The Ave Maria Bell doesn’t ring in Brooklyn. At least, I’d wager that it doesn’t. But if it did, it would ring in the 17:45 cycle until 9 February, when it would shift to 18:00.
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Last night we went to a great pub. It was taco night, so …
… they were definitely NY tacos, if you get my drift. Not bad. Pretty good as food, just not …. tacos, properly understood.
The burger, on the other hand, was excellent. There’s nothing like a cheeseburger after a transatlantic flight and over 10 days of ketchup deprivation.
In churchy news…
Protected for years…
Court of Appeals in Argentina has upheld that Bishop Zanchetta must serve his 4 1/2yr prison term: https://t.co/tzbqOIJakZ
Zanchetta, close friend of Pope Francis, was found guilty of s3xual abuse in March 2022.
His trial was marked by Vatican intervention on his behalf:… pic.twitter.com/ilotUQqorp
— Michael Haynes ?? (@MLJHaynes) February 5, 2025
HOW COOL IS THIS?
Spanish Catholics in Cordoba pray for souls in purgatory, a beautiful biblical tradition pic.twitter.com/sLwkq1oUEP
— Catholic Arena (@CatholicArena) February 3, 2025
Six years ago today, @Pontifex traveled to Abu Dhabi and signed the Document on Human Fraternity (DHF) with Dr. Ahmad Al-Tayyeb, Grand Imam of @AlAzhar. The 2,900-word text contains this objectively heretical claim: “The pluralism and the diversity of religions … are willed by… pic.twitter.com/6INz4SFxQj
— Matt Gaspers (@MattGaspers) February 5, 2025
In chessy news… HERE
Black to move and mate in 2. Find it in … 30 seconds! GO!! CLICK
Black to move and mate in 2. Find it in … 30 seconds! GO!! CLICK
[NB: I’ll hold comments with solutions ’till the next day so there won’t be “spoilers” for others.]
Magnus Carlson will play in the 13th annual Norway Chess, which is classical. Also playing? World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju. That should be interesting. Hikaru and Fabi will be there along with Arjun and Wei Yi.
Onion Rings look pretty darn tasty.
Non-stop from Rome to the states has to be the best itinerary.
Gone thru London and Dublin in the past- I don’t recommend it.
monstrance: Yes, the onion rings were excellent.
The non-stop. Yes, for a while now I’ve been stopping for a day or two in my connection city before taking a non-stop to Rome. I’ve flown to Rome for many years now and I detest the stops in Amsterdam or Paris and the passport controls, which could block you in place in an interminable line behind travelers from “certain countries”. The itinerary I usually go for now is ideal for the timing for arrival in Rome and departure from Rome: no lines. Several times now it has been the same thing: almost empty passport and custom controls. Yesterday, I pretty much walked through with no one in front of me through the various control points. Automation and biometrics (a little scary) help to speed things along. Arriving in Rome at the hour I aim for also makes for a fast trip to collect my bag.
I could go for a cheeseburger.
In spite of the fact that I’m not at all fond of female altar servers, I think that clip from Córdoba looks awesomely traditional. How cool it is? Close to zero Kelvin. The Abu Dhabi thing is considerably less cool. That video is so bombastic I almost burst out laughing. However, that declaration is so egregious that laughing is out of the question. Weeping seems more appropriate.
Ketchup. When I was travelling throughout the Middle East in the 1980’s, my colleague used to bring his own bottle of ketchup with him to the restaurants!
What’s with the Spaniards in the black pointy hoods? Been scared of them since childhood…to me there is a dark arts sort of vibe.
From my 17 year old son:
I couldn’t find a mate in 2 on the chess puzzle. I did find a mate in 4: Qh1+, Kxh1, Rf1+, Qg1, Bc6+, Rg2, and Bxg2#. After a long time looking for a mate in 2, I checked with a chess engine and it only came up with the mate in 4.
JustaSinner
“Historically, the flagellants are the origin of the current traditions, as they flogged themselves with a discipline to do penance. Pope Clement VI ordered that flagellants could perform penance only under control of the church; he decreed Inter sollicitudines (“inner concerns” for suppression).[2] This is considered one of the reasons why flagellants often hid their faces.”
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capirote