches can be very peculiar. I did one on Voice of the Faithful and my name and got just one item. I did one on Commonweal Local Communities and my name a got 45 comments on different posts on PrayTell. Well I did comment on posts there almost daily for 4 years by why that particular queries triggers finding the comments I don't know.
I am very thankful that although PrayTell has changed its format, its leadershi and ownership It did not delete the original posts and comments (even when they went to a no comment format). I started googling myself when Betty asked me what other people get if they google me. My PrayTell identity is not everything, but it gives people a good idea of what I am about.
What I find interesting is the although Blogger is a Google product it is very difficult to find anything we do here or I do on my blogs by searching Google. I suspect that is because unlike other bloggers we don't run ads that generate money for Google. YouTube however does, so my YouTube subscription did show up.
Jack, I wish I had done several bios at quarterly intervals and across several AI platforms to illustrate how these programs are evolving.
DeleteI get more hits using my name on a simple google search than on Gemini or the Google AI option. I only got the marine biologist with a similar ( but not he same) name and my incorrect listing as the author of a book with those searches. The information returned with a simple google search was the same book that AI found and listings on those people search sites. I scrub my name from them now and then but I need to do it again. Two came up - correct age, address and spouse. One got all 3 sons at this address but the other got only one son. Some other info was wrong. I didn’t pay for the “ full report” of course so I don’t know what else is wrong. They listed a name of someone I’ve never heard of as maybe living in our home.
DeleteI have never used my full legal name on the internet. I was on linked-in for several years, but I scrubbed the listing of all information after retiring and it no longer comes up. I can still sign in to it though if I want to look up information about someone. Unfortunately my son signed me up for Facebook years ago using it, but I have set the privacy controls to be very strong. They seem to work.
Jack’s search results seem at least fairly accurate. I haven’t searched Anne Chapman - my partial name for the internet. I’m guessing there are many others out there with that name.
Don't forget that there's a difference between a Google search and asking an AI program to generate a bio or report or narrative of some type. One is a list of possible sources, the other a narrative drawn from various sources.
DeleteSuppose that’s why the AI searches didn’t turn up much for me. No sources of information. Most of my professional career, including research I did, and papers I wrote for projects, was hidden from those outside my clients’ domains. I worked mostly on classified projects (on the unclassified parts) and whatever I wrote for them that was public—available on their websites— didn’t include my name. I’ve used my internet name on other websites like America or Commonweal. I am registered as an Independent under my real name, and make charitable contributions using it of course, but most of the charities and many activist non- profits keep their donor lists private. The trump administration is trying to get hold of those lists from non- profits that they don’t like, so more court battles. So my interests are pretty well hidden on the internet I suppose. Maybe the goons won’t show up at my door anytime soon. I’m pretty well hidden below the radar. Once I have time I will scrub the people search sites again. But only two came up this time. My husband has given donations to the Dems and some of his work is probably somewhere on the WWW. I think I will search him next.
DeleteI did AI search for my husband’s name. At first it found nothing. So I added Maryland. This is what it gave
Delete“ A person named XXX is associated with Maryland, with records showing a related name (first abbreviated, MI, Last)) in the state. However, no specific public achievements or a detailed biography related to this individual in Maryland were found in the provided search results“
I guess he's below the radar too in anything other than Democratic voter databases. He got tons of email solicitations last year, many from out of state candidates. I gradually got him unsubscribed from all of them but I’m sure they will be back in 2026. I’m a bit surprised that none of his projects showed up, but since almost all were classified I guess they’re well hidden. He was also an active rower for years, still competing in masters races his 60s, winning medals, active in rowing clubs etc but none of those show up anymore. They used to, but it’s too long ago now. Old news. He did show up in his dad’s newspaper obituary.
I did a search on the Bing search engine part of Microsoft edge.
ReplyDeleteThe first item that came up was my YouTube website.
The second item was a NewGathering post on evening prayer sunsets
The third item was the archive of my contributions to PrayTell
The fourth item was a Saint Gabriel Hours post
Then another NewGathering post
Then a post to my Cleveland CLC blog
then follow page after page of mostly PrayTell and NewGathering posts. Doesn't seem to matter much whether I am posting or just commenting on someone else's post.
Not so much for Saint Gabriel Hours or the Weal blog possibly because my name does not appear as the author of each post or as a commentor (since there are no comments).
It is interesting the Bing treats PrayTell and NewGathering in much the same way.
When I ask Bing "Who is Jack Rakosky" I get
Author and blogger
Jack Rakosky is an author and blogger who has been active in discussions about prayer and small communities. He has been involved in the Commonweal network and has contributed to discussions in Lake County. His blog, Saint Gabriel Hours, offers a selection of YouTube choices for prayer, providing a community for those who wish to engage in prayer and spiritual practices.
When I ask copilot on Bing "who is Jack Rakosky?" I got the following
ReplyDeleteJack Rakosky is a writer and blogger focused on liturgy, prayer, and community life, with an active presence on platforms like YouTube and blogs such as PrayTellBlog and NewGathering. He shares resources on Christian worship, chant, and reflections on building local communities.
🌟 Key Details About Jack Rakosky
YouTube Channel: He runs a channel featuring playlists on topics like Anointing, Forgiveness Vespers, Kievan Chant, and Paschal Praises. These are largely centered on Christian liturgical music and prayer traditions.
Community Work: Rakosky has written about reinventing local communities through Commonweal Local Communities (CLC), encouraging groups to form shared visions and discussions around faith, culture, and current events.
Blog Contributions: He appears in the archives of PrayTellBlog, a site dedicated to liturgy, music, and worship, suggesting he contributes to discussions on Catholic liturgical practices.
Personal Blog (NewGathering): He shares reflections on prayer, such as Evening Prayer Sunsets, where he integrates natural imagery (like Lake Metroparks webcams) with spiritual practices.
🧠Context & Themes
Focus on Worship: Much of Rakosky’s work revolves around Christian liturgy, psalms, and chants.
Community Engagement: He emphasizes the importance of local groups and shared discussions, particularly in the context of faith communities.
Accessible Resources: His writings and videos often provide practical tools for prayer, such as psalm translations, chant tones, and guides for vespers.
⚠️ Considerations
Not a Public Figure in Mainstream Media: Rakosky’s presence is primarily in religious and liturgical circles, not in politics, entertainment, or broader public life.
Multiple Rakoskys: The surname appears in obituaries and other contexts, so it’s important to distinguish Jack Rakosky (the liturgical writer/blogger) from others with the same name.
It is interesting that Bing knows very little about my academic career in the seventies or may think that person was someone with the same name. Of course, the time frames are such that the person in the seventies could well be the father of the person writing in the in recent decades.
It is also interesting that my career in the public mental health system is not very visible even though I made regular presentations at annual professional meetings. Those however are not well archived.
When I was running my cancer group, there was a blog with links to the blog articles on Facebook. The blog hits took off once there was a FB page. Many groups also operate on X and BlueSky as well. But managing content across two or more platforms takes a lot of coordination to maintain consistency. It also means monitoring comments in multiple places. I had settings that only allowed moderated comments on the blog. FB took longer to police. About 10 percent of the commenters were selling quack cures, often posing as patients. A few were trying to evangelize sick people, "find Jesus before you die and go to Hell." Once covid hit, you could see the crazy traffic rising. It all became too much as I got sicker.
DeleteI need to make more use of YouTube by uploading my own videos about my own blogs. Those videos for Saint Gabriel Hours could be very short, just another way of presenting a page on the Blog. For the Weal blog which contain so many posts of different topics, a could begin to publish YouTube videos that integrate and relate the short posts.
ReplyDeleteRecognize the blogger has the option of providing pages as well as posts. On SaintGabrielHours, I use the pages as a way to help people use the daily posts on Morning and Evening Prayer. Providing each page with a YouTube video that covers the same material would be very useful. Similarly on the Weal site, I use pages to integrate the posts into various topics, e.g. leadership, capital, spirituality etc. A Youtube video would be very useful there too.
Apropos of finding jobs for people and personal services lost to tech: The national post office of Denmark will cease as of Dec 31.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckg8jllq283o
The US will probably stop delivering letter mail too. Most packages come from UPS. I realized that last year when we were in Calif. I signed up for Informed Delivery - our scanned mail images were sent to me in email so I could be sure we didn’t miss anything important. The forwarding service was iffy at times. . Our neighbor picked up our mail for almost a year. I knew from the scans that it was 90% junk mail. We were still getting a couple of bills by mail - insurance bilks mostly that were delivered to our house. I went online to pay them and changed delivery all bills to digital. We used to get a lot of Christmas cards. Now most of our Christmas mail is email letters. I miss the cards. Now we only get cards from local businesses and charities.
DeleteIn a rural area like ours, we can get UPS delivery, but we have to drive to the next town to return packages at the nearest UPS outlet. Electronic Christmas cards, imo, will be the end of civilization, but, yes, that's coming. I still send a lot because I like to. But most people don't bother anymore. I might have to switch to taking them to the old folks home. They might enjoy getting them.
DeleteThis is all predicated on the idea that this whole electronic infrastructure is here for good. Civilizations collapse and take a lot of their technology with them. I’ve also noticed Alexa doesn’t get back to me as fast as it used to. I wonder if the computing load of AI is dragging down the more mundane but useful facets of the internet.
Delete"The US will probably stop delivering letter mail too."
DeleteThat would really be a shame. The post office employs over half a million people.
It is true that the private companies have run rings around the post office for package deliveries. I see as many UPS and Amazon trucks driving around as postal service trucks. There is no reason I know of that the post office couldn't be more competitive on package delivery.
I don't think I've ever gone to a FedEx or UPS retail location where it's taken more than five minutes for them to process my sending out a package. But at the post office, I feel like I have to block out my morning to wait in line.
I love my mail carriers, and I really like the post office as an entity that connects us all. But I wish they would do better.
Here in Stroudsburg, there’s a line but it’s usually only ten minutes. I’ve always gotten my packages via post office. I ordered a sine inverter from Ali Express. It made it to the US and was transferred to a carrier SpeedX where it subsequently was lost or stolen. It must also be remembered that USPS was given a poison pill. They have to cover pension money up front for 70 years. This takes away from improvements. Republicans have wanted for years to kill the USPS,
DeleteStanley, have you ever read The Postman by David Brin? One of my favorites about the importance of communication when the world falls apart. Quite uplifting.
DeleteAmazon delivery is pretty awful. Always two or three posts every day on the community page from people alerting others to misdeliveries. I only order air filter replacement units thru them. Would rather pay the PO.
I like standing in line at my post office. I get the local news that way.
Never read the book. Kevin Costner made a movie from it but I never saw it. But, yes, the USPS might be a bigger part of our civilization’s skeleton than we think. I’m starting sending postcards to my politicians like telling Fetterman to come out of the closet as the Republican he is.
DeleteThe movie got bad reviews, but props to Costner for recognizing a good story.
DeleteFetterman. He seems nutty even compared to the rest of the ass-kissers, egomaniacs, religious nuts, arrogant millionaires, and backstabbers currently in Congress.
I don't live in a really small town but it's small enough that I often run into people I know at the local branch of USPS. We seldom mail packages. Gifts to the grandkids are ordered on Amazon and they deliver them. Sigh. We also get a lot of Amazon deliveries these days, and have never had a problem. We started it because of so many needs for my husband while we were in Calif and my lack of local knowledge of where things were, and shortage of time to go find drugstores, medical supply houses, etc in between criss-crossing Silicon Valley for the average 4 appointments/week for my husban'ds medical and rehab care. I would love to give it up because of Bezos, but haven't worked up enough spine to cut them off. Still taking the WaPo too in spite of Bezos. It's gone so far right it's absurd, not even counting the departure of all of their best opinion writers. But it's great for local news, and they do good coverage of DC, Mayland and Virginia. I am postponing the unsubscribe decision until it comes up for renewal.
Delete"not even counting the departure of all of their best opinion writers."
DeleteWait - George Will left?!
No, haha, Will is still there. Last week he called the Trump admin a "moral sewer" re Hegseth's antics. When he criticizes Trump he usually figures out a way to blame Trump's excesses on stupid/terrible/unAmerican things that Democrats did in previous administrations that Trump is going too far to fix. He didn't do that this time. Gobsmacked me.
DeleteI have always tried to keep a low profile on the internet, making max use of privacy features. I don’t want to be found, so I guess my efforts to remain relatively invisible have worked.
ReplyDeleteKeeping a low public profile has always been one of my priorities. As the #2 person in the county mental health system, most of my recommendations were accepted by my boss, the CEO. Most of his recommendations were accepted by the Board. Fortunately, we worked under the sunshine law of open Board and Board committee meetings. I made sure my role in those was minimal.
ReplyDeleteWhile much of my role involved presenting data and drafting plans, I did that very publicly with a great deal of involvement of agencies, family members and consumers before the board process. I tried to present data clearly but refrained from making conclusions. When someone suggested the obvious conclusions, my response was always "what do others think?" People knew I put out ideas as a basis for discussion and was very amendable to others reworking them. Thus, it was always about the data, and ideas, NOT about Jack's data and Jack's ideas. I almost never got in the News media; it was always agencies and the board that got in the new media.
Of course, that means there is very little public record of the ways in which I shaped mental health system. I was glad to keep it that way. In fact, it became a game of seeing how great an influence I could have with the minimum of effort, letting other people take the spotlight and receive the credit (or blame).
Of course I ultimately got credit when the Board established a Consumer Achievement Award at my retirement and named it after me because of all my efforts to spotlight the talents of consumers. But by that time I was completely out of the workings of the board. However, one of my delights each year is to go to the annual board dinner and see the efforts of consumers be recognized. Much better than a golden watch.
DeleteI worked for local newspapers, public universities, and served on the public library board. My salary, benefits package, and ideas/decisions were mostly open to public scrutiny. In fact, when we were involved in unionizing at Michigan State, we WANTED people to know how much we were making and how we contributed.
DeleteSo I'm not very sensitive to people who want to keep their influence in the public sphere a big secret. Seems kind of furtive, even sneaky.
My ideas aren't always great, but they're mine, and I'll rake the praise or blame.
It does sometimes feel weird that I will never know Anne's real name, but I presume she has her reasons, and I trust she's not out to hack my info.
There are a lot of weirdos on the Internet who harass people or who operate scams. Keeping medical and financial info private is only prudent.
"So I'm not very sensitive to people who want to keep their influence in the public sphere a big secret. Seems kind of furtive, even sneaky."
DeleteWell, I have never had any influence in the public sphere!
Jean, unlike your career, mine did not involve work meant for the public, like libraries etc. I did not write for newspapers or other publications. My career, except for my stint at the World Bank and as a consultant for a while to a non-profit do-gooder organization, was for private companies that were involved with classified projects.
I started concealing my true name on the internet years ago because I was warned by someone that I could become a target of those who disagree with my (usually) strongly stated views. They are not all good people with patience for folk like me, as Jim is! I remember that you appeared a couple of times on another Catholic discussion group, especially after your book was published. I was interested because it was about the Beguines. I recognized your name later on the Commonweal site.. It's not common, just as my official driver's license name is not common. I forget now the name of the other discussion website. They discontinued all of their religious discussion groups years ago. Beliefnet maybe? One of the regulars there warned me to hide my identity because someone who disagreed with him (and me - he and I agreed on most subjects) had found him, his address, phone number etc and was harassing him. Another, a devout Catholic doctor who was pro-choice but not an ob, and didn't perform abortions, received threats from anti-choice fantatics just for expressing his views and his scientific (from his medical training) reasons for them, speaking as a doctor and a Catholic. So I changed IDs. Many now former employees of the federal government and even of some private sector employers have lost their jobs because of public comments--more than 1500 just because of noting that Charlie Kirk was not really a saint. They were fired for repeating his remarks about women, racial minorities, immigrants, and LGBTQ. Non-trumper federal employees in DC are afraid to say anything publicly, not just at work, but outside of the office. They might be overheard by someone at a different table at the local lunch place down the block from their office buildings. Federal employees are encouraged to report non-loyalists they know in the government. Freedom of speech is dead in the Federal government and in some other MAGA organizations. It's being suppressed in colleges, universities, the media, etc. Public school teachers have to keep quiet, as do librarians everywhere. I'm not employed by anyone anymore, so I don't worry about that. I no longer have to worry about potential clients doing an internet search on me before offering work. I do worry about possible harassment because it can be difficult to get rid of. I believe that Katherine doesn’t use her full legal name either. She protects her identity because of her husband’s role as a deacon – she doesn’t want her ideas to cause him trouble with parishoners. I can send you an email with my legal name if I can still get into the now defunct Jim MaCrea discussion group. I haven't used that address for a long time, ever since this group. I had a yahoo email then, and I think your email was on that list. This blog required gmail. I use part of my first name and my mother's middle name (which was Chapman). I also use Anne Chapman for subscriptions or when websites insist that I give an email. That keeps my personal email separate from the "business" and junk email. Then when someone sells my email address to someone else, it goes there until I get around to blocking or unsubscribing and it doesn't bury my personal email in junk mail. I don't think many stalkers follow this blog, but occasionally a stranger shows up.
We all have different levels of tolerance for privacy.
DeleteI used to get electronic hate mail from a few of the rad-trads on the old Commonweal blog who used fake names. I suspect a letter I got at work was also from one of them.
Sad that they couldn't use their energy to build up some folks in their parish instead of envisioning Hell for apostates like me.
Yes, the reason I use my middle name and my maiden name is because I don't want to make things awkward for my husband. I'm sure some of my opinions are heretical! But as Anne points out, in the present political climate, people have been harassed for something they wrote online. I'm actually more worried about financial information getting hacked into.
DeleteI haven't made a total secret of my legal name, anybody can probably find it by looking on the archdiocese deacon site.
My first and last name are a lot more unusual than Katherine Nielsen is. I think I am the only one in the state with the particular combination. But they say that one out of every seven Danes is named Nielsen.
It's funny, but my birth certificate has only my first name with no middle name. My baptismal record has only my middle name. Our old Irish priest didn't think my first name was a saints name. Which it isn't. But it makes things complicated when I have had to produce a proof of Baptism.
Unfortunately my son has not protected his privacy on social media. He is very, very vocal about trump, as am I. But his posts are public, mine are private. He and his naturalized citizen black Jamaican ( one of those hellhole countries) wife were a bit worried last summer when they returned from Spain that they might get pulled aside at immigration. They have Global Entry, which requires a background check and fingerprints. It allows them to skip the regular lines when returning from overseas. You wave your passport at a scanner, then smile and wave at the immigration officer before going through customs. It’s really a huge improvement over the old days. My husband and I also have it, but no longer travel overseas. They hoped that Go Al Entry would protect them. Apparently having it did work, and they weren’t forced to unlock their phones on return.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
Delete"So I'm not very sensitive to people who want to keep their influence in the public sphere a big secret. Seems kind of furtive, even sneaky."
DeletePossibly my comment was ambiguous. People who want to keep their private actions private and use pseudonyms, m'okay. Seems kinda fearful, but maybe not unwarranted in this day and age.
I do look askance at people who work in the public sector with public money who make public policy who want to operate under the radar. Or nonprofits including churches that get special tax exemptions. We support these groups by agreeing to pick up their tax burden on account of their charitable activities. They owe us some accountability.
I'm a public minister of the church, so feel like I should be "out there".
DeleteI never got harassed in the dotCommonweal days, even though I spent a good part of my time there arguing with all the regular contributors :-)
That's cuz you're a Good Catholic, Jim.
DeleteSeveral of my private correspondents (no one here) were regular blog visitors posting under their real names who took me to task for various things. I don't take that amiss. Everyone who blabs in public needs to accept and weigh correction and criticism. In fact, the views of conservative Catholics helped me realize that I didn't really belong in the RCC.
It was the people posting with pseudonyms who sent me mocking or just mean stuff anonymously, especially at work, who weren't helpful and creeped me out.
On Facebook it seems like there are people who spend their time saying rude and nasty things. Doesn't happen on friends' pages, more on the public political type of pages. Occasionally I have commented on something, against my better judgement. If the nasty ones come on, I just delete my comment. Life is too short.
DeleteI won’t be on the internet tonight. Our Great Emperor is scheduled to speak at 1830 at Mt. Airy Casino here in the Poconos. I’m signed up for a “welcoming” committee. I guess this is all we can do for now. What we really need is a general strike and mass civil disobedience. The Republicans want this. The Democrat politicians won’t save us unless they openly call for civil resistance. Nonviolent. We can’t win with violence. They have the guns and the thugs.
DeleteSending prayers for your safety, Stanley.
DeleteThanks for showing up, Stanley. Report back!
DeleteThank you.
ReplyDeleteKind of a fizzle. I got there at 4:30, the appointed time. We demonstrated until 6:00 and then the organizers decided we should disperse since Old King Log was just departing DC. He was very late. Undependable fellow. Maybe he was napping and they woke him up by waving currency under his nose. No real incidents except one old lady driving by rolled down her window, pointed at me and said something I couldn’t hear over the chanting. I suppose it was really uplifting. Shame I missed it.
DeleteTrump flew by presidential helicopter from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre AP to the casino. No chance of us seeing him or his seeing us. About 100 people made it. It was on short notice and it was cold and icy.
DeleteThanks for the effort, Stanley. It was really cold here yesterday. I imagine it was even worse where you are so it’s good that the protest gathering didn’t last too long.
DeleteYes, Anne. I was wearing my work shoes. I was ok but real winter boots would be better. I was standing on an icy sidewalk. There was a guy in a wheelchair setting an example for the rest of us. Some of the people who were there are directly suffering from the cuts and the inflation.
DeleteHere’s one of the demonstrators.
DeleteCheck out this video from Pocono Record:
Costs are rising, organizer of anti-Trump protest says in Mount Pocono
https://www.poconorecord.com/videos/news/politics/2025/12/09/health-insurance-grocery-costs-rising-trump-protest-mount-pocono-pa/87693208007/
The Boy says it's been mainly senior citizens turning out at anti-Trump things. He supervises a lot of GenZ college kids. These kids are very disaffected, poor work ethic, no interest in current events, constantly on phones, terrible at customer service. They say nobody could afford a home or health care under Biden or Trump, so what good is democracy. They all plan to live with their parents after they graduate.
Delete