Everybody I know at NICTA decided to flee the pope, that is to work from home, far from traffic jams and pilgrims. However, at least the morning busses work as before, and no overload is in sight. I went to the city to see what it would be like, and found practically no pilgrims. Maybe it's too early in the week.
Ok, this day I did find pilgrims. I was kind of caught in a current of them flowing towards Central Station, when I beheld a bookshop. Being surrounded by a horde of "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie — Oi, Oi, Oi" cheering pilgrims, I entered said bookshop questing for a disquisition on latter phenomenon. Alas, to no avail. No tome, treatise or quire was gained. As I left the irenic athmosphere of the shop, some other nationality befell the ambience. It was finally at Central, that I escaped the onslaught.
Given yesterday's experience, I went straight for a bookshop at eastgardens and obtained "The God Delusion" by Richard Dawkins. I wanted to read it anyway, and what better place and time, than tomorrow in Hyde Park? (Where apparently some kind of catholic march is going to happen).
Yay! None of the discussions was fruitful in any meaningful sense, but I got a few chuckles and even encouragement from some elderly people who knew the book, got countless angry stares from catholic people who knew the book, got a blessing, got nice propaganda from yehowa's witnesses (did not read it yet), met a catholic lady, who stated that said witnesses are indeed not christian at all, spoke to a journalist, got invited to join some fundamental the-bible-is-to-be-taken-literally people, was offered (and accepted) a free lunch sponsored by the well-meaning (ok, actually the lunch people simply didn't get what the book was about) catholic church, thanks to the catholic lady, whom I helped a bit with her bags, and finally went to Randwick Racecourse to see what the people there would do. It was so much of an event that the religion was practically irrelevant. Except for the words of the music, that could as well have been a rock concert or whatever. People were worried about their view on the pope or the next screen, about who owned which lunch packet and ignored to my dismay the necessity of leaving emergency exits between all the sleeping bags. Sean gave a party at eight so I left shorty before the pope was expected to arrive.
I continued my book in Hyde Park, most catholics were already gone however. On the way home, I found a "demonstration" of Falun Gong people, tring to urge me into signing against their bad treatment in China and also signing that I agree that Falun Gong is good. Argh. Please remember, if you create a petition decide on one and only one topic. Also, try to ask every passing guy only once to sign. I still find it pretty unsettling that most of the demo consistet in peaceful meditation, whereas the other part was totally hyperactive signing requests. Having said all that, they apparently have a valid cause. Please also read this.
On a more humorous note, I finished the Dawkins book in the evening and started to read the yehowa's witnesses propaganda directly afterwards. I knew I was right when deciding to accept it, I have seldom been amused like that. Imagine my delight, when, after having to break away from the book due to exuberant laughter, I return only to find the next sentence to say: "The bible is scientifically accurate."