Old vs. New Media

Old media trumped new media for me today in alerting me to the selection of the new Pope. I learned the news not from the Internet or even television or radio. Rather, it was the bells that kept ringing outside that alerted me to the development.. I live quite near more than half a dozen churches, so hearing bells isn't altogether uncommon. So the chimes of the bells this morning didn't initially makemuch of an impression. But the bells primarily toll on Saturdays, after the weddings that seem to constantly take place around here. So, when the bells kept ringing and ringing on this Tuesday morning, I started to wonder and it finally dawned on me what it might mean.

Of course, I did have to go online or to the television to find out who in particular was elected. But the bells as initial source of the news for me brought a little smile to my face (the further news of the identity of the new Pope, however, certainly brought no such smile.)