farm bill news, CoV & 2gs gulabi gang benefit show

Dear Friends,

Thanks to all who came to the Make-Out Room show on Sunday. We (Conspiracy of Venus) are singing again this Saturday (5/3) at the Fort Gallery in Oakland, as a benefit for the Gulabi Gang, with Two Gallants and the Deciders. If you're staying in SF, please check out a few other great 5/3 show options in the events list above. And many more this week and beyond.

But wait! Before you get out your calendar, here's an important & condensed farm bill update (thanks to Tim Frank):

At the 11th hour, after staring at the possibility of simply renewing the current seriously flawed farm bill, House and Senate leaders finally broke their impasse this last weekend, reaching a tentative agreement on a new farm bill that would include many reforms we have fought hard for. These include significant new funding for food security, conservation, specialty crop and working lands conservation programs. This is good news, but not reason to rest easy. Lawmakers have this week to finalize major policy details, and absolutely nothing is guaranteed, so our continued engagement is critical. What they decide on this week could be the law of the land for the next 5 years. The tentative agreement calls for significant new mandatory money for many conservation and nutrition programs, but a number of important programs that support local food systems are awarded only discretionary funds which require approval every year and are much less dependable. We would like to make funding mandatory for the Farmers Market Promotion Program, Community Food Project grants and the Healthy Food Enterprise Development Center. These programs are needed to support new and expanded farmers markets, access to healthy food in underserved communities, and loans to rebuild local and regional food systems. If you have a chance to call your congressperson, let them know that funding for these local food systems should be mandatory. (If you're in SF, contact Speaker Nancy Pelosi.)

Now, please take a look at the just-updated list of bay area food/farming/music/movement & occasional art/social justice events above!!

xo
jessie

एअर्थ वीक

Dear friends:

Earth Day is quickly approaching; do you know where your reusable bags are?

Thanks to Alex Felsinger for the Guardian pieces this week highlighting the botticellis & their surfing habitsannouncing their record release of Old Home Movies as well as a mention of the Alemany Farm Earth Day Potluck featuring acoustic sets by the greenhouse from the Botticellis, Slow Motion Cowboys (w/ Pete from Trainwreck Riders), Leyna Noel, Vanessa Verlee & Jeremy Rourke.

Next weekend, head up to Marin for the Spring Fling at Slide Ranch! Celebrate the season at this farm-on-the-ocean with live music, local organic cuisine, and farm and craft activities for all. Volunteers are still needed! Email Annie by Monday April 21st if you want to help ~ anniem@slideranch.org.

A few food/farm related articles to check out:
}Guardian piece (go green issue!) about school gardens and kids' relationship w/ food
}SF Chronicle piece about the negative health effects of aerial spraying for LBAM
}LA Times editorial editorial about some of the environmentally harmful, wasteful practices that need to be removed from the Farm Bill. Call your representatives and Senators to express your concern. We may find out today (or soon) whether we will have a new Farm Bill or have to live with the old one for two more years, which would be tragic.

Choir show update:
Conspiracy of Venus is playing Sunday April 27th at the Make-Out Room, with Kacey Johansing and the Hallflowers and Saturday May 3rd in Oakland at the Fort Gallery with Two Gallants, Trainwreck Riders, the Deciders, and Ted the Block, to benefit the Gulabi Gang. We would love to see you there!

A couple more things:
I am starting to teach Beginner's yoga classes at 848 Divisadero on alternating Tuesdays. Email if you want more info, or check this list for updates. Raw foodluck to occur sometime in May.

Happy earth week!

Namaste,
Jessie

हेल्प एंड स्वेअत्शोप कोन्दिशन्स & मोदेर्ण-डे स्लावेरी इन थे अग्रिकुल्तुरल industry

dear friends,

a few announcements;

Action Alert: To help end sweatshop conditions & modern-day slavery in the agricultural industry, from the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, click following link to sign national petition (http://www.fairfoodnation.org/petition). The Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW), a grassroots farmworker organization based in South Florida, has launched a national petition campaign calling on Burger King and other food industry leaders to improve the wages and working conditions of farmworkers, and to support an industry-wide effort to end human rights violations and modern-day slavery in Florida's fields. Please add your voice to this petition by April 25th.

If you haven't seen it yet, check out this SF Chronicle article about Guerilla Gardening, featuring the Bus Stop House Garden (interview w/ Justin Valone) and Alemany Farm (interview w/ Antonio Roman-Alcala): http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/03/29/HOPOVBK0B.DTL

A couple of shows were recently confirmed for the choir, Conspiracy of Venus: We are performing Sunday April 27th at the Make-Out Room with Kacey Johansing and the Hall Flowers. We would love to see you there. Also, please save the date (May 3rd) for a benefit show at the new Oakland location of the Fort Gallery. Donations will go towards the Gulabi Gang (click link to read article). Music by the Conspiracy of Venus, Two Gallants, Trainwreck Riders, the Deciders, and Ted the Block.

Last but not least, don't forget about the Botticellis' CD Release show THIS Friday at Cafe Du Nord, and the Alemany Farm Earth Day Potluck/BBQ on SATURDAY April 19th!

events are above, check back for updates. i still don't know how to change the language in the title ~ oh well.
love,
jessie

वायस टू सलेब्राते थे एअर्थ इन माय.

dear friendly people,
here are some plugs of things to consider। thanks for reading, and happy earth awareness month. if anyone knows how to change the language in the title, let me know, it (blog universe) won't let me type in english up there. ~jessie

announcements:

1) Earth Share of California has designated the month of April as Environmental Awareness Month (EAM!) in order to increase public awareness about the importance of living an environmentally sustainable lifestyle. Though we realize that taking care of the earth is quite essential all year round, we are focusing on this month ~ with the highlights of Earth Day (4/22) and National Reusable Bag Day (4/21). The goal, of course, is to encourage citizens from every walk of life to conserve, recycle, and reduce the carbon footprints they create in their everyday lives. Details at www.earthshareca.org.

2) Put your money towards bonnets not bombs, a great new project... made by real people, not machines. each stitch has a unique thought/feeling/mistake/joke/secret... behind it. check out the website bonnetsnotbombs.etsy.com to see the pre-made bonnets or email bonnetsnotbombs@gmail.com for details on getting a custom-made one.

3) It's April, which means it's another Rainbow Grocery Co-op coupon month. You can shop at Rainbow on Wednesdays, Thursdays, or Fridays and get 20% off your whole purchase, simply by using the coupon found in the back of the Yellow Pages. It's well worth the trip, if not in your neighborhood.

4) Raw vegan food luck (a potluck alternative) coming up, on a Sunday evening in April... of course it will be on the list above when the details are finalized.