The Hook News Blog » Blog Archive » Joel Salatin hits silver screen

« Unpoled citizens: Closure call surprises Hatton Ferry fans

People 08:34 am May 23rd 2009

Joel Salatin hits silver screen

by Hawes Spencer

Joel Salatin, founder of Polyface Farms in Swoope Virginia, may be the Commonwealth’s most celebrated farmer– he’s already a household name from his leading role in sustainable food tome The Omnivore’s Dilemma. Now, he’s about to make the leap onto the silver screen in a pair of documentary films. The first, Food, Inc. is from the producers of the Oscar winning Al Gore-backed documentary, An Inconvenient Truth. The second is Fresh, which focuses on the positives of smaller sustainable food businesses like Polyface and Stonyfield Farm.

Salatin is thrilled to be in the spotlight, according to a recent article in the Staunton News-Leader. “We’ve gone from sucking hind tit,” he told the paper, “to now being avant garde.”

–last updated Tuesday, May 26 at 3:47pm

Write a letter to the editor

What recession? »

Sue May 23rd, 2009 | 1:23 pm

Fascinating story about Salatin and the 3 generations of farmers he comes from. Wonder what Salatin would think of this new angle on “local farming”.

WHEN Jessica Prentice, a food writer in the San Francisco Bay area, invented the term “locavore,” she didn’t have Lay’s potato chips in mind.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/13/dining/13local.html

Asides
New Presidential Library chief in Staunton

Say hello to Dr. Don Wilson, new director of the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Museum in Staunton. In the Presidential library biz, Wilson (no relation to Woodrow) appears to be a whiz, having held executive positions at the Eisenhower, Ford, and elder Bush libraries. He was also our nation’s top Archivists, watching over the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the rest of the National Archives. He replaces historian Eric Vettel–appointed as director four years ago–who has decided to “pursue other interests.” (0)

Dem primary too close to call in new poll

With only two weeks to go until the June 9 primary to decide the Democratic nominee for governor, a new poll says it’s still anybody’s ballgame. According to the latest from Public Policy Polling [pdf], 31 percent of likely primary voters remain undecided about which of the three candidates they prefer. Among the remaining 69 percent who stated their support, former Democratic National Committee chair Terry McAuliffe still leads the pack at 29 percent, while State Senator Creigh Deeds and former delegate Brian Moran each earned 20 percent, with a 3.9 percent margin of error. (3)
Download files »
- http://readthehook.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/ppp_release_va_522.pdf
Snap o’ the Day: Northtown shop center

Amid a deep recession, which includes the deaths of many shopping malls, according to a new Wall Street Journal report, developer Wendell Wood plunges forward with his Northtown Shopping Center, a planned open-air retail place, seen here from a passing vehicle on the afternoon of May 21. (1)

Stories from local veterans on Memorial Day

Over the years, the Hook has profiled several local veterans whose stories are worth remembering on this Memorial Day. Last year, the Hook looked back at the life of Marine Cpl. Brad Arms, the Charlottesville resident who was killed in 2004, only a few months into his service in Iraq. In the run-up to that war in Iraq, the Hook sought the insights of veterans of the first Gulf War Eric Allen and Jacke Brown, as well as Vietnam War veteran and Green Beret Alan Farrell. In 2005, the Hook interviewed Hank Allen, Horace Boykin, and Mason Allen, all among the African-American veterans of World War II. And in 2004, the Hook learned of the remarkable story of the seven brothers Cason, who all served in and survived their tours in the Second World War.
–photo by Mark Blevis/Flickr (3)

Snap o’ the Day: Free CDs

Hook interns Cameron Feller and Gordon Block catch their breath after handing out dozens of free CDs as part of a promotion between the Hook and 106.1 The Corner FM on the Downtown Mall last Wedesday, May 20. (0)