382 lines
19 KiB
Plaintext
382 lines
19 KiB
Plaintext
From: hempster@crl.com (Alan Silverman)
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Newsgroups: alt.hemp
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Subject: CA Hemp Expo (long)
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Date: 7 Jun 1994 13:03:38 -0700
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Message-ID: <2t2jqq$4an@crl3.crl.com>
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The California Hemp Expo was a tremendous success.
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The Expo was combined with a High Times 25th(?) Aniversary party.
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I didn't see a whole of exposure about High Times Magazine
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in general, but I guess they were a major sponsor of the event.
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We arrived at 9:30 am and got a great spot by the fountain,
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under the grossly trimmed trees that looked abnormally stunted,
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yet provided much shade and nice lookouts for those who climbed
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them for better views of the stage and expo. The official start
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time was noon. It lasted for six hours, at which time the last
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of the crowd made thier way through the vendors to find those
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last few items they wanted to purchase, but not carry around all day.
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Located in Golden Gate Park, around the fountains between
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the band shell, the California Academy of Sciences, and
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the Japanese Tea Garden, was the site of one great big party.
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My guess is that tens of thousands of people came by. Many knew
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of the event ahead of time, but many just happened on it by chance.
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The location is always busy with people anyway and the huge crowds,
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music, and booths just brought more and more people.
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The weather was terrific. It started out cool in the morning,
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turned into a nice warm and somewhat windy afternoon, and by the
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end of the event, that famous San Francisco fog started to roll in.
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That was about the time I think a lot of hemp coats and tops
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were sold by many of the vendors. Lots of people were wearing
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lots of really nice things made from hemp. I missed JJ, our
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favorite hemp importer. She could not make it to the show.
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A major client of hers made her a vested pantsuit out of the
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fine 10oz summercloth we use, that would have been a showstopper.
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The suit is in the high end of retail, costs almost a thousand dollars,
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and is sold through an exclusive designer and shop in LA and NY.
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I dont know the name of the business, but they must be successful.
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They keep coming back for more hemp. They sell only top line styles
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made from this fine linen-like hemp fabric. Ohhh soooo nice.
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Attendees were mostly the pot crowd, Deadheads, and alternative
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lifestyle folks, but many people from different walks of life
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came out of interest. The Chinese tourists, the older folks out
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for a walk in the park, the undercover DEA agents (I guess?),
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and general public came with open minds and great smiles.
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Everyone appeared to have a wonderful time. I saw no fights,
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practically no open drug use or drug dealing, no busts, the police stayed
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out of the crowds, and the cans and bottles got recycled almost
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as fast as they could be emptied.
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The schedule of events included Asphalt Poetry, The Marginal Prophets,
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Fungo Mungo, Total Devastation, El Magnifico, DJ Markie Mark, and
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of course, Fishbone who's frontman was dressed to kill in his totally hemp
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zoot suit!! Wow!!! The sounds were cool. I would have prefered more
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of the psychadelic sounds that San Francisco has been known for.
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Lots of work went into the stage and sound board and a big hats off to the
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crew and volunteers who made this all possible. This was no little
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event! A lot of effort went into this and it was most appreciated.
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Speakers included Ngaio Beafun - cannabis comic/event MC; Cannabis
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Action Network and High Times Magazine; Business Alliance on
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Commerce in Hemp; Families Against Mandatory Minimums; The Libertarian
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Party and Forfeiture Endangers American Rights. This writer was
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too busy at the vending booth to listen to most of the discussion,
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but the crowds were definitely into hearing what needed to be said.
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I have a quote from Jack Herer, hempster extraodinaire:
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"Get off your ass, change the laws.
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The laws wont change untill you get actively in every
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politician's face over and over and over and over again
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until they fall!"
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I guess Jack was a little upset that the initiative did not do as well
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as he had hoped. There is not a loss yet though. Check this out.
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Chris Conrad, of BACH (Business Alliance on Commerce in Hemp) told
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me about a lawsuit that is in the works against the State of California.
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The lawsuit, which is on appeal, is based on technicalities regarding
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the procedural problems encountered by Jack and the other writers
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of the California Hemp Initiative. It seems the word hemp was
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replaced with the word marijuana, which not only caused undo
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hardships due to wording and raised prejudices, but also caused
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major delays in getting the initiative out to the public in time
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for this deadline. The suit asks that this issue be added to the
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ballot ANYWAY because it was unfairly compromised by the State.
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The lawsuit also is based on harrassment which has unfairly
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compromised this legitimate and legal attempt to change the laws.
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We've all heard stories about real criminals getting cleared of
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charges on technicalities. Lets see how this works with the ballot.
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Also regarding Chris and BACH, he is doing a tour across the USA
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between August and October. He needs information about events
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where he can speak and spread the word. Please contact Chris
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Conrad with any information you have.
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Voice mail: (213)969-1607
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Fax: (415)898-9563
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Email: HELP HIM! He needs to find a good access email account.
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He travels a lot and is wondering if AOL would be a good choice.
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He needs a service where he can locally dial into the network
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and access his email as well as other Internet type services.
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Chris would also like to hear from the European hempsters as well.
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He is planning on another Europe tour. Chris has done a lot of work
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with the Hash Marihuana Museum in Amsterdam, which is open every day.
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Jack and Chris practically launched the marijuana legalization
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movement through their book, "The Emporer Wears No Clothes".
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There were quite a few vendors there, for sure. I couldn't guess,
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except to say, maybe a hundred. Quite a few stragglers were there
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who just showed up with a few crafty type items for sale. The biggest
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loser was the food concessions. Bummer. More people were asking about
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food than almost anything. One enterprising young man set up a grill
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and made nasty looking grilled cheese sandwiches for a buck. He had
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a huge line of people who were ready to eat almost anything.
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My guess, is he made the most money of the day. Some people
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just have no class. These things were burnt, dirty, and gross.
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On the food line, one guy had ground up hemp seeds mixed with
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organic brown rice syrup. Pretty gnarley, I'ld have to say, but
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he was giving away free samples. I think hemp seeds are very
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nutritious and have a neat nutty flavor, but they need to be
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one of the minor ingredients if you expect public support.
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Brownies, granola bars, cookies, and such would be great with
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a little ground up hempseed in them. Our collective is seriously
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considering some tasty and nutritious snack bars. We have access
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to a kitchen, can get the permits, and have more talent between our
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members than you can shake a bud at. We're ready and we do trades!!
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Food Not Bombs was on the scene with bagels and breads.
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I love those folks! As usual, they sold nothing, but accepted
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donations to help the cause of publicly feeding the hungry.
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Mayor Jordan of SanFrancisco has publicly been at war with the
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homeless and the hungry for quite some time. He claims it is in
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the name of the war on crime, but his targets and actions show
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that his agenda is bit deeper than that. He seems to attack
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those who are trying to help. It's like President Clinton and
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the U.N. trying to shutdown trade to North Korea and claiming
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it is not an act of war. Hell, what was the Gulf War all about?
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It was an act of war to support free trade of the American Oil
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Companies, was it not? Editorial off, followup by email please.
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Now, regarding the vending booths, this gets long and will include
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a bit of info about everyone I met and talked with.
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Joanne and I (Got It Covered, members of the Redwood Hemp Collective)
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arrived on the scene at about 9 am, so we got a nice spot under
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a tree near the fountain. The folks from the Cannabis Center and
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Hemp Emporium on Haight Street were very instrumental in getting things
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set up for everyone. Cheers to them! What a nice setting it was for the
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Redwood Hemp Collective. We had an 8 foot table with just about every
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product of the cannabis hemp plant available in one form or another.
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We had our problems of course, the Cannabis Clothes van broke down
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in Novato, so they were quite late getting to the expo and were very
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tired and upset by they time they finally arrived, but Candi, in
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her infinitely kind and awesome personality, had a wonderful day
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showing, talking, selling, and taking orders for her fine custom
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clothing. Alan of Hemp Book and Candle had a relapse of a bad cold,
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so I handled his lip balms, soaps, candles, creams, paper, etc.
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We did a fair amount of sales. It was quite obvious that the
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majority of people were looking for those $3 items that were easy
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to purchase and carry away as fun memories from the day.
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We almost sold out of our tiedyed beanbag frogs at $12 each.
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They got hugged and tossed all day. I must have heard, a hundred
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times, "Awww gee... I had one of these when I was a kid....
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awe.....how cute......" and never once tired of it or lost a smile.
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I did lose my smile once though. Our neighbor had a gong that he
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was banging on so much we not only could not hear the band, but
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I couldn't hear a voice from two feet in front of me, across the table.
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I let out a hardy "HEY!" in his direction. He mellowed out.
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I know why they dont let instruments into Dead shows much more.
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Among the other vendors, was California NORML, with an info booth.
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Ganja Gear was pretty cool. This is a husband and wife team
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who make fanny packs and bags from hemp. They highlight the
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gear with Mudcloth, from the Dogon Tribe of Mali, Africa.
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Verrry nice people. They will be at the Health and Harmony
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Festival next weekend in Santa Rosa, California. I told them
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to call me when they get to town. I live a few blocks from
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the Fairgrounds, so we can help them with local logistics.
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They said "Gangah Gear is the name. We make hempwear clothes
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and bags. We're only working with organic clothes. We're just
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getting started but we feel really good about our product."
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Nice folks, indeed. This is one of the major things I like
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about the hemp industry in general, the awesome people involved.
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The Hayward Hempery, a retail outlet in Hayward California had
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a booth with lots of books. They can be reached by phone by
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calling (510)JET-WEED. Store hours are Tues -> Sat, 11-7.
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The Fourth of July will be the store's 1 yr. anniversary.
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FATEEZ was selling mostly pot related Tshirts. You can contact
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them at 150 Linden St., Jack London Square, Oakland, CA 94607.
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Phone and fax is (510)832-3800. They gave me a cool matchbook.
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It is black, and on the front, is the white outline of a skunk
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sitting on it's honches, smoking a fatty! Nice design indeed!
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The Hempstead Company, one of the oldest hemp manufacturers
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was on hand. Their new business cards are printed on cards
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made from 100% recycled hemp fabric. Verrry nice and original.
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They are associated with The Ohio Hempery in one form or another.
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Products are available through many catalogs, including Real Goods
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and The Ohio Hempery. They produce promotional items as well.
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Patrick and Chip were on hand to greet and meet the many attendees.
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They can be reached at 2060 Placentia B-2, Costa Mesa, CA 92627.
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The phone is (714)650-8327, 800-284-HEMP, fax (714)650-5853.
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Kat was doing hair wraps, anklets, bracelets, and beads.
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She generally hangs out in Venice, but also likes to play with
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the HHH hair wrappers on Telegraph Ave in Berkeley.
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Derek Jones and Sally Hanson, Mind Boggling Beads and Other Arts
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With Heart were on hand with some of the most incredible Fimo
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beads I've ever imagined. The quarter sized pendant with the
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waterfall scene is the most popular seller. The hemp bead is
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nice one. We may order a qty of them to make some simple easy
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things with hemp twine. These are some truely awesome artists.
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They have an evolving inventory and dont carry a true catalog,
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but can reached at N. 12 Garry, Liberty lake, WA (509)255-6105.
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I would say it is probably safe to order beads from them sight
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unseen. The panther was great! They are superb!!
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Hemp Style, The 90's Store for Clothing & More had some nice things.
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They are located at 1499 Wagstaff Rd, Suite C, Paradise, CA 95969.
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The phone is (916)877-HEMP or 800-939-HEMP.
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LightSpeed Press is one of interest to you campus rats. They have
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educational novelties, hemp info, do graphics production. They have
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many nice Tshirts as well. It's worth getting a catalog. Some of
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the Tshirt designs are very artistic and creative and priced right.
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Kelly is trying to find ways to communicate with more campuses.
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I suggested the Internet, of course. She has started a group
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called "United Campus Coalition". She's been around since the
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"Stop The Drug War Tour" and believe we should harvest hemp, not trees.
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She will be touring the MidWest and the East, so if anyone can help
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her with event information, touring logistics, whatever, please help.
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She's very nice and would be fun for you to meet up with.
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Write to Kelly Green at Lightspeed Press, 3145 Geary Blvd, Suite 469,
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San Francisco, CA 94118 or call (415)985-5232.
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On the more spiritual side is Sweetlight Books. They publish books
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for people who love the Earth. A catalog is available by mail.
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An interesting magazine is Holy Smoke, for people who love marijuana.
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It is for people who use marijuana as a sacrament and medicine.
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Holy Smoke subscriptions are $12 a year and a single copy is $3.
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Contact them at Sweetlight Books, 16625 Heitman Rd, Cottonwood, CA 96022
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or phone them at (916) 529-5392.
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Hemp Connection has many nice articles of clothing. Marie Mills was
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a seamstress from way back, but got out of the business. When she
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found the hemp cloth, she found a renewed energy to pull her machines
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out of storage and build it back up again. She has some nice styles
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and colors. She does mailorder and has a catalog or her fiber products.
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Write to her at P.O.Box 33, Whitethorn, CA 95589 or call her
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at (707)986-7322.
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Bruce Rose, Jeweler, is the one to contact for fine jewelry,
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goldsmithing, silversmithing, setting, ring sizing, repair, ear piercing,
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design, and gemology. He had some nice pendants. His shop is in
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San Leandro, CA. Call him at (510)633-7939.
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Cannabest sent Ellen Kemp. What a pleasant and friendly person she is.
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They are in print now of a four color catalog of hemp products. They
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rep a lot of stuff and will have some nice offerings. Write to them
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at 1536 Monterey Street, San Luis Obispo, Ca. 93401, or phone them
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at (805)543-4213 or 800-227-0510. I'm looking forward to seeing this
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catalog. It's going to be chock full of cannabis products, stories,
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and information.
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Dont let me forget Two Star Dog! This is Steve and Alan, brothers
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importing cannabis products from the orient. They have a full line
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of hemp and hemp/cotton blend clothes including farmer overalls,
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jeans, jackets, shirts, and lots more. I dont have contact information
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on them, but if anyone writes to me I can dig it up through Mari Kane
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of Hempworld. They are also creating some American made products.
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I bought a bicycle hat from them. You know how hard it is to find
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a decent bike hat that doesn't say Campagnolo all over it? This one
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had the TWO * DOG logo on the front. That was acceptable to me.
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The hat was $10 at the show. I couldn't resist.
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Mari Kane of HEMPWORLD was on hand with her latest publication
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which comes out every other month. The latest edition is the
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fashion issue. We missed out on this one, but several other
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members of the Redwood Hemp Collective have been featured here.
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Mari Kane was working on an article for Entrepeneur Magazine
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last year when she discovered how big this industry really is.
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She discovered, while writing this article on the Hemp Industry,
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that the industry does not have a newsletter to keep us all informed.
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This was her calling. She has put together a newsletter that will
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be the missing link between those of us who take industrial hemp
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seriously. The newsletter is published 6 times a year. She has
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published four issues since starting last December and hopes
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to publish monthly. She asks for news, stories, press releases,
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subscriptions, ideas, etc sent to her care of
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HEMPWORLD
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P.O.Box 315
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Sebastopol, CA 95473
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(707) 887-7508 phone
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(707) 887-7639 fax
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email: needs one!
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Subscriptions are $30 per year.
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Classifieds run at $1 per word. Display ads are $25 for a credit
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card sized at up to $125 for a full page. Inserts available even
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if you want to share one with others.
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Mari defines hempster:
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Hemp-(hemp)n.
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A tall Asiatic herb cultivated for it's tough fiber and as the
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sopurce of Bhang and hashish. - Webster
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-ster (ster). A suffix denoting origin of one who does something
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with skill or as an occupation. - Webster
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Thus:
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Hempster - (hempster)n. One who uses the fiber of hemp in his
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or her occupation.
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Hempsters are numbering in the hundreds and may reach the thousands
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by the end of the year. HEMPWORLD will be the official newsletter
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of Hempsters and the Hemp industry and will hopefully reach as far
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and wide as the hemp industry can grow.
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To those two guys from Berkeley who identified themselves as
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not students, but intelectuals, and wore down Mari's ears with
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talk about the specifics of the hemp industy, I would like to
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repeat her invitation to you and to the readers on the net:
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"Write an article! I'll publish it." Keep the story relatively
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short and concise and make sure you provide factual information.
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It's important that you know what you are talking about and that
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you write your story in a professional manner.
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Thank you for bearing with me through all this. The expo and
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entertainment was wonderful and I'm hoping we can all get together
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and do it again. I think we should have this event again in the
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fall and twice again next year. I hope it was a financial success
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for CAN and all the others involved in this wonderful event.
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The many volunteers who made this event possible are too many to
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list and unfortunately, unknown by name to me, so I'll just say
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thank you very much. The party after the hemp expo was for you.
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The party was at Trocadero Transfer, 520 Fourth St. @ Bryant
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in San Francisco. It started at 8pm and went till whenever.
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The party featured Separate Ways, Wicked Mary, New Kingdom,
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Wolfpack, DJs Markie Mark, Tony, and Bam Bam. Tickets were
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handed out at the end of the expo. Tickets were marked as
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Admint One Only, No Invitation..No Admittance, Strictly Enforced.
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It was printed on a rainbow colored card to eliminate duplication.
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That may be why they were handed out at the last minute too.
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We did not go to the party. It was late, we were dirty, we had
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lots of merchandise and cash on us, and didn't feel safe in
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that part of the city, so we went on home, stopping at Taco Bell
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for a quick pickup, before home, unpacking, eats, showers and bed.
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What a day! I'll remember it forever. The Hemp Expo I went to in
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San Francisco at the Hall of Flowers in Golden Gate Park was not
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nearly as big as this, but still hangs kindly in my mind. It was
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a launching pad for my involvement in the hemp industry. I'm wondering
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how many others got launched today. I'm sure we'll all be reading
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about them in future editions of HEMPWORLD!
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Regards,
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-alan
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--
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Got It Covered Member of the Redwood Hemp Collective.
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P.O. Box 14627 Visit our booth at:
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Santa Rosa, CA 95472 Santa Rosa Health and Harmony Festival
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hempster@crl.com June 11,12 Sonoma County Fairgrounds off Hwy 12
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