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 | | Interior of this year's Temple at Burning Man, photo by Jim Stone |
Welcome to another (or your first) edition of The Eleven, my monthly e-letter to friends, fans and business connections. If you'd like to unsubscribe, there's a handy button below, and ... away we go!
It's been an interesting couple of months since I last wrote. The Beloved Festival and Burning Man have come and gone - went to the first and skipped Burning Man. I know, skipped Burning Man? How could that be - there were a lot of reasons - and I'm still mulling over the decision and whether I'll go back in 2013. Suffice it to say, it was and is a challenging debate going on in my head!  | | Albert at Beloved Festival 2012 - photo by Kyer Wiltshire |
In other news, there's a big ole election coming up. I'm sure you've noticed - from our Mayoral and City Council races, to legalizing marijuana in Oregon all the way to the White House - this year is a doozy. Filled with all sorts of great writing, interesting graphics flooding into the social media space and real differences between the two parties that seem starker than they've ever been before. This snippet by Thom Hartmann came across my field of view this morning and generally captures my take on the difference between the two parties.
"You know, it's easy to resign into cynicism and attack both parties as tools of the corporate elite. But the President's speech last night revealed that there are still enormous differences between himself and Mitt Romney - differences that will affect the lives of tens of millions of Americans. As the President outlined, it's a choice between hiring teachers or firing teachers. A choice between making the rich pay their fair share or shifting more of the tax burden onto working Americans. A choice between doing something about climate change, which the President said "is not a hoax," or continuing to do nothing as the planet gets dangerously too hot. It's a choice between relying solely on big oil to energize our nation or adopting clean energy. It's a choice between Medicare and no Medicare. It's a choice between getting the healthcare you need or being denied health insurance for pre-existing conditions. Ultimately, it's a choice between having a middle class in America - or not. And even though the president didn't mention it, this election will be a choice between having a Supreme Court for the next generation that sides with working people or having a far-right Supreme Court that sides with corporations."
So, I will do what I can to make sure everyone is registered to vote - and especially in those states with new voter-ID laws (such as OH and PA) I will do what I can to get out the word to everyone I can reach that everyone makes sure they can vote in this upcoming election. It's an important one. More important than most. If you have the ability to take this action, too, please do. Voter ID laws have been put in place that will make it difficult for people to vote and this will negatively impact Democrats, the poor, the elderly. It's a real shame that Republican-controlled state legislatures are trying to disempower the voting public, but that's what they're doing. Please make sure those in your field understand what is at stake and how they can help enable everyone to vote this year. Learning what the election requirements and time-tables are in your State and making sure others know this information will be key in turning out the vote.  | | Albert @ Beloved, photo by Kyer Wiltshire |
And, in other news we'll be having a house concert this Tuesday, 9.11 @ The Happy Clam in Portland, featuring Ash Devine - More info here.
Also, Ma Muse will be gracing our house with music on October 16th. On a personal note I'm working on adding in more exercise into my life. I'm prioritizing my own health as I've suggested everyone else do in past emails. It's hard not to make a move towards greater health when one lives with the world's best nutritionist (featured below :) - so, I'm finally listening and focusing and riding my bike to work!
 | | Eecole Birthday Songs - May 25th, 2012 - Tony Starlight's Supper Club |
Speaking of work - I'm continuing to enjoy my part-time job and my
 | | Man on Mars by StudioLarz |
And, of course, there's so much more. Part of what I did (besides watch a whole lot of Mad Men and Weeds) while not attending the dusty festival in Nevada this year was work on learning SEO, Search Engine Optimization and moving my website, Albertideation.com from wordpress.com to a self-hosting situation. All of this caused me to grow skills and get my sites ranking higher in search engine results. I'm excited to share that information with friends and clients.
I've advised a few friends recently on how to get started with an email newsletter. No matter which platform you pick (I've got affiliate links for 4 of the better choices on my website) I highly recommend it for anyone who has a small business and needs a tool to effectively communicate with the world. For me, it forces me to put out my thinking, to create something on a regular basis. I also enjoy the feedback I get after I send out each newsletter - sometimes it's a pat on the back (thank you!), sometimes it's an introduction to someone or a project that you feel I'd be interested in. Often, my writing spurs one of you to write back with work or thinking that you've been doing that has inspired you - thank you for all of these responses! And, the best is walking into a party and being greeted by someone I might not know well who has been reading my writing for years and tells me about something specific that moved them along the way. So, if any of this resonates with you and you'd like some support in getting started, please let me know.
 | | MIchelle Obama 2016 :) |
f you haven't seen Michelle Obama's speech yet, have a watch - it's quite inspiring. I particularly love all of the shots of the convention-goers shaking their heads, "yes" while she's speaking. It's moving.
That's about it from Camp Albert. I hope you've had a great Summer and are feeling inspired about the days ahead. While the society/economy can sometimes feel like it is fraying/falling apart, there is also another tendency - an upward trend that is in evidence all around us if you look for it. Whether it's via EWOP Vision: helping us all see that Everything is Working Out Perfectly, or via watching the Condit and Elwa dam removal - there are signs in our universe that we have chances to avoid catastrophe if we choose to act.
Have a great month and I look forward to hearing from you!
With Gratitude,
Albert Kaufman
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