Local talks and events plus artist Nick Williams

Last week I managed to get to Abbey Home Farm and their great shop and cafe there - it is inspiring to see this farm continue to work it's wonders - not just in selling the food but also helping us all understand why it is important to eat local good food - talks, festivals, farm trails and more.

Photo: organic shop

Artist Nick Williams has a series of great pics at Abbey Home Farm near Cirencester - I don't want to detract from the local open studios here in Stroud - see previous blogs re the 250 artists that are exhibiting this year locally - but if you are Cirencester way it is worth a visit.

Photos: Nick Williams paintings

Also worth noting is that on the 16th June Satish Kumar (editor of Resurgence magazine) is introducing the extraordinary Dr Vandana Shiva - I can't make that date but it should be a great evening. See details here.

"I don't think we need to talk about free trade and fair trade. We need to talk about honest trade. Today’s trade system, especially in agriculture, is dishonest, and dishonesty has become a war against farmers. It’s become a genocide".
Dr Vandana Shiva

Another event on Sat June 16th, 10am till Late which I'll also miss - is "An outdoor extravaganza at Stroud Slad Farm" - Celebrating Community Supported Agriculture & Local Food! Organised by the Transition Town Food Group and Stroud Slad Farm - Workshops(donations)10am-4pm including:

Composting with Biodynamic Gardener Florian Schneider
Food For Free with Ecologist Dan Gordon-Lee
Building Compost Loos with Woodland Manager Alun Hughes
Nutrition & Consultations with Nutritionist Helen Nightingale
Medicinal Herbs with Herbalist Nathan Hughes
Preserving and bottling with Expert Bill Marlow
And for the kids...Storytelling with Kelvin Hall, Horse Riding, Face Painting & Treasure Hunt
PLUS! 8 -11pm Ceilidh with C e l t i c Co n s p i r a c y plus late night revelry around the fire with Ceilidh Jo & Friends. Camping£3adults/£1under12's this event only - Evening Tickets£6 advance only from Kane's Records & Stroud Deli. FFI 756615 / 07791 670674

The same night which I will also miss is the US author, Jeffrey Smith giving a talk on "GM Food: the real facts about the health risks" at Acton Court near Bristol. He is described as: "the best science communicator alive today." Space is limited, so please phone (01454 772285) in advance if you intend to come.

Jeffrey Smiths' book is claimed by reviewer Claire Robinson to be "the final word on GM health risks.....the definitive answer to those who don't know, those who don't want to know, and those who know but don't want anyone else to know." It will come as no surprise to many that contrary to what the industry would have us believe, there are a considerable number of findings that show GM causes harm. Smith uses much previously unavailable material obtained under the Freedom of Information Act and has trawled through piles of industry submissions and government documents.

Claire Robinson writes (see GM Watch for more) on one of the issues he raises: "...ever wondered why a certain batch of GM crops is called an "event"? Smith explains that each batch is produced by inserting the transgene into the host plant cells either by the gene gun method or by infection with a bacterium. So random and disruptive is this process to the host cells that the results are different with each insertion. The process is neither repeatable nor reproducible. Scientists tell me, however, that repeatability and reproducibility are generally viewed as prerequisites to any process that claims to be scientific. In this light, the GM process as it is currently practiced is not scientific. Nor does it even qualify as engineering, as the engineering equivalent would be to try to build the Forth Bridge by tossing an assortment of girders, nuts and bolts in the general region of the Firth of Forth and letting a bunch of monkeys fiddle with them: an intelligence of a sort is at work, but the result is utterly unpredictable. Thus, even if government regulators had a road-to-Damascus conversion and actually started policing GM technology as they are supposed to, any safety tests performed on one "event" of a GM crop would have to be repeated on all other events before the crop could be pronounced safe. Cheap GM crops for the third world, anyone?"

Lastly see Stroud festival events here - some particularly interesting discussions and films planned re peace. Lastly another event worth considering is Monday 18th June, The Sub Rooms Café, 7-10.30pm Free / Donation to celebrate National Bike Week, Bicycology Stroud presents a ‘Bike Film Night’ -an evening of short films about cycling. More info:

The event will also function as a launch night for Bicycology Stroud. The film ‘The Humble Magnificent’ (30 mins) explains a little about the group Bicycology: “The bike is a humble yet magnificent form of transport, and it symbolises a way of life that can be both fulfilling and sustainable. Bicycology is a grassroots collective who promote cycling as both a form of transport and a source of joy. This film follows their 2006 Roadshow, in which the group pedalled across England, teaching people how to fix their bikes, and discussing the things we can all do to help fix the planet”

The headline film, ‘World Naked Bike Ride’ (45 minutes) is a bit of fun. Narrated by Channel 4’s Jon Snow, it delves into a worldwide annual phenomenon, focussing on an event in London in 2005 “Hundreds of cyclists get naked and ride en masse through the streets, simultaneous with rides around the world. This is a film celebrating both the bike and the human body, protesting against oil dependency and climate change, and illustrating the vulnerability of cyclists on city-streets” Other short films about bikes, in particular, bike recycling projects, will also be shown. The group are also planning other events for Bike Week, including a game of Bike Polo (on Friday 22nd) and a stall at the Farmers’ Market. Those interested can log on to www.bicycology.org.uk