Posted on 01/11/2005 6:18:33 PM PST by malakhi
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After a nine month hiatus, The Neverending Story, the granddaddy of daily threads, has returned to Free Republic. Originally begun on March 24, 2001, as a religious discussion thread, the NES evolved over time into a daily thread spanning a wide variety of topics. The new and improved Neverending Story will feature conversation on religion, politics, culture, current events, business, sports, family, hobbies, general fellowship and more. We welcome you to hang your hat in our little corner of FR. We ask you to abide by the FR posting rules and, even in the midst of serious debate, to keep the discussion friendly and respectful. Those who wish to "duke it out" are asked to take it over to the Smoky Backroom. I placed this thread in "General/Chat" for a reason, so play nice and have fun! :o)
I'll be a big Israeliste hockey fan. Maybe even when the Avalanche returns. :-)
Any idea on the over/under on the length of the conclave?
I don't think anyone is gonna have a 2/3rd majority, so look for this to go till next week, when the rules change to a simple majority. It's after 15 ballots, I believe.
SD
Maybe we should have kept that "graven image" prohibition...
SD
Any idea what the shortest conclave has been in the last century or two?
No doubt! (shakes head)
(Is "ebay" a verb yet?")
SD
Recent Conclaves - The record of recent Conclaves, the last 100 years, shows that the College elects a new Pope on average on the 3rd day in the afternoon, after about 8 ballots.
Pius X, 1903: 4 days, 7 ballots
Benedict XV, 1914: 3 days, 10 ballots
Pius XI, 1922: 5 days 14 ballots
Pius XII, 1939: 2 days, 3 ballots
John XXIII, 1958: 4 days, 11 ballots
Paul VI, 1963: 3 days, 6 ballots
John Paul I, 1978: 2 days, 4 ballots
John Paul II, 1978: 3 days, 8 ballots
It would be very easy to make a frying pan or griddle that did something like that consistently. Just embed an area made from a different material that conducts heat either more or less readily than the rest of the pan. The embedded area should be in the shape you want to appear on the finished pancake. When you cook the pancake -- hey, presto! -- the likeness of Elvis appears.
Think there's a market for it? ;o)
Interesting, I wouldn't have guessed that the average would have been that quickly. Thanks for 'googling' that! :o)
Is there any particular reason -- such as, the length of John Paul II's pontificate -- that you think the conclave will last that much longer this time?
Now with the 24-hour news channels, a 5 day conclave is going to seem like a month or more. Do they have a picture-in-picture cam of the smokestack going on 24/7?
SD
It is a new rule that later ballots will only need a simple majority. I think with the fractions in the Church, both sides will tend to wait it out rather than try to find a 2/3rd candidate.
Kind of like this whole fillibuster argument. If we knew that after, say a week, you could invoke cloture with a simple majority, chances are we'd wait out that week.
SD
lets just hope it doesn't take as long as its been since the Steelers last superbowl. :-)
SD
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