i saw this in my inbox and chuckled. lightly humored activism brushes this grain of grass in the right way...

COME MEET SANDOR KATZ, AGRI-ACTIVIST & AUTHOR OF THE REVOLUTION WILL NOT BE MICROWAVED: INSIDE AMERICA’S UNDERGROUND FOOD MOVEMENTS.

When: June 8th 7-9pm

Where: The Tank, 279 Church Street between Franklin & White
No cover charge, but donations to offset our food costs are encouraged

"Sustainability is Participation," is Sandor’s motto, so please come participate in Eating Liberally’s book party for Sandor. Hear his vision for a sane, humane food chain, and share some sustainable snacks with us!

A sampling of Sandor’s candor:

“Our food system, in which barely one percent of the people produce food for the other 99% to eat, is producing diseased people, diseased land, diseased animals, and diseased economies. We must break out of the restrictive and infantalizing role of consumer. We are all inherently capable of producing food. More of us must make that a focus in order to create better food choices.”

From Amazon:

An instant classic for a new generation of monkey-wrenching food activists. Food in America is cheap and abundant, yet the vast majority of it is diminished in terms of flavor and nutrition, anonymous and mysterious after being shipped thousands of miles and passing through inscrutable supply chains, and controlled by multinational corporations. In our system of globalized food commodities, convenience replaces quality and a connection to the source of our food. Most of us know almost nothing about how our food is grown or produced, where it comes from, and what health value it really has. It is food as pure corporate commodity. We all deserve much better than that.

In The Revolution Will Not Be Microwaved, author Sandor Ellix Katz (Wild Fermentation, Chelsea Green 2003) profiles grassroots activists who are taking on Big Food, creating meaningful alternatives, and challenging the way many Americans think about food. From community-supported local farmers, community gardeners, and seed saving activists, to underground distribution networks of contraband foods and food resources rescued from the waste stream, this book shows how ordinary people can resist the dominant system, revive community-based food production, and take direct responsibility for their own health and nutrition.

excuse me for not being as prolific in writing on this half of my existence. as i'm a few months away from leaving NYC, i'm spending more time on the luck of seven.

as my world turns one more rotation, i've been contemplating the world though the basic lens of cause and effect.

the past few months have seen unprecedented announcements promoting corporate environmentalism or the popularization of environmentalism capitalism. sadly, these all come with a cost. just like the (red) campaign seem to bring AIDS activism into the act of consumerism. on earth day, PC World featured another disturbing statement of reality.

"Most large enterprise companies have strict rules for IT procurement and deployment, but only vague guidelines for hardware retirement and disposal, [Bob Houghton] said. Many of those companies are glad to make grand statements about upholding their environmental responsibility.... Generating revenue from the process can change the whole equation."

WELL thank goodness things are profitable for hardware recyclers. my good friends at greenpeace have been articulating a similar statement within their ToxicTech campaign.

extrapolating this argument a few steps out... what would happen to profitability when governments forced recycling? would the recyclers become the new barons of the world or worse? would we this be part of a more regimented, regulated society?

tomorrow, my good friends at the change you want to see will host author / filmmaker Heather Rogers and Freegan activist Adam Weissman for a feast of a conversation. we will masticate on the the history and politics of household garbage, and yes, it will be a catered event!

Wednesday, April 25, 7:30pm
84 Havemeyer Street, store front
at Metropolitan Avenue
Williamsburg, Brooklyn 11211
917-202-5479 or 646-221-7845
http://www.thechangeyouwanttosee.org

Technorati Tags: (red) campaign, freegan, greenpeace, heather rogers, not an alternative

well this post is a bit late, but i just have to say thanks to house 2.0 residents for opening their doors not only to good food, but good times! who knew oscar night could be so much fun?!?!?!

ps - brooklyn hilary has some great "who framed..." photos... they are a must see! too bad they aren't cc 2.5... :(

Technorati Tags: brooklyn hilary, house 2.0

this came into my inbox a few days ago, and if i was back in nyc, you wouldn't find me anywhere else...

Eat Your Principles! Come to our Blue State Brunch on Sunday, February 11th at 1pm at the Tank (279 Church St. between Franklin & White). We’ve invited author Jay Weinstein, who literally wrote the book on ethical eating, The Ethical Gourmet, to share his passion for sustainable cuisine.

Ethics reform is sweeping the House. But has it reached your house? Is your fridge full of karmically and chemically contaminated foods? It’s not too late to resolve to eat more ethically; the Chinese New Year doesn’t even begin till mid-February! And, it’s the Year of the Pig, or, in Liberally Land, the Year of the Pasture-Raised Pig.

So join us for some Decisively Delicious Waffles, and Not-Quite-Canadian bacon (if it came from Canada, it wouldn’t be local!), to name just two of the brunchtime treats we’re cooking up. As always, there's no cover charge, but contributions to the Eating Liberally Kitty are strongly encouraged to help fund our sustainable smorgasborgs.

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Technorati Tags: eating liberally, foodie, puppy, the tank nyc

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The BarCamp License (Revision 1):

< tyler(a/t)bleepsoft.com > wrote this code. As long as you retain this notice you can do whatever you want with this stuff.
If we ever meet at a BarCamp, and you think this code is worth it, you can buy me some tacos in return.

R. Tyler Ballance spent 6 hours writing Bonsoir, a little mac application, for fellow barcamp earth / barcamp texas participants to share vCards/hCard. The best part of this microformat application, is the distribution license. As all of my frends will attest, if you need me do something; there betta' be a nice meal or a love conversation over some fine brewed beverage. I am such a sucker for a good meal and a hefty brew.

cheers to you, R.T.B.! i owe you a taco!

So now my head is filled with the following questions....

• Maybe we can turn this into a new creative commons license?
• Will BarCamps turn into the next set of potlucks?
• Who wants me over for dinner? ;)

PS - Factoryjoe, do you have a discarded icon or two for this lovely little app?

if you didn't know, i am blessed with an awesome roommate! sabrina is one of the babycakes at babycakes nyc - a sugar free, wheat free, gluten free, vegan bakery in the lower east side. since opening last september, the press have eaten up their cupcakes and cookies as if it was the end of the world. the bakery is so popular, every month i have another gourmet magazine to discover.

starting next month, you'll be able to order babycakes nyc anywhere in the states. in the meantime, check out the new babycakes nyc web site, and sign up for their mailing list for discounts and a list of their monthly promotions

if you go, don't forget to mention i sent ya! you just might get a free cupcake! :)

Babycakes NYC
248 Broome Street (Btwn Orchard & Ludlow) MAP
New York City NY 10002