Nowtopian

You regulars might be wondering where I’ve been… well, walking mostly! It’s a glorious spring here in SF, clear days, warm sun, sparkling good will and TONS of events to go to… Here’s a shot from the Potrero Hill Community Garden (one of my all-time favorite local spots) looking northwest across the city towards Mt. Tamalpais…

I’ve been out walking up and down the hills, taking in Talks, talking politics and life, and just feeling better than I’ve felt in a long time (must be something in the air!)…

Snapshots: Michael Pollan in conversation with Whole Foods CEO John Mackey at Zellerbach at UC Berkeley… annoying audience of earnest green liberals who have to clap at every self-serving brag made by Mackey, who insisted on giving a 45-minute ‘lecture’ prior to the conversation… As Pollan caustically noted afterwards, it was obvious that he had not had his presentation vetted by PR professionals (mostly because he showed a grisly 5-minute video of factory farmed animals in their horrifying conditions)… All in all a very collegial conversation though, as the food journalist and the corner-grocer-turned-billionaire agreed that their shared goal was transparency in food supplies, a worthy reform by all accounts. Mostly a long Whole Foods ad, but an audience of Berkeley foodies ate it up…

Continue reading Spring is Glorious!

One of those weeks that just keeps coming at you… I spoke a couple of times, first “Whatever Happened to the 8-Hour Day?” for the SF Museum and Historical Society (a crowd of apx. 70 in which at least 50 of them were over 65!… why is it that labor history only appeals to old folks? I guess I know the answer…); on Wed. night we had our Talk on “Land Grabs” and I did a somewhat scattered survey of various episodes in the imposition of property and boundaries on the local landscape, up to and including the blatant grab of Mission Bay in the contemporary era by the heirs to the 19th century robber barons.

Last Friday night I was a volunteer wine pourer for the local chapter of Slow Food at the Ferry Building where they had a benefit tasting event. As another volunteer and I discussed, it was very fun to be a peon for a change, not responsible for anything but doing a simple task… and it was very enjoyable to talk about wine and give everyone the taste of Italy (odd that the local SF chapter of Slow Food is so often presenting Italian wines and foods… the whole idea of Slow Food is about local, regional, heritage products and processes…. sigh). By the way, all of you who are interested in the next “Slow Food Feast of Fools and Friends” at CounterPULSE on April 22: it is now open for reservations via paypal and our website.

Continue reading San Francisco mishmash