A change at the Santa Rosa Farmer’s Market that begins on Saturday may help some lower income households enjoy healthier menus.

To make the introduction of the food stamp program at the Santa Rosa Farmer’s Market this Saturday more festive, manager Paula Downing says several special events will be part of their day.

Mary Kelley, manager of the Healdsburg Farmers Markets (they have two each week), observes that the few food stamp users who have begun to shop there are going through some serious changes in their shopping and food preparation practices.

Locations, dates and times forall the many  Sonoma County Farmers' Markets can be found here.

Follow this link for information about the Food Stamp program in Sonoma County

PG&E reports it is about halfway through its rollout of wireless Smart Meters to monitor utility use. But critics of the meters are calling for a moratorium on the devices, for multiple reasons, including health concerns.

Sandi Maurer, founder of the EMF Safety Network, explains that the possible health problems resultant from exposure to wireless transmission derive from their effects on the sophisticated bio-electric processes within the human body.

These electrical considerations are heightened, Maurer notes, for individuals with medical devices, such as pacemakers, implanted in their bodies.

For people who are experiencing health problems after a new meter has been installed at their home, Maurer says there is recourse available.

The biggest number of complaints about the new Smart Meters have not been about health issues, however, but about billing problems.

In the article, Are Smart Meters Smart? the EMF Safety Network offers an extensive critique of the new metering technology.

Since the Americans With Disabilities Act was enacted by Congress 20 years ago, it has changed much more than building codes.

When the ADA passed, it took some time for the law’s new requirements to have a visible effect. But Anthony Tusler (left), founder of About Disability, a Penngrove-based advocacy office, observes that there were some notable changes in the public media landscape almost immediately.

 Most adult Americans with disabilities were cheered and empowered by the passage of the ADA in 1990, but Tusler acknowledges there were a few who felt threatened by the changes the bill would bring, and opposed it.

Despite their gains in other areas, most disabled Americans continue to struggle to find meaningful employment. Tusler suspects some employers manipulate the hiring process to avoid dealing with the ADA.

This is one of a series of photos taken in April, 1977 by Anthony Tusler at the demonstration and picketing at the U.N. Plaza in front of the Federal Building in San Francisco. The group then entered the offices of HEW and refused to leave. It was the longest occupation of a Federal Building by any group. Demonstrations were also held at other Federal Buildings across the country. Because of the political pressure of these actions Secretary Califano signed the regulations in May. A more complete history can be read at 504 Sit-in: Historical Articles and Eyewitness Accounts.

Medical marijuana has grown from an “only in California” curiosity into an expanding realm of business opportunities—which some are now calling the Cannabis Industry. Among them is an entrepreneur who sees a niche in training workers for that budding industry.

The Cannabis Training University program will be offered at the Holiday Inn Express  in Santa Rosa July 24-25 (other summer sessions are scheduled in San Jose and Santa Cruz).  Jeffery Zorn outlines the curriculum.

There are further details about the program in this promotional video.

 Zorn is himself a graduate of Oaksterdam University, the Oakland-based school that was established to address many of the same needs and concerns as the Cannabis Training University. But as the founder, owner, CEO and promoter for CTU, Zorn sees comparative benefits in his program.

Cannabis activist and advocate Ed Rosenthal   is among the instructors at the Cannabis Training University, but will not be among the faculty for the Santa Rosa workshop.