| Farmers' markets embody our need for connection and community
In the mythology of the American Dream, it's the privacy of our sanctuaries that defines, comforts and nourishes us. Homes, we are told again and again, embody our innermost desires. But lately I've been feeling how other sorts of spaces -- public, free and accessible to all -- are emerging to show us what home really means. Perhaps home isn't where we feather our nest with fancy things but the place that feeds the soul of a community. Nowhere is this more evident than in the growth of farmers' markets in California. In 1974, when the federal government passed the Farmer to Consumer Direct Marketing Act to allow farmers to sell their products beyond their roadside stands, there were fewer than 100 farmers' markets in the nation. According to "Fresh From the Farmers' Market" by Janet Fletcher, in 1977, California had four farmers' markets.
What's On: Events
WinterCity Festival The fourth annual city-wide celebration of the city's "diversity of spirit" which includes the popular Winterlicious restaurant promotion and more, wraps up today. More info on the event can be found at www.toronto.ca/special_events or 416-338-0338. Vaughan Winterfest This wintry event features a pancake breakfast, free entertainment – The Big Comfy Couch, the Stylamanders and the Dueling Pianos – and lumberjack shows, midway rides, carnival games and more. Sun. 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. (free admission). Vellore Village Community Centre, 1 Villa Royale Ave. Woodbridge. Info at www.vaughan.ca. White Cane Week presents recreations of two old-time radio shows – The Bickersons: The Honeymoon is Over and NBC Science Fiction Series X Minus One: Lifeboat Mutiny, performed by the Glenvale Players.
Train Hits SUV at Bessemer Crossing, Baby in Vehicle
Police say a woman driving an SUV with a baby inside it was involved in a train crash just after 8 a.m. in Bessemer. That's a few hours after at least four men were killed when a train and van collided at a rural crossing in Thorsby. In the Bessemer crash, Police Chief Nathaniel Rutledge told Birmingham television station WBRC that it appeared the driver had attempted to get through the railroad crossing arms when the crash occurred. Officials say the woman jumped from the car, but the baby was still inside while the train dragged the vehicle for at least a block. The conditions of the baby and the woman are not yet available. Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Harvest Partners Sells Evenflo Company, Inc.
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Harvest Partners, LLC, a New York-based private equity investment firm specializing in management buyouts and growth financings of middle-market companies ("Harvest Partners"), announced today that it has sold Evenflo Company, Inc. ("Evenflo") to an affiliate of Weston Presidio, a private equity firm. Headquartered in Vandalia, Ohio, Evenflo is a leading manufacturer and marketer of infant and juvenile products. Committed to innovation, safety and education for more than 85 years, Evenflo has been the trusted name in everything babies need to grow, go, play and thrive. The Company's offerings include car seats, strollers, travel systems, safety gates, activity centers, and nursing products. Harvest Partners acquired Evenflo in August 2004 and subsequently recruited Robert Matteucci to join the Company in 2005.
Forward.com
Poor Maxine. Somehow she makes it into newsprint and pixels so much less often than Josie does. I'm nuts about her, I swear, but because I've already been through all her developmental stages once, I think they make less interesting copy. (For instance, I was entranced when baby Josie pretended to pluck and eat little bits of fur off the cat. But when Max did it, zzz. Now I believe that infantile feline-mock-pluckage is a common baby grooming behavior, probably an evolutionarily significant throwback to nutritive lice-noshing.) Anyway, to be brutal: Maxine's growth is not news, whereas Josie is perpetually finding novel and fascinating ways to annoy me. .
|
