It seems to me such a slow news day that I should… I dunno… tell jokes or maybe post a picture of some birds.
About this blog…
“This blog is like a fusion of the Baroque ‘salon’ with its well-tuned harpsichord around which polite society gathered for entertainment and edification and, on the other hand, a Wild West “saloon” with its out-of-tune piano and swinging doors, where everyone has a gun and something to say. Nevertheless, we try to point our discussions back to what it is to be Catholic in this increasingly difficult age, to love God, and how to get to heaven.” – Fr. Z
Coat of Arms by D Burkart
This REALLY helps! And it’s great coffee (and tea)
Polls
Loading ...Donate using VENMO
CLICK and say your daily offerings!
A Daily Prayer for Priests
Do you have a faithful Catholic website that needs competent and reliable tech support?
Fr. Z’s VOICEMAIL
Nota bene: I do not answer these numbers or this Skype address. You won't get me "live". I check for messages regularly.
WDTPRS
020 8133 4535
651-447-6265YOUR RECENT COMMENTS
on “Why, then, would Francis punish those who worship according to the Latin rite?”: “There are two trains in the station and one has no engine. Francis, seated in his train car looks out…”
on In a picture, a thousand words. Reason #868940 for Summorum Pontificum.: “Awesome photo! Beautiful! A humbling and inspiring reminder for all.”
on In a picture, a thousand words. Reason #868940 for Summorum Pontificum.: “What a beautiful picture! @JT Mark Shea is a former writer for EWTN. He used to be a pretty good…”
on Another wrinkle to the meaning of your phone’s “location services”.: “Wow. Synod, “walking together” takes on a new, more sinister meaning than it used to have. Also known as “hooking…”
on 14 August Pontifical Mass at the National Shrine: FORBIDDEN: “I am not a great fan of Cardinal Gregory. I pray for him.”
on Another wrinkle to the meaning of your phone’s “location services”.: “Whoa, what is this unmentioned “peace tree” business?”
on “Why, then, would Francis punish those who worship according to the Latin rite?”: “Just 12 days after TC exploded, and already we have a whole library of outstanding responses. I feel almost sorry…”
on 14 August Pontifical Mass at the National Shrine: FORBIDDEN: “How incredibly sad, though not entirely surprising. Didn’t he recently assure people in that everything could continue as-is, for the…”
on Another wrinkle to the meaning of your phone’s “location services”.: “There is no privacy on the internet. Remember, even an email has the privacy of a postcard. I have been…”
on 14 August Pontifical Mass at the National Shrine: FORBIDDEN: ““The decision of His Eminence is that the Mass would seem to be at odds with the recent restrictions of…”
I use this when I travel both in these USA and abroad. Very useful. Fast enough for Zoom. I connect my DMR (ham radio) through it. If you use my link, they give me more data. A GREAT back up.
This blog has to earn its keep!
PLEASE subscribe via PayPal if it is useful.
That way I have steady income I can plan on, and you wind up regularly on my list of benefactors for whom I pray and for whom I periodically say Holy Mass.
In view of the rapidly changing challenges I now face, I would like to add more $10/month subscribers. Will you please help?
For a one time donation...
Yes, Fr. Z is taking ads…
Be a “Zed-Head”!
CHALLENGE COINS!
My "challenge coin" for my 25th anniversary of ordination in 2016.
Want one? I do exchanges with military and LEOs, etc.
PLEASE RESPOND. Pretty pleeeease?
Loading ...This is really useful when travelling… and also when you aren’t and you need backup internet NOW! I use this for my DMR “Zednet” hotspot when I’m mobile. It’s a ham radio thing.
If you travel internationally, this is a super useful gizmo for your mobile internet data. I use one. If you get one through my link, I get data rewards.
WDTPRS POLL
Loading ...Fr. Z’s stuff is everywhere
Help support Fr. Z’s Gospel of Life work at no cost to you. Do you need a Real Estate Agent? Calling these people is the FIRST thing you should do!
They find you a pro-life agent in your area who commits to giving a portion of the fee to a pro-life group!
GREAT causes to support
Help Monks in Wyoming (coffee – UPDATED LINK) and Norcia (beer) and the wonderful "Soap Sisters" of Summit, NJ!
Please follow me on Twitter!
Those birds look far to angry to be on such a good blog.
Ah yes, angry birds. The answer to all life’s slow days and boredom.
This just completely made my day.
Nice.
Ahahahaha! Unlike some of your other bird posts I have definately seen these birds around my house.
The angry birds. The only reason I know this is because they make little angry-birds dog toys and my two dogs love their toys!
Can’t we just transport all things political into an alternate universe and pick it up on Nov. 7th??
Oh, Angry Birds! Something I will have to fast from next Lent! LOL!
Maybe to spice things up we can comment about our theories of what do we think the Vatican’s three-year study on women religious report contains. I wonder if the decision not to use habits from some progressive-ultra-mega-ubberliberal congregations will be mentioned…
Ha, ha! Angry Birds are new to our household. Lots of fun, I like the black ones best, you can bomb stuff!
‘Angry Birds’-Ha! I don’t understand anything about it, but I see a lot of stuff connected with them at a local well-known bookstore.
‘Can’t we just transport all things political into an alternate universe and pick it up on Nov. 7th?’-oh, you are so right, tealady24! I am so tired of the politics and the primaries!
I wish that we could take a hint from the countries that have parliaments and have a fixed, limited time for campaigning! It seems that the last couple of presidential election years have been so long and dragged out!
One reason why I don’t have TV…..
Now, if only we had an Angry Birds slingshot for those mourning doves…
adorable
and I love birds
is there a cat hidden somewhere in the next frame
Ga!! I love that game! My brother’s got it on his tablet … it’s SO addicting!
I don’t know these cartoons, but the slingshot ‘fun’ reminds me of liberals responding to recent debates.
Some of you may have noticed the comments at other blogs are not always as polite as the ones posted here. So, for this slow news day:
Commentary: A Higher Standard for Blog Comments?, by Kerry Trotter, the newest member of the Word on Fire team.
@Supertradmom: No, it’s pigs. Bad, evil pigs, who try to steal the birds’ eggs to make fried eggs.
Which, come to think of it, would go great with bacon and/or ham.
I’ve never played Angry Birds. Is it worth it to play?
@Denita: It’s like crack cocaine. It’s probably best not to try it “just once.”
Who made the Cardinals angry?
see what I did there? hahaha….
@Random Friar
@Denita: It’s like crack cocaine. It’s probably best not to try it “just once.”
Or when you have school work to do. Gaaah!! It’s really more one of those things you do during physio to pass the time while you’re stuck with needles hooked up to an electrical current shocking you intermittently for 20+ minutes. I almost had 3 stars in every level, until I upgraded my phone and had to start all over again. :(
Angry Birds does encourage a longer period of diversion than the player may have intended. But not all this time is necessarily wasted.
I try to use the game as a way to teach my sons about problem solving. The best way to pass a level is often to avoid a direct approach. It is wise to look for the weakness in the protective structures before flinging a bird headlong. This is a good lesson in using reason and logic over might and brute force.
It also can teach us about perseverance. It is relatively easy to pass all levels on all episodes with one star, but to unlock more satisfaction one should attempt to improve one’s score to three stars on all levels. This teaches a youngster to go back and see if he could do a better job by improving his first revision. It is not satisfying to do “enough to get by.”
Also, it is fun to say ‘Kablooie!” when you hit the TNT.
@Matthew K
Angry Birds does encourage a longer period of diversion than the player may have intended. But not all this time is necessarily wasted.
It is when you’re a student “taking a quick break” from paper writing. Maybe if you’re a kid with no real concerns in life, or have nothing else that could really be done during that time, but Lord help you if procrastination is already a weak point for you.
Personally, I find the best lesson in problem solving is driving in rush hour traffic. If you’re the type of person who isn’t accustomed to having to wait in traffic, it forces you into problem solving mode, and having to have foresight and prudence to determine potential issues that may arise while driving, thus forcing you to choose your move wisely and intellectually rather than using might and brute force.
“It’s like crack cocaine.”
This blog is like that!
I don’t get it. I tried it on the PC a couple weeks back, and the graphics are cute. But it’s such a random game. You can’t see what you’re aiming at, and you can’t predict whether your trajectories will work. It’s a point and hope game.
It works better if you play it on an iPhone.
Btw: does anyone else shake their iPhone when a pig is slooowly rolling towards the edge in a false sense of hope that shaking will cause it to fall?
Angry birds
http://chicagoist.com/attachments/chicagoist_rob/2007_10birds.jpg
Badger Catholic-ah, the original ‘angry birds’, from the Hitchcock movie! Good one!
APX – I don’t shake my tablet, but I do tilt it in the direction I’m hoping the pig will roll.
I think sometimes my husband despairs of my sanity.