![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
felis_ultharusHoliday Wishes
I thought I'd wish an early Happy Imbolc to those who celebrate it. I actually got out to a public rit given by the McGill Pagan Society this time. It was a beautiful ceremony, focusing on environmentalism as its theme.
I need to work tomorrow, so I've been treating today as my holiday (though technically I could take it off, if I felt strongly about it). It's been an easy day. I wrote 2300 words, and got a little reading done, polishing up for my comprehensive in March. I also finished a draft of a poem.
I lit a candle this morning, and it's been burning, and it's been burning all day. I thought it was going to go out out hours ago.
Queer History
I think I've mentioned Robigalia, before -- the Roman festival celebrating the god of mildew, drain rust, and wheat rust. A very minor academic debate -- one on which the academic careers of people we've never heard of are no doubt riding -- seems to centre on whether the god Robigus/Robiga was a valiant defender against these things, or an evil deity of mildew who had to be propitiated.
Anyway, I came across a couple more references to this festival strangely becoming associated with male prostitutes, which just seems to suggest that the Romans were a very random people. Unless their male prostitutes suffered from drain rust and mildew.
Politics
It's been a kerfufflish month here in Quebec around the government policy of "reasonable accomodation."
"Reasonable accomodation" is the sensible idea that there should be some flexibility in government institutions dealing with people with other cultural backgrounds. It's been occasionally applied over-zealously -- I heard of one case of a man barred from prenatal care classes because some of the women there were uncomfortable with a man in the room.
Generally, though, it's been well used. No one's going to suffer because because parents with certain religious backgrounds want their children taken out of music classes.
However the backlash, lately, has been vicious. A police officer posted an anonymous anti-immigrant song on a website, and the tiny town of Hérouxville passed a declaration intended as a warning to would-be immigrants that trotted out every anti-Muslim stereotype in the book. The worst, though, is that CBC was reporting that a group of teachers are complaining that their Jewish and Muslim colleagues get paid religious holidays off.
'Course, the reason that Christian teachers don't get those days off is because the schools are already closed for Christian holidays you dumbasses! And you still get paid for Christmas holiday, and Easter break!
Meanwhile, federally, one of the worst environment ministers the Liberal Party ever produced (Stéphane Dion) is facing off against a man who once called Kyoto a "socialist scheme" (Stephen Harper), on the issue of the environment. It's greenwash like this that makes me glad I support a third-party candidate (virdisate?).
I thought I'd wish an early Happy Imbolc to those who celebrate it. I actually got out to a public rit given by the McGill Pagan Society this time. It was a beautiful ceremony, focusing on environmentalism as its theme.
I need to work tomorrow, so I've been treating today as my holiday (though technically I could take it off, if I felt strongly about it). It's been an easy day. I wrote 2300 words, and got a little reading done, polishing up for my comprehensive in March. I also finished a draft of a poem.
I lit a candle this morning, and it's been burning, and it's been burning all day. I thought it was going to go out out hours ago.
Queer History
I think I've mentioned Robigalia, before -- the Roman festival celebrating the god of mildew, drain rust, and wheat rust. A very minor academic debate -- one on which the academic careers of people we've never heard of are no doubt riding -- seems to centre on whether the god Robigus/Robiga was a valiant defender against these things, or an evil deity of mildew who had to be propitiated.
Anyway, I came across a couple more references to this festival strangely becoming associated with male prostitutes, which just seems to suggest that the Romans were a very random people. Unless their male prostitutes suffered from drain rust and mildew.
Politics
It's been a kerfufflish month here in Quebec around the government policy of "reasonable accomodation."
"Reasonable accomodation" is the sensible idea that there should be some flexibility in government institutions dealing with people with other cultural backgrounds. It's been occasionally applied over-zealously -- I heard of one case of a man barred from prenatal care classes because some of the women there were uncomfortable with a man in the room.
Generally, though, it's been well used. No one's going to suffer because because parents with certain religious backgrounds want their children taken out of music classes.
However the backlash, lately, has been vicious. A police officer posted an anonymous anti-immigrant song on a website, and the tiny town of Hérouxville passed a declaration intended as a warning to would-be immigrants that trotted out every anti-Muslim stereotype in the book. The worst, though, is that CBC was reporting that a group of teachers are complaining that their Jewish and Muslim colleagues get paid religious holidays off.
'Course, the reason that Christian teachers don't get those days off is because the schools are already closed for Christian holidays you dumbasses! And you still get paid for Christmas holiday, and Easter break!
Meanwhile, federally, one of the worst environment ministers the Liberal Party ever produced (Stéphane Dion) is facing off against a man who once called Kyoto a "socialist scheme" (Stephen Harper), on the issue of the environment. It's greenwash like this that makes me glad I support a third-party candidate (virdisate?).
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-01 11:05 pm (UTC)And my sentiments exactly. Any well-meaning policy can be misapplied, and this one is really good. I hope the backlash doesn't kill it.