So Illinoisians aren't entertained by their governor ignoring his impeachment procedings to go on The View? I mean, it's not even a *good* talk show!

I'll let Illinoisians speak for themselves. But I'd have felt less entertained if the shenanigans had actually affected my life.

Speaking of popes, and the middle ages, and shame, it appears that Pope Palpatine is stepping up in defense of yet another unfairly maligned minority: Holocaust deniers

I think he's a rotten guy and a rotten Pope, but unless I'm misreading he's not really propping up Holocaust Deniers, he's lifting the excommunication on two particular Holocaust Deniers since Holocaust Denying (while odious) isn't really a violation of Roman Catholic doctrine.

None of which makes any of them good guys, but its not quite the same thing.

The problem with the pope lifting the excommunication on those people is that they're advocating getting rid of everything Vatican 2 and after, including the repudiation of the blood libel of the Jews. So letting these St. Pius X people back in the fold is, by extension, a tacit support of their beliefs.

No, that's true, Trudy, but I do think where he chooses to act and when is illustrative. And while I don't claim to know Benedict's true stance on the Holocaust, they do seem to line up with him on some other fairly odious thinking.

It kind of surprises me that he'd be that forgiving of Holocaust deniers - one of his own cousins was put to death by the Nazis as part of their eugenics purges back in the 40s. (I know he was forced to serve in Hitler's armies himself, but by all accounts he was anything but a loyal follower.)

Pushy Yanks saved themselves on Titanic

Brits politely queued up for lifeboats while Americans pushed to be first

British passengers on board the sinking Titanic died while politely queuing to get their place on a lifeboat, while Americans pushed their way on, according to new analysis of passenger data.

...

They found that British passengers, who queued for a place in one of only 20 lifeboats provided for the 2,223 on board, had 10 percent lower chance of survival than any other nationality.

In contrast, Americans, who reportedly elbowed their way to the front of lines, had a 12 percent higher probability of survival than British subjects.

"Be British, boys, be British!" the captain, Edward John Smith, shouted out, according to witnesses.

"Being British" meant to forget mass panic behavior — everyone looking after themselves — and rather follow the social norm of "women and children first."

Did "being British" also mean not knowing how to load lifeboats? Because that seems to have been the bigger problem.

I'm just wondering if Blago will be more or less comfortable on the View's tiny chairs than KO.

ok, so today - announced layoff of 42,000?!?!? I grewup in a town of about 4,200, so yeah. My college about 9,000 undergraduates (across three schools). The builings on my full block house approx 1100 people (kids included), so like every person in 38 full blocks!?!??! Trying to wrap my head around the numbers.

No, that's true, Trudy, but I do think where he chooses to act and when is illustrative. And while I don't claim to know Benedict's true stance on the Holocaust, they do seem to line up with him on some other fairly odious thinking.

Yes. Oh yes. I do think its telling, I just didn't want to overstate, you know? I feel like hyperbole can be particularly harmful to useful discourse when the response can be "you're being bigoted against _________."

( I don't think you're being bigoted. And I think the notion of "Anti-Catholic bigotry" is almost always absurd when it comes to contemporary America. I just hate to give Bill Donohue and his ilk their soundbites pre-made.)

Pushy Yanks saved themselves on Titanic

Talk about your breaking news stories!