I should have checked my facts better. Two friends have referred me to Snopes.com which is the clearing house for debunking rumors.
My previous post about Great Britain removing Holocaust studies from its teaching curriculum is false. Apparently, only one history department out of the entire country stopped teaching this subject matter because it wished to avoid confronting anti-Semitic sentiment and Holocaust denial among Muslim pupils.
What is more, I am informed that the Daily Mail is not a reputable newspaper, but is, in fact, more of a scandal rag. As an American, I was unaware of this. I feel as stupid as if I had assumed that an article in the Globe or Enquirer about a 3-headed baby with an Elvis tattoo born to a male Doberman Pinscher at the North Pole was proven fact.
I am so sorry for offending anyone with my righteous indignation about a topic that would deserve it if it were true, but isn't.
I'm glad and relieved to be wrong in this instance. In fact, I am thrilled that I was wrong. My heart is lighter knowing that a great nation like the United Kingdom has not given up the intelligent world leadership and dignity for which it has always been known. It would be devastating for the world if my facts had been accurate.
Please talk amongst yourselves. I'm verklempt.
52 comments:
Good old Snopes - they'll nail you every time. I used them to prove to a friend that kindly old Mr. Rogers was NOT a former sniper.
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!
Phew.. I feel much better now!!
And it proves what my hunch was - that you are a highly intelligent and thoughtful person who writes brilliantly!! It means so much to me that you've verified the truth of this matter.
I think the debate in the UK is how to help teachers teach the Holocaust to Muslim children who are told something different at home. But the important thing is to actually teach it!! I read on the other post comment that apparently a school in the north has taken it off the syllabus - one school. If that is true (and I have to admit my skeptism meter is pretty high right now), I'm sure the UK government and people will take issue with that.
Thank you again!!
Best Wishes
Kirsty
hearts, I don't know what "verklempt" means. If it meant 'please leave me alone and do not post any comments" then I am sorry.
Anyway, a mistake was made but really I am glad that it was a mistake. I too apologise if my comments offended anyone and congratulate the UK for their continued position on the Holocaust as historical fact.
Cs,
I've bookmarked Snopes so that I will never go off half-cocked again.
I had heard that kindly old Mr. Rogers was a heroin addict. :)
Kirsty,
Thank you for your understanding, and for your lavish compliments, which I do not deserve.
The debate to which you refer is a most difficult one. It is always highly sensitive and in some cases, dangerous, to teach children material that contradicts what they learn at home. And in most instances, probably doomed to failure as parents usually have the greater influence. As they should.
Still, I applaud them for continuing to try. As they must.
I am not going to quibble over a decision made by one school, which does seem to be factual, to a degree. If I interpret what I read correctly, that one school had to choose between subjects to cover in their classes, and selected something other than Holocaust studies. This is not exactly the same thing as eliminating it out of hand. A decision had to be made, and while I, personally, consider the Holocaust a necessary subject to cover, this one school made a judgment call that something else was, for whatever reason, more important.
It would be stupid to assume that the entire country would then topple like dominos over this.
When you're wrong, you're wrong.
HinSF - Very well done. With intelligence and class and good wit. My hat is off to you yet again. As a matter of fact, it is so often off when I come here that I seemed to have misplaced it.
I am thankful that Kristy wouldn't let it rest until it was debunked. I certainly have higher expections of the UK than I do of the US, so the mere thought of it was doubly disturbing. I am very glad to know that something like that is not true.
Now, for goodness sake, please tell us about the 3-headed baby with an Elvis tattoo born to a male Doberman Pinscher at the North Pole.
Ditto here. I didn't check the facts either. It just triggered some long past memory of hearing it on the news.
Good that we were all wrong.
~Chani
besides proving we should all still visit the UK, you have proven that you are as fabulous as your blog leads me to believe you are. can I come over for "cursed" tea too, sounds like it could be a funky time. and I'm all about funky.
Squirrel,
"Talk amongst yourselves. I'm verklempt" was a catch phrase in an ongoing skit performed by American comedian/actor Mike Myers on Saturday Night Live, a popular TV show.
He portrayed a talk show interviewer with an exaggerated NY accent who worshiped Barbra Streisand for her voice "like buttah."
When his adoration of her got too emotional, he would utter that phrase while clutching his bosom.
"Verklempt" means "choked up."
You will NEVER catch me asking people not to comment on my blog. NEVER.
Thomas,
Well, the baby is being kept under observation at the British Museum, where it seems to be replicating at an alarming rate. Scientists from all over the world have been called in, but Great Britain will not allow the baby to be snuffed despite allegations that doing so would make for a more peaceful world because it is a humane nation which endorses truth above all.
The child's mother was observed hitchhiking to what is believed to be her planet of origin. There are photographs to prove it. The Enquirer has some of the best and bravest photographers in the world, and their Photoshop skills are renowned.
There is considerable debate over whether the unfortunate infant is the love child of Hanibel Lechter, Billy Bardy or Jiminy Cricket, but scientific opinion is leaning toward the theory that all three may have had a um, hand, in producing the child since he does, in fact, have three heads.
No more is known at this time.
So glad that there is a happy ending. *sniff*sniff*
And bless you for conjuring up the name, Billy Bardy!!
Chani,
Yes, there are definitely times when I am happy to be wrong.
My heart is probably in the right place. It's my brain I misplaced. I hate when that happens.
Eslocura,
Please do come for tea and conversation. Anytime. And bring all the other commenters who care to come.
I'll put the kettle on now.
Thomas,
He was quite the stud, I hear.
Now if only the UK would apologize for the Spice Girls, we'd all be happy.
Furious,
Just close your eyes and think of Beatles. Or Stones. Eric Clapton. Mick Fleetwood.
Sorry but "cursed tea" is only served scottish stylee by moi in N'awlins (kursetnawlins.blogspot.com)...
But I lOVE SF and anytime heart needs me to pop over I'm THERE!!
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE check your facts before slandering my country - its a FOUR headed baby and Prince Charles is rumoured to be Dad #4!!! :) (HRH is rumoured also to be a transvestite but you didn't hear it from me....)
Oh and we've done much worse than the Spice Girls - pop idol for a start..
But let me see, well there was ehm the taking over the planet aspirations otherwise known as the Empire, then there was Mr Bean, then the entire royal family thingy..I could go on
But I do miss the amount of Tea that is drunk on my ittle island
Best Wishes
Curse Tea
Cursetea,
Oh, once again I am ashamed and deeply embarrassed at the slovenliness of my scholarship. Twice in one day. I fear they will send me to the gallows by teatime.
How could I have missed Prince Charles' involvement with the male Doberman who birthed the FOUR-headed childe? I should really write my posts in Chaucerian English so that no one can understand them.
I have always suspected that Queen Elizabeth's eldest was not fathered by the bonny Prince Philip, but by a common flounder. I am certain that a more than passing perusal of his features will bear me out. Just remember, folks, you heard it here first.
I am now checking out a news flash that Anna Nicole Smith is somehow connected to the strange events surrounding the many-headed Hydra baby. Stay tuned as this fascinating story develops.
oh. I was mistaken too when I scrolled down to read your last post first and got livid. I learned a valuable lesson to check more than one news source/ and readin the whole thing before getting irritated. I usually do...still though.
Sweet Pea,
Well, I think it's good that we are able to become livid when we believe that a wrong has been committed. It's a very sad day when someone no longer cares about her fellow humans and the state of the world.
We have been all guilty of the crime at some stage or another. I myself am prone to it and on a regular basis feel like tom from tom & jerry when he looks in the mirror and sees his head morph into an ass. Be thankful Hearts that youre not me :o) But as always you are gracious to apologise with such humbleness and panache .. You are still the heroine to the underdog in my book
Judith,
My asshead is so large, it cannot get through doorways.
Thank you for your kind words.
I, for one, am highly disappointed that you have made plans to stop going off half-cocked and to curb your righteous indignation. I do enjoy your righteous indignation quite thoroughly (no matter how full its cock is) so I hope you won't stop entirely.
Anonymous,
You disappoint me, too, in that you leave me to wonder who you are.
And I am fairly certain that I will never stop objecting to whatever offends me, which is quite a lot, actually, despite my intentions to the contrary. I ammend that. My good intentions refer only to expressing outrage without being on sound factual ground.
I make no claim that I will ever permanently stuff a sock in it.
Thank you for Snopes.com, I have bookmarked it. Actually the Daily Mail is a slight cut above the Enquirer, but only 'slight'.
Cheers,
Ian
Ian,
I've bookmarked it, too.
A slight cut above, you say... So the tattooed baby is likely to have only TWO heads, and perhaps its Doberman parent was of the female persuasion?
Prince Charles is a transvestite!!!! I learn the best things here, even if they aren't true.
Thanks for clearing that up, it was too awful to contemplate otherwise.
Well, welcome to my everyday of not knowing wtf I'm talking about. I don't know what I'd do with out those debunking sites. Think of it this way, IF the subject ever did happen you would have the perfect piece to be righteously indignant.
I must apologize for my anonymity. Without a blogger account to link my name to my comment, it seems a meaningless gesture to call myself Sally or Robert or Erma. (You may, however, still call me Erma if you wish.) What a relief, dear Heart, to hear that you don't intend to "permanently stuff a sock in it". Carry on ranting, I implore you.
Meno,
Well, he might be. A transvestite. I must confess, though, that my only reflections on his sexuality were along the lines of "How could she?" regarding Diana, and just a generalized 'Yukkk" otherwise.
I have always thought he looked like a flounder, and see no prospect of that resemblance improving anytime soon.
Olives,
How comforting. Perhaps I should also write my take on the end of the world in case that ever comes about. I'll definitely have a leg up on everyone else. If there IS anyone else.
Speak first, think later. That's my motto.
Anonymous,
I will not call you Erma. I feel that you are male, although obviously I could be wrong; the word "anonymous" is not exactly laced with gender identity.
That's a relief!
Shit, what about my, umm, emotional?, err, kinda fiesty email to Tony Blair...Second thoughts I'll just send a post script and say hang onto it in case you even think about it..
HISF, seriously, I like that people *care* enough to say they are upset, it is inaccurate reporting etc, that is such a relief, but what if sad news came out and people said nothing...I love that people care, truth will always come out and CursedTea (Kirsty) has helped there and you've sorted out what's what..
Poor Tony! I sent it to him because I was madazhell and didn't take the time to find the email address for Minister of Education, just told him to pass it on to his mate!
This is perhaps why we got shipped off to the Antipodes in the first instance...;)
Good news mate!
Pam
Better go to Snopes.com posthaste and check the veracity of Cursed Tea's allegations concerning the paternity of the four headed childe...
Pam,
Oh, no, you didn't. He'll never let you back in the country now, for sure. In fact, you may get banished all over again.
Little did they know that Australia was a heavenly place with gorgeous scenery and exotic animals.
I agree with your assessment, that people care. I think it's wonderful and reassuring. The main reason I didn't just remove the offending post after I knew my facts were wrong was because I really loved all the intelligent, deeply caring responses.
Molly,
Uh oh. You have a point. Er, pointe. I can't wait to tell Kirsty if she's wrong about that.
Oh, Kirsty, there you are. Are we still on for tea?
The Daily Mail is more like the NY Post, The Sun has the equivalent amount of cache as the Enquirer without the odd alien gorilla babies of Clay Aiken- but they have Page 3 girls (topless models)...
Urchin,
Thank you for explaining exactly where the Daily Mail stands in terms I could understand as a New Yorker.
I guess Clay Aiken's alien gorilla babies don't get to England much.
I am so relieved.
Mist,
Me, too!
I'll add my apology as well, since I posted my own indignation on the original post.
Travis,
Thank you for your support, even if we were wrong.
I am never wrong about things that are wrong....
Tea, milk in first no sugar - thanks me dear.
Kursed
Phew! Relieved! Regardless of the slight inaccuracy of your first post on this issue, the general issue of Truth and Integrity when reflecting on our past is still an important one. Just because history isn't necessarily being erased in all of the UK, it is in other parts of the world. It's Orwellian and it's frightening!
Kirsty,
Get a wiggle on. Tea's getting cold.
La Cubana,
Yes, Orwell's prescience seems to have provided a lesson plan which has been embraced by many governments.
Increasingly, it seems as if truth is a commodity, and history is ammended to support the latest despot's lies.
It's terrifying. Without our history, we are rudderless and bound to make the same mistakes again.
It is good to know that the story was false. I released a false story once when I told everyone that our Math teacher had 6 toes...Ok, I made that up. Have a great weekend!
Michael,
All math teachers have six toes. They spend their lives trying to get even. (Odd.)
Tea's just brewed on my witterings and wanderings blog -
I may love my country but I also know its faults!!
Kirst :0)
Hey heartinsanfran, the Daily Mail is a dreadful newspaper, but sadly it is read by a lot of people here, it is a dangerous newspaper, not the same 3 headed baby type of trashy news like the National Enquirer, but presents itself as a credible daily newspaper, whipping up prejudice & fear wherever it can, and sadly intelligent people in UK read it. It is trashy in a different way.
Hearts, the rumor had an air of plausibility because of all the strange "political correctness" lately, and it was posted all over the Internet. It's always good to check something on Snopes. I often receive e-mails with urban legends, etc., (like the cockroach eggs on the envelopes) and I check them on Snopes. Usually the rumors and urban legends are wrong. Don't blame yourself.
Kirsty,
I feel the same about mine. Warts and all, although some of our recent warts are getting too large to overlook or forgive.
I take my tea straight up.
Nmj,
I appreciate your clarification. I am suitably chagrined, and now know that Snopes is my friend.
Josie,
You have put your finger on what happened - exactly. The political correctness that abounds, while extremely well-meaning, in some instances has grown ludicrous and even dangerous.
I hadn't heard about the cockroach eggs yet, but I'm sure I will.
Thank you for your visit, and for the consolation offered.
It's a relief to find out that the Daily Mail was wrong. I was starting to get a bit worried.
Thinker,
Apparently, the Daily Mail is often wrong. As an American, I didn't know and assumed that it was a reliable news source.
Never make assumptions.
You are so brave for just being honest. You inspire!
Claudia,
You're so very kind to say that.
And I'm really glad my "facts" were wrong.
Awww... I'm so far behind that I missed this particular post. We all forgive you. I was once taken in myself by the whole "is the Statue of Liberty a black woman" thing. It happens to all of us at some point.
Katrice,
I have never heard that particular Urban Legend. I must research it online.
I've visited Lady Liberty a couple of times. She's magnificent, and I like to think she represents all of us.
Post a Comment