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The Common (and not-so-common) Sense Etiquette of Public Transit
A few months ago I became a regular public transit user. As is the case in many big cities, our buses are overcrowded and, at times, woefully behind schedule. In my few short months as a transit user, I’ve quickly adapted to the often uncomfortable conditions and I’ve learned a few things about public transit…
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The Haunted History of Halloween
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Canadian Thanksgiving, eh?
It’s the start of the Thanksgiving long weekend here in Canada. What makes Canada’s Thanksgiving holiday differ from the American holiday of the same name? Aside from falling on different dates, the historical underpinnings of this celebrated occasion is markedly different too. Here’s a primer for you on the origins and rites of a Canadian Thanksgiving. My…
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Is Capital Punishment Ever Justified?
Two news stories caught my attention this morning. One about the execution of convicted cop killer, Troy Davis and the other regarding the execution of white supremacist, Lawrence Russell Brewer. Two men, two executions — yet, the discussions concerning both are very different. Many claim (including Davis himself), that Davis was an innocent man being put…
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Social media and your final send off…
Social media is here to stay and as such it’s little wonder that sites are cropping up with inventive new angles to this trend. A site I’ve been pecking through lately is an interesting and dark twist on the social media craze. Mysendoff.com is a “social media site that will help you create and document…
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Religion in Schools
Recent media stories have been aflutter over revelations that a Toronto area school is providing approximately 300 Muslim students with space for prayer every Friday afternoon. Students congregate in the cafeteria for one hour and prayer sessions are led by an Imam who is brought into the school for this special rite. In what…
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Pastafarian wins right to wear pasta strainer as religious headgear
If you’re not familiar with the term Pastafarian, then you likely haven’t heard of The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. The “church” was originally conceived in 2005 by Bobby Henderson as satirical commentary in the form of an open letter to the Kansas State Board of Education regarding decisions to allow intelligent design to…
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Marriage Equality
New York state recently passed a marriage equality bill giving way for same-sex couples to legally tie the knot. So, how could this affect the tens of thousands practicing polygamy which is currently illegal? Plural marriage has been coming out of the proverbial closet with recent news headlines, television shows and reality programming putting it…
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Religion as commodity