Thanks for the welcome, Ben Roberts. I don't know... I'm just a bit jaded with Occupy at the moment and all the infighting and misunderstandings... mis-information and dis-information. And the multitude of websites spreading us out even thinner.

I'm passionate about the ideals of the Occupy movement but am recently retired... 66 years old... and I haven't got time for messing around with negativity. Where's the love and acceptance I witnessed at St. James Park in the early days?

I'm at the point where my contribution is going to be in the arts and crafts area, with hand knitting and designing as my first passion. Going to start a weekly knitting group. Want to join in?

In Solidarity with all Occupiers, but I've had enough of the bickering and time-wasting...

Bev & her buddy "Lily" (Woof-Woof!)

Toronto ON Canada

PS: Do the weekly calls cost $ ?

Thanks for the welcome, Ben Roberts. I don't know... I'm just a bit jaded with Occupy at the moment and all the infighting and misunderstandings... mis-information and dis-information. And the multitude of websites spreading us out even thinner.

I'm passionate about the ideals of the Occupy movement but am recently retired... 66 years old... and I haven't got time for messing around with negativity. Where's the love and acceptance I witnessed at St. James Park in the early days?

I'm at the point where my contribution is going to be in the arts and crafts area, with hand knitting and designing as my first passion. Going to start a weekly knitting group. Want to join in?

In Solidarity with all Occupiers, but I've had enough of the bickering and time-wasting...

Bev & her buddy "Lily" (Woof-Woof!)

Toronto ON Canada

...original message...

Ben Roberts added a comment to your profile on Occupy Cafe------------Welcome, Bev!  So you say you're here "to see if it's worth participating."  What would make that answer a "yes?!" 

Thanks.  That's me getting down to business. 

Hi Ben, yes my first experience with Occupy Heart was a good one. It's nice to experience people sharing this way. I'll be back.

Wonderful to be here! What a wonderful space to gather and discuss evolutionary best practices of the Movement. Aho brothers and sisters!!!

hmmm, my comment seems to have vanished! Hello brother! Would be happy to meet any of the Global Occupy Tribe who may drop into my neighbourhood.  Are they in Melbourne yet? :)

Hello brother! I would love to connect up with any of the Global Occupy Tribe and chew the fat. Has this friend left yet? :0

Haha!  That's Nanaimo alright.  You can't see it well in this photo, but those little guys have set up quite an organized camp, with a kitchen, warming/probing station and everything!  Lol.

Hi Ben!  I have to apologize as I'm not really up on the workings of this site yet, so I don't know if this is the right place to respond.  If by "this" Occupy site in Nanaimo, you mean the link you posted, then I think no, because that seemed to be Portland people.  :P  But otherwise, Yes! I am involved in the Occupy site in Nanaimo.  That would be Nanaimo, BC, Canada.  :)

"Occupy Congress!" Put together a slate of candidates that are honest people drawn from the occupy movement's ranks and elect them to Congress. The first order of business is to take big money out of federal politics. Pass the Fair Elections Now Act (S. 750 and H.R. 1404). A law where political candidates for federal office would raise a large number of small contributions from their communities in order to qualify for Fair Elections funding. Contributions are limited to $100.00. Strictly voluntary by the candidate to avoid legal issues. Require new FCC regulations granting 100% FREE TV air time to all federal candidates who obtain sufficient petition signatures and/or votes to get on the ballot and participate in the primaries and/or electoral process. Allocate certain cable TV channels for the specific purpose of political advertising.

End Political Corruption - End the "revolving door" of politicians and their staffs from ever becoming becoming lobbyists and prohibit all federal public employees, officers, officials from ever being employed by any corporation, individual or business that they specifically regulated while in office.

Clean Up Wall St. - Break up the biggest banks. Reenact Glass-Steagall. Abolish credit default swaps. Derivatives must be traded on transparent exchanges. Tax all Wall St. financial transactions at 1%. Damp down speculation and raise $400 billion a year.

End The Wars - Reduce the military budget by half ($275 billion).

End The Police State - End the Patriot Act

Clean The Air - EPA to STRICTLY enforce the Clean Air Act.

Create Jobs - A ten-year federal program that involves a New Works Progress Administration (WPA) and Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) to create millions of jobs rebuilding America that includes infrastructure banks run by engineers, not politicians to extricate ourselves from the Great Recession now and increase productivity later.

Invest In Education - Begin with the federal government paying tuition and fees for all students, part and full time, who are enrolled in two-year public institutions in the United States.

Make Health Care Affordable And Accessible To All - Medicare For All. Allow Medicare to purchase drugs directly. Give the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MEDPAC) more authority to drive down medical costs. End fee-for-service.

Create A Fair Federal Tax Code - The marginal tax rate ought to be raised to 50 percent on income between $500,000 and $5 million, 60 percent on income between $5 million and $15 million, and 70 percent on income over $15 million. There should be a 2 percent annual surtax on all fortunes over $7 million. The estate tax should be 55 percent and kicks in after $5 million. Capital gains should be taxed at 35 percent. End the home mortgage deduction on all homes over $1 million. End the home mortgage deduction on all second homes. Corporations should be taxed by a variable amount based on the percentage of payroll going to US workers. A small business employing 100% US workers should be taxed somewhere between 15-20% while a company that has completely shifted its production overseas should be in the 50% range. Eliminate corporate loopholes, unfair tax breaks, exemptions and deductions, subsidies, end offshore tax haven abuse. Expatriation of capital should be subject to a maximum tax-rate penalty, with violation considered a felony act.

Thanks Ben -- no I'm not that close to Nanaimo. Actually on Bowen Island just off West Vancouver.

Thanks Ben!  Loving the site so far!

Hi Ben! Congrats on a great online commons here! don't know how much harvesting I'll be able to do for a while, as I'm a bit swamped with other stuff, but at whatever point I get involved in a conversation, I will def contribute to the harvesting piece...

Sorry if that last response didn't match with the comment I read.  I get a bit confused on these social networking sites.  I am so confused by how to use Facebook that I pretty much avoid it.  I will try to figure out how to use this site appropriately.

Incidentally, what is a gift????

--Kenoli

Ben -- Yes, I would.  I was wondering about starting a "process" group.  As I was thinking about it, I was realizing the connection between process and tactics and thinking about a group that embraced both of these areas. There is so much to say about this, that I am hesitant to simply jump into it here.  These are topics I am interested in and I've been communicating a lot by email with friends on these issues. Process is pretty much what I live and eat and breath.  I get the sense that among the occupy movement there is little discussion going on about process beyond discussions related to implementing the kind of "interest group-consensus" approach that seems to characterize most of the large group engagement at the sites.

--Kenoli

Thanks, Ben!

I am keen on what you're doing here and will check out the group on the virtual+physical occupation. Since we spoke last the perfect opportunity has arisen to bring forth your insights into using communication for social transformation. Awesome. I also want to mention a co-creative storytelling project I've been involved in called Studio Occupy (www.StudioOccupy.org).

Cheers!

Jeff

Ben,

Thanks for you welcoming me.

I am very impressed with what you are doing..congrats!  I would like to see how I can be of help and how it matches my passions.  I am co-creating an evening and will do more combining passion and pleasure so to speak.  Film, multi-generational and multi-ethnic events with local slow food and communion.  Probably use some Peter Block or exercises.  I am a small group process aficiando.  (spelling).  Maybe I should talk to Gary or you at some point about my involvement.  Lynne