Thank goodness that no one died for real.
Last night, Juimiin and I finished our very-belated binge-watching of the Harry Potter movie series. We felt the quality & charm declined rapidly overall, and I couldn't help but hear in the back of my head Ms. Watson's recent griping about the "sexism" evident in having so many male directors (?!). But at least it was over, the world was well-lit again, Harry stayed hairy, etc. etc. etc. Exeunt omnes.
While Juimiin and I am done, the world clearly isn't. We heard that Stuart's (part-time) school had a little incident today. Some children were playing an unnamed game in the yard, using pieces of wood as magic wands. Apparently they used Potter world spells, with some competence. There were attacks, defenses, a few Shatneresque deaths. Much mirth apparently.
It was too good dangerous to last. A yard supervisor played the role of you-know-who and issued a cease-and-desist order. She confiscated all the "wands" and told the kids to find something else to do in the bare area. For their safety, one can be sure.
What makes this story awfully sweet though is the scale. While two parents tuned out of the story, many many kids read it and enjoyed it enough to try to live it awhile. How many?
Sixty four. That was the number of contraband wands. In one day.
I've not frequented psychics frequently, but was struck on those few occasions by their earnestness. How could they really believe what they're saying, when it appears to be clear nonsense? I've finally found my answer.
Presenting the Criminal Code of Canada, section 365, "pretending to practice witchcraft".
365. Every one who fraudulently
(a) pretends to exercise or to use any kind of witchcraft, sorcery, enchantment or conjuration,
(b) undertakes, for a consideration, to tell fortunes, or
(c) pretends from his skill in or knowledge of an occult or crafty science to discover where or in what manner anything that is supposed to have been stolen or lost may be found,
is guilty of an offence punishable on summary conviction.
This basically outlaws fraudulent psychic services. Here is a helpful cheat sheet for all you aspiring magic types as to what you may and may not do, according to this not-lawyer:
| don't | do |
|---|---|
| charge money to talk to the dead | place a voodoo death-curse for free |
| pretend to locate water with wiggly sticks | use actual occult powers to locate water, and zombies |
| commercially fortune-tell | write fortune cookie Deep Thoughts for free public dispenser |
| forget to write "for entertainment only" in tiny print, if engaged in the above | get this stupid law thrown out on a Charter basis |
In short: if you're pretending earnestly, you're safe. If you're earnestly pretending, you're a criminal. Or something.
Congratulations to the federal Liberals and their supporters. They got a country (well, only a government, and only for the next few years), let's hope they leave it better than they got it.
While basking in the climactic afterglow, here's a challenge/question to those folks who thought about their vote. What are you expecting now? So sure, the people in charge will have changed, but what do you expect will be some effects? After all, all this governing business is supposed to be about policies & their consequences, not the emotion toward figureheads.
So, how about a little game. Step right up! Post here (or on fb) a couple of your personal predictions about change that the new federal government is likely to cause/accomplish/be-responsible-for over the next, say, 18 months. Carbon tax? Happy unions? A particular level of deficit/surplus? C-51 cancelled? Place your bets, ladies and gentlemen, as long as they are brave and specific, not mushy goo. In 18 months we'll unearth this time capsule and see how right we all were.