interview with chief spence of the attawapiskat first nation

Attawapiskat First Nation Chief Theresa Spence has been on a hunger strike for over a week now. Her actions of protest are strongly linked to those of the Idle No More movement and she will continue her hunger strike until she has meetings with the provincial government, the prime minister and representatives from the crown. Watch the video below for an interview with Chief Spence and please send letters support for the First Nations people!

Prime Minister Stephen Harper
Phone:

613-992-4211

Fax:  
613-941-6900
Email:

stephen.harper@parl.gc.ca

Snail Mail:

House of Commons

Ottawa, Ontario

K1A 0A6

Governor General David Johnston
Phone:
613-993-8200
Fax:
613-998-8760
Email:
info@gg.ca
Snail Mail:
Rideau Hall,
1 Sussex Drive
Ottawa Ontario K1A 0A1 

Queen Elizabeth 
Phone:
(+44) (0)20 7930 4832
Snail Mail:
Her Majesty The Queen
Buckingham Palace
London SW1A 1AA 

idle no more rally

{From a letter by Nipissing First Nation & The Union of Ontario Indians}:

"On December 21st 2012 First Nations citizens and leadership from across the country will be gathering in unity at Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontarioto send a clear message to government that Enough is Enough and the continued imposition of legislation to control the lives of First Nation people will no longer be tolerated.

Nipissing First Nation and the Union of Ontario Indians have partnered and are strongly encouraged citizens and staff to attend this event."

Tonight {December 19th} there will be a information session and feast the North Bay Indian Friendship Centre to talk about the impact of Bill C-45. This event will be from 5pm to 7pm at 980 Cassells St in North Bay, and for more info you can check out the event's Facebook page.

On Friday December 21st there will be a bus from North Bay to the Ottawa rally, to reserve seating contact Theresa Stevens at (705) 497-9127 or at theresa.stevens@anishnawbek.ca.

Below is an outline of the Idle No More movement, copied from here:

"A rising movement is set to bring its message of Indigenous solidarity, and defense of Aboriginal rights, to the doorstep of Canada’s Conservative government.

Idle No More is a Grassroots movement opposed to unilateral federal government changes to legislation affecting the Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit and Métis) peoples. We are calling on all supporters, Native and Non-Native, Inuit, Métis, Chief & Councils, On-Reserve & and Off- Reserve citizens, to Rally together in Unity and Peace. We must raise awareness to all people of impending legislative changes, being pushed through parliament to become laws that will directly affect our people, lands, all creatures that depend and reside on it.

As The First People, of this land, we must stand up, and tell the government, “We will make the changes from here on out. This land we live on is ours. These Waters we depend on are ours. These changes are ours to make. We have the right to decide our future as a Nation, the future of the land and waters we live on.” We can no longer remain silent in the matters that involve us now, and the generations to come. Silence is considered consent by the Harper Agenda.

The following is a list where we all will be affected across Turtle Island (Canada):
• Bill C-45 Job and Growth Act (Omnibus bill includes Indian Act amendments regarding voting on-reserve, land surrender/designations)
• Bill C-27 First Nations Financial Transparency Act
• Bill S-2 Family Homes on Reserve and Matrimonial Interests or Right Act
• Bill S-6 First Nations Elections Act
• Bill S-8 Safe Drinking Water for First Nations
• Bill C-428 Indian Act Amendment and Replacement Act (Private Conservative MP’s Bill, Harper Supported)

This list is a list of Senate Public Bills:
• Bill S-207 An Act to amend the Interpretation Act (non-derogation of Aboriginal and Treaty Rights)
• Bill S-212 First Nations Self-Government Recognition Bill and the “First Nations” Private Ownership Act

All of these Bills are in direct violation of Article 18, 19 & 20 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Everyone should seek support from their Band Councils and Chiefs for support in peacefully uniting to fight these violations of our Rights."

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Sláinte!

Laurel

raising kids with religion

There is a post over at the Gaelic Folkway blog that inspired me to write a wee bit on this topic. The post is entitled Should Your Raise Your Kids in Your Religion? and is authored by Éireann. I have some pretty strong opinions on this {there is a theme here, eh?}, but I am probably not the most qualified to talk about this as I do not have any children myself. Although the better half and I did discuss this at great length when we were trying to have kids and I was raised for a time in a household of rigid religious dogma that was damaging. 

I suppose it would be fair to say that the way I view raising kids with religion would match what Éireann would describe as "liberal"; I do think that children should be given the freedom to decide for themselves what they believe, and this is probably best achieved by exposure to different belief systems and open dialogue. I also think that they should be able to decide if they wish to participate in any religious or spiritual activities and traditions. Probably the most important thing is that children should definitely be taught to respect other faiths and exposed to science and secularism. This would of course include respecting the rights of those who decide to be atheist and base their worldviews strictly on science.

The point of their post was to critique this liberal approach to the subject, and while there are quite a few things that I fundamentally disagree with, I do think that the critiques were thoughtfully delivered. And perhaps because we do share a similar faith, there are many things I also agree with.

No doubt parents/guardians will influence the children under their care, so certainly they have a responsibility to not only their kids, but to society in general. Wouldn't it be wonderful if more parents & guardians were instilling critical thinking, respect, and acceptance in the people who will be running things in the near future? Unfortunately I don't see that to be the case for many people who are raising kids in many of the more popular religions, and I certainly can relate to this from when I was growing up.

We owe it to kids to have a healthy view of themselves and their fellow humans, as well as the environment and all the other creatures who dwell on this planet.

Anyhow, please do feel free to add your own two cents if you like and if interested, you should give not only the post by Éireann a read, but the whole blog as well. Some great stuff over there!

Sláinte!

Laurel

Edit: Éireann has expanded on her position in regards to this topic which I wanted to add part of it here {it can be seen in full in the comment section} so there are no misconceptions on her position. 

"I noticed you wrote that you feel that kids should be free to choose what they believe. I wanted to clarify that I in no way feel anyone can -dictate- to another -what to believe-; -belief- is internal and personal and cannot be put upon another; it is impossible. So I want to be clear that I am not advocating for that." 

vandana shiva on "violent agriculture"

A pretty great presentation by Vandana Shiva on "violent agriculture". Enjoy!

Part One:
  Part Two:
Part Three:

Sláinte!

Laurel

a tractor & traveling farm folk with a cause

John Varty and Molly Daley have traveling across Canada on their tractor to raise awareness of issues faced by our country's family farms, as well getting stories from farmers across the country.

You can track them, see photos of their progress and the building of their cute home for the road, and more over at their website.

CBC also has a great digital archive entitled What is Happening to the Family Farm? that addresses some of the issues that these folks are trying to raise awareness about. The archive is definitely worth a look.

Sláinte!

Laurel

corporations & rock stars to the rescue!

It is pretty old news now that Bono has hopped into bed with Monsanto and friends for one big GMO fuckfest, all in the name of "saving Africa". Here is a video of a rant that I think has summed up everything that is wrong with this, straight from Bealtaine Cottage.

Sláinte!

Laurel

the gmo film project

It looks like another interesting film is coming out!

GMO Film Project Sizzler from Compeller Pictures on Vimeo.

A little bit about the project {from the video page}:

The GMO Film Project (Untitled) tells the story of a father’s discovery of GMO’s through the symbolic act of poor Haitian farmers burning seeds in defiance of Monsanto’s gift of 475 tons of hybrid corn and vegetable seeds to Haiti shortly after the devastating earthquake. After a journey to Haiti to learn why hungry farmers would burn seeds, the real awakening of what has happened to our food, what we are feeding our families, and what is at stake for the global food supply unfolds in a trip across the United States in search of answers.

Go to the film's website to find out more information.

Sláinte!

Laurel

seeds of freedom

Some of our blog readers might find this film interesting:

A landmark film narrated by Jeremy Irons. Find out more at seedsoffreedom.info

The story of seed has become one of loss, control, dependence and debt.
It’s been written by those who want to make vast profit from our food system, no matter what the true cost.
It’s time to change the story.

Produced by The Gaia Foundation and the African Biodiversity Network, in collaboration with MELCA Ethiopia, Navdanya International and GRAIN.

a peek into the farmer's field through the briar patch

Yesterday a friend gave me a copy of a Briarpatch Magazine issue focusing on food politics {from September/October 2011}. She knows me too well. ;)

Some of this stuff I knew already and other articles made me look at issues in a whole different way. All of the articles can be read online for free, and I especially recommend the following:

Fair trade and empire: An anti-capitalist critique of the fair trade movement by Ian Hussey

Selling the farm: Canadian-European Trade Agreement threatens food sovereignty by Colleen Kimmett

Recipe for disaster: Biotechnology, industrialization and Canadian culpability in rural Vietnam by Hayley Goodchild

Food for all! Food justice needs migrant justice by Maryam Adrangi & Laura Lepper

Sláinte!

Laurel

more damn gmos, this time it's apples

If you're in Canada, you might want to have a look at this:

The small BC company called Okanagan Specialty Fruits has just submitted their request to Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency for approval of their GM “non-browning” apple. Contamination from GM apples threatens the future of our apples, and the farmers who grow them.

Take Action

(New Deadline!) Before July 3, 2012: Send your comments to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency at http://active.inspection.gc.ca/eng/plaveg/bio/subs/biocome.asp

• Tell the government that you don’t want to eat a GM apple!
• GM apples are not wanted by consumers
• BC apple growers have already rejected the GM apple
• Contamination from GM apples is a risk to Canadian apple producers
• The CFIA and Health Canada should not be wasting public funds reviewing a GM apple that no one wants
• The government should consult with farmers and consumers before it approves any new GM crop

You can see the summary of information the company has submitted to the CFIA to request approval of the GM apple. The submission remains secret and is not available to the public.

More Actions

Send the action alert by email - Click here for the text.

Join the campaign! If you are in BC contact the Okanagan Greens to join the campaign.

Elsewhere in Canada, contact CBAN.

CBAN is working with Bee SAFE, GE Free BC, Okanagan Greens Society, True Food Foundation, and Vigilance OGM to stop the GM apple.

Background

The GM “non-browning” apple is engineered to keep from going brown after being cut. This apple is designed for fast food companies and other companies that use pre-cut apples. The technology was developed in Australia and licensed by the small BC company called Okanagan Specialty Fruits.

Okanagan Specialty Fruits asked for approval in the US in March 2010 and has just asked for approval in Canada. The GM apple has not yet been approved anywhere in the world.

What do apple growers think about the GM apple?

Read the comments to the CFIA from Similkameen Okanagan Organic Treefruit Growers Association, BC.

In 2001, BC apple growers stopped the GM apple from being field tested in Canada. The federal government agricultural station in Summerland in the Okanagan valley, an important fruit growing area, was preparing to start field trials but BC growers who were concerned about contamination stopped these field trials from happening.

In September 2011 CBAN and organizations from across BC organized a series of public events to discuss genetic engineering. At an event in Keremeos, Lee McFadyen of Mariposa Organic Farm and the Live Earth Organic Growers Association pointed out that there are already several varieties of apple that don’t brown. Orchardist Andrea Turner of the Similkameen Okanagan Organic Producers Association said, “The tree fruit industry cannot afford anything silly like that”.

More info can be found at the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network {CBAN} website

Sláinte!

Laurel

sad news, good news, gmos & asshats

Some good news first!

Funding for research of test tube pigs has finally been cut off here in Ontario:

After more than10 years, active research into the genetically modified (GM or genetically engineered) pig called “Enviropig” is being abandoned. In late March, the hog industry group Ontario Pork decided to stop funding GM pig research at the University of Guelph and the university is now closing down its active research and ending its breeding program of GM pigs.

You can read the rest of the article over at Common Ground's website.

Some more GMO news, this time not so good:

Biotechnology's promise to feed the world did not anticipate "Trojan corn," "super weeds" and the disappearance of monarch butterflies.

But in the Midwest and South - blanketed by more than 170 million acres of genetically engineered corn, soybeans and cotton - an experiment begun in 1996 with approval of the first commercial genetically modified organisms is producing questionable results.

Those results include vast increases in herbicide use that have created impervious weeds now infesting millions of acres of cropland, while decimating other plants, such as milkweeds that sustain the monarch butterflies. Food manufacturers are worried that a new corn made for ethanol could damage an array of packaged food on supermarket shelves.

You can read the full article here.

Some fucking asshole decided to kill and desecrate an animal that is sacred to the Lakota people:

According to a Fox News report, the extremely rare and sacred white buffalo born last year has been found dead and skinned along with its mother.

Lightning Medicine Cloud, born May 12, 2011 on a stormy night at the Lakota Ranch in Greenville Texas, was a natural white buffalo—an extremely rare occurrence, happening an estimated once per ten million births. In June, a naming ceremony attracted over 2,000 visitors to the ranch, and a report on the proceedings cited beliefs held by some Lakota that the calf was the third white buffalo ever, and the first male in 150 years. Such a white buffalo is tied to the story of White Buffalo Calf Woman, and is the most sacred animal, perhaps the most sacred thing on the planet, to the Lakota people.

In March, the discovery that a ranch in Hunt, Texas offered the chance to kill a white buffalo for $13,500 sparked outrage in Indian country. A day after the news broke, the owner of the ranch told Indian Country Today Media Network that he would cease offering the white buffalo hunt. The buffalo being killed at that ranch and others, like those being born on a ranch in Bend, Oregon, are not natural white buffalo—as an expert told ICTMN in March, knowledge of genetics has allowed modern breeders to engineer white bison.

The rest of the story, along with updates can be read here.

And sadly MCA/Adam Yauch from the Beastie Boys passed away last week:

Adam Yauch, a founding member of pioneering hip-hop group the Beastie Boys, died Friday at age 47.

He died in New York after three years of treatment for cancer, his representatives said. He had been diagnosed with a cancerous salivary gland in 2009.

The rest of the article can be read here.

Sláinte!

Laurel

some news of note & a small update

Howdy folks! I hope that everyone had a chance to get out and about to enjoy Earth Day! :) It was rather blustery and cold here, but a nice day nonetheless. I might have some photos to share of yesterday's adventure if they turned out alright. In the meantime, this is just a post of news and updates that might be of interest to you folks.

Of course the Harper government {the Canadian Federal Government} has been celebrating the great wealth and beauty of our planet, by implementing policies so there is less "red tape" and review in plundering that wealth and beauty. The government's logic? Apparently we need to speed up the whole pipeline process by removing those dastardly eco radicals before some other country gives away all their natural resources before we can.

And more great news about the darling of Frankenfood, it seems that Monsanto has made another recent purchase. Apparently back in September 2011, Monsanto bought Beelogics, one of the largest organizations involved in researching the bee colony collapse. Pretty fucking convenient since Monsanto may be partially responsible for that very issue. Perhaps further proof that if you have enough money and power you can just purchase evil deeds and proof out of existence.

On a more positive note...

For people in Ontario, there is a consultation on Ontario Food and Nutrition Strategy: A Plan for Healthy Food and Farming starting today until May 31st. To get involved, sign up for a free membership over at Sustain Ontario or for more information send an email to strategy@sustainontario.ca.

Horse Feathers released their fourth album last week. From what I have heard of Cynic's New Year so far, they have not lost any of their awesomeness. Here is a video of one of the songs from the album Where I'll Be:

And a beautiful live performance of Last Waltz {in Paris, 2011}:

Oh! I have finally bit the bullet and created a Facebook page for Unfettered Wood.

Sláinte!

Laurel

Trees in Irish Brehon Law

I have been doing more in depth studies of how Brehon Law handled land matters, including the the protection of trees and forest industry. Some of the sources I have seen mentioned are Bretha Comaithchesa {"The Judgement of Neighbourhood"} and Fidbretha {"Tree-Judgements"}. There are other areas that I find interesting, such as bee-keeping and land distribution, which I hope to cover as well.

There doesn't seem to be a lot of information on these topics, so if you have any suggestions of reputable sources or if any of the information I am posting here is flawed, please do let me know. I do hope that you all enjoy what I have found so far.

In a 1976 publication, Fergus Kelly lists 28 trees and shrubs indigenous to Ireland that were listed in the eighth century legal text, Bretha Comaithchesa. The list of trees and shrubs are quartered into four categories of seven: Airig Fedo {"Nobles of the Wood"}, Aithig Fedo {"Commoners of the Wood"}, Fodla Fedo {"Lower Divisions of the Wood"}, and Losa Fedo {"Bushes of the Wood"}. Below is a complete list of each tree and shrub in the respective categories:


According to the article Trees in Ireland in Early Tradition and Place-names by Dr. Kay Muhr, the following features were the reasons for the chosen trees in the "Noble" class {six of the seven, there is no mention of Scots Pine}:

"oak for its acorns and nobility, hazel for nuts, apple for fruit and bark, yew for buildings, holly for chariot-axles, ash for weapons"

The seventh or eighth century poetic legal text Críth Gablach suggests that penalties for illegally cutting down trees or harming them in some other fashion differed, depending on which class the tree fell into. In the case of "Noble Trees", a person would be fined three cows for harming them, whereas with the "Common Trees" one is fined one cow for the same crime. A person could escape legal chastisement though for collecting a "single cauldron's cooking-wood" or a "handful of ripe nuts".

I have seen other supposed penalties mentioned floating around the web such as a person who illegally cuts down one of the "Noble Trees" facing the same punishment as if they killed a chieftain {from the Living Tree Educational Foundation}; in this Yahoo! group there are various penalties mentioned for harming Oaks which seems to originate from Fergus Kelly's article The Old Irish Tree-List {I linked to part of the article above, but I do not know of a link to the full article}.

Again, please feel free to correct me or let me know of any other sources to explore.

Sláinte!

Laurel

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Photo Credits

Noble Trees:
Oak, Hazel , Holly, Yew, Ash, Scots Pine, Wild Apple

Common Trees:
Alder, Willow, Hawthorn, Rowan, Birch, Elm, Wild Cherry,

Lower Trees:
Blackthorn, Elder, ,
Spindle-Tree, Aspen, Juniper, Whitebeam, Strawberry Tree

Bush Trees:
Bracken, Bog-Myrtle, Gorse, Bramble, Heather, Broom, Wild Rose

Changes to Ontario's Prostitution Laws

On March 26th, 2012 a panel of five judges released their ruling for the Ontario Court of Appeals in regards to the prostitution laws. This is just the latest phase of the constitutional challenge that has been going on here for a few years.

In October of 2010, Justice Himel of the Ontario Superior Court decriminalized prostitution, because she found the laws unconstitutional. The sections of the Canadian Criminal Code that she struck down were Section 210 {bawdy house}, Section 212-j {living on the avails of prostitution}, and Section 213-1-c {communicating for the purposes of prostitution}. You can see the full ruling here.

This past Monday the Ontario Court of Appeals ruled that Section 210 was indeed unconstitutional and that after 12 months the decriminalization of the bawdy house law will take effect. The Court agreed to changing Section 212-j to reflect that living on the avails of prostitution will be illegal only in situations of exploitation, and has given the policy-makers 30 days to rewrite this law. The one disagreement that the Court had with Justice Himel's ruling was in regards to Section 213-1-c; while two of the judges did think that the communication law was unconstitutional, three decided to uphold the law. So for the time being communication for the purpose of prostitution will remain illegal.

At this point the changes to the laws will only effect Ontario. It is likely that the Crown will appeal this ruling and take it to the Supreme Court of Canada.

This isn't something Aymi nor I have talked about much on this blog, but we are both for the full decriminalization of consenting adult sex work. The models that we agree with can be found in both New Zealand and New South Wales, Australia. This is different than legalization, and you can see a bit about the difference between legalization and decriminalization here.

So with that said, it is no doubt that I am happy about the changes to the bawdy house and procuring laws, but I am very disappointed about the continued criminalization of outdoor sex workers.

I do think that ideally sex workers should be conducting business indoors, however most outdoor sex workers have various barriers that often make that impossible. This ruling to me is throwing an extremely marginalized population under the bus. It has been proven that the communicating law not only puts outdoor sex workers in more danger, the law also doesn't work. It is being upheld for ideological reasons and nothing more.

Outdoor sex workers make up anywhere from 10 to 20 percent of the entire sex worker population here in Canada, yet they are the ones who are criminally charged and targeted with violence most often. To top this off, many of the sex workers who are working outdoors are often referred to as "survival" sex workers, living from hand to mouth, facing homelessness and other effects of serious poverty.

It is so much easier to scapegoat a whole group of people, instead of targeting the issues that got that group of people to where they are today. It is certainly more challenging to combat poverty and institutionalized bigotry than it is to blame sex workers and the industry in which they work.

Bottom line, the way that we have been handling sex work here in Canada has not worked, and it is time to do something new.

This is a pretty personal topic for me as I am a former sex worker. Many of those dearest to me are current or former sex workers. For a few years I was an outreach worker for others in the industry and I was fully immersed in sex worker's rights activism even longer.

Given that it is such a complicated topic, sometimes it is easier to separate such things from other parts of one's life. A few years back Aymi and I created a YouTube channel pretty much dedicated to this topic, where we discuss our points of view and our experiences as sex workers. If interested, you can check out the Ye Olde Heretics channel here. Also, if you are interested in finding out more about the constitutional challenge or how you can get involved, head on over to the Sex Professionals of Canada website.

Sláinte!

Laurel

a few local events

Howdy folks!

For our readers that are in the North Bay & Sudbury areas, these events might be of interest to you.

Tonight there will be a free workshop on front yard design, hosted by the North Bay Heritage Gardeners. It is from 7pm to 8pm, at Discovery North Bay Museum {100 Ferguson Street}.

Some of the topics to be discussed are:

• Historical and cultural influences of landscape design
• Creating a site inventory
• Factors that influence which plant and building materials to use
• Determining the goal(s) you wish to accomplish (do you want to add more privacy?)
• Design elements and principles

A Master Gardener will be on hand to answer any gardening or plant related questions that you may have.

All of our education nights are free but donations are always welcome. Participants may also wish to participate in the twoonie raffle in support of Heritage Gardeners.

You find out more at the Heritage Gardeners' website.

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Tomorrow Greening Nipissing will be hosting a Green Screening featuring The Garden and a short film about Sudbury's Junction Creek renewal strategies. The event will be held at North Bay's Public Library {271 Worthington Street East} from 6:30pm-8:30pm.

You can find out more about the Junction Creek Stewardship Council at their website.

And about The Garden:

The fourteen-acre community garden at 41st and Alameda in South Central Los Angeles is the largest of its kind in the United States. Started as a form of healing after the devastating L.A. riots in 1992, the South Central Farmers have since created a miracle in one of the country’s most blighted neighborhoods. Growing their own food. Feeding their families. Creating a community.

But now, bulldozers are poised to level their 14-acre oasis.

The Garden follows the plight of the farmers, from the tilled soil of this urban farm to the polished marble of City Hall. Mostly immigrants from Latin America, from countries where they feared for their lives if they were to speak out, we watch them organize, fight back, and demand answers:

Why was the land sold to a wealthy developer for millions less than fair-market value? Why was the transaction done in a closed-door session of the LA City Council? Why has it never been made public?

And the powers-that-be have the same response: “The garden is wonderful, but there is nothing more we can do.”

If everyone told you nothing more could be done, would you give up?

Blurb from the film's website. You can also see a trailer there.

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On Saturday March 31st FarmON, The National Farmers Union Ontario North Local 333 & Eat Local Sudbury are hosting a Regional Meeting for New Farmers. It is an all day event being held at Tom Davies Square {200 Brady Street} in Sudbury.

The event costs $25.00 and is aimed at farmers who have been practicing agriculture for 10 years or less, as well as prospective farmers.

A bit more about the event:

The meeting will feature a full-day workshop on Direct Marketing by Ann Slater - an experienced organic farmer, Provincial Coordinator of the National Farmers' Union Ontario Branch and member of the Ecological Farmers Association of Ontario.

There will be networking opportunities with other new farmers throughout the day (including over a lunch featuring locally-grown foods), and we will be presenting plans for an upcoming project to support new farmers in Northern Ontario.

The meeting will adjourn for a dinner break (dinner not included in registration fee) and plans will be made for a group dinner at a downtown restaurant for those who would like to participate.

After dinner they will be having a film screening of To Make a Farm:

To Make a Farm explores the lives of five young people who have decided to become small-scale farmers. They face daily challenges and set-backs, but their work and optimism inspires hope for the future. An intimate and practical exploration of farming and local food.

Here is a trailer:

You can see more trailers and find out more about the film at the To Make a Farm website and you can find out more about the Regional Meeting for New Farmers here.

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On Tuesday April 3rd to Wednesday April 4th the Lake Nipissing Summit will be taking place. It will be held at Nipissing University in the New Surtees Gymnasium. Space is limited to 200 participants, so early registration is encouraged.

Here is an outline of the agenda:

Day 1: Tuesday, April 3, 2012

9:00 - 9:15

Welcome

9:15 - 9:55

Plenary session with leaders

9:55 - 10:35

The History of Lake Nipissing
Speaker: Richard Rowe, Fri Ecological Services

10:35 - 10:45

AM Break

10:45 - 11:25

Climate Change
Speaker: Bharat Pokharel, Ph.D

11:45 - 12:05

Water Quality Blue/Green Algae
Speaker: Andrew Patterson

12:05 - 1:15

Lunch Break (lunch not provided)

1:15 - 2:35

Tourism
Speaker: Doug Reynolds

Economic Development
Speaker: Neil Fox

2:35 - 2:50

PM Break

2:50 - 3:50

The Management of Lake Nipissing: Anglers Perspective
Presentation by the Ministry of Natural Resources

The Management of Lake Nipissing: First Nations Perspective
Presentation by Nipissing First Nations

3:50 - 4:00

Closing

Day 2: Wednesday, April 4, 2012

9:00 - 9:15

Opening and Recapturing from Day 1

9:15 - 10:30

Speakers covering topics such as Aboriginal Treaty Rights, Ecosystem changes, Operating a Fish Camp, Water Level Management and Stewardship of Lake Nipissing.

10:30 - 10:45

AM Break

10:45 - 12:00

World Café

12:00 - 1:15

Lunch Break (lunch not provided)

1:15 - 3:00

What we heard: Pulling out themes and issues from the World Café

3:00 - 3:30

Closing remarks from the Leaders

You can find out more at the Lake Nipissing Summit website.

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On Saturday April 28th the 15th annual Powassan Maple Syrup Festival will be happening. The festival features demonstrations on how to cook with maple syrup Nancy Guppy of Chapman's Landing Cooking Studio{be sure to check out her wonderful blog!}, music, horse-drawn wagon rides, Scottish heavy games, and various food and craft vendors.

You can find out more information at the Powassan Maple Syrup Festival website.

*********

Sláinte!

Laurel

Buy Fresh, Buy Local. {An Evening With Sarah Elton}

Sarah Elton, author of Locavore is coming to Callander this May for a book signing and presentation on local food and sustainable agriculture.

Here are the details from the Facebook event page:

The Sustainable Community Committee present Sarah Elton, author of LOCAVORE, the national bestselling book about Canada’s local food revolution. Winning Gold at
the Culinary Book Awards, Amazon.ca top 50 book of 2010 and also a David Suzuki
Book Club Pick, Locavore describes how Canadians are creating a new local food
order that is sustainable and able to feed us all.

Admission is free and many of the regions green groups will be present to answer your questions on what is available and happening locally. Snacks, coffee and tea will be available at no cost. Please “lug a mug” for your beverages.

6:00 - 7:00pm : Information displays by area producers/growers
7:00 - 8:30pm : Keynote address followed by question and answers
8:30 - 9:30pm : Displays resume plus book sale and signing

The event will be held on Thursday May 1oth from 6pm to 10 pm at the Callander Community Centre on Swale Street in Callander, Ontario.

Sláinte!

Laurel

Veggies Owned by Monsanto {!!!}

I got a link from a Near North Locavore member to a blog post entitled Forewarned is Forearmed: Veggies Owned by Monsanto. The post lists all of the vegetable varieties that are apparently owned by Seminis, a company purchased by Monsanto a few years back. I had a look and my jaw dropped. Get a load of this:

Beans: Aliconte, Brio, Bronco, Cadillac, Ebro, Etna, Eureka, Festina, Gina, Goldmine, Goldenchild, Labrador, Lynx, Magnum, Matador, Spartacus, Storm, Strike, Stringless Blue Lake 7, Tapia, Tema

Broccoli: Coronado Crown, Major, Packman

Cabbage: Atlantis, Golden Acre, Headstart, Platinum Dynasty, Red Dynasty

Carrot: Bilbo, Envy, Forto, Juliana, Karina, Koroda PS, Royal Chantenay, Sweetness III

Cauliflower: Cheddar, Minuteman

Cucumber: Babylon, Cool Breeze Imp., Dasher II, Emporator, Eureka, Fanfare HG, Marketmore 76*, Mathilde, Moctezuma, Orient Express II, Peal, Poinsett 76, Salad Bush, Sweet Slice, Sweet Success PS, Talladega

Eggplant: Black Beauty, Fairytale, Gretel, Hansel, Lavender Touch, Twinkle, White Lightening

Hot Pepper: Anaheim TMR 23, Ancho Saint Martin, Big Bomb, Big Chile brand of Sahuaro, Caribbean Red, Cayenne Large Red Thick, Chichen Itza, Chichimeca, Corcel, Garden Salsa SG, Habanero, Holy Mole brand of Salvatierro, Hungarian Yellow Wax Hot, Ixtapa X3R, Lapid, Mariachi brand of Rio de Oro, Mesilla, Milta, Mucho Nacho brand of Grande, Nainari, Serrano del Sol brand of Tuxtlas, Super Chile, Tam Vera Cruz

Lettuce: Braveheart, Conquistador

Melon: Early Dew, Sante Fe, Saturno

Onion: Candy, Cannonball, Century, Red Zeppelin, Savannah Sweet, Sierra Blanca, Sterling, Vision

Pumpkin: Applachian, Harvest Moon, Jamboree HG, Orange Smoothie, Phantom, Prize Winner, Rumbo, Snackface, Spirit, Spooktacular, Trickster

Spinach: Hellcat

Squash: Ambassador, Canesi, Clarita, Commander, Dixie, Early Butternut, Gold Rush, Grey Zucchini, Greyzini, Lolita, Papaya Pear, Peter Pan, Portofino, President, Richgreen Hybrid Zucchini, Storr’s Green, Sungreen, Sunny Delight, Taybelle PM

Sweet Corn: Devotion, Fantasia, Merit, Obession, Passion, Temptation

Sweet Pepper: Baron, Bell Boy, Big Bertha PS, Biscayne, Blushing Beauty, Bounty, California Wonder 300, Camelot, Capistrano, Cherry Pick, Chocolate Beauty, Corno Verde, Cubanelle W, Dumpling brand of Pritavit, Early Sunsation, Flexum, Fooled You brand of Dulce, Giant Marconi, Gypsy, Jumper, Key West, King Arthur, North Star, Orange Blaze, Pimiento Elite, Red Knight, Satsuma, Socrates, Super Heavyweight, Sweet Spot

Tomato: Amsterdam, Beefmaster, Betterboy, Big Beef, Burpee’s Big Boy, Caramba, Celebrity, Cupid, Early Girl, Granny Smith, Health Kick, Husky Cherry Red, Jetsetter brand of Jack, Lemon Boy, Margharita, Margo, Marmande VF PS, Marmara, Patio, Phoenix, Poseidon 43, Roma VF, Royesta, Sun Sugar, Super Marzano, Sweet Baby Girl, Tiffany, Tye-Dye, Viva Italia, Yaqui

Watermelon: Apollo, Charleston Grey, Crimson Glory, Crimson Sweet, Eureka, Jade Star, Mickylee, Olympia

* Marketmore 76 is a very old cucumber-variety. If you are ordering it from a seller of heirloom veggies, check with the dealer to make sure the seeds were not purchased from Seminis/Monsanto. If you buy the seeds from a big-box garden center, odds are they were purchased from the evil empire.

{list thanks to Kevin Lee Jacobs}

Well shit, I have purchased more than one off that list. Fuckers will definitely not be getting my money again. And to be clear, no one is claiming {from what I have seen anyway} that these varieties are GMOs, however they are owned by a company who creates other GMOs. That and Monsanto is in the business of suing farmers for having their patented crops in their fields due to cross-pollination, contaminating organic crops for the same reason, threatening biodiversity of crops, and a whole host of other evil shit.

*rant done*

Kevin Lee Jacobs is right: Forewarned is forearmed. Help spread the word folks! You can double check the list right from the company website.

Sláinte!

Laurel

Yet More News About Monsanto

{image originally posted on Fuck Yeah Permaculture!}

Well it looks like France is definitely no friend to Monsanto. I caught wind of the latest news from Organic Authority

Guilty As Charged! French Court Finds Monsanto Responsible for Chemical Poisoning

On February 13th, a French court ruled in favor of farmer Paul Francois who reportedly developed three separate neurological disorders as a result of inhaling Monsanto’s alachlor-based weed killer called Lasso.

The court declared the St. Louis, MO-based seed and chemical company guilty of chemical poisoning and the cause of Francois’ memory loss, headaches and stammering in the first-ever case of its kind heard against a pesticide manufacturer in French courts.

You can read the rest of the article here.

Sláinte!

Laurel

Some More News About Monsanto...

Monsanto gives up on French GM maize

Biotech giant Monsanto has announced it is giving up on plans to sell genetically modified (GM) maize in France, despite winning a key court ruling last year.

In November, France’s highest court overturned the 2008 ban on cultivating Monsanto’s MON810, an insect-resistant strain of maize which is grown in several European countries. The court ruled that the Government had not produced enough evidence to back its claims that the GM crop posed a significant risk to health or the environment.

That ruling was prompted by a European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruling in September, in a case brought by Monsanto.

But earlier this month French environment and agriculture ministers revealed that, despite the ruling, they were planning to reintroduce the moratorium on MON810 maize before spring sowings start.

This has proved to be the final straw for Monsanto, which said this week that it had no longer had any plans to market its GM maize in France.

Read the rest of the article here. :D

Now if only the fuckers would go belly up!

Sláinte!

Laurel

Farmers vs. Monsanto {in the U.S. Court System}

If you find yourself in NYC on January 31st, this event looks like the place to be:

On January 31st, family farmers from across the county will take part in the first phase of the OSGATA et al. v. Monsanto court case filed to protect farmers from genetic trespass by Monsanto's genetically modified (GMO) seed, which can contaminate organic and non-GMO farmers' crops and open them up to abusive lawsuits.

As a result of aggressive lawsuits against farmers with contaminated crops, Monsanto has created an atmosphere of fear in rural America and driven dozens of farmers into bankruptcy.

But farmers are fighting back!

The Federal District Court judge has agreed to hear oral arguments in this landmark case to decide whether or not this case will move forward.

Occupy Wall Street Food Justice, Occupy Big Food and Food Democracy Now! will assemble in solidarity with farmers on the front lines of the struggle against corporate domination of our food system.

There is more info on the actual case at Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association, Food Democracy Now!, and from the Public Patent Foundation website:

In March 2011, PUBPAT filed suit on behalf of 60 family farmers, seed businesses and organic agricultural organizations against Monsanto Company to challenge the chemical giant's patents on genetically modified seed. The organic plaintiffs were forced to sue preemptively to protect themselves from being accused of patent infringement should they ever become contaminated by Monsanto's genetically modified seed, something Monsanto has done to others in the past. The case, Organic Seed Growers & Trade Association, et al. v. Monsanto, was filed in federal district court in Manhattan and assigned to Judge Naomi Buchwald. In June, 2011, 23 additional plaintiffs were added to the suit, bringing the total number to 83.

PUBPAT encourages the public to not buy any products made with corn, soy, sugar, canola, cotton or alfalfa unless you are certain it was made without any use of genetically modified seed. If you're not sure, call the manufacturer and ask. If they can't or don't give you a straight answer, then don't buy their product. The proponents of genetically modified seed have vigorously opposed labeling of genetically modified food here in America (although Europe and Asia have such labeling), so to make this effort easier on your fellow Americans, once you know whether certain products are derived from genetically modified seed or not, spread that information so others know. Increasing consumer awareness and demand for food not derived from genetically modified seed, even slightly, will increase the supply of the food we want, which will reduce prices and increase availability. If you want to purge genetically modified food from society, you can help do so every time you go to the grocery store or a restaurant. It's your money, spend it as you see fit.

PUBPAT also posted some interesting pieces from CBS news:





Definitely some food for thought.

Sláinte!

Laurel