911 Wildlife's Screech-Owl Webcam

This is a screech-owl in someone's attic ... and it is nesting so it can't be moved. 911 Wildlife cleverly installed a webcam. Fascinating!

Stranger Than Fiction

Science, art, literature, wristwatches, toothbrushing, anarchists, green apples, and motion graphics.

All that and more come up for discussion when Scott and I find traces of the One Reality in the Will Farrell movie, Stranger Than Fiction, on A Good Story is Hard to Find podcast.

Get it while it's hot!

"There is no pit so deep that God's love is not deeper still."

In this week's A Free Mind column at Patheos I review a book that you simply must read or reread or listen to ... The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom. Get it while it's hot ... it makes terrific end of Lent/Holy Week reading!

The Bishop's Hour and Happy Catholic: Today in ... about five minutes!

Some listeners call Bob Dunning a “bleeding heart liberal” while others swear he’s a right-wing conservative. ...

Dunning believes the contradictory assessments of his opinions reflect people’s perceptions of Catholicism itself. “The church’s teachings spread across the political spectrum,” he said in a recent interview with The Herald. “Who decided that being pro-life was a conservative position?” “I’m also against the death penalty,” he added, “which seems to mark me as a liberal.”

The church teaches respect for human life and the dignity of the human person, Dunning observed, yet Catholics can be divided on specific applications church teaching. “To me, being against capital punishment and against abortion under any circumstances is a consistent ethical position, but not all Catholics agree,” he said.

From what I can tell, Bob Dunning is my kind of guy and very probably a happy Catholic.

I'll find out very soon! Sorry for the lack of notice but my days have been crazy, y'all.

Happy.

But crazy.

Here's more information.

The Church is Full of Sinners: This is not new.

Let’s see now: we’ve got a Sunday night series on one of the most corrupt and tawdry families in Church history, the Borgias, with popes, cardinals, bishops, and priests, all part of this big, happy family; we’ve heard non-stop for a decade about abusive priests, (albeit a small minority) and lax bishops who reassigned them; we’ve got front page stories of priests who embezzled money from their parishes; and I saw one not long ago about a priest arrested for DUI.

Yes, all this is scandalous, sinful, sickening, and criminal.

But, it is not new.

Popes, cardinals, bishops, priests, deacons, nuns, brothers are human.

That means, we are sinners.

Granted, when one of us falls, it hurts and shocks more. People rightly expect their spiritual leaders to practice what we preach. When we don’t, we’re hypocrites. And we know what Jesus thought about hypocrites.

But, this is not new.

If you think it worse today than in the past, I ask you to consider the solemn days we will observe next week, Holy Week: Holy Thursday and Good Friday.

Within an hour or so after Jesus had ordained His very first bishops and priests — the twelve apostles — what happened? They fell asleep when He asked them to pray with Him; one betrayed Him for thirty silver coins; one — the first Pope — denied three times even knowing Him; and all but one, the youngest, ran away scared at the time He most needed them. That lonely loyal one, St. John, was there with our blessed Mother at the foot of the cross on a hill called Calvary on a Friday strangely called “good.”

Not a very good start for bishops and priests. Within a few hours after their ordination, 11/12 had abandoned Him. That’s a worse record than even the Mets!

Archbishop Dolan hits one out of the park ... and this is just the beginning of the article. Go read it all.

You too? I thought I was the only one!

Sometimes xkcd scares me. Or we're soul mates. Whichever.

Lino at Large and Happy Catholic: tonight at 7 p.m. (Eastern time)

Lino at Large is a 30 minute radio show which is one of the most popular Catholic podcasts in the country. This fast-paced program geared toward young adults is brought to you by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

I remember waaaaay back in 2007 getting to chat with Lino Rulli a few times and it was always fun.

I mean, you've got to love a guy who has a bobblehead in his store. Right?

And I hear he's got 7 Dumb Questions to ask me.

This is gonna be fun.

Or something. (But I'm counting on fun ...)

And we'll probably talk about books. Just a little. One book anyway.

Guess which one?

Yeah, I figured you'd guess.

My perfect wallpaper

How well Rose knows me ... yes, I will be putting this on my laptop.

Not that I'm obsessed with Serenity or Firefly.

Heather Ordover on Happy Catholic: "You don't have to be Catholic to enjoy it."

I'm rather behind on podcast listening.

However, if nothing else I always look at the show notes for episodes that I haven't gotten to yet, to make sure I don't miss what's going on with my pals (yes, that's how I think of them).

I know that Heather Ordover at the CraftLit podcast (a podcast for crafters who like books) is moving and so keep up with that part of her life on the podcast, though I will catch up on the literary part later.

So, I was surprised and gratified to see that she had a link to Happy Catholic. When I listened I was even more gratified.

Heather is talking to knitters and book lovers, certainly not to a faith-based audience. She gave this a tribute that made me grateful (and happy, always happy of course), but which relieved a worry of mine. Because I knew that non-Catholics, heck non-Christians, might get this book. (Let's just start with my own family for that matter.) I have my own point of view, which is valid, of course, but I don't want to trample other people while I'm expressing it. Heather makes me hopeful that I might have been able to pull it off.

There is more, but here is the essence of it:

Just in case you thought this book was for Catholics only, I would like to read a small selection.  On page 43 it says, "Why Do You Think They Call It Willpower, Old Chum?"  And who does she quote to launch her into her little mini-essay here?

Robin:  Self-control is sure tough sometimes, Batman!
Batman: All virtues are, old chum. Indeed, that’s why they’re virtues.

And that's a quote from the Batman TV series.

Remember this is Happy Catholic: Glimpses of God in Everyday Life ... quoting Batman. This is why I love Julie. And her essay is really quite lovely as well. ...

I don't actually think you have to be Catholic to enjoy it. I am not Catholic and I am enjoying it. But part of that is because wisdom is wisdom, you know? And she's drawing wisdom from all sorts of great places and commenting on it and giving us her own particular slant on it.

This is from Episode 204 of CraftLit if you want to listen for yourself. It is the first thing she talks about, for which I am also grateful. Thank you Heather! (For an autographed copy, go here. I include a favorite quote that didn't make it into the book, as well.)

By the way, if you love classic literature and don't listen to CraftLit then drop by and try it out. CraftLit is one of my top five favorite podcasts. I hate to rank them other than that because ... I don't think I can. They're all just that good and CraftLit is one that you won't be sorry you tried.

Now I'm Going to Have to Watch Gold Rush

Thanks to Rose who pointed out this adorable and funny little dance after yesterday's art featured the Gold Rush poster.

I feel the need to say that the interwebs are a wonderful place.

Where else would I get the chance to chat with an author I admire (Steve Hockensmith) about his podcasting of some of his short stories on the Ellery Queen magazine and Alfred Hitchcock magazine podcasts?

While getting a review copy for my Kindle of his new collection of Dear Mr. Holmes, the Holmes on the Range short stories?

All thanks to Tweet and email.

God bless the ether!

By the way, if you haven't come across the Holmes on the Range stories, they are wonderful. A clever pastiche on Holmes because they are written about the cow punching brothers who admire the Holmes stories  they read in the papers. I am listening to the first novel now and loving it.

The Curt Jester: "I simply loved this book."

Nothing could have made me happier!

Unless it was the rest of Jeff's review of Happy Catholic.

Now Julie is a self-confessed book skimmer in that she often will skim through a book and then come back later and re-read it. I am not as much of a book skimmer and certainly did not skim through this book for fear of overlooking a good nugget. It also did not hurt that Julie pulled her quotes from areas and sources I also love. To have a book quoting Alice Cooper (now an Evangelical), Futurama, Firefly, SF Movies, and a vast swath of culture not in the SF realm is certainly to my taste, but her reflections should benefit all.

I simply loved this book. ...

Jeff is a logical and analytical thinker who loves the Church and loves books. Plus I read his blog before I had one of my own. So to say his review gladdened my heart is a huge understatement.

He even included a quote by me that he liked. That put me over the moon!

There is much more so if you are considering buying the book, you may be interested in reading the whole thing. Certainly I will be doing so several more times.

Thank you Jeff!

Food in Science Fiction and Fantasy

That is the latest topic under discussion at SFFaudio where Scott and Jesse welcome guest Luke Burrage. I can't wait to listen to this one. Two of my favorite topics being discussed by three of my favorite people!

Eagle-cam Alert!

Eagles from atop their tree at the fish hatchery in Decorah, Iowa.

Oh. my. goodness.

I just went to get the link and the mother was feeding the eaglets!

Also, Hannah tells me that 911 Wildlife is going to have a screech owl cam soon. Can't wait!

Thanks to Cindy J. for the link!

Vatican announces a meeting for bloggers will take place in Rome on the afternoon of Monday, May 2, 2011

No, I'm not kidding.

Yes.

The Vatican is calling for a bloggers meet. Actually a "new media" meet for the day after Pope John Paul II's beatification.

Whispers in the Loggia has the whole story and the email link for those who would like to attend. Because of space requirements it is being limited to 150 bloggers. If you blog and could swing the trip, then send that email!

It is the first time I've ever seen anything that made me wish I could afford to go to Rome.

I was telling my husband about it and then about an email from a friend who pointed it out and said I should go. He said, "Send an email. Let's see what happens. I'm curious ..."

So I did!

I feel fairly sure this is an event I will simply be reading about on other people's blogs. Which will be exciting enough, believe me.

However, I am also a firm believer that if you don't ask, then you don't get. So, I asked. It is fun to have an exciting possibility to dream about. Even if the dream doesn't come true, it is sometimes enough to have the fun of doing the dreaming.

And, right now, that's fun!

"A scrappy little volume ... seasoned with Julie's own sauce."

The Anchoress highly recommends Happy Catholic and includes two essays with quotes near and dear to my heart.

... a book I am highly recommending to you, not because Julie is a friend, but because it’s a scrappy little volume that serves up morsels from some of the most surprising sources (Alice Cooper? Bender from Futuerama? Hank Hill and H. G. Wells?) and then seasons them with Julie’s own sauce.

When someone of The Anchoress' caliber is enthusiastic then I am both relieved and proud. (Yes, the eternal insecurities come out ... but it keeps me humble and grateful, people ... so it's perfect for Lent, right?)

Go grab a couple more excerpts by reading her review. Thank you Anchoress!

Good Vibrations: Exploring What It Means to Do the Right Thing

I already loved this overall concept from Liberty Mutual so this cartoon delighted me on several levels. This engaged every person fully when we watched this at the end of an old TED talks that Tom showed this morning in our creativity meeting. About five minutes but worth the time.

Quick! Who is the Patron Saint of Gaming?

C'mon, I know you know it ...

What's taking you so long?

Maybe it's because, as Thomas L. McDonald tells us, there is none.

Never fear, he goes over the options in a most interesting and entertaining post at State of Play.

The Christopher Awards 2011

The Christophers should be known better ... so let's start there.

The mission of The Christophers is to encourage people of all ages, and from all walks of life, to use their God-given talents to make a positive difference in the world. The mission is best expressed in The Christophers’ motto: “It’s better to light one candle than to curse the darkness.”

One of the ways they do this is with their annual Christopher Awards. This year:

A mother strives to improve the lives of autistic children; an African-American nun establishes greater racial equality within the Catholic Church; two brothers travel around the world to discover the commonality of the human experience. These are just a few of the powerful stories told in the books, films, and TV programs that make up the winners of the 62nd annual Christopher Awards.

Go see who won and why. You're going to find new books to read, movies to see, and heroes you didn't know about.

Happy Catholic: the perfect devotional for the busiest person you know (Shameless Self-Promotion cont.)

Marge: All right, already! Everyone knows [Thomas Edison] accomplished a lot. Maybe because he didn't spend every moment talking about Thomas Edison!

Homer: Oh, that's where you're wrong, Marge. He was a shameless self-promoter.

I believe Rose had this in mind when she mentioned in a recent phone call that she noticed how frequently I mention the book.

Well ... well, yes. I cannot deny it.

And when I am as delighted that another friend whose good opinion matters to me liked the book, then I just can't keep it to myself! Sarah Reinhard, the Snoring Scholar, approves in the way that makes me happiest ... by seeing what I did not and surprising me.

Davis, as she does so often in her other pursuits, reminds us that faith and life cannot be separated. That’s why you find quotes from Alice Cooper and the TV show Joan of Arcadia. It explains the quips from the Simpsons and the dialogues from various movies and novels.

This book isn’t just a good read, though it is that. It’s also the perfect devotional for the busiest person you know. It’s a great resource for the practice of finding faith right in front of your face. It’s an indispensable handbook for a moment with the God who took the time to get down and dirty by becoming one of us.

If you are interested, do go read it all. She was also kind enough to post her review at Amazon and Goodreads. Sarah, thank you!