inappropriate greetings

A colleague kindly attempted to wish me a "happy Easter Solstice" on Thursday. It was very sweet of him to try to be inclusive, but Spring Equinox happened on 21 March. Just because the Christian festival of Easter Sunday occurs on the Sunday after the first full Moon after the Spring Equinox, so is vaguely linked to the Pagan celebration of Spring Equinox, doesn't mean Easter is significant to Pagans. Anyway, it's a distinct improvement on another colleague, who used to say "I suppose I can't wish you a happy Christmas". To which my response is, either just wish me a happy Christian festival, or learn what the Pagan festivals are called. The information is widely available on teh intertubes, so it's not like it's hard to find out.

what kids really want

According to a series of interviews by the BBC, what children really want from their education is more time to learn about other cultures and the world around them, more innovative use of technology, more social networking, and more support services. I'm surprised there was no mention of the environment, but was heartened by the interests expressed.

I think education should start by discussing the world as it is, and then use that as a starting-point to explain how it came to be that way. For example, when I was at school we studied the Tudors and the Stuarts - presumably because that was the period when the current arrangements of Church, State, Parliament and so on came into being - but if that was the reason for studying those periods of history, no-one ever said so explicitly. If they had, people might have found the topic more interesting.

save the wobbly cats!

Apparently cats with this condition (cerebellar hypoplasia) are often put down needlessly, even though they're not in any pain and can have a normal life. If you have a cat with wobbly legs and poor motor skills, watch this video.

• Charley video at gprime and at YouTube
• More information on disabled cats
• Cerebellar hypoplasia on Technorati

cultural diversity

TIME Europe Magazine: Europe's Lost Tribes

A recognition of cultural diversity — rather than an attempt to crush it — can stop a sense of identity spinning out of control into violent separatist campaigns.

Let's hear it for the Basques, Cornish, Bretons, Sorbs, Veps, Roma, Rusyn, Welsh, Picts, and other forgotten minorities.