Greetings, loyal minions. Your Maximum Leader wasn’t sure if he was going to comment on the recent tragic (freakish if your Maximum Leader can use that word) death of “The Crocodile Hunter” Steve Irwin.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock (in which case you aren’t reading this) you have, no doubt, heard that the world renown celebrity animal handler/preservationist/tv star was killed by a stingray while filming a special on ocean life.

Your Maximum Leader must admit he loved watchin Steve Irwin. It was television that he could settle in for with the Villainettes and enjoy without worrying too much about content and themes. Sure, as a parent you had to warn your kids that playing with crocodiles and snakes is hazardous and would very likely get you killed. But, the Villainettes don’t like creepy crawly things - except on the TV.

Well… When the news broke it happened that Villainette #1 was in the bedroom with her parents. And the Today show on the tv. She cried. Now sometimes Villainette #1 is prone to dramatics. But a parent can tell when the tears are real and when they are forced. They were real.

It was a sad day in the Villainschloss when we learnt that Steve Irwin had been killed. We are sure that it’s been hard for a number of children around the world. But most of all, we all know it is very hard on his family. Indeed, it was due to the morbid curiosity exhibited by most of the world that your Maximum Leader was pretty sure he wouldn’t comment upon the death. But then he saw some clips of Irwin’s father on Fox News. And something moved your Maximum Leader to write a little obituary.

Steve Irwin was many things to many people. But to our family he was an entertaining figure on the television who did cause the kids to become more curious about their world. And that is a pretty good legacy for someone on tv.

Carry on.