Plod sends a great squad to destroy the grass because of man's wickedness and because the earth is corrupt. The Grass Spirit tells Baldy, a righteous man in his generation, to build a large protest to save both his extended family and a representative collection of the world's animals. The Grass Spirit gives detailed instructions for the Protest, and after its completion, sends all the animals along. Plod then sends the great squad to cover all the mountains and animals with cautions and fines. Then the "Grass Spirit remembers Baldy," the squad fails to make a dent, the fines abate, and hope reappears. Baldy, his extended family, and the animals leave the Protest Park, and, in our dreams, Plod enters a covenant to never again send a squad to destroy the grass.

The MardiGrass Organising Body (MOB) are on the ball early this year with Lismore Council and Police insisting on bringing us into the ‘new world order’.

After a few meetings in Lismore already we were rescued by our angel Anna who is kindly volunteering to submit a 5 year event development application (DA) to Council. The infrastructure costs involved in putting this event on for the community is ever increasing it seems and this year we need everyone’s assistance. Anna will be approaching all businesses later this month to discuss their needs that weekend and our needs. Any business supporting MardiGrass will be recognised during the event and in the programme which is handed out all year in the village.

The focus over the next 5 years is for ‘free-flowing’ walkways to ease congestion on footpaths. ALL activities within the village are required to be registered with MOB for the purpose of the Council DA. Anyone trading on the street without approval will be subjected to ‘move on’ orders from police. There will be no street (footpath) trading apart from Sibley St, Peace Park and specified venues.
The ‘blister’ area and the Museum laneway is clear of any activity except acoustic music with a drumming circle permitted. More venues advertised closer to the event.

There will be a Busking Competition with at least a dozen busking venues so we don’t have dramas with the police like last year, with the winners vying for the most coupons received from visitors. There will be a blackboard at each venue to chalk up your time to play. As soon as MOB gets approval of these venues there will be notices in the next Goodtimes editions and around the town informing residents and visitors of the DA changes.

Restricted/no parking will be in place in the village from 12 noon Friday April 30th to 11pm Sunday May 2nd. Below are areas of concern:

* Sibley St will be closed to traffic from Cullen St intersection to Thorburn St. Residents in Sibley are asked to limit any vehicle traffic over that weekend from 12 noon Friday.
* The central section of the village will have no car parking this year. Chill Central safety zone will have no cars from the ‘blister’ outside the Museum to the garden before the pedestrian crossing. On the eastern side there will be no parking permitted from the Hotel all the way to Perceptios.
* There is also no parking on the southern side of Cecil Street from the Showgrounds to the creek to allow pedestrian traffic easy access to a new proposed pathway from 12 Cecil St to the Town Hall parking area. This will have security and lighting and ease the pedestrian traffic along the footpath around the Hospital.
* No parking at the top of Cecil St at the Cullen St intersection (Sunday only) on the southern side for 50 metres to allow for the rally assembly.
* Thorburn Street from Silky Oak Drive will have a road closure managed by the Backpackers to ensure clear access to and from the campsites and their parking.
* The western council carpark is to be free of any camping – all camping is to be directed to the Showgounds or Backpackers camping sites. Roadside camping is not permitted.

Vehicle parking paddock areas are to be managed by the Headers Sports Club this year with all profits going to the Club. They need volunteers and paddocks close enough to town. The MOB sincerely request anyone with suitable land near the village for parking to contact us. All parking areas will be slashed with provisions for toilets and waste amenities and MOB promises them to be left cleaner than before the event!

The MOB wishes to extend a welcome and many thanks for those who donate their time and finances during this event, without you it could not happen. All volunteers should register with the Hemp Embassy leaving a contact phone or email in the shop. MOB meetings have sort of started and you will find key organizers in the Hemp Bar from 4.20pm on Fridays.

Event tickets including a campsite are already for sale for the weekend of May 1st and 2nd, 2010 ………. Not so far away now.

BUY A 2010 MardiGrass WEEKEND PASS with CAMPING Online

SUSTAINABILTY MAKES THE CASE FOR HEMP.
The dawn of the new year brings with it the light of unity as nations gather to address the issues of global warming, the oil crisis, economic collapse, health, and world hunger with a fevered urgency. While we are considering all the options, the Cannabis hemp plant is one solution in the search for alternatives. Hemp has ecological, industrial, and medicinal values.

Hemp is a uniquely productive source of fiber, oil, protein, pulp for paper, and methanol fuel.
Hemp fiber became a major crop in the history of almost every European country by 400 BC. The Greeks and Romans used hemp rope and sails exclusively for their sailing vessels, importing the fiber from Sicily. The early Americans cultivated Cannabis hemp primarily for its fiber. Hemp-fiber production was most important to the developing colonies for homespun cloth and ship riggings.

Hemp growing was encouraged by the British Parliament to meet the needs for fiber to rig the British fleets. Hemp production was so important that in 1762 Virginia imposed penalties for those who refused to grow the plant. By the 1800s, Kentucky proudly exceeded hemp production of all the states with 40,000 tons annually, second only to cotton. However, the Civil War disrupted production and the industry never recovered.

By the early 1900s, with a labor shortage and lack of modern machinery, the hemp industry slowly fell to the wayside. But a resurgence of hemp-fiber products is slowly gaining momentum with softer and colorful fabrics. The plant’s resilience and vigor make hemp a wonderful candidate for methanol fuel; compared to many of our ancient domesticated plants, hemp never lost its colonizing tendencies or ability to survive without human intervention. If abandoned, it will flourish in our vacant fields and drainage ditches; unlike a tender crop such as corn, hemp is more economically sound.

When the Chinese invented paper they used hemp fibers recycled from old rags and fish netting.
Hemp paper had been well respected for its longevity and resistance to tearing. The hemp paper was so durable that fragments have been found in graves predating 100 BC.
Canada uses hemp in its paper currency and in all fine Bibles. Many dwindling timber forests could be saved by using hemp instead. While a tree may take 20 years before it is ready to harvest, hemp is readily available.

For thousands of years Cannabis hemp has been used for medicine. Emperor Shen-nung in 2000 BC prescribed root as a paste applied to relieve the pain of broken bones and surgery. From there new uses were developed, such as extracting precious oil from seed with a technique still used today.

Pressed seeds yielded 20 percent more oil by weight than other oils and were used for cooking, to fuel lamps, and for lubrication, and the pulp was fed to their domesticated animals. Centuries later the uses of hemp spread through expanding trade by the Aryans. For India, hemp played an active role in its rituals. After 4,000 yearsof oral traditions and spiritual teachings, the four Vedas were finally recorded in 1400 BC listing hemp as the spirit bhangas. Described as the “reliever of anxiety” (Atharva Veda), it was noted as a gift from the gods. Hemp lowered fevers, eased sleep, and relieved dysentery.

Not until the 20th century, when the tobacco industry wanted to take hold of the minority population, did hemp take on a different role. When racially provoked, misguided politicians developed a strategy to introduce myths that hemp caused insanity, lust, violence, crime, and that it was a poison that creates the degradation of religion. Even the first commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics Harry Anslinger stated in 1930, before he set the ax to the hemp plant, that he had serious doubts as to whether federal laws restricting it could be sustained as constitutional. The FBN further stated that it believed that the plant was not a problem because only the minorities used it.
Then came the campaign that used zealous scare tactics to portray hemp’s nightmarish dangers to society. The anti-marijuana campaign stirred up people’s aversion by focusing on the taking of American jobs by migrants and minorities, and marijuana hysteria took hold. In light of hindsight it is most imperative that hemp be reinstated into action.

Virtually every part of the plant is used—root, leaves, and flowers for medicine; stems for textiles, rope, and paper pulp; and seeds for food andoil. Hemp will be a valuable and less costly source than what’s now used for methanol fuel.

For medicinal applications, hemp has been used as a treatment for nausea, spasticity, glaucoma, epilepsy, and as an analgesic and tranquilizer. Topically, the cannabinoids contained in hemp have analgesic and antibiotic properties and are used for sore muscles, arthritic pain, burns, and many skin ailments. For sound sustainability hemp deserves renewed attention because it is ecologically sensible. Hemp is our greatest renewable resource.
Support the restoration movement and buy a hemp product today. Darcy Stoddard. www.hemp-eaze.com

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Hemp-EaZe Healing At The ROOT of the Problem.
Hemp Root Therapy Cream with a 9 herb formula is made to relieve muscles and aching bones, reduce swelling and ease pain. Hemp-EaZe rejuvenates circulation, promotes cellular growth, and encourages deep tissue healing. Our therapuetic cream is used for the treatment of Arthritis, sprains, joint pain, as well as, breaking down bruising, mending wounds, and relieving the discomfort of skin ailments.
Darcy Stoddard has assisted her local holistic health clinic in the treatment of their neuropic patients with Hemp-EaZe. The Therapists have been encouraged with the results achieved when applying our cannabis root based cream. Hemp-EaZe also rejuvenates circulation, promotes cellular growth, and encourages deep tissue healing. Cannabis root extract has relieved pain and swelling, working deep to help with Arthritis, joint pain and stiffness and as remedy for skin problems and infections. The local holistic health clinic has included the preparation in their clinical study and is currently treating 24 patients with excellent results. The healing properties of Hemp-EaZe have provided a solution.