From the rumor mill

There are two interesting (though very sketchy) rumors flying around. The first as reported by Rorate Caeli (there are multiple posts on this) is that there has been some sort of correspondence in the Vatican relating to an alleged plot to assassinate Pope Benedict XVI. The Italian press is an uproar. My take on this... never ignore any potential threat. Sometimes they are real. But don't freak out. Threats and rumors of threats are sadly normative for high profile public figures. The Pope has around the clock police protection both inside and outside the Vatican and security is actually taken pretty seriously, especially after the events of 1981.

The second rumor now flying around Twitter and some other social media networks is that a coup is underway in North Korea and that Kim Jong Un, the hereditary heir to the late dictator, may have been assassinated.   No confirmation of course and these kinds of rumors are a dime a dozen.  But this one seems to have gained more than the usual head of steam.  The main problem is that N. Korea is a very closed society and an absolute police state.  Getting reliable information from there is difficult in the extreme.  My view... the odds are better playing the lottery.  We couldn't be this lucky.  Moving on.