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The Eleven - August 2010
Hello there, and a special welcome to you, my Facebook friends. Welcome to another edition of my monthly e-letter, The Eleven, which comes out on the 11th of each month and features news, pictures and thoughts by yours truly. This last month has been a lot of fun - and lots of work.
I've been continuing to put some time and effort into the Wileyware business. The business seems to be growing and more people are finding the glasses and marveling over them. We've had a great Summer at various fairs, and also have a new glass in production, the tumbler. Here's an example of the "puzzle" pattern in the new tumbler glass.
View inside tumbler glass: puzzle pattern  |
On other fronts I've been busy creating a public awareness campaign around idling (car/boat/truck/engine). At the same time I've been working with Friends of Trees and the City of Portland to create an easier process for businesses who want to plant trees on their sidewalks. I am also the neighborhood coordinator for our neighborhood tree planting next March. Along with this I'm trying to interest my State Senator, Chip Shields, in my on-going wish to see the end of the dumping of yellow and white pages on our doorsteps and am working to create legislation for the 2011 legislative session that will switch us to an opt-in system for phonebooks.
This month, I also decided to try life without a cellphone. I'm tired of the disruptions, and the possible danger of cellphones so I ported my number to a landline which is less expensive and does not travel around with me. So far I'm very happy with the change.
Sometimes things are not so easy on the activist front. Being an activist means often coming up against a big NO! Or, an unclear place :) For instance, I've been trying to figure out how to bring Undriving to Portland. I met these folks at the Green Festival in Seattle in June and was impressed and figured it would be easy to bring them to Portland for one of our Sunday Bike Parkways. So far, I've struck out in terms of finding institutional support, though a lot of the bike groups think it's a good idea. I may just have to think further out in terms of bringing this group here, we'll see. If this interests you, please get in touch!
Then there's the magic: spent a weekend in Corvalis, OR helping friends construct their strawbale house!
My website continues to attract a lot of visitors. For the first year I hardly got any visitors, but somehow in the past year I'm getting a lot more traffic. This is fun, and I hope my writing and activism is helpful to the world.
Singing Trees in Ford Park, Vail, CO  |
Speaking of fun, I just got back from a trip to Beaver Creek, Colorado with my family for a week-long reunion. We spent time together in some condos and visited Glenwood Springs, Vail and other nearby towns. I enjoyed learning about the area, battling altitude sickness and navigating family dynamics and connecting deeper with my brother and sister. I also enjoyed playing with my nephews and niece and seeing how they're growing and changing.
Work-wise, I'm continuing to develop my social-networking/teaching business, and have a few new clients who I'm enjoying working with. I definitely have room for more :) I've put together a menu of my services regarding social networking. I'm also happy to work with people at a rate they're/you're comfortable with, so let me know if you have an interest in getting your social networking/promotional groove on and let's talk!
One of my favorite new festivals is coming up this weekend, it's called Beloved. It's a woodsy affair about 2.5 hours SW of Portland and has a flavor that I've never experienced before. Great music, kirtan, yoga, qi gong, vegetarian food, and a huge gathering of my friends all camping together in the shade. After that is Burning Man. This would be my 11th year and I'm hedging and hemming and hawing. There's an interesting discussion going on in my head about whether to go or not, and you'll just have to keep an eye out for September's The Eleven to find out if I went or not :) To my burner friends, maybe see you on the playa :)
Then there's the news - fires in Russia, Prop 8 in CA taking a dive!, floods in Pakistan and the world continuing to heat and population to grow. I have friends who are lifelong activists throwing in the towel with comments like "there's nothing more anyone can do, our goose is cooked". I disagree and will continue to live a big life, and do what I can to try to improve conditions here. And, I'd love company! So, feel free to risk - live big, smile hard, dance dance dance and know that you're not alone. Find inspiration where you can - I look to Michael Franti and Spearhead a lot. Amy Goodman and Democracy Now! also seem to be about as clear a picture of what's going on in the world as exists. Don't give up!
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Our Community University: Thriving in a Changing World
On August 20th, we'll have round 2 of Our Community University. This is
a continuing education effort that I'm spearheading for those who are
free during the day and would like to share their skills with the rest
of us. Round 1 was fantastic, and I'm still digesting all I learned. I
also was a presenter that day, and here is a link to my hand-out on
social networking. If you're free on Friday, August 20th, I'd love to
see you here @ Our Community University. For more information, click
here.Our Community University: Round 2
Featuring: Sarah Lambert, Ken Cararro, Sue Supriano and Jon Reinschreiber
Title: Continuing education to help us thrive in the future
10am-3pm on Friday, August 20, 2010
1823 NE 13th Ave. (convenient to 8, 9 and all MAX lines) MAP
Each class $10 or all 4 for $35
Post class community building discussion @ 3pm, free
RSVP and/or Paypal to albertkaufman@gmail.com to reserve your space in
class!
Or, at the door.
Wi-fi, tea and hot water, available
Please RSVP to albertkaufman@gmail.com
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Thanks for reading and I'd love to hear what's going on in your corner of the world. It's an interesting time to be alive, and my guess is things will continue to evolve in ways we could never imagine. Keep an open mind, practice expanding your flexibility - physically and mentally, and you should be in better shape to weather the coming changes. Cheers!Albert Kaufman Please refer friends my way: http://albertideation.com/2010/06/28/services/ |
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