Romania has the right idea for all the wrong reasons: Romanian witches and fortune tellers are cursing a new bill that threatens fines or even prison time if their predictions don’t come true. Superstition is a serious matter in the land of Dracula, and officials have turned to witches to help the recession-hit country collect more …
Monthly Archive: February 2011
Feb 17 2011
The ongoing battle for cultural accommodation loses two skirmishes
Regular readers may recall last month’s discussion over the kirpan, a piece of Sikh religious iconography that has been the subject of recent debate in the Quebec legislature: While it would be a complete failure on our part to refuse to recognize the impact on the Sikh community (as a manifestation of privilege) of such …
Feb 16 2011
The religious right
Section 2 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (also sometimes called the Constitution of Canada) guarantees all Canadians the following: (a) freedom of conscience and religion; (b) freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication; While there is a great deal of haggling over …
Feb 15 2011
iGuilt
I loved the first Austin Powers movie. The world was abundantly ready for a spy parody, and Powers hit the mark perfectly. Since its rapid decline (along with the equally rapid decline of my respect for Mike Myers, I’m sad to say), I don’t think about the franchise much. However, a recent news item reminded …
Feb 14 2011
Black history in Canada moment: the prairies
This year for Black History Month, I have decided to do a bit of research into black history in my home and native land, Canada. Since there are 4 Mondays in February, I am going to focus on 4 different regions of the country. Last week I looked at British Columbia. This week, I am …
Feb 11 2011
Mubarak steps down
Well I’ll be a monkey’s uncle… Hosni Mubarak has stepped down as president of Egypt, after weeks of protest in Cairo and other cities. The news was greeted with a huge outburst of joy and celebration by thousands in Cairo’s Tahrir Square – the heart of the demonstrations. It’s not over yet. There still remains to …
Feb 11 2011
Movie Friday: Melon proves there is no God
See, when we watch this video, we laugh: But when religious people actually do it, we take it seriously? Well, nobody reading this blog does… probably. Like this article? Follow me on Twitter!
Feb 10 2011
B.C. Ferries cracks down on… wait, what?
Sometimes things happen that are so stupid that I’m not quite sure what to say: Ferry riders using BC Ferries free WiFi service are out of luck if they want to buy condoms online or research where to get an abortion. That’s because BC Ferries online web filters are designed to block any websites about “sex …
Feb 10 2011
A dream of a time that never was
There’s a lot of rhetoric in conservative circles about the need to “take the country back”. It’s become a favoured battlecry for that depressingly lackwitted abdicator of responsibility, Sarah Palin. For some reason, this line resonates in the minds of her followers. Those of us who were paying attention in history class are therefore moved …
Feb 09 2011
I now have a bit of a crush on Greta Christina
I hope that she won’t take that the wrong way. I do not mean to demean, but I do want to take her brain out to dinner and a walk along the seawall. Why? Because she wrote this: But it’s disingenuous at best, hypocritical at worst, to say that criticism of other religious beliefs is …
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