It’s cold again. And in case you’ve spent the last week huddled inside under a blanket with a steaming cup of hot cocoa, here is your weekly roundup.
First, Russia. Journalists and athletes alike are finding accommodations for the Sochi Winter Olympics slightly less than completely… accommodating. Some journalists in particular have taken to live-tweeting their hilarious and rather Kafkaesque experiences.
Water restored, sorta. On the bright side, I now know what very dangerous face water looks like. #Sochi #unfiltered pic.twitter.com/sQWM0vYtyz
— Stacy St. Clair (@StacyStClair) February 4, 2014
In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a nun was fired from Allegheny County jail because she was attempting to organize workers. She expressed concerns about staffing, safety issues and patient care during meetings at the jail. The Steelworkers union on Friday filed an unfair labor practice charge against Corizon Health Inc., the Tennessee-based firm that manages county jail health services.
In other "wrongful termination" news, a Catholic school teacher in Butte, Montana was fired after she revealed that she was pregnant, though she is not married. Shaela Evenson is persuing legal action against the Diocese Helena.
If you are needing a bit of a pick-me-up, check out this miracle of science: an artificial limb that allows a man to feel his hand again.
Actor Philip Seymour Hoffman died this week from an apparent heroin overdose. The 46-year-old actor was given a Catholic funeral at the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.
Remember when the Vatican reached out to laypeople about family life? Well, some of the feedback is in, and it does not look particularly encouraging for the hierarchy in the church. German bishops revealed this week that laypeople find the church’s teachings on these matters to be out of step with the realities of daily life.
Facebook turned 10 this week, and made sure that we all know that more people check Facebook daily than read the Bible.
The United Nations has demanded that the Vatican immediately remove all clergy who are known and suspected child abusers.
And now it's time for the Papal rapid fire roundup.
This week, Pope Francis:
- Sold his Harley.
- Made Roman tailors sad.
- Met Philomena Lee.
- Probably didn't say what you think he said.
- Met a life-sized chocolate statue of himself.
That's it for this week! As usual, if you find yourself looking for something to do this weekend, go take our survey about legalizing marijuana.
