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On Feb. 3 a joint news release from Circle Sanctuary and Cherry Hill Seminary announced that Rev. Patrick McCollum, the Lady Liberty League National Coordinator of Prison Ministry and also Cherry Hill Seminary Director of Chaplaincy, was invited to be part of a six member panel of experts to present on Religious Discrimination and Prisoners' Rights to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights on Friday, Feb. 8. The panel was being convened to shed light on the nature and extent of the problems which have arisen in this context and to discuss what can be done to resolve inmate grievances. After a period of public comment, a report by the Commission will be made available to Congress.

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Crowned winner at the Miss Canada Plus Pageant last year, Stephanie Conover was invited to judge the Miss Toronto Tourism pageant on Feb. 2.

The Star reported Conover replied, "I said I'd definitely be there…Then, last week, on Monday [Jan. 21], they asked me for a biography. I told them everything I do, how I'm an entertainer and a singer and a dancer. I talked about my charity work and I said I also have hobbies, including song-writing, knitting, painting, yoga, reiki and tarot cards."

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The recent actions taken by the MISS TORONTO TOURISM 2008 PAGEANT, to deny Ms. Stephanie Conover, last years

winner of the Miss Canada Plus Pageant, to take a position of judge for this year's pageant, based on her beliefs and practices of Reiki healing and the reading of tarot cards, are out of step with modern thought, behaviour, and our Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

AREN Canada has taken the position of supporting Ms. Stephanie Conover in this controversial matter and helping to raise the awareness of the public as well as the individuals involved. Adding itself to the list of protesters as well as contacting political figures, press, and the list of sponsors to the event.

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I am pleased to be able to inform you that the Department of Home Affairs has approved the South African Pagan Rights Alliance's (SAPRA) application for designation as a religious organisation in terms of and in accordance with section 5 (1) and (2) of the Civil Union Act.

This is the first time in history that the South African government has recognised Paganism as a religion.

Prior to the advent of a just equality and democratic government in South Africa, Paganism as a modern religion of the twentieth and twenty-first century was neither recognised nor acknowledge by the government of the apartheid regime. Consequently the adherents of Paganism in this country have suffered the prejudice of religious intolerance.

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On 29 March 2008 South African Witches will be launching '30 days of Advocacy for religious tolerance and an end to Witch Hunts'.

The authors of 'A Pagan Witches TouchStone' would like to encourage South African Pagans to speak out against religious discrimination against Witchcraft and against Witchcraft-related violence in South Africa.

We hope that this work will enable rational dialogue on the subject of Witchcraft within a new South African context; one that recognizes the right of religious freedom and equality, self-identity and

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On April 18 and 20 there will be two parades and demonstrations for the preservation of the world's ethnic religions that have been damaged by the missionary work of major religions.

The first one is scheduled to run from 10AM - 1PM. The plan is to do a demonstration and parade during the Pope's visit to the UN on April 18 to honor native cultures of the world, highlighting each culture that was destroyed and the atrocities committed. With banners, posters and dramatizations, and prayers, the parade will start at the United Nations Building, proceed though the middle of Manhattan and end at the Mahatma Gandhi Statue in Union Square. There may also be a meeting with the United Nations Secretary General to present our case.

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It has been an interesting few days out here. After two weeks of very pleasant weather in the 70s, the weather turned to wind. Average winds have run between 29 to 49 miles per hour and gusts of wind hit nearly 60 MPH yesterday.

Now this is not really that unusual in March and in fact we have had less wind than normal as the wind now seems to spread out from late January, into February and then into March this year.

I refer to this as the seasonal soil migration and that describes it very well. The farmers have been plowing up their land for months. Nothing like watching a tractor out plowing in the 50 MPH wind, but our farmers are stubborn.

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