By now the noise over South Park's infamous "Bloody Mary" episode featuring an excessively menstrual statue of the Virgin Mary has died down, but folks in New Zealand hadn't seen it until recently. Needless to say, many of them weren't happy. As the cartoon was being broadcast, hundreds of protesters gathered around a statue of the Virgin Mary to pray. In addition, 350 people protested outside the TV station that broadcast the cartoon. Despite the protests, or possibly because of them, the episode garnered more than six times the usual audience. If nothing else, South Park has proved not only can it raise the ire of American audiences, it also knows how to offend on a global scale.

We thought for sure that William Shatner's kidney stone would go to the ultimate Star Trek fan. Alas, it turns out the stone has gone where many strange objects have gone before: GoldenPalace.com. That crazy online casino bought Shatner's kidney stone for $25,000 (which he's donating to Habitat for Humanity). Golden Palace also owns a cheese sandwich with the image of the Virgin Mary and recently funded a trip for Dennis Rodman to visit foreign lands and compete in unusual contests. Shatner actually haggled with the casino for more money. The original offer was for $15,000 but Shatner told them that he had some fans willing to pay $100,000. Then, why didn't he sell it to a fan? Guess he was bluffing.

Last month there was some speculation as to whether or not Comedy Central had caved in by not airing the "Bloody Mary" episode of South Park, which featured a statue of the Virgin Mary spraying blood from her ass. Some Catholic groups were upset about the episode, and its omission from the marathon caused many people to think Comedy Central had finally succumbed to outside pressure. Boing Boing published a form e-mail Comedy Central sent to those who e-mailed the network to complain. If I'm reading the letter correctly, it appears Comedy Central chose not to air the episode just that one time in the name of holiday solidarity and whatnot. Here's the letter: