The Davis High School Muslim Student Association on Friday had its annual "Fast-a-thon" and then just after sunset over 150 members of the public gathered together for prayers and then to break the fast. Speakers at the event included City Councilmember Lamar Heystek, School Board President Jim Provenza, and County Supervisor Mariko Yamada.
One of the organizers, Mohamed Buzayan, president of the school club in addition to being student body President told the Davis Enterprise last week:
"It's a great opportunity for community members to come together and socialize, while attending a highly spiritual event.---Doug Paul Davis reporting
A lot of people think Ramadan is just about fasting all day, but it's so much more than that and we don't necessarily always get to learn about that in textbooks.
I think it's really important, with what is going on around the world at this time, to emphasize the concept of unity. It's amazing to see all these diverse people, Muslim or not, come together for a good cause.
We're truly blessed to live in a community like Davis, and fasting is our way of showing gratitude."
Forest Ethics and Activists Protest Against Clear Cutting the Sierras by Sierra Pacific
This past Saturday, ForestEthics activists held a protest in front of the 84 Lumber Co. in Sacramento, encouraging them to no longer purchase wood from Sierra Pacific Industries. SPI is the largest clear-cutting agency in California, having chopped down 39,701 acres in the last eleven years.
Not only does the company cut huge 20-acre swaths in the forest, if it replants a logged area, it is with only a few different tree types. Then they use herbicides to kill off the underbrush so that the trees have no competition. This destroys any chance that an ecosystem might re-emerge in the affected areas, and pollutes the air. In fact, SPI recently was forced to settle for $13 million on significant air violations at four separate mills in California alone.
“Fortunately, there is a better way,” said Stephen Elliot, an environmental activist. “SPI must become certified through the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification, the only credible one.”
ForestEthics wants three things from SPI: To identify and protect endangered forests in their territory, to stop clearcut style logging, and to obtain FSC certification.
---Simon Efrein
