Because he is 78 years old, a lot of commentators seem to think that the new Pope, 
Benedict XVI, is likely to have a very short term, in a placeholder or interim papacy.
and offering a long-distance, photographically-based, negative assessment of
Benedict’s “intellectual vigor.” [Norm, there are a lot of octagenarians with intellectual
vigor and a lot of brash younger folk without it. I’ve seen no sign that Joseph Ratzinger’s
much-praised and prolific brain has been in decline.]
growing old–
by the hearth’s light
piecework
Although I’m hoping RiskProf Martin Grace will use his expertise and/or contacts to
come up with more specific LE numbers for Benedict XVI, I’ve decided to do some
quick research. I discovered:
The average life expectancy of a male in the U.S. who lives to be
No.6, Nov. 10,2004, p. 16, Table 5).
- However, based on nationality, we might expect Benedict XVI to
have a slightly longer life expectancy, since the mortality tables show that
the overall life expectancy in Germany, Joseph Ratzinger’s birthplace, is
77.4 years; and, in his most recent country of residency, Italy, it’s 79.0
years. The life expectancy in U.S.A. is lower — 77.1 years. [from U.S.
Of course, there are other factors that might further prolong Benedict’s life expectancy
and/or active lifespan:
- education level
- clean living
- access to the very best health care (at no cost)
- prayers of hundreds of millions of the faithful
- divine intervention
So, as he has a job with no mandatory retirement age, those expecting Benedict XVI
to be just a shooting star should probably choose a simile featuring a more-permanent
heavenly body — and react, plan, celebrate, worry, etc., accordingly.
expert opinion — giving his own musings on eternal life expectancies and ancient
Romans. Martin also linked to an AP story that discusses the state of Pope Benedict’s
health.
the old priest
dressed like a dandy –
spring mountain
nowhere, nowhere
can a young scarecrow
be found
my old age–
even facing a scarecrow
ashamed
ISSA, translated by David G. Lanoue
my long-lived elders –
a couple extra decades
of dementia
[April 20, 2005]
Because he is 78 years old, a lot of commentators seem to think that the new Pope,
Benedict XVI, is likely to have a very short term, in a placeholder or interim papacy.
and offering a long-distance, photographically-based, negative assessment of
Benedict’s “intellectual vigor.” [Norm, there are a lot of octagenarians with intellectual
vigor and a lot of brash younger folk without it. I’ve seen no sign that Joseph Ratzinger’s
much-praised and prolific brain has been in decline.]
growing old–
by the hearth’s light
piecework
Although I’m hoping RiskProf Martin Grace will use his expertise and/or contacts to
come up with more specific LE numbers for Benedict XVI, I’ve decided to do some
quick research. I discovered:
The average life expectancy of a male in the U.S. who lives to be
No.6, Nov. 10,2004, p. 16, Table 5).
- However, based on nationality, we might expect Benedict XVI to
have a slightly longer life expectancy, since the mortality tables show that
the overall life expectancy in Germany, Joseph Ratzinger’s birthplace, is
77.4 years; and, in his most recent country of residency, Italy, it’s 79.0
years. The life expectancy in U.S.A. is lower — 77.1 years. [from U.S.
Of course, there are other factors that might further prolong Benedict’s life expectancy
and/or active lifespan:
- education level
- clean living
- access to the very best health care (at no cost)
- prayers of hundreds of millions of the faithful
- divine intervention
So, as he has a job with no mandatory retirement age, those expecting Benedict XVI
to be just a shooting star should probably choose a simile featuring a more-permanent
heavenly body — and react, plan, celebrate, worry, etc., accordingly.
expert opinion — giving his own musings on eternal life expectancies and ancient
Romans. Martin also linked to an AP story that discusses the state of Pope Benedict’s
health.
the old priest
dressed like a dandy –
spring mountain
nowhere, nowhere
can a young scarecrow
be found
my old age–
even facing a scarecrow
ashamed
ISSA, translated by David G. Lanoue
my long-lived elders –
a couple extra decades
of dementia
[April 20, 2005]
1999), has dozens of wonderful haiku featuring the scarecrow, along
with an essay “The Scarecrow and Our Haiku” by John Stevenson.
Here are three of the poems,
written by a trio of f/k/a’s Honored Guests:
a cricket
lending the scarecrow
a voice
seeding time
the farmer dresses the same
as the scarecrow
the scarecrow
moving backwards –
autumn rain
The book The Scare Crow: A Collection of Haiku & Senryu (Leroy Kanterman, Ed., Hiroake Sato, translator, Red Moon Press, 1999), has dozens of wonderful haiku featuring the scarecrow, along with an essay “The Scarecrow and Our Haiku” by John Stevenson.
Here are three of the poems, written by a trio of f/k/a’s Honored Guests:
a cricket
lending the scarecrow
a voice
John Stevenson
seeding time
the farmer dresses the same
as the scarecrow
Jim Kacian
tthe scarecrow
moving backwards –
autumn rain
Gary Hotham
For more, see scarecrow: yes, strawman: no (Aug. 26, 2005), and click for over 50 scarecrow haiku by Kobayashi Issa translated by David G. Lanoue
