Oh, the People You'll Meet....

FIRST.... Direct Action is NEEDED by 8/3/07 at 5 p.m.!!!! Sign a petition to keep NY City from passing an ordinance that would require a permit and 1 million in insurance to be able to take photos or film within a BOGUS time frame and parameters! go to this website to read about it and sign the online petition http://www.pictureny.org/archives/category/about-the-rules

Now....I wanted to share 2 brief stories that I think are so funny I hope you find them just as humorous...

I picked up a local weekly rag called "Vermont Woman" and the cover photo and story read "Roz The Black Panthers The FBI: What our government did to the Black Panthers could happen to you! - Roz Payne" story on page 18. Of course that is the kind of title that initially grabbed my attention (for those of you who know me well). So, I took a copy and headed to the Sheraton to check in at the cheese conference I am attending here in Burlington.

I go to the hotel lounge and I am sitting at a table enjoying a glass of wine and poke thru the paper. I spotted another story "Discovering Vermont's Dairy Haute Couture" which focused the story on the Vermont Butter & Cheese Co. and the co-founder/owner, Allison Hooper. I initially read the story and even highlighted some statements that I thought were interesting. I was taken with her story and thought to myself...."Well, I will be at the right place to potentially meet her...I hope I get the opportunity to do so."

Not minutes after reading the article do I look up and see this tall and slender woman walk past the outdoor lounge and notice her say hello to some conference folks sitting at the table away from me. I kept looking at her and then glanced at the photo of the two cheese-makers in the magazine and then looked up. I thought it was Allison but was weary of making a fool of myself by actually walking up to her and asking if she is indeed the woman in the paper. But I am almost dead-certain it is. I get up walk over and wait till she is done with her conversation with another conference goer and then ask. Sure enough it was Allison and I showed her the paper. She had not yet see it in print and was glad to see it during the conference. I told her I would bring a bunch of copies of the magazine and lay out for people to take.

Later that evening I proceed to read the main story about Roz Payne and her work with Newsreel (a documentary film org. in the 60's that captured some AMAZING footage of the times and people who made that period so fascinating to me) check out http://www.newsreel.us/ to see what I am talking about. The story was very interesting.

I had recently learned about Roz and the Newsreel group last fall when I ordered from AK Press a copy of the DVD film "What We Want, What We Believe" a doc. about the Black Panther Party and related people (lawyers, activists, filmmakers). It is a fantastic documentary film with 12 hrs. of material on 4 discs (pace yourself). I had been searching for more information on the Black Panther Party to better educate myself on their story. Materials on this org. is difficult to find.

So, I read the story in Vermont Woman and recalled some of it from the DVD film and again, thought how neat it would be to run into Roz at some point.

Last night after attending the "Meet the Cheese-makers" event at the Sheraton (OH MY GOD THERE ARE SOME YUMMY CHEESES IN THIS WORLD) and sampling enough to not need to have dinner that night I drove to City Market (the most fabulous cooperative health-food market I know of) to pick up ice for my cooler and a couple items. I get out of the checkout line and walk to the exit door and go to pick up some more copies of Vermont Woman and look next to me and this striking woman looks familiar to me. I look down at the magazine and then look up at the woman and then say aloud "Are you Roz?" and point to the story. She says "Yes I am...I don't like the look on my face in the photo." Well....I was in almost total disbelief!!! What are the odds of this happening in 2 days much less a lifetime...right??? I mean, Burlington is not a huge metropolitan city and my odds of meeting Allison were all but assured, but after reading the articles and wishing to meet both of them was just too funny!!!! And, Roz does not live in Burlington.

Well.....I am having an amazing time here in Burlington!!! Killer cheese and radicals abound!!! Heee heee heee : ) I may never go home!!!

Namaste'