Sexually Deceptive Chemistry

This article will facinate bee people.
"Researchers can now explain how a male bee looking for love out in the desert can be misguided enough to embrace a writhing clump of beetle larvae instead of a female bee."

Roses from China? ...Mmmm very sustainable?

Read more here, or watch an audio slideshow here. Some higlights below:

• Workers earning as little as $25 a month clip roses from huge greenhouses, take them to vast sheds to remove any thorns by hand.
• The first sustained exports to the Unites States start later this week... others will be sold at auction in the Netherlands... Almost overnight, growers in this poor, rural province have become big suppliers to markets from Singapore to Moscow.
• The government has dedicated a huge effort to making all this possible. Extending its top-notch infrastructure inland, it is building 12-lane roads, sturdy bridges and international airports.
• The cost of air shipping works out to about 30 cents per long-stemmed rose, a little less without thorns and leaves... These roses cost as little as half the price of roses in other developing countries, excluding air freight.

Early Halloween/Talent/Open Mic: night, Oct.7th

EARLY HALLOWEEN, TALENT SHOW/ OPEN MIC NIGHT (when we're still all together!)
Saturday, after our Harvest Festival, gather the extra pumpkins.
Let's carve pumpkins, toast pumpkin seeds, bob for apples, costume ourselves, dance to Thriller, tell/read scary stories around bonfire, show off our talents-whatever they may be, rock out muscially together, AND tent-trick-or-treating....

other ideas?

yes!

Sow Good?

This is the best shot I could find. LMK if anyone has a better one. Thanks. dp

Pickers Are Few, And Growers Blame Congress

Interesting article, from the front page of yesterday's NY Times.

FALL HARVEST FESTIVAL!!

Please click here or on the image for a printable copy of this flyer.

The good work of urban garden educators:Wednesday, 9/27 @ 1:30 PM, Meet @ Gatehouse

The staff of the Alameda County Nutritional Learning Coalition (formerly known as the Hayward Nutritional Learning Community Project) will discuss and present their work growing food in urban public schools in the Bay Area. Their mission is to increase the capacity of entire communities to become more food secure and more nutritionally empowered.
The ACNLC is also HIRING new staff members. Follow this link to view the job description and/or ask Molly for more info.

More From Akiko...

The Food Project's e-BLAST Bulletin #3.7
BLAST (Building Local Agricultural Systems Today) is The Food Project's national initiative to train the next generation of youth and adults working together for sustainable food systems. Follow the link above to read this e-BLAST. It contains an extensive collection of articles, conferences, funding opportunities, trainings, jobs, internships, and resources relevant to youth.

The Lunchroom Rebellion

This just in from Akiko.
"Check out this article in the Sept. 4th issue of The New Yorker magazine---it's all about Ann Cooper's work to change the school lunch in Berkeley Unified. She is truly amazing---and what's going on in Berkeley is wild and crazy. Whoo hoo!"

Presidential Agenda Updates

PROM will be happening this Saturday evening at 8 pm!! Dinner not provided so please eat beforehand. Please please contribute to the funds envelope in the FC ASAP so that Cat and Dave do not need to front too much money on refreshments. Gabe and Kennon will be collecting mix CD's to add to the music selection, see them with questions. Catherine and Jason are on decorations and would love help. LEt me know if you would be able to make any food. And get excited!!

Our CLASS PHOTO was taken last Thursday with many amazing mustaches! I will be having an enlarged photo developed and framing it for the library as soon as Diane sends us the digital photo from the photographer.

TEE SHIRT DESIGN options will be posted in the FC today or tomorrow. Please vote for what you like so we can choose a design and get them made.
lots of love,Rachel

Yoga For Peace Followed by JGB

This looks worth boogying on over to following plant sale shifts on Saturday! Yoga for Peace Santa Cruz will be held on September 9th at the Santa Cruz Saturday Market: 137 Dakota Avenue. Here's a map. Registration begins at 10:30 am. Yoga practice starts at noon and consists of a Yoga Mala (108 sun salutations accompanied by live muisic - about 2 hours) and
Kirtan (call-and-response chanting, or bhakti yoga - until 3pm). Non-flow yoga practioners/meditators welcome to do their own silent practice alongside the salutations. $5 - 20 donation requested. No one turned away.
After Yoga for Peace, Melvin Seals & JGB perform live in concert on the Duck Island Stage from 3-5 pm!!