On the LAKE Front

Downtown Valdosta Farm Days today

Tasty food, local community, and local economy, all on the grounds of the historic Lowndes County Courthouse: Downtown Valdosta Farm Days is here again this morning, from 9AM to 1PM.

-jsq

Earth Day and Valdosta Farm Days Saturday 21 April 2012

It's a food festival Saturday in Valdosta! Before, after, or during stocking up on local food at Valdosta Farm Days at the historic Lowndes County Courthouse, you can mosey up Patterson Street to Drexel Park for lunch, music, fun, and education at Earth Day! Drive, bike, or even walk; it's only a little more than a mile.

What: Come celebrate the Earth with us, and learn about growing your own food!! When: 10AM-3PM Saturday 21 April 2012 Where: Drexel Park, across Patterson St from VSU, E. Brookwood Drive, Valdosta, GA

Appended is the text of the announcement.

-jsq

Even George Will is calling for drug legalization

We can't afford this anymore:

A $200 transaction can cost society $100,000 for a three-year sentence.

It's time to legalize, regulate, and tax drugs, taking tax money away from private prisons and police militarization, and freeing it up for education, health care, and rehabilitation.

George F. Will wrote 11 April 2012, Should the U.S. legalize hard drugs?

Amelioration of today's drug problem requires Americans to understand the significance of the 80-20 ratio. Twenty percent of American drinkers consume 80 percent of the alcohol sold here. The same 80-20 split obtains among users of illicit drugs.

About 3 million people — less than 1 percent of America's population — consume 80 percent of illegal hard drugs. Drug-trafficking organizations can be most efficiently injured by changing the behavior of the 20 percent of heavy users, and we are learning how to do so. Reducing consumption by the 80 percent of casual users will not substantially reduce the northward flow of drugs or the southward flow of money.

Will-like, he ignores the real reasons we're locking up so many people (corporate greed), but he does get at the consequences:

4 down and counting: Kraft and Intuit exit ALEC

After Pepsi and Coke, now Kraft (processed food products) said

"Our membership in ALEC expires this spring and for a number of reasons, including limited resources, we have made the decision not to renew."

and Intuit (Turbo Tax and Quicken) also decided to let its ALEC membership lapse.

Reasons such as petitions by numerous organizations asking companies to ditch ALEC? We seem to have a case of the cheese fleeing the rat ship.... (Sometimes I wish I could draw.)

Here's another petition for corporations to ditch ALEC. Let's not forget ColorofChange's petition about voter suppression.

And how about ALEC board member UPS, based in Atlanta?

-jsq

Farm Bill Forum in Tifton 2012-03-16

Here's a playlist of videos of Saxby Chambliss' Farm Bill Forum in Tifton. It seems the Farm Bill is about big agro crops like corn and soybeans. Peanuts are considered a specialty crop. Fruits and vegetables are not really considered.

Some more videos will be added, but here is the first bunch:

Farm Bill Forum, Senator Saxby Chambliss,
Gary Black, Charles Hall, Robert Redding, John Maguire,
UGA Tifton Campus Conference Center, Tifton, Tift County, Georgia, 16 March 2012.
Video by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE).

-jsq

 

 

School lunches, speculators —Garry Gentry

Garry Gentry from Tifton at Saxby Chambliss's Farm Bill Forum in Tifton wanted to know how much of food prices was due to Wall Street speculation.

Here's the video:

School lunches, speculators —Garry Gentry
Farm Bill Forum, Senator Saxby Chambliss,
Gary Black, Charles Hall, Robert Redding, John Maguire,
Tifton, Tift County, Georgia, 16 March 2012.
Video by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE).

-jsq

 

 

Bring our troops home —Gretchen Quarterman

Gretchen Quarterman asked the first question at Saxby Chambliss' Farm Bill Forum in Tifton:

Bring our troops home.

That way we'd have more money for everything else.

Here's the video:

Bring our troops home —Gretchen Quarterman
Farm Bill Forum, Senator Saxby Chambliss,
Gary Black, Charles Hall, Robert Redding, John Maguire,
Tifton, Tift County, Georgia, 16 March 2012.
Video by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE).

-jsq

 

 

They worked hard for what they got —Mr. Robinson from Brooks County

The only speaker that got applause at the Farm Bill Forum organized by Senator Saxby Chambliss in Tifton was Mr. Robinson from Brooks County:

If we don't get the immigration thing solved, I don't see a future for any of the farmers.

He didn't like HB 87. Speaking of local immigrants he knows:

They worked hard for what they got, and I think they deserve a little bit more respect.

Saxby Chambliss said it was very complex and said the federal government should step up. Wait, which branch of the government is he elected to?

Here's the video:

They worked hard for what they got —Mr. Robinson from Brooks County
Farm Bill Forum, Senator Saxby Chambliss, Gary Black, Charles Hall, Robert Redding, John Maguire,
UGA Tifton Campus Conference Center, Tifton, Tift County, Georgia, 16 March 2012.
Video by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE).

-jsq

 

 

Local Heirloom Tomatoes and More @ HLTF 2012 03 22

Here are videos of "Local Heirloom Tomatoes and More", the 22 March 2012 Lunch and Learn by Healthy Living Task Force, organized by Diane Howard (dhoward202@mchsi.com) and Traci Gosier (tqgosier@dhr.state.ga.us) 229.245.8758

The program has been grant funded and has had previous topics of:

February 2012:

“Lovin' Local-Grown: Grits, Cheese, and More” featuring Gayla's Grits and Sweet Grass Dairy Cheeses

19 January 2012:

Juicing Jubilee Lunch and Learn event

The final session will be 26 April 2012, 12:00PM til 1:30PM at Valdosta City Hall Annex.

Here's a playlist:

Local Heirloom Tomatoes and More,
Lunch and Learn, Healthy Living Task Force, (HLTF), Healthy Living Task Force,
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 22 March 2012.
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE).

-gretchen

Solar surging in Savannah

Near Savannah a couple of doctors are pioneering ways for everyone to profit from solar now. Yesterday, the Driftaway Cafe started serving up with solar.

WJCL and WTGS wrote yesterday, Solar Power Surges in Savannah

A ground breaking project is underway in the coastal empire that harnesses the power of the sun and hopes to pave the way for the future of clean energy. One main part of this project is for everyone to be able to supply their own power.

Clean, sustainable energy has been a hot topic for some time now, especially, energy that doesn't send our money overseas.

“We need to develop every available source of American energy,” says President Obama.

The problem is that until now alternate sources have been out of reach or too expensive for most of us.

“It's very important we learn how to harness our own power and how we structure that today is important for future generations,” says Dr. Sidney Smith, co-owner of Lower rates for Customers.

“Lower Rates for Customers” is hoping to do just that. The plan is to make solar power the way of the future and affordable for everyone. They have an all encompassing plan that can have anyone generating their own electricity within 45 days, even if you don't have the land to put up solar panels.

“We provide you with the place, the hook up, the technology and Georgia power will send you a check to supplement your power bill,” says Dr. Pat Godbey, co-owner of Tabby Power.

Business like the Driftaway Cafe jumped on the chance to get involved.

“Their financial model for the future just struck a nerve with me and I wanted to be a part of it,” says Driftaway owner, Robyn Quattlebaum.

Cheaper, cleaner, and accessible: that's good business sense!

-jsq