Corvallis DIO (doin' it ourselves!)

So I didn't know what to expect tonight. I sent a message to a few listserves I'm on: the organic grower's club, Ten Rivers Food Web, the Hours Trader (alternative local currency), some friends from school and posted flyers in a couple coffee shops and a few places around campus. That's all. More than 30 people showed up for the first meeting of the Corvallis DIY/DIO Collective and another 15 sent me emails saying they wish they could have made it, but were already occupied. We were all on the same page, or at least seemingly so. The Corvisivallians are down with organic gardening, bicycle cooperatives, sprouting, a tool share, and crafty awesomeness (e.g. dyeing fabrics, knitting, crochet, sewing). The inter-generational vibes were wonderful. People of all ages with similar goals wanting to get shit done now! The plan is to meet once a month for a Food Not Bombs style potluck to stimulate community and get in touch with each other informally based on our interests to work on projects. We have a tentative weekend-long skillshare planned for the fall. So much great energy! Any way I'm feeling good.

recommended by Charlene

The Nowhere Man

The transcontinental tribe of wanderers is growing, global souls for whom home is everywhere and nowhere. Pico Iyer, one of the privileged homeless, considers the new kind of person being created by a new kind of life

By Pico Iyer

Check it out at http://www.prospect-magazine.co.uk/article_details.php?id=4639. It took up too much space here:(

Bienvenido

If you were recently invited to be part of this blog, welcome. I am new to the interactive blog world besides a vain stint with livejournal some years ago. If you find this group of people exciting, I hope you post. This blog comes from a few places of inspiration: a suggestion from lilli, a need for a continued sense of place, keeping Cbus urban farming dreams alive, and a search for understanding that I feel only comes from interactions with others. I've organized on one issue or another or perhaps just mulled over some of my deeper thoughts with most of you. Please invite others.

P.S. If there are any snags with posting, let me know.

Let's read

A smattering of university courses in business management, calculus, linear programming, and a handful of international studies and environmental economics courses still leave much to be desired for the knowledge I seek. Recently, I have been re-educating myself on the many isms (e.g. capitalism, feminism, racism, sexism) that I’ve only poked at in the past. In my quest for a deeper and useful understanding of oppression, the following titles have been enlightening in one aspect or another. I would love to hear what everyone has been reading and what has been inspiring you. Please add to the list!

Books and authors:

bell hooks

Grassroots: A Field Guide for Feminist Activism by Jennifer Baumgardner and Amy Richards

Winona LaDuke

South End Press (publisher)

Queerly Classed

The Revolution Will Not Be Funded: Beyond the Non-profit Industrial Complex by Incite! Women of Color Against Violence