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Today was the first day of the Papal election process in the Sistine Chapel. The black smoke at the end of the day indicated a new Pope wasn't chosen today. Depending on the new Pope's health and/or moral strength, this might be a once in a lifetime thing for some of us, so let's learn how a new Pope is chosen, Timmy!

A Papal election is the method by which the Roman Catholic Church fills the office of Bishop of Rome, whose incumbent is known as the Pope. An occasion steeped in centuries-old tradition, this meeting of clergymen held to select the Pope is referred to as a conclave. The term comes from the Latin phrase cum clavi ("with a key"), referring to the "locking away" of the electors during the process. Conclaves have been employed since the Second Council of Lyons decreed in 1274 that the electors should meet in seclusion. They are now held in the Sistine Chapel in the Palace of the Vatican.

Since the year 1059, the College of Cardinals has served as the sole body charged with the election of the Pope. In earlier times, members of the clergy and the people of Rome were entitled to participate, in much the same way as the laity helped determine the choice of bishops throughout the Catholic Church during this early period. Popes may make rules relating to election procedures; they may determine the composition of the electoral body, replacing the entire College of Cardinals if they were to so choose. They are not permitted, however, to designate their own successors.

The Vatican has announced that, breaking with tradition, the Cardinals will not be locked in the Sistine Chapel during the 2005 conclave; however, they will not have access to television, radio, or telephone during the election process.

You can read the rest of this very informative article at Wikipedia, and see me after Biology behind the bleachers if you wanna get in on the Papal Pool. No phone votes, please.

Talk CSI Files threads

Below are some of the topics currently being discussed at Talk CSI:

- In the CSI: Miami forum, our friend Selina wants to know: what's your favorite episode of Miami so far?

- The Forensic Science forum is currently discussing The CSI Effect, or the influence the show has had on real-life crime investigations.

- Baseball season started recently and already a fan received a punch. Could they all be like that? Talk about your favorite sports in the Miscellaneous forum.

More topics can be found at the Talk CSI!

CSI Files Two Years Ago

Here's what was hot back in April, 2003:

• A&E Secures 'Miami' Rerun Rights
  Two years ago, the A&E network bought the rights to rerun CSI: Miami at a whopping million dollars per episode deal. "It's a great, well-written show with a great ensemble cast and fabulous production values," Bob DeBitetto, head of programming at A&E, said. "It delivers younger, upscale demos, and that fits well with our audience target." Today, the network repeats two episodes of the show every weekend.

• Petersen To Leave After Season Five?
  All hell broke loose when actor William Petersen (Gil Grissom) hinted he may be leaving the show after season five. "I think a couple more [seasons] will do it," the actor told the Chicago-Sun Times. "This season we're dealing with his hearing loss. Maybe next we'll have him lose his sight. Then he'll fall apart altogether." As it turns out, Petersen still has a couple of years left on his contract.

• 'Miami' Rerun Wins Its Hour
  CSI: Miami's "Slaughterhouse" became victor of the Monday night ratings battle with 8.8/14 of the rating. Still considered basically a "newbie", Miami was beginning to set itself aside as king of Monday nights.

More news can be found in the archives.

Poll Results

Below are the results of the most recent CSI Files poll:

How would you rate CSI's '4 x 4?' 9-10 69.3% - (140 Votes) 7-8 13.3% - (27 Votes) Wasn't able to see it 7.9% - (16 Votes) 5-6 5.4% - (11 Votes) Didn't want to see it 1.9% - (4 Votes) 3-4 1.4% - (3 Votes) 1-2 0.4% - (1 Votes) Total Votes: 202

,Thank you for voting in our poll. For our next one, we'd like to know how you enjoyed the last episode of Miami. ,

Corrections

Last week, CSI Files released spoilers for the episode "Iced", in which a woman in murdered and the life-cyle of the Black Blow Fly is used to indicate the time of death. Dr. Thayer will take the stand to try to prove the accused is innocent, not guilty. Sorry about the confusion.

Happy Birthday!

David Black (executive producer, CSI: Miami) will be turning 60 on the 21st while Melina Kanakaredes (Stella Bonasera) will be 38 on the 23rd. Chronia polla!

Today's Television Listings

• CBS will tonight air the brand new episode of CSI: Miami "Killer Date". Here's a description:

  "Horatio's life is changed forever when he learns important information about his deceased brother. Horatio must now figure out what to do with this information about his brother, Raymond, and whether or not to tell Yelina. Meanwhile, the team investigates when a woman is murdered at a crowded bar after she's approached by a female employee of a service that helps men pick-up women. Also, when Delko loses his badge after some reckless behavior and it's used in a crime, he must locate the badge before it's used again."

• CSI: New York is taking a brief break to regroup for May Sweeps. On Wednesday night, CBS will air a rerun of "Till Death Do We Part". Here's a preview:

  "When a bride and the doves that were to be released at her ceremony collapse moments before the wedding, Mac and Danny investigate their mysterious deaths. Although the team is anxious to perform an autopsy on the bride, Dr. Hawkes is impeded by the victim’s father, who requests that the body be blessed by a rabbi first. Meanwhile, Stella, Aiden and Det. Flack discover the handless body of an ex-con at a Staten Island monastery that is rumored to be haunted by monks who were once murdered there."

• CBS will also air a new episode of CSI on Thursday night at 9/8c. Here's a description of "Hollywood Brass":

  "Captain Brass travels to Los Angeles and requests the assistance of his former colleague, LAPD Captain Annie Kramer, when his estranged daughter Ellie calls for help after her friend turns up missing. When the woman is found dead, Brass turns to Warrick, who is in Los Angeles for a CSI convention, to help him and the LAPD track down the killer."

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