OK Magazine: So Meta

I was in line to check out at my corner bodega and I happened upon this cover of the current 

OK Magazine  which teases a headline story about Kanye West "leaking" the story about his wife's pregnancy. READERS NOTE: HER NAME HAS NEVER AND WILL NEVER APPEAR IN THIS BLOG SO GET OVER IT. The Kanye headline might not appear to be anything unusual or significant on the surface; it has the familiar aesthetics routine buzzwords that make this garbage instantly recognizable to just about every demographic in every geographic corner of the US. But the story itself makes this issue worth talking about, because the story goes out of its way to make the point that tabloid sleaze and the mechanics of the industry that go into creating it are at best creepy, at worst unethical.   

Pope Benedict XVI Abdicates

Pope Benedict's resignation from his diamond encrusted throne in Vatican City proved a shock to believers and nonbelievers across the world. His short term (2005-2013) seemed plagued by scandal and misfortune, ironic considering that his position is supposedly quasi-divine. And what, you might ask, was the reason for Ratzinger's sudden departure? His statement cited "advanced age" and a physical and mental inability to hold the position of head of the Catholic Church.  This, of course, flies in the face of historical precedent and gives credence to theories that the Church is getting ahead of a breaking scandal.

Sure, it's a hunch...and even though Ratzy is undoubtedly an old fuck, his medical history looks pristine compared to the previous Pontiff John Paul II who was diagnosed with Parkinsons during his tenure. True to the Papal formula, John Paul II served until his death in April 2005, and even made several creepy appearances that demonstrated the extent his mental deterioration shortly before he died. The likely rationale behind this precedent is the confusion of having an "ex-Pope". The ex-Pope concept poses a spiritual paradox for believers, and it is therefore an unideal spot for the church to find itself in following years of sexual abuse scandals and a world which is generally abandoning faith for more logical, intellectual and secular alternatives.  If Rat