Red Cedar

Sentencing dates for all of those who have plead guilty in the Green Scare case have been set (finally! it was supposed to happen today….) Chelsea and Darren will appear on the 18th and 19th of April respectively. I’ll be heading down to Eugene for the hearing (and to sort out Darren’s personal possessions to bring home). Just putting it out there as some folks wanted to know… and now we do. Press release from the CLDC can be found here. In the home stretch now….

After some waffling back and forth I’ve decided to go ahead and have my Return to East Van/Housewarming/Solstice party next Wednesday evening, December 20th. I figure at the very least this will spur me to get the rest of my home set up before that happens (though you may be warned from going into the 2nd bedroom which has become the dumping ground for all things odd and ended).

I’m thinking pretty casual, potluck starting around 6:30ish and going until whenever all the wine has been drunk. I’ll be putting some food out anyways, and it would be great if you want to contribute. Please do bring wine/beer or other spirits. Perhaps mulled wine would be a nice treat? Basically, bring whatever puts you in the mood for good blessings and good cheer…..

Really, this about as unorganized a party as I’ll ever have. Friends who I have email for will be receiving invitations this evening by email. If you think you should have got one but haven’t, then *please* tell me cause it’s likely just an oversight.

And, I also want to hereby state my intention to organize regular dinners at my place – either bi-weekly or monthly in the coming new year as a way of regularly connecting with my social family, and hopefully growing that through the sharing of good food and drink. I’ll let y’all know more on that as I sort myself out.

I don’t normally post news articles here – but I wanted to spread this one around cause really – we need to stop pretending that Canadian diamonds are conflict free. They are not, and mining for vanity is a horrendous waste of resources besides that. This issue rarely gets any play in the Canadian media which is a real shame….

First Nations leader slams Canadian diamonds
CBC Website: Friday, December 8, 2006 | 12:18 PM ET

A First Nations group in Ontario is trying to dissuade Americans from buying Canadian diamonds this holiday season, saying the jewels are mined at the expense of its people.

Alvin Fiddler, deputy grand chief of the Nishnawbe Aski Nation, said De Beers Canada in particular is causing environmental devastation and disrupting his community of 45,000 Cree and Ojibwa in northern Ontario.

“They’re not clean diamonds; they’re not conflict-free diamonds,” Fiddler told CBC News. “People are paying a price for these diamonds and it’s our people in the Nishnawbe Aski Nation. Our people, our children, are languishing in poverty while these resources are being extracted from their territory.” Read More