First, a special shout out to Shane whose (soon to be ex) hockey coach — Phil at Incredible Ice — is a fucking prick. Shane, you’ll be fine and be in Mites — Mite’s to his dad — soon enough. We all got your back.
Next up, we have some upsetting news. National Geographic, in this article talks about a rare quail which was photographed for the first time before being sold as food at a poultry market. Scientists had suspected the species listed as “data deficient” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s 2008 Red List was extinct. A TV crew documented the live bird in the market before it was sold in January.
Third up, special thanks to the friends who are keeping after me. I need it. Special thanks to WJM. I got a good group. You never know who your friends are until the chips are down.
Fourth up is a guy who really pisses me off. Richard Williamson the rogue holocaust-denying bishop is back in the news again. He is reported to have questioned the number of Jews who were deliberately gassed as part of Nazi policy during World War Two. He had been resident in Argentina, but was given 10 days to leave by the country’s government. The Vatican has ordered him to retract his comments.
In a Swedish television interview last November, Bishop Williamson claimed that historical evidence was “hugely against six million having been deliberately gassed in gas chambers as a deliberate policy of Adolf Hitler … I believe there were no gas chambers … I think that 200,000 to 300,000 Jews perished in the Nazi concentration camps but none of them in gas chambers.” The Argentinian government branded his view “deeply offensive”. The bishop had previously been photographed in the company of historian and Holocaust denier David Irving. He was met at Heathrow by Mr. Irving’s spokeswoman who said she was offering him “practical help”.
The interview he gave to Swedish television was filmed in Germany and because denying the Holocaust is a criminal offence in Germany, an investigation is under way. The Church and Pope Benedict XVI have come under severe criticism for the decision – taken before his comments were broadcast – to lift the excommunication on him.
I got a weather report on Mom’s trip. In case she reads this post, I’ll tell her as a hint: Yes, Mom, after careful consultation they are, indeed, having weather. I hope this reassures you and helps you pack. Monday or Tuesday you’ll know. Woo-Hoo! (No change. Re-submitted to fix formatting).